It’s no secret that I
can be a bit of a contrarian, there’s no faster way to get me to not like
something than for everyone else to sing its praises. Part of that is because
expectations are too high and part is because my brain says, “Ha! I’ll be the
smart who disagrees, and here are all the reasons why!” I know this about
myself. Now, I’m not a complete contrarian; there are plenty of mainstream
things that I love (most of them I jumped on the bandwagon for way early and have
just never bothered to jump off… but still). I would describe myself as an
open-minded contrarian, (Jeff may disagree *wink wink nudge nudge say no more
say no more*) and I am willing to have my point of view shifted with good
arguments. Most important is that the movies I love are good (Nay! Great!) films.
What does this have to
do with my favorite films of 2012? Simple, everyone under the sun kept telling
me how amazing 2012 was for film! Just gushing about this film, and that film,
and how we were in such a great year, and how this will go down in history with
’39, ’75, ’99! My first thought was, “Woah! Hold up everyone.” If I would have
stopped seeing 2012 films on December 31st then I would have been whole-heartedly
against calling 2012 a great year for film. Luckily, January rolled around. The
studios released their award contenders, and oh my goodness. I’ve been
convinced this was a really good year for film, and I have at least 20 films
that I consider great along with several more that just fell short. I’m not
quite to the point of saying that it’s one of the greats of all time, however,
only time will tell on that point.
My final 2012 film
count is 49 out of 92 films that received a nationwide released into theatres.
IF for some reason you are interested, I’ve included a full list of the 2012
films I’ve seen this year at the end of this article. What follows are a few
lists to add context to why I’ve chosen the 10 films that I have, as well as my
20-11 films of the year.
Overrated Film That Films I Hated (Don’t try to
defend them, it will NOT go well): Zero Dark Thirty, Anna Karenina,
The Dark Knight Rises
“Important” Films I’ve Missed This Year: The Best Exotic
Marigold Hotel, Robot & Frank, The Master, The Sessions, Hitchcock, Holy
Motors, Salmon Fishing in Yemen
Studio/Big Budget “Hits” I’ve Missed This Year: Prometheus, 21 Jump Street, Magic Mike, Ted,
Lawless, Men In Black 3, Seven Psychopaths, The Bourne Legacy, The Campaign,
The Dictator, End of Watch, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, Jack Reacher
Honorable Mentions: 20. Flight 19. Beasts of the Southern Wild 18. Cloud Atlas 17. Brave 16. Moonrise Kingdom 15. Lincoln 14. Looper 13. Bernie 12. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 11. Liberal Arts (a full blog post about this little film is coming, but find a way to see it if you can.)
10. Django Unchained –A very fun script, that I think will win Best Original Screenplay this
year, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio shine and have a chemistry that few
actors on screen have ever had. You can tell they are having fun, as are we in
the audience. This is Tarantino doing what he does well. There’s nothing new
here, but it’s a very enjoyable watch. Ask me again in a week or two and this
might not be here, but today it stands at 10.
9. Silver Linings Playbook – I was determined not to like this film. I was wrong, it’s a very well made and very well acted film; with standout performances from every member of its ensemble. This is a small character study wrapped up in a love story and football, so it makes sense why America has fallen in love with it (it passed 100 million @ the box office). I won’t spoil the end, but the last 20min of the film are head over heels fun to watch and put this film over the top as one of the best of 2012.
8. The Impossible –
This fascinating film is based on a
true story of a family trying to survive the devastating Tsunami that hit
Thailand. The Impossible bears a
striking thematic resemblance to Beasts
of the Southern Wild, but where Beasts
is getting showered with praise, The
Impossible is only being heralded for Naomi Watts’ (fantastically, amazing
and moving) performance. The Impossible boasts
an amazing ensemble cast, striking images, and a story that could move anyone
who has ever loved someone to tears. This film hits all the rights notes, while
still remaining uplifting and hopeful, it’s not an easy watch at times (some
visuals are quite graphic) but if you’ve not seen it, don’t miss the
opportunity to. 
7. Les Miserables – Eddie Redmayne, good; Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, good; Hugh Jackman, great; Anne Hathaway, fantastic; Russell Crowe… well he tired really hard. Tom Hooper’s brings this classic musical to the screen in all its glory. Telling the tale of Jean Veljean against the backdrop of the French Revolution (The Student Rebellion to be specific) with all the emotion, honesty, and depth that these characters deserve. Les Miserable is a great adaptation of the stage play.
