2012 top 10

before I begin, allow me to say that 2012 was a fabulous year for film. I feel like my 11-15 movies of this year, would easily have made my top 10 in many other years. Actually some of the 16-20 of this year might have squeezed into the top 10 of other years. I am not joking. I could easily make a top 20 of this year and not even struggle to come up with the final few movies. My top 10 will be a mix of prestige films and films that were just pure enjoyment. My top movie of the year is easily a contender to enter my top 10 of all time (which admittedly has more than 10 movies). Okay, onto the recap.

I think the only movie that could have made this list that I missed this year is The Master.

First a few movies that just missed the top 10:
The Grey- Seek this out. Worlds better than the trailer
Flight- Denzel is sensational.
Sleepwalk with Me- Quirky and heartfelt. Seek this out!
Chronicle- Might be my favorite hand held film.
Lincoln- Just a little too dry, but very compelling.
Zero Dark Thirty- Jessica Chastain makes this movie tick.
The Hobbit- Suffers from a weak first act, but the riddle scene was worth it all.

10. 21 Jump Street- Honestly, as good as a year for movies as 2012 was, the comedies were not terribly memorable. However, this was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a really long time. Hill and Tatum make an excellent team, but it really is Tatum who blew me away. He went all in and we were rewarded by his efforts. He clearly does not take himself seriously, and this movie gave him a real chance to show it. It has hilarious one-liners, great physical comedy and some pretty killer action. I feel like it is going to be a memorable comedy for me for a long time and there are definitely lines I enjoy quoting still, 9 months later. Also, the cameo might be one of the best cameos in film. I was very unsure I would have any interest in this when I heard about it, but very early on in the movie, I realized this was exactly what I needed.

9. Silver Linings Playbook- This would be in the top 5 if the ending did not frustrate me so incredibly much. It almost knocked it out of my top 10, but the performances were too good for me to ignore. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence have a seriously sizzling chemistry and the while the screenplay and direction go completely awry in the end of the third act, the dialog is so refreshing for the most part. It was great to see De Niro act again, and I did not even mind the traditional story cliches that the film fell into because I feel like it established a kind of necessary story arc and the characters do such outlandish things, that it did not feel like a stretch for that whole "two big events on the same day thing" that so many movies do. I found it is to be very funny and depressing. It was quick tongued, but also pretty brutal. For years before he hit it big I was saying Cooper was going to be a force to be reckoned with and I am glad to see it happening.

8. Cabin in the Woods- In all honesty, most years this would easily be a top 5 movie for me. No joke, that is how much I loved this movie and this year in movies. It takes everything I love about horror movies, spins them around, squishes them together and creates a world that is hilarious, creepy, violent and 100% full of awesome. A great cast of "typical" horror movie characters, and such a brilliant premise that I worried the film would cave in on itself in the third act, but instead of caving in on itself, it explodes every possible idea you have about horror movies into one of the most unique third acts I have ever seen in the genre. if you are looking for a straight horror movie, pass on this, because it is not a horror movie. It is a smart deconstruction of a genre that people either love or hate. It is no surprise that Joss Whedon has his hands all of this. Also, if there is any justice in the world, Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins will do more movies together.

7. The Perks of being a Wallflower- It bums me out that this movie did not get any real traction upon its release. It is that damn good. How Ezra Miller does not have a supporting actor nomination for this movie is beyond me. Everything in this movie works and it should not. Coming of age novels often make meandering, navel gazing films, but this movie has heart and soul and crackles with life and sadness and love and all of the things you thought in high school. Emma Watson sheds the Harry Potter thing beautifully and Logan Lehrman takes an iconic young adult literary character and turns him in this fully fleshed out young man that you are dying to root for. Stephen Chbosky is definitely making a case that authors should write and direct the adaptations of their books, because every move he makes is pitch perfect. I hope this film finds life on DVD. it deserves a real audience.

6. Les Miserables- I know this movie divides people like crazy, and I get it. Personally, I do not love the stage musical and I loathe the story, generally. However, this movie genuinely filled me with emotion at so many times, it was impossible for me to ignore. The direction sucks, but this is another movie where the performances really did everything for me. I think Hugh Jackman gives my favorite performance of the year (although Cooper and Denzel were both brilliant). His Valjean just destroyed me countless times. I loved his voice on film. I am not sure doing it that way would work on staqe, but on film, where I want things more intimate, I just loved him. I cannot say enough about Anne Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream." I mean it really is one of the best sequences of the year in any film. Her raw, fragile state just gutted me. No joke, it is a thing of beauty in all of its ugliness. I have complaints about the movie, but the emotional core is there and that is what spoke to me during the film.

