Top 20 of 2012 PART 2: The Final Countdown

Yesterday I posted the first 10 films on my top 20 of 2012 list here. Today I bring you my favourite 10 films of 2012. It's all change since I made a similar list half way through the year.

10. King of Devil’s Island

I reviewed this at Filmoria when it came out on home release. The story of a boys prison on an unforgiving island, King of Devil’s Island makes for stirring viewing. The performances are sovereign, lead by a sinister Stellan Skarsgård and the cinematography and score are supreme.

9. Michael

The second of two films about child abuse in my top 10 which is a bit depressing but they do have a tendency to make very powerful viewing. It’s a haunting, horrible film with a breathtaking open ending. It’s not going to be a film for everyone, but you will find it hard to forget after you have seen it, mostly due to the ending which will leave you thinking about it for days and possibly even months or years.

8. Untouchable

Powered by a wonderful performance from Omar Sy, I reviewed this one for Filmoria and also got to interview the directors. Telling the true story of a young black ex-con from the projects going to work as a carer for a wealthy quadriplegic, Untouchable flies beyond expectations right from the start. See it for Sy’s joyful performance and to witness an inspiring tale of a cross-cultural friendship.

7. Skyfall

I'm not a huge Bond fan but this is possibly my favourite of the franchise.  I thought the opening scene was filled with spectacular action, the cinematography and production design was some of the finest of the year and the mixing of the old with the new made it a Bond for all audiences.  I can't see how it would fail to satisfy any Bond fan or anyone who just loves a good action film. 

6. Life of Pi

Reviewed this for Static Mass Emporium finding it an enchanting, inspiring and surprisingly emotional film filled with wonder, awe-inspiring visuals and a character to root for in the stranded, bereaved but determined Pi. Despite taking eleven years to get from page to screen, it is absolutely worth the wait. Ang Lee has created an unbelievably cinematic treatment of the novel. Though the film itself takes its time getting to the heart of the story, the cinematography is spellbinding, the score is stirring and newcomer Suraj Sharma gives a heartfelt and compelling performance as hero Pi.

5. Argo

A tense thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck, this delivered on the promise of its unbelievable true story. Smuggling American officials out of Tehran at the height of the Iranian Embassy crisis in 1979 by creating a fake science-fiction film sounds too silly to believe but not only is this a true story, it is a bloody tense and hilarious one at that. Affleck makes the early scenes at the embassy the best and goes for a seriously Hollywood ending but this is consistently exciting and funny with a smidgen of politics thrown in for good measure.

4. The Cabin in the Woods

Turning genre conventions on their head in a hilarious and smart puzzle of a film for horror fans, Cabin in the Woods is fast-paced, fresh, frightening and ridiculously funny!  If you haven't seen it yet, be careful what you read/see before you go in.  Blessed is s/he that knows next to nothing about what is in store. Destined to be studied by film studies students for some time.

3. End of Watch

Reviewed for Static Mass Emporium, it provides a sensationally exciting climax with, director/writer David Ayer getting beneath the bravado, the bravery and the brashness of the boys in blue. Fuelled by superb performances, realistic dialogue and a fantastic soundtrack, End Of Watch is a cop thriller with everything you expect from the genre and more. By the end of your watch, the film will have made you laugh and cry and all from the precarious position of the edge of your seat.

2. The Hunt

Reviewed for Static Mass Emporium, it’s a film about the precarious position teachers are in, at the mercy of imaginative children and pitch fork carrying adults. Mads Mikkelsen brings a virtuous integrity to the role, his popular and fun teacher giving way to a reserved and wounded man losing trust in those around him. His character’s arc is compelling and flawlessly written creating a compassionate, caring individual that is forced to show his cracks.

1. The Dark Knight Rises

Saw this the day before my wedding so I was in a very good mood despite just getting over being ill. I’ve since reviewed the Blu-ray release for Filmoria. This is a thrilling, perfectly fitting conclusion to one of the greatest trilogies of all time. With a beautifully haunting and stirring score from Hans Zimmer, it achieves the impossible of making the outcome for Batman, Bruce Wayne and Gotham itself never certain and stands as the pinnacle of comic book movies.

Now that's mine, what were your faves of the year? Check out the democratic top 10 of 2012 as voted for by the contributors of Filmoria here.

2012 Releases Ranked: Top 10

Yesterday I listed the nine less good films of 2012 here.  Because I'm a useless critic and enjoy most films I see and would hate to give any competently made, mildly entertaining movie anything less than 5/10, there have been no real stinkers for me yet!  I have about a hundred others I still need to see but will be waiting for the rental.  Without further ado, this is my top 10 of 2012 so far.  Please click the titles for more of my drivel:

10.  Into the Abyss 7/10

9.  The Grey 7/10

8. Michael 8/10

7. Chronicle 8/10

6. Carnage 8/10

5. 21 Jump Street 8/10

4.  Prometheus 8/10

3. The Hunger Games 8/10

2.  Cabin in the Woods 9/10

1. Titanic 3D 10/10

What do you think?  Am I stuck in the 90s putting Titanic as the best film of 2012?  Have I got a fetish for woods with Hunger Games and Cabin so high up the list?   Or maybe I've got a thing for the Hemsworth brothers?  Is Chronicle really better than Avengers?  Is anything better than The Avengers?  Is this whole list pointless with the impending rise of the Dark Knight?

