2012: A Film Retrospective

[cosmicpretzel]

So, we come to the end of another year in film. And a fairly good year, it has been. I found I enjoyed myself at the cinema this year much more than I have during the past few previous. Mainstream Hollywood somehow actually managed to produce works that were both satisfying and deeper than pretty, dressed-up surfaces.

Before we go on, please note that I am not a film critic, no matter how much I may try to be. I am a student of film, but I am also a fan of film. Strong emotions and attachments to certain stories and/or characters and arcs can easily cloud my judgment (Hero's Journey, anyone?), and my selections herein may not reflect what is objectively considered the best of the year. However, they are the movies I enjoyed the most this year.


HONORABLE MENTIONS

Brave

Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson
Written by: Brenda Chapman (story), Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Irene Mecchi
Directed by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman



I've heard complaints about Brave. That it wasn't what people were expecting, that though the animation was great, the story was lacking, and so on and so forth. It's not exactly the traditional Pixar movie, or really a traditional movie in general, for that matter.

And that's precisely what I loved about it.

A story with a young target audience and a female protagonist focusing on the importance of family rather than boys was honestly refreshing. It is a journey undertaken both by a mother and a daughter toward understanding each other once more, toward mending a bond and growing into better people. There's a good message and valuable lessons conveyed here, and this is a movie I wouldn't mind showing to kids.


The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage
Written by: JRR Tolkien (novel), Fran Walsh, Philappa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro
Directed by: Peter Jackson



Growing up, I loved The Hobbit. I read it at least three or four times. The story of Bilbo Baggins, and how he journeyed there and back again, was one of those real Things that captured my imagination and inspired me to would-be writer-dom. Honestly, a childhood favorite amongst the most memorable of them.

As with the Lord of the Rings trilogy between 2001 and 2003, what Peter Jackson has delivered here is a very faithful adaptation of a beloved classic. The characters, the land of Middle Earth, all of it comes to life so beautifully in his hands, as it did before. Its only fault, maybe, is that it's a little too faithful, truly going page by page, and racks up a slightly bloated running time and slow pacing at times.

Overall, though, it hits all the right buttons, and sends any old fan down a warm and happy path of nostalgia.


TOP FIVE

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller
Written by: Stephen Chbosky (novel and screenplay)
Directed by: Stephen Chbosky



Maybe I'd label this one as the biggest surprise of 2012 for me. I have never read the original novel, and only picked up this movie one day on a curious whim. It was a whim that I don't regret, though, because what I saw was one of the most well-written, well-acted, and heartfelt films of the year.

The story of Charlie, the quiet high school freshman dealing with his own demons, is not one that will leave you anytime soon. Logan Lerman gives a truly soulful performance, and he's one I'll be watching from here on out. Emma Watson proves herself capable of stretching her acting chops to something that's vastly different from Harry Potter, and that's always nice to see.

This movie is underrated. Criminally underrated.


4. Skyfall

Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem
Written by: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan
Directed by: Sam Mendes



Bond. Is. Back.

No, really. The trailers weren't lying. After what was a slight disappointment in 2008's Quantum of Solace and financial troubles at MGM that delayed production, this offering manages to breathe new life into a fifty-year-old franchise. Craig really comes into his own as the character here, and, I think, provides one of the most enjoyable interpretations. Javier Bardem definitely deserved his SAG award nomination as the villain Silva, who was infinitely more interesting than many villains have been.

To another fifty years, Mr. Bond. I'll raise my glass to that.


3. The Dark Knight Rises

Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway
Written by: Christopher Nolan (story and screenplay), David S. Goyer (story), Jonathan Nolan
Directed by: Christopher Nolan



The thing I've loved the most about Nolan's Batman movies from the get-go is that they are, first and foremost, a character study of Bruce Wayne. They are insight into how a tortured (and sometimes dark) mind copes with a childhood tragedy into adulthood. Villains are a crucial component, of course, but each represents a twisted facet of Bruce and Batman, and the story is always ground back to hero himself.

What Nolan has created with Rises, the last piece of a now-cohesive whole, is a very cinematic Hero's Journey. We have witnessed the Dark Knight become a symbol, take the fall, and rise up again, all for the benefit of his beloved city and the honoring of his father's legacy to do everything within his power to help make it a better place. It's an emotionally satisfying arc, I feel, one that's up there with the best of them that have utilized the Hero's Journey structure. Maybe not entirely true to the comics, but purely as films, these movies have managed to create something special, and indeed transcend their genre.

Will this be the superhero movie that finally nabs a Best Picture nomination? Who knows. But I personally do think it deserves it.


2. The Hunger Games

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth
Written by: Suzanne Collins (novel and screenplay), Gary Ross, Billy Ray
Directed by: Gary Ross



Let's get one thing out of the way first. I adore Katniss Everdeen. In a world where female characters as a whole seem to be created for the sole purpose of fitting into cookie cutter tropes, she is a breath of fresh air. She's strong, unforgiving, complex, full of contradictions, sometimes makes you want to smack her, but above all reads as being very human and very real. Her development is one of the greatest enjoyments I have gotten out of not only young adult literature, but also literature in general, in a good while. And, well. Though she's a few years younger than me, she's totally my hero.

Even if the rest of the movie sucked, Jennifer Lawrence's nuanced performance as Katniss would've made me forgive it. When you see her on screen, she just embodies that character. You can practically see what Katniss is thinking in her eyes, and the way she manages to pull off Katniss's deep-seated anger and sullen hostility yet simultaneous vulnerability is nothing short of incredible. I couldn't have asked for a better interpretation of a beloved character of mine in a big-screen adaptation.

Fortunately for me, though, the rest of the movie didn't suck! Overall, it was an excellent adaptation that stayed very true to the spirit of its source material. The additional scenes you don't see in the book, such as those with President Snow and Seneca Crane, really add a nice depth to the story as a whole, and I do enjoy the meta and cognitive dissonance aspects of bringing the Games to a visual medium. It's not without its flaws (for instance, the wolf mutts, which were creepy and downright terrifying in the novel, came off sort of cheesy onscreen), but in general, I was pleased with what they had done with it.

Yeah, I pretty much need Catching Fire in my life. LIKE RIGHT NOW.


1. Looper

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt
Written by: Rian Johnson
Directed by: Rian Johnson



When I walked into Looper, I wasn't really sure what I was going to get. But that's not important. What's important was what I, in fact, got.

This was the kind of movie I go to the movies for. An original science fiction story that doesn't rely on gimmicks to propel itself, but rather an intelligent, well-written script full of interesting ideas, and something that, I believe, contributes to its genre in a positive way. The likes of which I have not seen since 2009's Moon or 2010's Inception.

For the uninitiated, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, who works as a "looper," or a specialized assassin charged with the elimination of targets from 30 years in the future. Things start to go awry when Joe encounters an older version of himself and fails to "close the loop" (i.e. eliminate him). I won't go into more of the plot here because I'd really rather you watch this movie for yourself than take it all from me, but even if it's not a perfect script, it's certainly light years ahead of the majority of the crap that gets produced these days.

So, Looper, with its gutsy originality that sets it apart from an industry full of products that are sequels and adaptations, earns the number-one spot on my list this year. May more movies like this be made. PLEASE.