Best Movies of 2012

By: Kameron McBride

Why wait until now to come out with my list of favorite movies? Well, for one it gives me a chance to actually watch some that perhaps weren's in wide release immediately. It also gives me a chance to digest the films a little and give a better ranking to them. This list represents 11 of my favorites, why 11? Well...

So without further ado, here's the list:

 

1. Zero Dark Thirty  

I think Zero Dark Thirty is a really great film. It has one of the best openings I've seen in awhile, a great cast (Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler and Mark Strong) and gives us a tense but exhausting narrative that sums up a very confusing time for this country. The film constantly questions what we're gaining from the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and what has changed once he's finally gone. Argo was structurally a little better but Zero DArk Thirty resonated with me a little more, hence why it's in the top spot.


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2. Argo

Plain and simple this was the best pure film of the year. No other movie provided as tight of plot or good of pace as Argo. With this story of U.S. embassy hostages being snuck out of Iran via a fake movie production Ben Affleck has cemented his status as one of the better major directors working today.

3. The Master

Paul Thomas Anderson is undoubtedly the most interesting major American director working today and The Master continues his remarkable run. The Master explores an amalgam for Scientology through its creator, Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix) a man who threatens the entire movement. The Master is maybe the most thought provoking movie of the year, for better or worse. Whether or not you like it, The Master will be sure to move you some way.

4. Lincoln

This is now my favorite of Steven Spielberg’s films. I think Lincoln pulls off a good amount of complexity and gets a sublime performance from Daniel Day–Lewis as the 16^th president.The film takes place towards the end of the Civil War, as Lincoln moves to end the war as quickly as possible while also trying to pass the 13^th amendment. This requires him to try and persuade members of congress across political party lines. The modern–day allegory is obvious but the real strength of the film are the great performances and a terrific script by Pulitzer winner Tony Kushner.

5. The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises story takes place eight years after The Dark Knight and deals with Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) trying to cope with the new peace created after the death of Harvey Dent. However, that peace comes under fire from the greatest threat Batman has faced: a hulking mercenary named Bane (Tom Hardy).

The Dark Knight Rises brought everything full circle in a fun and interesting way. I thought it was well–paced, well–acted and overall gave the trilogy the epic ending it deserved.

6. Looper

Looper takes us to a future where specialized assassins kill people sent back to them from the future by mob bosses. One of these “Loopers” named Joe (Joseph Gordon–Levitt) runs into problems when his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back but escapes. Rian Johnson penned a wonderful script for “Looper” and combined it with a lot of cool visuals to create a mind–bending piece of sci–fi.

7. Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom the story of a young boy scout named Sam (Jared Gilman) who runs away with his young love Suzy (Kara Hawood). They try to escape on the countryside as their parents and other adults chase them. This movie wonderfully explored the mystique and loss of innocence in childhood. The cast includes Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton.  

8. Bernie

This movie displayed just how good Black can be as a beloved mortician who turns a community upside down when he murders a wealthy widow (Shirley Maclaine). when given the right role and was also a little thought–provoking. It’s interesting to see how the town reacts to one of their most prominent members commits murder. 

9. Beasts of the Southern Wild

Bizarre and beautiful, Beasts of the Southern Wild explores and area known as “The Bathtub,” which is a ravaged area south of Louisiana. Here we meet Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) and her dad Wink (Dwight Henry) who are each trying to survive despite a coming storm. This film is unconventional but does a really good job of painting a world that is easy to get lost in.

10. Perks of Being a Wallflower

Most movies about high school are stupid, clichéd and pretty annoying. Perks of Being a Wallflower, however, actually kind of reminded me of high school. Perks of Being a Wallflower gives high school a nostalgic but still mature look. It’s well–casted and has great pacing to the story.

11. Arbitrage

Robert Miller (Richard Gere) is unfaithful to his marriage, a corrupt businessman and is trying to cover up him murdering his mistress. And yet, despite these things Arbitrage makes us feel tension as he’s being investigated for the murder. This is the brilliance of Nicholas Jeracki’s film: that we can be behind such a villainous person as he tries to escape.