Movie of the Week! (1/27/13-2/2/13)

Trainspotting (1996)

There have been a couple of qualities that have constantly been present in each film featured is this young Movie of the Week! Series: rich characters and an engaging screenplay. This week’s selection, Trainspotting, continues this trend with it’s fascinating characters and its fast paced, brutally honest dialogue. Based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting introduces us to Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), a young man from Edinburgh trying to turn his drug influenced life around. Through a comedic lens, Renton’s journey could not be more interesting as it explores the impact that addiction can have.   

Review: 'Gangster Squad'

Warner Bros. Pictures

As a law enforcement movie, Gangster Squad, on the surface, has it all. It has the group of men that want to make a difference. It has the ruthless mob leader. Most of importantly, at the base of its plot is good versus evil. On the surface this all works fine. You have your sentimental underdog story with characters to root for and against. Though, once Gangster Squad is looked at underneath its surface, weak characters and an abundance of overly sentimental moments are found which ultimately add up to a film that offers nothing more than a nice look.

In 1949 Los Angeles, former boxer Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has become one the biggest names in organized crime. Cohen has gained power over not just Los Angeles but the entire state of California due to successfully bribing judges, politicians and policeman. California is not enough for Cohen though as he has his sights set for control of organized crime in both Chicago and New York.  Not on Cohen’s side is the head of the L.A. Police Department, Bill Parker (Nick Nolte), who recruits Sargent John ‘Sarg’ O’Mara (Josh Brolin) to put together a team to take down Cohen. With the help of his wife Connie (Mireille Enos), O’Mara selects five men who bring something special to the squad: Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) and detectives Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie), Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi), Navidad Ramirez (Michael Pena) and Max Kennard (Robert Patrick).  

Gangster Squads lack of depth can be seen fully in its characters and relationships. Mickey Cohen is the character that suffers the most from being one note. As the film’s protagonist, Cohen as a ruthless character is expected. The problem is the way that this is handled. Nearly every time Cohen is on screen, he is either getting extremely angry or having someone killed and nothing more than this. This is fine at first but when this starts to be a regular occurrence, it becomes evident that there is nothing behind this character. The film opens with explaining how Cohen was once a champion boxer and then is really not explored again in a way that gives depth to the character or connects it to his criminal ways. Cohen may appear ruthless or the worst that mankind to has to offer but with no interesting back story or character traits he comes off as over the top.

Unfortunately, placing two weak characters into a relationship does not make them more compelling as this is the case with Gosling’s character, Jerry Wooters and Grace Faraday (Emma Stone). Grace, Cohen’s girlfriend, catches the eye of jerry and from this point on the film focus on this relationship becomes the constant worry of Cohen finding out. If you are looking for the same type of chemistry between Gosling and Stone that was displayed in Crazy, Stupid, Love, you will be likely be disappointed as the relationship they have in Gangster Squad is a far cry from any past involvement of theirs. This relationship involves very little emotion and does so little by saying so much which makes it difficult to believe or care about. It attempts to convince the audience that it is more important to the story than it actually is.

The films second half takes sentimental moments and runs them into the ground as every other seen is some kind of heartfelt moment or speech. Every character from the squad is given some kind emotional moment which is all crammed into the film’s final fifty minutes or so which takes over the story.  There is nothing wrong with emotional moments or scenes but they should be used in a way that helps to tell the story and move the film along. The way they are used in Gangster Squad is to hammer down the point of how bad Mickey Cohen is and how loyal and brave members of the gangster squad are which really adds nothing to the story.     

At face value, Gangster Squad is an entertaining film.  A lot of this has to do with the ‘flashy’ touches added such as the 1940’s setting and creative shoot ‘em up scenes. This appears to be something that director Ruben Fleischer has a hold on as his first feature length film, Zombieland, was also ascetically pleasing. Very little can be found though when one begins to look past all the glamour.  If Fleischer were to give more attention to the characters and stories featured in his films than he would quickly become a director that would appeal to a much broader audience.  

