About two months ago, I wasn't too excited about the quality of movies released in 2012. There were some great summer blockbusters, and other movies that stood out early in the year, but I just wasn't really connecting with too many films. Then I started to watch a lot of the movies I had missed in theaters, and was amazed at what I had missed. So many quality movies were made in 2012, and were spread out so well throughout the year. I think 2012 is one of the best years we've had in a long time for movies. There are so many films that I want to recognize that didn't make it to my final list, and so I'm going to point out a few of them now, before getting to the really good ones.
Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master is a fine work, although it doesn't quite stand on the same stature as his last film, There Will Be Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Joaquin Phoenix are as good as ever, and the movie delves into a lot of different ideas and themes, which causes some overcrowding. Life of Pi was one of the most touching and moving stories of the year, even though there was far too much CGI for my liking. Beasts of the Southern Wild is the perfect example of a movie far exceeding the low expectations I had for it. It's one of, if not the most emotionally moving films of the year. Lincoln was not as memorable as I was hoping, but it has arguably Daniel Day-Lewis' finest performance ever. Given his track record, that is quite the accomplishment.
Comedies were once again great this year. The Five-Year Engagement, although about 20 minutes too long, is probably the best date-night movie of 2012, as it has a great balance of romance story and raunchy comedy. Seth MacFarlane's first feature, Ted, is my pick for the funniest movie of 2012, even though it's pretty much a two-hour episode of Family Guy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Campaign gave us all the laughs we'd expect when Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis share the screen together. Wanderlust flew very much under the radar, but still had some hilarious moments that makes it worth the watch.
There were the quirky yet intelligent comedies like Safety Not Guaranteed, and smaller indie flicks like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Liberal Arts, that were very well done.
Although romantic dramas aren't exactly my favorite kind of movie, I can still appreciate what movies like The Vow brought to cinemas this year. These are movies made for a specific target audience; yet when done right, they're entertaining enough to those of us that aren't quite into the genre.
Although The Hunger Games didn't quite live up to the expectations I had for it, it was still a worthy adaptation and, hopefully, the next movie will be able to build upon the success of this one. Hitchcock tried a little too hard to be serious toward its conclusion, instead of relying more on its fun moments, which were the highlight. The Raid: Redemption had some of the finest and more brutal action sequences of the year.
Those are movies that I enjoyed or appreciated this year, but for any number of reasons, I didn't include them on my final best of the year list. These 17 movies are the best ones I saw this year. I'll start with the seven that just missed my top ten, in alphabetical order. If you haven't seen some or any of the movies I mentioned above or below, definitely seek them out when you get the chance.
21 Jump Street
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| Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller Written by Michael Bacall Produced by Stephen J. Cannell and Neal H. Moritz |
The Avengers
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| Written and Directed by Joss Whedon Produced by Kevin Feige |
Brave
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| Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman Written by Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman, and Irene Mecci Produced by Katherine Sarafin |
The Dark Knight Rises
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| Directed by Christopher Nolan Written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan Produced by Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, and Emma Thomas |
Flight
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| Directed by Robert Zemeckis Written by John Gatins Produced by Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, and Robert Zemeckis |
Indie Game: The Movie
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| Directed and Produced by Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky |
Silver Linings Playbook
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| Written and Directed by David O. Russell Produced by Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, and Jonathan Gordon |
Many of those movies I hated leaving off my top ten list, because they all had terrific qualities that I really connected with. My top ten movies are ones that stood out more to me when I looked back on the year as a whole, and I truly believe that these are the ten finest movies that were released in 2012.
10) Les Misérables
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| Directed by Tom Hooper Written by William Nicholson Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, and Cameron Mackintosh |
I'm going to be honest and say that I didn't have very high expectations for Les Misérables. Tom Hooper seemed like an odd choice for director to me, and just the concept of another adaptation of a successful Broadway play seemed forced. Needless to say, the movie really exceeded my expectations, and I found the entire movie wonderfully well done. The idea of the actors signing their parts while being filmed was probably the best part of the movie, and I thought Hooper's choice to film much of the singing in close-ups brought a lot more emotion to the movie than there could have been with a more ordinary style of filming. The movie is perfectly cast (except for Russell Crowe; that dude shouldn't be allowed near a musical ever again), and does a great job of keeping the audience engaged for the almost three hour run time.
9) Zero Dark Thirty
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| Directed by Kathryn Bigelow Written by Mark Boal Produced by Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, and Megan Ellison |
It's amazing to think of all the changes this movie went through between its initial announcement and the final product. Much like The Hurt Locker, Bigelow is able to build a lot of tension around scenes where not all that much happens. I didn't find it to be as solid of a movie as The Hurt Locker, but in a way it's a much different movie. Bigelow shows that she doesn't have to make specifically a war movie in order for it to be great. Jessica Chastain absolutely kills it as the CIA Operative in charge of hunting down bin Laden. The final thirty minutes of this movie are probably the most tension filled minutes in any movie this year, even though we already know how it ends.
