(be sure to check out Kim's and Nancy's lists as well!!)
The List:
1. Silver Linings Playbook
What can I say? I just really loved this movie. Part intense drama, part romantic comedy, part dance competition, and part sports movie- what's not to like? Honestly, there are so many different ways this movie should not work, yet David O. Russell beautifully weaves it all together. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence are both fantastic, and the supporting cast of Robert DeNiro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker and Anupam Kher shines. Through this web of genres, the movie explores mental health, love, family, and friendship. An unlikely candidate for a feel-good movie, it takes my top spot for 2012.
(Special Friend Commendation awarded to Cole Rottweiler for taking me to an advanced screening of SLP at SIFF)
2. (tie) Argo and Les Miserables
You've heard plenty about Argo- the Oscar snub of Ben Affleck was followed by the movie winning pretty much everything in sight, and knocking Lincoln's seemingly unstoppable awards show train down to the level of long-shot. And it's all well deserved. In one of the best recent career comeback stories Ben Affleck proves once again that he's a phenomenal story teller. It takes a great script with a talented director to have you on the edge of your seat for a story to which you already know the ending, but Affleck does that and more. Argo is funny, suspenseful, and multi-layered, giving you a deeper story without caricatured bad guys. It's simply great filmmaking.
As for Les Mis, for full disclosure, I was either going to love or hate this movie. There was no in between for me. I have loved the musical since before I was old enough to have any clue what it was actually about. So the movie was either going to destroy my childhood or reduce me to a weepy mess (guess which happened?). Hugh Jackman is amazing as Valjean (in any year when Daniel Day Lewis did not make a movie he would be an Oscar frontrunner), and Anne Hathaway steals the show while being on screen for less than 1/6 of the movie. Director Tom Hooper changed the way movie musicals are made by having the actors sing live during filming, and the result is an emotional triumph. No, it's not perfect, and yes, Russell Crowe should stick to roles that don't require him to sing, but the end result reminded me why I fell in love with this story and music in the first place.
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Sometimes a movie just resonates with you (and your 15-year-old self). That's what Perks of Being a Wallflower did for me. I love the book, and one way to ensure that a movie adaptation doesn't ruin a book is by having it written, directed, and produced by the author. Stephen Chbosky did all that, plus contributed a song for the soundtrack (overachiever). This movie just warmed my heart with nostalgia (I miss you, Rocky Horror Picture Show). It's the most believable portrayal of high school I've ever seen. Ezra Miller steals the show, and is good enough to make me forget about We Need to Talk About Kevin (no small feat).
4. Zero Dark Thirty
People can argue all they want about the supposed controversial portrayal of torture in this movie. Frankly, if someone believes that Zero Dark Thirty advocates for torture I'm not sure we watched the same film. Like Argo, this movie manages to build an incredible amount of tension around a story in which we all know what happens (like Argo it also makes the very smart move of casting Kyle Chandler). And, like Argo (and Les Mis), the director was absolutely snubbed by not being nominated for an Oscar. Kathryn Bigelow makes this movie what it is, a suspenseful and procedural docu-drama. We can all debate how accurate pieces of it are, but in the end it gives us the untold story of one of the biggest events in recent history.
5. Undefeated
This one has to go back to the bylaws, because it won the Oscar for Best Documentary at last year's ceremony. But it was impossible to find in Seattle until just a few weeks ago, making it eligible for this year's list (so there :) ). And anyone who knows me knows that an inspirational sports documentary is almost guaranteed a spot on my top ten list (my two favorite genres had a baby??). Following the underfunded, intercity Manassas Tigers football team, it's essentially a real-life Friday Night Lights. Coach Bill Courtney, in one of his Coach Taylor-est quotes, gives the testament of the movie: "Football doesn't build character. Football reveals character." This film shows us how true that statement is for these kids.
6. How to Survive a Plague
A truly incredible documentary based mostly on archival footage following the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-80's through the early 90's. Angry over the lack of government action on this literal life-or-death issue, the movie follows activists who rose up to take matters into their own hands. Engrossing and informative, this movie will cause both tears of sadness and inspiration. It's also an incredibly powerful reminder of how far we have come on this issue (and how far we still have to go).
