Just for fun, Gus and I have put together our top five favorite film lists from 2012. See both below:
Gus Edwards
The Imposter – a documentary by Bart Layton about a French young man who convinces a Texas family that he is their 16 year old son who has been missing for 3 years. It engaged and intrigued me. And I’m still asking questions about the situation all these months after seeing it.
The Paperboy – A tabloid movie if there ever was one. Many critics (mainstream and others) have picked it as one of the worst of the year because it, I suspect, it outrages so many of their middleclass values, which is of course the reason I like it so much. Lee Daniels directed.
Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson’s children book of a movie that took me into a world of its own and delighted me completely.
Holy Motors – If Hieronymus Bosch was alive and making movies I think he would’ve made this one. But his stand-in Leon Carax did. It is a sort of made-up real life fantasia that has to be seen more than once.
Chasing Ice – A documentary about James Balog’s obsession with photographing the melting glaciers on Iceland, Greenland and Alaska. Global warming is the subject and the warning. It was directed by Jeff Orlowski.
And one more.
A Month in Mississippi – by Travis mills. A visual essay/ poem that is both enchanting and sublime. The only reason it’s not among the 5 listed above is that it’s a short and not a feature length film.
This list pleases me because it draws it not only draws from theatrical releases but also from stuff online.
Travis Mills
1. Get the Gringo
True pulp.
2. Zero Dark Thirty
Another masterpiece from Bigelow.
3. The Imposter
The best thriller of the year, a documentary.
4. Jack Reacher
The second best thriller of the year, an old-fashioned smart action picture.
5. Dredd
The only movie this year that didn’t waste any time: short, brutal and much better than it got credit for.
Here are the latest in my video blog series 100 Crime Films. This time I discuss Point Blank starring Lee Marvin and Rampart starring Woody Harrelson.