07 August 2013

Review of 2012: best and worst

I meant to post these lists at the end of 2012, but I didn't get around to it. Better late than never, I suppose…

I didn't see a great deal of mindblowingly good films in 2012. In the process of moving to another country and starting a new job I haven't been able to dedicate as much time to watching movies as I have previously, and I've had to use Netflix much more than I would like. I hope to get back on track and start renting DVDs by post again soon though.

Let me know what you thought of the movies below (I've just copied and pasted what I tweeted at the time). Is there anything good that I have missed?

Best new films
The best fairly recent films that I saw in 2012:

1) The Descendants (2011)
"The Descendants (2011), another excellent film from Alexander Payne, has it all. Flawed, believable, interesting characters. Love it."

2) Hugo (2011)
"I'm so happy I hadn't missed my chance to see Hugo (2011) in wonderful 3D, which Scorsese uses well. Another love poem to cinema's past."

3) The Artist (2011)
"The Artist (2011) works as a silent film and also as a film about silent film. A few clever, inventive moments will stick in the memory."

4) SUPER (2010)
"Shakily filmed SUPER (2010) might qualify as the world's first realist superhero movie. The results are ugly, shocking and darkly funny."

5) Moneyball (2011)
"Do you look at the numbers or act on instinct? I don't know much about baseball, but found Moneyball (2011) quite interesting."

Best old films
The best older films that I saw for the first time this year:

1) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) is gold. Striking black and white images. Tangible, atmospheric... Nice story too. #drinkyermilk"

2) Funny Games U.S. (2007)
"Funny Games U.S. (2007) -- even harder to watch in your own language. And it also has a point to make. Intelligent, original, and menacing."

3) Hard Candy (2005)
"Hard Candy (2005) is quite refreshing, albeit disturbing. Full of surprises. It was hard to second-guess, right until the end."

4) Harvey (1950)
"I quite enjoyed Harvey (1950). An invisible giant rabbit stars alongside Stewart, who plays a tipsier-than-usual version of himself."

5) A Trip to the Moon (1902)
"I saw A Trip to the Moon (1902) at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. I'm amazed at how much cool stuff Méliès managed to cram into each shot."

Worst films
The worst films that I saw this year:

1) Troll 2 (1990)
"The other night we kicked off a crap movies night with Troll 2 (1990). Wooden acting. Frustrating. Accidentally funny in places."

2) The Room (2003)
"Late-night cult smash The Room (2003) really is one of the worst films I have ever seen. Just horribly, hilariously bad."

3) Sex and Death 101 (2007)
"Sex and Death 101 (2007) is stupid. Shallow self-fancying scumbag repeatedly cheats on his fiancée, learns nothing, and ends up happy. Why?"

4) The Perfect Man (2005)
"Started watching The Perfect Man (2005) and made the mistake of finishing it. Silly plot. Selfish, annoying characters."

5) Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
"Cowboys & Aliens (2011) is tripe. My advice to Ford: play more cowboys, and never work with aliens again (don't you learn?!)."

Best rewatched
The best films that I rewatched this year:

1) Apocalype Now (1979)
"Rewatched Apocalype Now (1979). It may have been a troubled shoot, but they got heady, explosive results. Stunning. Almost perfect."

2) Magnolia (1999)
"It takes a lot of guts to make a movie like Magnolia (1999), my favourite film post-1970s, and a genius visionary director to pull it off."

3) Groundhog Day (1993)
"Rewatched work of genius Groundhog Day (1993). The second half digs deep into what it is to be human and makes you want to be better at it."

4) Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
"Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) is even more wonderful than I remembered it. So sad Cimino's career nosedived after his great first two."

5) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
"Rewatched the divinely silly Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975). Probably my favourite non-Hitchcock Britflick."