Ahhh, the year that was. 2012 was not the greatest year for film. It started off incredibly strong and got me incredibly excited for what looked to be an amazing summer. And then the summer was one of the worst summers in movie history (hyperbole? yes, but still). However, just as I was beginning to lose hope, the fall and winter brought 2012 back with a vengeance with an amazing winter. So, was it the best year? Not even close. But it was, like most years, still filled with many amazing films. Some I saw and wished I hadn't (cough, LES MIS, cough) and some I still have yet to see and it kills me. But I have seen a lot of movies (176 not counting repeat viewings) and here are my favorites of the year (ranked arbitrarily until the top 5 or so)!
10.) THE GREY It seems like everyone hates this movie. Any time I hear someone bring it up it is always negative and I want so much to tell them that they're wrong. Instead I just shake my head and die a little bit inside. Granted, it's not their fault. THE GREY, directed by Joe Carnahan, was marketed terribly. "TAKEN with wolves?! Sign me up!" And as everyone found out (and promptly grabbed their pitchforks), this is just not the case. What THE GREY is, rather, is a story about a man at the end of his rope who is thrust into a situation where he is forced to confront death. It is a story about a man who realizes that his choice about whether to live or die has been taken away from him. It's a story about a man who realizes that when that choice has been taken away you, you want to fight for it. It's a meditation on God, on death and on the afterlife while being what is essentially a really cool genre film about Liam Neeson and a bunch of other guys trying to escape a pack of wolves. It also has one of the most intimate and intensely visceral plane crash sequences ever filmed. So, yeah, guys... Give this one another shot (P.S. It's on Netflix).
9.) SKYFALL When it was revealed that Same Mendes would be directing the new James Bond film I was a little worried. I love AMERICAN BEAUTY and ROAD TO PERDITION is fantastic. But what would a Bond film directed by Sam Mendes actually look like? Well, turns out pretty damn beautiful. Behind the artistry of master cinematographer Roger Deakins, SKYFALL is the most gorgeous film of the year. But what is even more amazing, is that SKYFALL also happens to be one of the best Bond films ever. As 007, Daniel Craig finally feels completely comfortable with the role, so embodying the character that it doesn't even bother you when he orders a Heineken instead of his patented martini (you know how he takes it). He even gives Sean Connery and Roger Moore a run for their money. The action is also impeccably staged, the gadgets incredibly cool, and the puns and misogyny kept to a minimum. Couple that with stellar performances by Dame Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes, and the Joker-like magnetism of the utterly disturbing yet oddly sympathetic Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) and you have one superb James Bond film and one hell of an action movie.
8.) THE MASTER Is THE MASTER Paul Thomas Anderson's best work? No. Is it his most enigmatic? Absolutely. Perhaps a movie mainly for Anderson aficionados or the indie movie crowd, THE MASTER is so open to interpretation that it's ridiculous. Telling the parallel stories of Navy vet Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) and mysterious renaissance man and possible cult leader Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), THE MASTER is a film that, for me, is all about power. Power over people, power over yourself, doesn't matter. It is also a film about two men that are absolutely fascinated with one another -- each teaching the other something about the world and something about themselves. It is also one of the most beautiful films of the year (second only to SKYFALL) and Anderson's use of 70mm (a film stock reserved mostly for large epics such as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA) in order to show the sheer magnitude of Quell's and Dodd's personalities is a pure brilliance. It's not an easy film by any stretch. It might not even deserve the weight being put on it by me and other critics. However, with it's amazing performances and overarching mystery, THE MASTER is a movie I will come back to again and again.
