LeapBackBlog 2012 Film Awards – Part 5: Films

Film in 2012 may not have been quite as strong overall as 2011, but right at the top there were a lot of good and very entertaining films. 2012 also featured many wonderful performances, particularly among men (many great performances that would have made my lists in past years were sadly left off). The LeapBackBlog Film Awards are comprised of what I think were the best and most interesting films, the strongest performances (taking into consideration who the actor is and what else they have done), the narrative style that drew me in (best directing), and exquisite craftsmanship (best technical achievements). But really, these are lists of my favorites from the year.

Part 1: Technical Achievements

Part 2: Supporting Performances

Part 3: Directors

Part 4: Leading Performances

The Avengers

So many of us fans of Joss Whedon, who have known he was a great writer and filmmaker for years, were vindicated in 2012 with (both The Cabin in the Woods and) The Avengers. Whedon’s film that wraps up phase one of Marvel Studio’s adventures is probably the most entertaining cinematic experience of the year. It sees Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow all team together to save Earth from an alien invasion that Loki has brought on. Whedon brings a wonderful combination of humor, drama, and character to the film – it is exciting, action packed, hilarious, and full of great character moments. It is the epitome of fun blockbuster filmmaking (and what we Whedon fans completely expected it to be).

Cloud Atlas

Leave it to the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer to make the most insanely ambitious film of the year with Cloud Atlas. It features six stories across the history of man. Each story deals with human relationships and traits – love, friendship, freedom, and bravery – and each is connected in some way. The epic scale and scope of the film is staggering, and it is amazing that it even came off at all, let alone as brilliantly as it did. The troupe of actors are all asked to play multiple characters, many of which are against type (and even race and gender). What is the most impressive about the film is how well it is woven together, as it never drags or feels like it is not building towards something. In today’s cinema landscape in which blockbusters are seemingly solely remakes, rehashings, and sequels (which are mostly broad, boring generic films), Cloud Atlas is an essential epic, as it dares to be original, challenging, and adventurous.

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises was the film I was most looking forward to seeing in 2012, and it did not disappoint as it is my favorite film of the year. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy ends with grand conclusion. Taking place eight years after The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne must return as Batman to face is most physically daunting foe in Bane, who is looking to complete Ra’s al Ghul’s work and destroy Gotham City. Nolan’s narrative features the great action set pieces and genre staples to go with his deft directing to make it a superb adventure film, and satisfying finale, but it is the rich characters (and brilliant performances led by Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, and Anne Hathaway) and emotional moments that make it something more, something special. Nolan’s trilogy is the benchmark that all comic-book films will be measured against (and it is a very high bar).

Django Unchained

Wildly violent, almost to a cartoonish level of excess, and sharply written, Django Unchained is a highly entertaining western/revenge drama. Like all Quentin Tarantino films, it is full of B-movie references, artistic filmmaking, great performances (from Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, and Leonardo DiCaprio), and spirited dialog. Django is a slave who is freed by a German bounty hunter (Dr. King Schultz) who needs his help tracking down his latest bounty. They become friends, and Schultz wants to help Django rescue his wife from a plantation in Mississippi owned by the brutal and dastardly Calvin Candie – a suicide mission. Tarantino uses his narrative to portray the South in a very unflattering manner, directly challenging the myth purported by films like Gone with the Wind – and to this endeavor, the film is quite striking and effective (without losing an ounce of entertainment).

Killing Them Softly

Much like last year’s Drive, Killing Them Softly is a different take on the crime drama genre. On its surface, the narrative is that of a typical crime drama (and works on that level too) – some low level thugs knock-off a protected game, so the mob sends in a professional to kill them and retrieve the money – but Andrew Dominik uses the format for so much more. The film plays as a comment on the financial crisis that America faced in 2008 and the need of a bailout to seeming save the country from disaster. From the constant stream of financial and political news talking-heads in the background to the filming location being the dilapidated post-Katrina New Orleans and the characters being veiled stand-ins for those involved in bringing the financial markets down, Killing Them Softly seems to be a fairly exacting shot at capitalism – one that also has stunning aesthetics and brilliant performances (particularly from Brad Pitt) at is core.

