Best Films of 2012

So it's finally time for my best films of the year list. I know I didn't do one last year, but that's because I couldn't decide what I wanted to put first and then I got hungry so I made a sandwich and then I forgot what I was doing so I watched some TV. I'm making it up to you all this year with my overly long and probably pretentious list of the best films of 2012. I hope you all enjoy.

#10. Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson’s charm and visual flare have maybe never been put to better use than in this quaint coming of age story about two youngsters who fall in love via pen pal letters, and run away together. The cast is as colorful (and inspired) as Anderson’s signature deliciously garish and unique production design. I’ve seen most of Anderson’s films and if his last two outings are any indication, he just seems to be getting better and better. If you’re a fan of his and somehow missed this one, seek it out immediately. If you have never seen a Wes Anderson movie, there may not be a better place to start. It’s fully charming, quirky, beautiful, and

hilarious.

#9. Friends with Kids

I was unprepared for what awaited me when I walked into this directorial debut by writer/star/Jon-Hamm-gf, Jennifer Westfeldt. I heard good things about it coming out of Sundance last year, but didn’t really know what to expect. I walked out completely

floored. The story follows two best friends (Westfeldt and a very impressive Adam Scott from Parks and Recreation) who decide to skip the messy relationship and marriage stuff and just have a kid together so they could start their lives, much to the dismay of

their group of conventionally married-with-kids friends. An unconventional story to be sure, but it nicely sidesteps many of what have become typical tropes in rom-coms.Westfeldt paints, first with her terrific script and aided by her direction, a realistic portrait of a group of friends and the trials and tribulations that come with growing up and settling down with a family. There is real joy in this film, along with real pain and woe. This is Westfeldt’s third screenplay, which always seem to feature people making unconventional life choices and the perks and consequences that come with that boldness (or some may say, foolishness). It is, if nothing else, thought provoking and conversation starting which is more than you can say about most films these days.

#8. Bernie

Bernie is another film that completely floored me, but unlike the previous entry, it did not do so with its raw and potent emotion. This one floored me with the absolutely incredible, unbelievable (and completely true) story about a man named Bernie Tiede and

what he did in the town of Carthage, Texas. The less you know about the story going into the film, the better it is so I will not elaborate on what happens, but I will say its dark, funny, completely unpredictable, and executed extremely well. Written (or should I say adapted) by Richard Linklater who made the romantic masterpieces, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, and, with this, he cements himself as an incredibly versatile film maker

with a real eye for humanity. He teams with his School of Rock star, Jack Black in what is easily his best performance. As Bernie Tiede, Black is charming, funny, lovable, and eerie at all the right places. The movie succeeds or fails on Black's shoulders an I'm pleased to say he hits every note and gives his first truly great performance (I was as surprised as anyone).

#7. Zero Dark Thirty

The story, ripped from the headlines (and according to rumor, classified government documents) chronicles the ten year journey of one brilliant woman CIA operative and her attempt to capture and kill Osama bin Laden. I will not lower myself to participate in the inane controversy about the torture tactics shown in the movie. I will, however, laud Kathryn Bigelow for her fearless and unwavering defense of her film. It shows some real (proverbial) balls to do what she did, and she does it with elegance. This is in addition to her brilliant direction. She was the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar for The

Hurt Locker and she proves with this superior follow-up that it was no fluke. Working from an exhaustive and incendiary script by Mark Boal, Bigelow makes Maya’s ten-year hunt for the most wanted criminal of all time riveting, timely, and pulse-pounding. Jessica Chastain, in her first real lead role, shows grit and gravitas. She carries the film effortlessly. If her performance in The Help or Tree of Life or The Debt or Take Shelter last year didn’t convince you of the caliber actress we’re dealing with here, this one will; a star is born.

#6. The Impossible

The Impossible is one of the more difficult films to watch this year due to its subject matter and the realism used to bring it to the screen. It follows the true story of a family who is vacationing in Thailand when a catastrophic tsunami hits in December, 2004.
This is a film that could have been over-dramatic and schmaltzy. Instead it’s gripping, harrowing, and life affirming. This is all credit to director, J.A. Bayona. He doesn’t shy away from the gritty realism of the event, and makes the tsunami scenes
some of the most horrifying scenes of the year. I understood the deadly power and catastrophic nature of a tsunami after watching those scenes. They left me gasping for air. Naomi Watts gives one of her best performance as the mother of the family torn apart
by the water. She embodies strength and grace under pressure. Ewan McGregor and newcomer Tom Holland turn in powerful supporting performances as well. The film juxtaposes the scenes of intense devastation with quiet scenes full of beauty. My favorite involves the middle son of the family (Samuel Joslin), an old woman (Geraldine Chaplan, daughter of Charlie), and a conversation about the stars. Who knew a movie this unsettling could also be so moving.

