Top 5 Best Directed Films of 2012

The Oscar nominations have been announced! And boy do I have some issues, although I am quite happy that all of you Dark Knight Rises fans can sit at home crying about your ZERO nominations. Let’s start the weekly Oscar article off with one of the big categories, and one that I disagree with quite a bit. Let’s look at the Oscar nominations for Best Director.

The FIRST name and film listed will be MY pick for a best director of the year and the name and film AFTER the slash mark will be The ACADEMY’s nominee.

Also three little symbols will appear next some films, here’s what they mean:

• MP – my pick of the 5 Oscar nominated films
• OP – who I think The Academy will pick
• 2012 – my pick out of all the 2012 films.

Alright, so what makes a good film director? Here’s a quick outline of what I look for in a film and the standards by which I track them, in no particular order. Again these are guidelines, each should be done well in order for a film and director to succeed, but these aren’t necessarily things that only a director does:

• All parts of the film are creatively produced
• All parts of the film are working towards a singular vision
• There is a clear and distinct interpretation of the script
• Solid performances by the cast
• All parts of the production also work to tell an artful story
• The film is cohesive visually, through shot selection, shot variation and specific use of what is in each frame.

5.  Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained / Michael Haneke – Amour

I have to say, I didn’t quite think Tarantino would sneak into my top 5, but when I was going through all of the possibilities, he just kept moving his way up. So this is where good ol’ QT falls in this year. Django Unchained succeeds in all of the listed criteria above, and Tarantino is always good at getting his actors to go above and beyond. However, while Tarantino is great at what he does, he does need to break his mold a little if he ever wants to get over the hump and move up this list. Good job Quentin, you know how make a film-and make it well-now take that skill and get out of your comfort zone. I’d love to see what you can do.

As for Michael Haneke… I’ve not seen Amour and I really have no desire to. I know that it received several Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva), but I really I can’t see myself enjoying this film. A brief synopsis of Amour reads like this: A retired couple deals with aftermath of the wife suffering a debilitating stroke… and it’s all in French. Have fun reading this barn burner folks, I doubt I’m seeing it.

4. Stephen Spielberg – Lincoln^(OP)

I saw Lincoln, and it’s real good. It’s exactly what you think it is, and it’s held up by the strong shoulders of Daniel Day-Lewis as President Lincoln. Minus one really awful opening sequence, Spielberg did a very good job as well. But much like Tarantino, Lincoln is right in Spielberg’s wheel house and he does nothing new with it. Both are cases of directors doing what they’re good at, what we already know what they’re good at, but since they do it really well that’s ok. The Oscars and I both agree that Spielberg should be up for best director. I don’t think he should win, I’ve got three people who are better, but I do think this is the way the academy is going to go.

3. Tom Hooper – Les Miserables / David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook

Starting this time with The Academy’s pick, David O. Russell, who is a good director (Jeff disagrees) and Silver Linings Playbook is nominated several times over, including all four acting categories, so there must be something right about this movie. I live in a town where it still hasn’t opened. Maybe the Oscars will finally give us a week worth of showings. Here’s to hoping.

On to someone who I consider to be quite a big snub. Tom Hooper for Les Miserables. This is where we talk about the directors who not only succeeded at all of the above criteria, but went above and beyond. Hooper tired something that isn’t done in film anymore (or ever, really), he sang his musical live on-set and it paid off. His actors give great performances… well most of them (please read the rest of this sentence in the most condescending way possible) Russell Crowe tried really hard.

The visual story that was told is great, and each scene helps push the film forward. The scene that really hooked me-and the most iconic from the film-was Anne Hathaway singing I Dreamed A Dream. It is simply breathtaking. From the choice to do it all in one shot, to doing it in extreme close up and lighting only her face and nothing else, this scene is just one of many bold choices in Les Miserables. I say this Oscar snub is the third best director of the year.