Life of Pi

As someone that generally thinks 3D is a waste of everyone’s money because it mostly just detracts from the cinema experience, Life of Pi and its use of 3D blew me away. Ang Lee uses the format not to exploit (less than knowledgeable) filmgoers for their money, but rather to heighten the beauty and the grand experience of the film’s journey. I forgot I was even watching a 3D film – that is how well it is integrated. It is a wondrous experience. The story tells the adventure of Pi, a young man who travels from India to Canada with his family along with their zoo animals, only to be the sole human survivor of a horrific storm that takes the ship. Pi finds himself adrift in a life boat with only a zebra, hyena, and Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Life of Pi is the kind of filmmaking that all epics should strive to be – it is maybe the most beautiful and fulfilling cinematic experience of the year.

The Master

The Master seems to perfectly capture the mood of the time it takes place in – the sense of loss, isolation, and disconnection of those returning from WWII mixed with the façade of force-fed family values by government and advertising (that would shape America in the early 1950s). Freddie Quell (wonderfully played by Joaquin Phoenix) is lost in society returning from the war, but he finds a place with the eccentric Lancaster Dodd (played by the equally great Philip Seymour Hoffman), a charismatic cult leader. Quell is drawn by the intrigue and grand con of Dodd and his Cause and Dodd seems to be fascinated in the wildness of Quell. Paul Thomas Anderson’s narrative is not so much a streamline story, but an experimental emotional study of Quell and his internal struggle. Anderson uses all his filmmaking tools to make the film a visceral experience, and one that is utterly compelling and fantastic (my personal love of grand genre films aside – aka my love of The Dark Knight Rises – The Master is probably the best film of 2012).

Moonrise Kingdom

Quirky, charming, genuine, and a complete joy to watch – Moonrise Kingdom is auteur Wes Anderson’s seventh feature film. It follows two kids Suzy and Sam who run away together to camp out and explore their budding romance. Anderson’s narrative (as his films often do) feels like it takes place in an alternate reality, in which kids are full of budding potential and adults are somewhat melancholia at having never reached theirs. Aesthetically, it feels and looks just like one familiar with Anderson’s work would expect, as Anderson has a flair for aficionado directorial moments (long takes, lots of camera moves, and stylistic blocking – basically every element of every frame is specifically designed to look the way it does down to the smallest detail by Anderson). What is different, however, about Moonrise Kingdom as opposed to Anderson’s last few features is that it wins over its audience in total by the end, even those not enamored with Anderson’s unique style with its warmth and likable characters.

Skyfall

James Bond is a character all filmgoers know and most love. With Skyfall, director Sam Mendes welcomes the nostalgia and classic franchise elements that make James Bond great while also bringing a more modern take to the series (keeping with the trend of the Daniel Craig films). In his latest adventure, Bond finds himself facing off against maybe his most equally matched villain (well, since GoldenEye) – another MI6 agent formally shepherded by M named Silva (who is fantastically played by Javier Bardem). He knows just where to strike to hurt M and cripple MI6. Bond must takes refuge in his past to protect M. This is one of Bond’s more personal films, which benefits it greatly as the character work is strong. Mendes also does a wonderful job of making a Bond film that feels fresh, but completely embraces and brings back many of the elements of classic Bond films (it is the best of the Craig era so far).

Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty is Kathryn Bigelow’s Heart of Darkness (so to speak). The film details a CIA agent’s (Maya, played by Jessica Chastain) journey into the darkness to find and ultimately kill Osama bin Laden. It is an emotionally arduous yet rewarding experience as Bigelow expertly uses suspense and tension to pull the audience in with intense moments – and it is an interesting story. As a character drama, it works very well – Chastain is brilliant as Maya, a woman who has given everything of herself to finding bin Laden. Bigelow tells the story without a political slant, rather it is more about the sacrifices that men and women have made to try and keep America safe (or simply to do their jobs and what they think is right).

