Movies: 2012 Review

2012 Films in Review

It's time for my favorite post of the year - counting down my top ten of the past year, plus other stuff!  It turned out that my little Academy Awards experiment failed miserably, so I'm just going to tell you who I would vote for :-)  I'll also have the miscellaneous selections as well (worst of the year, films seen on DVD, etc.)  Now for the top ten!

10.  Django Unchained (dir. by Quentin Tarantino; starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, et. al.)

So, I'm cheating this year by having eleven films in my top ten, but it was such an excellent year I think it's appropriate.  Django certainly kept up cult-favorite director Tarantino's standard of high quality, but there is some slippage from 2009's Inglourious Basterds.  Still, an extended ending that I did not enjoy and a somewhat uninspired plot are made up for by a great cast (esp. Sam Jackson) and by indulgent moments of fun and humor that Tarantino usually seems to minimize in such straightforward forms.

10.  Argo (dir. by Ben Affleck; starring Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, et. al.)

Poor Argo; it was released at the very beginning of an extraordinary run of films this fall that perhaps has led to me to underrate it - even the Academy snubbed it by denying Ben Affleck a best director nomination (total injustice).  What I do remember from this film is the great tension, specifically at the beginning and end of the film, the very realistic-feeling portrayal of Iranian society, and - mixed in very successfully - some great Hollywood humor (thanks, Arkin).  Only criticism:  Ben Affleck, please stop casting Ben Affleck as the main character in your films.

9.  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (dir. by Peter Jackson; starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen,  Richard Armitage, et. al.)

It seemed like money in the bank that The Hobbit would end up as one of the best films of 2012... and probably in another year it would be in my top 5, but not this year.  To me, it's crucial to start by saying that Jackson instantly recaptured the feeling and tone (visual, pacing, etc.) of his LotR trilogy, an essential but by no means easy task.  And the casting of Freeman as Bilbo was simply brilliant, honestly just as appropriate as DDL as Lincoln (and Gollum returns!).  But it does drag with a bit too much extended-edition footage, and the last act showed us again how too much CGI can take you out of the experience.

8.  Skyfall (dir. by Sam Mendes; starring Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, et. al.)

I saw this again recently, and interestingly, my thoughts on it remain virtually unchanged.  Skyfall is one of the best-made 007 films ever (that's 23 films over 50 years).  It is tightly paced, very well shot (some of the most beautiful scenes in a visually-exceptional series), great performances, and some classic Bond action, and one of the best theme songs in the series.  But... I just can't fall in love with this one, despite loving 007 in general.  I can't put a finger on why that is yet, but to me, Casino Royale still easily retains its title as best 007 ever.

7.  Hope Springs (dir. by David Frankel; starring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carrell)

If you had told me at the beginning of 2012 that this film would end up in front of The Hobbit and Skyfall, I would have laughed.  But this quiet little film - totally ignored by the Academy - is really a great one.  Hope Springs's key to success is two-pronged:  a tight focus on its subject, and outstanding performances by the leads, veterans Streep and Jones.  The film shifts effortlessly and naturally between genuine grief and uncomfortable hilarity.  I love Carrell, but he really is just an audience here to two of cinema's finest ever giving it their best.

6.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower (dir. by Stephen Chbosky; starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, et. al.)

One of my personal favorites of the year, this was considered an Academy dark horse but, like Hope Springs, was ignored.  Maybe I'm just a sucker for nostalgic, coming-of-age films - on the other hand, if not done well, they're excruciatingly bad.  This one does have flaws, and near the beginning seems to be headed along a cliched path, but fortunately it veers well away from that.  Ezra Miller is remarkable here, and Watson shows she has post-Hermione potential.  This film is funny, clever, and produces chills up your spine from recalling your own high school experiences (good and bad).

3.  The Avengers (dir. by Joss Whedon; starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Tom Hiddleston, et. al.)

Here I have a three-way tie; I simply can't put one ahead of the others when taking everything into consideration.  For this film, I honestly think that Joss Whedon deserved a Best Director nod.  The degree of difficulty putting so many superheroes, so many stars into one coherent film with the pressure of soaring expectations was unbelievable.  But he did it:  he made possibly the most fun superhero film ever (I didn't say the best overall).  Whedon understood and took full advantage of the strengths of not only the actors but also their characters, elevating the film way above its dull plot.

