Ryan McNeil
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want 2012 to end.
It was a year where I got to spend a lot of time with moviegoing friends that I only knew as avatars and Twitter handles. First I packed my bag to meet a few and discovered that movielovers are the same no matter where in the world they call home. As if that wasn’t gift enough, two months later I got to do it all over again…but in my own town, in the theatres I call home away from home.
As if the social end of it wasn’t reward enough (and it was), what we all gathered to watch on-screen and discuss (and discuss…and discuss…) was pretty darned good in its own right! In recent years, it feels like we’ve had to stand knee-deep in the river, and pan through the mud for the good stuff. Now, suddenly in 2012, the big studios remembered how to deliver good movies. Is this a trend that will continue? Can producers and executives learn a lesson from a year where audiences returned in record numbers? Here’s hoping. After all, as much fun as it is to dig for the goods, we should also be able to take a short walk up to the multiplex and be treated to something worthwhile.
The trend might well end at the toll of midnight, but here’s hoping 2013 brings more of the same.
As for the year that was…
Ryan’s Top Five Films of 2012
#5. DJANGO UNCHAINED
I watched this film a mere five days ago. In between then and now, I’ve found it difficult to articulate just why I dug it as much as I did (after the review and the podcast, this now makes for my third attempt). The film deserves props for riding the razor’s edge of bad taste where the American history of slavery is concerned. Even in succeeding as well as I believe he does, Tarantino has received a high amount of flak for his choice of subject matter, little of which I believe is deserved. The fact that the film was able to make such hateful discussion crackle is no easy task – one wrong move and the whole thing becomes one giant exercise in disrespect. Happily, Tarantino is able to keep his footing on the tightrope, allowing moments like the one pictured above – a former slave taking a whip to a slave driver – to play for a twisted catharsis.
What we are given is an unlikely companion piece to INGLORIOUS BASTERDS; and like that film, a story in which every last bullet is used to maximum effect.
(Full DJANGO UNCHAINED review here)
#4. LINCOLN
As a foreigner looking inward, it feels as though America is at a crossroads. It’s the sort of junction they have found themselves at before, one that does not allow one more step without serious consideration. What I’m left wondering, is whether a film like LINCOLN might help them to realize that historically speaking, the walk down the right path has never come without a serious amount of debate and ill-intent.
There has been some question as to whether Abraham Lincoln is too deified in Steven Spielberg’s movie, a question which leaves me puzzled. After all, the man we are shown is a man struggling to keep control of his own family, a man who is questioned by his own political party, and a man who is completely vilified by his political opposition. While he ultimately is able to pass the historic measure of the 13th amendment, he is not able to do so without serious bargaining, arm-twisting, and in some cases flat-out lying. “Honest Abe” indeed.
Such a tack is not what one would expect from a director like Spielberg who can be prone to lionizing his subjects…but it’s the tack that makes the film a fascinating watch.
(Full LINCOLN review here)
#3. AMOUR
There shouldn’t be any surprises contained within AMOUR. For starters, it tackles a subject that the majority of us have faced in one way or another. If we haven’t had to watch our own partner shuffle off this mortal coil with agonizing slowness, we’ve seen a parent endure it…or a grandparent…or a dear friend. It’s an inevitability; one we don’t think about on those first few exciting dates, and certainly not when we gussy ourselves up to say “I do”.
What’s more, even if we have forgotten about what we’re in for, what Michael Haneke hands us is a film that begins with the discovery of a body. The fate of Emmanuelle Riva is one of the very first things we encounter as the story unfurls.
And yet, when it’s over, we still find ourselves shaken and shocked. From a film that spends so much of its runtime sailing on a rather even keel, it’s amazing that it is able to do these things…and yet it does them all with grace. AMOUR is one of the saddest, most startling, and most beautiful films of the year. One that’s bound to stick with you for a long time.
(TIFF reaction to AMOUR here)
#2. ARGO
A good friend of mine just called ARGO “the best reviewed three-star film of the year”. He’s not entirely wrong. After all, here is a film that follows the beats of a standard political drama. So what is it that makes it such a fascinating watch? In a word: execution.
