We’re already two months into 2013, but as a victim of Austrian release dates I’m posting my year-end list just now.
Because I like doing lists, this post will not only feature my 10 favourite movies of 2012 but also my favourite performances in some specific categories (admittedly, inspired by Award shows like the Oscars, but I want to point out that I made my choices before the final results of the Oscars were revealed).
I want to point out that this is NOT a list of the BEST performances and films, but about my FAVOURITE pieces of cinema this year - things that affected me personally or gave me just a really good time, even when they weren't executed as properly as other stuff.
So, let's start right away. I'll begin with the different categories and close with my Top 10 List, thanks for reading and commenting at this point. Of course, this list is subject to change when something mesmerizing from 2012 comes across that I haven’t seen yet.
Favourite Lead Performance by a Male
Jean-Louis Trintignant in “Amour”
Runner Ups: Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln”, Christoph Waltz in “Django Unchained”, Jack Black in “Bernie”
For the second year in a row, I’m choosing an old Frenchmen as my favourite lead actor. This time though, unlike Michel Piccoli in last year’s Habemus Papam, Trintignant doesn’t exactly give an uplifting performance.
He’s my clear number-one choice. His heartbreaking performance alongside co-star Emmanuelle Riva is the reason Haneke’s epic about love and death works so well.
Daniel Day-Lewis is probably the most talented actor of his generation. The Academy agrees as we know since yesterday evening. He brings Abe Lincoln to life (as far as we can tell – nobody actually knows him of course) and owns the screen each time he starts speaking (and he speaks a lot). This is what great performances are all about.
Christoph Waltz’s performance in “Django Unchained” is inexplicably categorized as a supporting performance by almost all critics and Award shows. Considering that he’s in almost every frame of the movie, I’d put him in the lead category – he not only steals the show from Jamie Foxx, he’s clearly on par with him.
Richard Linklater’s little seen “Bernie” gave us another strong performance by a surprisingly versatile Jack Black. Although I think the film is hampered a bit by the real strange (but non-fictious) background, Black goes all in and succeeds.
Favourite Lead Performance by a Female
Emmanuelle Riva in “Amour”
Runner Up: Julianne Moore in “Game Change”
I always have a much harder time finding worthy female performances than male. This year it wasn’t so hard at all though. Emmanuelle Riva was mesmerizing in Michael Haneke’s “Amour” and the film sweeps the lead category with ease.
Pity, that Riva’s performance was so powerful, as 2012 was also the year of Julianne Moore playing the best Sarah Palin since Tina Fey. “Game Change” gives us a fair insight into the mind of the Governor of Alaska. HBO created another film, worthy of a theatrical release. Unlike e.g. the Oscars I feel free enough to include Moore in my list although she starred in a TV movie.
Favourite Supporting Performance by a Male
Michael Fassbenderin “Prometheus”
Runner-Ups: Ben Foster in “360”, Leonardo DiCaprio in “Django Unchained”, Robert DeNiro for his body of work
The supporting category was packed this year. Andy Serkis reprised his role as Gollum and is long overdue some recognition, Woody Allen should get love whenever he appears on screen – he always plays the same character, but he perfected the neurotic uptown New Yorker.
These two however, not even made my list. My favourite was Michael Fassbender as android David who has a thing for Lawrence of Arabia. He embodies the calm, emotionless robot perfectly, I’ve not a seen a more skillful performance all year and can’t understand why his performance ended up overlooked.
Speaking of overlooked, my number two is Ben Foster in Fernando Meirelles’ underrated (or let’s say critically trashed – don’t get that either) as a former sexual offender who is released from prison and has to withstand the temptations of a crowded airport. Foster shows us the inner turmoil of his character in a thoroughly sincere performance that I couldn’t see enough of (he doesn’t have much screen time though).
My second choice from “Django Unchained”, this time in a real supporting performance, is foul-toothed plantation owner Calvin Candie who is, like Waltz’s Dr. King Schultz another quirky character from the mind of Quentin Tarantino. He’s Francophile, clever (although, he heavily depends on his loyal head slave), sadistic and has arguably the best line of the movie (“You had my curiosity, now, you have my attention”). Could you ask for anything more in a character?
And, of course, this year also saw the reemergence of Bob DeNiro as a serious actor. Both in Being Flynn and Silver Linings Playbook he showed his skill that seemed eroded over the past couple of years.
Favourite Supporting Performance by a Female
Amy Adamsfor her body of work
Runner Ups:Maggie Smithin “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, Jacki Weaver in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Of the trinity of Hollywood’s redheads, I was most impressed by Amy Adams this year and after awarding Jessica Chastain in this very category last year, now it’s time for Adams.
Of course her lauded work in “The Master” brought her in the mix, but I also liked her performance in “Trouble with the Curve” where a warmer nuance of her acting ability was on display.
Another great female supporting performance features the most unlikely turn from racist to xenophile of the year. Maggie Smith also shows us a good amount of bitterness as well as sweetness, and in the last scene she provides us with an uplifting moment that makes us leave the theater with a smile on our face.
