My Top 25 for 2012
I've seen 88 of the 96 films from my 2012 watchlist - so here's my top 25. It's just an opinion. I'll edit in any changes as I view the rest of the watchlist. The watchlist is growing all the time too... I suspect by the end of 2013, I will have viewed about 100 films from 2012. Decent year for movies, but in hind-site 2013 kicks the living crap out of 2012. I don't know if Wreck-It-Ralph down would have even sniffed the 2013 top 25.
I have yet to see: Sightseers, Tabu, Gangs of Wasseypur, and Iron Sky. I've seen pretty much everything else that looked like it had a chance to make this list. Those films look like they could crack my top25.
JUST MISSED MAKING THE LIST:
26.Looper, Promised Land, 27.Hit and Run 28.The Brass Teapot 29.Cloud Atlas, 30.Lawless, 31.Sinister, 32.The Sapphires, 33.The Raven 34.Safety Not Guaranteed 35. The Master, 36.Sessions, 37.Hitchcock, 38.Killing Them Softly, 39. A Thousand Words
I have yet to see: Sightseers, Tabu, Gangs of Wasseypur, and Iron Sky. I've seen pretty much everything else that looked like it had a chance to make this list. Those films look like they could crack my top25.
JUST MISSED MAKING THE LIST:
26.Looper, Promised Land, 27.Hit and Run 28.The Brass Teapot 29.Cloud Atlas, 30.Lawless, 31.Sinister, 32.The Sapphires, 33.The Raven 34.Safety Not Guaranteed 35. The Master, 36.Sessions, 37.Hitchcock, 38.Killing Them Softly, 39. A Thousand Words
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25 titles
- DirectorJacques AudiardStarsMarion CotillardMatthias SchoenaertsArmand VerdurePut in charge of his young son, Alain leaves Belgium for Antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. Alain's bond with Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after Stephanie suffers a horrible accident.Great Foreign sleeper here. Great performance from Marion Cotillard! Highly enjoyable drama. Makes an emotionally complex film out of the simplest of characters. From the same director that brought us "A Prophet".
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJamie FoxxChristoph WaltzLeonardo DiCaprioWith the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.2-3 and 4 here were really tough. Could've gone in any order really. I just thought this film lived up to the hype, and I'm not easily offended. I thought Tarantino deserved another Oscar or 2.
- DirectorMalik BendjelloulStarsRodriguezStephen 'Sugar' SegermanDennis CoffeyTwo South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.A fully-satisying movie experience - UNLESS you know the story before you hit play.
- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsLogan LermanEmma WatsonEzra MillerCharlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.A great movie. It really changes pace in the middle with some of the drug scenes, and that aspect of the film makes it all the better. The music is fantastic. Right up my alley.
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJessica ChastainJoel EdgertonChris PrattA chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.
- DirectorSam MendesStarsDaniel CraigJavier BardemNaomie HarrisJames Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.Another one that is really "big" in terms of money well-spent. Skyfall basically serves as a REset of the entire series. THe first three Craig Bonds built the Bond character unlike he had ever been built before. I think we'll see a more classic approach the next time, but this was, "one of the good ones" as my mother put it.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleTom HardyAnne HathawayEight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.
- DirectorDexter FletcherStarsCharlie Creed-MilesWill PoulterSammy WilliamsA street-toughened parolee finds his two boys abandoned by their mum and fending for themselves. Time to step up, or not.
- DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsDenzel WashingtonNadine VelazquezDon CheadleTroubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.The film didn't do great at the box-office, but Denzell's performance is great, and the overall production was top-notch. A good character study with some stand-out scenes and a fine supporting performance from John Goodman. One of the first films I saw last year, and still one of the best.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.Visually stunning and visually flawed. Story was better than I had anticipated.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansScarlett JohanssonEarth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
- DirectorPete TravisStarsKarl UrbanOlivia ThirlbyLena HeadeyIn a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.Great low-budget action flick. Best since "Equilibrium". Highly entertaining. Would have liked a little bit more of an "outside of the building" set-up.
- DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsBradley CooperJennifer LawrenceRobert De NiroAfter a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
- DirectorDavid AyerStarsJake GyllenhaalMichael PeñaAnna KendrickShot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.One of the better cop drama's I've seen in recent years. Best since Dark Blue anyway.
- DirectorChristopher McQuarrieStarsTom CruiseRosamund PikeRichard JenkinsA homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper responsible for a mass shooting.
- DirectorRich MooreStarsJohn C. ReillyJack McBrayerJane LynchA video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.Wreck-it-Ralph's retro arcade elements make it more adult friendly, and it has playfulness in spades. It doesn't look as good as Brave, but the characters prove a bit more interesting. John C. Reilly's voice-over work is superb.
- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsColin FarrellWoody HarrelsonSam RockwellA struggling screenwriter inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends kidnap a gangster's beloved Shih Tzu.Another Crazy California Entry. A great cast of hard-to-miss-with actors makes this worthwhile.
- DirectorGareth EvansStarsIko UwaisAnanda GeorgeRay SahetapyA S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.
- DirectorPhil LordChristopher MillerStarsJonah HillChanning TatumIce CubeA pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring.Rewatches brought this down 2-3 spots. A late, unecessary gross-out moment hurts a bit, but this is solid comedic entertainment.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsJared GilmanKara HaywardBruce WillisTwo 12-year-olds, who live on an island, fall in love with each other and elope into the wilderness. While people set out on a search mission, a violent storm approaching them catches their attention.Not Wes Anderson's Best, but also not his worst - which is to say it's above average for sure.
- DirectorMark AndrewsBrenda ChapmanSteve PurcellStarsKelly MacdonaldBilly ConnollyEmma ThompsonDetermined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.I liked it! At least it's not over-ridden with musical numbers, and the film moves at a nice pace. Looks great too!
- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsWill SmithTommy Lee JonesJosh BrolinAgent J travels in time to M.I.B.'s early days in 1969 to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history.The best of the series? Nice storyline twists help to connect this to other films in the series, and add more substance to the relationship between the two leads. Entertaining
- DirectorLorene ScafariaStarsSteve CarellKeira KnightleyMelanie LynskeyAs an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart. Accompanying him is a neighbor who inadvertently puts a wrench in his plan.Was funny and heartfelt at the same time.
- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckBryan CranstonJohn GoodmanActing under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.Don't believe the criticisms. Most aim at the plausibility and believability. The true elements of the story ARE unbelievable to begin with - so who are we to say where it embellished or didn't. Didn't deserve best picture though. While the acting is strong, and the film is solid - there really isn't much acting going-on, and the film really doesn't have anything that really stands out as a fantastic element.
- DirectorCiarán FoyStarsAneurin BarnardJames CosmoWunmi MosakuAn agoraphobic father teams up with a renegade priest to save his daughter from the clutches of a gang of twisted feral children who committed an act of violence against his family years earlier.sure, the ending is a bit of a 'lack of budget' mess, but the set-up and atmosphere are just aces.