There’s nothing about the Iran Hostage Crisis that was funny, and yet there are plenty of laughs to be had in ARGO. It’s a story many people knew the end of, and yet many of those same people found their knuckles white with tension. Like I said: execution.
So am I saying that a film should be praised because it nails every beat that it lays out? Yes, yes I am. Why am I suggesting that? Because it seems like with every passing week, and every passing nitpick of a tweet, Hollywood is finding it harder and harder to execute these days. So when a studio film comes along that is able to deliver on its promise, create something handsome, witty, and memorable – it’s reason to stop and take note.
(Full ARGO review here)
#1. PROMETHEUS
On the Year-End Matineecast, Lindsay pointed out to me that I’ve started countering the PROMETHEUS blowback by overselling it, so I’ll try to dial that back today.
What I like most about PROMETHEUS isn’t what it adds to the cannon of the ALIEN universe, but the ideas it ponders within its own framework. Month after month, it feels like we are witness to another prequel, sequel, remake, or reboot. Very few of them have anything of much value to say about the world they are expounding upon, let alone the world of us in the audience. These films just want to tap on some familiar beats, get us to an expected ending point, and make a run for it with $300M of our hard-earned. Then along comes PROMETHEUS, which isn’t all that interested in neatly tying a bow around a world we’ve been exploring for thirty-plus years. Instead of unveiling the origin of the beacon, it’s more interested in exploring the origin of mankind. Pretty audacious for a franchise left for dead not all that long ago.
In addition, PROMETHEUS carries at its core a theme that many of us (myself included) should pay more attention to: arrogance. It’s the story of an arrogant industrialist in search of an arrogant result. Right behind him are some arrogant scientists that arrogantly believe they have a right to come face to face with their creators. As is often the result when arrogance gets too far out of check, everyone faces huge consequences.
It’s that warning against arrogance that has made PROMETHEUS stick with me as the year’s top dog. In a time where we all think we know what’s best and what’s right, we all carry with us an air of arrogance that needs to be curbed if we’re ever going to be able to listen to one-another and really get anywhere.
For that lesson, and the visual splendour that it was told with, PROMETHEUS is my top film of 2012.
(Full PROMETHEUS review here)
Other films on my shortlist for 2012 include ANNA KARENINA, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, BRAVE, CLOUD ATLAS, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, LIFE OF PI, LOOPER, THE MASTER, MOONRISE KINGDOM, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, RUST AND BONE, SAMSARA, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and SKYFALL
It was certainly a great year for big studio films. Kudos to your for choosing Prometheus. That film will feature high on my list too.
Happy New Year Ryan!
Thank-you sir. Happy to see I got through two days’ worth of singing its praises without losing half my readership.
Ugh when o when will I watch Django Unchained? Even though I was neutral towards it, I like that you picked Prometheus. One’s favourite is one’s favourite.
Argo is in my top 10. I think… if I had been able to see Amour objectively, I would have loved it.
Amour is a really tough film, and any sort of personal attachment will cause one of two polar reactions: One will either completely drown in it, or completely resist it because it hits too close to home.
I dug your number one too (AVENGERS) as I mentioned on the podcast when Dionne brought it up. I think its absence from my top ten isn’t so much a dig on it, as it is a testament to how great a year 2012 was at the movies.
I like Prometheus a lot so I am glad it’s your #1 movie of the year. A rare movie that actually entertains me and make me think (at least a little) afterwards. I will probably pop it into my blu-ray and watch it again tonight.
My top 10:
1)The Imposter
2)Stories We Tell
3)The Dark Knight Rises
4)The House I Live In
5)Smashed
6)A Simple Life
7)Cabin In The Woods
8)Amour
9)Holy Motors
10)Django Unchained
STORIES WE TELL is probably my greatest regret of a 2012 film I didn’t catch up with (guess I’ll have to make a trip to Light box soon!). As for THE IMPOSTER, I was deeply smitten with it when I finally watched it last week. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to listen to the year-end podcast because we talk about it there at some length.