Grade: C-

Movie of the Week! (1/20/13 - 1/26/13)

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Another week, another movie! It's time to go back and examine a movie that I was too young to remember its release, The Usual Suspects. A common quality that has been exhibited in all of the MotW (Movies of the Week) so far has been pitch-perfect casting. The Usual Suspects doesn't break this trend. Pollack, Baldwin, and Byrne all give the performance of their lifetime and Spacey is absolutely phenomenal in one of the best roles of the 1990s. The Usual Suspects is full of drama, intrigue, and action and will leave you thinking about its ending weeks after viewing it. Enjoy!

And remember, after you've had your mind blown, come back and discuss it.

Movie of the Week! (1/13/13 to 1/19/13)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) decides to end her relationship with Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) when she begins to feel that it is not working out anymore. This is not done through simply breaking up with him and moving on. That wouldn’t be original enough for writer Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation).  Clementine goes through with a procedure performed by Lacuna, Inc. that erases all the memories that were a result of her and Joel’s relationship. After finding out about this procedure, a devastated Joel decides to have the same procedure done. The majority of the film then takes place during this procedure inside the mind of Joel as he attempts to hang on to his memory of Clementine. This science fiction, romantic comedy, psychological thriller takes an intriguing, in-depth look at the mechanics of a relationship and the role that memory has in it. Kaufman, along with director Michel Gondry (Human Nature) successfully blend all the aforementioned genres to create a thought engaging but equally entertaining cinematic work.     

2013 Academy Award Nominations

AMPAS

It’s that time of year again. It’s award season. For the next six weeks several award ceremonies will take place such as the Critic Choice Awards (1/10), Golden Globes (1/13), Screen Actor Guild Awards (1/27) and the granddaddy of them all, the Academy Awards (2/24). With Academy Award Nominations being announced yesterday, we now have better idea of who will be taking home an Oscar. Like any other year, the 2013 nominations offer plenty of veterans nominees, new comers, surprises and of course the snubs. Let’s take a look at what exactly this year’s nominations have to offer.

No other film received as many nominations as Lincoln did, with the historical drama racking up a total of twelve nominations. The individuals receiving nominations for their work on Lincoln are no strangers to the Oscars, especially Steven Spielberg and John Williams. With a Best Picture and Director nomination for Lincoln, Spielberg now has a total of 15 Academy Award nominations. It has been nineteen years since Spielberg won two Oscars for Schindler’s List but I would not be surprised if this is the year Spielberg returns to the stage for an acceptance speech as Lincoln appears to be a major contender for Best Picture. Spielberg’s fifteen nominations have nothing on composer John Williams’ now forty eight nominations. Already the record holder with the most Oscars for a composer, Williams earned another nomination for his original score featured in Lincoln.

Lincoln’s acting performances got plenty of love as well with three nominations. Daniel Day Lewis’s performance as the Abraham Lincoln earned him his fifth Best Actor nomination. If Day Lewis goes on to win in this category, he will become the first person to be awarded Best Actor three times. In a film filled with supporting actors, Tommy Lee Jones was the one that got the most attention from the Academy as they gave him his forth Oscar nomination. If Jones were to win Best Supporting Actor, it would be is second win as he won for his role in The Fugitive. Like Day Lewis and Jones, Sally Field is also already in possession of the coveted gold statue but she is now once again in the running for a third as her turn as the first lady, Mary Todd Lincoln earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

For Ben Affleck, the third time is a charm as his film Argo received a Best Picture nomination, the first of any of his films to do so. This nomination does not come with much surprise but what is a surprise is Affleck’s absences in the Best Director category. Unlike Affleck, Alan Arkin was recognized for his solid work in Argo as his performance was the only one from the film to get a nomination. The last time Arkin was nominated for Best Supporting Actor he won for his role in Little Miss Sunshine.