2. Ang Lee – Life of Pi / Ben Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild

Let’s take a look at Ben Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild, this year’s “little indy film that could” Beasts did quite well for itself at this year’s Oscars, and it’s a great film to boot. Where Zeitlin and his team (credited in the film as The Court 13) succeeded was in setting a mood, tone and style for the film. When watching Beasts you are quickly transported to the fictional island known as “The Bathtub” outside of New Orleans at the time of hurricane Katrina. If you noticed on my personal list Zeitlin did not appear, however if we were Nerd 6 he totally would have. But what held him back for me is that the film is actually credited to The Court 13. A group of people made this film, and even Zeitlin himself has said that he’s not the sole director. He is is one of many talented filmmakers. Zeitlin was chosen by the group after the film was finished to be the “director” in name. I felt this was reason enough to leave him out, though it’s no comment on the quality of the film.

As for Ang Lee… Well let’s go to #1 to discuss him.

1. Ben Affleck – Argo⁽²⁰¹²⁾ / Ang Lee – Life of Pi^(MP)

Out of the 5 people nominated for the Best Director Oscar, I’m rooting Ang Lee. Life of Pi is a beautiful film, a well told story, and uses new technology in ways that we’ve never seen before to put it all together and tell an amazing story. The book of Life of Pi was considered unadaptable for many years and it took the vision and passion of Ang Lee to get it on the screen and to get it done right. What Lee did is an amazing achievement, and in my point of view is easily one of the top two examples of directing this year.

Which takes us to Mr. Affleck and his film Argo. I think Affleck is the biggest Oscar snub of the year. For him to be left off the list completely is ridiculous. I know it’s hard to think of Affleck as a director, but he is-and pretty dang good one too. Argo is one of the best films of the year and a lot of that is because of the Affleck. The reason I personally pick Affleck over Lee is because Affleck is working with real actors, on real sets and locations, and actually working with real objects to make a film. Computer graphics are great, but when you can make a practical film and make it well, that is where I will always lean. 

Why Argo and Affleck over other films? Let’s look at the most direct comparison: Zero Dark Thirty. Argo succeeds in every place that Zero Dark fails. It tells a true story in an honest and suspenseful way. It adds suspense to a slow-paced war (cold war as compared to the war on terror) and makes you care about its hyper-driven lead. These are just several ways that I feel Argo is superior to Zero Dark Thirty. But if you want more on that read my other article Top 5 Reasons That Zero Dark Thirty Sucks… Kind Of.  

Affleck’s Argo is exactly what a well-directed film should be and it has lots of rewatchablity. Good job Ben. Matt will be proud.

Top 5 Reasons Zero Dark Thirty Sucks… Kind Of

It’s not often that we dedicate a whole top 5 to one film, but I feel like Zero Dark Thirty needs a top 5 all to itself. Zero Dark Thirty releases nationwide this weekend after being limited for several weeks. This film has a ton of critical hype and just garnered quite a few Oscar nominations, including best picture. With that being said, I’m not sure what all the hype is about. I’m not trying to say that it was a total crap film, because it wasn’t. There are some redeeming qualities: the script is good, the film has a strong point of view, the cast gives good performances, and the subject matter is interesting enough to carry the film. That’s about where my positivity ends, so let’s jump right into this the top 5 reasons that Zero Dark Thirty sucks… kind of.

5. Jessica Chastain is overrated

I’m fully admitting that this might be personal bias; I’m not a fan of Chastain. But I have been won over by actors I hate when they give good performances (Christian Bale –who I can’t stand – in American Psycho is amazing). Chastain is being heralded as one of the best performances of the year, and is almost a shoe in for the best actress Oscar, but why? Yes her character is driven, but that’s in the script. Yes her character solves a big mystery, but that’s in the script and yes she gives up along the way and descends into… darkness? But that’s in the script! Maybe we are just awarding an actress for playing a well written part. Now, it is a skill to not completely mess up a part, especially a layered one like this one. But I am not willing to award as the best for simply doing the bare minimum of what an actor should do, which is not mess up the part. It just felt like the red headed bimbo from The Help went to college and was hired by the CIA. In a part that is given such high praise I accept much more from an actor, I want to look at the screen and see the character, not the actor.

