Alright, we're halfway through January of 2013, which means I'm two weeks overdue to post my picks for the best movies of 2012. The year has been... actually not that interesting. Don't get me wrong, there were some high points, most of which are included on this countdown. There were also a few duds, which I will cover later on with the Worst of 2012 list. Still, aside from only a handful of films, there weren't a whole lot of excellent films or even disasters really. I guess I should be thankful for the latter, but it doesn't give me a whole lot to talk about (though I've still got a few more to see). Plus, I should mention that I did miss a few of the year's more acclaimed films. Off the top of my head, you won't see The Sessions or Amour on this list because they never made it to a theater in my area, at least none that I knew of. When I do get around to seeing them, I might end up revising this list if I feel like they should have been included. Nonetheless, there were still plenty of solid films to come around and even a few truly great ones. Which movies made my list? Let's take a look!
10. ParaNorman
2012 was a good but not great year for Animated movies I suppose. Disney gave us the enjoyable game-based trip of nostalgia with Wreck It Ralph (which just missed this list by the way), and Pixar saw a modest return to coming off of the underwhelming Cars 2 with Brave (again, good but not Top 10 material). The only truly great animated flick was ParaNorman, a family comedy/horror film that blended creative stop motion models with vivid cgi touches. It had a great cast of characters, some nice tributes to classic horror movies, some truly memorable visuals, and a story that tackled interesting themes like family values, bullying, and social outcasts. I can honestly say it was one of the most interesting and entertaining animated films I've seen in a while, and the 10th best film of 2012.
9. The Master
Paul Thomas Anderson, the incredibly inventive mind behind films like Boogie Nights, Punch Drunk Love, and the always great There Will Be Blood, brought us a new work of art with The Master. A fictionalized retelling of the founding of Scientology, The Master contained a great screenplay and spot-on direction. While not quite as "showy" as say There Will Be Blood or as surprising as Punch Drunk Love, The Master truly shines thanks to the incredible cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and a career best for Joaquin Phoenix, all of whom received well-deserved Oscar nominations. If you missed this one in theaters, I thoroughly recommended checking it out!
8. Cloud Atlas
In an era of declining originality, ambition, and creativity, leave it to the Wachowskis to give us the year's most risky and audacious films in I don't know how long. While I will admit Cloud Atlas doesn't always quite live up to it's sheer ambition, the fact that it works at all, and better yet is damn good movie in it's own right, is nothing short of a miracle. A sci-fi adventure with six loosely connected stories taking place across different times is a pretty lofty flick. When you consider those six stories all feature the same ensemble cast of six actors playing different characters of various races and genders, that's really impressive. It's a great looking movie with stunning makeup, production design, and visuals effects with a compelling story and exciting action. This is one of the best sci-fi movies in years, and while not am immediate critical or financial success, will hopefully be re-evaluated later on as a classic (a la Blade Runner).
7. Skyfall
It's no secret that I am a massive fan of the James Bond films, and entries like Skyfall only serve as a reminder of just why I love the series. Not only was Skyfall the best of the Daniel Craig films, it was one of the finest entries in the series. An emotional character-driven story, great performances, and incredible action scenes... Skyfall was worth the long wait. Is it the best in the series? Still not sure I am going say that quite yet, as there are others that loom pretty high (Goldfinger is going to be a tough one to beat), but I will say it met my expectations toward pretty much everything you could want out of a great action film and a great 007 flick.
6. The Avengers
The greatest superhero film of all time??? Well, not quite, but the fact that the question even comes up is a testament to the film's sheer awesomeness. Marvel's insane experiment to bring comic book continuity to the a universe may have seemed nuts, but The Avengers is proof that it was just crazy enough to work. With five films building up to one of the most anticipated superhero team-ups of all time, expectations were running high... and it met every one of them! A clever script, solid direction, enjoyable characters, great costumes, and bad-ass action made this one of the best popcorn flicks of all time. Now, Marvel is getting ready for Phase 2 of their film universe... can lightening strike twice??? Well... if one of your team members is the God of Thunder, I'd say it's definitely possible.