Jacki Weaver holds together a cast of lunatics and a household of men suffering from bipolar disorder. Nuff said.
Favourite Ensemble Cast
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Percy Jackson, ehm, Logan Lerman showed us that he could turn into a genuine actor some day, or, in fact, he has already. Emma Watson gives a brilliant performance that lets us forget about Hermione.
Ezra Miller would own this movie if the others weren’t so good as well. I didn’t choose one of them in the single categories as I felt that only the mix of all the characters made “Perks” the movie it is. So here it is. My favourite ensemble cast of the year!
Favourite Director
Michael Hanekefor “Amour”
Runner Ups: Ben Affleck for “Argo”, Olivier Assayas for “Après Mai”
Haneke’s most accessible film so far is a brutal punch in your face. A more appropriate title would be “Death” in my humble opinion, but “Amour” (which means “Love” if you don’t know) fits in quite well too if you think about it.
This film is only digestable because of Haneke’s amazing skill level, and his experience with difficult subject matters. He holds all the performances together and presents us film drama in his distinctive naturalistic style. While I see the quickly ascending Ben Affleck as an excellent director for profitable thrillers and Olivier Assayas as one of the best storytellers in world cinema today, Haneke is just a acolyte of pure film.
PS: Did you notice that all the films start with an “A”? ;)
Favourite Original Screenplay
Derek Connolly for Safety Not Guaranteed
Runner-Up: Rian Johnson for Looper
Time travel was big this year and so my two favourite screenplays of the year are both time travelling excercises. On the one hand you got one of the most original ideas I’ve seen in a while, originating from a real-life paper ad that inspired one of the most quirky and lunatic scripts of the year. The other coming from the excellent mind of Rian Johnson, who gives us an action-packed movie that lets us forget about the implausibilities of the subject’s nature.
Favourite Adapted Screenplay
Stephen Chbosky for Perks of Being a Wallflower
Runner Up: Chris Terrio for Argo, David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook
“Perks” is by far my favourite film of the year and this is mostly due to the ingenious adaptation of author Stephen Chbosky’s own novel. I haven’t read the source material, but the screenplay it inspired makes me kinda wanna read it. If a film manages to do that, you almost always got a winner.
My apologies, to the writers of “Cloud Atlas” and “On the Road”, films which I both really enjoyed and acknowledged, but my honorable mentions go to Chris Terrio for “Argo” and David O. Russell for “Silver Linings Playbook”. One being the most thrilling film of the year for me, the other impressed me with the right mix of wit and earnestness and enough great lines to make all the actors look really good.
Favourite Original Score
Hans Zimmer for The Dark Knight Rises
Runner Ups: Jonny Greenwood for The Master, Thomas Newman for Skyfall
I admit it. I’m a sucker for Hans Zimmer’s scores. I don’t care if this is recycled from TDK and doesn’t offer much more than pounding percussion and drums but if you heard it in IMAX like I did it probably still haunts you.
Props to Thomas Newman for rearranging beloved James Bond themes throughout the film and to Jonny Greenwood who created a main theme for “The Master” that I already fell in love with when I first heard the trailer.
Favourite Adapted Score
Project X
Already a pop cultural phenomenon, and featuring a kick ass party soundtrack that I use to get in party mood whenever I need, “Project X” is highly underrated in my opinion.
Not only did I like the soundtrack, I also liked the whole of the film. The found footage style is distracting sometimes but after all, I’ve never seen a party more epic on screen.
Favourite Sound
The Dark Knight Rises
Again, this is maybe partly because I saw TDKR in IMAX, but from all the blockbusters and art house flicks, I just can’t see a film getting anywhere near the great sound of TDKR.
It’s just perfect how the soundtrack blends in with the sound effects and the gritty visuals.
Best Editing (because Favourite Editing just sounds wrong)
Alexander Berner for Cloud Atlas
Runner Ups: William Goldenberg for Argo, Stephen Mirrione and Juliette Welfling for The Hunger Games
Spanning hundreds of years, telling six different stories with dozens of subplots which are all connected in some way, all not in chronological order, “Cloud Atlas” must have been an ordeal for editor Alexander Berner.
He succeeded though and although “Cloud Atlas” flopped commercially and wasn’t as highly praised by critics as it deserves, it’s a miracle that it worked as a congruent movie in the first place. Sure, the three directors working on it, and a decent script were the foundation for the film, but the editing held it together really well.
I almost honored “Argo” though, for its fancy cross cutting and nerve-racking climax-building, but after all, I liked “Cloud Atlas” a little bit more.
Favourite Cinematography
Gökhan Tiryaki for Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Runner-Up: Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi
Finally, something interesting for you guys. Out-of-the-box thinking on my account, awards Gökhan Tiryaki with my prize for Favourite Cinematography. There’s no discussion that films like “The Hobbit”, “Life of Pi”, “The Dark Knight Rises” and others gave as more mesmerizing and bigger images to gauge on, but I think no one did a better job, framing a film that’s set in one of the most uninteresting regions in the world, the Anatolian steppe, that every frame looks like a beautiful painting.
