It’s been a great year for movies and I’ve tried to see as many as I can. I was surprised by the variety of the best films. Some are niche genre while others are large studio films. This kept the year in film from becoming stale and also proved a belief I have that excellence has nothing to do with the genre or scale of a motion picture but with the craftsmanship put into it. The top five films of this list were easy for me to decide, but the remaining five proved difficult with a lot of contenders. Without further rambling here is my list.
1. Beasts of the Southern Wild
I knew right away that this film was something special when the credits started to roll. It features stellar performances by a non-professional cast. A story that is abstract, moving, and full of momentum without a real plot to speak of. Set among survivors making the best of their life on the other side of a levee, it presents survival as a state of mind. This is done through the direction of Benh Zeitlin who, with his first feature, establishes himself as a voice to be heard. Everything works perfectly together. From a rousing score, that is one of the best I’ve ever heard, to the voice-over, and the naturalistic performances. This is a film I’ll revisit again and again and one of the best feature debuts I’ve ever had the luck to see.
2. Silver Lining Playbook
When you make a house of cards it’s easy at first and becomes more difficult as the house expands and elevates. Throughout the process you have to keep a steady hand though. This is similar to what director David O. Russell pulls off with this film. It’s a romantic comedy, a family drama, a quirky independent, and an uplifting studio film. It’s also one of the best films of the year. The cast, led by Bradley Cooper, in a career-best performance, create chemistry that feels honest and raw. The plot, while conventional, is always pushing the characters forward and showing them in every kind of light.
3. The Cabin in the Woods
Horror films seem to follow certain rules and contain certain character types. The Cabin in the Woods acknowledges this and has a hell of a time subverting them. Director Drew Goddard along with co-writer Joss Whedon create a film that feels like a fresh spin on horror and a tribute to it at the same time. It uses the premise written in the title to create a story that while not necessarily scary is definitely horrifying.
4. The Impossible
Films about natural disasters have a hard time balancing scope with well-drawn characters. The Impossible solves this problem by focusing on a single family but never losing sight of the horror and loss impacting everyone else. Through wide shots of the damage and the presence of body bags , it never lets you forget the incomprehensible loss that resulted from the 2004 tsunami. Powerful performances express the emotional and physical pain the family suffers. This is especially true for Naomi Watts, whose performance at times feels so real it’s tough to watch yet hard to turn away from.
5. Zero Dark Thirty
Director Kathryn Bigelow has found a great collaborator in journalist turned screenwriter Mark Boal. After the great The Hurt Locker they have worked together again to create the even better Zero Dark Thirty. It focuses on a CIA agent played by Jessica Chastain whose determination to find Osama Bin Laden never wavers. This movie shows the process of finding Bin Laden as complicated, painful, and far from easy. Small details like a computer desktop background with the image of a deceased friend create character depth in subtle ways.
6. The Dark Knight Rises
I have always found Batman to be a fascinating character. He’s a superhero with no super powers and an abundance of emotional scars. The last film in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy finds Batman more human than ever. He is hiding and full of grief and guilt. There are some pacing and technical issues such as a sequence that goes from day to night a little too abruptly. These issues are overshadowed by great performances and an ending that offers closure and hope. What makes it so powerful is that, because of the focus on drama in this film and the previous two, it feels earned.
7. The Innkeepers
Director Ti West follows up the very good The House of the Devil with this superb ghost story. It continues his method of using atmosphere to create tension in a long lead up to the first scares. It also contains far better acting and characterizations. Actors Sara Paxton and Pat Healy are great as two employees of a hotel about to close. They decide to investigate for ghosts and the best scares come through great sound design rather than CGI. This film may not be for everyone and what really happens in it is open for interpretation. Personally, I found it to be one of the best surprises of the year.
8. This is 40
Judd Apatow has produced some great comedies such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Bridesmaids, & Superbad but it is his films as writer/director that I find the most interesting. In This is 40 he follows the married couple from Knocked Up as they face middle age. The film may be messy and meandering but it feels achingly personal. Maybe this is because the director casts his wife and children. That’s part of it for sure but I think it is mainly because this film shows the hard work it takes to keep a marriage going and the ugly truths that marriage or any long term relationship can reveal.
9. The Master
Director Paul Thomas Anderson created one of my favorite films of all time with Magnolia. While The Master does not come close to that film for me it is still an impressive achievement. It is about the relationship between a troubled young man and a leader of a new religion with cult-like qualities. Joaquin Phoenix comes back from his acting hiatus with a performance for the ages. He embodies his character with a physical and emotional intensity that seems primal. 70mm film is used to capture the details of the performance in lingering close-ups. This and every other aspect of the film are extremely well done. Be warned though. This film is very slow and unsettling. So while I can’t necessarily recommend it to everyone and won’t re-watch it too often I am very happy I saw it.
10. The Grey
The trailer made The Grey look like Liam Neeson punching wolves. That is not what this film is. It is a survival tale and a character study. Liam Neeson delivers an excellent performance full of sadness, anger, and resolve. While there are exciting action sequences it is when Liam and the other survivors reflect on their lives that it is the most compelling. A poem is even recited by Liam Neeson’s character that adds real weight to the film rather than being a dramatic gimmick. That is the most important thing to take away from this short summary. This film is not the gimmick of Neeson punching wolves the trailers made it out to be. It is a survival tale with real dramatic and thematic weight.