Thursday, February 21, 2013

Top Ten Films of 2012

Now that I flushed cinematic shit out of my system, I want to praise some movies that tugged at my heartstrings and made me want to tell everyone I know to see them. Here are my top ten films of 2012:

10


Seven Psychopaths

Going into this movie, I wasn't surprised that there was going to a philosophical message in it. It was like that with Colin Farell's first collaboration with Martin McDonagh in In Bruges. What surprised me the most in the meta aspect of the film. The movie could have been like McDonagh's version of Adaptation. The movie was funny and thought provoking with stand alone performances by Sam Rockwell and Chris Walken.

9


Skyfall 

People have some hate for this movie. People say that it's overrated. This movie hearkens back to Casino Royale and makes us forget about Quantum of Solace. Sure the movie is fan service for the 50th anniversary of the Bond franchise, but I loved every minute of it. Great action, performances and the Home Alone aspect made it kitchy.

8


Killer Joe

I have never had so much fun with an NC-17 film ever. Usually, those films have brutal dramatic scenes. This had those, but the movie shows a change in Matthew McConaughey. He is not doing the usual bland romantic comedies. With this movie and his performance in Magic Mike, I'm actually excited to see what he has coming up next.

7


Django Unchained 

With all of the controversy and the "did I just see Jaime Foxx's nutsack" the movie got, I had fun with the over the top bloody goodness. Quentin Tarantino is the only director that could take inspirations for other movies and make something that is fresh and new. Sam Jackson was fucking hilarious as Uncle Ruckus --er, Tom --um Stephen, that's his name. Leonardo DiCpario was intense as Candie. Awesome movie.

6


Silver Linings Playbook 

It took me a while to get this movie. When the Oscar nominations, it was motivation enough to it. I don't know dick about football, but I get why this family are so consumed with the sport and how it relates to their lives. Here is a career defining performance from Bradley Cooper as the emotionally damage Pat. Jen Lawrence was fantastic as an equally damaged young widow. Robert De Niro came back in a big way as Pat Sr.  A non-traditional romance for the people who dislike sappy romantic comdies.



5


The Sessions 

Who knew that I would enjoy about about a crippled man trying to get laid? The movie is more than that. The wonderful performance by John Hawkes made me want to get to know Mark O'Brien more. I thought that Helen Hunt was a one trick pony when she won her Oscar for As Good As It Gets, but she was emotionally raw as her role of a sex surrogate.

4


The Perks of Being a Wallflower 

I had a bout of nostalgia when I saw this movie. In retrospect, high school was tame compared to middle school. I was fucked up emotionally after middle school. This movie made me thank my lucky stars that I had great friends that accepted me for me. This movie could the next Breakfast Club. That essential movie about teenage angst that people will revisit again.

3

 
Argo 

Argo fuck yourself. No, I'm not bashing the movie. Ben Affleck has grown as a director with his latest effort. The score, tension, the aesthetic. It felt like the movie was setting in a dark closet for thirty year and it was discovered and released in theaters. Even though we know how to the story ends, Affleck manages to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Bravo!

2


Amour 

I didn't know anything about the movie when it was nominated for the Oscars. When I saw this movie, my grandmother recently passed away. The movie reminded me of this dark times that my family had to go through trying to care for a woman that couldn't help herself. Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant gave fantastically natural performances. It felt like they were a real married couple that let a camera crew document their lives.



Beasts of the Southern Wild

I have never seen a movie that I want to shout at the rooftops for people to go see. There is something magical and special about this movie that words cannot describe. Beasts embraces that everything is connected. Everything has a heartbeat. Hushpuppy was the lifeblood of the movie. It was a journey that I was called to be on.

No comments:

Post a Comment