7. Cabin in the Woods
I pretty much love everything Joss Whedon touches. So it's no surprise that I would love this movie, with one exception- I hate horror movies. You will never catch me at a Paranormal Activity/Blair Witch/Saw/Nightmare on any kind of street movie. As such, I'm sure I only appreciated Cabin in the Woods half as much as I could have, because it's a brilliant homage to/commentary on/spoof of the genre (clearly half was good enough for me, because it made it on this list). Funny, scary, thought-provoking, and original. It's just so damn entertaining.
8. The Invisible War
Another light-hearted romp (right...). If you are unaware of the military's epidemic of sexual assault, go watch this movie right now. Scratch that, go watch this movie even if you know all about it. The stories from servicewomen in every branch of the United States military need to be heard, and this documentary gives them voice. And power- two days after watching this documentary, the Secretary of Defense made major changes in how sexual assault is handled by the military (though not nearly enough). This movie will piss you off- which is good, because we all should be that and more.
9. Your Sister's Sister
The last movie I saw before making this list, I just fell in love. This movie rides on the back of great writing, and having actors that can actually pull it off. It's extremely charming and enjoyable to watch. Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt, and Rosemarie Dewitt are all fantastic and completely believable. Extra points for the local love (it's filmed in Washington and was supported by both the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and 4Culture).
10. The Avengers
In the year of the big budget action movie (more on that below), at least one had to make my top ten, right? And you saw what I said up there about Joss Whedon, so... it's an inevitable conclusion. The Avengers was exactly what I want in a summer blockbuster- characters I can get behind, a villain worthy of challenging them, explosions, witty one-liners, eye candy, and, oh yeah, a Hulk. Whedon wrote and directed a movie that had the challenge of weaving together multiple superhero storylines- most of them with their own franchises- with enough background to catch up newbies while not boring those familiar with the story, and he pulled it off beautifully. What's not to like?
If only there was a Top 15...
21 Jump Street, Amour, Bernie, Lincoln, Safety Not Guaranteed
Honorable Mentions:
Adam and Dog, Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Bourne Legacy, Brave, The Campaign, Damsels in Distress, The Dark Knight Rises, Django Unchained, End of Watch, Flight, Fresh Guacamole, Head Over Heels, The Impossible, The Loneliest Planet, Looper, Magic Mike, Moonrise Kingdom, Paperman, Robot & Frank, The Sessions, Seven Psychopaths, Skyfall, Sleepwalk With Me, Ted, Wreck-It Ralph
Movie I think would have made my top ten if I'd been able to see it: The Gatekeepers
Eligible Movies Seen: 63
The Actors
Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis- Lincoln
Runner Up: Hugh Jackman- Les Miserables
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva- Amour
Runner Up: Jennifer Lawrence- Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz- Django Unchained
Runner Up: Robert DeNiro- Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway- Les Miserables
Runner Up: Helen Hunt- The Sessions
The Extras
Dude I fell in love with this year: Mark Duplass. He had me at Safety Not Guaranteed and secured the victory with Your Sister's Sister. Not to mention that this is the year I finally started watching The League. So, yeah, it was a landslide.
Best movie adaptation of a book I love: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, for all the glorious reasons described above.
Worst movie adaptation of a book I love: The Hunger Games. Look I know it made like a bajillion dollars, but MAN was I disappointed. You've got two more tries, Hunger Games movies, don't let me down.
Genre of the Year: This could almost always go to documentaries, so I'm going to be different and give it to the blockbuster sequel/reboot. It was a good year for the popcorn movies! The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Bourne Ultimatum, Skyfall, The Amazing Spider-man? All super entertaining, and some just plain great movies. Prometheus and I still need to have some words, though. Speaking of Prometheus...
Most awesome trailer for a movie that ultimately sucked: (tie) Prometheus and Snow White and the Huntsman. Man, those trailers ruled. Ah well.
What's that, Prometheus? You think you deserve one more mention? Ok:
Best movie-related thing on the internet: A series of e-mails from Prometheus' new tech guy.
Special award for awfulness: Savages. I wanted to give this movie "The 'Up in the Air' Award for critically acclaimed movie that can suck it", because, even at only 51% positive reviews, that movie is about 50% too highly rated (and I didn't have another strong contender). You can decide for yourself if that is critically acclaimed enough- all that matters is that you don't see this movie. Seriously, consider this one of those occasions where we saw this movie so you don't have to. Keep those 2+ hours of your life. You'll never get them back. You're welcome.
Best thing about the movies this year: Nothing new here- Nancy, Kim, comfy pants and frozen jr. mints!!!
Until next year!
