Top 12 Films of 2012

The cinematic year of 2012 is being touted as a great year for cinema. For me, that was last year. Although this year did offer some great films. If I was talking about quality of film, there are several movies that did not end up on the list but a case could be made for them being better films. But what I am talking about it that as each year passes and I write about films, I have been discovering my film choice more and more. I have come to a realization that film appreciation has nothing to do with film love. I may appreciate something, I may hate some parts of something but what matters to me is if I love it or not. If I do, how much do I love it?

Sometimes list-makers leave off certain films because "that film is being liked by everyone but I am different". Sometimes list-makers add movies that they possibly won't see ever again but if a reader looks at a film at number one which they've never heard of, they might take that extra step and actually seek it out. To each his own and I believe all of this stands true and absolute. I'm only trying to make you understand why the films on the list below are chosen so. To me what matters is the blu-ray disc I would insert into the player a few years from now. The films I'm passionate about.

My comprehensive take on the films released in 2012 but did not make the top 12 are here: http://bit.ly/W2Q4Hm

#12

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

It's been a while since a film came along and I knew it may not be a great film with a stupendously original story or mind-boggling technical innovation. I also knew that those things don't matter much, a film's greatness lies in the spirit of the story. The smile I had on my face and the sense of cinematic contentment that followed after the film got over was an indicator of the fact that I absolutely loved it. I know I'll be watching this film many years from now, I know I'll be listening to the soundtrack. I know I'll be quoting it and I know it will remain close to my heart.

#11

FRANKENWEENIE

Tim Burton was fired from Disney in 1984 after he completed his short film, Frankenweenie, which they thought was “too dark and scary for children”. I’m sure this remained Burton’s greatest strength as he is probably the only director working in Hollywood who made dark into something delicious. Nobody does it better than Burton. He goes back to his roots and combines it with what has stemmed his career till now and springs up a beautiful film. Frankenweenie is not just the best animated film of the year but also the one of the most warmhearted films of the year. 

#10

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

A romantic dramedy of the highest quality, an instant classic. David O. Russell goes back to his Flirting with Disaster days (my favorite film of his before this one came along). Jennifer Lawrence is a rare beauty and owns this movie. How many films can we call inspirational these days? How many films play by the book but add newness to conventional storytelling? A wise man once told me "A good story is a cliché well told". This holds true for this more than any other on this list.

#9

LES MISERABLES

I love musicals but I was wary after I heard that this would be a sung-through musical. Never having seen the original stage musical, I had only heard a couple of songs before since they are everywhere. I was surprised by how much I loved this movie. The connection it wants with the audience is only emotional. The plot isn't conveyed with dialogue but the emotion of the singing. The spirit and passion of this film is palpable and the conclusion is monumental and stirring.

#8

THE MASTER

Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the best contemporary American directors. Frankly, I prefer the 90s Anderson but the 2000s Anderson would definitely impress Kubrick and Welles. The thematic elements of his two latest films is probably the reason why this great film did not top the list. Technically it is a marvel. It is film hypnosis at its best. Phoenix, Hoffman and Adams are electric and offer a "master" class in acting. If you want to study acting, I believe every actor should just watch two films – Network (1976) and Magnolia (1999). You’re done. Nothing else is required. 

#7

DJANGO UNCHAINED

As a Tarantino film, I was sufficiently pleased. As a fan of cinema, I found something lacking, especially the relationship between Django and Broomhilda. This is made up by the stupendous performances of Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz. It is an enjoyable and entertaining B movie with equal bouts of awesome action and delectable dialogue.

#6

SKYFALL

Skyfall brings James Bond back to basics, an old dog with new tricks. A bunch of great actors and technicians along with a strong script gives you one of the best Bond films ever. I've always wanted to see more of Bond's childhood and Sam Mendes scratched that surface a bit more. A great companion piece to this film would be the documentary Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007, which is also my favorite documentary of 2012. Strong bias would be the cause, yes, but it must be seen by each fan of this ever-evolving film franchise.

#5

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES/ THE AVENGERS

The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers are two sides of the same coin and that coin is called awesome. If this year would be earmarked with a category it would be the year of the superhero films.

The Dark Knight Rises still has the best ending of any film this year (Nolan knows how to end those babies) and The Avengers is an unadulterated geek fest.

