10. 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'
This is originality at it's near finest. Being the big winner at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, odds were I had to see it eventually. When I did, I was amazed. Not only was it due to how original the writing was, but by how phenomenal the acting and performances were in general, especially Quvenzhane Wallis, who plays the little girl known as Hushpuppy. It is no wonder the Academy gave her an Oscar nomination for best actress. It was well deserved.
9. 'The Grey'
Throw in a suicidal Liam Neeson, in a plane crash with several other survivors, stranded in the middle of the snowy wilderness, and being pursued by ravenous wolves. One would assume that this is going to be a cool, laid back typical action film. That is not the case. Unfortunately, that is what turned many people off about this film. Which is a shame, because this film has much to offer. It is like a Jack London 'man against nature' story on steroids. Liam Neeson gives a demanding performance, many of the other characters are likeable and not stereotypical, and the threats against the elements of nature feel genuine.
8. 'Zero Dark Thirty'
The first two acts may feel a little slow at times, I admit. But when I think about it, I believe that was a part of director Kathryn Bigelow's intention, to make the audience feel the long, agonizing years it took to track down Osama Bin Laden. That is what makes the final 45 minutes of the film all the more rewarding and affective. That sequence alone is filmmaking at it's finest, keeping you on the edge of your seat, every second of the way.
7. 'Prometheus'
I'm sure that I am of a small group of people who actually enjoyed this film, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Is this film severely flawed? Yes. Does it have problems that are never resolved? You bet. But man, it was refreshing at the same time. It had a steady pace, great atmosphere and visuals (both awe inspiring and unsettling), and two great lead characters. One of which played by Noomi Rapace, who is a scientist who is also a devout Christian. The other is played by Michael Fassbender, playing a robot/android, who ironically seems to express much more human emotions and desires than the rest of the supporting cast. I also liked how the film dealt with the subject of faith, and how you should always persevere to the end. It had reminiscent qualities of '2001: A Space Odyssey' and of course the original 'ALIEN', which this was supposed to be a prequel to. For the record, I'm actually glad it didn't go in that direction, and tried to be something different.
6. 'The Avengers'
What can I say about this film that hasn't already been said? Well, it was the biggest surprise of the year for me. With the previous Marvel movies in the past, starting with 'Iron Man' and ending with 'Captain America', I have just one word to say about how I felt about those movies: "...Meh." Don't get me wrong, they are entertaining movies, but to me they just weren't all that great and exciting movies that everybody hyped them up to be. They were overrated is basically what I'm trying to say. So naturally, when time came to see 'The Avengers', I went into it with little expectations. What I got was a BLAST! This was probably the most fun I had at the movies this past year, far from what I expected. The characters were relatable, the humor was hilarious, the drama was good when it needed to be, and the action/spectacle was exciting. Like last years 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' was for me, 'The Avengers' was for me this year: A smart, exciting action/adventure summer blockbuster.
5. 'Looper'
The award for most original science fiction thriller of the year goes to Rian Johnson's 'Looper'. Aside from the fact that Joseph Gordon Levitt with digital makeup still looks very little like a young Bruce Willis, this was a very engaging movie. With elements of 'The Terminator', 'Blade Runner' and some old fashioned film-noir, 'Looper' has genuine thrilling moments that can be equally disturbing and thought provoking as well.
4. 'Life of Pi'
Though based on a book, I think this still counts for being a highly unique and original story. Not only is it visually stunning in just about every sense you can think of, but it is also very bold. Considering how this is being directed toward family friendly audiences, the morals and thematic materials dealt with in this movie are striking at times. And you know what, that's actually really nice to see every so often. Much of the movie dwells upon just two characters, one not even being human, but a tiger. This is a rare example of how special effects help serve and tell the story instead of getting in the way of it. The first special effect being the lead actor who plays Pi effectively well. The other is the stunning, incredible computer creation of the Bengal tiger. This movie is very much an allegory, and a very good one at that.
3. 'Lincoln'
With the most iconic filmmaker of all time, Steven Spielberg, and one of the greatest actors living today, Daniel Day Lewis, how could you possibly go wrong with a film about the final year of the life of Abraham Lincoln? Thankfully, with that combination, almost nothing goes wrong. Everything is treated with respect, both the history and the people, and Daniel Day Lewis gives the most unique portrayal of the United States sixteenth president. He was Lincoln, no doubt about it. And Mr. Spielberg has equally been making a great comeback over the last couple of years, this being one of them. History buffs and film buffs alike will adore this film.
2. 'Silver Linings Playbook'
I felt like I could relate a lot to this movie. If it weren't for the other movie I have reserved for my number one spot this year, this one would definitely take the spot. The story is absolutely great. The characters are flawed in the most relieving of ways, the situations and choices they make are ones that we have experienced or will experience eventually in our lives. It is funny, uplifting and knows it's limits. Not bad for a movie that deals with depression, anxiety and bipolar disorders. When the film had ended, I walked out of the theatre with a real smile on my face, knowing that I had just seen something very special and that I could look back upon in the years to come. Just about everything in this film is great, and it reminds us that good things, even in the hardest of times, can come to pass.
1. 'Argo'
I loved this movie, first of all. During the Iranian hostage crisis in the late 70's, The C.I.A goes to Hollywood to promote a fake science fiction movie production, in order to fake the hostages as a Canadian film crew and casually get them out of there. This is one of those stories that sounds just so crazy, it has to be true. The recreation of that time period was amazing. The characters were believable, and often funny at times. The blend between comedy and drama was brilliant. This is a near perfect movie, about a fake movie. Films about film have always been fascinating, and that is only the subplot in this. Like 'Lincoln', history buffs and film buffs alike will love this film. Ben Affleck has proven himself to be incredible both in front of the camera, and behind camera. This is the best film of the year 2012!
~ Honorable Mentions ~
- 'Les Miserables'
- 'The Dark Knight Rises'
