Top 20 Films of 2012

With the Oscar nominations just released, many awards-season films will see release in the Czech Republic over the next couple months in advance of the February 24th ceremony. While in the US recently, I had the chance to catch up with many films that have not yet or will not open theatrically; the following awards-season films fell short of making this list, but open in the Czech Republic over the next few months: Lincoln (January 24), The Impossible (January 31), Hitchcock (February 7), The Sessions (February 21), Flight (February 21), Hyde Park on Hudson (February 28), and Zero Dark Thirty (release date TBA).

Below is my selection of the year’s best films, and when you can see them in Czech cinemas or on local DVD/Blu-ray. Notes: this list skews to mainstream, English-language films; many foreign or independent films have yet to see wide release, and I haven’t yet seen them. What constitutes a 2012 film? I’m going by the Academy definition of anything that has opened in general (public) release during the year (I consider Samsara a 2012 release even though IMDb lists it as 2011 due to a festival screening).

Prague Filharmonic Advent Category + In Article

A purely magical documentary about Sixto Rodriguez, a Detroit musician who recorded a couple terrific Dylan-esque albums in the early 70s; the albums didn’t sell, and Rodriguez disappeared into obscurity. In South Africa, however, the musician (without knowing about it or profiting from it) has had incredible success, outselling The Beatles for the past 30 years; Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul – along with South African aficionados and amateur detectives – attempts to track him down. Nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar.

Michael Haneke’s shattering drama – detailing the physical and mental deterioration of a woman in her 80s (Emmanuelle Riva) while her husband (Jean-Louis Trintignant) struggles to cope – isn’t an enjoyable experience (one critic dubbed it the “feel bad” movie of the year) but it’s an especially affecting and worthwhile one. Amour won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and scored five surprise Oscar noms, including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Foreign Language Film, and Actress (at 85, Riva became the oldest nominee In the category’s history).

After tanking at the US box office – one of less than ten films over the past few decades to receive the un-receivable ‘F’ Cinemascore – this Brad Pitt crime drama was dropped from the Czech Republic’s release schedule (Pitt and director Andrew Dominik’s previously film – the magnificent The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, also went unreleased in Czech cinemas). I’m at a loss: this deliciously ironic mafia movie – which parallels the breakdown of American organized crime with the 2008 economic collapse – is a wickedly entertaining ride.