I would add the sleeper hit CHRONICLE and the second-best film in the Spiderman series - THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN here but a four-way tie would be a bit too much.

#4

MOONRISE KINGDOM

Film criticism has led to the oft used term of a movie being called a gem. I've never felt the need to call a film a gem anywhere more than here. In fact it is a chest of gems, a treasure to behold. Wes Anderson is an acquired taste and when you have acquired it, there is no stopping you from washing your throat down with his piquant spirits. Moonrise Kingdom is one of his perfectly processed creations.

#3

LINCOLN

Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner dare to make a film about politics than go for a conventional biopic or a war film. Daniel Day-Lewis gives every actor reasons to feel like a novice while he gives us another masterstroke of acting. He doesn't just embody characters but captures their enigma. How many actors go that far? I have no doubt in my mind that in the years to come Lincoln will be looked at as a landmark film, a masterpiece. It is lyrical and majestic and a fine entry in Spielberg's already masterful resumé.

#2

CLOUD ATLAS

Time. Cloud Atlas is a film about various times. It is only fitting that this film will be looked upon as a masterpiece only with time. It is at once cerebral, emotional and spiritual. The ambition of the Wachowskis and Tykwer can't be matched by any filmmaker this year. While watching the film I was in awe of the beauty of the images and the themes. The expansive story might get confusing but its rewards are aplenty. The score by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil is a triumph and the best of the year.

#1

LIFE OF PI

You don’t need to believe in God to watch Life of Pi. Your faith in humanity should be enough. To love Life of Pi, you need faith in cinema. What befalls your eyes is a master at work as Ang Lee creates a movie miracle. A third dimension is added but what Lee does with it is not something to be written about but something to be experienced. A common theme in his films is closure. As with life, we meet several people and bid goodbye to everyone (eventually). This is the first time Lee was faced with a challenge to film a story about not a man and fellow human but an animal. It is one thing to part with your friends but another to part with your beasts. This for me is the best film of the year.

2012: Year in Review

Before I jump into naming my favorites, I'll mention films other films that almost made the list, films that I enjoyed, liked, and a dozen other feelings that they brought out in me. Here's my take on the films of 2012.

But first we must begin with my least favorite film of the year. I don't usually hate movies, even the movies I dislike (as you can see on the right corner, I'm a film lover, not a critics) but there are few films which make my blood boil and I hate them with a passion: PROJECT X tops my list. I enjoyed most of it but I couldn't stand the irresponsible ending. I couldn't believe my eyes. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 2 isn't the worst film in the series (that would be Eclipse) but here's to the ending of the worst cinematic franchise in human/ vampire/ werewolf history. THIS MEANS WAR made romantic comedies look so so so bad. DREDD 3D turned out to be a terrible version of THE RAID: REDEMPTION which is a must watch for all fans of action films and an enormously better film.

Now onto film that I couldn't love, despite me wanting to. I'll be watching THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY countless times but I was thoroughly disappointed when I saw it the first time. It was a bloated version of the story which should have been only one film but then again, it's middle earth. ANNA KARENINA was such an interesting failure that I feel bad not liking it. It is hard to make films out of a literary masterpiece, there is a lot at stake. The failure of this film lies partly in the narrative device used in the film, ambitious but not entirely successful. Although, the actual failure lies in the casting. Aaron Taylor Johnson is not Vronsky. ON THE ROAD turned out to be thoroughly disappointing as well. One of my favorite novels made into a film which doesn't capture traces of the essence of Jack Kerouac's prose but not quite.

Gandalf the Grey: "Let's make Lord of the Rings as bad as the Star Wars prequels."
Radagast the Brown: "Leave it all to me."

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD worked for only half way for me. After that it became too schmaltzy and this is coming from someone who loves to be manipulated emotionally (if done right). THE IMPOSSIBLE is a fair example. But apart from the staggering performance by Quevanzhane Wallis I couldn't take much from the film. The hackneyed dialogues, the manipulative music, meshed with the poverty porn and the thing I liked the least - the allegorical nature which pretends to be poetic. Yes, the film just did not click with me. Another film whose reach was more than its grasp was KILLING THEM SOFTLY. The least interesting conversations and a muddy political allegory disguised as a crime film. Succeeds at none of it.

