Fave Flicks of 2012

2012 was an odd year for film. There were, as always, some great original ideas and amazing performances, mostly from the margins of the indie and mainstream realms, but this was not the most consistently amazing year for film. But, it didn't have to be. There was a lot of middling crap, but there were a handful of films that really stood out--or at least stuck with me after the credits rolled--that were spectacular in their own ways. 

That said, I offer my sort of comprehensive list of ten favorites from this year that managed to make me smile, think, or laugh a little bit more than the rest of this years releases.

10. Cabin in the Woods

Joss Whedon had kind of a big year, and if you ask the Scoobies and Browncoats, such recognition is long overdue.  Whedon's first big splash this year came in the form of the long-shelved horror movie satire, Cabin in The Woods. Cabin is far more intelligent and legitimately scary than any horror movie parody can ever hope to be, and while it doesn't rewrite the rules of horror movies, it offers a clever twist on the tried and tired formulas that have fueled horror franchises for decades. Best of all, Cabin is responsible for bringing us the unforgettable army of monsters.

9. The Raid: Redemption/Safe House/Safe (tie)

Far from the best movies this, or any, year--though The Raid is easily one of the best pure action movie in years--this trifecta of action flicks reminded audiences that good old-fashioned balls-to-the-wall mid-range action movies still have a place in the cinema. The Raid brought us brutal martial arts action to rival the best of Tony Jaa's output over the past few years while Safe House delivered spy action that was far more visceral and less restrained than 90% of the best spy fi from Abrams, Cruise, or the Broccolis. Safe, on the other hand, was clearly the lesser of the three, but it was a chaotic, brutal, and fast paced actioner that was far less neutered than most of Statham's disposable action flicks. 

8. Wreck-It Ralph/Rise of the Guardians (tie)

Fall brought us the one-two punch of Wreck-It Ralph and Rise of Guardians, two animated films with more heart and genuine thrills than most of the live-action cartoons Hollywood releases in the summer. The nostalgia-drenched Wreck-It Ralph was Disney's best shot at creating their own brand of Pixar magic, complete with heartwarming relationship between lost souls and the main character's search for self. Conversely, Rise of the Guardians is Avengers-lite, an all-star team-up superhero movie with fantasy characters like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny that is as well-crafted as the big-time Avengers, minus some of the plot gaffes.

7. Paperman

Playing in front of Wreck-It Ralph, Paperman was a delightful animated short that recalls the best qualities of 2012's Best Picture winner The Artist. Paperman hearkens back to the silent film era, following a salaryman and his comical, yet infinitely charming, pursuit of a cute-as-a-button secretary. With its charming characters, beautiful score, and gorgeous animation--courtesy of Disney's new Meander animation technology--Paperman encapsulates the heart and wonder of old-school romances with an amazing contemporary sheen.

6. Paranorman

Preceding the fall's animated delights was Paranorman, a sharp and touching stop-motion animation feature from Laika, the good people beyond the similarly creepy and affecting Coraline. Paranorman is a smart tale about forgiveness wrapped up in a classic, hilarious zombie comedy that actually does a better job of turning the genre on its ear than many of the more daring deconstructions that have hit theaters in the past decade. Filled with characters that were as three dimensional as the animation and a meaningful moral to boot, Paranorman was one of the true surprises of the summer.

5. Chronicle

Early this year, we finally got the live-action Akira movie we've been waiting for, and hopefully, the one that will halt Hollywood's plans to attempt a big budget remake. Josh Trank's Chronicle is Akira in all but name, only with a far more focused and cohesive plot, one in which Tetsuo is the center of the story and the overblown melodrama of post-apocalyptic Tokyo's warring factions are replaced by a taut examination of the toll of abuse on the fragile mind, and the damage that mind can do when it grabs the power to burn down the world.

4. Skyfall

Sam Mendes' soft reboot of the 007 franchise was one of the year's biggest blockbusters, and rightly so. Drawing influences from Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, boasting some of the most amazing cinematography to grace the screen this year, not to mention one of the best Bond themes ever, Skyfall brought Bond back to his roots, telling a wonderfully simple tale of revenge and rebirth while demolishing and honoring the continuity of the past decade. Bond is ready for the future, and judging by the box office receipts, so are audiences.

3. Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino's slave revenge fantasy may draw on the Boondocks' Legend of Catcher Freeman episode, but it does so with such craft that it canot be denied as a potential new classic. Jamie Foxx finally finds a role where his cockiness and vulnerability are not a handicap, but he is still outclassed by scene stealers Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio in a flick that is consistently fun, funny, and furious, just like a slave revenge fantasy should be.

2. The Avengers

The Avengers was unquestionably the highlight of Joss Whedon's big year. With the Avengers, Whedon brought fun back to the superhero narrative after years of grim tales of brooding sourpusses dominated the silver screen. As much as it was every true Believers dream come true, Avengers also happened to be a generally light-heartened, fun experience that was more ride than movie. It also brought us one of the single most exciting third acts in superhero films ever committed to film. With Whedon now the "head" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the future of Marvel's movie future looks bright in more ways than one.

