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: Paranorman is sharp, scary, and just shy of spectacular

"AHHH!!! It's the Mystery Machine! We're so dead."

Grade: A-

There's a moment near the end of Chris Butler and Sam Fell's Paranorman where it is clear the movie was aiming squarely at adults.

It's a moment that I won't spoil, but it is one that got more audible gasps from the screening audience than any other scary scene in the movie. It is also a moment that cements the theme of Paranorman in such a delightfully subversive way that it will surely put a smile on the face of most of the adults in the audience.

Essentially, Paranorman is about the tried moral: "Don't judge a book by its cover." The second feature by the company behind stop-motion instant classic Coraline, Laika, Paranorman centers on a middle-schooler Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who can see and talk to the ghosts hanging around his small Massachusetts town. Norman's ability is a source of consternation for his father (Jeff Garlin), concern for his mother (Leslie Mann), and annoyance for his boy-crazy teen sister (Anna Kendrick). his ability also guarantees daily abuse from his classmates, especially lunk headed bully Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, voicing way against type). Despite his rep and clear desire to shoulder his burden alone, Norman finds a friend in the relentlessly optimistic Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), who also deals with his fair share of abuse due to his chubbiness. Oddly, Norman's harassment seems at odds with his hometown's claim to fame. As the site of a colonial era witch trial, almost every business in town, plus a statue in the town center, is based around witches. What the town doesn't know is that the witch that fuels their livelihoods actually placed a curse on the town, and only a creepy malcontent (John Goodman) who can talk to ghosts has been able to keep the witches curse at bay for years. When the grumpy old ghost whisperer dies suddenly, it's up to Norman and his friends to find a way to satisfy the witch before her curse raises the dead.

As the first film by Laika after Coraline, Paranorman has pretty high expectations to live up to, and while it doesn't quite ascend to the heights or dig to the depths that Coraline did, it still works as a focused, charming, and sharp fable. In many ways, Paranorman is the descendant of the same 80's Speilbergian kid adventure flicks like Goonies and ET that inspired JJ Abrams' Super 8. The characters are broad but lovable archetypes, with Neil and his musclebound brother, Mitch (Casey Affleck), being the real standouts, that have enough pathos to be far more relatable than characters with more unique characteristics. The well-paced plot  centers around the kids interaction with an unnatural force, but its subtext is filled with a sharp, witty, and thematically consistent examination of a moral that is increasingly relevant to today's kids. Yet, Paranorman tackles its central theme with an honest, earnest tone that never speaks down to anybody in the audience, regardless of age. It is this approach that, unfortunately, leads to Paranorman's central weakness. 

As a "kids" movie, it may be too heady and scary for its target audience. Granted, animated features have never been squarely targeted a kids, but that's what the marketing teams would like moviegoers to think. This means that many parents are going to take their kids to Paranorman expecting something goofy and lightweight and finding something far heavier. To a degree Paranorman is a bit slight, especially as it is intensely focused on a theme that most older children may have already grasped and most parents certainly should have grasped, but it is that focus that enabled Butler and Fell to allow Paranorman to move so confidently, and effectively, between scares, laughs, and drama. The on-point voice performances also help Paranorman excel because the reticent scenery chewing and over-the-top antics are all grounded in character issues that draw back to the central theme. Speaking of character, Butler, Fell, and the Laika team have done an absolutely phenomenal job with the stop motion animation, especially the character designs, which are all charmingly unique and varied but in a way that makes the characters seem disturbingly human. All things considered, it's almost rare to see this kind of thematic and character focus in an animated feature outside of Pixar, but then again, looking at Laika's work so far, it should be expected.

Paranorman may not be anywhere near as bright, bubbly, and riotous as this summer's other animated entries, but its heart is in the right place and that heart has pumped out some talented meaningful work that kids, parents, and those without either to accompany them to the theater should not miss.

In-Between the Scenes Observations:

• If only one episode of Ghost Whisperer ended the way Paranorman did, I assure you it would have been even more popular.
• Guns, knives, and brass knucks are drawn at the mid point of the film; Mild ultraviolence ensues. parents beware.
• Sadly, there is at least one loud, angry Black woman stereotype; can't win'em all.
• The 3D enhancement was totally unnecessary and only makes the film even darker. But, hey, tickets!
•  There's no twist at the end, but after about an hour away from Paranorman, the impetus for the witch's curse will hit you pretty hard.