This list took so much longer that I anticipated, I've seen 62 of thousands of movies that have beeen released this year and to whittle those down to a top ten has been harder than I thought. Whilst the summer blockbuster season might've been short of great movies, smaller movies and the independent scene have been thriving, Woody Allen has released his best film in years, Joe Cornish has exploded onto the scene with a movie that everybody seems to love and Micheal Fassbender and Ryan Gosling have gone from supporting players to skilled actors capable of handling anything, no matter how big or small the film is. No matter what people say it's been a fantastic year for film and 2012 is shaping up to be the same.
Here's my list of my favorite movies this year, I don't expect you to agree but hopefully it might convince you to see a few movies you might have overlooked.
1. 50/50
The best films are the ones that you can indentify with and for me 50/50 has that in spades. After walking out the cinema I spent hours thinking about what would happen if I ever got struck down by a life threatening illness and I came to the conclusion that Seth Rogans actions in this movie are probably what my friends would do. Not to mention the fact the Anjelica Huston IS my Mum in this flick, the few times I have had bad things happen to me she reacts in exactly the same that Huston reacts in this movie. It's funny, it's heartwarming, the performances are believable, it has a kick ass soundtrack and it makes you think which is something that all movies like this should do. I couldn't think of a finer film to be be my favourite of the year and the fact it stars somebody I truely admire is just the iceing on the cake.
Maybe I'm charmed by this movie because I travelled to Paris for the first time this year and fell in love with the city or maybe it's just becuase I could not wipe the grin off of my face for this films 94 minute runtime. Allen captures Paris in the same way he captures New York City, it becomes a character in itself and when you couple that with some of the best cameos of the year (Corey Stroll as Ernest Hemingway in particular) and Owen Wilson acting as a fantastic proxy for Allen himself you end up with a film I can watch again and again.
As a long time fan of Joe Cornish I was always going to be first in line to see his take on the alien invasion genre, little did I know just how competant it would be. Yes you can see Edgar Wrights influence all over this but it helps polish the finished product rather than taking anything away from it. This is probably the best directorial debut since Shaun of the Dead helped along by a fantastic young cast of actors, John Boyega in particular has a career ahead of him. I cannot wait to see what Joe Cornish does with a bigger budget.
4. Drive
The coolest film to come out this year, Drive caps off an incredible year for Ryan Gosling, actor that's proved he can handle just about anything that's thrown at him. Gorgeously shot with a stunning soundtrack that makes you want to go driving at night, this hyperviolent slice of film noir is something everybody needs to experience for themselves. I am so glad Hugh Jackman didn't turn this into one of his blockbuster franchises like he wanted to.
5. Beginners
Beginners is one of those films that I just knew I was going to fall in love with from the trailer. I love quirky indie films that look at love in all it's shapes and sizes and when you factor in some stand out performances from Ewan McGregor, Mélanie Laurent and Christopher Plummer (who needs a Best Supporting actor nod for this surely) not to mention the worlds most adorable dog, Arthur (so adorable he has subtitles) then you're onto a winner.
6. Hugo
As somebody that has a degree in film this film was an absolute joy to behold. Martin Scorsese creates a film that explores and celebrates the rich history of cinema as well as simultaneously pushing 3D far beyond what Cameron managed with Avatar. If other film makers can achieve with 3D what Scorsese accomplished then it might have a future rather than being a footnote in the cinematic landscape.
7. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
I love Brad Bird, The Incredibles is in my top 10 favorite movies so I was so glad to see that he handled the transition to live action with aplomb. This is probably the most fun movie to have been released this year helped along by the fact Birds' added a considerable amount of heart to the movie by making it more about the team and less about Ethan Hunt, one man army. M:I4 also has one of my favorite endings of the year, one I'm really glad I didn't see coming. Whatever you do see this movie in IMAX, this is the sort of film IMAX was invented for.
Manages to reinvent a tired franchise with two incredible performances with from McAvoy and Fassbender. When Daniel Craig finaly hangs up the Bond tuxedo I'm hoping that somebody has the sense give Fasssbender a call, this film was like his Bond audition tape.
A spy thriller where people actually do spy work, whilst this is a spy film that lacks action it more than makes up for it with some incredible performances from the principle cast. If Oldman doesn't get nominated come Oscar time something is very wrong.
Ryan Gosling is the only actor to have two films on this list and deservedly so. Crazy Stupid Love is a smart, painfully funny rom-com with some fantastic performances from everybody involved. There needs to be some sort of official recognition for Gosling's wardrobe, incredible just dosen't cut it.
Honorable mentions (i.e. the rest of the movies I love but I can't fit in the top ten)
The Kings Speech, True Grit, Submarine, Source Code, Win Win, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Guard, Super 8, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Fast Five & Bridesmaids.
Worst of the Year:
Not even Daft Punk could save this. A senseless mess of a movie that Jeff Bridges stumbles through doing his best impression of the Dude.
A 14 year old mastabatory fantasy, one of the few films that actually managed to offend me. After the phenomenal trailer I expected so much more.
Seth Rogan writes a story about Seth Rogan doing awesome things whilst talking about how awesome Seth Rogan is.
