From 'A(mour)' to 'Z(ero Dark Thirty)': the best films of 2012
A fantastic year of movies filters down to this
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It's been said here and in the podcast a number of times, but I might as well offer it up once more for good measure: 2012 was a pretty good year for movies. I admired a lot. I may not have loved a ton but I certainly really, really liked a lot and my appreciation and respect for a number of the visions tossed out on to screens this year can't be overstated. Bravo to the filmmakers, truly.
I was tinkering with my list all the way down to the wire Thursday night when Anne Thompson and I finally sat down to record the special top 10 edition of Oscar Talk and lock them in eternity. It was shifting and sliding so much that the final list even differed from the one I submitted on my BFCA ballot last weekend. And it likely will continue to do so, as the order of this particular collective feels more fluid than any list I've made of a year's best films in recent memory.
So everyone wins, then, right? A whole lotta good. But there were some films I wanted to mention, outliers, underpinnings and structural evidence of a great year in film. Movies like Ang Lee's "Life of Pi," for instance. or Stephen Chbosky's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." J.A. Bayona's "The Impossible" and Ben Lewin's "The Sessions," too. These were all unique visions across a wide spectrum and made impacts along the way.
Other efforts like Robert Zemecki's "Flight" or Nicholas Jarecki's "Arbitrage" deserve singling out. Sam Mendes' "Skyfall" as well. These are skillfully crafted movies of a certain type that is notably lacking from the cinema, dramas that compel and intrigue on varying levels.
The films that just missed my list were fireworks displays of creativity. Disney's in-house animated pair of "Frankenweenie" and "Wreck-It Ralph" is an accomplishment. Leos Carax's "Holy Motors" is a wicked triumph. Benh Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is a hand-crafted wonder and Joe Wright's "Anna Karenina" is a piece of conceptual brilliance.
But they all yielded to "the 10," and so, here they are. Click through the gallery below to catch up on my thoughts on the year's best films if you didn't manage to hear the podcast on Friday. And if, for whatever reason, you're too lazy and/or don't want to click through the gallery, or you're not a podcast listener and want the beef without the context, well, click through to the next page. Otherwise, enjoy the list.
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2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupBennett
December 17, 2012 at 1:26PM EST Reply to CommentYou gotta be kidding me... This movie is nothing more than ok.
The Dude
December 17, 2012 at 1:26PM EST Reply to CommentLoved listening to the podcast last week. I was wondering when Guy Lodge would be offering his list of top films of the year, or has it already been posted and I missed it?
Kristopher Tapley Later. After the holidays.
December 17, 2012 at 1:41PM ESTsilvana I'm disgusted to see how the critic's group ignore to Marion Cotillard in Best Actress category when she gave the best female performance of this year. Also I wrote to Southeastern Film Critics and they told me that Sony Pictures Classics doesn't send the copies of Rust and Bone but they vote for Amour (Sony Pictures Classics), as the runner-up of foreign language film. Please Kristopher Tapley could tell me why happen it?
December 17, 2012 at 2:38PM ESTBrando
December 17, 2012 at 1:39PM EST Reply to Comment2012:
1.Amour
2.The Master
3.Holy Motors
4.Zero Dark Thirty
jack
December 17, 2012 at 2:53PM EST Reply to Comment1. Rust and Bone
2. Argo
3. Barbara
4. No
5. From Up on Poppy Hill
a
December 17, 2012 at 2:54PM EST Reply to CommentOff-topic, but that image of Affleck towering over a crowd of natives is such avisual cliche.
I've seen that in so many films I have a difficult time remembering all of them. 'Lost in Translation' comes to mind, and it felt less like a device there, but I can trace it all the way back to the 60s, at least.
Kristopher Tapley It's actually not just him. It's him and the houseguests.
December 17, 2012 at 2:56PM ESTSilvana Thank you Kris to replay my question!, my question is up
December 17, 2012 at 2:58PM ESTa Yeah, I know. That particular image, focusing on his character, has been been used in a lot promotionary material though.
December 17, 2012 at 3:21PM ESTKristopher Tapley Sorry?
December 17, 2012 at 3:38PM ESTCasey Fiore Thanks for the new word, A. Re: promotionary
December 17, 2012 at 4:50PM ESTKane
December 17, 2012 at 2:55PM EST Reply to CommentWow, Kris. I remember you championing The Grey all year but I never thought it'd make it to your #1 spot. While not my favorite film, I found the scene toward the end with Frank Grillo to be one of the best of the year. He, in my opinion, is being vastly overlooked.
JLPatt
December 17, 2012 at 3:30PM EST Reply to CommentSo "Zero Dark Thirty" really grew on you, then, huh? I remember reading your initial reaction and you seemed rather cool on it. Yours was also the first review I read, so I was rather shocked to say the least when the other reviews came flooding in and all of the sudden it was the best reviewed film of the year. Ha.
Kristopher Tapley The accomplishment of the journalism is what grew, more than anything.
