A magnificent year for movies, 2012 was, for me, a treasure chest overflowing with golden treats. So rich and varied, it felt like a feast of film. Restricting myself to titles released on Blu-ray and DVD from the beginning of January to the end of December 2012, I set about the arduous task of selecting a personal top ten and although I could have easily produced a Top 30 without breaking a sweat, I finally cracked it. If there’s any below you haven’t yet seen, lucky you. Buy or rent them now from your pals right here at blockbuster.co.uk.
A mischievous Irish indie flick with a wicked sense of humour and an eccentric buddy vibe, The Guard stars Brendan Gleeson as a shifty, gobby and institutionally racist small-town copper who’s forced to work with a straight, square, African-American FBI agent (Don Cheadle) to bring down international drug dealers. Co-starring Mark Strong, which most films seem to do these days, the chief pleasure of this subversive little gem is the sparky relationship between Gleeson and Cheadle. Buy or rent it now on Blu-ray and DVD, in store and online from blockbuster.co.uk.
An American writer in Paris with romantic dreams of a bygone, glamorous era and, unfortunately, an unsuitable fiancé (Rachel McAdams) who’s more of a modern-day materialist, Gil (Owen Wilson) wanders the streets alone at night in search of inspiration, finding more than he bargained for: a chance to travel back in time, for a few hours every night, to 1920s Paris, in the stimulating company of such literary and artistic legends as Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Dali and Picasso. There’s a girl too, played by Marion Cotillard, who herself dreams of another time and place. A tale of the grass being greener on the other side, or other century, Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris is a sweet and sparkling confection, amusing, imaginative, playful, charming and utterly, entrancingly magical.
An emotionally devastating drama about a mother plagued by grief and guilt after her teenage son goes on a high school killing spree, We Need to Talk About Kevin is an intense and fascinating feature starring Tilda Swinton, by far the most interesting actress on the planet. As a cold, detached mother whose alienation from her growing son is at once shocking yet understandable, Swinton delivers a remarkable, career-defining performance, while up-and-comer Ezra Miller is almost her equal as Kevin. Together, they electrify this unforgettable film from Ratcatcher’s Lynne Ramsay. Buy or rent it now on Blu-ray and DVD, in store and online from blockbuster.co.uk.
From Sideways director Alexander Payne comes an offbeat comedy drama about an absentee dad’s (George Clooney) efforts to reconnect with his daughters after discovering that his comatose wife was unfaithful to him. Authentic performances, strong characters, well-crafted relationships, snappy, insightful dialogue and an unfussy yet involving plot combine under Payne’s thoughtful leadership to produce a truly joyful experience.
A savage comedy of manners with a quartet of caustic performances and a screenplay, based upon Yasmina Reza’s play The God of Carnage, that’s so full of toxic gems, it’s a treasure trove of bad and borderline mad behaviour, Roman Polanki’s Carnage is like spying on the best, most terrible, the craziest and most out-of-control argument of all time. Though based on a stage play, the movie delivers its comedic payload with such force, in terms of pace and power, it’s like an action movie. For my money, it’s the best thing Polanski’s ever done.
Did you ever wonder how you would react if you ever got superpowers? What you would actually do with them, and what kind of person you’d become as a result? These are the issues at the heart of Chronicle, by far the greatest movie in the shaky found footage, hand-held camera genre. Largely authentic and believably played with a story that, for the most part, unfolds at a natural pace, Chronicle is further lifted by perfectly plausible yet utterly incredible effects work that makes everything seem completely real. Playing out the super-powers scenario from dream-come-true to total nightmare, the movie thrills, grips and amuses in equal measure, a truly amazing, utterly spell-binding entertainment.
A sweet, emotional drama from Jerry Maguire auteur Cameron Crowe, this tells a beguiling tale of family healing, of fresh starts and taking chances. Based on the best-selling memoir by journalist Benjamin Mee, lengthily titled We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Broken-Down Zoo, and the 200 Animals That Changed a Family Forever, it follows struggling widower Ben (Matt Damon), who, in a bid to revitalise his grieving family, impulse-buys a fixer-upper zoo in the country. Co-starring Scarlett Johansson as a hot zookeeper and Thomas Haden Church as Ben’s more realistic and responsible older brother, this is an uncommonly good-natured and shameless emotional must see experience.
An earthy crime drama revolving around a deadbeat, ex-con dad and his two neglected sons, Wild Bill marks the directorial debut of long-familiar actor Dexter Fletcher and honestly makes me feel proud to be British. Neither smart nor with a heart of gold, when jailbird Bill (Charlie Creed-Miles) discovers his kids (Will Poulter and Sammy Williams) are living alone, he’s forced by circumstance and the services to play dad, all the while resisting the urge to fall back into his criminal ways. Although on paper this might sound routine, up on the screen it’s a joy to behold. Well played by all with tremendous humanity and written with great affection for the characters, there’s some cracking dialogue too that’ll have you in stitches and Fletcher’s thoughtful, unshowy direction is the icing on the cake.
A totally fresh take on a stale sub-genre that I expect will be copied by filmmakers for years to come, this is a genre-bending horror comedy co-written by Geek God Joss Whedon and director Drew Goddard. A game-changing satire that, although totally tongue-in-cheek and self-aware, still manages, from time to time, to shock us out of our seats. What appears at first to be a routine bloodfest builds until ideas are flying out the screen, left, right and centre. Until the film takes us to such unexpected places, and throws so very much at us, that we’re held in a wonderful daze, simply sitting back and jumping at every gory shock, laughing at every absurd joke, and shaking our heads at the sheer, audacious gall of it all. A cheeky, imaginative chiller with a subversive sense of humour and a climax that defies the boundaries of logical restraint.
Assembling the casts of recent Marvel Movies’ past, with the addition of a new Hulk as the last couple didn’t quite crack it, Joss Whedon wrote his magic words, rolled his enchanted cameras and, like a movie Moses, delivered us unto a promised land of brash, bashing, bonding superheroes. In a phrase, Avengers Assemble is pure, unadulterated happiness. The consummate crowd pleaser, for nerds and norms alike. In much the same way as the film perfectly balances the cast – and as wonderful as they are individually, together they are utterly irresistible – Avengers Assemble devotes equal attention to each of the elements that makes it great, from eye-popping action and jaw-dropping spectacle to laugh-out-loud humour and intimate drama. Swiftly paced with a precision-crafted screenplay, dazzling visual polish and endearing fondness for all things Marvel, Avengers Assemble is an infectiously enthusiastic work of wonder.
