Even with a few weeks to go in 2012, it is pretty safe to say that people will look back at this year and realize that it was one hell of a time for movies.
It began in the first few months of the year, months typically dedicated to the Hollywood “leftovers” that studios dump onto the general public in beat with the post-holiday season blues. Joe Carnahan’s “The Grey,” a late January release, surprised both critics and audiences with its engaging survival story thanks to Liam Neeson’s lead performance.
“The Hunger Games” and “21 Jump Street” dazzled audiences and critics in March, with the later being a surprising foul-mouthed hit. “The Hunger Games” generated massive box office receipts and kicked off what will surely become a successful series of films based upon the bestselling books of the same name.
This summer found a number of hits, beginning with “The Avengers,” a superhero mega-hit that currently sits at the number three spot of the all-time highest grossing movies of all time.
Though it didn’t quite live up to its predecessor, “The Dark Knight Rises” marked a satisfying end to a successful trilogy. The summer also found other critical and commercial hits, including Steven Soderbergh’s male stripper venture “Magic Mike,” Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus,” Seth MacFarlane’s raunchy comedy “Ted,” Pixar’s “Brave” and the newest Spider-Man reboot, “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
Yet, the summer also offered what may end up being the two best films of the year: Wes Anderson’s quirky yet intimate “Moonrise Kingdom,” and the dreamy and organic “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”
While those titles marked an impressive spring and summer, I believe that the fall and winter have already and will continue to offer even more films that resonate with both the masses and critics.
One of the biggest hits of the fall thus far has been Ben Affleck’s “Argo,” an engaging and well-crafted thriller about the Iranian hostage crisis some 30 years ago. Smartly directed by Affleck, the film has resonated with both audiences and critics and is a shoe-in for some major award nominations come awards season, including director and picture recognitions for Affleck. Plus, Affleck sports a great beard as the film’s lead character.
September and October also brought the surprisingly commercially overlooked “The Master” and “Cloud Atlas,” a pair of intelligent movies. The former is helmed by Paul Thomas Anderson and the later by the Wachowski siblings. One is an examination of a delusional war veteran and another a time-hopping narrative of different characters through different generations. Both films feature some wonderful storytelling and performances.
James Bond returned to movie theater screens in early November with “Skyfall,” the 23rd James Bond film made, with 2012 being the 50th year that Bond films have been appearing on screen. Considering the letdown of the last Bond installment, the series has forever redeemed itself with 007’s latest outing, directed by “American Beauty” director Sam Mendes.
Amazingly, November will also be remembered for the Denzel Washington drama “Flight,” Steven Spielberg’s excellent “Lincoln,” David O. Russell’s fantastic comedy-drama “Silver Lining Playbook” and Ang Lee’s visually intoxicating if somewhat underwhelming “Life of Pi.”
I’m surely leaving out numerous films, but I hope that you’re starting to get the picture.
With Peter Jackson immersing himself once more in the world of Middle Earth, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” will allow audiences to travel back to the world that Jackson brought to the screen some 10 years ago.
Quentin Tarantino returns with “Django Unchained,” which premiers on Christmas day and spins a bounty-hunting yarn in which an ex-slave teams up with a bounty hunter to rescue his wife from a plantation owner. As a Tarantino film, moviegoers can expect the standard eclectic mix of extensive character dialogue with the occasional spurts of violence.
December will also feature the film adaptation of the musical “Les Miserables” and “The Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty,” a film that chronicles the 10-year manhunt to find and kill Osama bin Laden. Two other December releases, Michael Haneke’s “Amour” and French director Jacques Audiard’s “Rust and Bone,” have found audiences overseas and will certainly find some more interest domestically by the year’s end.
Based on all of these excellent titles, it’s pretty obvious that 2012 will be considered a phenomenal year for film. With a selection of movies this diverse, everyone and anyone will be able to find something great to watch.
Did Ethan miss your favorite film of the year in his list? Let him know at esafran@wisc.edu.
