10.
Argo
Argo is one of the best thrillers of
the year and a showcase for Ben Affleck’s talent as a director. This film did
an excellent job in capturing the turbulence of the Iran Hostage Crisis, with
good acting, great direction, and an outstanding script.
This
film was surprisingly funny, too. Tony Mendez’s (Affleck) plan to get the
hostages out of Iran is to use them as a film crew for a fake movie. John
Goodman and an Oscar-nominated Alan Arkin are introduced here as makeup and
producer, respectively, and they both do an outstanding job in providing laughs
and some dramatic moments.
This
is a movie I want to see again really soon because it’s a great movie and I
somehow don’t remember a whole lot about it.
9.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Is
it a step down from The Lord of the Rings?
Mostly. Is it a disappointment? Yes. Should it have been made into three films?
No. Is it still excellent the way it is? Yes.
Peter
Jackson brings his signature visuals and passion for Tolkien back in the first
film of an inexplicable trilogy. Martin Freeman stars as Bilbo, an outstanding
performance and character. This film maintains a great deal of the humor of the
children’s novel while also trying to recreate similar dramatic moments from The Lord of the Rings. It may fall short
a few occasions, but we can all appreciate the effort and enjoy what is put on
screen.
I
was entertained by nearly every second of the movie. While the pacing is no
doubt deliberately slow, I was dazzled by the visuals and the action even in
the flashback scenes. The film had problems telling its story but through
assured direction from Jackson and some performances, it’s still worth a watch.
8.
The Master
The Master is a difficult
film to recommend. It’s excruciatingly well made, directed by one of the great
ones in Paul Thomas Anderson, and filled with three remarkable Oscar-nominated
performances. It’s complex, challenging, difficult to watch, and arguably
unfulfilling.
Nevertheless
it will keep your interest. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Freddie Quell, a
traumatized former soldier driven to alcoholism, is one for the ages. The first
section of the film focuses on his problems, but the film really picks up when
he meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), possibly the most fascinating
character of the year. The relationship between Quell and Dodd is at the heart
of the film, as Dodd looks to help Quell through ways that may not be helpful.
This
film has been very polarizing, with some remarking it as a masterpiece and
others hating it. It may misfire at times, but it’s still a great movie.
7.
Looper
Looper is the most
action-filled, imaginative, and somehow old-fashioned science fiction film to
come about in years. Rian Johnson’s direction and original screenplay stand out
as some of the best things about it.
Joseph
Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a “looper” who is assigned by the mob to kill people
transported from the future. One day his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent
back and he fails to kill him. While I didn’t buy Gordon-Levitt as a
killer/drug addict so much, Bruce Willis was great and so was Emily Blunt as a
woman trying to raise her child despite future knowledge that he may be a
horrible murderer.
There
were a few strange things about the movie and a few nitpicky moments, but it’s
entertaining and it makes you think, as all science fiction should. It’s a very
good film.
6.
Silver Linings Playbook
Silver Linings Playbook is that romantic
comedy about two clinically-depressed people that we’ve been waiting to see for
a long time. The performances are outstanding, particularly from Jennifer
Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, both playing difficult roles.
This
film is funny but also poignant throughout. Despite the characters’ problems,
they are very human, likable, and interesting. The audience truly grows to care
about these characters, a testament to both the writing by David O. Russell and
the performances.
On
a side note, it is great to see Robert De Niro care about a role again, and he
does a very good job. One of the year’s best films easily.
5.
Moonrise Kingdom
Moonrise Kingdom is a Wes
Anderson-directed film and thus strange and quirky, but also quite clever,
funny, and original. Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, and Bill
Murray headline a star-studded veteran cast, but this film also features fine
performances from young, previously unknown actors.
Moonrise Kingdom is a tale of
forbidden love—a love forbidden for no reason other than the lovers being
children. The film was very clever in how it subtly showed that none of the
adult characters truly had an idea of what love is and that these kids could be
right.
It’s strange, but it’s also inarguably
creative and unique, and well worth your time.
4.
