Looking back on 2012, many could say that it was another average year. However, the further that I look, the more that I have trouble accepting that. There have been many things that made this year exceptionally great, or at very least interesting. One of the notable things is the output of movies, which weren't always successful, but often provided looks into an interesting future of cinema. The following is a week-long journey through the year in cinema and what made 2012 a great year for movies.
41. Ted
Nobody expected Seth MacFarlane's directorial debut to be any good. However, with an impressively strong box office, everyone was proven wrong as he quickly established himself as a solid filmmaker that also probably helped him land the Oscar hosting gig.
42. Take This Waltz
Director Sarah Polley tells this tale of a woman who falls in love with another man in a very earnest, subtle way that is almost heartbreaking. With a surprisingly effective dramatic turn by comedians Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman, this look into fidelity is one of the strongest, well shot films on the subject to be made in years.
43. Savages
Okay, so the unrepentant director Oliver Stone butchered the ending of this and maybe lost points for comparing Blake Lively to Meryl Streep, but among all of the "wargasms" lies a brilliant performance by Aaron Johnson. Playing a stoner, he is the singular drive of this film that adds personality to an otherwise brutal, straightforward tale of the Mexican-American drug trade that isn't quite all there.
44. The Simpsons – The Longest Daycare
The Simpsons may have done gangbusters with their movie, but it is even more welcome to see them entering the world of shorts with this humorous little tale that recalls the Simpsons better days. Also, it was good enough to make the Oscars Best Animated Short eligible nominees.
45. The Imposter
The documentary that proved reality is stranger than fiction sees a man posing as a missing child. The mystery surrounding the issue creates one of the more gripping and intense looks into areas of this world that we don't quite understand.
46. Alps
The follow-up to the brilliant Dogtooth is the tale of a group called Alps that poses as recently deceased family members in ways that are bizarre, intimate, and all the more confusing. This tale may be bleak, but it never lacks an interesting narrative and even continues to push boundaries as it tries to justify its inappropriate actions.
47. Shut Up and Play the Hits
LCD Soundsystem played their final gig at Madison Square Garden in a show that lasted four hours and saw the massive crowd taking in every moment. What makes this concert/documentary so fascinating is the way that it splices this footage with leader James Murphy's morning after routine along with an equally gripping interview with Chuck Klosterman that explores the human condition and proves that sometimes great things have to sadly come to an end.
48. The Dark Knight Rises
With an all star cast, director Christopher Nolan brings his series of Batman movies to an end with polarizing results and an ending that has since become a popular talking point. It also features excellent, if sometimes wasted, performance by Tom Hardy as the masculine villain whose towering muscles are menacing enough, but add a British accent and wits, and you have the ultimate bad guy.
49. The Queen of Versailles
The documentary that attempted to prove that the rich people are just as effected by the economy as the rest of us. It proved to be a universally accepted film that may have been focusing on some of the shallowest people in the world, but done in a very candid and unique way.
50. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
While shot almost too conventionally, the real documentary star of the year should be Ai Weiwei a Chinese artist who uses his power to make a difference. While Ai Weiwei is a fascinating individual, the story essentially is a great reflection on how social media can be used to make a difference in today's society.
51. Killer Joe
Continuing Matthew McConaughey's bizarre comeback year is this NC-17 film that saw him play a hit man in a very gritty, unrepentant manner. It may be too graphic and brutal for some, but it continues to see the former pretty boy continue to regain respect by playing the least expected roles and giving the best results imaginable.
52. Searching for Sugar Man
The story of Rodriguez is a fascinating one that follows two South Africans on a quest to find their hero. The more amazing aspect is that during screenings, the ambiguity of Rodriguez being alive often resulted in surprise performances by the man that left the audience in awe.
53. Craigslist Joe
Another film that attempted to explain how the internet has effected culture through living off of Craigslist friends for a month. The results weren't exactly revolutionary, but added plenty of perspective on how the internet is an effective tool in our modern culture.
54. Klown
Based off of the Danish TV series, this rude, raunchy movie showed a brand new way to depict the maturity of the male identity. It may have been sloppy, more shocking than almost any American movie in the past few years, but it was nonetheless effectively sweet and funny without losing its edge.
55. The Campaign
Take two of the modern giants in comedy and have them compete in this political satire resulted in a mix bag of comedy that may have not entirely worked, but was nonetheless entertaining. At very least, it proved to be a successful and dark look into politics through elaborate gags that may not have always worked, but definitely helped to set this film apart from others.
56. ParaNorman
The greatest animated movie of the year explores what it means to be a misfit with many call backs to old school horror as well as turning the plot into a somewhat Scooby Doo premise. It is one of the most progressive, fun, and original stories to come out this year and shows why Laika Studios should be as recognized as Pixar and Dreamworks Animation.
57. Compliance
A film so good and so scary that it lead many to consider Ann Dowd for Oscar consideration. What is more impressive is that even though the studio didn't send out screeners for the consideration process, Dowd went out of her way to spend thousands to do just that.
58. Cosmopolis
A faithful, yet boring adaptation of Don Delillo's story of a man in a limo driving through New York just to get a haircut while talking politics and economics. Robert Pattinson is fine, but the real moment worth remembering comes towards the end when Paul Giamatti steals the show with a neurotic rambling of politics that is almost better than everything else in the story.
59. Premium Rush
This hoaky, fun film may have bombed at the box office, but it is one of the underrated gems of 2012 that I feel is one of the most exciting, fun, and silly performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. While the actual story is engaging, it is really the idea of an action movie with Gordon-Levitt on a bicycle running from the equally juicy Michael Shannon that makes this one of the best films of the year and miles ahead in terms of creativity.
60. Samsara
A beautiful look into the world around us is this little film that showed time lapse and awe mix together in perfect harmony. It may serve more as a meditative piece than narration, but it is still nonetheless a gorgeous triumph for 2012.
Come back tomorrow for the next part in which we look at 61-80
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