With a Best Picture nomination, Les Miserbales becomes the first full out musical since Chicago to receive the honor. One of the films musical numbers from the film, “Suddenly” was nominated for best original song. A film with strong performances, Les Miserables received two Acting nominations in the form of Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway. Jackman, a first time nominee, was nominated for Best Actor. Hathaway, one of few individuals to both be nominated and host the Oscars, received a Best Supporting Actress nomination, her second overall.

Three Years ago Kathryn Bigelow made history as she became the first woman ever to win an Academy Award for Best Director. Her follow up to the Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty gives Bigelow another Best Picture nomination but she won’t be winning another Best Director Oscar because, like Affleck, she was surprisingly left out when it came to the Best Directing category. Last year Jessica Chastain received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for performance in The Help but was over shadowed by all the attention her fellow nominated co-stars Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer received. This year though, the spotlight is all on her as she not only was nominated for Best Actress for her performance in Zero Dark Thirty but looks to be in a two woman race with Jennifer Lawrence to win the award.

Beast of the Southern Wild seems to be this year’s cinderella story as the independent film received four nominations including Best Picture. In his full length feature film directorial debut, Benh Zeitlin received a Best Director nomination as well as one for Best Adapted Screenplay which is shared with Lucy Alibar. Both of these nominations came as a surprise but the fact that Zeitlin was not nominated for his phenomenal score was also a surprise. The films lead, Quvenzhane Wallis was also recognized and at age nine becomes the youngest person ever to be nominated for Best Actress. 

The Austrian film, Amour received not only a Best Foreign Language Film nomination but also found its self in the Best Picture category. Director Michael Haneke was among the surprises that this year’s nominations had to offer as he received a Best Director nomination for the film. When it comes to the Oscars, you are never too old for your first time. This is exactly the case for first time nominee Emmanuelle Riva who at age eighty five is oldest person ever be nominated for a lead acting Oscar. The Best Actress nominee will actually celebrate her eighty sixth birthday on the night of the awards ceremony, February 24^th. 

Six of Silver Linings Playbook’s eight nominations’ came in the six major categories (Best Picture, Lead Actor and Actress, Supporting Actor and Actress, Screenplay). No other film received as many acting nominations as Silver Linings Playbook, having a performance recognized in every acting category. For Best Actress and Supporting Actress, Jennifer Lawrence and Jackie Weaver both received their second nominations in the same categories. It has been twenty one years since two time winner Robert De Niro was last nominated but now the legendary actor is back with a Best Supporting Actor Nomination, the same category he was nominated and won his first Oscar in for his performance as the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II back in 1974. On the opposite side of spectrum, in regards to nominations, is Bradley Cooper, whose Best Actor nomination makes him a first time nominee. The films writer and director David O. Russell will be joining his actors on awards night with his Best Director and Best Original Screenplay nominations.         

Life of Pi is looking like the Hugo of this this year. Last year Hugo received eleven nominations including Best Picture and Best Director but not one of them were in an acting category. Hugo went on to win five Oscars, all in the technical categories (Editing, Art Direction, Cinematography, Visual Effects and Sound Mixing). Life of Pi’s Oscar profile is looking very similar with its eleven nominations (none for acting) including Best Picture and Best Director in the form of Ang Lee. Life of Pi looks to be a favorite in several technical categories such Visual Effects and Cinematography. With eleven nominations, Life of Pi received the second most nominations which beg the question: Is the Best Picture race Lincoln vs. Life of Pi?

Django Unchained became the third Quentin Tarantino film to receive a Best Picture nomination. Tarantino himself received his third nomination for his screenplay. Christoph Waltz continues his success with Tarantino film’s as he received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his work. Waltz won in this same category three years ago for his performance in Tarantino’s Inglourious Bastards. Last year, many considered Leonardo DiCaprio not being nominated for his performance as J. Edgar Hoover in J. Edgar to be a major snub. The story isn’t much different this year as the Academy once again passed on a DiCaprio performance.