5. Lincoln
Steven Spielberg's long awaited portrayal of America's 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, at first looked like it was going to be your standard "Oscar Bait-y" biopic. You know, well made and well acted films with predicable and somewhat unoriginal thinking. While Lincoln itself does have the well made and well acted aspects (the acting is actually incredible), it wasn't so much a biopic but rather a complex study of the political and legal system, analyzing the lengths to which such an official must go, be they ethical or not, to accomplish such game-changing motions. The decision to set the story against Lincoln's battle to abolish slavery was a stroke of genius, as was the spot on casting decision of Daniel Day Lewis as the titular president. If the rumors are true, it looks like Lewis will be receiving his third Academy Award in February, and if that is the case... I am totally cool with that. In short, excellent movie, one of Spielberg's best in years.
4. Flight
I really hope that whatever Robert Zemeckis needed to get out of his system by directing all of those underwhelming mo-cop cgi films is gone now, because cinema was desperately lacking his touch in the live action films he had been absent from for so long. The director of classics like Back To The Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit returns in top form, in a compelling story of addiction and alcoholism starring Denzel Washington, in a performance that can be described as no less than excellent! The only thing that kept the film from achieving perfection was a slightly excessive length, but aside from that I don't have many negative things to say about it. It's just that good.
3. The Cabin In The Woods
For the horror genre, 2012 wasn't a particularly good year. There was plenty of crap, a few average but forgettable entries, and only two films I can honestly say that were enjoyable (the other being the good-but-not-great Sinister). It just so happened that the one truly great horror movie of the year, The Cabin In The Woods, would be one of the most creative, innovative, and intelligent horror flicks to come our way in I don't know how long. Blending clever elements of suspense, violence, comedy, and satire... The Cabin In The Woods is arguably the best meta-sendup of the horror genre of all time (not that it had a whole lot of competition). It acknowledges the genre's repetitiveness and cliches, but it does it with a huge smile on it's face, indulging in some of the most creative and over the top horror-influenced filmmaking I've ever seen. It was a strong contender for my number one film, but the next two just barely nudged their way into the top spots.
2. Zero Dark Thirty
When I first heard of the premise for Zero Dark Thirty, I have to admit that I was a bit on the fence. A movie about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden was intriguing, don't get me wrong, but there were a million things that could have possibly gone south with such a potentially controversial subject. And while the movie, as expected, was met with the inevitable protests, I can honestly say that Zero Dark Thirty was better than I could have imagined. Kathryn Bigelow's spot-on direction led to a believable, intriguing, and suspenseful introspective on politics, international relations, and terrorism. Throw in a perfect performance from Jessica Chastain (who I am crossing my fingers will receive her well-deserved Oscar) and you've got a winner.
1. Django Unchained
Leave it to Quentin Tarantino to deliver the most controversial, interesting, provocative, entertaining, and flat out best film of the year. Certainly not one for the faint of heart, Django Unchained is an unflinching and excessively violent tale of racism, slavery, and revenge. Set against the backdrop of the 19th century south in the style of a spaghetti western and complete with all of Tarantino's classic trademarks (shout outs to his favorite movies, brutal violence, buckets of blood, quirky dialogue, and unforgettable characters), Django Unchained is one of his most complex and interesting screenplays. I just don't really know what else I can say, it's got a great script, creative director, and an excellent cast... it's just that damn good. If you haven't seen it yet (and can stomach the brutal content), than this is a one you need to get out and see right away!
So those are my favorite films of 2012. There were a few I had a difficult time leaving off. Argo, for instance, was one I enjoyed very much, but thought it fell just a tad bit short of these ten. Nonetheless, I stand by the list. If you haven't seen any of them, I definitely recommend checking them out. Let's hope 2013 will be even better!
Agree with my list? What were your favorite films of 2012? Leave a comment below!
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