My Top Ten Movies of 2012

I wrote a few months ago that 2012 was an average year for movies and it was. I have seen about a third of the 300 or so movies released last year, and of those I only truly enjoyed a handful. But that handful of movies was so great that they made wading through the rest of the year’s crap worth it. Below you will find my top ten favorite movies of the year. Note that a few of these are not necessarily what I would list as the best. These are the movies that had the biggest, most positive impact on me during the year, and they come with my highest recommendation. Also note that a few of these movies are ones I haven’t written proper reviews of yet, if I do at all. The last few weeks have been incredibly busy and my writing may continue at this slow pace for a while into the new year. Anyways, here they are.

#1: Moonrise Kingdom I have been asked why I love this movie so much. I have responded, “How can you not?” Wes Anderson’s latest film is a masterpiece of color, humor, quirks of all kinds and true originality. It is an exercise in cinematic creativity, and if it conforms to any recognizable rule of the movies, I didn’t notice. Even its critics can’t deny that it is at least different. I haven’t seen anything like it and even after several viewings in the past six months it still amazes me. It has quickly become an all-time favorite.

#2: Cloud Atlas Nobody will argue that this was the most discussed and debated movie of the year. In less than three hours, it tells six stories spanning multiple centuries, all told at the same time and starring the same actors, sometimes in roles of different race and sex. I’ve tried to avoid calling it complicated, but it certainly is complex. What it achieves in pushing the boundaries of how complex film can get and still be comprehensible and entertaining is miraculous. Never mind if it tested people’s patience in the process.

#3: Argo Say what you will about Ben Affleck’s abilities as an actor, there can no longer be any question that he is a great modern director. This, his third and best film, is an incredible piece of entertainment mostly because it has a great story that is told with passion and intensity, the very area in which most thrillers seem to struggle. It has impressed me most by holding up immensely well after repeat viewings, never losing any of its charm or impact. If I had to pick an unbiased, all-around best movie of the year, this would be it.

#4: The Master This was one of my biggest “wow” moments of the year, and yet I never told a soul to go watch it. For me, it inspired great feelings of admiration and love for its purely cinematic style. In others, it seems to inspire nothing but confusion and hatred, even if it does have an incomparable performance from Joaquin Phoenix. Besides the controversial allusions to scientology, it features some truly depraved characters who do despicable things, and it is not a pleasant experience. It is uncompromisingly brutal and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

#5: Les Miserables After many years of waiting, the fans of this beloved musical finally got the movie it deserved. Helmed by Tom Hooper and featuring a mostly stellar cast (Who told Russell Crowe he could sing?), the movie’s splendor meets and surpasses all expectations. In addition, it is a masterpiece on a technical level. With all the singing recorded live, the actors are free to continue acting through the songs, rather than adding a barrier between them and the audience with phony lip-synching. Add to that beautiful cinematography and a heartbreaking performance from Anne Hathaway and you have an event not to be missed.

#6: Flight This is one of those star vehicles that actually deserves its star and vice versa. Denzel Washington has already repeatedly proven himself to be one of the best actors of our time, so I shouldn’t have been surprised by how awe-inspiring his performance is here. Assisted by a great supporting cast and powerful lead, Zemeckis’ movie is an inspirational story unlike any you may have seen, mostly because it keeps its inspirations to itself. It is a sometimes uplifting, sometimes down and dirty and always completely captivating movie.

#7: Skyfall Action movies so rarely contain anything much more meaningful than a chase and a shoot-out that you can imagine my shock when the latest James Bond film is genuinely good. It is a great action movie wrapped in a great drama, headlined by moving performances from Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, an insane turn from Javier Bardem and meticulous direction from Sam Mendes. Alternately exciting and moving, it has all those things a Bond movie should have, yet with that dose of humanity that a great movie should have.

#8: Django Unchained Quentin Tarantino is one of my favorite directors because his movies never fail to surprise me. His latest, a story of racial revenge in pre-Civil War America, is no less surprising than his others, but in a surprising way. It is relatively normal. The movie is carefully paced and almost entirely straight-faced, taking its time to tell a sincere story that would have become campy in different hands. Christoph Waltz, who stole the show in Tarantino’s last film, does so again here, and Leonardo DiCaprio gives a performance of startling maturity.

#9: Lincoln This historical epic seems to be the popular favorite of the year for both critics and audiences, and why not? Steven Spielberg has always been able to rope in his viewers more consistently than any other director that comes to mind, and this film is no exception. Daniel Day-Lewis plays the famous president, an ever-present symbol of Americana, less as a historical angel and more as a humble and flawed, but nevertheless powerful, presence. The movie is unendingly entertaining and enlightening, even when dealing with material with which every American is familiar.

#10: Looper In yet another example of a fascinating movie that could have all too easily been bogged down by its own excitement, this thought-provoking time travel flick frequently avoids the temptation to skip over story and character specifics and jump straight to action. Besides the fact that it has the guts to be a major motion picture starring Bruce Willis that has only a fraction of its time devoted to typical mindlessness, it is also an extremely well-written thriller that is almost guaranteed to raise at least a few questions. Joseph Gordon-Levitt also stars in yet another smartly-picked role on an already impressive resume.

Honorable Mentions: Amour, Bernie, Compliance, The Impossible, The Invisible War, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Safety Not Guaranteed, Seven Psychopaths, Silver Linings Playbook, Wreck-It Ralph