Continuing on with my
“odd” presentation of the year-end films, I’m breaking these last parts into
four sections. You get five “Honorable Mentions” today, five tomorrow, then my
“Tops” on Monday and Tuesday next week. (There were too many movies that I felt
like I enjoyed equally, and ranking them was stupid. However, three did, indeed,
rise to the top.)
As you read, please
note the following: Yes, I have seen The Hobbit, and while I enjoyed it, I enjoyed these films more. Also, at this
writing, I have yet to see Argo, Lincoln, Life of Pi, or Les Miserables. Take that
as you will.
These come to you in
no particular order, simply five today, five tomorrow.
Seven Psychopaths: I love Martin McDonagh. After watching In Bruges, I knew this would be a
director I’d be following for the length of his career. And while I didn’t
quite like SP as much, this is still
a very enjoyable film. Mostly, I think he’s a director that can get some
wonderful performances out of every actor he works with. (He’s the reason I
started liking Colin Farrell.) Everyone is spot-on in this film. And while the
“meta” portions of the film almost become a little too self-indulgent at
times—reminded me of Adaptation in
some ways—the colorful characters and dark humor carried me along for a wonderful
ride.
Safety Not Guaranteed: I worried this film would be one of
those “quirky for quirkiness’s sake” films. However, I was glad to see that my
worries were unfounded. There might be a few scenes that feel “oddball” just
because they could be, but overall, the heart of the film lies in its
examination of relationships, how they form—if they form at all—and the lasting
impacts they can have when you remember the past in different lights. Plus,
both Aubrey Plaza
Hunger Games: Like the last few Harry Potter films, this one
was so much better than it deserved to—or was expected—to be. Don’t get me
wrong, I enjoyed the novel enough, but I never thought the film would have been
so well-realized, taking the novel from a “fantasy” and turning into something
that felt much more grounded and “real” than I expected it would be. It’s a
shame Lionsgate pushed out the writer/director simply because he was going to
“take too long” for the next films. They had a good thing going, and I won’t be
surprised if the second film will do what the second novel did for me: all but
kill the series. Still, this one on its own is more emotionally engaging and
well-acted than I ever thought possible for an adaption of this series.
The Dark Knight Rises: As one of my friends said, there is
simply no way Nolan would be able to top The
Dark Knight. Heath Ledger’s Joker is now the stuff of cinematic legend in
terms of mind-blowing performances. But, to me, this one didn’t even top Batman Begins. Honestly, I don’t think
it really works as its own, singular film—like the other two do. Yes, it’s
entertaining enough, and I love much of what Nolan has done here, but without
the other two films, this would’ve been less than “Meh.” That being said
though, as a finale to the trilogy, this film does an amazing job tying up all
the threads and giving a sense of closure to the trilogy that’s a rarity these
days. (Plus, I don’t care what others say, Anne Hathaway nailed Catwoman.)
Pirates! Band of Misfits: I read Gideon Defoe’s first two
Pirates! books more than a few years back—and thoroughly enjoyed them. So when
I heard Ardman was adapting the first one into a stop-motion film, I eagerly
anticipated this one for quite awhile. And the waiting was worth it. This film
is all sorts of amusing, with bizarre one-liners and an extremely well balanced
sense of humor, as it keeps both the kid-friendly “physical/visual” humor and
“asides” for the older crowds in check. Plus, this film is face-melting when
you think of all the detail and time that must’ve gone into filming some of
these scenes. In particular, the bubbles on the beer are ridiculous. Kudos to
the filmmakers that had the patience to animate such things. Films don’t get
much more fun than this one—especially when keeping to a “family friendly”
audience.