Skyfall was gaining a lot of momentum in the few weeks leading up to Oscar nominations. When the film first hit theaters over two months ago, Cinematography and Original Song seemed to be the only categories that it could possibly pick up a nomination in. As we came closer and closer to January 10^th though, Javier Bardem and Judi Dench receiving acting nominations along with a Best Picture nomination looked like strong possibilities due to the nominations that were starting to pile up from other associations. These nominations were not the case however as the film did not receive a major nomination but did manage to snag five nominations. Included in those nominations is Grammy winner Adele who performed and wrote the theme song “Skyfall” for the film with Paul Epworth. “Skyfall” was not the only musical aspect of the film that received recognition as Thomas Newman picked up his eleventh nomination for the films score.

It is probably too early to declare a best picture winner right now but at this point it looks like it is Lincolns to lose. Sunday’s Golden Globes could give a better indication of who is going to win but don’t count on it. Over the past eight years, only twice has the Golden Globe winner for best picture in either the drama or comedy/musical category went on to win Best Picture. The best indicator may be the Screen Actor Guild awards as the biggest branch of the Academy is the actor’s branch. The number really don’t support this claim though as the winner of the best ensemble cast at the SAG awards has only went on to win Best Picture eight out of a possible seventeen times. So I guess you are on your own win predicting a winner.     

Review: 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'

Fox Searchlight Pictures

No matter how burdensome a home can be, it is still home. No matter how harmful family can be, it is still family. No matter how small we are, we are still a part of the universe. In Beasts of the Southern Wild, a young girl named Hushpuppy learns, shows and even preaches these three truths. Whether it be disturbing or inspiring, Beasts of the Southern Wild uses an artsy style to present Hushpuppy’s view of the world and how we fit into it. 

Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis) and her father, Wink (Dwight Henry) live in a remote Louisiana Bayou town referred to as the ‘Bathtub’.  The ‘Bathtub’ may appear rundown and a hazard to live in but to the people that occupy it, they wouldn’t have it any other way because it is there home that they take great pride in. Hushpuppy, Wink and several other of the ‘Bathtub’ residents show this loyalty when they refuse to leave when a storm threatens to destroy the town. The storm does eventually hit which forces the remaining residents to ban together. With Winks health becoming a serious issue, Hushpuppy, while dealing with the aftermath of the storm, must also care for him. This becomes even more difficult with Winks stubborn and abusive behavior. While all this is happening, frozen Aurochs have broken off of a gigantic ice structure in the artic and are making their way for the ‘Bathtub’.        

The film begins by effectively introducing the audience to the culture of the ‘Bathtub’. The entire community is seen celebrating with a parade, drinking and fireworks. These visuals along with a voice over of Hushpuppy speaking about the ‘Bathtub’ help to really show that it is a place people are proud to live in. This opening also helps to give meaning and reason to why these residents are so hesitate to leave this place.  

While there are plenty of images that make it clear that the ‘Bathtub’ residents are proud to live here, several images also stress that the ‘Bathtub’ is a place of financial poverty as it is cutoff from any other residential area. These images include the way houses are constructed and what people have to do to survive there. These images say that it takes a special person to live here, a person that can be independent and emotionally as well as mentally tough. This is where Hushpuppy comes into the picture as she is the one portrayed as that special kind of individual. Despite her young age, she is the one that can handle living in such a place as she understands that she is a part of something much bigger.

Hushpuppy sees herself as a part of the universe. This is made known throughout the film with thoughtful voice-overs from her. At one point she says “The whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right. If one piece busts, even the smallest piece... the whole universe will get busted” which is accompanied by the image of an ice structure breaking a part (one of many of director Behn Zeitlin's artsy touches seen throughout the film). Due to this way of thinking, Hushpuppy sees it as her duty to remain strong and become independent. When her father, Wink’s health progressively gets worse she also has to help take care of him instead of the other way around. She is driven to do this because he is her father but also because she believes that every piece of the universe has to be fixed when it breaks.