7.) BERNIE Many of you have probably not even heard of BERNIE (this is me pushing up my movie hipster glasses), and that's understandable. In fact, besides briefly reading about it here and there, it is film I had greatly forgotten and swept under the rug. However, that is a mistake no one should make. BERNIE tells the story about a small town in Texas where arguably the most beloved man in town, a funeral director named Bernie (Jack Black), befriends the most hated woman in town, the ultra-wealthy and ultra-shrewish Marge (Shirley MacLaine). However, after years of abuse, one day BERNIE snaps and kills Marge in a fit of rage (not spoilers, it's based on true events). It is a quaint little dark comedy with what I believe to be an Oscar (or at least Golden Globe) nom worthy performance by Jack Black. What makes the film so great, however, is that it's a fascinating and deeply troubling movie that will make you question not only the United States justice system, but also yourself and the morals you hold so dear. Of all the films I have seen this year, not many have forced me to question what kind of person I am more than BERNIE. Whether it reinforces your beliefs or forces you to completely change the way you look at things, you'll be hard pressed to leave BERNIE without feeling something. And that's one of the greatest things a film can achieve.
6.) ZERO DARK THIRTY The last film on this list that I saw in theaters, ZERO DARK THIRTY tells the story of the unfathomable amount of work and perseverance it took in order to finally bring down the most wanted man in the world, al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. Condensing the 10 year manhunt and final raid mission into two and a half hours, Kathryn Bigelow's followup to 2008's THE HURT LOCKER is an amazing film that, like BERNIE, makes you question the actions and behavior of those that lead and protect our country as well as making you take a deeper look at yourself. It shows the lengths that one woman will go to accomplish the one thing that completely rules her life and how that obsession can completely consume and destroy a person. It is an objective look at the whole process, neither praising nor condemning the actions of either side -- allowing instead for you to draw you own conclusions. It is an incredibly shot, edited, and directed film -- a well-crafted and objective revenge film that is extremely intelligent and doesn't treat its audience with kid gloves. Whether the film condemns or glorifies torture is a pointless debate. It doesn't do either. It simply shows how torture was used and allows the audience to judge for themselves. It's a film that makes you really think and one that is immensely important for our nation's history.
5.) THE AVENGERS Is THE AVENGERS perfect? No, no one would argue that. However, is it both an amazing movie and an even more impressive (and successful) endeavor. The setup for THE AVENGERS was 4 years (not counting the obviously extensive background work) in the making and was the climax to a story that spanned across 5 different films and story lines. And it was everything everyone (well, mostly everyone) had hoped for! Under the guidance of writer/director and all around nerd god, Joss Whedon, THE AVENGERS is one of the most fun and enjoyable popcorn films in the past decade with nearly perfect performances by even the smallest members of the all-star team. With Whedon's quippy dialogue and apparent flair for amazing action set-pieces (the final action sequence of the film is unbelievable) and a story that fleshed out the superhero stars' relationships in a way that feels both organic and incredibly endearing, THE AVENGERS is not only a fantastic movie, it has changed the face of cinema and of film franchises forever. With the new S.H.I.E.L.D. television show that will tie into and flesh out the story, and with Phase 2 already in the works, we are in for something we have never seen before. Cinema will never be the same and it started with insanely fun and ambitious movie.
4.) LOOPER As the old adage goes, "don't impress me, convince me." Rian Johnson's (BRICK, THE BROTHERS BLOOM) latest film, LOOPER, never tries to outsmart itself and consequently never collapses under the weight of trying to impress its audience. It's not a time travel movie. It's a movie that uses time travel in order to create a clever sci-fi conceit. It doesn't do the things that cause other incredibly smart sci-fi films to fail. Instead, it strips away all the grandeur and the formalist pretension and becomes an intimate story about three people, old selves, past selves, possible selves, all struggling to come to terms with who they were or who they will become, trying desperately to do what they desire while realizing what they might not believe in along the way. It's a film with amazing visuals, a fantastic cast, and a deeply compelling story. Best of all, it doesn't try to out outsmart you. And the result is a film that resonates deeply with us as people. In short, it's a modern day sci-fi classic.