5. The Dark Knight Rises- When this movie exploded onto the masses, it was not met with the same universal praise as The Dark Knight. I get it, it is slower and the villain is not as enigmatic as Heath Ledger's Joker, but I totally bought into it. I found Tom Hardy to be a serious force with which to be reckoned. His menacing Bane pummeling Bale's Batman during an otherwise silent scene, was just a work of demented art. I thought the arc of the story was magnetic and I found the new characters to be just be perfect in every way. Hathaway's Catwoman was sexy, sophisticated and strong and Joseph Gordon Levitt's beat cop was the center piece for me. Everyone was wonderful and Nolan's ability to give Batman a sense of gravitas will always fill me with wonder. I did not think the movie was overly long because when you truly love something, can it really be too long? I had incredibly high expectations for this movie and I felt like every single one of them were, at the very least, met and some were exceeded. The action sequences were paced wonderfully and I was never bored during the extended plot oriented moments. People want to whine about the ending, but I actually felt like they did not do the cop out ending, so kudos to everyone.

4. The Avengers- Much like Jurassic Park, the Avengers is pure entertainment and like Jurassic Park, it entertains on every single level. It is hilarious, the action is insane, it has heart and soul and it has the best use of The Hulk I have seen on film. Joss Whedon, having a killer year, really outdid himself with this film. No joke, it works every single minute. Everyone on screen is perfect at what they do, the movie is paced beautifully and it never loses a sense of playfulness, even among the madness of the action. RDJ, of course, does everything right as Tony Stark, but for me, the real jewel in the bunch is Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner. Now the third actor in less than 15 years to play Banner, Ruffalo gets him down exactly. Nothing is wasted in this movie. Every joke worked for me, every moment of action was sharp and awesome. The effects were phenomenal and I just flat out enjoyed myself. There is a lot to be said about movie that is just entertaining as hell.

3. Django Unchained- You know a year in film is excellent if a Tarantino film does not end up in my top 2. Tarantino has probably created his most complete film with Django. It has great dialog, wonderful visual flair, perfectly placed music and 4 outstanding performances. It also has heart, which many of his movies lack. There is something deeper to be found within Django and it does not get lost even when QT does his insane QT thing. It really is a wonderful movie and it was even better a second time, for me. Everything clicks for me here. DiCaprio is menacing to a point I did not think he could be, Foxx and Waltz have a great easy chemistry about them, and Sam Jackson's performance is so daring that I was not sure it was real. Everyone sounds comfortable with the rhythm of QT dialog and the pacing works, even with a new editor. I loved the cinematography and found the locations to be outstanding. I really felt this movie, though, which is why I am excited for the next chapter of QT's career. Imagine if he was always able to inject real human stakes to all of his movies? Hell yes!

2. Argo- This continues to surprise me. With all of the other movies to come out this year, this is still standing at number 2. That is just how much I loved everything about it. Affleck has directed 3 pretty incredible movies, but he upped the ante here. Every single moment of Argo crackles. It is intense on so many levels that I was exhausted when it was over. It has great humor as well, but the humor did not detract from the intensity, it only heightened it in some weird way. Alan Arkin got the nomination, but God bless John Goodman. I mean seriously, can the man get recognized for making every movie he is in better? I thought the script was phenomenal and the little details of the era were remarkable. I found myself completely wrapped up in everything that was going on and having never learned any of this in school, I had no idea what was going to happen and it made the already insane pacing of the third act even more insane. I love how absurd everything is, but how real everything is at the same time. The way those two ideas blend is a testament to just how confident Affleck is as a director. Oh and do no get me wrong, he is solid as an actor in this as well. His steady hand behind the camera shines through for him on camera as well. If you have not seen this movie, I really suggest you see it as soon as possible.

1. Looper- Every so often a movie comes out and it just hits you like nothing else ever has. These are the movies that top top 10 lists for the year and movies that make "All Time" lists. For me, Looper is one of those movies. I cannot fully explain why. In all honesty, something about this movie just clicked. Gordon-Levitt and Willis do great work all throughout the film. There is no denying that. Blunt and Pierce Gagnon are outstanding. All of the supporting/cameo roles are played perfectly. But that happens often in movies. This was about something more. There is a level of creativity working here and a level of cinematic freedom that sings from the opening beats. Rian Johnson has directed 3 movies in 3 different genres and all 3 of them work. He is a visionary writer and director and Looper is already a masterpiece for him. I do not want to hear your nonsense about time travel loop holes. Save it, seriously. It is a movie. It is not meant to be realistic. If it did not work for you, fine. However, when it ended, I just sat there in stunned silence. That does not happen often. I am pretty quick to grab my phone and tweet a quick response. Not here. I needed to just sit and let it all sink in. It is the kind of movie that reminds me why I love movies. I was so filled with emotion, but not really because the movie is emotional (it has a great emotional punch), but because I felt like I just finished watching something that truly transcended me as someone who appreciates the art. When Looper was done I knew I had just seen something that only comes along every so often. It was a magical experience for me. It was a film that I never wanted to end, but when it ended, I was glad because it meant I had experienced it completely.