Moving on to films I love:

My favorite foreign films of 2012 happened to be TABU, AMOUR, RUST AND BONE, HOLY MOTORS and NO. Tabu is simply beautiful, its filmmaking craft is stunning and not just because of its Murnau homage. Rust and Bone is a powerful film about loss and hope, Jacques Audiard's most profound effort. Holy Motors is such a film. Yes, you read that right. It's a "film" with a lot of mosts. No is a unique film shot in 16 mm about a propaganda in Chile which would make Gandhi proud. Amour is one of Michael Haneke's best films and probably the cruelest joke he has ever pulled. Nobody is laughing and everybody is hurting.

Not exactly its British counterpart but another film about a bunch of old people that I liked was THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL. Maggie Smith shined in her role and Judi Dench proved she can do no wrong.

The film I had anticipated the most last year was HITCHCOCK. It didn't turn out to be a great film but due to my reverence for Sir Alfred I could not even begin to dislike it. In fact, I totally went with it. It does lose its way many times but it does capture something right. Hitchcock deserves better but I can make do with this till that happens.

Science fiction and horror fused together to offer three terrific genre films this year: LOOPER, PROMETHEUS and CABIN IN THE WOODS. Looper is as good as it gets, it is a thrilling sci-fi adventure which has tips its hat to horror films during the latter half. Prometheus did not please fans of the Alien series but I found myself watching this multiple times. Cabin in the Woods is a love-hate letter to horror films which gets better and better the more you watch it. As far as psychological horror goes, one film which I love due to my allegiance to Italian Giallos is BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO. Toby Jones' performance is unjustly overlooked here. The conventional horror films I found enjoyable were THE WOMAN IN BLACK (good atmosphere and one amazing location), SINISTER and THE POSSESSION.

Animation was a bit of a let down for me this year. There was only one film that truly stood out (which is in the top 12 so I won't mention it here) when it is generally many films every year.  RISE OF THE GUARDIANS charmed me completely and PARANORMAN was a nice surprise. BRAVE is  endlessly rewatchable and WRECK-IT RALPH is sweet despite having seen this story many times before. THE PIRATES! turned out to funnier than I expected it to be and THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY is not as good as a Miyazaki film but is another winner from Studio Ghibli. My guilty pleasure was the monster mash HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA.

There were two films about alcoholics. FLIGHT and THE MAGIC OF BELLE ISLE. The Magic of Belle Isle is a sunny movie. You know that feeling you get when you sit in a garden in the sun and do nothing? The film is low on plot but heavy on feeling. Rob Reiner knows how to transport you to a small town like no other. Another sunny family film that I enjoyed was THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN. Flight had a brilliant plane crash sequence with a smashing performance by Denzel Washington. Robert Zemeckis returns to live action with grace. But if you're planning to travel by air any time soon do not watch this movie or even THE GREY for that matter which also had a plane crash sequence and the rest of the film turned out to be the better Liam Neeson vehicle than TAKEN 2 ought to have been.

Two films that were panned by critics but I thoroughly enjoyed were MIRROR MIRROR and JOHN CARTER. John Carter took me back to why I love Star Wars (1977) and the beginning with Tatooine. Tremendous fun to watch. Mirror Mirror also lies in the boat as it was superbly enjoyable with Tarsem Singh making the better, more imaginative Snow White revisionist film. It was a very good year for women at the box office. The other Snow White film made more money and is not bad at all. I loved Steven Soderbergh's HAYWIRE as well. A film that came out around the same time as these movies and found widespread love and big box office numbers was THE HUNGER GAMES. It is one of the big success stories of 2012. I also don't know where to mention PITCH PERFECT so I'd just name it here, since I was talking about films that were fun and with women in it. Chick flick but not stupid.

Two hilarious comedies that I'm sure I will be watching many times over are TED and 21 JUMP STREET. I am not a fan of foul language and dirty minded humor but Ted happened to be a film about a man-child who can't grow up. I found myself in splits while watching this film and it made me care for a teddy bear. It made me care for a fucking teddy bear, goddamn it! Dirty language brings me to THE DICTATOR. Yes it was funny but Sacha Baron Cohen has done better before. 21 Jump Street is cleaner that way. The laughs are delivered the way I like them and the bromance always helps, not to mention the fact that it's a good movie. TO ROME WITH LOVE did not blow everyone away coming at the heels of his magical last film but I found it to be perfectly Woody and a delectable treat.