What really made the difference in the end, was the ingenious way, Tiryaki used car lights (I don’t think he really used the car lights but professional lighting systems, but it sure looks like it) to enlighten the bleak landscape.
“Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” got me in a little release date conflict, as it was screened at Cannes in spring of 2011 but didn’t made it to theaters in Austria or the US until spring of the following year. I chose to include it in my 2012 list, mainly for the reason to show it to you, my dear readers, and give it a little bit of a spotlight.
Favourite Visual Effects
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Runner Up: Life of Pi
Opening sequence, the camera flies towards Mt. Erebor, enters the halls of the Dwarf kingdom and shows us the vastness and luxury of their home.
To all, who criticize “The Hobbit” and maybe even compare it to LotR (which is completely insane and unfair), you can’t complain about these effects. This first film of the new trilogy has eagles, fighting mountains, Gollum, a dragon and Rivendell amongst others.
I loved the visual wonder worlds of “Life of Pi” and this amazing animated tiger, but this is all kid stuff compared to the world of Middle Earth that has come to life (again).
Favourite Production Design(includes: Costumes, Sets, Make-Up, Hairstyles, etc.)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Runner Up: Cloud Atlas, Moonrise Kingdom, Snow White and the Huntsman
For explanation just read the Visual Effects paragraph above. In the design department, “The Hobbit” had some serious competition though. The century-spanning sets and costumes of “Cloud Atlas”, the quirky and colourful design of Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” and the dark fairy tale that is “Snow White and the Huntsman” including, princesses’ dresses, enchanted forests and a lot of armour.
Nevertheless, “The Hobbit” still wins, I am a fanboy, and I love Middle Earth and nobody can compete against it.
Favourite Animated Film
Wreck-it Ralph
In my opinion, 2012 was a lackluster year for animation. Maybe it’s because I just wasn’t interested in the three Halloween flicks (“ParaNorman”, “Frankenweenie”, “Hotel Transylvania”) and the likes of “Rise of the Guardians” and “The Lorax”. Maybe, I shouldn’t even judge this year in animation considering the low number of total animated films I’ve actually seen.
But from all of them, only “Wreck-it Ralph” was above average. It was original, a bit nostalgic and could excite kids as well as parents. The visuals were at least on par with Pixar’s “Brave” (which I didn’t like very much btw – too Disney-ish) and certainly more colourful.
Thanks to a lot of video game licenses, thus a lot of unexpected cameos, and relatable characters as well as a thrilling action plot, “Wreck-it Ralph” takes home my recommendation and honoration.
Favourite Voice Artist
Seth MacFarlanein “Ted”
The Oscar host himself, gets my award for favourite voice artist. As I said, in the category before, I haven’t seen that many animated movies this year, so my choice was a bit limited and it seems logical that my choice comes from a live-action film.
Ted swears and sings and screams and actually behaves like a real person (unlike most characters in animated films) thus it’s easier for us to relate to this animated bear. MacFarlane is an experienced voice over artist, who has been working on his TV shows for years, and in “Ted” he not only shows similar skills in writing and directing as we know from his animated efforts on TV but also that his voice works on the big screen too.
Favourite Opening Credits
Comme un Chef
Runner Up: Skyfall
This year, I decided to also honor my favourite Opening Credits scene. I made up this category only because I thought my eventual winner, “Comme un Chef” needs some appreciation for it.
“Comme un Chef” is not a great movie. It’s decent though, it has Jean Reno in it and it’s about cooking (one of my preferred topics). The only special thing I could find about it was this amazing opening credit scene though. I can’t really explain how it looks like, you should just watch it yourself (feel free to watch the rest of the film as well – it’s not a mandatory viewing though).
For comparison matters, it’s even better than my second choice “Skyfall” (Bond movies are a lock in this category anyways), this is one film you’ve probably seen and where you can maybe recall the opening credits. If so, you get an idea how good the one in “Comme un Chef” is.
And here’s finally my Top 10 of 2012 with links to my reviews on RT:
1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
2. Intouchables
3. Life of Pi
4. Seven Psychopaths
5. Cloud Atlas
6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
7. Django Unchained
8. Silver Linings Playbook
9. Flight
10. Argo
Eldest2005 on 3/01/13 at 10:26 AM
Pretty good rundown here. But I have to really disagree with you about The Hobbit on visual effects. Don't get me wrong, they were good, but they weren't anywhere near as great as in TLotR because in those movies, the orcs and goblins were also people in makeup and costumes that made them look more realistic. Here, they're mostly done on computer. Life of Pi and Prometheus had better effects.
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Eldest2005 on 3/01/13 at 10:28 AM
You should really watch ParaNorman and Frankenweenie. Those were really good movies. The Lorax and Hotel Transylvania were OK. RotG I haven't seen.
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Eldest2005 on 3/01/13 at 10:30 AM
For your top 10, #1, 7, 8 & 10 are on my Top 10. #3 is in my honorable mentions. #4, 5, 6 & 9 were pretty good movies. The Intouchables I haven't seen.
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