3.  Flight (dir. by Robert Zemeckis; starring Denzel Washington, Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, et. al.)

The theme of 2012 - exceeding expectations - continues in full force with this film.  Made to look like an action film by the trailers, the scene that everyone knows about happens at the beginning - it's even more impressive than you think - and then it shifts into a very personal, down-to-earth drama.  Denzel is absolutely terrific, giving the best performance I've seen from him.  His character inspires praise and/or sympathy at times - and a minute later, equally deep loathing and contempt.  His nuanced role is supported by the most well-rounded film of the year.

3.  The Dark Knight Rises (dir. by Christopher Nolan; starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, et. al.)

In a way, this might be the most flawed film of the three... but it's also my favorite.  Nolan's Bat trilogy is now among my favorites (Star Wars, LotR, Indiana Jones...) and my anticipation for Rises could not have been any higher.  So inevitably I was a little disappointed on first viewing - but I was also more excited to buy and rewatch it on DVD than the other 2012 films.  The film is certainly an epic - and ultimately, to me, very satisfying - conclusion to the trilogy.  Bane is no Joker, just as The Dark Knight Rises is not simply The Dark Knight with new characters, and it was a great decision not to try.

2.  Lincoln (dir. by Steven Spielberg; starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, et. al.)

Hollywood brought out the big guns for this one.  Director Steven Spielberg (my own favorite).  The best living actor (Daniel Day-Lewis).  And the most celebrated U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln.  The temptation to make a sprawling Civil War/emancipation pic must have been strong - but the story zeroes in on just one month, and the fierce battles are not at Gettysburg but in Congress.  There was Lincoln's greatest challenge and greatest achievement.  Day-Lewis, as I've said, is Lincoln for all intents and purposes, and the film is every bit the triumph it was expected to be.

1.  Life of Pi (dir. by Ang Lee; starring Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan)

2012 was filled with soaring adventure films from massive franchises, epic dramas with spectacular performances, and near-perfect little indie gems.  Yet my favorite of them all is this adaptation of a book I first read in high school.  As superb a job as Whedon did with The Avengers, Ang Lee one-ups him in making both a spectacular and faithful film out of a very challenging novel.  Life of Pi is visually brilliant, and it's on that strength (with help from a creative narrative and strong performances) that it represents what I think film does best:  pose massive yet personal challenges to the audience, inspire emotion from despair to relief, and reveal the wonder and awe that life is capable of.  That is why Life of Pi is my #1 choice in an unprecedented (for me) year of greatness in film.


Honorable Mentions:  Brave (Pixar keeps up a very high level of quality, though it falls short of its particularly great recent films like Toy Story 3, Up! and WALL-E); Looper (surprisingly bleak yet very well-done action film showcasing the talents of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and worth a shot on Netflix); Ted (best comedy of the year that I saw, despite the presence of the abhorred Mark Wahlberg; Seth MacFarlane has a lot of talent and really did well in his film debut).

Worst Film of the Year:  Dark Shadows (I bet you thought some of the trailers/ commercials for this were funny, huh?  Well, so did I... and those were the only good parts of the film.  Clearly a cash-in on the demand for Johnny Depp playing wacko characters, this film is an utter mess that fails both as a horror and as a comedy.  Avoid at all costs.)
Runner-Up:  The Dictator (To call this just a disappointment would be to understate it.  I loved Borat, but this was an incredibly lazily made film and again, all the funny parts are in the trailer.)

Most Overrated Film of the Year:  Amazing Spider-Man (I really saw no need for a reboot of this franchise so soon, but I decided to see it after good reviews and, hey, it's a superhero film.  I came out of the theater with the exact same thought:  "why did they bother to make this?"  OK, Emma Stone is a big upgrade from Kirsten Dunst, but I definitely prefer Tobey Maguire to Andrew Garfield, and the tone of the film was all over the place, dabbling in just about every popular new action film technique that's been used in the past decade.  Oh, and the villain sucked and the action got repetitive and boring very quickly.  Useless.)
Runner-Up:  21 Jump Street (Yet another comedy where virtually all the funny parts are in the trailer.  Jonah Hill is surprisingly unfunny here, and while Channing Tatum is enthusiastic, he's still no comedic genius.  It's intentionally over-the-top yet the results are far more baffling than funny.)