Honorable Mentions (11-25):

Anna Karenina, Argo, The Cabin in the Woods, Chronicle, The Five-Year Engagement, Flight, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Little White Lies, Looper, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Rust and Bone, Safety Not Guaranteed, Silver Linings Playbook, Ted, and This Is 40

The Master (2012) – Review

Review: The Master is the work of a proficient filmmaker, utilizing the medium to artfully tell his narrative and connect with the audience. The film is about a Naval combatant, Freddie Quell, returning from WWII who just does not seem to fit into society anymore. The horrors of war have emotionally scarred him. He drifts aimlessly from one odd job to the next until he is drawn in by a charismatic cult leader, Lancaster Dodd, who takes an interest in him.

Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson takes a more experimental approach to his narrative with The Master. The film is not so much about Freddie’s story; rather it is more about his internal emotional struggle – his un-abating loneliness. There is a hole in Freddie that he just cannot seem to fill (he often turns to alcohol as an escape). We are shown pieces that when put together reveal Freddie’s emotional journey. However, Anderson does not just do this with story. He uses all available tools, taking full advantage of the score, photography and production design to both relate Freddie’s inner struggle in a more visual manner and to also play on the emotions of the viewer (especially with the score). The structure is not entirely straightforward either, exploiting flashbacks multiple times to drive deeper into the root of Freddie’s issues. In the present, the narrative only shows the viewer the most important of moments, constantly jumping forward escaping the mundane. This results in many of the scenes, particularly those between Freddie and the Master (Dodd), being electric and utterly compelling and engaging. They command the audience’s attention, as the viewer hangs on each word and action. The writing and performances are fantastic in this regard as well.

Anderson also has given a lot of emphasis to the characters as well. They are very well drawn and all given moments that are exploited for the audience to really understand them. However, what is interesting is that none of them is particularly likable (which is somewhat uncommon in filmmaking, especially in Hollywood movies). While unlikable characters can put some audience members off, as they cannot connect to people they do not like, Anderson uses humor and gives them a real humanity by not just making them flawed but also by making them seem real (the actors playing their characters with a combination of stylized naturalism) by having them engaging in ordinary tasks while emoting to overcome their un-likability. A good example of both is Freddie and Dodd sharing Freddie’s homemade brew. Their back-and-forth is very natural and funny.

Anderson uses humor throughout the film to temper the drama as well. The film is very heavy in many cases, as Freddie’s internal struggle affects the audience emotionally. He just seems to get in his own way and destroy all the good work he has done, which can be hard on an audience with a stake in him. Thus, the humor lightens the tone slightly and gives the audience a release and break from the emotional weight.

While The Master is exceptionally well made, the experimental nature of the narrative (both temporally and aesthetically, with some of the visual themes feeling very much like a Terrence Malick film – without all the voice-over narration – ‘man in nature’ or ‘man’s corruption’) will not work for all viewers. There is also not much action in the film, as all the scenes are about developing the characters (through dialogue or visually). Casual viewers looking for pure entertainment (might be surprised and find this very engaging as it is fantastic, but probably) will find this too slow and maybe even boring. The film is a bit weird – stemming from the music, the odd characters and the narrative structure, and again it is not going to work for everyone.

However, for those that do enjoy more aesthetically pleasing and thoughtful films, The Master is one of the best of 2012. It features wonderful characters, magnificent visuals and wholly dynamic scenes.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Paul Thomas Anderson has made six films, all of them very good. However, his last two (this and There Will Be Blood) have displayed a complete deftness for filmmaking – every aspect working together to create a fully cinematic and visceral experience. These films are layered, demanding multiple viewings to take in all the character and emotional drama to fully (if that is possible) understand the journey Anderson is taking the viewer on with the narrative. He is among the great auteurs working today (and in cinema history).