June's Little Gems

Great month for films!  Even the worst on this list was bearable and at least useful for my PhD.  I don’t think I’d give any of these (except number 11) under 6/10.  So without further ado, here’s the countdown of what I watched this month:

11. The Tapes (Lee Alliston and Scott Bates, 2011)

British found footage horror.  Three annoying friends with a video camera try to make a Big Brother audition tape.  When they discover a barn that is the setting for swinging parties, they decide to secretly film the participants in action.  But they soon discover they are about to witness a lot more than old and fat wrinkly folk swapping partners.  It’s vaguely interesting and amusing for the Big Brother audition tape angle but the characters are damn annoying and this adds nothing new of note to the genre.

10. OSS-117: Lost in Rio (Michael Hazanavicius, 2009)

Bond-style secret agent spoofing from the director and star of The Artist.  Not as good as the Austin Powers films but has some very funny moments.  Jean Dujardin’s square secret agent getting jiggy in an orgy with a group of dirty hippies on a beach is the hilarious highlight.

9. Mr Nice (Bernard Rose, 2010)

Howard Marx is played by Rhys Ifans and the film distils the frankly occasionally boring book down to the highlights of Marx’s time as a dope smuggler.  Could have been a lot more fun if directed with a bit more flair but still, this is a pretty effective and almost quite emotional tale of one man’s fight to give people the right to smoke weed (and make himself a fortune).

8. Another Earth (Mike Cahill, 2011)

The first of two Indie science-fiction films I watched this month from writer-star Brit Marling.  This one deals with the discovery of a new planet exactly the same as our own but more specifically focuses on one young lady’s relationship with a very troubled man.  How the two are connected and why leads the film to be dramatic and suspenseful but it’s all a bit too understated and slow for my liking.  Infinitely more interesting if less beautiful than Melancholia though.

7. Take Me Home Tonight (Michael Dowse, 2011)

Topher Grace and Anna Faris star in this really sweet, pretty damn funny 80s coming-of-age-over-one-night story of a boy going after the girl of his dreams.  The 80s music is a joy, the script is sharp and occasionally hilarious but as with any rom-com, just too predictable to be a great movie.  Still, this deserves to be seen by more people.  Worth watching for the coke head best friend character’s antics alone.

6. Friends with Kids (Jennifer Westfeldt, 2012)

Impressive directorial debut from writer/producer/star Jennifer Westfeldt that does a deft job of balancing depressing autopsy of married with kids life and finding the funny side of two friends going into the baby-making business together.  As with most rom-coms it’s painfully predictable but there are enough cringingly honest scenes and decent laughs to make me want to see more from Westfeldt.

5. One Day (Lone Scherfig, 2011)

This is actually a surprisingly good adaptation of the book.  The leads are great despite Hathaway’s dodgy accent and the ending had more of an impact than it did when reading the book.  It’s all so quick that I wonder how much sense it would make to people who haven’t read the book.  Such well written characters and a touching love story told over twenty years, it’s hard not to be swept up in the emotions of it all.

4. Sound of My Voice (Zal Batmanglij, 2012)

See review here.

3. Michael (Markus Schleinzer, 2012)

Horrible tale of a distinctly average Austrian man who has a small boy locked in a room in his basement.  This is paedophile drama with a total lack of sensationalism.  Fortunately it’s not one of those indie films that tries to make us understand and care for the monster behind the headlines.  It just does an excellent job of showing the banality of evil and thankfully has quite a strong ending that gives cathartic pleasure in the fate of one character while leaving the fate of another painfully ambiguous.  If you can stomach a film about a paedophile, this is gripping, disturbing stuff.

2. The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese, 1983)

How come people don’t tout this as De Niro’s best performance?  Hilarious and a little heart breaking, this is a real departure from what I’m used to seeing De Niro doing.  The tale of a man desperate to be a comedian is surprising, funny and just a tad sad.  One of my new favourite Scorsese films.

1. Prometheus (Ridley Scott, 2012)

Ridley Scott’s sci-fi sort of Alien prequel is visually stunning, exciting, mildly scary and a hell of a ride.  A great cast get decent characters and the story spills over with interesting ideas.  The last half is less intellectually stimulating but more pulse-pounding thrilling.  The suspense of the first half gives way to all-out action with a host of creatures, gore, self-surgery and sacrifice as Rapace delivers a great Ripley inspired kick-ass action heroine with just the right mix of fragility and strength.  Fassbender nails the eerie android David and fortunately it’s all left tantalisingly open for a welcome sequel.  

How was your month?  Best and worst?  Got an opinion on any of these little gems?