Most Disappointing Film of the Year:  The Campaign (It's not that this is a bad film.  It has some hilarious parts (especially the Lord's Prayer scene).  But there was so much damn potential here that "pretty good" is not nearly good enough.  Will Ferrell - my favorite current comedian.  Zack Galifianakis - best up-and-comer, IMO.  Politics - endless possibilities.  It ended up just feeling rushed, and I was particularly disappointed in Ferrell's part.  What a shame.)
Runner-Up:  Men In Black 3 (I guess it's a stretch to call this a disappointment, as MIB2 was so bad.  This was pretty good, certainly not nearly as good as the first.  Again, they had potential to do a lot more here, with a phenomenal performance from Josh Brolin as a young agent K.  Tommy Lee Jones' essentially cameo role was an embarrassment, though, and Will Smith never really seemed to get in his old groove.)

Movies I Saw on DVD:  Moonrise Kingdom (quirky and very good, highly recommended.  Would have made my honorable mention, perhaps squeezed into top 10 (12?!?) if I'd seen it in the theater); and a bunch of mediocre-to-bad films that I wisely avoided in theaters, including (from best to worst):  This Means War, Chronicle, Red Tails, Battleship, The Dictator.

(OK, so 2012 had its share of bad/forgettable films... but the quantity and quality of the best still make the year a resounding success.)


Acting Awards:

Best Actor:  Daniel Day-Lewis (I mean... how could I pick someone else?  Probably the best acting performance I've ever seen.)
Runner-Up:  Denzel Washington (Virtually any other year, he wins.  Spectacularly deep, vulnerable, moving performance.  I also want to give a shout-out to the other three nominees - Freeman, Jones, and Brolin - who were just a step below but also phenomenal.)

Best Actress:  Meryl Streep (If the king of actors won that award, it's only fitting that the queen of actresses win this one.  For playing such a variety of characters, Streep slips easily into her incredibly ordinary yet moving character in Hope Spring.)
Runner-Up:  Jennifer Lawrence (To be honest, this selection (for Hunger Games, btw, not Silver Linings Playbook which I haven't seen) is mostly because she had to carry the film.  Based on my choice of films and Hollywood's tendencies, I didn't really see any female leads other than Streep's that really blew me away - although Lawrence, Watson, Hathaway and Rapace were all good.)

Best Supporting Actor:  Tommy Lee Jones (for Lincoln) (In another fiercely competitive field, TLJ takes it by being able to really let loose with his ferociously intelligent and hilarious no-nonsense persona.  Seeing him annihilate the pro-slavery Congressmen was about as satisfying a feeling as you can get in a film, and he also had some important, more nuanced scenes as well.)
Runner-Up:  Samuel L. Jackson (for Django Unchained) (In a film with two other great supporting actors - Christoph Waltz and Leo DiCaprio - SLJ simply stole the show, playing against archetype as brilliantly as TLJ played into his.  Again, fellow nominees Miller, Arkin, and Fassbender deserve shout-outs for their stellar performances as well.)

Best Supporting Actress:  Sally Field (Here's another no-brainer.  Field is capable of such calm, precise, penetrating darts that she even humbles TLJ himself in one scene of Lincoln, but in other scenes she lets her character completely breakdown, screaming at her husband with utter fury and despair.  Remarkable.)
Runner-Up:  Kelly Reilly (In a more interesting category than the lead, Reilly sets herself above the rest by, at times, nearly matching the intensity of the lead (Denzel) and also reining in a potentially corny/ melodramatic part.  Johansson, Dench, and Stone did great work as well in their respective roles.)



Whew!  What a year!  And I'm already diving into 2013, as yesterday I saw Zero Dark Thirty (review to come next week).  I hope you'll enjoy my reviews to come this year, as I look forward to films such as Star Trek: Into Darkness, Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, Ender's Game, Anchorman 2, and more!