December 17, 2012 at 3:39PM ESTColin Biggs
December 17, 2012 at 4:35PM EST Reply to CommentLove the list, when so many top tens are about going lock-step with Oscar, this makes December feel a little less frigid.
Mykill
December 17, 2012 at 5:37PM EST Reply to CommentThis is everything a top ten list should be - indicative of the person compiling it while still being a unique blend of films. I may not necessarily agree (or even like) all of the films on your list, but seeing them placed in that order really makes them stand out that much more. Thanks for sharing your list and thanks for doing such a wonderful job with this site. I stumbled upon this site in the beginning of 2008 and I've stuck around since then b/c it really is my favorite of its kind.
Your list reminds me that I still have a lot of films to catch up on but I already feel like this has been the strongest overall year since 2009 for me (and I still haven't seen ZDT, Les Mis, or Django Unchained yet.) What a great year this has been, regardless of how the Oscars turn out. I hope to see more top ten lists as enjoyable as yours, Kris. I personally cannot wait to see how Guy's list turns out...
Kristopher Tapley Happy you're enjoying the coverage. Thanks.
December 17, 2012 at 5:41PM ESTMatthew Starr I don't see how people are calling this a strong year. I think it's quite weak compared to the last few years. Margaret, Tree of Life, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Drive, Certified Copy, Jane Eyre, A Separation , We Need To Talk About Kevin (so on and so forth) all top anything this year except The Grey.
December 18, 2012 at 2:35AM ESTThen 2010's lineup was perhaps even stronger. Granted I have yet to see ZDT, Les Miz and Django but did I miss all the other good films this year too?
Mykill Everything is definitely subjective, but I think overall there has been a larger group of good movies that have come out this year then in the past few years. Besides the Oscar-type studio movies that have come out (and turned out to be really good), I definitely found a lot to like in some of the indie/foreign films like Damsels in Distress, Room 237, The Bay, Samsara, I Wish, Ruby Sparks, The Imposter, Beyond the Black Rainbow, Sound of My Voice, Compliance, Keep the Lights On, The Loneliest Planet, and Marfa Girl for example. To each their own, of course, but I really am going to have a hard time even trying to whittle down to a top 30 this year, much less a top 10 (and that hasn't happened to me since 2009.)
December 18, 2012 at 11:17AM ESTI also think that the best picture lineup has the chance to be the strongest one in years (if they avoid unadventurous films like Best Exotic Marigold Hotel or Hitchcock), but we shall see how that turns out...
Matthew Starr I've only seen about half of those and while I enjoyed/respected them (Ruby, Compliance, Sound of My Voice) I didn't particularly love any of them. Looking forward to checking The Imposter and Loneliest Planet.
December 18, 2012 at 12:12PM ESTjessied44
December 17, 2012 at 5:51PM EST Reply to CommentWell he managed to create a list with exactly one film I enjoyed and two I will make an effort to see.
The Dude
December 17, 2012 at 7:03PM EST Reply to CommentI really like your #1, even if it wouldn't be on the top of my list. Extremely underrated film.
But, while I have to see yet most of the major contenders, including stuff from people like PTA, Haneke and Tarantino, I doubt I'll see a movie as good, or at least as beautiful as Moonrise Kingdom. I loved every minute of it.
Hebrew
December 17, 2012 at 7:34PM EST Reply to CommentGood, sensible list.
What happened to the Les Misérables love?
Chris
December 17, 2012 at 10:14PM EST Reply to CommentIs it weird that, while going through the gallery and reading each slide, I could hear your VOICE out from the podcast saying these words again in my mind?? I should go out and do something christmasy right? more family and less nominations?
I actually paused the podcast to see if I could guess number 1, and even though I still remember reading your piece on how good The Grey was, all those months ago, I didn't get it. But it goes to show how much expectation you (unexpectedly) can feel from someone else's opinion you respect or appreciate, and when it comes to film, I truly respect In Contention's.
Loved the boost from Looper and, as divisive as a statement like "The Grey, 2012's best film" can be, it reminds readers that you stick to what you believe and feel about a movie and what you rate as the best. And if you are an assiduous reader like me, up to this point, "I should have known!", as Anne said on OscarTalk.
Keep up the good work, I'll 'unplug' myself out of the circuit once Guy's top comes around, mostly to see if my hunch of another surprisive #1 spot is correct(perhaps,a scarcely seen and awarded film? European? divisive? Yes).
Oh, and for those future commenters that might get heated up on that Liam Neeson high spot, let's remember what Mr. Tapley invites/begs us not to do:"to take any of this too seriously."
Kristopher Tapley Very sweet of you, Chris. Thanks for getting it. (Though out of curiosity, what was your guess?)
December 17, 2012 at 10:58PM ESTCasey Fiore
December 18, 2012 at 1:41AM EST Reply to CommentVery cool list. Another good year at InContenton. Keep up the good work, Kris
I saw in the comments of the podcast you said something about doing a list of the top ten performances of the year. Are you not going to do the normal ballot post?
Kristopher Tapley I think I'm done with the usual ballot post, yeah. I didn't keep track of it this year like I usually do. I wanted to change it up.