3.) MOONRISE KINGDOM Some people can't stand Wes Anderson and I can accept that. They either can't stand the way he writes dialogue or the aesthetics of his film, or they just can't stand the sense of whimsy that permeates through all of his works. I for one can't get enough of it. In my opinion, Wes Anderson creates some of the most fully realized films of our generation. The way his films feel like stylistic dioramas and the way he is able to create such deep, physical, fully formed worlds are simply breathtaking. Basically, Wes Anderson's films are delightful. But that's not what makes them great. What makes them great is his ability to use that delightfulness to create something personal, deeply intimate, and earnestly sweet. MOONRISE KINGDOM does this as well as any of his films to date. The relationship between the two main children, Sam and Suzy, is probably the most realistic romances captured on screen this year (take that AMOUR!). Plus they're absolutely adorable. It's not my favorite Wes Anderson film (that honor would go to either RUSHMORE or THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS if you were curious), but I think it can safely be said that this is Anderson's best film to date.
2.) THE CABIN IN THE WOODS You can call this film whatever you want. Whether it be meta or introspective or simply horror comedy, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS is all of these things rolled into a big ball of outrageous, often hilarious mayhem. Not only does CABIN engage and comment on the conventions of the horror genre, it's acts a commentary on why we watch horror movies in the first place. It's like that famous scene in Tarantino's INGLORIOUS BASTERDS when the audience is essentially in a movie theater watching and cheering the devastating violence being perpetrated in a movie theater upon patrons who were just watching and cheering devastating violence being perpetrated while in a movie theater. Except for a whole movie! It's a film that makes you question your own actions and motivations -- what kind of person you are -- and it's a film that does so while showing you some pretty hilarious and messed up stuff. Every time you watch CABIN you find some new part of the puzzle that makes it even more rewarding than the previous viewing. And I've watched it a lot. Basically, as the ending portrays, Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard have essentially killed the horror genre. But not in a bad way. No, in a way that begs for a new beginning, begs us to look at ourselves and question the horror genre and why we flock to these movies. And in a stroke of brilliance, the negativity towards the film simply proves the film right. It's one of the smartest, deepest, most fun movies of the year AND it's a horror comedy. Need I say more?
1.) DJANGO UNCHAINED So, I might have tipped my hand a bit when I referenced Tarantino a moment ago (although those of you that read me regularly could probably have seen this coming). Quentin Tarantino might be the greatest American director working today. It's either him or the Coens. And like the Coens, Tarantino gets so often praised for what his films deliver on the surface -- his subtle and not-so-subtle cinematic references, the brutal violence, the incredibly sharp and witty dialogue -- that people don't look at what's beneath the surface. Like many of his films, especially the above mentioned BASTERDS, DJANGO UNCHAINED is big, bold, daring, and an epic that feels like it goes by in an instant. It's a film with a lot to say. Filled with moral reflexivism, role reversal, the subject of uneasy power, and finding humor is wickedness, DJANGO UNCHAINED is Tarantino taking a life's worth of cinema and forming an amalgamation that creates an entirely new form of cinema (now you're probably seeing why all these weird movies are at the top of my list). It's a film that completely destroys convention and traditional roles. It is a western/revenge film about a black slave, trained by a German bounty hunter to kill white men so he can eventually save his wife. It sounds absolutely ridiculous and many critics and casual movie-goers alike have declared it lack-luster and/or empty. What it actually is, is a deeply subversive and fascinating movie filled with outstanding performances by Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sam Jackson. What it is, is the most fun I have had at the movies all year. What it is, is my favorite film of 2012.
Movies that just missed the cut: ARGO, CHRONICLE, MAGIC MIKE, THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES, THE RAID: REDEMPTION, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Movies that disappointed me: BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, THE DEEP BLUE SEA, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, KILLER JOE, LINCOLN, PROMETHEUS, RUBY SPARKS
Movies that are terrible and should feel bad: ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, DARK SHADOWS, JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME, THE RAVEN, ROCK OF AGES, TAKE THIS WALTZ
Movies that I missed and am incredibly excited to see: HOLY MOTORS, ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA, PARANORMAN, RUST AND BONE, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS
Movie that I hate uncontrollably: LES MISERABLES
Movie that I shouldn't like but adore: THE EXPENDABLES 2
