Thursday, December 27, 2012

2012 film releases that stayed in my mind.

I'm behind on my moviegoing for this year (didn't even see the cult film du jour HOLY MOTORS), so this leaves out a lot of year-end awards contenders which I'll catch up with in weeks to come.  But here are several films I found memorable in a good way:
DJANGO UNCHAINED, LES MISERABLES, BERNIE, THE RAID: REDEMPTION, THE DEEP BLUE SEA,  YOUR SISTER'S SISTER, THE FIVE YEAR ENGAGEMENT, LINCOLN, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, FRANKENWEENIE, WRECK-IT RALPH, SKYFALL, FLIGHT, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, THE HOBBIT (yes, THE HOBBIT), COSMOPOLIS, THE AVENGERS, LIFE OF PI, ARGO, THE MASTER, THE BOURNE LEGACY, ARBITRAGE, THE IMPOSSIBLE

Memorable, though flawed: ANNA KARENINA, KILLING THEM SOFTLY, KILLER JOE, BULLY, INTOUCHABLES, CLOUD ATLAS, HAYWIRE, THE DICTATOR, LAWLESS, LOOPER, JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME

Actors better than film: THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, HITCHCOCK, PROMISED LAND

Underachiever Award of 2012 (Tie): Tim Burton for DARK SHADOWS--perfect storm of too-jokey script plus Tim's unwillingness to leave soundstage/CGI creature comforts behind and shoot a lower-budget film in either NY (where Dan Curtis did his DARK SHADOWS features) or the British countryside; Meryl Streep's smug, lazy pirouette of a performance in HOPE SPRINGS; Pixar dumbing itself down with BRAVE.

Most memorable L.A. revival house film viewings this year: POSSESSION (uncut version), BEGGARS OF LIFE

Semi-guilty pleasure of the year: THE EXPENDABLES 2

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