Top 20 Films of 2012

Ten just ain’t enough this year. Though few of the 2012’s top films stand out as universally lauded – this award season seems wide-open, with frontrunners Lincoln and Life of Pi seemingly lacking the steam that would propel them to sweeping wins – 2012 was an unusually good year in film. From approximately 240 2012 releases that I saw over the course of the year, I counted 20 that I rated at four stars, about 33% more than 2011. 

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).

20. Berberian Sound Studio
Theatrical: Not released DVD: TBA (available at www.amazon.co.uk)

Director Peter Strickland’s surreal homage to Italian horror films (Dario Argento, in particular) and sound mixing stars character actor Toby Jones (in his best role since playing Truman Capote in Infamous) as a British sound engineer who comes to Rome to work on 1970s Italian giallo. This psychological horror film – which details the mental deterioration of the Jones character, a la Polanski’s Repulsion – won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it fascinating. 

19. The Raid: Redemption
Theatrical: Not released (screened at KVIFF) DVD: TBA (available at www.amazon.com)

18. Prometheus
Theatrical: June 7, 2012. DVD: October 10, 2012.

17. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Theatrical: Not released. DVD: TBA 

16. Samsara
Theatrical: October 25, 2012. DVD: TBA (available from www.amazon.com)

A sublime experience: Ron Fricke’s non-narrative documentary (a follow-up to his previous features Chronos and Baraka) captures some of the most beautiful images ever put to film. Poetic, expansive, and larger-than-life, this is one film that must be seen in a cinema to be able to fully appreciate it. 

15. Searching for Sugar Man
Theatrical: Not Released. DVD: TBA (available at www.amazon.com)

14. Argo
Theatrical: November 29, 2012. DVD: TBA

This is simply an extraordinary story, well told: a fake film project is used as the cover story to get US hostages out of Iran. Given the subject matter – and the lack of a clear frontrunner – I think it will win the Best Picture Oscar, even though Ben Affleck failed to receive a Best Director nomination (if it does, it will join Driving Miss Daisy as the only films since 1932 to do so). Argo also scored six other noms, including Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin). 

13. Amour
Theatrical: February 14, 2013. DVD: TBA

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). 

12. The Chemical Brothers: Don’t Think
Theatrical: March 1, 2012. DVD: March 26, 2012.

11. Cloud Atlas
Theatrical: November 22, 2012. DVD: March 20, 2013.

A dazzling experience and one of the best-edited films you’ll ever see (the lack of an Oscar nomination in this category is egregious), Cloud Atlas is a triumph of visionary filmmaking by Andy and Lara Wachowski and Tom Tykwer, from the novel by David Mitchell. Like Prometheus, critics and audiences were split on this one, but the scope and ambition is undeniable. 

10. The Master
Theatrical: January 10, 2013. DVD: TBA

9. Looper
Theatrical: October 11, 2012. DVD: February 13, 2013.

Time travel movies are almost inherently unsatisfying – containing some kind of logical loophole that doesn’t make sense – but this one gets it right. Thoughtful, intelligent sci-fi is so rare in mainstream cinema that what director Rian Johnson accomplishes here is even more impressive. Following Ryan Gosling in 2011’s Drive, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Joe is the coolest character of the year. 

8. Killing Them Softly
Theatrical: Not Released. DVD: TBA

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. 

7. It’s Such a Beautiful Day
Theatrical: Not Released (screened at the PAF Festival in Olomouc). DVD: TBA (available at www.bitterfilms.com)

It’s The Tree of Life with stick figures. This compilation of three pencil-drawn shorts (Everything will be OK, I Am So Proud of You, and It’s Such a Beautiful Day) from director Don Hertzfeldt (who was nominated for an Oscar for his 2000 short Rejected) is an unforgettable experience, filled with scenes that are simultaneously bitterly ironic and unexpectedly touching. While you’re unlikely to get a chance to see this in cinemas, the DVD can be purchased from the director’s website. 

6. Silver Linings Playbook
Theatrical: February 28, 2013. DVD: TBA

The best romantic comedy since When Harry Met Sally. With Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Director (David O. Russell), Screenplay, Actor (Bradley Cooper), Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), and Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver), Silver Linings Playbook became the first film since Reds in 1981 to score nominations in every “major” category. Check back for a full review when the film hits Czech screens next month. 

5. Beasts of the Southern Wild
Theatrical: August 9, 2012. DVD: March 15, 2013.

This starling piece of magical neo-realism is anchored by an unforgettable performance by Quvenzhané Wallis, who at 9 became the youngest Best Actress nominee in the history of the Academy. The film also secured Oscar noms for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay (Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin), and, in a surprising turn, Director, as debuting helmer Zeitlin was chosen over expected nominees Ben Affleck (Argo), Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty), and Quentin Tarantino…

4. Django Unchained
Theatrical: January 17, 2013. DVD: May 22, 2013.

3. Moonrise Kingdom
Theatrical: July 7, 2012. DVD: November 28, 2012.

2. Holy Motors
Theatrical: November 29, 2012. DVD: TBA (available from www.amazon.co.uk)

A breathtaking piece of unbridled surrealism by French enfant terrible Leos Carax, this is a film overflowing with fantastic ideas that we struggle to piece together into something tangible. Beautifully shot, with an incredible central performance by Denis Levant. That Holy Motors was shut out of the Oscars while Amour makes waves is indicative of the average age of the Academy. 

1. Seven Psychopaths
Theatrical: November 29, 2012. DVD: April 17, 2013.