1. Looper

Great sci-fi makes you think. Great movies make you feel. Looper does both. Rian Johnson's third film continues a short streak of perfection that began with high school noir Brick. Looper may be the tale of time-traveling hitmen, but it is truly a story about consequence, the power of compassion, and the ability of love to make us better people. Looper is that rare film that leaves audiences thinking about how they can better themselves while entertaining them with a clever plot and deep, affecting characters. Looper is a modern classic, no question about it, and one can only hope it is a sign of many more great things to come from Johnson.

Review - Cabin in the Woods

Grade: B+

It’s no coincidence that Joss Whedon’s long-delayed passion project Cabin in the Woods is hitting theaters less than a month before his second, and biggest, directorial effort,  on Marvel’s all-but-guaranteed blockbuster Avengers. It is probably also not a coincidence that Cabin stars the Avengers’ own god of thunder, Chris Hemsworth.

This is cash grab scheduling at its most disappointingly obvious, but it is a deceptively high quality cash grab.

Directed by Cloverfield director Drew Goddard, Cabin in the Woods is full-tilt geek bait of the highest order, but you’d never know it from the setup. Cabin revolves around five college friends, including Hemsworth’s brainy jock, Curt; Kristen Connolly’s virginal Dana;  Jesse Wiliams’ brainy wallpaper, Holden; Anna Hutchinson’s slutty Jules; and Whedon repertory player Fran Kranz’s shaggy stoner Marty. The five make their way to the nominal cabin, which is buried behind a mountain and just beside a crystal clear lake, where after a night of mild debauchery they run afoul of a few backwoods zombies that prove to be just the absolute tip of the iceberg of secrets that lies beneath the mysterious cabin in the woods.

Whedon and Goddard tip their hand pretty early in Cabin as to the what’s going beneath the surface, which is a fairly smart and consistently funny--mostly due to Kranz’s pitch perfect timing and Whedon’s reliably quippy--satire on the moral absolutist underpinnings of the modern slasher flick. Anybody with a cursory knowledge of Whedon’s oeuvre--especially Buffy spinoff, Angel--knows what’s going on from the second frame. Whedon and Goddard obviously know their target audience, as well as a fair amount of the casual audience, and they lay out a solid trail of bread crumbs before zagging at the zig points and delivering a climax and denouement so far out of left field, yet so thoroughly entertaining, that audiences will be hard pressed to keep their jaws off the ground in the last half hour. As entertaining as the proceedings are, Goddard takes a workman-like approach to the visual style, failing to bring even a fraction of the slim degree of artistry he brought to Cloverfield to Cabin, and relies far too heavily on pat jump scares. Luckily, Whedon’s script carries the load, remaining punchy and smart throughout while eschewing some of Whedon’s trademark cutesy Buffy-isms. Based on the script alone, Whedon and Goddard show a lot of respect to their audience’s intelligence and appreciation for genre storytelling, which isn’t uncommon but always welcome in today’s geek-pandering market.

Whedon pulled double duty as writer and producer on Cabin, which makes the presence of the parade of Buffy, Dollhouse, and Angel alumnus less than a surprise. Ironically, Hemsworth, who wasn’t a household name when Cabin was filmed, is probably the biggest draw. Here, Hemsworth seems to be prepping for his role as Marvel’s Mighty Mjolnir slinger by ratcheting that frat boy excess up to nine by essentially playing Scooby Doo’s Freddy with an academic scholarship. Make no mistake, all the cast are playing live action variations on the original Scooby Gang--not Buffy’s--some far better than other. Despite some noble attempts, Hutchinson is more unsettling than appealing as Jules--which is probably the point--while poor Jesse Williams fades completely into the background as Holden. Kristen Connolly plays virtuous hero girl Dana with the typical empty heroism expected of the character, apparently failing to take advantage of the wisdom of the Joss and make the character come alive in any unique way. 

Per usual for Whedon’s works, the supporting characters are the real stars. Kanz’s Marty will quickly become an audience favorite for being smart, likable, and resilient. Veteran character actors Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford also prove memorable as a pair of overhyped, underachieving salarymen who are try to keep the Cabin Scoobies experience on track, and both are hilariously adept at making their less than savory work mildly entertaining with the help of Whedon’s favorite Mary Sue, Amy Acker, in a role that may seem quite familiar to Angel fans. There are also a few casting surprises that are more satisfying in execution than intent.

Indeed for a three-year old horror love letter satire that eschews torture porn, gore for the sake of gore, and thin ghost stories, Cabin offers an intelligent and entertaining take on a genre that is slightly closer to Whedon’s heart than superheroes. If only this was released three years ago, it wouldn’t be such an obvious, borderline insulting cash grab, and maybe, Whedon wouldn’t have to risk his directorial career on one big blockbuster.  

The Yin and the Yang of it  -

Yin: Obvious cash grab to capitalize on the upcoming Avengers flick and  Whedon and Hemsworth’s impending superstardom. Geek bait to the extreme; may alienate those who don’t worship at the foot of the Joss. Not particularly scary save fora few obligatory jump scares.

Yang: Consistently witty and intelligent satire with biting commentary on horror and the genre’s moralistic underpinnings. Franz Kanz should earn a greater measure of stardom thanks to his smart, likable turn as a hyper aware stoner. Packed with cameos and bit parts from Dollhouse, Buffy, and Angel Alum, reinforcing its position as pure geek bait. 

In-Between: Beware the Unicorn.