Yes I did listen to it. It’s a good discussion, I am glad people seem to like it as well (did well in the CAST voting result).
Anyway, STORIES WE TELL is playing this Sat at Lightbox as part of the Canada Top 10, and there is a conversation with Sarah Polley preceding this, hopefully you can make it. I will be there for both events.
I saw this coming. Sorry, but even with your high praise I’m just not interested in Prometheus.
I’ve only seen one film in this list (Argo) and it’s my least favorite of what I’ve seen this year. I will be checking out Amour and Lincoln in the future.
Per usual, I’ll say that I’ve just not seen enough of the films I want to see before actively promoting a set list. What I say now I’m fairly certain will change drastically in the next few months as I catch up with more films that hit home video.
Are you any sort of counter-entry based around your own viewing habits? “Top Ten First-Watches of 2012” perhaps?
I’d be interested in seeing that! To that end, (and in my case omitting new releases) my list would go like so:
PICKPOCKET
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM
A MAN ESCAPED
FRANKENSTEIN
ACE IN THE HOLE
You mean like this? http://cinemasights.com/?p=11899
That’s the 20 best films I saw for the first time this year (non-2012 releases) plus 5 watching trends.
I’m a little surprised at how much you liked WAR OF THE WORLDS. I mean, I like it a lot myself, but so many people seem to loathe that film.
Great list, man. Not because I agree, really, because I don’t, because I personally didn’t like Prometheus but I respect that you made it your #1 if you like it that much. And I also love what you write about Lincoln (totally agree that he is NOT deified – that argument makes no sense to me) and about Argo. What you say about Argo is exactly why I like and respect it and, yet, don’t love it, if that makes sense.
Happy New Year!
Thank-you good sir – when I was writing my thoughts on PROMETHEUS, I was pretty sure I’d have to turn in my cinephile card.
Are my eyes deceiving me, or have you not posted your own list yet?
I am waiting until I can see “Zero Dark Thirty” this weekend until I officially unveil my list. But everything on the list is pretty much set.
See, I might have said this already, but for me I think it’s important to just “draw a line” at some stage…otherwise one could easily prolong things until March.
For instance, just yesterday I saw STORIES WE TELL, and thought to myself that it easily could have made my five. But without rules, it’s all just chaos, right?
And for me, ZD30 is still a week away!
I’m seeing Django and Lincoln in the next couple of weeks, so looking forward to seeing where I come out on them. I admired Amour but I could never put a film which made me so sad in my top 5 – does that make sense? Never thought about Prometheus from that POV, hmm… Here’s hoping for another great year of film in 2013.
I actually got into further detail as to what I liked about PROMETHEUS in the full review. Give it a read if you didn’t the first time around.
I liked PROMETHEUS alot (saw it twice in cinema) but didn’t love it. Feel the need to rewatch after checking out your full review
back to AMOUR – why do you resist a film that made you so sad? It elicited a powerful emotional response. Had it elicited a powerful emotional response of positivity, you’d be screaming its name from the hills, right?
Just curious.
kudos on sticking with a film you loved despite pressure from people who hated it!
It wasn’t easy, but the response I’ve got has been encouraging.
Your top two choices for 2012 have been knocking around my to-see list for a l-o-n-g time. Think I’ll have to get off my duff and finally pull the trigger!
I honestly don’t get the hate for Prometheus. While I occasionally enjoy poking fun at it (I mean, I *did* make a Prometheus musical once), it really wasn’t all that bad. It is awesome that you stuck by it – I’ve never seen a good film like that be bashed as much as it did…until The Dark Knight Rises came out. I still have to see the rest, but I am really excited to see Django Unchained now. Only three weeks to go!
When that happens, you gotta wonder if everyone else saw the same film you did. I mean, it elicited a personal reaction in me – but it wasn’t SO personal that I should be the only one seeing it this way.