#5. Silver Linings Playbook

As notoriously difficult to work with as he is undeniably talented, David O. Russell follows up his commercial hit (and seven-time Oscar nominated) The Fighter with a story of one man’s (Bradley Cooper) battle with bipolar disorder and the friends and family
that surround him, each with neuroses of their own. This is, above all, a story about humanity and love, and the film examines both with earnest hope and biting realism. Cooper shows a depth beyond what I thought possible from him. He’s brilliant and
volatile as a man struggling with a demon he can’t control. Jennifer Lawrence is equally impressive as his counterpart in manic madness. She is turning into an actress of rare talent, equally capable of carrying a tent pole franchise and portraying characters of raw, emotional depth. She is going to be a megastar for a very long time. Rounding out the possibly the best ensemble in a year full of great ones is Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver as Pat’s (Cooper) parents. DeNiro, in a career revitalizing performance, plays Pat’s father as a man full of pride, vulnerability, and superstition, reaching out to his son in the only way he knows how- through sports. It’s an open, honest, and beautiful performance that I hope is the first of many more to come from one of our greatest living actors.

#4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Films about high school are all too frequent and, more often then not, wholly terrible. That's what makes writer/director Steven Chbosky’s adaptation of his own hit novel all the more special and impressive. What he does here is manage to avoid all stereotypes and present a realistic, moving take on adolescence, finding yourself, and the growing pains intrinsic in the journey from boy to man. The cast of young actor includes some terrific current
and future stars including Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, and Mae Whitman (yes, her.) Watson sheds any remaining doubt that she is just Hermoine Granger and establishes herself as a smart actress to watch. Miller continues his impressive run as one
of the best and most versatile actors of his generation after his terrifying performance in last years under-seen masterpiece, We Need to Talk About Kevin. Logan Lerman is terrific here too. He’s done fine work in the past, but was never really given the chance to stretch his legs. He carries this film and hits every note from sly comedy to devastating drama. I hope that he uses the momentum from this to propel himself into more roles worthy of his talent. Judging from his involvement in Darren Aranofsky’s upcoming epic, Noah, it sounds like he’s doing just that.

#3. Wreck-It Ralph

An animated film usually winds up on my best of lists, but it’s usually a Pixar film. The last two years, that great studio has turned out two underwhelming additions leaving room for other animation studios to fill the void. This year it was Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph. I went into this film intrigued by the original concept, but skeptical of its prospective quality. Needless to say, it blew me away. To begin with, director Rich Moore, working off of a shockingly mature and layered screenplay (one of the best of the year), creates a beautiful, full world for these characters to live in. The characters
themselves are some of the most well written, three dimensional, well performed characters I’ve ever seen in an animated film. The most impressive thing about Wreck-It Ralph is the way it sets up its climax. It begins setting up in the first scene, introducing places and people who will come into play later in the plot. When all the set-up ends and the climax begins it’s one of the most emotionally rewarding, satisfying, and engaging I’ve seen in any film (animated or not) this year.

#2. Argo

Argo snuck up on me a little. I saw it in October and enjoyed it a lot, mostly due to Ben Affleck’s brilliant direction. I thought it was a really well made thriller, nothing more. I watched it again last week and I have to admit; I was wrong. Argo is not just a well-made thriller. It’s one of the best thrillers I’ve ever seen and there is so much more going on in this story than I initially gave it credit for. It seamlessly blends personal journeys and emotions with a spectacularly paced cerebral escape movie anchored by one of the best ensemble casts I’ve ever seen. This is a testament to Affleck’s power behind the camera. He took the audience on an incredibly complex, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride without sacrificing story or character, and, even more impressively, making it cohesive and easy to understand without ever pandering to the audience. The amount of information and story-lines covered in its two hour run time is staggering and he leads us through it with ease. I’ve been a fan of The New Affleck since Gone Baby Gone in 2007, but here he shows what he’s truly capable of, which, in my opinion, is becoming one of our absolute greatest directors.

#1. Lincoln

It would take an absolute cinematic miracle for me to forgive Stephen Spielberg for subjecting the world (but mainly me) to War Horse (one of my least favorite films I've ever been paid to watch). Much to my delight and surprise, miracles do exist and we got one this year with the release of Lincoln. This is a profound film.  One that, in my humble opinion, will be one of the best films of this decade (or any decade for that matter). There’s so many ways a film of this caliber and potential can go wrong, and the miracle is, Lincoln avoided all of them. Everything is prefect, from production design that so realistically created the White House of the 1860s, to the score by the brilliant John Williams. Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field give some of their career best (and the year’s best) performances, and Spielberg’s steady unobtrusive direction sets the tone for all to follow. There are two people, however, who added so much to the greatness of this film that, without them, it would be a very different, and very inferior, production. They are screenwriter Tony Kushner and lead actor Daniel Day-Lewis. Kushner’s screenplay is, without exaggeration, one of the best I’ve ever encountered. The historical accuracy, the grim foreshadowing, the incomparably, indescribably great dialogue, and the understanding of the man, Abraham Lincoln make this a masterpiece if I’ve ever seen one. But if it was Kushner who uncovered the soul of Lincoln, it was Day-Lewis who assumed it, and brought it to life. I would call his performance in this film, without an ounce of hesitation, the best performance I’ve ever seen any actor give in any film ever. I walked out of the film in awe of that great man that was Abraham Lincoln, understanding for the first time how essential he was to our history, how greatly blessed we were to have him, and how devastating his premature death truly was. Day-Lewis does something so much more than act in this film. He implies character beyond what any line of dialogue or facial expression can communicate. He presents a complete portrait of a man. It’s mesmerizing to watch and the film is greater because of him. This is the work of several masters of their trade working at the top of their game to present something that is truly art. It is film making in its purest form and it deserves all those Oscars it likely won’t win. For shame.