MATEO'S TOP 10 FILMS OF 2012

BY MATEO MORENO 

1) LES MISERABLES (PG-13) Victor Hugo’s classic novel from 1862 was turned into a highly successful stage musical in the 1980’s that went on to win Oliver’s, Tony Awards, and worldwide success.  Various attempts to bring it to the screen have occurred but none successfully.  Now Director Tom Hopper (The Kings Speech) has finally brought the beloved musical to the screen in a beautiful and breathtaking version.  Hugh Jackman commands every scene as Jean Valjean, a man who has spent 19 years imprisoned, partly due to him stealing a loaf of bread for his dying sister.  His powerful performance never lets up here, and his emotional singing is stunning.  Anne Hathaway is breathtakingly beautiful as the suffering Fantine, a woman turned to prostitution to pay for her daughter to live.  Heart wrenching and honest, Hathaway has never been this good on screen, and her emotional performance, plus one of the best versions of “I Dreamed a Dream” I’ve ever heard, are sure to nab her an Academy Award.  Amanda Seyfried breathes life into Cossette, a character often underplayed and sometimes boring.  And Samantha Barks proves again what a wonderful role Eponine is.  Her voice is beautiful and her unredeemed love story is as beautiful as ever.  Also great are Aaron Tveit, Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, and Daniel Huttlestone.  Many critics and fans alike are up in arms with some of the “talk singing” instead of only belting out the tunes and true it does make the musical sounds different, but in an authentic, beautiful, and cinematic way.  Even with the miscasting of Russell Crowe, Les Miserables is a stunning achievement in filmmaking, and one of the best film musicals I’ve ever seen.

2) SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (Rated R) David O. Russell has made a wonderful career out of portraying damaged characters (The Fighter, I Heart Huckabees, Three Kings) and his latest adaption is no exception.  Bradley Cooper shines as Pat, an ex-teacher just out of the mental institution and living with his parents (a superb Robert DeNiro and classy Jacki Weaver).  Once out, he connects with a young girl named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a woman who has many problems of her own.  She agrees to help him out with his problems in exchange for something she needs done.  To tell you any more would ruin the beautiful surprises this movie has in store for you, but rest assured it’s a beaut.  Cooper and Lawrence are a perfect match, both shimmering with raw, emotional performances.  Robert DeNiro, as Cooper’s father, hasn’t been this good in years.  A tearful confession scene between him and Cooper will make even the most stoic of men reaching for a Kleenex.  As it reaches and pushes towards its climax, the film does what films rarely do: it gets better.  Truly the most authentic and enjoyable romance to come out in some time.

3) THE MASTER (Rated R) Paul Thomas Anderson always seems to have people adoring his films for their originality and strong performances.  Or they have people up in arms, protesting their strangeness, unable to connect, and sometimes simply “don’t get it.”  Put me in the former category, as he is truly one of my favorite American filmmakers, and his latest continues on his strengths as a unique voice.  Joaquin Phoenix plays Freddie Quell, a lost soul who comes under the guidance of Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the leader of a cult entitled “The Cause” that specializes in “hope, understanding, attention.”  But enlightenment is not exactly what happens through the course of the film.  Phoenix is phenomenal as Freddie, manic and violent in once scene and a protective puppy dog wanting desperately to learn something in the next.  Had it not been for Phoenix’s very public distain for awards, he would be one of the top contenders this year.  Hoffman is equally impressive but in a much more quiet and moody role.  The fact that you truly don’t know if his cult leader actually believes in the nonsense that he preaches is the beauty of the performance.  Amy Adams also turns in a great performance as Hoffman’s dedicated wife.  It’s not an easy film to digest, and may even take a couple viewings to full embrace, but The Master is intriguing, powerful, and bound to stir up discussions.

4) THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (Rated PG-13) Not since the days of John Hughes has a movie dealing with high school struck such an honest and emotional core.  Stephen Chbosky, adapting and directing his own novel, paints a beautiful portrait of a young introvert Charlie (Logan Lerman), who doesn’t really fit into anywhere.  That is until he stumbles into a group of “misfit toys.”  Siblings Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson) become his best friends, first love approaches his doorstep, and all of the pain and struggle of high school is dealt with in a refreshingly honest way.  Lerman is quietly powerful as the boxed in teen, and Miller is the charmingly wonderful friend you always wish you had growing up.  Watson proves she’s no one trick Harry Potter pony with a heartfelt, loving performance (and also a spot on American accent).  The adults in the film also turn in great performances; Dylan McDermott in just a few scenes shows what a great dad can be, Paul Rudd brings a great humane touch to Charlie’s favorite teacher, and Melanie Lynskey adds a sweltering darkness to the tone of the film, one that never leaves.  It’s truly a film that didn’t nearly get the attention it should have got in theatres.  Give it its attention now.  It’s well deserved.

5) BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (Rated PG-13) Director Benh Zeitlin’s moody and breathtaking take on a small community in the bayou (based on the play Juicy and Delicious by Lucy Alibar) is surely the sweetest tale of success.  It was made for very little money (less than $2 million) and features a cast of almost complete unknowns.  Quvenzhané Wallis plays Hushpuppy, a six year old girl living in “The Bathtub,” a southern Delta community with her father (Dwight Henry).  With the rising flood waters and her father’s health steadily decreasing, Hushpuppy goes on a search for her mother and while doing so, encounters life.  Wallis is truly remarkable and could become the youngest Oscar nominee ever.  Her gentle and wide eyed view on a world she doesn’t understand is evenly matched with Henry’s tough love and sometimes chaotic father.  The fantastical addition of a prehistoric beast called Aurochs adds a darkened fairy tale element to the film.  It’s truly a wild, original, and beautiful meditation on growing up in a poor bayou and should be seen by everyone who loves original cinema.

6) MOONRISE KINGDOM (Rated PG-13) Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Fantastic Mr. Fox) brings his originality to this sweet story of two outcast kids (Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward) who fall in love in a sleepy New England town and go on the run, forcing their families and Scout Troops to go searching for them leading to a wild, out there adventure.  Showing up in the star studded adult cast is Anderson regulars Jason Schwartzman & Bill Murray along with Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, and Bob Balaban.  Both Gilman and Hayward give top notch performances as the young, on the run lovers, and the adult cast all turn in unique and strong takes (Norton, Murray, and Willis especially strong).  It’s filled with all the strange unique oddities that come with an Wes Anderson film and also comes with all the charm and beauty they entail.  It’s a film oddly special in every single way.

7) THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (Rated R) Joss Whedon had two films he was involved in this year (the spectacular The Avengers and this).  Both films were crackling with humor and originality, but because it’s unlike any horror movie you’ve seen, Cabin is the one that hits my Top 10.  Knowing too much about this movie will spoil the fun (as is the case with a few of my Top 10 films this year) but I’ll say this much.  Five friends (Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kanz, Jesse Williams) take off for a weekend getaway in the woods and stay inside a rustic cabin, where things go horribly wrong all weekend.  Co-Writer/Director Drew Goddard and co-writer Joss Whedon create a new breed of Horror film; one that’s not fully horror, not fully action, and not fully comedy.  It’s a strange mix of all three and every bit of it works.  They approach each horror clique and march right past it to spectacular results.  Fran Kanz (recently seen on Broadway in Death of a Salesman) is the standout main cast member, while Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins both give great performances as…well you’ll have to see. Buckle up and enjoy the ride, because they most definitely take you on one, and it’s a doozy.

8) FLIGHT (Rated R) Director Robert Zemeckis returns to live action filmmaking with this very adult, very ambitious story of Whip Whittaker (Denzel Washington), an airline pilot who ends up landing his failing plane and saves the lives of almost everyone on board, instantly becoming a hero.  Though once the investigation starts, Whip’s story is much more than it seems.  Turns out he was drunk and high while flying the plane, thus instantly making his life much more complicated.  Zemeckis stages the landing in such a spectacular fashion that it takes your breath away, and THEN the movie starts.  It’s as if the ending to most films begins this one, and the real drama ensues.  Washington turns in another fantastic and complex performance as Whip.  His darkness and addition makes you cringe yet you’re always on his side wanting him to get better.  Kelly Reilly as a fellow addict whom Whit begins a relationship with, is also quite wonderful.  Her pain is mirrored in Whit, yet while she’s on the road to recovery, he seems to be stuck in neutral.  Among the rest of the cast giving strong supporting performances are Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, and John Goodman as Whit’s drug “brother.”  It’s not the soaring hopeful story you might expect from the trailers, but that’s where its strength is; it’s much stronger than what you think going in.  And doesn’t leave you when you come out.

9) THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (Rated PG-13) Truly an epic finale to an epic trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises is a rollicking, thrilling film that places a very battered Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in an almost peaceful Gotham City.  Still reeling from his run in with The Joker years ago, he’s put away his mantle, letting the newly restructured city take care of itself.  But when a new force of evil appears in the form of Bane (Tom Hardy) Batman must once again return to the streets, this time aided by a jewel thief Selena Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and a idealistic young cop (Joseph Gordon Levitt).  The structure of this final piece of Nolan’s Batman puzzle is splendid, and incredibly exciting.  Not only has that, but he (along with co-writers Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer) fully fleshed out these Gotham characters.  Bane, never a favorite of mine in the comics, makes a frightening nemesis here, and Hardy relishes it completely.  And Bale’s Batman/Bruce Wayne continues to deepen and grow.  Looking back on all three films, it really is a phenomenal piece of work, showing that not all Superhero movies need to be this gritty and dark.  But it sure did work for this Batman series.  It breathed new life into the Caped Crusader, one life that won’t go away for a very long time.

10) LIFE OF PI / NOT FADE AWAY / YOUR SISTERS SISTER (Rated PG-13 / Rated R / Rated R) In a three way tie for the tenth spot come three vastly different films.  To begin, Life of Pi is the ambitious Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel.  It centers on a young boy named Pi (played with determined ambition by Suraj Sharma) whose family is moving their beloved zoo of animals across the sea heading to Canada.  A storm hits, crushing their vessel into the sea, scattering its remains every which way.  Pi awakes, floating on a lifeboat with a few surviving animals, most notably a 450 pound Bengal Tiger who he names Richard Parker.  The story is an epic one of survival against all odds and a deep meditation on faith, never centering on one religion or way of belief, but on faith itself.  The relationship forged between a boy and a hungry tiger is fascinating, and Lee does a great job adapting a “unfilmmable” novel.  In order to fully embrace the film, you must separate it from the novel.  Appreciate them both on their own merits and you will see the spectacular beauty of the film (also, make sure you see it in the eye popping 3D.  The visuals often literally took my breath away.

Not Fade Away is the directorial debut of David Chase, creator of The Sopranos.  It’s a quiet and passionate tale of a group of kids in the 1960’s forging together to create a rock band and make it big.  John Magaro, Will Brill, Jack Huston, and Brahm Vaccarella are all great as the kids wanting to make a dent in the music scene, each bringing a touch of humor and passion to their roles.  Bella Heathcote is the luminous vision to Magaro’s passion and she adds a great balance to his determined performance.  As Magaro’s father, James Gandolfini is touching and subtle as he strains to connect with his son.  The ending, which I found beautiful, may divide audiences but overall it’s a quiet, strong love letter to rock and roll.

Your Sisters Sister is a beautiful, sparse film that follows two best friends and a sister in a remote cottage.  Still reeling from the death of his brother a year ago, Jack (Mark Duplass) is invited by his best friend Iris (Emily Blunt) to her father’s cabin to take some time off and recuperate, think about life, and be alone with his thoughts.  Once he arrives he finds out he’s not alone; Iris’s sister Hannah (Rosemary Dewitt) is also at the cabin.  The next morning, Iris shows up to join Jack there and over the course of a few reveling days, all of their lives are changed.  Trust me when I say the less you know the better (I know I’m a broken record.  But it really is true!).  Duplass is charming and relatable and Dewitt digs into her characters layers with an honest force that’s relatable and hard to watch.  Emily Blunt is radiant here, funny and charming, mixing it all into a beautiful performance.  Each time I see her, I like her even more.  Lynn Shelton (Humpday) has directed a beautifully intimate film that’s largely improvised by its cast, and due to that really add authenticity to it.  Watching it I really had no idea where it was going to go but each step I loved.  Heartfelt and witty, Your Sisters Sister is my final choice for favorites of 2012.  And though it may go unnoticed by the award show circuit, it shouldn’t go unnoticed by you.