10) You’ve been Trumped
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjAIKgOOc8A
A documentary, that tells of struggle between members of a
small local community in Scotland and the Trump Corporation. When the plans are
unveiled for brand new golf resort in Scotland Trump would have you believe
that majority of people are positive about it. The truth however is that many
are far from pleased. If your house lies
in the way of the building process then it will be torn down, the legislation
designed to protect the environment is treated with utter disregard and local
police force turn from protectors of the people into private security for
Trump. This film will make you angry but in a good way.
9) Electrick Children
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpE-fshuN2o
This is probably the least well known of the films on the
list. This little indie gem tells the tale of a young girl, brought up within a
strict religious sect. Technology is mostly forsaken and they live separated
from the modern world. When the girl gets her hands on the cassette player (one
of the few bits of technology allowed) she listens to tape of band singing a
song, soon after she becomes pregnant. Believing the father to be the singer in
the band she runs away from the only home she’s ever known into a big bright
city in search of them. What follows is the tale of teenage rebellion and
youthful awakening with some magical realism thrown in. Something that could have felt overdone but
this film gets the tone just right.
8) Chronicle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er-xXgN22tY
A fresh new take on both the superhero movie and the found
footage genre this film was an early favourite of 2012. Three high school
friends discover a hole in the ground which of course they just have to crawl
into. What they find in there is not of this world, imbibing them with “powers”
The effect of which begins to unfold throughout. As they progress and begin to
master their new abilities they move from playing practical jokes to things a
whole shade darker. Though the found footage gets a little bit trying and at
points feels tacked on, the film is an enjoyable romp that builds to a
satisfying finish.
7) The Raid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTSjXbFOKGg
Bone crunching, blood splattering and fast punching, the
raid is all of these thing and more. The story is simple, 20 cops take on a
tower block full of bad guys one floor at a time. At least that’s the plan but
of course things are never that simple. The raid is one of those films that
comes along and raises the bar. A paradigm against which all future action
films must be judged. The raid takes you on a journey in which you feel every
kick, punch and neck snap. All without resorting to gimmicky flawed 3D.
6) The Hobbit
One of the most highly anticipated films in a year of highly
anticipated films. As a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy it’s fair to
say that my expectations were set pretty high.
Although it does suffer from a slightly plodding start and a quite a lot
of Bilbo Bagginess it didn’t disappoint. As soon as that familiar score began
to play out I was longing to be able to visit middle earth for real all over
again. It’s true to say that Peter Jackson loves an epic and he probably does
over indulge in the richness of the text but if your fan of Tolkien you are not
going to be unhappy. The things added work for me and help the progression of
the storey. That said the best part of the film is easily the riddles in the
dark scene where the majority of the script has been lifted directly from Tolkien’s
own words. Overall even at three hours long the film never feels too long,
which is no meagre achievement.
5) Argo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW3WfSFgrVY
Ben Affleck stars and directs and continues a run of impressive
films going. The film is based on real events though how close it is to what
really happened I couldn’t say. My main memory of this film is its ability to
make fairly mundane things incredibly tense. I’ve never willed a plane to take
off more in my life. There are still imprints of my fingers on the armrest of
chair in the cinema and all over whether somebody will pick up a phone. Set in
the late 70’s early 80’s the look of the film takes you back to that era.
Everything feels a little bit beta max being filmed and projected digitally
with all the clarity that brings. Somehow they did the movie equivalent of
dipping a pristine piece of paper into some tea to make it seem older than it
is. Although I knew the outcome to the events of the film, I was not overly
familiar them. This probably helped with my enjoyment of the story without any
worries of historical accuracy. It goes without say this will certainly be an
awards botherer later this year.
4) Skyfall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kw1UVovByw
Bond is back!
After the disappointment of Quantum of Solace (what does
that even mean) and being the 50 year anniversary of bond, the pressure was
really on the make this one stick. The whole film is one big celebration of
everything that is brilliant about the franchise. With very knowing nods to the
old where needed, the film still maintains the realism of the post Bourne
Bonds. Bond has emotions, he can feel pain but at the same time he’ll still
find time to nonchalantly adjust his cufflinks after a particularly excellent
action set piece. For some there were not enough gadgets or girls in this
outing. The film even references the lack of the former within the screenplay.
There is no Bond girl as such the closest would be Judi Dench’s “M”. Though the
gadgets of Bond have always been fun they really hit a brick wall with
invisible car. Oddly Skyfall is kind of a reboot within a reboot we get a
return to the grittiness of Casino Royale, a new Q and an origin story for
Moneypenny. Personally I think it is the best Bond film featuring the best
actor to ever inhabit the role in Daniel Craig. Suffice to say it has whetted
my appetite for the next instalment.