The Master, overall, is a phenomenal display of aesthetic brilliance. Jonny Greenwood’s (of Radiohead) score is consuming. It plays with the emotional state of the audience, often putting them ill-at-ease, which makes the drama and odd nature of Freddie or the more compelling and affecting. Like Freddie, the audience is never comfortable – it is remarkable work (here is a sample). Mihai Malaimare Jr.’s cinematography is beautiful in many places, exploiting the elegance and power of nature. His use of light and focus is also top notch. And, the framing and mise en scene is wonderful as well (I love the shot of Freddie running away through the barren field – if feels iconic for the film). Malaimare Jr. and Anderson have created one of the best shot films of 2012. David Crank and Jack Fisk’s production design is also of high aesthetic quality. The film has both a naturalistic and sort of exaggerated feel to it (and being that those seem to be contradictory, balancing the tone must have been difficult). The design work plays off this antagonism by having the characters look very natural and realistic but often occupy space that seems a bit off (like Dodd’s office at the school, which is my favorite set in the film).

 The performances are excellent throughout the film. W. Earl Brown, Kevin J. O’Connor, Ambyr Childers, and Rami Malek are good in small roles. Amy Adams has a real power and control in her supporting role. She seems very kind and gentle on the outside, but behind closed doors seems to be the true force behind the Cause. Philip Seymour Hoffman (as usual) is utterly brilliant. He dominates the screen, almost daring the viewer to look away. Dodd is completely flawed and seemingly lost, and yet also fully engaged and enamored with himself, which gives him boundless confidence. The performance is among his best work. Joaquin Phoenix has been a great actor for years, but seemingly under the radar (even with his Oscar nomination for Walk the Line) – that is no more with this performance. Freddie is the classic kind of character who is a walking emotional wrecking ball, obliterating anything good that might be coming to him. And yet, he plays Freddie with such an inner sadness, that the audience cannot help but relate to him, even when he is completely unlikable – a scoundrel.

Summary & score: The Master is an absolute cinematic joy to partake in – to experiences the mastery of a true auteur. 9/10

Paul Thomas Anderson – Movies Spotlight – September 2012

Paul Thomas Anderson, 42, is among the great generation of auteurs to emerge out of the 1990s (filmmakers like: Wes Anderson, David Fincher, Danny Boyle, Alfonso Cuaron, Peter Jackson, Kar Wai Wong, and Quentin Tarantino). This month, his new film The Master is set for release. It is has played to high praise and acclaim among most critics (though, some are calling it too experimental), and is among the Oscar frontrunners. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman (a frequent Anderson collaborator, appearing in five of Anderson’s six films) and Amy Adams, the film is about Freddie Quell, a Naval veteran who arrives home disillusioned and uncertain about his future. That is, until he finds a place in The Cause, drawn in by its charismatic leader. Check out the trailer.

Early Career:

Anderson briefly attended Emerson College and New York University before diving into his career, taking a job as a production assistant working on whatever he could – be it television movies, music videos or game shows in LA and New York. Instead of film school, Anderson pooled his money (which amounted to $10,000 set aside for college by his parents, some money he won gambling and his girlfriend’s credit card) and set out to make a short film calling it his college experience. The film was Cigarettes & Coffee (costing $20,000), a short following multiple storylines involving a twenty-dollar bill (something that would become prevalent in Anderson’s early features). He screened the film at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival and was invited to the 1994 Sundance filmmaker’s lab. At the lab, his mentor was Michael Caton-Jones (who was in the prime of his career, just off Memphis Belle and This Boy’s Life and about to direct Rob Roy). Jones saw a lot of talent in Anderson, but not a lot of hands on experience and thus focused his mentorship in that direction. Anderson decided to adapt his short into a feature titled Sydney, signing a deal with Rysher Entertainment. In 1996, he wrote and directed the film, but Rysher executives decided to re-edit it. However, Anderson still had a print of his original cut and submitted it to the Cannes Film Festival where it was screened, receiving acclaim. Anderson was then able to get his version released but he had to retitle it Hard Eight and had to come up with $200,000 to finish it (which was funded by himself and the film’s stars Gwyneth Paltrow and John C. Reilly). Rysher did nothing to promote the film, but even so it was noticed by critics and launched Anderson’s career.

