Welcome back to tonight's feature presentation of Shawn Eastridge's Fantastically Spectacular Favorite Movies of 2012!!
Tonight's topic is the Honorable Mentions. These are the ones I thoroughly enjoyed, but, for one reason or another, missed being in the top 10 by that much. They are all solid films and I highly recommend you give them a shot to see what you think!!
And away we go!!
I really didn't expect to like this one, but color me pleasantly surprised. This remake/reboot/whatever of 21 Jump Street is surprisingly clever and hilarious. There's great chemistry between stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum and who knew Tatum could be so funny?
I have a love/hate relationship with this one. On the one hand, The Amazing Spider-Man is serviceable entertainment with a cute little romance sandwiched in for good measure. On the other hand, it's also a remake of a vastly superior film that only just came out ten years prior. It also manages to completely butcher the character of Peter Parker, turning him into some kind of hip rebel without a cause instead of the awkward nerd who ends up with superpowers. Still, its charm is mostly genuine thanks to endearing performances from Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. It can't help but feel slight, but it's no Spider-Man 3, that's for certain.
If, however, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 rolls around and it continues this reboot's trend of having nothing new to offer, I shall not be so forgiving.
A touching fairy tale-esque story about a young girl and her father living in a southern Louisiana bayou, disconnected from the perils of the 'real world.' Beasts of the Southern Wild sports some beautiful images, great performances, and a heart of gold. It didn't wow me quite as much as I hoped it would, but it's still enjoyable.
I love Richard Linklater. Plain and simple. That being said, his films as of late tend to be pretty hit or miss. Thankfully, Bernie is a definite hit. For the first time since 2004's excellent School of Rock, Linklater reunites with the fantastic (and highly underrated) Jack Black. This pseudo documentary about the true events involving Bernie Tiede is hilarious, disturbing, and somehow touching. Black gives one of the finest performances of his career and Linklater weaves this tale with the greatest of ease.
Chronicle takes a tired storyline (Superhero origin story) and an even more tired gimmick (Found footage) and brings them together to create something astonishingly fresh and unique. The story of three teens graced with superpowers by a mysterious spaceship is charming and fun. It features a knockout screenplay Max Landis (Yes, as in John Landis' son Max Landis) and excellent performances. Dane DeHaan as the lead character Andrew is the clear standout and, just as Senator Palpatine did with Anakin Skywalker, I shall be watching his career with great interest. The characters are what really set this film head and shoulders above the rest and I wouldn't be surprised to see this one gain some kind of classic status as time goes on.
I went into Cloud Atlas well aware that it was nearly three hours long and written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers...*AHEM* siblings...along with Run Lola Run director Tom Tykwer. I was expecting it to be slow, talky, and pretentious. I was stunned to discover it was actually fun, exciting, and genuinely heartfelt. Sure, some of the storylines are extraneous, but somehow, Cloud Atlas managed to hold my interest thanks mostly to some top-notch direction and strong performances.
I've never had the displeasure of viewing the unfortunate Sylvester Stallone outing that is 1995's Judge Dredd. Thanks to the latest iteration of the comic book character, I don't suppose I'll ever have to. Dredd is ridiculously violent and gleefully so. It's balls to the walls non-stop action with minimal storytelling and it makes no apologies; it doesn't have to. It's exciting and suspenseful and Karl Urban is so spectacular that I can barely stand it. It's a shame that this one flopped so badly at the box office, but I sense it has the makings of a true cult classic.
Looper is easily one of the most creative concepts of the past decade. Whoever thought up the idea that Joseph Gordon-Levitt should duke it out with a future version of himself portrayed by Bruce Willis is a genius. I presume we have Rian Johnson to thank for that. Sadly, there isn't much duking between these two guys and it's unfortunate that Johnson couldn't stick with the thrill of this initial concept. Instead he chooses to go off on a slightly less interesting tangent involving a romantic interest and a crazy psychic kid. Still, it wasn't enough to kill my enjoyment of the movie and Looper works well enough overall as a solid action flick. Nevertheless, I can't help but wonder what might have been...
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest directors working in this day and age. The man is a genius. His visuals are on par with the greats of cinema, Kubrick included. Though his latest effort, The Master, is a bit too pretentious for its own good, it's still a visual marvel and features stunning performances from Joaquin Phoenix (Perhaps the best of his career) and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Don't be surprised though if you find yourself feeling rather indifferent about the whole affair by its conclusion.
A fascinating examination of one artist's fight to do what he loves, despite the restraints imposed upon him by his country. Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi is under house arrest and facing a twenty year ban from making movies. This doesn't stop him from inviting his friend over to film him as he discusses his plans for what his next project would have been. This is Not a Film serves as a powerful reminder of the freedoms we so often take for granted and is nothing short of inspirational.
And that's that for the Honorable Mentions section! Stay tuned for the big finale: The top ten of 2012!!
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