3) Sightseers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyg9aRqlUxM
Without a doubt, the funniest film of 2012 though it’s not
really a comedy not as such. That’s not to say its not meant to be funny. Just
not in a slapstick or knob joke kind of way. Sightseers is a British movie from
director Ben Wheatley that follows on from Kill List with a similar theme if not
a similar feel. Telling the story of two thirtysomethings who have somehow come
together and formed a relationship. They decide to go a caravanning trip
together around the north of England dropping in on some of the more niche
tourist attractions that area has to offer along the way. Sounds rather dull
right? Wrong. Did I also mention that they are serial killers? It’s a bit like Natural
born killers meets carry on camping with a very British flavour.
Not only are they serial killers but these murders can be
triggered by the most mundane action. I don’t want to get too spoilery but the
first person to meet their end, does so because they dropped litter in a
vintage tram. It’s difficult to explain why this film is so brilliant. It is
hilarious, it is dark and in some places very bleak. You will never look at potpourri
in the same way again. The acting is brilliantly underplayed by the two leads
who also created the characters. Also there is a dog actor that makes the one
from the artist look like Wellard from eastenders. To sum up I have never
laughed so hard in a cinema before and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
2) The Dark Knight Rises
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GokKUqLcvD8
The end of Christopher Nolans grand batman trilogy picks up
8 years after the events of The Dark Knight. He’s old and broken now and he’s
nothing more than a recluse. That is until a series of events draw him out of retirement
and he dons the cowl again to face a new nemesis, Bane. A man mountain of a
terrorist with some serious breathing apparatus. Some people had problems understanding
Bane but I must say that neither in the cinema or on dvd version do I have any
trouble understanding what he says. In fact Tom Hardy’s portrayal is one of the
many acting highlights in this movie. Not something one usually associates with
blockbusters about superheros. Christian Bale, Michael Caine and of course Gary
Oldman are all amazing. The real surprise and standout performance for me was
from Anne Hathaway. I have to admit I didn’t think she could handle the role of
catwoman but she nailed it.
As a huge fan of the previous films it was with some
trepidation that I bought my ticket and viewed the last instalment. What if it
doesn’t live up to my admittedly ridiculously high expectations? I thought. I
needn’t have worried. Nolan knows exactly what he is doing and though I didn’t
think it possible TDKR surpasses the TDK on sheer scale. The film feels epic. This
is another one on my list that is 3 hours long without ever feeling it. There
are some truly breath-taking action sequences and the score picks you up and
pulls you along through every moment. I’m glad I saw this film at the cinema
because it has been made to see it on a large scale. Sadly I didn’t see it in
Imax which it was obviously designed for. It did leave me wanting more but as I
know that Nolan wont do anymore I hope that batman is left well alone for a
long time because it’s hard to see how these films can be improved on.
1) En kongelig affære (A Royal Affair)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGXNQu3fpP8
I saw this Danish language movie early on the year and even
then I knew it would be difficult to knock it off the top spot of my favourite
movies of 2012 and so that has proved correct. On the face of it a historical
drama about Danish politics doesn’t sound all that thrilling. The story however
is so interesting and the storytelling is brilliant this is a worthy claimant to
the number 1 position. Added to that, there are some incredible performances by
the lead actors. Mads Mikkelsen is absolutely spellbinding in this. If Viggo
Mortenson is the new De Niro then Mikkelsen is the new Al Pachino (I’m not sure
what that makes Stellen Starsgaard)
The story, if true and I’m reliably informed that it is,
recounts the events of a revolution in Danish political history. When a, some
would say mad young king, who just wants to act the child is forced to take a
wife. The king, portrayed to perfection by another fine Danish actor Mikkel Boe
Folsgaard rejects the advances of the young queen played by Alicia Vikander and
takes far more interest in his dogs than her. Downtrodden and a pariah in her
own house she becomes depressed and lonely. It is only when the king hires Mikkelsen
as his personal physician that the film takes off. The shunned queen grows ever
closer to Mikkelsen before falling for him all together.
Using her position as queen and her disinterested husband as
a puppet she together with the physician begin to bring in revolutionary
changes to make the country better for the poorest and most in need. Somewhat
inevitably however the rich and powerful of the land are not happy about these
changes and begin to plot against them.
Everything about this film is excellent. I’ve already
mentioned the acting of course but also the sets and costumes rival the best
BBC period dramas and the story telling and direction never miss a beat either.
Fortunately due to the subject matter I am confident it is unlikely to be
ruined by being given the Hollywood treatment. I beg you to seek it out on DVD
or blue ray. Even if you think it’s not the kind of film you like or are the
kind of person who thinks that books are for reading and films are for watching.
I really think this film will change your mind and I implore you to give it a
go.
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