So, this might turn out to be a rather short-lived resurrection of my blog, but whilst I have a few moments I thought I'd do my customary round-up of the films I enjoyed the most in 2012. Life events elsewhere meant that the volume of my film watching decreased somewhat (and 2013 will probably see a much sharper fall ;-) ) and there were certainly some films that I wanted to see and didn't manage to catch.
Before moving on to the best, I will cast a cursory glance at the worst films that I had the misfortune to see at the cinema this year - in contention for Turkey of the year were the 3D re-release of The Phantom Menace, Taken 2, The Cold Light of Day and Ghost Rider 2, but the undisputed Turkey of the year was George Lucas' Red Tails. There is undoubtedly a good film to make in the real story of the Tuskagee airmen. Red Tails is not that story - the dialogue is abysmally poor and the action beyond credulity.
Moving on, those films that narrowly missed out on a place in my personal top 20 would include IRA thriller Shadow Dancer; The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Moonrise Kingdom and The Hobbit (which was an excess 30 minutes and an unnecessary hedgehog away from being a very good film).
The Top 20:
20. Looper - Rian Johnson's time-travel tale might not have totally sorted all the paradoxes, but was still a thoroughly entertaining sci-fi.
19. Jack Reacher - A late arrival, but a very well done film that succeeds despite the controversy of Cruise's casting as the hero (who in the books is 6'4" and blond).
18. Jeff Who Lives at Home - More indy minded, but a playful exploration of fate and inter-connectivity that manages to get away with a rather contrived ending.
17. Avengers Assemble - Marvel's super-team up worked box office magic and was largely successful through the interplay between the characters despite the big finale falling a bit flat.
16. Martha Marcy May Marlene - Elizabeth Olsen is superb in this portrayal of a young woman recently escaped from a cult.
15. Silver Linings Playbook - Romance, dancing, gambling and mental illness - an unlikely winning combination and De Niro better than he's been in ages.
14. Ruby Sparks - Quirky rom com about an author who invents his perfect woman, charming and amusing throughout.
13. End of Watch Gritty LA cop story that routes its episodic plot in some very real characters and relationships.
12. Carnage - Polanski's satire of manners makes the most of its top notch cast to unpick middle class foibles.
11. The Muppets return to the big screen with a surprisingly heartfelt and funny film.
10. Argo Ben Affleck continues his winning streak as director managing a lighter tone in this incredible true story of the rescue of Americans from revolutionary Iran using a fake film crew.
9. Seven Psychopaths a somewhat messy, but incredibly entertaining story of a struggling screenwriter, dog-napping and other odd occurrences.
8. Skyfall - Daniel Craig's Bond is back on track after the somewhat disappointing last effort and worthy final one in the series for Judi Dench. Ben Wishaw and Ralph Fiennes will make good additions.
7. The Hunger Games One of the best teen-lit adaptations created a convincing and compelling dystopian future.
6. Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists. Ardman return to claymation in winning style - it's a very silly, but the gag rate never fails.
5. The Life of Pi - Ang Lee's adaptation of the "unfilmable" book is visually stunning and thought-provoking in equal measure.
4. The Descendants Clooney downplays but hits the right notes in this somewhat melancholy-comedic drama.
3. Beasts of the Southern Wild a beautiful lyrical film which gains heart by not trying to explain too much.
2. The Dark Knight Rises - a worthy finish to Nolan's batman trilogy. Heath Ledger was never going to be an easy act to follow, but Tom Hardy does a god job in villain role.
1. The Artist Witty, inventive, very funny and almost wordless - a very worthy and original Oscar winner
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2 comments:
controversial, skyfall better than looper? Looper was ultra violent. Even I strugged, let alone Esther. It was like Manga done in real life - there were definitely Akira echoes. But still way better and more inventive than Skyfall.
Hi Paul,
Originality is probably one area where Looper would score better than Skyfall. However, overall I found the latter to be a much stronger film - I take it you were a bit disappointed with it.
Looper was inventive, but tied itself a bit in knots with an ending that really doesn't work or make sense.
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