December 18, 2012 at 1:30PM ESTvia collins
December 18, 2012 at 2:03AM EST Reply to CommentYou've framed your choices beauitifully Kris, I must say. The title is a nice start, the rationale is even better. Agree, it's not been a stellar year, but it's been a consistently interesting one. I mean, the opening shot of REALITY back in Cannes remains my cinematic flourish highlight of 2012. It outdoes the whole of HOLY MOTORS for me!
I've always considered myself a foreign language cinema person first and foremost, but 2012 sees 7 out of 10 English language films in my 10 favourites. It's been an upside down year for sure.
I've not seen THE GREY, in fact I've missed a few of your choices, so maybe mine will alter once I finally catch The Master and MOONRISE KINGDOM. But for now, my list looks like this, in no special order:
HOLY MOTORS
L'AMOUR
KILLING THEM SOFTLY
WISH YOU WERE HERE
MARGARET
THE AVENGERS
SIDE BY SIDE
JOURNAL DE FRANCE
HUGO
BERNIE
Hope you have a great break, and look forward to another great year with the In Contention team.
crossie
December 18, 2012 at 3:41AM EST Reply to CommentNumber 1.
Yes.
I cannot believe the first movie I saw this year is STILL my favorite.
James Berclaz
December 18, 2012 at 6:56AM EST Reply to CommentThat's a lot of American films right there. I'm surprised by that. 9/10 seems excessive.
Kristopher Tapley I was surprised, too. I did not see Tabu or Almayer's Folly, mind, and I have a hunch one or both might have threatened. And Holy Motors is probably #11 (hence the choice of that for the photo here). But I wasn't as impacted by the foreign films I saw this year. Maybe "Sister" or "Barbara," but they didn't crack it. "Excessive" or not. *shrug*
December 18, 2012 at 1:33PM ESTMatt
December 18, 2012 at 1:48PM EST Reply to CommentI love the pick of the grey. A real underrated movie. The ending and the line at the end still remain as one of my favorite scenes and lines in movies this year. Kris, isn't it a shame that Liam Neeson's terrific and award worthy performance has been totally ignored from the awards circuit so far?
Colin Biggs Here's hoping a critics group can find it in their hearts to champion it.
December 19, 2012 at 6:09AM ESTJMC
December 19, 2012 at 4:07PM EST Reply to CommentOh film is a subjective beast, which is why I love it and reading your site...even to see the differences between you all on the same site.
Every year, I read your Top Ten list and it's always fascinating to see when people connect with some films for the exact same reasons/seem to have similar personalities, yet other films we react to in completely different ways.
While I haven't seen Amour/Zero Dark Thirty/Django Unchained yet, I felt like "My thoughts exactly" on your commentary on The Master, Lincoln, and Moonrise Kingdom. (Though I'm still not sure Moonrise Kingdom will make my top ten (as I'm still not a Wes Anderson type-guy, I certainly find it his best film and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.)
Yet, I had no such connection at all to Argo and Looper, two films I find very flawed and overrated.
Argo: I couldn't help but watch the film and feel like I was in one big thriller cliche that, with a "lesser" subject matter, would have felt like a tightly done but still silly thriller. While the film's "tension" seemed so unrealistic to me, I only felt more conned when realizing the last act is indeed pretty much entirely fictitious. While I'm not judging the film for its historical inaccuracies, often being the one arguing for filmmakers to take creative license, it was just a further confirmation of my reservations about the film. (SPOILER): To me, the scene in the van driving through the crowd, the walk through the vendors, etc. amounted to not much. And the whole climax at the airport (from "try again" with the tickets to the reason Arkin/Goodman are delayed) to exact timing the photos reveal who they are) was just one cliche after another, and, again, the fact that it's all untrue just felt like a B-thriller to me.
Looper had me until the halfway point when Bruce Willis becomes an almost unintelligent character and an after thought and the awesome set-up of Willis/Gordon Levitt in the diner scene goes nowhere.
The Grey: While I liked it enough, I never considered it great. That said, I think my father connected to it in the same way as you. I think you may be right that it strikes a chord with certain men.
But, again, it happens everywhere, and that's why the movies connect to us all in different way.
Some of the other films that "may" be close to my Top Ten list (of what I've seen):
Arbitrage: The 2nd to last scene with Susan Sarandon is a perfect ending.
Beasts of the Southern Wild: It's grown on me months later, and Henry really should have received more Supporting Actor attention.
Cloud Atlas: What can I say, I completely loved it. Likely top 5 for me.
Flight: Likely top 5. I just thought it was a near perfect film that captured alcoholism. I wish it was getting more attention, and I am holding out hope for a screenplay nomination...and an upset to slide into a Best Picture slot if we get into high single digits.
Seeking a Friend For the End of the World: While not perfect, one of the most bittersweet films I've ever seen.
If nothing else, more than The Master, Moonrise, Lincoln, etc...at least we agree: Silver Linings Playbook does NOT deserve Best Picture and is heavily flawed.