My Top 10 Movies Of 2012

MY TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2012

Many critics and websites have posted their top and bottom movies of 2012 by now, in fact mine is probably one of the last to be posted. I'm sorry for this, but I do hope to have both my top and bottom 10 up as soon as possible. For now, here is my top 10 movies of 2012.

2012 was a fantastic year for movies, with dozens of exceptional films being released. Of course, there were many sequels and remakes, (see my soon to be posted worst 10 movies of 2012) stinking out the multiplexes, but in the world of independent cinema, 2012 could be seen as the benchmark for superb cinema. With this in mind, many of my top 10 are foreign language films ranging from Denmark to Indonesia.

10) The Pirates In An Adventure With Scientists:

Aardman Studios once again continue their line of animation masterpieces with this hilarious and heartwarming movie. Just like the 'Wallace & Gromit' movies and 'Chicken Run', 'The Pirates In An Adventure With Scientists' is a fantastic family movie which will thoroughly entertain parents as well as their children. With a voice cast including Hugh Grant, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton and Jeremy Piven, beautiful stop motion animation and an engaging story, 'The Pirates In An Adventure With Scientists' is one of the best animations 2012. If it wasn't for another stop motion animated movie being released later in the year, this would be the best animated film and may have stood a chance of winning Academy Awards.

9) Cockneys Vs. Zombies:

When I first heard about this London based zombie comedy, I immediately thought 'Been there, done that'. After all, 'Shaun Of The Dead' redefined the horror comedy sub genre with a satirical postmodern slant and instantly quotable lines, making it one of the most revered British movies of the last decade. My expectations were low as 'Cockneys Vs. Zombies' had a hard act to follow. However, within 10 minutes of 'Cockneys Vs. Zombies' starting, I realised that the crown had been usurped and that a new defining British horror comedy may have been born. First of all, the cast is unanimously perfect; from newcomers like Harry Treadaway, Michelle Ryan and Rasmus Hardiker, to living British legends such as Alan Ford, Honor Blackman and Richard Briers. Adding to this is over the top gore, Three Stooges style slapstick and the slowest chase scene in movie history, this movie is the best comedy of 2012 - movies like 'Ted', '21 Jump Street' or 'Magic Mike' don't even come close. I don't remember the last time a movie made me laugh out loud (or LOL as the cool people say) so much as this one did; I highly recommend it to people who loved 'Shaun Of The Dead'. You may have a new favourite zombie comedy.

8) Even The Rain:

This movie is one of the most intriguing and thought provoking I have seen in a long while, but unfortunately it has not been seen by enough people. The film tells the story of Spanish film makers trying to recreate the persecution of native Bolivians by Spanish conquistadors hundreds of years ago but somehow repeat those same prejudices making the movie. The most amazing thing about this movie is that Werner Herzog didn't direct it, as the similarities between this and Herzog's films such as 'Aguirre : Wrath Of The Gods' and 'Fitzcarraldo' are vast: the cinematography is breathtaking and the landscapes are beautifully shot. The cast which includes Gael Garcia Bernal, Luis Tosar and Juan Carlos Aduviri is wonderful; especially Aduviri who plays a man wrestling with his principles. It is also written by Paul Laverty; one of the leading screenwriters at the moment, who wrote one of the best British movies of the year, 'The Angels Share'. 'Even The Rain' has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and in any other year it may win, but as I say, 2012 has been one of the best years for foreign language movies and unfortunately, 'Even The Rain' doesn't stand a chance against the higher quality movies.

 7) The Girl :

This is one of the more controversial movies of 2012, especially here in England. To be honest it was probably expected. The movie tells the 'supposedly' true story about the obsession Alfred Hitchcock had over his leading lady in 'The Birds', Tippi Hedren. His obsession becomes so strong it turns into sexual abuse, meaning he is demonised throughout the rest of the movie. As a die hard Hitchcock fan, this did anger me, (as the only testimonies for the movie came from Hedren herself, so I'm not sure how much is exactly true). What I do know however, is that the movie stars one of the greatest actors working today in the lead role, Toby Jones (who we will also see later in this list). His dead-on portrayal of the master of suspense is riveting and is the driving force of the film. The supporting cast is also strong, Sienna Miller and Imelda Staunton in particular. Of course, there is another biopic of Hitchcock along the way starring Anthony Hopkins, so it will be interesting to compare the two. However, I can't imagine that Hopkins' portrayal will be as convincing and therefore may not be as good. I am, however, not forgetting that Hopkins is a fantastic actor, so I'm not completely dismissing it yet.

6) The Raid : Redemption

Who knew that one of the most violent, cringe worthy but hugely entertaining movies of the past decade would come from Indonesia? I certainly didn't when I watched 'The Raid'; the best action movie of 2012 and also my favourite of the decade so far. Head splitting action coupled with incredible martial arts make this masterpiece one to look out for.  Unfortunately, American distributors have got their greasy paws on the rights to 'The Raid', but I beg you, please watch the original first and see for yourself the damage the American Film Industry can do: an inevitably rubbish remake of a perfectly decent film, with an inevitably rubbish cast and inevitably mediocre fight scenes. The original can show you what a proper action movie looks like; a hard boiled, no punches pulled cringe-fest, rather than a diluted vehicle for a waning wannabe star.

