QUICKIES
YEAR END SPECIAL
So, 2012 is close to ending. I have sifted through all the flicks I am seen in the cinematorium this year and have whittled down my top 5:-
5. DREDD
This may seem an odd choice given it's similarity with the critically acclaimed The Raid. However, I enjoyed the old fashioned 80's violence nature of the movie. A tight script, nice direction and fine acting over power the needless 3D and bordering on tedious slo-mo. It is a shame that Dredd didn't find the audience it should have, but that will hopefully change when it comes to the home theatre release. A fine nostalgic throwback.
4. ARGO
A taut thriller with a viciously funny streak. Affleck is turning into an excellent director whose output I always look forward to, plus he grows one quality beard. An excellent cast, with no real standout between many fine performances. The tension is built up until the very end where, despite the director trying to ramp it up one final time, it fails. I also loved the use of the old WB Logo at the start of the flick. Excellent work, Mr Affleck.
Now, there is a lot wrong with this movie (succinctly pointed out in the Honest Trailer) but that doesn't stop this from being one awesome movie that perfectly climaxes Chris Nolan's version of the Batman story. Anne Hathaway, like Ledger before her though not on the same level, is a revelation as Selina Kyle and I dare anyone not to have a lump in their throat at Caine's penultimate scene as Alfred. Whilst it never raises to the level of it trilogy predecessors, Nolan has crafted a fine movie with the aid of a top notch collection of cast and crew.
4. THE ARTIST
The Artist is full of wit and charm that infects the audience. Sometimes you can get jaded with film and cinema, but then a piece comes along that catches you by surprise and reaffirms your love of the medium. The Artist was that movie for me on a chilly day in January. For a long period of the year this was, hands down the best film of 2012 for me (and third of all time, a position it still holds), however then I came across:
1. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
A wonderful movie through which we watch the death of a parent through the eyes of a child whose whole world has crashed around her and she can't quite comprehend. Though it shares some of it's DNA with Pan's Labyrinth, which hinders it in the mind of the viewer slightly, it is original enough to stand on it's own to feet as a beautiful, beautiful film. Quvenzhane Wallis gives such an acting tour of force that it puts a Hell of a lot of the older actors to shame and could teach them a thing or two about the skill of their profession. A stunning, poetic, beautiful piece of cinema.
Honorable mentions: Looper, Skyfall, Cabin in the Woods, Headhunters (Hodejegerne) and The Muppets.
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