4. Spoiler Alert: The USA Catches and Kills Bin Laden

Part of the issue with Zero Dark Thirty is it plays like a mystery, and not a very well told mystery at that. We all know the end of this story, it happened just over two year ago. SEAL team 6 goes into a small Pakistani town, captures and kills Osama bin Laden. This is not news, so why is played as if we don’t know? The main premise of the film is will-she-or-won’t-she catch him. A question that we all know the answer to, so two hours into the film I found myself screaming “just catch him already!” I know that it took ten years to find and catch him, and the story itself is interesting, but the way this film drudges along it felt like we watched every moment of search. Aside from the fact that we know how it ends, there are two other problems with the way the story is told. First, there is not a single surprise in this film. Whether it’s predicable filming, an overbearing score, or just taking too long to get to the point, every single moment of Zero Dark feels highly predicable. The final issue with the story is about halfway through the director of the CIA (our main character’s boss) admits that there is no point in chasing Bin Laden anymore… SO WHY ARE YOU STILL SHOWING IT TO US!!!

A quick side note on the actual capture of Bin Laden scene: what should be the climactic moment of the film, and what we as an American audience should feel as a great scene of celebration, ends up looking like a cut scene from a Call of Duty game. Sadly disappointing.

3. Kathryn Bigelow Was NOT Snubbed From the Oscar Race

If you’ve read this far you’ve picked out some of my issues with the way the film was directed. But overall there are several issues with the way that Bigelow presented the material. The film was poorly paced, nothing new given on the subject matter. Bigelow made a very similar film once before (The Hurt Locker, for which she won an Oscar for and deserved it) and if the message of film is what she really meant to portray then, this may be the last film of hers I see (see point #1). This is the second film Bigelow has made about contemporary wars and it’s not a surprise to American audiences that new wars are fought politically and slowly over years and years rather than the old school style of direct combat. But we’ve seen this, we know this, give us a new take on what we are seeing! There is something to be said about doing something similar to what we have seen before and doing very very well, but sadly this is not the case here.

2.  We don’t have to love this film…

…because it’s about the heroes who captured Bin Laden. Yes, the people who went in and put their lives on the line to capture Bin Laden are HEROES, and anyone who helped them get the information needed are also heroes. But that doesn’t mean that we have to love a film about them. Yes, this subject is something that we WANT to love, but this film is simply not great. The story is great, let’s all just calm down a little and look at this for what it is. A movie, entertainment, and a piece of historical fiction based on facts. 

To go along with this point, I just don’t feel like we needed Zero Dark right now. There is not enough time between us and this major event. We all can still remember what it was like, we don’t need or want to revisit it. If we put some more time between ourselves and the film we may actually be able to see it as a film and not as a painful reminder of what we’ve all just lived through and then celebrated the death of a tyrant. Don’t love or hate Zero Dark Thirty because of the subject matter and how personally we are still attached to it, but love it or hate it because of the film that it is.

1. Zero Dark Thirty Tells Us That Torture is Okay

This may not be the message you wanted to send Kathryn Bigelow, but it is the message that you put into your film. It’s not a surprise that the USA had to use tactics that are less than legal to get the information needed to capture and kill Bin Laden, but I don’t need to see anyone get water-boarded, strapped to a dog collar, or put into a box (don’t worry kids that all happens in the first scene of the film). We are torturing people for information. Again I’m not naive enough to believe that we don’t, but it is ILLEGAL. Most of the film takes place in the Bush administration, and in Zero Dark we are lead to believe that the administration is fully endorsing torture (no wonder republican leaders are trying as hard as they can to discredit the film). My problem comes in when we move into the Obama administration and Obama is made out to be a bad guy for stopping the torture techniques that we were using. Really… REALLY??? So sad that you can’t illegally torture people anymore. This is my real issue with the film, this is the reason I have no desire to see it again, and why I am actively rooting against it this Oscar season. Just because something happens, doesn’t mean that it should. Just because it works doesn’t mean that it’s right.