8) Looper
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| Written and Directed by Rian Johnson Produced by Ram Bergman and James D. Stern |
Looper may very well take the prize as the most original movie of the year. I've always been a sucker for time travel movies, and Looper is able to bring some of the conventions associated with those types of movies, but also do things differently than what we're used to seeing. This is easily Rian Johnson's best work, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a terrific job. The prosthetics that he wears to look like a young Bruce Willis could have been really distracting and/or bad, but it's so well done and barely takes anything away from the movie. There's enough twists and turns to keep the movie interesting beyond its opening premise. It's highly stylized while also having a lot to say about the way its world works and the people who inhabit it.
7) Skyfall
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| Directed by Sam Mendes Written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan Produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson |
It's rare for a James Bond movie to have so much to say and do such a good job at doing it. The movie isn't afraid to question the need for a character like Bond in a world where people are found and wars are fought with computers and hackers, instead of by a lone man and a gun. It realizes the "golden-age" of espionage is long gone, but in the end makes us realize that we still need men like Bond to do the job when it's necessary. Javier Bardem is easily one of the best Bond villains ever. The only real issue I have with the movie is that this isn't the type of Bond film you can sit back and enjoy whenever you want. That's also its best feature, because it's more than just an action movie.
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| Directed by Ridley Scott Written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof Produced by David Giler, Walter Hill, and Ridley Scott |
Prometheus had a huge amount of buzz surrounding it from the moment it was announced. It was Ridley Scott diving back into the world he created with Alien, and although it brought back big box office numbers, many people found it disappointing and lacking in any depth. I couldn't disagree more. I feel that Prometheus shouldn't be viewed as a standalone movie, but as the beginning of a bigger series that could be launched. There are many questions left unanswered, but I didn't feel like that took away from the experience. It only made me want to watch it again immediately, and begin to speculate on what could be in the sequel.
5) Django Unchained
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| Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino Produced by Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, and Stacey Sher |
There's always a few guarantees with a new Tarantino movie. There's going to be over-the-top violence, villains that are far more interesting than the heroes, and a script that can make talking scenes really, really enjoyable. Django Unchained has everything you want and expect from a Tarantino film. Leonardo DiCaprio gives what is probably his best performance outside of The Aviator. Christoph Waltz proves that his role in Inglourious Basterds wasn't just a fluke. It's refreshing to see a director step out of his element and into a genre he's never tackled, and be able to add his own unique twist on it, while also paying homage to the best movies of the genre. All the characters are perfectly cast, and the Spaghetti Western style that Tarantino honors is done in the best way possible.
4) The Cabin in the Woods
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| Directed by Drew Goddard Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard Produced by Joss Whedon |
The Cabin in the Woods is the type of movie where the less you know about it before you see it, the better experience you're going to have watching it. It does a terrific job of breaking down all the clichés we're used to in horror movies (well, movies in general, but horror movies as well) and throws so many twists and turns that it becomes the most unpredictable movie of the year, but also the most fun. Although many of the references will go right over the heads of casual moviegoers, it's the kind of movie you'll be able to pick up on new references everytime you watch it. It's over-the-top but not overdone. It's bloody but not grotesque. The ending is one you'll be talking about months after you see it.
3) The Grey
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| Directed by Joe Carnahan Written by Joe Carnahan and Ian Mackenzie Jeffers Produced by Joe Carnahan, Jules Daly, Mickey Liddell, and Ridley Scott |
No other movie hit me as deeply as The Grey did this year. Liam Neeson may get top billing, but the real star of the movie is the setting. Carnahan does a terrific job of setting up the deserted, snow covered wasteland that can be both haunting and beautiful at the same time. The movie has so much to say about life, death, and survival that one viewing isn't enough to do it justice. It reminded me very much of Alien, and I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say The Grey borrows many elements from the classic horror movie. The characters of The Grey feel as real as possible, and it makes the events that much more emotionally driven.
2) Moonrise Kingdom
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| Directed by Wes Anderson Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola Produced by Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven M. Roybal, and Scott Rudin |
I will admit I am not a huge Wes Anderson fan. His style of comedy is one that is truly not for everyone. This isn't to say I don't enjoy or appreciate his movies, but sometimes I don't get what all the fuss is about. Moonrise Kingdom changed all that. I think it's the most accessible movie Anderson has in his lineup. I really don't think there's anything more fun than seeing Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, and Frances McDormand all share screen time together. It's touching, romantic, fun, nostalgic, and absolutely hilarious. I guess you could say it's just like all his other movies.
1) Argo
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| Directed by Ben Affleck Screenplay by Chris Terrio Produced by Ben Affleck, George Clooney, and Grant Heslov |
For me, this choice was almost a no-brainer from the moment I walked out of it way back in October. It's the only movie on this list that I wouldn't change a single thing about. Everything works perfectly here, the acting, direction, and the story. It's a flawless two hours where not a single moment or frame is wasted. It's set in the late '70's/early '80's, and yet doesn't weigh itself down by forcing the style of the decade onto the audience. Affleck shows that good old fashioned thrillers can still be made without someone being killed or something being grotesque. There's no other way to say it, but that it's just a damn good movie. Right now, it's my pick for the best movie of the decade.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Like I said earlier, I think 2012 is one of the better years we've had for movies in a long time, and any of the movies that I mentioned here are good enough to at least give a shot. Many of them are already available on DVD/Blu-Ray, so be sure to seek them out whenever you get a chance.
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