The BEST...So Far
For me, the greatest pleasure of producing a best of list midway through the
year is to prove that there are indeed good movies released during that period.
They may perhaps be harder to spot than more mainstream fare, but then again,
good things rarely if ever come easy. Here is my list of the Top Ten BEST films
from the first half of 2012, from January 1st through June 30th.
If you're a glutton for punishment and want to see my picks for the Top Ten
WORST Films of 2012 (so far) you can right
HERE!
Top Ten
BEST Films of 2012: January 1st - June 30th
10. Patience (After Sebald)
This documentary is all at once a travelogue, a history lesson, a biography,
a critical analysis, a psychological study, and to a very small degree, a fan
testimonial, with artists, scholars, publishers, and writers exploring what W.G.
Sebald's novel The Rings of Saturn personally mean to them. Read my full review
HERE!
9. Headhunters
Here is a film that doesn't pressure us into suspending disbelief. The
pacing, structure, and characterization are such that we find ourselves swept
into the narrative. I didn't know where it would go, but I knew I wanted to stay
and find out. And even if the epilogue is merely a tying up of loose ends, you
have to marvel at the intricacy of the knotting. Read my full review
HERE!
8. Prometheus
Under the guise of a 3D science fiction thriller, it begs most of humanity's
most basic spiritual and/or philosophical questions. Why are we here? Were we
created, and if so, by who or what? Is there a purpose to our very being? The
film does not presume to answer all of the above, although it does leave us with
the strong possibility that such truths are not only out there but can be found.
Read my full review HERE!
7. Detachment
I don't see it as a movie so much as a wakeup call, a way for audiences to
understand not just the world but themselves as well. At its essence, it's an
examination of behaviors that are perpetuated by people that have the power to
stop it. Although it's depressing and hopeless, it will also get you thinking.
Read my full review HERE!
6. Bully
Not even a pointless debate over the final rating could dampen the effect
this movie had on me. Here is a documentary that should be required viewing of
all adolescents, teenagers, parents, bus drivers, and school administrators.
Read my full review HERE!
5. Brave
After taking a slight misstep last summer with the amusing but superficial
Cars 2, the creative teams at Disney/Pixar have thoroughly redeemed themselves.
Brave is an absolute joy – a seamless blend of spectacular animation,
intelligent writing, and tremendous heart and imagination. Read my full review
HERE!
4. Sound of Noise
This is one of the most refreshingly original oddities to come along in quite
some time – a crime caper, a deadpan comedy, and a fantasy all rolled into one.
It's a revitalizing experience, not just as a story but also as a celebration of
sound and music. Here is a film in which audiophiles should be just as
entertained, if not more so, as avid movie watchers. Read my full review
HERE!
3. Perfect Sense
The challenge is not to understand what the filmmakers are feeling, but to
actually feel it as they do. There's no question that the story is elegiac, and
yet I believe we're given reason to hope, for we know that people are capable of
the most astounding changes, even in the throes of unimaginable hardship. Read
my full review HERE!
2. Beasts of the Southern Wild
Loosely adapted from Lucy Alibar's stage play Juicy and Delicious, Beasts of
the Southern Wild is an amazing experience, a testament not only to the craft of
filmmaking but also to the indomitable spirit of life. It's helped in large part
by the casting of child actor Quvenzhané Wallis, who's so perfectly cast that
one wonders if the role possessed her as opposed to the other way around. Read
my full review HERE!
1. Oslo, August 31st
Loosely adapted from the novel Le Feu Follet by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, the
film does not make any grand gestures in depicting the aftereffects of drug
addiction. Director/co-writer Joachim Trier simply observes. He never aims to
make the main character a tragic victim of circumstance; he's a young man who
knowingly chose to walk a self-destructive path. Read my full review
HERE!
