Here it is...yet another Top 10 list. 2012 was a solid year for films, with a good mix of high-minded political films and fun, accessible popcorn flicks.
A caveat: I have yet to see "Lincoln" and "Argo," two of the more ballyhooed films in terms of the so-called "awards contenders," but I'm offering my list of the year's best anyway.
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
A teen coming-of-age film that 1) looks like it stars actual teens, and 2) dares to be earnest and funny without relying on grossouts and triteness, "Perks" is among the best high school-set films of the last decade or so, perhaps longer. Logan Lerman and Emma Watson give very grown-up performances and add depth and gravitas to an already tremendous screenplay.
9. Looper
A mind-bending sci fi film that doesn't try too hard to explain itself, "Looper" has enough smarts to satisfy the fanboys who want their action with a side of geek but doesn't dwell on it to the point of becoming too pretentious and muddled for everyone else. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a contract killer named Joe who kills people from the future sent back so that their dead bodies won't incriminate the mobsters who are having them whacked. When Joe's next target is himself, he isn't sure if he wants to pull the trigger, leading to a standoff literally with the older version of him (Bruce Willis) and the kinda dangerous people he works for.
8. The Raid: Redemption
The most innovative and intense action film in a long time, "The Raid" is for all intents and purposes a video game in cinematic form...in a good way. A small group of cops infiltrate an apartment building full of the worst kind of murderous criminal scum to take down a drug dealer, until the dealer gets on the building's loudspeaker and announces the cops' presence...and offers a hefty reward for any of the officers' body parts they may be able to procure. What follows is 90 minutes or so of carnal martial arts mayhem where knives arent stabbed into bodies so much as ripped through them. Some of the hardest-hitting fight choreography you'll see in any movie. And fear not if you're not a fan of foreign language fans: ass-kicking is a universal language, and nothing kicks more than "Raid."
7. Skyfall
Bond at his most contemplative, facing one of his greatest villains (Javier Bardem). Yes, the action is still here and he's still Bond, but Daniel Craig and Sam Mendes pull in a little depth to the character, giving us a glimpse at his backstory while continuing to slowly fashion the Bond universe we know and love. M (Judi Dench) plays a larger role than ever before and her position as Bond's surrogate mother has never been on better display.
6. Life of Pi
After a shipwreck, a teenaged boy is stranded on the ocean in a lifeboat, which also happens to be occupied by Richard Parker, and the duo come to understand and respect each other on the water. Did I mention Richard Parker is a tiger? Director Ang Lee creates a majestic, stunningly gorgeous film that will stick in your mind for days after seeing it.
5. The Avengers
No film in 2012 did what it set out to do better than "The Avengers." It doesn't try to be something more grandiose than it is (I'm looking at you, "The Dark Knight Rises"), but focuses on doing what it does: create a superhero boy band movie with gusto (and more than a little self-awareness). Hiring Joss Whedon was a masterstroke; his direction elevated some characters (Thor, Captain America), complemented others (Iron Man), and finally gave us a compelling version of the Hulk (for the first time ever we're not just sitting around waiting for Bruce Banner to change; Mark Ruffalo injected heart and a sense of empathy into the character that no one else has been able to do, and yes, I'm including Bill Bixby in that discussion). "The Avengers," high-minded politics and ideals or no, was simply the most fun time cinematic experience of 2012.
4. The Grey
Simply the most intense experience one could have in a theater in 2012 that didn't involve Fred Willard and vice cops. Liam Neeson plays Liam Neeson, survivor of a plane crash in the snowy wilderness. Neeson and the small band of survivors set out for civilization as a pack of wolves circle. A perfect ending that some found disappointing, and co-star Dallas Roberts is quickly becoming a go-to Hollywood character actor.
3. Silver Linings Playbook
An honest, open look at mental illness that manages to be funny without being insulting, touching without being trite, and respectful without being pretentious. Bradley Cooper gives the performance of his life as a man suffering from bipolar disorder struggling to keep his life and his sanity together, and he's buoyed by great work from the likes of Jennifer Lawrence (who officially rises to the top of the pool among the actresses of her generation), Robert DeNiro (as the father who is both mystified by and just like his son), Jacki Weaver, and Chris Tucker (yes, THAT Chris Tucker). Those who say the movie descended into romcom territory are kind of missing the point. A film that doesn't deign to say love is the cure for mental illness, "Silver Linings" looks at mental illness as a part of life for those who suffer from it.
2. Zero Dark Thirty
A harrowing look at one person's obsession to capture Osama bin Laden, "Zero Dark Thirty" succeeds on the back of a fantastic performance from Jessica Chastain, quickly becoming one of the biggest go-to stars in Hollywood, and on a final half-hour that gives an almost documentary-approach to the actual raid on the compound where bin Laden was killed. Make no mistake: this is no Hollywoodized version of what happened, it's neither a rah-rah, go-go-USA puff piece or a trumped up, partisan political piece. Some left-wingers have already criticized it for its portrayal of torture as a political tactic, but by not taking a stance on the issue director Kathryn Bigelow allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions on the issue.
1. Django Unchained
A raucous, blood-splattered revenge fantasy, Quentin Tarantino does what he did previously with his previous film "Inglourious Basterds": he takes a dark period in human history, makes those who created and supported it look like buffoons, then takes his bloody cinematic revenge on those people. With an all-star cast that includes Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz (who won an Oscar for "Basterds" and is a strong contender again this year), Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson, Tarantino again resurrects a star from the past with a memorable turn by Don Johnson as a plantation owner. Alternately funny, emotionally wrenching and incredibly, cartoonishly violent, "Django" is as clever and crazy as any film released in 2012.
Honorable Mention: Safety Not Guaranteed, The Sessions, Wreck-It Ralph, Sleepwalk With Me, Ruby Sparks, Moonrise Kingdom, ParaNorman, Bernie, The Cabin in the Woods, Chronicle, Haywire