Honorable mentions:
ARGO
PREMIUM RUSH
LAWLESS
THE RAID: REDEMPTION
CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER
But there can only be ten. They are:
This was a pretty amazing film that was also very misunderstood. For me, this is what going to the movies is all about. Its interconnected tissues champion rebellion, hope, helping those who need it most and forging bonds that span the ages. This is an ambitious vision that was sure to lose viewers along the way, but for those who believed in it and chose to "take the red pill" this was quite a rewarding cinematic journey.
Bottom line with THE HOBBIT is the same as the original LOTR trilogy. Basically, you either love being in this world or you do not. I always have and although this one starts out a bit slow, once it gets going, it's an awesome ride that leaves you counting down the days until the next one!
CABIN IN THE WOODS is a fun genre-bender that is easily one of the most innovative and original horror films to come along in a very long time! We hear that expression quite a bit about genres being "turned upside down on their heads" but this one does it in a way that's pretty remarkable with some quality performances and a brilliant screenplay.
There is so much about BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD that is rooted in mystery. Whole scenes make you wonder what that all a dream? What exactly was the significance of that moment? Lots of times, questions in movies make for devices to push the plot forward and if they aren't answered can serve as more of a distraction. But, the film's surrealism tends to suspend you in the same childlike wonder that is Hushpuppy's world. The visual artistry and a knockout performance by newcomer Quvenzhane Wallis make this a can't-miss treat for the eyes and soul.
Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling didn't set out to make film. What they create is so much more beyond just a film, but a truly harrowing cinematic experience. And they do it the old fashioned way--they don't rely on CGI and IMAX 3D or even explosions. They simply wrote a very brilliant and suspenseful script that allows for dynamic performances, all solidly put together with steady, smart direction. It all sounds so easy, yet hundreds of films can never quite nail that concise formula. The best thing about this film is that you feel exactly what Peter feels. You are asking yourself what is real to the very end and even when you get the answers, you can't help but wonder even more.
Wes Anderson has one of the most distinctive filmmaking voices of all time and his touch is subtle but deeply affecting in this surprisingly sweet portrait of prepubescent love. Although he frequents similar themes (families, social outcasts), it's never the same story he tells. Every outing also feels like a first time film, in the sense there's such a freshness and inherent warmth to them usually long compromised with auteurs by their eighth feature film.
Every kid in the world wants super powers when they are young. It's definitely an ideal fantasy, but if it really ever happened, chances are things would go bad quickly. And they certainly do in this really smart, well crafted found footage film. While the special effects are fantastic and the story itself sails at an excellent pace, it's really the three talented young leads that make this engine purr. Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan and Alex Russell all turned in star-making performances, but perhaps the most impressive debut in this film is the first feature length script from Max Landis.
Going back to THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED, Jaques Audiard has become one of my favorite filmmakers over the past few years. He seems to mostly make films about tough guys with good hearts and they usually develop a bond with someone who is the yin to their yang. This one was a bit different in the sense that its primary viewpoint was through the female lead, Stephanie (portrayed with stunning brilliance by Marion Cotillard), a handicapped orca trainer who is brought out of her personal abyss by Alain. A large part of why this film works so well is her spectacular chemistry with Matthias Schoenaertzs, who was amazing in BULLHEAD and just as much so here. Even the awful Katy Perry song "Firework," which is featured several times throughout the film, couldn't destroy this masterpiece.
Normally, I'm not so much into the whole big screen 3D experience, only because it very rarely adds anything to the overall film because when you strip it away, usually all that's left is a mediocre storyline. However, with LIFE OF PI, we have an already brilliant story that is actually enhanced with the 3D experience. The oceanic voyage of Pi and Richard Parker becomes dreamlike which actually serves the storyline immensely in the end. Some of the most breathtaking and memorable scenes are actually at key emotional points of the story so it's not like the experience of seeing it on the small screen sans 3D will render it a less than average viewing. Irrfan Khan's performance as narrator and as the adult Pi Patel was underrated, but all of the actors who played the character at various ages were simply outstanding. The tiger effects were probably the best CGI effects for a major characters since Gollum in the LOTR trilogy.
Best film of 2012:
LOOPER could have easily been a cop-out. It could have easily just settled on being a modern day version of TIMECOP...a time travel story that really didn't bring anything new or interesting to the genre. But genre bending was kind of a theme this year. This was a time travel movie...where, get this, time travel wasn't even the main thing about the movie. It had more to do with themes of love, familial bonds, and salvation. But it also had some tremendous action, trippy effects and some really awesome performances by the entire cast, particularly by child actor Pierce Gagnon (the scene with him and Garret Dillahunt is something out of a straight up horror film). Rian Johnson has an impressive repertoire of films under his belt going back to BRICK and I'm just curious to see what else he has in the pipeline. This is also easily the best work Bruce Willis has done in years.
Cheers to the films of 2012. Let's see what the next year has in store!
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