One of my favorite category of films is one which doesn't really have a category. Indies, low budget dramedies? I don't know what exactly. They are: DAMSELS IN DISTRESS, RUBY SPARKS, CELESTE & JESSE FOREVER and JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME. If you want to watch a truly quirky film, Damsels in Distress should be seen right away. These days any films with oddball characters or situations are called quirky but this is the true definition of it. Ruby Sparks is an original quirky film as well about a manic pixie dream girl who comes out of a writer's imagination. Celeste & Jesse Forever is a film to be seen if you're single, it helps that it's really good and that I love Rashida Jones. Jeff Who Lives At Home shows Jason Segel's talent. Duplass brother never fail to impress. Two more little movies that turned out to be surprisingly delightful although not as good as the above films - SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED and SEEKING A FRIEND AT THE END OF THE WORLD. Two more films which were on the dramatic side - THE SESSIONS and TAKE THIS WALTZ.


ARBITRAGE was a classy thriller about an unlikable character who commits crimes and makes us like him even when we don't. BERNIE is infinitely better in that regard because you have Jack Black. If I had it my way, he would be getting nominated for an Oscar for this. Richard Linklater still remains the most under-appreciated contemporary American director. Matthew McConaughey also gave a terrific supporting performance.

Matthew Mcconaughey had a fairly decent year. There was also KILLER JOE and THE PAPERBOY. The latter tuned out to be deplorable, to say the least. MAGIC MIKE had the best performance by him in any movie of his this year. Albeit, its true achievement lies in the fact that Steven Soderbergh made a movie about male strippers that isn't a trashy comedy but an actual movie. Not exactly a guy movie? Well, that bit was handled by END OF WATCH. An exhilarating buddy cop movie with some stunning action set pieces.

Argo fuck myself? Sowie, I'm not the one that fucks.

The two films that didn't find a spot on my top 12 but will be remembered for years to come are ARGO and ZERO DARK THIRTY. American jingoism aside, both films were well-made and made Hollywood films look good. Argo is a escapist entertainment with a rousing third act. But then I found out it didn't really happen that way. Also, I just can't support films which show West as innocent heroes and east as evil villains. Zero Dark Thirty on the other hand, was more responsible with its political stance. Jessica Chastain knocked my socks off, especially at the wee end by shedding just one tear, this also happens to be one of the best shots of the year.

My top 12 films of 2012 are up here: http://bit.ly/ZBIN2h

Oscar Predictions 2013

Way back before the Guilds, Globes or BAFTAs announced their winners, 2012 was a year where the race for the big Oscar win was wide open. Argo was the early front-runner, Silver Linings Playbook won the audience award at Toronto and crushed it, then came two waves in the form of Life of Pi and Lincoln, each with a passionate support and steady box office might. The late-surge for Zero Dark Thirty, Les Miserables and Django Unchained surfaced. Zero Dark Thirty became a critics favorite only for the torture controversy to wash it all down. Les Miserables got trashed for the close-ups, Django was deemed "not as good as Inglourious Basterds" which it isn't but it's still Tarantino and still so good.

"Argofuckme, I wuz snubbed.
Plan B: Mope till you win an Oscar"

Moonrise Kingdom seemed on its way to pick up a Best Picture nomination, (which was probably the only thing I was truly looking forward to in terms of Oscar breaking new ground) but when the nominees were announced, it was predictably missing. Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild which seemed like potential threats, ended up being major surprises when they garnered not just nominations for Best Picture but Director, Actress and Screenplay as well. Another big story was the Argo snub. It was nominated for Best Picture and 6 more but no Best Director nomination.

