9. Shame
Yeah, I know it came out in 2011. But for those of us reliant on midwest art theaters, it was a 2012 film and a great one at that. "Shame" focuses on the sex addiction of a young Manhattan yuppie (Michael Fassbender) and the darkness it brings to his personal life. Director Steve McQueen's films are defined by long, uninterrupted single takes. He will film an entire conversation without an edit, for instance, or a character's jog across several city blocks. This method makes his scenes feel like paintings, his films feel like collages of audio/visual artwork. It's a sight to see, so find it on DVD or Blu-ray and see it.
8. The Dark Knight Rises
An unexpected take on the superhero myth, "The Dark Knight Rises" sidelines Batman in favor of Bruce Wayne and sends him on a path of self-discovery that ultimately questions the usefulness of Batman. While these crises of faith are common in superhero dramas, director Christopher Nolan's conclusion on the matter isn't one we're likely to see repeated any time soon. It's rather daring and although it doesn't quite work, "The Dark Knight Rises" still fits snugly as one of my favorite films this year.
7. Dredd 3D
Action with a unique sense of self. "Dredd 3D" is a basic siege plot that manages to tell the story of a dystopian future in the process. The atmosphere and immersion is so great that I still think of Mega-City One on occasion. A really great action movie and one of the best comic book adaptations in years. You can find my full review here.
6. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
A romance with minimal sap, maximum sweet. Steve Carell and Keira Knightley both sell their roles as listless souls facing a lonely apocalypse. Sometimes melancholy, sometimes uplifting, this is one of my favorite dramas of the year. Everything the characters experience feels earned, and their eventual conclusion still leaves me in a state of romantic euphoria.
5. Skyfall
James Bond is inherently style over substance, but "Skyfall" manages both. It approaches the Bond formula from a unique angle with dashes of nostalgia. Although filled with action, the real thrills are crafted by Roger Deakins' cinematography. The exotic locales are characters in and of themselves rather than simply ethnic setpieces. Daniel Craig brings character to his portrayal of Bond, assisted mightily by Dame Judi Dench's M. One of the best entries in the series and one of the biggest surprises this year.
4. Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino still leaves me giddy. While I could say "Django Unchained" isn't one of his best films, it really transcends such qualifiers. Filmmakers rarely craft tribute films while maintaining such a sense of story, of character. "Django" enters into the pantheon of Westerns as a unique beast while paying tribute to its predecessors in the form of cameos, audio cues and even dialogue. Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx all put on the performances of their lives.
3. The Avengers
Joss Whedon is the master of ensembles, which made him perfect for writing and directing the greatest of all ensembles. "The Avengers" could have failed in a million ways, but Whedon, his cast and his crew managed to produce one of the best films of the year. It has heart, it has action and it is unfailingly optimistic. It made everyone else understand just what I see in these stories, even for a few hours.
It's everything we deserve from a superhero blockbuster, but rarely receive.
2. The Grey
"The Grey" was, in my mind, the best "man-movie" this year. Here's why: "The Grey" doesn't define masculinity with violent pissing contests. It doesn't claim that man, at his most animalistic, is a savage beast with razor claws and a testy disposition. Instead, it highlights the greater attributes of the human soul: cooperation, caring and hope.
For my money, Carnahan's Alaska is second to none this year in iconic cinema landscapes. They complement the film perfectly. The bleak, white, snowy wastes and darkened forests are full of dangers — monsters with no desire but carnage. That's the world with which we are sometimes faced. However, even in the darkest moments, when all hope is lost and the oppressiveness of the world seems to have won, the sun peeks through the clouds. And that's when you keep going.
1. Cloud Atlas
Out of all the films I saw this year, "Cloud Atlas" was the most ambitious, the most daring, the most heartfelt and passionate.
It's structured like a great novel. Six stories criss-cross, connected by meaning rather than causal continuity. On occasion, the story breaks to remind us just what point it's trying to make before diving back into the narrative exchange. This isn't an easy structure to pitch, and it's an even more troublesome format to properly tell a cinematic story. That the Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer followed their muse and made the film the way they wanted is, in itself, as unbelievable as any of the stories it contains; that they succeeded should earn them a spot in the pantheon of great filmmakers.
Unique. Beautiful. It sits with me, even months later, like any good story should. It was the no-brainer of this list.
Bottom 3:
"Rock of Ages"
I watched it because I was obligated to review it. Unfortunately, the filmmakers didn't feel obligated to provide any cohesion to their 1980s nostalgia.
"Men in Black III"
"MiB3" is almost so bad it's good. One joke in particular might be one of my favorite movie moments of 2012. It's just so bad. Unfortunately, the rest of the film is so poorly made, you'd think they were operating without a script (they were).
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."
Not bad so much as incredibly disappointing. It's indulgent to the point of dullness. When it ended, I despaired at another six hours of Peter Jackson halfheartedly throwing special effects and references to the original trilogy at us. It reminded me unfavorably of another prequel trilogy, one we rid ourselves of eight years ago. Oh, well.