It is interesting how Hushpuppy relies more on her absent mother than her father. Her father tries to provide for her but with his bad health, alcohol dependency, disappearing for lengthy periods of time and abusive attitude he does little to help her. Hushpuppy turns to her absent mother for company by talking to a sports jersey that represents her and is seen calling for her when she needs help. This is not seen in her relationship with her father. One thing that Hushpuppy’s father stresses is toughness which appears to be helpful. This becomes somewhat offsetting though when this becomes more about teaching her to be masculine instead of just tough. This says a lot about her father’s character but is at times over the top in the dialogue and images that are used to show this.

The gigantic beasts known as Aurochs that are making their way to the ‘Bathtub’ represent the troubles that life presents and how hard it can be. Hushpuppy represents control, control over your life and how it is possible, no matter who you are or where you come from to stand up and face trouble. This comes together in a very powerful and heartfelt scene. Up until to this scene, Beasts of Southern Wild effectiveness relies on the audience’s investment in the character that is Hushpuppy and her journey in the film. This scenes just adds to an already worth watching journey and character.      

Grade: B     

Review: 'Les Miserables'

Universal Pictures 

Musicals always seem to have a grand style to them. Maybe it is the choreographing that comes with a musical or just the fact that the majority of the dialogue is being sang but for whatever reason they always feel much bigger than your standard film. Les Miserables is no exception when describing musicals as grand. In fact, Les Miserables may be the grandest of them all with larger than life vocals and approach. My question is: does grand automatically translate to great? At times, Les Miserables is great with excellent musical numbers, strong vocals and heartfelt plot devices but its story seems to lose focus and starts to appear that it is better fit for the stage.

It is acts of kindness and mercy that is the driving force behind Les Miserables’ story.  It all begins when Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), ex-prisoner on parole, steals from the same Bishop that gave him a place to stay. After the authorities catch him trying to flee, they take him back to the Bishop and tell him what happened. Instead of showing anger and shunning Jean, the Bishop says that Jean did not steal the silver items but that they were given to him. Shocked of what the Bishop did for him, Jean has a change of heart. In order to do so though, Jean has to break his parole which causes the corrupt lawmen, Javert (Russell Crowe) to endlessly search for him. Eight years later, in his new life, Jean is the mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer. It is here that he prevents Fantine (Anne Hathaway), a badly hurt woman, from being arrested. After seeing how hurt she is, Jean rushes Fantine to the hospital but she passes away and Jean decides to raise her daughter, Cosette (Isabelle Allen). Years later, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) as young a woman becomes the love interest of Marius Pontmercy (Eddie Redmayne), leader of a revolution against the government.     

The music along with the vocals that come with it could not be any stronger in Les Miserables. Every musical number fits right in with the scene that it is a part of. The tone of the music also goes well with the mood of the scene or in several cases sets the mood. With the films dialogue being sang rather than spoken, strong vocal talents become very important. Fortunately for Les Miserables, its strongest quality is its vocal performances. The films two headliners, Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, both give stunning performances. Hathaway’s rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ is beautiful and Jackman’s powerful voice goes so well with the films grand style. These are not the only noteworthy vocal performances though as virtually every performer holds their own.

Russell Crowe may not have one of the better voices of the cast but I really enjoyed his performance. His rougher, limited range voice went well with the character of Javert but also had a nice sound to it that blended well with the vocals of Jackman. Even the young cast members, Isabelle Allen and Daniel Huttlestone, give memorable performances. I was very impressed by the on screen presents of Huttlestone as he took over scenes that he was a part of.

Les Miserables also has its fair share of touching moments that have nothing to do with music. It’s theme of acts of kindness or mercy and the impact they can have is heartfelt by itself but it is the moments or decisions made by characters that share this message. Whether it be the Bishop letting Jean steal his belongings or Eponine giving her life to save others, there are a handful of scenes that are heavy in emotional affect. One would think that this would eventually get tiresome but surprisingly does not. This could be because it plays such a major role in the films central theme. It could also not be an issue because it matches the emotional affect that the films musical numbers naturally have. It is just unfortunate that rest of film doesn’t have this type of focus, especially its finale.