Breakthrough and Creative Control:

During Anderson’s issues with Hard Eight, he began writing a new script in the summer of 1995 based on an early short film he had made called The Dirk Diggler Story. Once Hard Eight was done, Anderson started to circulate the script. New Line Cinema became very interested after the studio’s president Michael De Luca loved the script. Boogie Nights went into production and was released in 1997. The film was a breakthrough hit for Anderson and its stars – momentarily resurrecting Burt Reynolds’s career and serving as the breakthrough for Mark Wahlberg and Julianne Moore (among others). It received three Oscar nominations (two for acting and one for writing). Like Hard Eight but more so, Boogie Nights showed off Anderson’s brilliant ability to present great fully fleshed out characters across a large ensemble. Anderson also showed off his knack for writing wonderful scenes with sort of a heightened reality (I love this one with Rashad Jackson played by Alfred Molina). With the success of Boogie Nights, New Line Cinema gave Anderson a metaphoric black check to make whatever he wanted with absolute creative control (ever director’s dream). The film started out initially as a small intimate project, but as Anderson wrote it grew into a vast ensemble piece about the intersecting lives of several people in the San Fernando Valley, which we know as Magnolia. Again, Anderson’s film garnered three Oscar nominations (this time, one for acting, one of original song and one for writing). Anderson has claimed that Magnolia is the best film he will probably ever make.

And Now for Something Different (Sort of):

With the 1990s over and done, Anderson had three critical hits under his belt and sat almost atop the totem poll of prestige filmmakers. But, he wanted to try something different. All of his films had been long ensemble piece and he wanted to make something shorter and more centralized on one character. He decided to make a romantic comedy, but with his own style to it – and thus Punch-Drunk Love was born (partially based on David Phillips). Anderson played around with the visuals and especially the sound design to create the tone and character for his lead Adam Sandler (in what is easily his best performance). The film is aesthetically ambitious and wildly enthralling and strange (and maybe even off-putting for some). Leave it to Anderson to make a film in what has become the most genetic and boring genre (rom-coms) into something completely weird and beautiful. While not receiving any Oscar nominations, it did win best director at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Palm (best film). Next, Anderson made a film that at first glance seems nothing like a typical PT Anderson film with There Will Be Blood (my personal favorite of his films to date). The character piece is a cinematic marvel, as it is both aesthetically superb and features some of the decade’s best performances (notably Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role). In many ways, this film cements Anderson as a truly unique and gifted auteur, the film being among the greatest of the decade (some even naming it as one of the best American films ever made). It was nominated for eight Oscars (including Best Picture, Director and Screenplay) winning two (Cinematography for Robert Elswit, who shot all of Anderson’s first five films, and Lead Actor for Day-Lewis).

Upcoming Projects:

Anderson does not have any future projects set in stone at present. However, he is working on adapting Thomas Pynchon’s novel Inherent Vice – a hard boiled pothead detective story. He has also mentioned an interest in another Pynchon novel Gravity’s Rainbow.

