Top 10 Movies of 2012
Quick disclaimer. The Serial Wordsmith is not a professional critic, so I don't have a chance to see every movie that comes out. So if you're wondering why something like Zero Dark Thirty or The Master isn't on here, It's because I didn't see them. So without further ado...
10. Paranorman
Probably the best kid's movie of the year, Paranorman had a lot of good things going for it. Instead of just referencing old horror movies it aped those movies' style, creating a familiar atmosphere and then turning on its head and making it creepy. And while it is creepy, Paranorman also manages to juggle being exciting and funny as well with a cast of relatable characters. I also liked that it didn't feel the need to dumb itself down just because it's for kids or sugarcoat its dark twist.
9. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
While it didn't have the scope of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit managed to be a fun, light-hearted adventure in it's own right. Rollicking chases, battles and powerful magic all set against the beautifully shot New Zealand landscape. But none of that would mean anything without good performances like Martin Freeman's Bilbo, the stuffy hobbit homebody who is slowly realizing his own potential and the fun chemistry of the dwarf company. While the script had issues with expanded material and I have no idea how they'll stretch this to three movies, An Unexpected Journey is a welcome return to Middle-Earth.
8. Django Unchained
Let's just get this out of the way. No, it's not as good as Inglourious Basterds. But Quentin Tarantino's new movie is still a blast. His famously twisted dialogue comes alive in his actor's mouths, and matched with their performances creates some very memorable characters. After you've experienced Leonardo DiCaprio's magnificent monster of a human being Calvin Candie first hand, you won't soon forget him. And of course Tarantino's direction is still fantastic. And not just in the action scenes, which are as good and bloody as you'd expect, but in the quieter scenes too. You can feel the tension coiling like spring and ready to snap at any moment, and all that comes from how it's shot and edited. Plus it's probably Tarantino's funniest movie, though the comedy is pitch black.
7. Cabin in the Woods
Spoilers are still in effect for this one, but it's still one of the best things to come out in theaters this year. Taking what is basically the most stock horror movie setup ever and using it to both critique the horror genre and examine why we as a society still love them. And using that same basic setup to play out a fun twisty story and as an excuse to go completely nuts for one of the mot gloriously over the top climaxes I've ever seen. See it if you still haven't.
6. Looper
Looper was great for many reasons, but the one I'm glad for is that it's a time travel that isn't really about time travel. By keeping their time travel shenanigans relatively simple, the filmmakers were able to focus on telling their story about a man coming to terms with himself and the consequences of his actions. The star of the show here is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he carries the movie easily as Joe the shortsighted hitman whose actions come back to bite him in the ass. But props to the supporting cast as well, including Bruce Willis doing what he does best. The real talent here though is director Rian Johnson. His mastery of cinematic storytelling is so good he's able to pack more story, characterization and pathos into a ten-minute montage than most movies can manage in their whole run times. Check this out, I guarantee you won't guess where it goes.
5. The Avengers
Behold, the new standard of Hollywood blockbusters. Eschewing the all flash, no substance approach of the Transformers movies, The Avengers played to the strength of its cast and crew. Focusing on the character and interactions of bigger-than-life superheroes and showing their human side through clever dialogue and good performances. Not to say the action is bad, it's very good. Visceral and exciting, dismissing the shaky cam and rapid cuts of most big budget action scenes by using longer takes and closer focus, putting us right into the mayhem with our heroes. The plot is a bit of a mess and the villain's plot is a tad silly, but as an excuse for heroes and villains to play out big, fun comic book craziness we can let it slide. I can't wait to see what Marvel does next.
4. Argo
Ben Affleck is a guy who gets a lot of crap, most of it undeserved. This year he got the chance to silence the last of his detractors with Argo, in which he starred and directed. The story of a secret CIA mission to extract escaped US foreign service workers during the Iranian hostage crisis by disguising them as a film crew, it's a tense, thrilling movie. Playing out like a heist movie, Argo some great fun out of the similar labyrinthine procedures of making Hollywood movies and planning out secret espionage missions. But that fun doesn't get in way of the seriousness of the situation and good performances keep the whole thing grounded, especially Affleck in the central role. It's not deep, but it is a well-made spy thriller that sucks you into it's story and makes you care about the people involved.
3. Skyfall
James Bond has been in a bit of a bad way since the end of the Cold War. With the era he was created in dead and gone, Bond has been trying to find his place in the world of The War on Terror. It seemed like things had settled with Casino Royale, but Quantum of Solace blew whatever potential that movie had brought to the table. Skyfall fixed al that. Pitting the old-school Bond against cyberterrorist Mr. Silva, director Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig made a movie showing that Bond still had a place in the 21st century. Skyfall reflected Bond's 50th anniversary and brought him back to his roots. Bolstered with great performances by everyone (but especially Judi Dench's M), beautiful cinematography, and the best shot action scenes of the year, Skyfall is the best Craig Bond movie, the best Bond movie in a while, and the best franchise movie of the year.
2. Cloud Atlas
Call it respect for ambition, but I loved this movie. Six sprawling stories played out by a group of actors putting out magnificent performances against fantastic visuals. While some found it hard to follow or confusing, I felt that if you let it wash over you the movie got you into a groove. It certainly took guts to make this and even if you don't think it works, the result is still a marvel to behold. Like I said the first time, Cloud Atlas is more like a piece of music. It's deep and affecting and different people will get different things out of it. Even if you don't like it, I still say you should see it. You'll never see anything else like it.
1. Lincoln
Lincoln is incredible and all due respect to Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, it's because of Daniel Day-Lewis' performance. While everyone was expecting a good performance from Lewis, I doubt anyone thought it would as good as it is. Lewis subsumes himself into the President, going beyond the myth and giving Honest Abe a warmth and sense of humor. He shows both Lincoln's more human side and re-writes our own myth of the 16th president. And while he's the standout, the film has many great performances from Sally Field, Tommy Lee-Jones and James Spader. But Spielberg and Kushner perform amiably themselves, wringing as much drama from the passing of the 13th Amendment and the political wheeling-dealing to do it as possible. This is a movie that manages to make passing legislature operatic and edge-of-your-seat exciting. A poignant, thrilling and surprisingly funny look at one of the greatest Americans to ever live, Lincoln is my best movie of 2012.
Honorable Mentions:
Brave
Ted
Dredd
The Dark Knight Rises
Wreck-it Ralph
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