The Top 12 of '12.

So sure, it's March, but we (me?) here at HoB felt it necessary to compile our (our? we? am I Gollum?) own best-of list. Better late than never, etc, and so on. Am I an expert? Not so much.. but I am opinionated and rather passionate about the whole affair.. which I would argue makes me better suited for such endeavors than 90%+ of the Academy.  So without further ado, here are my top 12 films of 2012:

Honorable mentions: The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit, Cabin in the Woods, Lawless, The Amazing Spider-Man, Cloud Atlas


12. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED
I'm an equal-opportunity fan over here. Big, effects-driven blockbusters with $200M budgets? Hell yes. Tiny indie flicks with 7 named characters that were made for under a million $? ABSOLUTELY. By way of confession here, Aubrey Plaza might be my #1 celebrity crush of the moment and I love Jake Johnson. Despite that disclaimer, this is a charming, incredibly fun, sweet little movie. It's quirky as hell, but the talent and charisma of the people involved and limited scope make this a personal journey about love, friendship, companionship and acceptance. Who couldn't use a little of that?


11. THE AVENGERS
In Joss we trust. Honestly, I feel that if you DIDN'T like Avengers, I don't trust you. Unless you just don't like superheroes/superhero movies in general, in which case, stop being such a dour sourpuss, but honestly, this is the first superhero/comic book movie that felt like a comic event.  This is what it feels like to be 14 and so damn excited about getting the next issue to see what it happens when ______ teams up with ________ or fights ________. It's fun without being childish. Smart without being nonsensical. You'll laugh, enjoy well-drawn and rounded characters, some great action sets, and the first flick that TRULY replicates the feel of a comic book event. What more could you want from a summer blockbuster?


10. LOOPER
Time travel is one of those things that's become almost cliche in its convoluted nonsense. For every time it's used well (2009's Star Trek, Terminator 2) there are numerous examples of it being used nonsensically at best. It's become the sort of sci-fi trope that's been relegated to mockery and B-movie-dom, but director/writer Rian Johnson (one to watch, to say the least) has rescued it as a salvageable conceit from the scrap heap for sure. In this flick that's part noir gangster crime flick, part redemption story and part revenge saga Johnson takes a new and fascinating look at time travel and its potential implications.  His bleak look at a future America in shambles is at once fascinating and unsettling as well. Smart, heartfelt, well-acted and ultimately powerful, this was one of the biggest surprises of the year. Watch it.


9. MOONRISE KINGDOM
Quirky hipster auteur may well be on his way towards being a less prolific Woody Allen for his generation. With a distinctive voice and aesthetic, Anderson may well be one of the most consistent filmmakers working today. Moonrise Kingdom, featuring two complete unknowns as adolescent lovebirds on the run, is absolutely vintage Anderson, and possibly as accessible and sweet as anything he's ever done.  The line between sweet and twee is a fine one, but despite the subject matter, Anderson never crosses it.  This is one of the most accessible flicks of the year. Need something to watch with your parents? Get it.



8. SKYFALL
In many years that weren't as deep or star-studded as 2012 this would have been a top 3 flick.  This is simply just about as good as an action movie can hope to be. When you're talking about the Bond film series with its 20+ entries and everyone's proclaiming this as the best one without much argument, it's clear we're talking about a great flick. Memorable villain, high stakes, beautiful, epic shots and a storyline that hits close to home for our legendary protagonist.. this is James Bond at his best. Mendes + Bond = amazing.



7. LINCOLN
Few, if any, films in recent memory come packing the pedigree that this one does. Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and a cast shock full of A-listers bring one of America's greatest historical figures and one of America's most turbulent and historical times to life exquisitely.  While ultimately this flick fell short of true GREATNESS, it does provide a great historical perspective and a tremendous and memorable lead performance. DDL really gives us an incredibly human and charming look at someone it's very easy to look at in an inhuman way.  Plus, it looks simply incredible.. like Colonial Williamsburg on steroids. This is one that will be shown in high school and college classrooms for decades.



6. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
David O. Russell is a filmmaker who's proving to be incredibly versatile and skilled both as a director and a writer. He follows up The Fighter with a charming romantic comedy at its core that turns out to be about family and athletics and life and pain and mental illness in modern blue collar America.  It's amazing that when you throw in well-developed characters, strong acting and a quality script, the romantic comedy can be a formula for a good to great flick. Bradley Cooper finally reveals why I've liked him all these years, Jennifer Lawrence is worth every bit of the hype, Robert DeNiro emerges from the lameass bear cave he's been hiding in for the last 15 years and even Chris Tucker (?) is memorable. It's sweet, sad, funny, and endearing, with a happy ending to boot.. America, enjoy. David O. Russel, make more movies!


