2012 Media Roundup - Movies
Yes, it is time for yet another helping of Rebecca blathers on about media. Today's topic is the big screen. I saw 41 movies this year - a small number compared to many of you but about par for the course for me.
Let's do a traditional Top 5 & then go for general recs.
Without a doubt my number one movie of the year was...
1. Skyfall
This was better than I dared hope it would be. I am a big, big fan of Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace is better not spoken of. But /Skyfall/... swoons. It was excellent! I loved all of the new characters. (Bond/Vesper is my bondtp but I am still enjoying the fact that Bond's got an active fandom!) I loved the M-centric storyline. Really, I loved pretty much everything about it. But /the/ thing that made the movie was the cinematography. This movie is visually stunning. Bless you, Roger Deakins, you ridiculously talented man.
2 Moonrise Kingdom
Wonderful everything, Wes Anderson is the master of mis-en-scene. Charming and whimsical but still has its feet on the ground.
3 A Royal Affair
Beauuutifully made. 17th century Denmark. A bizarro love triangle between the mentally-odd king, his quietly intelligent queen, and his ambitious personal physician. Enlightenment thinking vs tradition. Beautiful scenery and acting. Told you Le Chiffre could be sexy. And Vikader should be big.
4 Magic Mike
I'll have none of your media snootiness, thank you very much. This movie is really fun to watch, for obvious reasons, and it's also actually good! Also: Matt Bomer's butt.
5. TIE betwee Looper
I have a massive brain-crush of Rian Johnson. Kudos to you, sir, for your Most Excellent Mind; may you make many more movies in your lifetime. If you haven't seen this yet… JGL. Emily Blunt. Time-travel. Hitmen. Super twisty plot. Johnson loves to play with genre conventions, but never in an ostentatious way.
5. an Argo
Superbly executed - kudos to Ben Affleck for totally turning his shit around. The 70s. Hollywood. Political intrigue. /So much tension./The perfect movie to see with your parents.
And now... the rest of the recommended viewing.
- The Dark Knight Rises
This didn't top The Dark Knight for me - the Joker's absence leaves a void - but it was still quite good. Really enjoyed all the new characters, especially Anne Hathaway's ace Selina Kyle. Nolan and Zimmer are always a great pairing.
- The Hunger Games
I'm still not sold on all the casting, but since there's so much going on, you don't have time to dwell on it. Excellent Katniss. Excellent Haymitch. Excellent Rue. Excellent Cinna. In the spirit of the book.
- When Harry Met Sally
Yup, I'd never seen this before. It deserves its reputation as a classic
- A Dangerous Method
Fassbender, Mortenson, and Knightley. The birth of psychoanalysis. I know this got mixed reception but I thought it was really well done.
- Lawless
Prohibition era bootlegging gangster flick. Badass Tom Hardy in a cardigan. Excellent acting all around. Downside: you have to look at Shia LeDouche's face for two hours, but it's worth it for THard, Chastain, an EXCELLENT Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska is that how you spell that who knows.
- Brave
Scots! Mother/daughter relationship focus. It's Pixar, hello
- Tangled
eeeeee. the lights! the lizard! the horse! oh and i guess there were good human characters too.
- The Woman in Black
Ok, I at least found this super spooky and beautifully shot. DanRad doesn't have much to do but look troubled
- Sense & Sensibility
Aw, this movie. Emma Thomspon! Hugh Grant! Kate Winslet! Ang Lee! It's Austen, etc.
- 50/50
JGL. Cancer. Tragicomedy.
- Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Trust me, no one is more surprised than me that this movie is on here, but the dynamic between Cruise and his new team of Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner, and Simon Pegg is quite fun.
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
I wasn't a very big fan of the first but I liked this one much more. Surprisingly funny. Watch for Watson's dancing alone.
- The Silver Linings Playbook
Funny, refreshing. Great performances, esp. from Lawrence and Cooper