Movies: A Year in Review

-->Full disclosure, the following are movies I have yet to see:

Coriolanus, Being Flynn, Cosmopolis, Robot and Frank, Chasing Ice, Hyde Park on Hudson, Prometheus, The Sessions

THE TOP (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

Moonrise Kingdom

I've been a huge Wes Anderson film since I saw, and promptly fell in love with, Rushmore. Since then I've devoured, and promptly owned, all of his movies (being a starving/frugal artist/student, I don't just buy ANY movie). I understand he's not everyone's cup-o-hipster-tea, but I think Moonrise Kingdom is his most user-friendly film to date. It's sweet, poignant, funny, unique, and the art direction is to die for.

The Impossible
I've never cried so hard (SOBS, PEOPLE!) in a movie before. This is an important movie for people to see. Not to mention it was so well made (the disaster sequences are the best I've ever seen!). 

Skyfall

This was not the mindless action James Bond I wanted, but it was the great James Bond I deserved. Being an enormous fan of Casino Royal, and then venomously hating Quantum of Solace, I was a bit weary going into Skyfall. But why would I ever lack faith in the genius Sam Mendes? He delivered an excellent action movie with a deeply philosophical edge. It isn't just my favorite James Bond to date, but it's one of the greatest action movies ever made.

Lawless

This was the year I discovered my undying love-crush on Tom Hardy (the seeds were planted in Inception, but it didn't bloom 'til I saw Warrior on Netflix). Pair him with an insanely good supporting cast and an unbelievable true(ish) story, and I call that a good time in the theater. In my excitement after exiting said theater, I sent texts to all the people I assumed would enjoy this movie as much I did. Oddly I was met with a resounding "meh" in response over the next few days. I still have yet to meet anyone who enjoyed this movie as much as I did.

Django Unchained

Tarantino is hit or miss with me. This one was a bingo. Ridiculously long (and feels it)? Yes. Gratuitous gallons of blood? Yes. Uncomfortable torture sequences? Yes. Possibly Tarantino's greatest movie ever made? Yes. The thing I really liked about this movie was how fun it was to watch. It didn't make me look deep into my soul and examine my life, it just went really well with popcorn and a drink. My guess is if you liked Inglorious Bastards, you will thoroughly enjoy Django.

Anna Karenina

This was the movie that made me look deep into my soul and examine my life. Joe Wright, currently my favorite director, knows how to cater to every artistic fiber of my being. His theatrical and metaphorical interpretation of Anna Karenina was so lovely and so unique, it has single-handedly ruined my expectation for all dramatic period pieces in the next 5 years (read: Les Mis). When I met up with my family in the food court post-movie, I felt like I had run a marathon... a beautiful and cathartic marathon full of mind-blowing cinematography.

Looper

I can confidently say this is my favorite time travel movie of all time. Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a spectacular job mirroring Bruce Willis, and Bruce Willis did a spectacular job at being the bad-A he is. I can't wait to watch this one again on Blu-Ray.

Argo

In my opinion, Ben Affleck is the most under-appreciated director in Hollywood. Sure, this is only his third feature film, but his first two were so good. Like, REALLY good. Like, hey guys, this is BEN FREAKING AFFLECK making these good. Argo is no exception. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to seeing this movie. There was something about the trailer that annoyed me. Or maybe it was the pretentious sounding title? Nonetheless, I loved it in the end. Embellished as the story might be, it was pretty impressive what they did.

Seven Psychopaths

Oh gosh. What to say about this silly, silly, movie. I loved it. It is the most unique story I've seen on screen in a loooooong time. Be prepared for countless profanities, Tarantino type violence, and non-stop laughter.

Hitchcock

Being a film enthusiast such as myself, I've always had an innate respect for the very odd Mr. Hitchcock. I was expecting to geek out over references I understood and impress myself with history I already knew-- and while I did these things, this movie also captured my heart with one of the most "awe" inducing love stories this year.

Safety Not Guaranteed

When I first saw this in the theater over the summer, I fell in love with it. Hard. I locked it away in my head labeled as not only the best movie of the year, but probably in my top 3 best movies of all time. Well I watched it again recently, and although I liked it, I wasn't as in love with it. It definitely deserves to be in the top movies of this year, but it's probably only in the top 30 best movies of all time. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Beasts of the Southern Wild

This movie was devastatingly beautiful and poignant, and ALMOST the best movie of the year, but the cinematography was a joke. It was the most painful movie my brain has ever watched in a theater. Nothing was in focus. Nothing was still. I  understand what the "artistic" intention of that sort of visual was in relation to the narrative, but instead it just made me motion sick.

Jeff Who Lives at Home

The only reason this isn't in my top 10 is because I can't quite remember everything I liked about this movie, just that it effected me. I'm a little too strapped for time to re-watch it before I finish this list, so for now I'm going to hesitantly put it in my "honorable mentions" list.

Bernie

What a great little film. In my (ever so) humble opinion, Jack Black's performance was one of the best of the year, if not the outright best.

Lincoln 

I feel like I'm obligated to include this on my list. Perfectly acted, perfectly lit, perfectly scored, blah blah blah... yawn. It is awards show fodder. Yes, it's a flawless movie, but it was an easy movie to make flawless.

Silver Linings Playbook

I didn't love this as much as the critics seem to (it was a bit predictable for my tastes), but it is one of the better movies of the year, especially of it's genre.

Ruby Sparks
This movie really affected me. That is all.

Sleepwalk With Me
Clever, funny, touching, and important stuff about the creative arts and personal lives.


Zero Dark Thirty
Another one I feel obligated to include. Yeah, it was good. Very well made all the way around, and incredibly interesting to see how things when down. The raid sequence was pretty amazing. But, for some reason, it doesn't crack my top movies list.

THE WORST

The Master
I don't think words describe how much I disliked this movie. It was crude, weirdly written, and exactly the type of movie that make idiots feel smart. There was one impressive scene (the interview), but I honestly couldn't wait for it to be over. Such a massive disappointment.

Men in Black 3

I fell asleep. I never fall asleep in movies at the theater. It was awful with no excuse.

THE ONES I NEED TO JUSTIFY NOT INCLUDING

Les Miserable

I didn't hate it. I didn't even not like it. I just didn't love it. It was overacted, under sung, and the cinematography was oddly small (not every scene needs to feel "intimate"). I love the story, and was moved to tears watching the 25th Anniversary performance on PBS (so we know it can be done), but this one fell short for me. It had moments, but not enough to justify it as one of the best movies of the year.

Life of Pi

I love the book too much to love this over computerized (and overall poorly acted) version. I acknowledge they did a pretty OK job adapting the story, but did we really need a giant glowing whale?

Dark Knight Rises

I love Batman. I love Christopher Nolan. I didn't love Dark Knight Rises. HOWEVER, I saw it under really unfortunate circumstances, and I think I might like it a little better with a re-watch. It has Tom Hardy in it, after all.