Top 10 of 2012

Last year I didn't make a top 10.  This was due to a few reasons: first, my final semester of college and two-month tour of Europe deprived me of any free time with which to actually see films.  Second, my funds were low due to my Eurotrip and moving to Los Angeles.  Finally, 2011 wasn't a very inspired year for film, and the top 10 I had fashioned at that point was somewhat disappointing to me.  Most of 2011's films are best left ignored.

2012, on the other hand, was a fantastic reawakening of the art of film for me.  Hollywood put out some of its best content in years, and the indie films were just as strong.  A lot of films built up hype and delivered, and there were very few let downs this year with quite a few surprises.  I define a 2012 release as any film that receives a domestic US release between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31st, 2012.  But lets not mince any more words.  Here, now, are my top 10 films of the year 2012.

#10.  Life of Pi, 127 min.  PG

I was fairly skeptical about Ang Lee's newest film, Life of Pi, mainly because his recent slew of features (Lust, Caution; Taking Woodstock) sufficiently underwhelmed me.  So I was pleasantly surprised when his latest film turned out to be one of his best.  The story of a young boy nicknamed Pi who becomes stranded on a life boat with a man-eating tiger is both harrowing and inspirational as he survives for months in the open ocean.  The movie's true achievement is in the tiger, named Richard Parker, who is mostly a CGI creation but develops a personality of his own.  The movie doesn't kid around; this tiger is dangerous, and elevates the film from a guy in a lifeboat by himself to a haunting survival tale.  The ending inspires a lot of debate as it somewhat undermines everything you've seen, but still, Life of Pi is a sumptuous, visual feast.

#9.  The Cabin in the Woods, 95 min.  R

I've recently given up researching upcoming movies because a lot of the time you spoil the surprise and whats going to happen.  So when I heard about Cabin in the Woods, and that by revealing the story you spoil the fun, I decided to not listen to anything regarding this film.  But if you haven't seen it yet, too bad.  Much like Scream (1996) the movie is a dissection of the horror genre, and poses the question Why do we enjoy watching young people die?  We slowly watch as five college students visit the eponymous cabin, only to end up in their own zombie slasher film.  Turns out they're participating in an age old ritual to please a horrifying demon that resides beneath.  Where the film really delivers is in the climax; just when you think they've gone as far as they will go, they go the extra step you were hoping for.  It's a violent film, but also glorious, and in the end, do we really want to go on living just to appease angry demon gods?


#8.  Silver Linings Playbook, 122 min.  R

This offbeat family dramedy from David O. Russell was another pleasant surprise, coming out of Toronto with the audience award.  Bradley Cooper stars as a recently released mental patient who believes he can repair his damaged marriage.  He meets-cute with another social misfit played by Jennifer Lawrence, and together they heal each other.  The summary doesn't sound like much, but with a cast that includes Robert DeNiro, Jacki Weaver, and a restrained Chris Tucker, Russell delivers a tour-de-force of acting that elevates the material to a level it shouldn't be at.  True, the ending is somewhat clichéd, but the real revelation here as that these characters are happy being mediocre.  At their dance competition they only need to score a 5/10, and are happy with that result much to the confusion of their competitors.  Maybe we've become accustomed to being mediocre, but regardless, Silver Linings Playbook is an entertaining and fascinating look into the lives of these unbalanced individuals.

#7.  Zero Dark Thirty, 157 min.  R

Zero Dark Thirty is the unfortunate victim of too much hype; in the months leading up to its release, early reviews and pundits were singing the praises and predicting this would take home the big gold come Oscar night.  I'll be surprised if it wins anything at this point, but that speaks more the politics surrounding this film then the actual film itself.  While I do not consider it an amazing achievement, its still a damn fine thriller and procedural.  Director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal were already developing this film when Osama Bin Laden was assassinated, and they quickly rewrote the ending to incorporate the event.  Jessica Chastain gives a fantastic lead performance as Maya, the CIA operative which the film credits as producing the information that to Bin Laden's whereabouts.  The film's depiction of torture has been a hot issue surrounding the film since its release, but the film has no political agenda other then to show these events.  People need to stop complaining about the film not taking a stance, because guess what, you should think for yourselves.  And whether you like it or not, torture happened.  Zero Dark Thirty can't change that fact.  Whether it worked or not is another issue.