6. The Cabin In the Woods – Easily the most misunderstood and
overlooked film of 2012. Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon have written my favorite
script of the year (Perks of Being a
Wallfower is a very close second). Every member of the cast understands the
duality of their parts and plays it to a tee. Don’t be fooled this is NOT your
typical horror film, that’s why I like it. I’ll stop there, the less you know
about it the better. The Cabin in the
Woods is Joss Whedon magic.
5. Wreck-It Ralph –
I was thoroughly and completely won
over by this film. While watching it I kept asking myself “How is this not a
Pixar film?” Wreck-It Ralph is from
Disney animation studios, who have slowly been digging themselves out of their
2000’s slump. With new direction from the heads of… wait for it… Pixar, they
have finally become legit again. The students are now as good as the masters.
I’m hoping this means another animation renaissance like we got in the 1990’s. Wreck-It Ralph is as good as any film this year, it’s got outstanding
characters, a compelling story and far more heart than I ever thought it would.
Good job, Disney, good job.
4. Safety Not Guaranteed – Safety Not
Guaranteed is the best indy film of 2012 and sadly got buried in July.
Beautifully filmed, a story that is perfect at almost every moment and an
entire cast and crew working toward the same goal and vision; Safety is such a wonderfully small
sci-fi story that never feels fake, never pokes fun at itself, and treats every
moment with never-ending honesty. A shout out to Aburey Plaza and Mark Duplass
who are the leads of this wonderful film, and have an insane amount of
chemistry on screen. I couldn’t see anyone playing their parts, the mark of an
amazing performance.
3. The Avengers –
Did any not expect this film to be
on my list? This year’s highest grossing film is also its most fun. A clever
superhero film directed by the amazing Joss Whedon, this raised the bar for all
future summer blockbusters. The sad thing is that now studios will think the
more stars they get in a film the better it will do, when in reality the film’s
success is having a person behind the wheel who understands the franchise and
how to put it together. Marvel gave The
Avengers time to develop (5 lead up films) and puts the final puzzle piece
together in spectacular fashion, with Whedon doing his thing.
2. Life of Pi –
On first watch I was like “wow this is really pretty”, but overall only mildly
impressed with Ang Lee’s Life of Pi.
Then after several conversations with my fellow Nerd 5 blogger, and seeing the
film a second time, I am completely floored. Pi is not only beautiful visually, but also tells a beautiful story
of hope, faith, and the unknown. Life of
Pi completely won me over and out of the 5 directors nominated for best
director this year, I’m hardcore rooting for Lee. 
1. Argo – Welcome
back Mr. Affleck. Argo is the best
film of the year (and Affleck’s lack of a directing nomination is the biggest
snub that I can remember in Oscar history. He’s a good filmmaker! Everyone
needs to stop holding the early ’00 against him). I’d be shocked if this
doesn’t take home the Oscar for Best Picture. When I walked out the theatre the
first time I saw it I stated “That that is the best film I’ve seen all year”
and it still is. The ensemble does an amazing job capturing a time and place.
Arkin and Goodman represent Hollywood in 1980’s to a tee, and Argo is a thrilling ride from start to
finish. To address some of the complaints against the film’s ending being too
“Hollywood” guess what everyone, IT’S A HOLLYWOOD FILM, and you’d be bored to
tears if they did the ending in real time. That’s why it says BASED on a true story;
we are not watching an unedited home video of events taking place. Go to
YouTube for that. Go to Argo for an
amazing film experience.
A List of ALL the Films Josh Saw in 2012:
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The Woman in Black
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The Secret World of Arrietty
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John Carter
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Jeff, Who Lives at Home
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The Hunger Games
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American Reunion
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The Cabin in the Woods
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The Raven
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The Avengers
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Dark Shadows
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Moonrise Kingdom
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Snow White and the Huntsman
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Safety Not Guaranteed
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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
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Brave
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Wanderlust
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The Amazing Spider-Man
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Ice Age 4
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The Dark Knight Rises
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Step Up: Revolution
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Argo
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Cloud Atlas
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Flight
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Wreck-It Ralph
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Lincoln
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Life of Pi
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Killing Them Softly
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The Hobbit: An Unexpecte Journey
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Bernie
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Django Unchained
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Skyfall
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Les Miserables
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Parental Guidance
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Promised Land
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This Is 40
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Beasts of the Southern Wild
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Looper
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ParaNorman
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Not Fade Away
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The Impossible
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Zero Dark Thirty
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Silver Linings Playbook
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Rust and Bone
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The Pirates! Band of Misfits
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Anna Karenina
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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The Lorax
Liberal Arts
Trouble With The Curve
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