Whether you admit it or not, we all make top-10 list in our head. Most people don't go to the extreme of writing them down and posting them on the Internet, but when prompted we can rattle off a list of 10 favorite somethings.
Sometimes we subconsciously make this list, and sometimes we verbalize it with friends over some beers. The least thought about top-10 list people create is on their iTunes account. Go ahead and look at your most played songs. I'll wait. In most cases (unless you use your account to DJ), the first 10 songs are your favorite 10 songs, which would make it...(drumroll)...a top-10 list.
As I reveal the remaing movie on my favorite movies of 2012 list, I expect that you will be surprised, confused and in some cases, questioning my sanity. With that said, I'm excited to reveal the 10 movies that will all be a part of my Blu-Ray collection in the near future.
Enjoy:
10.
Seven Psychopaths
Sometimes the size of the crowd in the theater changes your feelings about a movie. People are more likely to say they enjoyed a comedy when the see it in a full theater than when they watch it alone. In some cases, your opinion may even change once you watch it at home. My example would be American Wedding.
Seven Psychopaths, on the other hand, was still very good even with a crowd in my theater of about a dozen people. This is a testament to the wonderful job done by Sam Rockwell and Colin Farrell to carry the movie. Rockwell is a genius — he even made Charlie's Angels interesting — and you should go see every movie he's ever been in, especially Moon.
But the surprise was Farrell, who somehow made me forget the half-dozen terrible movies he's been in the last decade. If he learned anything from this movie, it would be to say 'yes' to good scripts and not the studio that gives him the most money.
For the most part the supporting actors were used very well, except for the female characters. Abby Cornish and Olga Kurylenko, despite their appearance on the poster as "psychopaths", are only in the movie for a combined 10 minutes. The importance of these characters is so trivial that they even make a joke about it in the movie. It was very meta.
Release date: October 12th
Reason for ranking: Good script and great casting. Did I mention that Sam Rockwell is amazing in this movie?
Recommendation: See it. If only for the Christopher Walken impression by...Christopher Walken.
9.
Safety Not Guaranteed
Another off the radar movie that I wonder how many of my readers have actually seen. Safety Not Guaranteed is a time-travel movie and a romantic comedy all rolled into one tremendously beautiful film. If you haven't noticed, I enjoy originality and this movie is full of it.
Aubrey Plaza steals this movie with her fine tuned comedic skills, but also her previously unknown dramatic side. Once again, a comedic actor excels when called upon in an emotional scene. This role was exactly what Plaza's career needed. She had to show that she could: a) play a lead in a movie, and b) show she can act and she's not a one-trick pony. Check. And check.
For those of you that don't already know who Jake Johnson is, what is wrong with you! You need to change that right now. He steals every scene he's in, whether it's in this movie as a creeper or playing the straight man opposite Zooey Deschanel and Max Greenfield on Fox's The New Girl.
Many of you may know him as the Principal in 21 Jump Street, and if it wasn't for Ice Cube, he would have stole that movie, too. Get to know Mr. Johnson because his career is going to mirror Paul Rudd's, and that's some high praise.
Release date: June 8th
Reason for ranking: Original story and a great blend of drama and comedy. One of those out of nowhere films that people will talk about.
Recommendation: If you love Aubrey Plaza — who doesn't — watch this movie. Definitely a movie to enjoy with a group of friends.
8.
Hunger Games
For those of you that are laughing right now, you obviously haven't seen the movie, or you saw it with the bias that you would hate it. Because if anyone saw this movie with an open mind, they are nodding their heads in agreement of this movie's placement.
If there's one thing I've learned over the past year, whether it be watching new movies or my ill-fated attempt to watch 365 Netflix Instant movies in 365 days, it's that Jennifer Lawrence is going to be a mega-star. I believe that there's not an actress in her age group that could have made this movie as entertaining to watch as her. If you doubt her talents because all you've seen is Hunger Games and House at the End of the Street, rent Winter's Bone (she was nominated for an Oscar) and then thank me later.
Hunger Games could have very easily gone down the Twilight path and made a movie that only truly appealed to teenage girls, but they decided to make an actual movie instead. Every single choice in the casting process proved this fact. Every actor from Woody Harrelson to Elizabeth Banks, and even Josh Huctherson and Liam Hemsworth contribute a lot to the film and allow the viewers to forget that it's a YA novel. Surprisingly, the most nuanced supporting performance is delivered by Lenny Kravitz, who grounds a role that could be very flamboyant.
Release date: March 23rd
Reason for ranking: Jennifer Lawrence. As good as the script, acting and directing are, she is captivating every time she's on screen. Also, Donald Sutherland is in it, and he's awesome.
Recommendation: Give this movie a chance even if the YA novel turned movie isn't your thing. It's a really good film.
7.
Silver Linings Playbook
Before I get started, see my Jennifer Lawrence rant above, and then continue reading this entry.
Full disclosure: The Philadelphia aspect of the movie shaped my opinion a little, but it only helped Silver Linings Playbook move ahead of Hunger Games. You could set this move in Topeka, Kansas and it would still be an incredible film. Despite his reputation, David O. Russell iss one of the best directors in the business because he knows how to make every characters feel real.
It's truly amazing how Bradley Cooper can switch between straight comedies (Hangover) and raw dramas (SLP and The Words). It's very Tom Hanksian. He can play a complete jackass in one film and the guy you root for in another. The man is a true talent. It took me a few years to realize that he played one of my favorite characters on Alias.
Despite being a New Yorker, I felt like Robert DiNiro tapped into the essence of an OCD Eagles fan. His freak out after the loss to the Giants is a moment I've seen hundreds of times in my life. But unfortunately, I never had Jennifer Lawrence there to calm the situation down.
Release date: November 21th
Reason for ranking: The fact that they took the concept of a dance contest and inter-weaved it into the plot while keeping it organic, would've been good enough for a top-5 ranking any other year. I didn't think Russell could top The Fighter, but he did.
Recommendation: At this point, they are all "see it" movies. But this is one you can watch on a date night, and with your family.
6.
Moonrise Kingdom
This entry could be summed up by only writing:
Directed by Wes Anderson.
And everyone would know what I meant. Moonrise Kingdom will probably be the most polarizing entry in the top-10 because you either get and love Anderson's movie, or you don't and hate them. This movie is no different.
Anderson, who has a style where color is as important as anything, paints Moonrise Kingdom with mustard browns, light blues and a very vibrant orange (Suzy's first appearance). He uses every object in the movie from Suzy's dresses to the scout uniforms to the interior design of the sets to help make his world to standout. It is quite an amazing attention to detail.
The quirky nature of the film is what draws me into the narrative. I found myself becoming really invested in the outcome of the story, which is the clearest sign that the filmmaker is doing his/her job well. Only concession I have is that some scenes are now a little uncomfortable in hindsight because I found out the actors that played Suzy and Sam were fresh out of middle school, and not older like most Hollywood films. But that's also a testament to their acting skills at such a young age.
Release date: June 29th
Reason for ranking: Of the movies not in the top-5, Moonrise Kingdom has the best told story. Pacing is perfect and there's enough interesting things going on that Anderson's obsession with color doesn't distract you from the story.
Recommendation: Be advised that it is a Wes Anderson movie. If that is fine with you, watch it at least twice, which is required with his movies.
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