2012 was truly one of the finest years in cinema with the blockbusters delivering and the Oscar contenders being, well, Oscar contenders. It's very hard to get a list of simply ten films because every single one of them delivered in its own way.
I'll start by giving some honorable mentions. The first one I give you is The Amazing Spiderman. It took guts to reboot a franchise that just ended a few years back, but that's just what director Marc Webb did, and he rebooted Spiderman with great success. Stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are great in their roles as Garfield, in particulary, brings things to the table that was missing when Tobey Maguire was the webslinger. Spiderman is very solid start to the new franchise.
The second shout-out goes to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and it finds itself on this list because of stars Ian McKellan and, especially, Martin Freeman. Overall, The Hobbit clearly doesn't live up to The Lord of the Rings entries, but McKellan and Freeman make this movie go and makes me excited for the next two installments.
Lawless is one of the most overlooked gems of the year. I thoroughly enjoyed what Tom Hardy and the rest of the incredible cast were able to accomplish with this simply yet incredible movie. Hardy stands out, like he tends to do nowadays, and proves to me that he is on the fast track to becoming one of Hollywood's finest.
My last two honorable mentions go out to the two best animated features of the year: Brave and Wreck-It Ralph. Pixar's Brave is one of the most underrated Pixar films in the company's history. I definitely believe it's one of their finest, being a step down from the classics like Toy Story 3 and Finding Nemo. With Wreck-It Ralph, Disney continues to show us that they can still put out an incredibly entertaining movie without Pixar's assistance. The vocal work is fantastic and the story is top-notch. I honestly don't know which one I enjoyed more. They're both great!
Now, let's get down to the list. Here's my top ten films of 2012.
10. Jack Reacher
I've seen the majority of Tom Cruise's movies, and he was in top-notch form in December's Jack Reacher. I went into this film expecting a solid, late year action movie as my love for Cruise continues to increase. When I left the theater, I had just left one of my favorite Cruise movies, deserving to be mentioned in the same breath as his best work such as Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol and Jerry Maguire. Another aspect I enjoyed about Reacher was the surprisingly impressive performance by Rosamund Pike. As Cruise's supporting actress, Pike, at some points, carries the film and goes toe-to-toe with Cruise and steals some scenes in the process. I hope this launches Pike into some roles just like this one so she can shine some more in the future. Cruise continues to steadily make a comeback, and Jack Reacher helped that comeback along.
9. Prometheus
Ridley Scott is widely considered one of the finest directors in Hollywood today, and he started evolving into that role when he broke onto the scene in 1979 with the classic film Alien. In 2012, Scott decided to head back to the universe of Alien with Prometheus, a film that deserves to be considered one of Scott's finest works. The visuals are extraordinary, the acting is spot-on, and the storyline is a perfect prequel to Alien. Scott had been on a minor downward spiral over the last few years, and it was very encouraging to leave Prometheus knowing that Scott still has some tricks up his sleeve.
8. Looper
Joseph Gordon-Levitt had quite a year in 2012 with supporting turns in Lincoln and The Dark Knight Rises, but Looper was his chance to shine, and he knocked it out of the park. Director Rian Johnson crafted one of the best science-fiction movies of the twenty-first century and, in the process, reminded everyone that science-fiction can be both visually spectatcular and smart. Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt also did a fabulous job supporting Gordon-Levitt, with Willis proving that he's still got it and Blunt proving that she is definitely on the rise. I can only hope that this keeps the smart science-fiction genre alive.
7. Skyfall
The James Bond franchise has been around since the 1960s with six actors portraying Agent 007 in twenty-three movies, so when Skyfall is being heralded as the best in history, you've done something special. I thoroughly enjoyed Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's first Bond film, and I thought that nothing would be able to match my enthusiam for a Bond movie. However, I've never been more happy to be wrong. Skyfall blew me away. James Bond is once again cool thanks to Craig fully embracing Bond, but his supporting cast were the true stars here. Judi Dench and Javier Bardem turn in Oscar worthy performances, something unheard of in a Bond film. The real star here, though, is director Sam Mendes, breathing new life into an fading franchise. The next installment has an extremely tough act to follow.