After a strong first half, Les Miserables appears to lose steam as its story wonders off and craftsmanship loses its edge. The story tries to go back and forth between the blooming relationship between Cosette and Marius, Eponine’s love for Marius, Jean trying to stay clear of Javert and the revolution that is taking place but becomes a tangled up, hard to follow plot that ultimately goes nowhere. It comes off as film that tries to do too much and while it looks nice, it struggles to keep the audience invested. 

Due to its grand appearance but muddled plot, Les Miserables gives the impression that the format it would work the best in is a stage production. I have not seen the stage production but from how the film played, it seems that this is a spectacle that would be better on stage than in film form due to the overabundance of close ups and little movement. With that said though, if you’re strictly looking for a musical and not more than that, you will not need to look any further than Les Miserables. Without question, its strongest attributes is its musical numbers and vocals with the story takes a back seat.   

Grade: C+        

Movie of the Week 1/6/13 to 1/12/13

We're adding a new weekly feature to the blog. It's a little something we like to call, "Movie of the Week!" Here's how it works: Each week, Brad and I will take turns picking a movie of the week that everyone should try to watch so we can discuss it right here in the post. There are no restrictions on what the "Movie of the Week!" can be, so, hypothetically, if I wanted to pick the Clark Gable 1939 classic, Gone with the Wind, I could. I won't do that, but I could. So, come back to SHAWGOES TO THE MOVIES every Sunday night and you'll be treated to a new "Movie of the Week!" And now, I'll unveil the inaugural "Movie of the Week!" I hope you guys enjoy it!

Adventureland (2009)

I feel like Adventureland is a criminally under-viewed film. Critics rated it well (76 on Metacritic and 89% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), yet it only made $17,164,377 at the box office. It's a coming of age story, starring Jesse Eisenberg, that features a recent college graduate who's floating through his first summer out of school. It's a great story and one I feel everyone can relate to in some way or another. Of all movies I've seen with Kristin Stewart, this is definitely the best. The casting was perfect for all of the major roles and there are no bad performances to cite. Adventureland can be viewed on Netflix Watch Instantly, rented for $2 on Amazon video service, or more than likely streamed for free on shady pirate websites (my favorite is TUBE+). So, watch the film and let's talk about it!  

Top Five Favorite Films of 2012

With 2012 in the rear view mirror and 2013  just a couple of days old, maybe now would be a good time to take a moment and reflect on what cinema had to offer in 2012. In 2012, the cinema welcomed one book to screen adaption, The Hunger Games, and said goodbye to another, The Twilight Saga. Channing Tatum was hot with The Vow, 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike while Taylor Kirsch was not with John Carter, Battleship and Savages. The Avengers finally assembled and defeated everyone at the box office. Judi Dench lived in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and died in Skyfall. Snow White was brought to life not once but twice with Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. Peter Jackson returned to middle earth (New Zealand) with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Project X showed us how to party while Les Miserables showed us how to sing.

So after seeing several, not all but several films that were released in 2012 I asked myself what were my favorite films of the year. In response to that question, I put together a list of the five films I enjoyed the most in 2012. This was not an easy task as there were more than just five movies that for some reason or another deserved a spot in the top five but after much thought, I have determined my top five favorite 2012 films out of the ones I actually saw. Before I get into my top five though, I feel that it would be wrong not give special mention to the films that put forth a solid effort but fall just short of my top five.

I was blown away by Prometheus when I first saw it in theaters as it was not only intense from start to finish but also brought about plenty of thought and questions long after it ended. It was a simple plot and was very similar to Alien but it was nice to see science-fiction film offer something more than just nice visuals.

Looper was another science-fiction film that satisfied. Looper didn’t just rely on its time travel premise but instead used it only to help present its bigger message of how our past effects more than just our own future. You can read my full review here.