5. LIFE OF PI
I wouldn't call myself "spiritual" in any sense of the word, much less religious (I think sentimental might be a better term) but this flick, despite its ostensibly spiritual bend, truly touched me. Gorgeous cinematography, great characterization, strong plotting and compelling acting all combine to make one of the most powerful and emotionally stirring films I've seen in years. If you would have told me I'd have been profoundly touched by an hour of a boy and a vicious tiger sharing a lifeboat 2 months ago I'd have given you my best stink face. Touche, Ang Lee, touche.


4. THE MASTER
Paul Thomas Anderson just might be the most insanely talented auteur working in film today, apologies to Tarantino, David O. Russell, Wes Anderson and others. When your resume starts with "Boogie Nights" and continues through to "There Will Be Blood", you're so crazy talented it makes my brain hurt.  After a long wait (5 years!), we finally get "The Master", which features the also insane Joachin Phoenix as a troubled WW2 vet and Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a charismatic and temperamental manipulative guru and would-be religious leader along the lines of L. Ron Hubbard of Scientology fame. Is it about scientology? Ye...maybe? Does it matter? Not really. What we get is an intensely personal and disquieting look at religion and new-era spirituality through the lens of a deeply troubled postwar society. It's like Mad Men with crazy people and a subtler, more nihilistic commentary.


3. ARGO
Fresh off of a best picture win, Ben Affleck may well be the hottest director in Hollywood. After breaking into directing in a big way with back to back hard-boiled Boston-centric crime dramas, Affleck set his sights a little higher, adapting the almost-too-crazy-to-be-true story of how 6 embassy staffers were smuggled out of Tehran during the Iran Hostage Crisis by the CIA and the Canadian ambassador using the ruse of a fictitious science fiction film.  This is popcorn filmmaking at its finest, a meticulously presented thriller that's interested most of all in telling the story in front of it. Spielberg has been trying to make films like this for years and falling short because his inherent sentimentality won't let him. Argo has its shortcomings, a general lack of characterization and a less-than-compelling lead performance chief among them, but what it ultimately is is an incredibly watchable and enthralling bit of Americana.


2. DJANGO UNCHAINED
The faux "controversy" surrounding this one was some of the most nonsensical drivel I've come across in years. It was as if the conservative blowhards crying foul at Tarantino's tongue-in-cheek and over the top revenge fantasy were utterly unaware of Inglorious Basterds, which followed the exact same format. Very confusing. This is Tarantino's most complete film since Pulp Fiction, and features well-drawn characters, some terrific performances, (as should be expected) spectacular dialogue and vacillates from the hilarious to the troubling in rapid succession.  Vintage Tarantino, in that this one is at once an homage to an established genre(s) and yet also a terrific film in its own right. Tarantino remains one of the most original and exciting filmmakers in Hollywood, even as he moves from young rebel to established middle-aged statesman. Oscar-related note: Waltz should have been nominated for lead actor, he had by far the most dialogue in an extremely wordy movie, and DiCaprio should have won best supporting actor. 
 

1. ZERO DARK THIRTY
I'm undecided whether the "Is Django racist?" flap or "does Zero Dark Thirty condone torture?" flap was more ridiculous and indicative of why our society is losing the ability to rationally discuss anything, but the ZDT "controversy" was complete and utter shit.  Depicting something THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED no more requires condemnation than it requires explicit approval. The world isn't an op-ed, guys. Art can exist apart from your politics. I really and truly think that this was not merely the best, but also the most memorable flick of the year. I am of the opinion that, along with "The Social Network", this will be one of the two films that's most remembered as representative of the last decade. (Ironic, then, that both would be overlooked by the Academy for much safer and more sentimental fare) In much the same way that Social Network was a tremendous and definitive look at a transformative and revolutionary institution and movement (social media) that would come to define an era, Zero Dark Thirty is a comprehensive, bruising and definitive look at a geopolitical moment in time that will similarly define the present era. (The hunt for Bin Laden and wider war on terror) That alone would make it important, but the fact that it's impeccably done, tremendously acted, features a driving, fascinating narrative that seamlessly weaves across a decade and manages to be compelling DESPITE an ending that literally everyone is aware of makes it a tremendous piece of filmmaking. Guys, fuck the academy. This was the best movie in years.


