What does one say when closing out the team and week's Top 15 of the Year posts? Do you remark about everyone else's list, or pretend like they didn't happen when you were writing yours? Should I just say the same stuff and hope that my slightly above-average wit and eighth grade style writing can outshine and outclass that of my peers? Or perhaps I'll just play the sentimental role and reflect on what we accomplished this year in cinema; remembering all the amazing times we spent together in those theater seats, everyone uncomfortably crowded in. I think I'll stick with that last one, because it was in those theaters throughout the world where we became something more than just "a bunch of people watching a movie together". For those few hours, each of you were my friends and companions; the rich and the poor, the young and the old. That is where I am at home. I laughed with you and I cried with you, and together we experienced every emotion the human spectrum had to offer. The theater, no matter how big or small, is our home.
We have braved another year and bonded ever closer, enjoying film after film. And what a wonderful and amazing year it was in cinema. So without further adieu, here is the last Top 15 list of 2012!
15. Dredd
14. The Expendables 2
13. Sound of my Voice
12. Chronicle
11. Moonrise Kingdom
10. The Dark Knight Rises
9. Lincoln
8. Argo
7. Prometheus
6. Django Unchained
From here on out we will be breaking into my Top 5. It's been a long road leading up to this but we finally made it. I want to thank everyone for reading the post and taking a stroll down memory lane with me. It has been a great time full of fantasy and science, saving the world and saving ourselves. I look forward to what we'll accomplish in 2013.
5. Beasts of the Southern Wild
4. Looper
3. Cloud Atlas
2. The Grey
And the winner is.....duh.
1. The Avengers
There you have it folks. If anyone has a top 15 of 2012 you would like to share then by all means post them up! I would be incredibly excited to see what anyone thought!
Otherwise, here is the link for the entire rundown on each of this site's lists!
15. Dredd
A movie that should have been a standard shoot 'em up became something a bit more. Amid all the explosions and falling people, this movie tried to achieve something more for itself. It embraced a more artistic look and feel than its predecessor. It evolved into something more than it ever should have been.
14. The Expendables 2
Its like "The Avengers" for 80's action fans. It was an incredible idea that had the steam to keep on going. When you can make an action movie that is so over the top and crazy make me feel an emotion other than Pure Rockin'ness for one or more of the characters, then you are doing it right.
13. Sound of my Voice
Its an amazing study about what it takes to make people believe in your cause and how far they will go to find the truth. It borders on science fiction and has roots in mystery and thrillers. If this movie could give me the ending brand new every time it would have been in my top three with ease. Sadly, some amazing stories can only be told once before the magic begins to wear off.
12. Chronicle
A great take on the difference between justice and revenge. How seeds of hate can destroy you and the people you care about. When does the power to help become the power to hurt? It's a sad and amazing movie that everyone should watch.
11. Moonrise Kingdom
Anderson's best. Period. It is fun and great and has some of the best child acting I have seen ever. It is heartfelt and emotional while keeping a darkly quirky tone. It is a masterpiece.
10. The Dark Knight Rises
I know I have been saying that it might not make my Top 10 but I think Tom Hardy's performance of Bane won me over. He is awe-inspiring while working his craft. While the film features many things that I don't think belong in a Batman movie, I think this has enough good about it to keep its head above the water. A good end to a good trilogy.
9. Lincoln
I won't give away the end.
8. Argo
So intense while also being fun. I think Ben Affleck has really caught on to this director thing. He gets better every single time me makes a movie. I just can't wait to see what he comes up with next. I am positive it will be riveting!
7. Prometheus
I will get some grumbles here, but that's okay. This movie is tied into a universe I have loved since I can remember watching movies. It gave explanations for so many things I have been thinking about for the past 20 years. The performances were great and the music was epic. It is everything I wanted, and I hope Scott continues on with these characters.
6. Django Unchained
If anyone grumbles about this one then you haven't seen it. I don't think I need to really explain why this is on here, right?
From here on out we will be breaking into my Top 5. It's been a long road leading up to this but we finally made it. I want to thank everyone for reading the post and taking a stroll down memory lane with me. It has been a great time full of fantasy and science, saving the world and saving ourselves. I look forward to what we'll accomplish in 2013.
5. Beasts of the Southern Wild
This movie is simply amazing. I am almost literally at a loss for words when attempting to explain it to anyone other than how important it is to their survival that they see it. Every second you spend not watching it is a second you might as well spend hitting yourself in your own face with a brick. These characters won over my heart in seconds and made me proud of their accomplishments. It transcends what film is trying to achieve by giving you a window into a reality more real than our own. This is true genius at work on everyone's part. The only reason other movies will rank higher is based on how often I could watch this movie. Over exposure would erode the magic of this film like acid.
4. Looper
Its scary and fun and full of mystery. Who do you want to fight less than yourself? You know all of the things that you know. It's an impossible thing to comprehend but it's an amazing time trying to figure it out. This movie is nearly perfect in what it was trying to accomplish. It has very, very, very few flaws.
3. Cloud Atlas
I have watched this multiple times and continue to find new and amazing things about it. I still hit almost all of the emotional ques when I should and I still can hardly bare to look at the screen when the sound of the gunshot rings through the hallways and down the stairs right into Sixsmith's ears. I don't joke at all that I look away for that second. It literally pains my soul; it hurts to have felt the loss that I believe him to be feeling at that moment. This movie is so smart that I may never understand everything that its trying to say, but I can certainly understand exactly what it is trying to make you feel. Even though it seems that consequences may not be worth the risk, just remember that there is a world of people out there willing to pick up where you left off. You just have to take that first step.
2. The Grey
The journey of a man who lost everything trying to get the people he worked with back home to their families. This movie surprised me so much with the amount of heart it put into the story. Perhaps people will think I'm just some foolish emotional sap all the time, but that's fine with me. I feel the characters I watch deeply. I try to understand what they went through and why they continue on. This movie addresses exactly that. When there is no one else and nowhere to turn, what keeps you going? Ultimately, it's similar in some ways to what I got out of my previous selection, that you survive because you have to hope that there is something better on the other side. All you have to do is continue on and persevere. And the poem that he says throughout the film gets me every time.
"Once more into the fray. The last good fight I'll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day."
And the winner is.....duh.
1. The Avengers
It may not be perfect, it may not have all the emotion and heart some of the other movies have, and it may not go down in history as any sort of milestone, but I love it, dammit. It's so fun and attached to my youth that to choose anything else here would literally betray who I am as a human being. I love interconnected universes and I love comic books. This movie is what I have wanted since I said my first word. It was a dream come true for me to see all of these characters on screen together!
There you have it folks. If anyone has a top 15 of 2012 you would like to share then by all means post them up! I would be incredibly excited to see what anyone thought!
Otherwise, here is the link for the entire rundown on each of this site's lists!