In Lincoln, the passing of the 13^th amendment is brought to light. Daniel Day Lewis is unrecognizable as Abraham Lincoln which makes his performance mesmerizing to say the least. Lincoln is at its best when process of passing the 13^th amendment is put into focus as these scenes are surprisingly fast paced and wildly entertaining.

Argo was another solid historical drama that 2012 offered. What I like so much about Argo and what made it such a great film was how director Ben Affleck chooses to let the natural magnitude and intensity of the story he is telling take over the film instead of a performance or the dialogue. Affleck lets tension build without words or actions which really gives the film an authentic feel.  

All four of these were great films. I think that there might even be a Best Picture winner out of these four films. I also enjoyed them immensely but like I said these films barely missed the top five. My top five favorite films of 2012 are as follow.  

Big Beach Films

5. Safety Not Guaranteed: Yes, its premise is bizarre but if you can just go with it, Safety Not Guaranteed is a great romantic comedy. The relationship between Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and Kenneth (Mark Duplass) is a joy to watch. Even if the subject matter or the event that brings them together never seems real, Darius and Kenneth’s relationship has a certain authentic feel to it that cannot be ignored. As far as performances go, Duplass stands out. The film benefits from Duplass’ subtle but confident approach to the character. You can read Joshua’s full review here.

The Weintstein Company

4. Killing Them Softly: Killing Them Softly’s message is as cynical as they come. This level of cynicism is rare which could be the reason I liked this film so much. Killing Them Softly looks at how America relies so heavily on its economy and because of this, one has to look out for their self’s rather than others. This is said through its main character Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt), a hitman that never relies on anyone other than himself and because of this; he appears to be the character in the film that is in control. Pitt adds a solid performance to a great character which makes for an already intriguing film even better. You can read my full review here.

Walt Disney Animation Studios 

3. Wreck-It-Ralph: Wreck-It-Ralph’s message is basic and as old as time but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a great film. From start to finish, Wreck-It-Ralph is a fast paced, heartfelt adventure that will leave all ages satisfied. Wreck-It-Ralph takes place within a video game and whether it be with its visuals, characters or musical score, it never lets you forget it. The way is stays true to the characteristics of an actual video game is what makes Wreck-It-Ralph such a great film. You can read my full review here.

The Weinstein Company

2. Django Unchained: With Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino has once again made a film that is as violent, bloody and bizarre as it is original, memorable and meaningful. When it comes to a Tarantino film, violence and lots of it is expected but Django Unchained features two types of violence. The signature, almost cartoonish, Tarantino violence is present but there is also a violence that helps show how horrible slavery and slave owners can be. This violence is hard to watch but at the same time helps in the development of characters and adds a very serious and real feel to a story about a very serious time in American history. Add the usual grade A dialogue and characters that Tarantino creates and you have one of the year’s most intriguing films. You can read my full review here.  

Focus Features

1. Moonrise Kingdom: Like Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson has always been considered a highly imaginative director and with his 2012 film, Moonrise Kingdom, this description still stands true. I really enjoy films that have a dark side to them such as Killing Them Softly and Django Unchained but it is the feel good, goofy films like Moonrise Kingdom that always put a smile on my face long after the credits role. Anderson’s story of two children taking on characteristics of adults (love) is hilarious but equally charming. Moonrise Kingdom has a cast that includes the likes of Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman but it is newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward that will quickly grab your attention. As Sam and Suzy, a young couple in love, Gilman and Hayward are solid as kids acting like adults. Like with any of Anderson’s films, the dialogue always stands out. For example, below is a sample of dialogue between Sam and Suzy.

Sam: I feel I'm in a real family now. Not like yours, but similar to one.
Suzy: I always wished I was an orphan. Most of my favorite characters are. I think your lives are more special.
Sam: I love you, but you don't know what you're talking about.
Suzy: I love you, too. 

It is this type of dialogue that helps in making Moonrise Kingdom a delight to watch and my favorite of all the 2012 movies I have seen to date.   

Now to the important stuff: your opinion. What were your favorite films of 2012? I’m sure yours differs from mine so go ahead and feel free to list your top movies of 2012.