2012 is already over, but it was an absolutely fantastic year for movies. You’ve probably read a ton of best lists already, but here’s my annual contribution to the conversation. I still haven’t gotten a chance to see The Master or Amour yet, so – like always – think of this list as a living, still-changing creature. But it’s mainly designed to start fun arguments, so feel free to e-mail joshsewell81@gmail.com and tell me how smart or idiotic I am.
This
black comedy, based on a true story, could only come from someone who understands
life in a small Southern town. Jack Black delivers one of the best performances
of his career as the title character, a beloved mortician who befriends a hateful-but-wealthy
widow (Shirley MacLaine). When the relationship leads to a major criminal act,
the showboating district attorney (Matthew McConaughey, who had a heck of a
year) has trouble getting anyone to believe the facts of the case. Director and
co-writer Richard Linklater’s compelling narrative successfully juggles humor,
heart and creeping unease. The interviews with real townspeople are an inspired
touch.
I’m a sucker for time travel movies, but Rian Johnson’s latest uses the sci-fi conceit to explore even larger philosophical questions. If you could go back in time, would you kill Hitler or just alter his development so he never became a monster in the first place? That’s sort of what happens in this story of a hired killer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who must stop his future self (Bruce Willis) from murdering a child. Everyone in the flick does great work, but Willis is the standout in his second stellar performance of the year (after Moonrise Kingdom).
This bittersweet allegorical tale manages to engage audiences without famous faces, big names behind the camera or crazy special effects. Instead, it focuses on intriguing characters attempting to eke out a living in an unforgiving environment. Non-actors Quvenzhane Wallis and Dwight Henry star as a daughter and father trying to cope with life after their town, affectionately known as the Bathtub, is destroyed in a flood. Everything about the film is beautiful, especially the performances, the visuals and the soul-stirring music.
Circumstances may change, but I still think Jennifer Lawrence is the Best Actress frontrunner for her terrific work in this crowd-pleasing comedic drama. She plays Tiffany, a young widow struggling with mental illness. She finds some therapeutic release in her new friendship with Pat (Bradley Cooper), who is dealing with some mental issues of his own. Throw in equally strong work from Jacki Weaver and Robert De Niro – fully conscious for the first time in years – and you’ve got a winning effort from filmmaker David O. Russell.
I don’t think I had a more enjoyable experience in a theater all year. Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s brilliant and ambitious horror comedy manages to satirize the tropes we all know and mock while simultaneously using them to terrify moviegoers. It’s like a magician telling the audience exactly how he’s going to do a trick, but then dazzling them anyway. The best part is the flick doesn’t rely on cheap twists to tell its story; instead, Whedon and Goddard build on each scene until everything culminates in an absolutely bonkers final act.
Based on the young adult novel by Stephen Chbosky, this film is a funny, poignant and powerful reminder of what it’s like to be a teenager. The author, who also wrote and directed, has a talent for portraying common adolescent experiences in a way that feels innovative rather than clichéd. Stars Logan Lerman and Emma Watson are fantastic, but it’s Ezra Miller who walks away with the movie. The young man is worthy of a Best Supporting Actor nomination, but I’m afraid he’s going to be overlooked.
Quentin Tarantino’s Southern-infused take on the spaghetti western is just as hilarious, profane and shockingly violent as you’d expect. However, the flick also doubles as his version of a love story. Jamie Foxx, as the freed slave on a quest to rescue his beloved wife (Kerry Washington) from her cruel captor (a riveting Leonard Di Caprio), wisely keeps things understated until it’s time to unleash his vengeance. Christoph Waltz, as Django’s friend and mentor, is just as powerful. Samuel L. Jackson, as Candie’s most trusted house slave and the power behind the throne, reminds viewers of his acting prowess after a few years of coasting. He tackles what could’ve been a problematic character and makes him a fascinating and ruthless villain.
Daniel Day-Lewis is famous for disappearing into his roles, but his work as Abraham Lincoln goes beyond anything he’s ever done. He doesn’t portray the revered president – he becomes him. Director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner wisely limit the scope of the film to the last few months of Lincoln’s life, focusing on his effort to abolish slavery through the Thirteenth Amendment. The result is a riveting, heartfelt and surprisingly funny tribute to one of our nation’s most influential leaders. It also has one of the year’s most impressive ensembles thanks to strong work from Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field and far too many character actors to mention.
One of the year’s most successful dramas is also known as the movie that proved me right about Ben Affleck. I’ve been saying for years that he’s underrated as both a director and actor, but Affleck delivered his most convincing argument with this fact-based account of a CIA specialist tasked with sneaking six American embassy employees out of Iran at the height of the 1979 hostage crisis. He pulls it off by pretending to shoot a cheesy sci-fi movie with two Hollywood bigwigs (John Goodman and Alan Arkin). The spellbinding mix of film industry humor and thrilling espionage was a hit with critics and audiences alike. As of now, it’s also the Best Picture frontrunner.
Opening locally on Jan. 11, the latest from The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal is cinematic journalism of the highest order, comparable to Zodiac or All the President’s Men. The procedural thriller begins with a heartbreaking phone call on Sept. 11, 2001 and closes with the death of Osama bin Laden, focusing on how the dots between the two events were finally connected after a decade. Jessica Chastain delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as Maya, the CIA analyst tasked with finding a needle in a haystack. She’s backed by an equally impressive ensemble cast, whose standouts include Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Jennifer Ehle and Chris Pratt. Bigelow and Boal treat the audience like grownups, giving them all the information they need to keep up without resorting to flashing neon signs. It’s refreshing to encounter a movie that believes you’re smart enough to keep up.
Honorable
Mentions:
21 Jump Street
The Avengers
Brave
Cloud Atlas
Les
Miserables
Magic Mike
Moonrise Kingdom
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
Safety Not Guaranteed
Skyfall
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