I’m likely coming up on my third watch of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES in the next week, and I’m right with you that the film is better than detractors would have us believe. As time goes on, and more directors get things wrong where comic book films are concerned, many will come to understand how great that film really is.
Excellent choices and nice to see Prometheus at number one. It turned into the film everyone seemed to hate and I personally loved it. It’s also in my personal top 10 (which you can check out on my blog)
Your choice for top dog is a film I’ve been meaning to catch up with for a long LONG time. I think you might have finally got me to get my ass in gear!
I was not expecting Prometheus to top the list. I’m still cummulating mine for the Nevada Film Critics Society, but right now I’m looking at Looper, Skyfall or Django for top-spot.
So in the end you went with LOOPER, which is a film I can’t wait to revisit (even have the blu-ray just waiting on the shelf for a look!).
As for PROMETHEUS, well – what can I say. Like a few other years (2009, 2011) I ended up seeing something in the summer that stuck with me for days and weeks. As time went on, I kept waiting for something to affect me even more…but nothing quite got there.
In a way I feel like it’s a strange film to champion, but I’d be lying if I denied how much I loved it.
Only a top 5 Ryan? But hey you’ve got excellent arguments for each instead of just slapping a list. I LOVE Argo, totally agree about the execution, hence I hope Ben gets a Best Director nod at the very least. Sorry, I’m just ok with Prometheus, it didn’t wow me. Very interesting point about arrogance however, you always have such a keen eye on films, I find that very admirable.
It’s a well-worn tradition around these parts that the year-end list is a five. If you dig into my Letterboxd profile, you can see numbers six to twenty-five.
And obviously I share in the admiration for ARGO. It was a film I was very close to adding to my TIFF schedule, but I passed it over for similar studio offerings (like SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK and THE MASTER). From what I’ve heard, that screening I skipped was quite the event!
Next time.
I love how articulate you are about why you like films, in such short concise paragraphs.
I haven’t yet seen Lincoln, or Django – I’ve had no time for movie watching recently and am only now beginning to catch up. Seems you had a great movie year in 2012, let’s hope 2013 is the same!
It ain’t easy to come up with those paragraphs brother! Especially without repeating myself (which I fear I do anyway)
Do give those titles a look sometime as they have good things to offer.
As for the goodness we’ve had on our screens, I’m beginning to become a firm believer that there is a lot of cinematic joy to be had…and that all it takes is a few tastemakers to point us towards the goods.
Nice list, Ryan! I’m wanting to see Amour — had no idea it would receive the buzz it has, but I find it very cool. Happy to see Django and Argo in your top 5. Really enjoyed both of those immensely and imagine both will make my top 10 list. I don’t blame you for putting Prometheus high on your list – movies are so subjective, and honestly, it was beautiful visual entertainment. I’m not as big of an Alien fan having not seen all of the movies (I’ve seen only Alien and then Prometheus in 2012), but I did very much enjoy it.
Buckle up for AMOUR. It’s an incredible watch, but keeps its emotional intensity at a simmer.
As for PROMETHEUS, I’m sorta curious: How did you take top its themes of spirituality?
Having now seen 3 of your 5 choices, I feel like I can finally make some kind of comment on your list! I didn’t love PROMETHEUS as much as you did, but its ideas are indeed really interesting and it’s definitely not your typical phoned-in prequel. I feel like a lot of people judged it more harshly than it deserved, but I understand why it didn’t win everyone over. Good points regarding ARGO, and DJANGO I won’t comment on. AMOUR hasn’t come out around here yet but that’s one of the 2012 films I still definitely want to see! LINCOLN… eh I might wait for a home release for that one, I’m not especially motivated (except by Lee Pace and Walton Goggins!).
I really dug the films on your list that I’ve seen – and of course there were also some suggestions for titles that I haven’t caught yet!
Heh, as for Lee Pace in LINCOLN, when you *do* see it, prepare yourself not to like him. He’s pretty good at playing a stubborn right-wing blowhard.
And as always, thanks for reading A.