Zero Dark Thirty is not bad; it’s just not amazing either. If I was giving it a grade, it gets a C+ and most of that is just for effort. 

I

Bonus Article: Jeff, Who Cries at Home

I just wanted to give a shout-out to a little seen movie of 2012 (it officially released in 2011, but didn’t hit most theaters until 2012), and that is Jeff, Who Lives at Home.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home is a day in the life of brothers Jeff (Jason Segel) and Pat (Ed Helms). Jeff is a 30-year-old living in his mother’s basement, and Pat is trying to make a go of it with his business and his wife, despite the fact that he’s a prick. Jeff’s quest to find purpose and meaning in the universe soon envelopes Pat and by extension their mother (Susan Sarandon) and Pat’s wife (Judy Greer), until all of them a taken on a wholly unexpected and re-awakening journey.

As the title of this article implies, this movie was more than the little indie comedy I expected it to be. It’s advertised as a comedy, and there certainly were some very funny moments, but by the end of the 83 minute movie I was crying my eyes out – in a good way. Brothers Jay and Mark Duplass (makers of Cyrus, The Puffy Chair, and Baghead) wrote and directed this film, and I’m looking forward to whatever they have in store next. A lot of this story is about being in the right place at the right time, and allowing yourself to get there in ways that you didn’t plan or expect. Similarly, this movie was in my Netflix recommendations at just the right time. I’ve spent a good part of the last year feeling lost, like these people, which made the message of searching and connecting even more powerful.

Special mention should go to the score, by Michael Andrews. There is never a specified time period for this movie, but it really reminds me of the late 90’s in a lot of ways. The score also seems to reflect this period and brings to mind some of my childhood favorites while bringing a lightness and soulfulness to this odd little movie.

Apparently the Duplass Brothers lost money with this film, which was made for about 10 Million and only grossed 4. However, a great benefit for viewers is that Jeff, Who Lives at Home is now on Netflix. Let their loss be your gain, check out this wonderful, under-the-radar film.

Top 5 Most Fun Film Experiences of 2012

By Josh Darby

Well, it’s January and for me that means three things: Car breaking down (check), football playoffs (go Seahawks!), and most importantly the Oscar race is in full swing. This year the Oscar nominations are coming out earlier than ever (They're being released this coming Thursday Jan 10^th) which means that most of the big contenders have already hit theaters nationwide; there are a few exceptions but they should be out soon enough especially if they get as many Oscar nods as they are supposed to.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon a great service called Movie Pass (it’s a monthly subscription service that allows me to see as many films in theaters as I want) which has allowed me to be able to see many of this year’s contenders and pretenders. It will also allow for seeing many more films over the next year.

So what does this mean for Nerd 5? It means let the Oscar discussion begin! Each week (at least that’s the plan) we’ll be giving you a look at a specific Oscar category. We will show you what The Academy has to say, and then either Jeff, or I, or both of us will also give you what we think. It’s a fun time of year for films fans, and this Oscar season at Nerd 5 has a lot to offer and some special surprises along the way.

For a little bit of context and background on my (Josh’s) 2012 film knowledge, I have seen 38 films released in 2012 (as of Jan 6^th) and this number will continue to grow. There are few notable films I have not seen: Zero Dark Thirty, Silver Linings Playbook, The Impossible, Frankenweenie, and Searching for Sugarman. My goal is to see all of these as well as any other nominated film that I may have missed. This means there's still a lot of film watching for me to do! (I'll include at the bottom of the article a list of the 2012 films I've seen, if for some reason you are interested.)

With that being said, this week’s top five is a more personal one. Since the actual nominations come out in just a few days I wanted to give you a top 5 that has a little to do with my year at the movies. Basic guidelines for this week’s top five, be an enjoyable experience going to the movie, which is a combination of film, people, theater, and overall experience. Not all of these are great movies, but they helped shape my personal 2012 and quite frankly I think are worth a watch. Let jump right to Josh’s Top Five!

