Though it is the beginning of 2013, that doesn’t mean we can’t still reminisce about 2012. It is my favorite time of the year, when all of the “Best Of” lists come out, so I thought I would enter that wonderful world this time around, giving you my Top Ten Movies of 2012. Not to be a show off, but I saw 46 films this year, so I have a relatively good outlook on this year in cinema. I also have a very broad scope of films that I enjoy, so while some on my list are major Oscar contenders, some don’t have any chance at getting even a pity nomination…You Have Been Warned. When a film is getting Oscar buzz, I have included its possibilities and underlined the title to get you prepared for the Oscars on ABC at 8pm. If the title is bold, make sure to watch it before Oscar Sunday!
10) The Avengers- Was this a comic book movie or what?! This blew everyone’s expectations out of the water, quality wise and box office wise. The highest grossing film of the year, the 3rd highest grossing film of all-time, and the highest grossing opening weekend of all-time are just SOME of the records this film broke. Seriously though, did anyone NOT like this movie? If you find 5 people who dislike this movie, I will run along the monorail beam at Epcot. Everything about this movie was A+ for me, the acting, the humor (The Hulk punching Thor is the best thing ever), the action…it was just all great.
9) Life of Pi– The story was incredibly interesting, the acting was spectacular for being one kid on a boat surrounded by CGI animals, but the real winner in this film is Ang Lee’s direction. Once considered “unfilmable”, this movie is a MUST in 3D. It has the best visuals since Avatar, hands down.
8) Bernie – To go from a super well known film to this is quite a jump, but hear me out. I had to watch this film a couple of days ago and it was amazing and definitely not what I expected. For those unfamiliar, Jack Black stars as Bernie, a man who was the most liked person in his tiny Texas town of Carthage. He ends up (SEMI SPOILER ALERT) killing his “best-friend” by shooting her in the back 4 times…but no one in town wants to charge him with the crime. This incredibly odd and crazy true story was riveting on the screen, with Jack Black doing the best work of his career and needing of his 1st Oscar nomination. It is on DVD now, so check it out.
7) Flight – Give. Denzel. An. Oscar. Now. The most incredible performance on film this year, hands down. Denzel is the only one who might be able to knock Daniel Day Lewis off his “Lincoln” high (which I hated, by the way). Unfortunately, the movie isn’t getting the buzz it deserves. I went in expecting this to be a legal drama about an intoxicated pilot who saves about 100 people, but instead, I received a moving piece about substance abuse and the recovery process.
6) Wreck-it Ralph – The fact that Sarah Silverman was not nominated for an Annie Award for her work as Vanellope Von Schweetz is ridiculous and should be a crime. She makes this fantastic animated feature more fantastic than it already is. The visuals are absolutely stunning. While watching, I started to want a Sugar Rush land at Hollywood Studios immediately. This is the front runner for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, and the buzz is well deserved, hopefully making this the first win for the Walt Disney Animation Studios.
5) Brave- I can hear the screaming all ready, but I adored Brave. The prettiest Pixar movie to date paired with a wonderful mother-daughter tale mixed with some animal shenanigans. I know the bear twist threw off some people making them hate the film, but I loved it so much that I saw it 4 times in theaters…4 times. Only one other film has that honor, Toy Story 3 (with Tangled coming in a close second with 3). I realize it won’t win the Oscar (which is a shame), but is wins the Marshal-scar (which could be taken as an insult…)
4) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – I want Judi Dench to be my best friend. I would request her read the Spaceship Earth script to me as I go to sleep, then when I wake up, she would recite her monologues from this film. I loved this movie so much, and I am not entirely sure why. Fantastic acting, thanks to Judi and Maggie Smith and a gorgeous setting put this wonderful film over the top for me. As the days progress, it getting more and more buzz, and I really hope it pulls out a Best Picture nod.
3) Skyfall – The best action movie I have ever seen. I was hooked through the opening act to the end credits, heck, I even loved the opening credits with the awesome song Skyfall by Adele (which WILL win the Oscar for Best Song, I am calling it now). If you don’t see this movie, we can’t be friends. Daniel Craig was incredible, Judi Dench was incredible (duh!), Sam Mendes direction was incredible, and the cinematography was super incredible (I hope it wins Best Cinematography too!). This is getting some Best Picture buzz too…so let’s hope it becomes the first nominated Bond film!
2) For a Good Time, Call…- This was one of the “Not a chance in heck will this get a nomination” films (Though Ari Graynor deserves one). This blinked-and-you-missed-its-theatrical-release comedy is about two enemies who become friends after they start a phone sex line. It sounds like a crazy premise (definitely NOT a family film), but it works. The two girls are a riot, with some hilarious cameos and a sweet ending; this became my favorite comedy I have ever seen period. I cannot recommend this film enough!
And my Number One film of 2012 is…
1) The Sessions – The best ensemble acting in a film this year. John Hawkes stars as a Polio victim who is fully paralyzed and writer for a newspaper…who decides to hire a sex surrogate (The incomparable Helen Hunt) to lose his virginity. The film is funny, suspenseful, depressing, light-hearted, moving, and every other positive adjective you can think of. Expect both of the main actors to get nominations and a possible Best Picture (I so hope it gets it) nomination. This is in my top ten films of all-time…it is THAT good. It is still in a few theaters, but if it is not in your area, look for it on DVD and Blu-Ray soon.
A few honorable mentions include The Hunger Games (Best book-to-movie adaptation I have ever seen, but terrible repeat value), Silver Linings Playbook (A terrible first 20 minutes turn into a wonderful twist on the rom-com format), Argo (the most suspenseful film I have ever seen, even when I knew the outcome), Hitchcock (Really solid movie with a wonderful performance by Helen Mirren that might get her another Oscar nomination) and Jack Reacher (I hope it does well because this could be an awesome franchise).
What do you think of my choices? Let me know your Top 10 below! Until next time…pass the popcorn!