5) Prometheus

Ridley Scott returns to the genre he revived with the most intelligent science fiction movie since 2009's 'Moon'.  It was one of the most anticipated movies of 2012, but also one of the most critically derided, with many saying it was a disaster. I think this may be due to audiences expecting a straight 'Alien' prequel, rather than the cerebral back-story to the 'Alien' legacy they got. For me, it was just as good as the original 2 movies, with an Oscar worthy performance from Michael Fassbender just adding to the majesty of the film. I certainly cannot wait for the 'directors cut' of 'Prometheus'.

4) A Royal Affair

This Danish movie topped Mark Kermode's top 10 of 2012, albeit tied with another film and I can easily see why. 'A Royal Affair' is one of the best dramas of the year and is almost certainly going to win the Academy Award for Best Movie Not In The English Language and deservedly so. This movie contains everything you want in a good drama: romance, betrayal, deceit and insanity. The cast is once again pitch perfect, with Mads Mikkelsen delivering the best supporting role of the year. Amazingly, for a movie full of large country houses and lavish clothes, 'A Royal Affair' doesn't look at all like 'Downton Abbey' and all the better for it. The story line is captivating and holds your attention right to the bitter end. A wonderful movie which should be seen by anyone who loves World Cinema.

3) Frankenweenie

As mentioned earlier, 'The Pirates In An Adventures With Scientists' would have been the best animated movie of the year, if is wasn't for one other movie: 'Frankenweenie'. I predict that when awards season rolls around, this will be nominated for a lot. Tim Burton redeems himself from the failings of his awful 'Alice In Wonderland' re-imagining and the even worse 'Dark Shadows' (see my soon to be posted worst 10 of 2012. He brings us this delightfully macabre remake of his own 1984 short. Shot in black and white, 'Frankenweenie' hearkens back to the golden age of horror, even to the extent of including a scene from 'The Horror Of Dracula'. It is fair to say that it is quite creepy in some parts. In a time when most animated movies are CGI and all look the same, with 'in jokes' for adults and less jokes for the kids, it is so refreshing to have a childrens' movie which isn't afraid to be scary and macabre. Thanks to movies such as 'Frankenweenie', 'ParaNorman' and 'Coraline', (to name but a few) filmmakers are learning that kids love to be scared and that sometimes being scared in a cinema is one of the best experiences you can have. Despite being off the boil for 6 years, Tim Burton is back with a vengeance and hopefully this will be the second coming for this former master of the macabre.

2) Marley

This is the best documentary of 2012, but once again will be overlooked at awards time, (I'm beginning to see a pattern emerge). Directed by Kevin MacDonald who made the brilliant Idi Amin movie 'The Last King Of Scotland', 'Marley' traces the life of Bob Marley, the formation of the wailers and the impact that Reggae has had on Jamaican culture. However, not only does it focus on the music, but it also concentrates on the politics, the poverty and religions of the country, which gives the documentary more emotion than most other music documentaries. If you are a fan of either Marley's music or Reggae, please check this film out. You will love it, just like I did.

1) Berberian Sound Studio

One of the best birthday presents I have ever recieved was last year, when I was bought 2 tickets to see 'Berberian Sound Studio' at my favourite cinema in the world, (The Electric Cinema) with my beautiful wife. I can honestly say that I have never watched a movie like it and I can't imagine I will again. To be honest, I don't think I'd want to. Everyone I talk to hears about this movie from me, and now that it has been released on DVD and blu-ray, I hope to show it to as many people as possible. The movie tells the story of a man who is sent to Italy to do foley sound effects on a Giallo slasher film, despite only being used to doing sound effects for British nature films. The images he sees on the screen as he creates the sounds slowly psychologically change him and by the end of the movie, he is a completely different human being. The film stars Toby Jones: who also starred in 'The Girl', which makes him my favourite actor of 2012. Once again, he delivers an oscar worthy performance, but due to the small amount of marketing on the film, he probably won't be recognised for it, (although he is guaranteed a Kermode award, which is infinetly better than an oscar anyway). As a devotee to the careers of both Dario Argento and David Lynch, this movie was just made for me. Nothing else came even remotely close to being  my favourite movie of the year, but as I say, 2012 was probably one of the best years for movies since 2007.

Thank you for reading my top 10 movies of 2012. I know that there are many I have missed out and I would have loved to include them. To show how many I would have loved to have had in my list, here are some movies which were close to cutting into my top 10 movies of 2012:

The Hunger Games

Carancho

Into The Abyss

Iron Sky

ParaNorman

The Avengers : Assemble