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

2013: The Year in Film: "Zero Dark Thirty" Review

Kathryn Bigelow, a director who had no-doubt action movie bona fides, shocked the world with "The Hurt Locker", a brutal military thriller that took the Oscars by storm three years ago. Established as one of the few in Hollywood who can handle politically explosive issues in an even-handed and honest way, that made her a no-brained to handle the potentially controversial story of the CIA's hunt for Osama Bin Laden leading up to his death in May 2011. This flick rested on potentially contentious ground, being released amidst a highly charged partisan political climate and being seen as potentially bolstering an incumbent president. In addition, the flick featured unprecedented access by the film crew to sources linked to the mission itself, promising as real a look at the largest manhunt in human history as possible from a major studio picture.

The film focuses on a small, elite group of CIA operatives tasked with finding the world's most notorious and wanted man, Usama Bin Laden, following 9/11. The trail gets hot and cold through multiple wars, but one agent stays the course - Maya. (played masterfully by Jessica Chastain) Of course, we all know the ultimate ending, so the question becomes whether or not the film succeeds in providing the necessary tension and intrigue to justify its lengthy runtime. No worries, the answer is a resounding "yes".

The Good: The cast, especially the leads, are great. Chastain, whether or not she ultimately wins Oscar, is a revelation. She does the bulk of the lifting here, and bears the pressure and determination of the decade-long hunt for a ghost masterfully. Jason Clarke (minor boy), Kyle "Coach Taylor" Chandler, Mark Strong, Joel Eddelston and others flesh out the cast and are all extremely effective, especially Clarke, but make no mistake, this is Chastain's show. By centering on her character the film puts a human face on the manhunt, and as we see Maya struggle against forces working against her the chase takes on real stakes. The plot moves crisply, effectively moving through the years and from Pakistan to Afghanistan to CIA black sites to Washington DC in a way that ramps up the intrigue and keeps things interesting while never feeling jumbled or confusing. This is no small feat. The cinematography and filmmaking is, quite simply, near-perfect. The film feels hyper-real, the brief scenes of punctuated action are simply brutal and the final raid on Bin Laden's compound is one of the more suspenseful scenes I've seen in recent year. Considering we all know what happened, that's obviously an impressive performance. The script is filled with enough insider language and jargon that you (or I, at least) feel like an insider without it being so dense that the goings-on are incomprehensible. Bigelow again successfully walks that line of showing without judging or commenting, choosing to let the film speak for itself. This is the treatment this story deserves. A partisan hack could have mangled it and made something fleeting, instead Bigelow is clearly devoted to creating a quality product, and it shows.

The Bad: there is very little bad here. One criticism I have is that the film, with its massive cast, made some questionable choices. I love Chris Pratt as much as anyone and respect Mark Duplass, but casting them as a Navy SEAL and CIA analyst seem questionable at best. Another criticism is that the film by and large entirely glosses over the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. While I understand that it has a mission, to tell the story of the Bin Laden manhunt, the fact that those conflicts consumed countless resources that could have been used to crush Al Qaeda and Bin Laden seems highly relevant.

In all, this is an important film. It's masterfully crafted, alternately funny, brutal, but always honest, and features a near-perfect performance at its heart. From the African embassy attacks in 1998 (really, you could argue starting with the first WTC bombing in 1993) through his death in 2011, Bin Laden was US public enemy #1. The triumph of a small group of Americans is a story that's simply essential. I've started calling it "The Social Network" for geo-politics.  It's a character-driven thriller with stakes that would reverberate worldwide. Far from being a jingoistic rah-rah piece it's an important piece of social commentary. If you remember 9/11 and the war on terror, see this movie. If you don't, you should see this movie even more. See this movie, it's the best of 2012, plain and simple. This is filmmaking at its finest.

9.5/10.

[As an aside, I'd like to comment on the silly contention that the film condones torture that's been circulating among some. Plain and simple, this film pursues no political agenda. It passes on innumerable opportunities to score points with one side or the other, pursuing a cold, almost documentarian touch over more emotional or exploitative options. It depicts torture because torture happened. Pretending it didn't would be doing the story a disservice. If anything, the film condemns violence as brutal and soul-sucking for all parties involved.]