A Simpler Time

The blog has gone into a deep sleep, only rousing itself this time of year to report on the top ten movie lists of Jesse Walker.  He's looking back at decades that end in 2.  His first list is for 2012:

https://jessewalker.blogspot.com/2022/12/mayan-apocalypse-now-while-other.html

Let's jump right in. The top ten:

1.  Moonrise Kingdom

2.  Universal Soldier: Day Of Reckoning

3.  The Act Of Killing

4.  Room 237

5.  Django Unchained

6.  Seven Psychopaths

7.  Barbara

8.  Deceptive Practice

9.  Frances Ha

10.  Veep

I wouldn't say I don't like Moonrise Kingdom, but even Wes Anderson's fans admit he can be a bit precious, and this is a good example.

I didn't think much of the first Universal Soldier, so it's hard to imagine what the sixth looks like.  But Jesse is vouching for it, so who knows?  The Act Of Killing didn't seem like my cup of tea, so I avoided it, even though it got great reviews.

Room 237 is a better film than the overrated (see latest Sight and Sound poll) Kubrick film it's about.

Django Unchained may be Tarantino's biggest hit, but it was a disappointment (especially after one of his best, Inglourious Basterds).  Like the Anderson film, I wouldn't say I didn't like it, but it magnifies some of his worst traits, being disjointed, indulgent and bloodthirsty.  Worst of all is a third act that makes no sense.

Martin McDonagh regularly features psychopaths. You'd think he'd be going to the well too often, but he manages one fine entertainment after another, and Seven Psychopaths is one of his best.

Barbara is a solid film. (Its lead, Nina Hoss, is featured in Tar, which is going to make a lot of top ten lists for 2022--we'll know in a decade it if makes Jesse's.)

If Deceptive Practices is what I think it is, I definitely liked it.

I went to the opening of Frances Ha. (Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig spoke afterwards.) Not bad, but very minor.

Veep was a fine TV show, but TV shows shouldn't be on these lists.

Here are Jesse's honorable mentions:

11. The Imposter

12. Stories We Tell

13. Get The Gringo

14. Sightseers

15. Byun, Object Trouve

16.  Spring Breakers

17.  Feral

18.  A Scandal In Belgravia

19.  John Dies At The End

20.  Bestiaire

Haven't seen too many of these.  Didn't see 11, 13, 14, 15 (which I believe is a short), 17 (another short), 18 (a TV episode, though not from Scandal, which the director also worked on in 2012) or 20.

12 was okay. 16 is probably Harmony Korine's most coherent feature, which is not necessarily a good thing. 19 was raggedy but fun.

Here are some other 2012 titles that might make my top ten.  By the way, I didn't think it was much of a year for film:

The Cabin In The Woods

Chicken With Plums

Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Safety Not Guaranteed

Zero Dark Thirty

Other films I liked:

Arbitrage, Argo, The Avengers, Bernie, Carol Channing: Larger Than Life, Cloud Atlas, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope, Frankenweenie, Holy Motors, Jiro Dreams Of Sushi, Lunch, Paul Williams: Still Alive, Pitch Perfect, A Royal Affair, The Secret World Of Arrietty, Wreck-It Ralph

Other films of note:

Chronicle, Let The Bullets Fly, Footnote, 21 Jump Street, The Hunger Games, Headhunters, Natural Selection, Ted, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Klown The Movie, Dark Horse, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Side By Side, Sleepwalk With Me, Robot And Frank, The Inbetweeners, Looper, This Must Be The Place, Lincoln, Searching For Sugar Man, The Sessions, Life Of Pi, This Is 40, Jack Reacher, Amour, Kon-Tiki, Contraband, Coriolanus, Haywire, The Grey, The Woman In Black, Man On A Ledge, Rampart, Thin Ice, Safe House, Wanderlust, John Carter, Friends With Kids, Mirror Mirror, The Lorax, American Reunion, The Three Stooges, Project X, The Five-Year Engagement, Dark Shadows, The Dictator, The Intouchables, Men In Black 3, A Cat In Paris, Battleship, Prometheus, Rock Of Ages, Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World, Brave, To Rome With Love, The Pirates! Band Of Misfits, The Amazing Spider-Man, Savages, Snow White And The Huntsman, The Dark Knight Rises, Killer Joe, Ruby Sparks, Total Recall, The Campaign, The Bourne Legacy, A Thousand Words, Paranorman, The Expendables 2, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, That's My Boy, Premium Rush, 2016: Obama's America, Hit & Run, Lawless, The Vow, The Master, Taken 2, End Of Watch, Smashed, Flight, Skyfall, The Details, The Comedy, Silver Linings Playbook, Trouble With The Curve, Hitchcock, Killing Them Softly, Red Dawn, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Rise Of The Guardians, Playing For Keeps, Stand Up Guys, This Means War, Les Miserables, Not Fade Away, The Guilt Trip, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Big Miracle, The Impossible, Think Like A Man

I guess you can expect another list soon.  Sorry I no longer put up visuals.