Top 10: The Best Films of 2012

For any film critic, myself included, compiling together a "best-of" list spanning an entire year is unquestionably one of the most difficult tasks out there. How can you craft a definitive list if you haven't seen every single release out there (or at the very minimum, every wide release)? And how do you weigh a popcorn superhero juggernaut like The Avengers against a slew of thought-provoking art-house films?

I admit, I've missed out on some key awards contenders - Lincoln, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty for starters. So don't expect them to make the list. I do however, plan on seeing several more films from 2012, including the ones mentioned, so there is a possibility this list could be adjusted.

However, for the hundred or so movies I have been privileged to see in 2012, it's fair to say that the fifteen films selected for my "best-of" list left an impression on me that won't leave me anytime soon. These are the films that defined 2012 for me as a critic, a moviegoer and a cinemaphile.

Honorable Mention

Bully was without a doubt the most difficult movie to watch in 2012. It's absolutely disgusting how much worse bullying has gotten in the past decade since I was in school and the abuse these kids have had to endure. 

My hearts go out to the victims and their families who have been bullied physically, mentally or emotionally. The documentary only looks at the tip of the iceberg, narrowing such a broad topic just to bullying at schools. That itself will get the waterworks going. We've all been through it and this is powerful piece of film that must be viewed.



Honorable Mention

A Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence film that has Oscar-bait written all over it. Not possible. Wrong. For all those reasons, Silver Linings Playbook was not a film I had no intentions to run out and see. David O. Russell's The Fighter failed to entertain me back in 2010 and the marketing campaign made it seem like Silver Linings Playbook was some cheesy rom-com.

Cooper and Lawrence both exceeded my expectations and have seamless chemistry as what initially seemed as a headbutting mentally unbalanced pair. Fair warning, Jennifer Lawrence does get a bit bat-crazy in the film. But after the year she's had with The Hunger Games and now Silver Linings Playbook, Oscar gold could possibly come her way.


Honorable Mention

I know exactly how Paul Dano's character was feeling in Ruby Sparks. For any writer, when it comes to creating characters, you have absolute control over every line of dialogue, every emotion. It's all left up to the imagination of the author. In a sense, you're playing God over your fictional spark of life.

But when that creation becomes real (and your perfect girlfriend), it's the deal of a lifetime - one you'd almost have to make a Faustian pact for. I kind of wish my writing had that magic. What makes the film even sweeter is Zoe Kazan (Ruby) is actually Paul Dano's real-life girlfriend. No wonder their chemistry was spot-on. 



Honorable Mention

For some strange reason, I never had to read Victor Hugo in school or college. That makes Tom Hooper's Broadway adaptation, Les Miserables, as my first actual exposure to the source material. I've had my fair share of contemporary Broadway adaptations: Rent, Mamma Mia!, Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera, so I was prepared for singing....and singing....and even more singing.

Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman steal the show as Fantine and Jean Valjean respectively with Hathaway easily coming away with her very first Oscar. Power, yes. Passion, you better believe it. Its 157 minutes of raw drama pays off majorly.



Honorable Mention

While it may be the first animated film to make it way on this list, Wreck-It Ralph is certainly not the last. Whether you grew up on Atari, Nintendo 64 or spend late hours into the night on Xbox Live, this is your movie. Hollywood seems to keep making animated movies where the bad guy desperately attempts to redeem himself (Megamind and Despicable Me for starters).

Disney does a top-notch job sending that message home. John C. Reilly was born to voice the building-smashing behemoth, who's only following arcade game protocol. But even outcasts like Ralph and Vanellope, who's from a kinetic 90s racing game, can emerge the hero where others fail.

#10

Very few film franchises have had to bet the entire farm on a project multiple films in advance. Once a dream in the eyes of many comic book fanboys, The Avengers finally arrived in theaters, decimated almost every box-office record in its Hulk-like (yes, I did say Hulk) path and laid waste to fears that the ultimate superhero team-up couldn't be pulled off.

Now with Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ending with an epic bang, where do we go from here? Iron Man 3, anyone? Thor: The Dark World! They are certainly not going to be on the same scales as The Avengers, but 2015 (That's Part 2 for all of you not keeping track) is only two short short years away.

#9

What started as a typical visit to my local independent theater resulted in seeing the most inspirational film of 2012. In a limited release across the United States and Canada, Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a rare mouthwatering treat that proves with raw dedication, it's possible to become a national legend and the definitive measuring stick in your field of work.

Watching Jiro pour out his heart and soul into every piece of raw fish is my personal motivation to better myself in my writing, my reviewing and pretty much every facet of life. The first thing I did after seeing Jiro Dreams of Sushi...eat sushi of course. 