Top 5 Most Fun Film Experiences of 2012

5. Django Unchained —Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Karry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Dir. Quentin Tarantino

The official Nerd 5 film of the year! No… we are not endorsing this as the best film of the year. But it is the one film that Jeff and I got to see in theaters together. Christmas night I went with my blog partner in crime (and my best friend) along with my girl. I couldn't ask for more. The movie itself was exactly what you think it will be, and if you like Tarantino then it’s a very enjoyable watch. Good times can be had by all, and what better way to celebrate the holiday season then by going to the theater with the people you love to watch Christoph Waltz and Leo DiCaprio give two of the best performances of the year?

4. Parental Guidance – Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott, Dir. Andy Fickman

Every once in while you watch a film at just the right point in time and it hits home. Parental Guidance was a film that I only saw because I have Movie Pass. It’s my personal goal to see everything that I can, so with that in mind I went to the theater after a very bad day needing something mindless to shut my brain off and escape. Enter Parental Guidance. Now, I’m not saying by any means that this movie is amazing. But for what it is, it’s not bad. It’s fluff, it’s cliche, it’s something that will be on TBS for years to come, but honestly it’s enjoyable. Parental Guidance is the typical story of a family who isn't close, but over the course of the film they learn to love each other and become closer. It's... uh...

But you know what, Billy Crystal is entertaining, the kids are adorable and it helps that I’m a baseball fan (Crystal’s character is baseball announcer, which he uses it to bond with his grandkids). Parental Guidance makes the list for simply being in the right place at the right time.

  

3. The Avengers – Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, Samuel L. Jackson, Dir. Joss Whedon

Okay. I've talked enough about The Avengers on this blog, It’s clear that I love it. I saw this three times in theaters (the most of any film this year). It makes the list at number three because, well… I saw it three times, each time better than the last and it can’t be number one all the time.

2. The Hunger Games – Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Dir. Gary Ross

One of the things that I enjoy most in world is midnight showings. First off, because you have to be pretty excited to see a movie starting at midnight, second, the theater is usually filled with people who also are fans of film and will give a honest reaction to it, and third, it's an event. Going to the movies used to be a BIG event, something to look forward to. Now it’s just something people do. But when you have a special showing, something you can only do at that time, and get to be one of the first people to experience a film, it becomes an event again. So when I showed up to the midnight premier of The Hunger Games I knew nothing about the story, so how did I end up there? Well, it was my last night in LA so I gathered a group of friends together and what better thing to do in LA than see a movie? The experience of seeing it with a bunch of Hunger Games fanatics was great, they reacted to everything and the film itself was pretty good too, an above average summer blockbuster. Sometimes all it takes to enjoy a film is to get together with a great group of friends and make it an event! Don’t worry LA friends, I’ll be back soon!

1. The Cabin in the Woods – Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemswroth, Anna Hutchison,  Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Dir. Drew Goddard

What’s a better experience than seeing a great film for the first time? Nothing. This was a film that I knew very little about going in (except who wrote it – Joss Whedon(!!!!!!!!!!) – and who directed it – Drew Goddard (a writer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel(!!!!!!!!!)). That is exactly how you should see this film: know as little about as you can about it. Which is why I’m not saying a word. To me this was the best experience of the year because I was shocked, overjoyed, laughed, tricked, and went on an adventure with the characters. This was all about good old, good filmmaking. From front to back it was a great film. 

Postscript!

Jeff here! You'll be hearing more from me in the coming weeks. I have a lot of thoughts about The Life of Lincoln's Skyfalling Atlas of Unchained Miserables, so you can look forward to that. In the meantime I wanted to bring up a few honorable mentions not on Josh's list:

Wreck-It Ralph, which gets two giant thumbs (attached to oversized hands and arms) up as the feel-good animated movie of the year, which still had some shockingly dark and heartfelt moments. Plus Alan Tudyk. Love him.

The Life of Pi, which I can, and will, go on and on about. Look forward to 277 days of me muttering at sea.

and a quick shout out for the worst steaming heap of disappointment in 2012. Prometheus. Prometheus. You are a shithead.