6. The Hunger Games
High expectations surrounded The Hunger Games in every aspect of the film from the casting, directing, writing, etc. With a fanbase so grounded and die-hard, you needed something special here to not only satisfy them, but also bring in some new believers. If you've seen the film, you know that the makers of this movie did a more than satisfactory job. Jennifer Lawrence is picture perfect in the role as Katniss Everdeen as she continues to show the world that she is one of the finest young actresses in the business. Her co-star, Josh Hutcherson, more than holds his own, in addition to Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson. Director Gary Ross did a masterful job bringing this novel to life by meeting and going above and beyond expectations. We get Catching Fire in 2013. Here's hoping that crew does just as great.
5. Argo
Ben Affleck has had quite an interesting career, evolving from laughable actor (looking at you Daredevil) to dynamite director. With Argo, Affleck has established himself as one of the greatest directors in Hollywood nowadays. He turned a very straight forward plot into a tense, political thriller. While Affleck deserves the bulk of the credit, his starring role and his supporting actors shine bright as well. Alan Arkin and John Goodman deliver career best performances, and that's saying something considering the body of work they both have turned in. Affleck does just enough as the star here, but he earns his stripes behind the camera. An Oscar nomination is coming towards Affleck's way, and I can't think of a person in Hollywood more deserving than him. I can't wait to see what he has in store for us next.
4. The Dark Knight Rises
I still get chills every time I think of Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight, so expectations were pretty astronomical going into the final installment. Director Christopher Nolan brings his genius trilogy to a brilliant conclusion with The Dark Knight Rises. Tom Hardy does a fantastic job as Batman's villian, Bane, as does Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. Michael Caine does his best work in years, providing a surprisingly emotional element to the film. Christian Bale is fully involved and committed as Bruce Wayne, and it shows as he turns in his best work as the Caped Crusader. Nolan has radically changed the comic book genre. Every film after this one will be compared to this movie. Last time I checked, that's not easy to do. Good luck to the one who dares attempt to continue the story of Batman.
3. The Avengers
Every since 2008 when Iron Man was released, we've been anticipating the day that Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and Hulk would join forces on the silver screen for the first time ever. We all expected The Avengers to great, but nobody really expected it to be one of the best movies of the twenty-first century. The cast is firing on all cylinders here, with the impossible being pulled off by each character getting an adequate amound of screen time. The action sequences are superb and the visuals are eye-popping. Director Joss Whedon did one of the best directing jobs I have ever witnessed. The story is so great and shockingly emotional, and the script is, at times, utterly hilarious. What will Marvel amaze us with next?!
2. Lincoln
Steven Spielberg is my personal favorite director in the history of cinema. Daniel Day-Lewis is my personal most respectable actor in the business. With Lincoln, they worked together, and the result was nothing short of extraordinary. Day-Lewis turns in one of the best performances I have ever had the priviledge of experiencing. You leave the theater feeling like you just spent two and half hours with the sixteenth president himself. He completely immersed himself in the role, and it's clearly evident. His supporting cast is also phenomenal, led by veterans Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field, who give career-best performances. Spielberg goes back to his roots by letting the actors shine without the help of visuals to carry the film. Politics have never been more exciting and watchable. Oscar must take notice.
1. Les Miserables
I pride myself in holding it together during the movies that are meant to make the audience cry. I couldn't hold it together in Les Miserables. I lost it. It left me completely speechless. Hugh Jackman has never been better. I would put his performance up against any performance I have ever seen in the history of my movie watching day. He's simply incredible and deserving of Oscar contention. Russell Crowe also comes to play here showing off his acting range. Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are hilarious. The young superstars Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, and Samantha Barks make their presence felt in an extremely powerful way. Anne Hathaway, though, took my breath away. She's great beyond words. She turns in one of the greatest performances I've ever witnessed. The singing is simply heavenly, and the movie is also heavenly. Not only is it the best film of 2012, it's the best film I've ever seen. Hands down.
2012 is over.
Good luck following that 2013!
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