Better... 10 weeks late than never, right? I'm presently working on a 2013 movie preview... and it doesn't matter if that's not out until next week, because let's be honest, Jack the Giant Slayer and Oz the Great and Powerful aren't good enough to warrant excitement, guys. #SamRaimiruinedSpiderMan

2012: The Year in Film: "Django Unchained" Review

As I saw this one on New Years' Eve, this will be the last entrant in the "2012: The Year in Film" series, and we'll move on to 2013. Another year older, hopefully wiser, etc., etc., something like that. Some of you may not know me that well. If you don't, I'm sorry, but if you do, you probably know that I'm an unabashed Quentin Tarantino fanboy. I had a giant Pulp Fiction poster in my room for years, continue to have a Reservoir Dogs poster, and credit Pulp Fiction with being the movie that made me start loving movies. I think that's a common choice among movie buffs ages 25-35. With that being said, it's been extremely interesting over the last decade to see Tarantino transition from being a rebellious young upstart to being a respected elder statesman of sorts. His reputation and prestige have allowed him to do basically anything he wants over the last decade, and the results have been diverse, controversial and always interesting. He's delivered a nearly 5 hour two-part revenge opus in which the main character's name isn't even revealed until the 2nd film and an alternate history in which Jews kill the Nazi leadership in France, both of which few, if any, filmmakers could get made, let alone doit well, and he follows that up with a similar alternate history flick featuring slavery in the American south.

Much in the same way that "Inglourious Basterds" is at once an homage and an update to the classic World War 2 films of the 50's and 60's, "Django Unchained" is a spaghetti Western with a Tarantino twist. The film focuses on Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave who has recently been sold after an escape attempt, and a German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), who needs Django because he's able to identify the Brittle Brothers, slave overseers with a hefty price on their heads.  Schultz and Django hit it off and Django shows surprising aptitude at bounty hunting, so they decide to partner up and in exchange Schultz will help Django rescue his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).  The duo finally track down Hilde at a notorious plantation called Candyland, run by one Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and try to put together a plan to secure her freedom.

Tarantino's films have a tendency to feel fragmented, split into separate scenes or chapters that can be uneven and give his films a disjointed feel.  Unlike Inglourious Basterds and several of his other films, Django has a cohesive narrative and feels like something that another director could have made narrative-wise.

The Good: This is an impressive film.  It's nearly 3 hours long but manages to never feel unnecessarily long, which is a feat in and of itself nowadays.  It features Tarantino's trademark dialogue in spades, and there simply isn't another filmmaker alive who takes as much joy in the interaction of his characters that he does. It's brutal, it's often funny, it's simply a joy to watch.   Tarantino doesn't shy away at all from the possibly sensitive nature of his subject, and honestly, that's a good thing.  A revenge fantasy doesn't deserve kid gloves.  Visually it's great and manages at once to feel like the classic westerns of the 60's and 70's while being something distinct and wholly new.  The cast is great.  Waltz (we should all thank Tarantino for bringing him to America) simply owns every scene that he's in, bringing different, European sensibilities to the antebellum south and really owning the juicy dialogue he's given.  DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson really revel in their roles as villains, really bringing the charm and managing to be both charismatic and evil in the way that all great movie villains are. Foxx is strong as well, while his character isn't given the same wealth of material as Waltz and DiCaprio are, his character has a great heroes' arc, and really develops over the film's 2.75 hours. 

The Bad: There isn't too much bad, or even negative, at all. There are some scenes that are hard to watch, but let's be honest, chattel slavery in general wasn't hard to watch. It's become common on the internet to criticize Tarantino's gratuitous use of time appropriate racial epithets and shocking brutality, but to me it really isn't all that different, thematically and tone-wise than Inglourious Basterds. The way that was a Holocaust/WW2 revenge fantasy, this is a slave revenge fantasy. Plain and simple. People are cruel and say awful things, because let's be honest, when you own a human being like they are a piece of livestock, you probably aren't very nice to that livestock. My $.02.

In all, there are some hilarious scenes (a scene with hooded southerners seeking revenge is particularly funny), and Django and Dr. Schultz carve a trail of bodies across the south and west that's simply a lot of fun. The dialogue is outstanding, and Tarantino has really added one of his best films to his filmography. If you're a Tarantino fan, a fan of Westerns, or even a fan of movies, go see this one. It's one of the top 3 or 4 flicks of the year and just might be Tarantino's best since Pulp Fiction. 9/10