Career Highlights:

1)      Hard Eight (1996) – writer/director (DVD)

2)      Boogie Nights (1997) – writer/director (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

3)      Magnolia (1999)* – writer/director (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

4)      Punch-Drunk Love (2002) – writer/director (DVD, Streaming)

5)      There Will Be Blood (2007)* – writer/director (Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming)

*Editor’s picks

At the Movies – September 2012 – Part 3: Most Anticipated Films

Must-See of the Month:

The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson) – Drama – Sep 14

Summary: Freddie Quell, a Naval veteran, returns home after the war uncertain of what to do with his future (and somewhat disillusioned, like many veterans), that is until he is drawn in by The Cause and its charismatic leader Lancaster Dodd (and we promise, any similarities between ‘The Cause’ and Scientology are purely coincidental and not intentional). Filmmakers: The Master is auteur writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson’s sixth film, following possibly his best in There Will Be Blood. He is again working with There Will Be Blood collaborators composer Johnny Greenwood (of Radiohead) and production designers Jack Fisk and David Crank. New to the team is talented newcomer cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. Cast: The film stars Joaquin Phoenix with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams co-starring. Jesse Plemons and Laura Dern feature in support. Expectations: Going into the beginning of ‘Awards Season’, The Master is the frontrunner for Best Picture. Critics have showered it with praise after seeing it at an advanced screening over the summer. It is being called a masterpiece, with Paul Thomas Anderson further cementing his place among the ten best directors working right now. In addition to Best Picture, the film is sure to garner acting and writing awards buzz as well. This is not only the must-see film of September, but probably among the five must-see prestige films of 2012. Trailer: Here. Review: Here.

Worth Checking Out:

Looper (Rian Johnson) – Action Sci-Fi – Sep 28

Summary: Joe is a mob hit-man in the year 2072. His targets are sent 30 years into the past were Joe is waiting to execute them. Joe has never failed an assignment. That all changes when then man sent back for Joe to kill is his future self. Filmmakers: Looper is writer-director Rian Johnson’s (an auteur in the making) third film (and if you have not seen his first, Brick, you really should). Johnson is known for his innovative genre mixing. Brick mixes a high school drama with a hard boiled film noir detective narrative, while his second film The Brothers Bloom takes on the con-man narrative, deconstructing it. He is working again with composer Nathan Johnson (his brother) and cinematographer Steve Yedlin for the third time, while blockbuster production designer Ed Verreaux (X-Men: The Last Stand) is new to the team. Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (also a frequent collaborator, starring in Brick and having a brief cameo in The Brother Bloom) and Bruce Willis star, while Emily Blunt, Piper Perabo, Jeff Daniels, Paul Dano, Garret Dillahunt, and Tracie Thoms feature in support. Expectations: Looper looks incredible. It certainly has the potential to be among the best action films of the year, based on what I have seen and the great cast and crew. Plus, Bruce Willis has called it the best film he has ever made (link). Fans of Johnson’s work know what to expect, but for newcomers to his films – Looper should be different from any other action film you have seen (in a very good way). I cannot wait to see this one. Trailer: Here. Review: Here.

Trouble with the Curve (Robert Lorenz) – Drama – Sep 28

Summary: Gus is an ailing baseball scout, probably on his last legs. For his final recruiting trip, he decides to bring along his daughter Mickey in an attempt to reconnect. Filmmakers: While Robert Lorenz is making his directorial debut with Trouble with the Curve, he has been Clint Eastwood’s producing partner and second unit director for over a decade. Plus, he is working with cinematographer Tom Stern and production designer James J. Murakami, both of whom have worked on all of Eastwood’s films during that time. Eastwood is also producing and starring in the film. So essentially, it is an Eastwood film, only this time Lorenz is directing. New to the team, however, is composer Marco Beltrami (The Hurt Locker). Cast: Amy Adams co-stars alongside Eastwood with Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Matthew Lillard, and Robert Patrick in support. Expectations: Trouble with the Curve has been mostly under the radar so far, but I suspect that if it is good (which is looks to be) it will be in the hunt for Best Picture as well as acting nominations for Adams and Eastwood. I love baseball movies (even when they are Sam Raimi’s For Love of the Game – the sappy romance could not undo just how great of a baseball movie that really is), so I am very enthusiastic about this film. Plus, when Eastwood gets it right, his films are very strong and emotionally powerful. Trailer: Here. Review: Here.