When the nominees were announced Argo was deemed out of the race. Lincoln vs. Life of Pi vs. Silver Linings Playbook - this was the consensus. Little did we know that an Oscar snub would not be Argo's Achilles' Heel but Poseidon's trident. Argo did not just win the Golden Globe, Critics Choice award and the BAFTA for Best Film but cleaned up every guild award that came its way. It seemed like a race that everyone thought was open, never ever was. Just like The Artist last year and The King's Speech before that, the Oscar race had been over long before the ballots were filled. Argo is about to be one of the very few films to win the Oscar for Best Picture without a nomination for Director. The last time that happened was in 1990 when Driving Miss Day (1989) took home the big win. Is that an indicator for quality? Let's not digress.

"Harvey got me nominaaaatteeddd"
"He got me nominated AGAAAAIIINNNN"

Argo is indeed a very good film but better than more than half of those nominees? No way. Then again, I do not vote for the Oscars. The members of the academy do. They showed they don't love Argo enough by not giving it the Best Director nod. They simply love other films more. But can the Argo tide stop? Can Lincoln or Silver Linings Playbook actually surf their way up to the top? I doubt it. One thing I've seen in the past few years is the Academy loves to play it safe. That being said, this is a year which could indeed offer multiple surprises. I was surprised I did well in my predictions last year (17/21 as you can see here: http://bit.ly/W9tBD4) but I know I won't do better this year so I've taken a different road this time. (To avoid looking looking stupid?)

Here are my predictions:


BEST PICTURE
Will win: Argo
Could win: Silver Linings Playbook
Should win: Life of Pi/ Lincoln

BEST DIRECTOR
Will win: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Could win: Michael Haneke/ Steven Spielberg
Should win: Ang Lee

BEST ACTOR
Will and should win: Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
Could win (highly improbable): Joaquin Phoenix, The Master/ Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

BEST ACTRESS
Will and should win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Could win: Emanuelle Riva, Amour

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Will win: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Could win: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained/ Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Should win: Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Will win: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Could win: Sally Field, Lincoln
Should win: Amy Adams, The Master

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Will win: Django Unchained
Could win: Amour
Should win: Moonrise Kingdom

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Will win: Argo
Could win: Silver Linings Playbook
Should win: Lincoln (If there is one award Lincoln truly deserves apart from Actor, it is this)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Will win: Brave
Could win: Wreck-It Ralph
Should really really win: Frankenweenie

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Will and should win: Amour
Could win: No

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Will win: Life of Pi
Could win: Skyfall
Should win: This is tricky, Life of Pi is clearly the best but ROGER DEAKINS STILL HAS ZERO OSCARS

BEST FILM EDITING
Will win: Argo
Could win: Silver Linings Playbook
Should win: Life of Pi

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Will win: Anna Karenina
Could win: Les Miserables/ Lincoln
Should win: Mirror Mirror

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Will and should win: Life of Pi
Could win: Anna Karenina/ Les Miserables

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Will and should win: Life of Pi
Could win: The Avengers

BEST SOUND MIXING
Will win: Les Miserables
Could win: Argo
Should win: Life of Pi/ Skyfall

BEST SOUND EDITING
Will win and should: Life of Pi
Could win: Skyfall

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Will and should win: Life of Pi
Could win: Argo

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Will win and should win: Skyfall, Skyfall
Another should win: Pi's Lullaby, Life of Pi

BEST MAKEUP
Will win: Les Miserables
Could win: The Hobbit

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Will win: Searching for Sugarman
Could win: The Gatekeepers

Still winning the most Oscars, bitches!

That means they will spread the wealth and the tally will look something like this:
Life of Pi - 5
Argo - 3
Les Miserables - 3
Lincoln - 2
Silver Linings Playbook - 2
Django, Amour, Skyfall and Anna Karenina - 1
Zero Dark Thirty and Beasts of the Southern Wild shut out






What I want:
Lincoln to take the major awards like Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor and Screenplay. I love Life of Pi but Lincoln is a film that at least Americans deserve to call Best Picture instead of a Best Hollywood movie. Hell, I don't even mind Silver Linings Playbook winning the major ones.

Will I win? Say AYYYEEEEEE!

What I do see happening:

Amour and/ or Silver Linings Playbook winning more
Life of Pi winning 4 (It could lose Production Design or Score)
Best Director/ Supporting Actor and the Screenplay categories are anybody's guesses
Argo is already the Best Picture winner and could easily win each category it is nominated in if the Academy chickens out.

Here's to a better season next year.