#6.  Amour, 127 min.  PG-13

As far as Michael Haneke films go, this one is pretty straightforward, though it still ends in Haneke's signature fashion of open-endedness.  Jean-Louis Trintignant plays Georges, whose wife Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) slowly loses control of her mental facilities and begins to slip away.  It's the subject of many a Hallmark movie, but Haneke uses a tender hand as we witness Georges' never ending dedication to his wife, even as she becomes less recognizable as herself.  True love stands up to one final test, one couples vow to each other all over the world, and that is to care for each other in health and in sickness.  It's a tough and heartbreaking film to watch because its the future for all of us, if we are so unlucky to live that long.


#5.  Looper, 119 min.  R

Time travel thrillers are always open to plot holes, and if you start looking into Looper, you'll notice them.  But that doesn't stop this film from being one of the most exciting sci-fi adventures in years, with a story that spends the first hour setting up a dystopic future, and then the second hour on a farm.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Joe, who earns his income assassinating targets from the future.  One day his target is Bruce Willis, who he recognizes as his older self, and botches the job.  To say anymore would give away all the fun, but I've seen it twice and the film still holds your attention every time.  Writer/director Rian Johnson has constructed a fascinating universe, and I eagerly anticipate his next release.


#4.  Holy Motors, 115 min.  NR

I don't even know where to begin with this one.  It's such an inspired piece of cinema mania that constantly reinvents itself, and I know I'll be buying it as soon as its released on DVD.  Denis Lavant gives the best performance of the year as M. Oscar, a man who rides around in a limo, adopts different disguises, and then goes out and acts wild.  He starts as a beggar woman, then becomes a motion capture artist, a troll, a teenager girl's father, and several other bizarre roles.  Eva Mendes is also in this in her strangest role to date (pictured above), but I wouldn't dare spoil anything for you.  It's film that has to be experienced, and I look forward to sharing it with all my friends.


#3.  Argo, 120 min.  R

Ben Affleck has become one of Hollywood's finest directors.  What he crafts is not necessarily high art, but its damn fine popcorn entertainment and thats just as hard to do.  Argo is the retelling of the Iran hostage crisis, as six fugitive American diplomats hole up in the Canadian Prime Minister's house during the overthrow of the Shah.  Ben Affleck miscasts himself as Tony Mendez (the real guy was hispanic), the CIA operative who comes up with the absurd plan of making a fake movie to get the hostages out.  True the film isn't an accurate depiction of what happened, and there's a failed subplot involving Affleck's son, but the film balances comedy with drama, and ratchets up the tension in a finale so fierce that the audience lets out a collective sigh of relief when its all over.  Affleck may take creative liberties, but hey, its Hollywood, that's what they do, so quit whining.


#2.  Moonrise Kingdom, 94 min.  PG-13

Wes Anderson's latest is a charming tale of two young lovers who escape their homes to find their own bit of paradise, which ensues in an island-wide hunt for the youngsters led by Bruce Willis and Edward Norton.  With a cast that also includes Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton, this is classic Anderson, with his odd pans and stylized staging.  The two young actors, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, are fantastic, and the movie playfully yet beautifully illustrates young love.  It all builds to an absurd climax, but by that time you're totally willing to go wherever the film will take you.  Wes Anderson's quirky nature can get on the nerves of a few, but for me, it works to the film's advantage in a sweet adage to when love was simple.


#1.  Skyfall, 143 min.  PG-13

Skyfall is something of a miracle.  Coming off the very disappointing Quantum of Solace (2008), and surviving the bankruptcy of MGM, director Sam Mendes had to pull out all the stops.  And what he manages here is a Bond film that shakes up the formula while staying true to it.  The villain, Silva (Javier Bardem) isn't out for world domination but rather has a personal vendetta to fill.  There is no classic Bond girl, though Bérénice Marlohe fills the role of the doomed woman who falls for Bond.  It's a film that recognizes Bond as a relic, yet still an important force in our ever-changing, scarier world.  It's the best looking Bond, with Roger Deakins as director of photography, has the best Bond song in years sung by Adele, and features fantastic performances from Bardem and Judi Dench (as M).  Not to mention chase scenes that deliver and final battle that takes place in a most unexpected location.  For Bond nerds, this film is a godsend, and everyone else is lucky to be along for the ride.


Other odds and ends:

Best Director: Sam Mendes for Skyfall
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence fo Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Denis Lavant for Holy Motors
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem for Skyfall

Most Overrated Film: Lincoln
Worst Film of 2012: Prometheus