#8

For a while there, the chances of seeing Bond 23 were awfully bleak. After two outings in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, there was no one else I would rather have as 007 than Daniel Craig. Skyfall is not just one of the best James Bond movies in the franchise's entire half-century run, but one that goes beyond the limits of your run-of-the-mill espionage and vengeance plots.

The Bond franchise has always been a favorite of mine, but until Craig jumped on-board, installments from Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan era were good for Saturday afternoons. I can't wait until Bond 24 and know whether or not Quantum returns.

#7

Brit Marling is one of the most gifted underrated talents in Hollywood today. 2011's Another Earth was one of the thought-provoking indie films that slipped under the radar and unfortunately, so is Sound of My Voice.       

I love when movies are ambiguous throughout and even after the ending you're still trying to guess what actually happened. Marling is phenomenal as the charismatic Maggie.  A prophet from the future? A cerebral con artist? We really don't know, but regardless, Marling's performance is the anchor (no pun intended) to making this rich thriller work on so many levels.

#6

I think movie audiences have endured way too many Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street sequels over the years. Tedious. Repetitive. I end up laughing more than actually caring about random drunk, druggie college kids half the time.

The Cabin in the Woods flips the entire genre on its head in the most cleverest of ways. Like with The Avengers this past summer, Joss Whedon knows exactly how to entertain audiences and keep it fresh. The less you know about The Cabin in the Woods beforehand, the better. It's as far away from high-brow as you can get on this list, but just remember four words about this movie - Zombie Redneck Torture Family.

#5

If it wasn't for just not getting all the quirkiness of The Royal Tenenbaums in my mid-teenage years, 2009's Fantastic Mr. Fox wouldn't have been the first Wes Anderson film I truly appreciated. Fast forward three short years later and from one simple trailer, I quickly became enamored with Moonrise Kingdom. 

Quirky in its own right, Moonrise Kingdom is a prime example of forbidden summer love captured on-screen through Anderson's methodical directing and brilliant ensemble cast. Though headlined by Anderson's frequent collaborators (Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman) the true heart of the story is the bond between Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward).     

#4

It's questionable whether or not The Secret World of Arrietty qualifies as a 2012 film. Japan released the film back in 2010 under the title Arrietty, however here in the United States, it was released in 2012. Regardless, this Studio Ghibli adaptation of the classic novel, The Borrowers is a breathtakingly beautiful wonder in filmmaking that we are rarely treated to. 

Like many Studio Ghibli films, Arrietty is slow-paced, but compensates in its riveting magical storytelling. The beauty of Arrietty carries over in the 2012 Disney dub and it's at a point where the film rivals if not tops many of Disney's recent classics. The most satisfying part of Arrietty is that it lives up to the Studio Ghibli name and will bring forth more films from the Japanese animation studio.


#3

I'll admit I was getting a bit teary-eyed throughout Tim Burton's Frankenweenie. Anyone who's a pet-lover or lost a pet can empathize with Victor Frankenstein to bring his faithful companion, Sparky back to life. Not only is Frankenweenie a touching tale about a boy and his dog, but its clever homages to classic black-and-white monster movies made it the instant Halloween classic.

Burton simply outdoes his other stop-motion film, Corpse Bride (2005), which at the time was one of my favorite Burton films and a must-see yearly tradition during Halloween. Frankenweenie was very close to becoming my favorite animated movie of the year, but of course that goes to my #2 movie of 2012.



#2  

Say what you will about Pixar after Cars 2, but the acclaimed animation studio is back on their A-game with their 13th feature film, Brave. As Pixar's first-ever fairy-tale, Brave isn't some clear-cut black-and-white conflict between fiery redheaded Princess Merida and the demon bear, Mor'du as many Pixar die-hards expected from its marketing campaign.

Instead, the struggle in Brave rests on the laurels of a dynamic mother-daughter relationship between Merida and her prim and proper mother, Queen Elinor. Rebellion. Duty. Family. Love. It's all comes together full-force in Pixar's crowning achievement to date. Monsters University has some very big shoes to fill this June.      

#1

Was there any surprise that The Dark Knight Rises wasn't going to top this list as my favorite film of 2012? Not only has Christopher Nolan given audiences the most satisfying conclusion to a trilogy since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, but also the most powerful moments for the Batman brand. Oh how far have we've come from the dark days of Joel Schumacher and hyper-sexualized suits.
 
When I think back on 2012 and how cinema truly shined in so many different genres, it'll be Nolan's finale that defines another noteworthy year from Hollywood. No film this year comes close to the satisfaction of seeing Christopher Nolan pull off what seemed impossible, a flawless superhero trilogy.

It's hard to believe that 2012 is already over and there will quickly come a fresh new year full of new releases gunning for that top spot atop my Best of 2013 list. Granted, that's still another twelve months away and I'm still not finished with 2012. So what were your favorites in 2012?