Zero Dark Thirty
I
wasn’t sure what to expect from Zero Dark
Thirty. The trailer didn’t look that great
to me and I wasn’t a big fan of Kathryn Bigelow’s last film, The Hurt Locker. Nevertheless I saw this
based on its critical acclaim and I was very pleased.
It’s
a story about the CIA’s unrelenting hunt for Osama Bin Laden—in particular, an
agent named Maya’s decade-long search for truth. Jessica Chastain does a great
job in the lead role and this film is very well made. This is one of the few
movies where the handheld camera never seemed to bother me and actually fit. In
addition to that, this is a brutal, intense movie that allows the viewer to
decide what’s right and wrong, as it displays only the facts.
The
performances were all good, the script was outstanding, and the film is
outstanding.
3.
Lincoln
There
is so much more to talk about Lincoln than
simply Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance in the lead. I absolutely loved Tony
Kushner’s screenplay, employing some of the wittiest and most interesting
dialogue I’ve heard in a long time.
The
story, focusing on the passage of the 13th Amendment which would
abolish slavery, shows us all the intricate details of the political system in
a fight for freedom. As the main character, Day-Lewis is engaging as a man who
is trying to end both the Civil War and abolish slavery when he is told both
can’t be done, even doing things of questionable legality. It brings life to
this figure of legend and a great deal of this is done through the humor of the
script.
I
can’t mention Lincoln without also
mentioning Tommy Lee Jones’s magnificent performances as Congressman Thaddeus
Stevens, the leader of the abolitionists in the House. He has nearly as much
screen time as Day-Lewis and he is just as good. The film is filled with great
performances all around, however, employing a veteran cast that includes Hal
Holbrook, David Strathairn, Sally Field, and John Hawkes.
Due
to the surprise of Kathryn Bigelow not getting an Oscar nomination for Best
Director, this is now my prediction to take home the Oscar for Best Picture. If
it does indeed happen, it wouldn’t be undeserving.
2.
The Avengers
I’m
not a superhero fan at all. With the exception of The Dark Knight and for whatever reason Iron Man 2 and Superman
Returns, this was the first one I saw in theaters. I’ve just been
frustrated that comic books are the main source for films now, and I do in
general find superheroes childish and silly.
But
then I saw The Avengers, a superhero
movie that was made with such quality that it could be called not just a great
comic book film but a great film. A great deal of the credit here (if not most
of it) must be given to director/writer Joss Whedon. He didn’t let the film
that featured so many “iconic” characters ever seem bloated, and his dialogue
is rich and genuinely funny.
But
I suppose no one would have liked this movie if it weren’t for the action.
There is plenty of action in the film, including some very exciting scenes of
the heroes fighting each other, which I didn’t expect to see. But the climax, while
lasting quite a long time, was what did it for me. Even though the movie was
about two and a half hours, I didn’t want the last action sequence to end,
which is one of the best compliments I can give a movie. It’s one of the most
entertaining movies I’ve ever seen.
1.
Skyfall
I
feel kind of guilty closing out this list with two action movies, considering
the subject matter of some of these other films, but I can say Skyfall is the best action movie in
about a decade.
Daniel
Craig returns as James Bond in the first film in the series that had a
significant amount of Academy-recognized talent working. Sam Mendes, director
of American Beauty, helms the film
and brings his trademark creative cinematography. Ralph Fiennes, most famous
probably for playing Voldemort but most acclaimed for playing Amon Goth in Schindler’s List is in the film, as is
Oscar-winner Javier Bardem as the best villain in film since the Joker. Judi
Dench is also of course returning.
With
that kind of talent behind and in front of the camera, it’s no surprise that Skyfall is a masterpiece of modern
action. It features a relevant cyber-terror plot and the best action I’ve seen
in years. The opening scene is absolutely incredible in its action, but then the
film slows down and focuses on the characters. It does this better than any other
Bond film, allowing Judi Dench’s M to be fully understood as a character and
actually adding depth to Bond himself. It’s subtle, but it’s there, and it’s
one of the better aspects of the film.
Because
Skyfall focuses so much on the
characters, the action seems to have more stakes; I was far more emotionally
invested in this than in any other film like it. Also, I must say I’m excited
about where this series is headed in the near future, as it left some hints at the
end.
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