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.
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:
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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