tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post8337983662469978836..comments2023-11-05T02:01:53.847-06:00Comments on Antagony & Ecstasy: 2012: THE YEAR IN MOVIESTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-12155910406063928772013-01-02T18:58:55.397-06:002013-01-02T18:58:55.397-06:00Haywire is, no lie, my favorite movie of the year,...Haywire is, no lie, my favorite movie of the year, so I'm really glad to see all the love for it.Michael James Robersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14222509781144948257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-82843668340121429502013-01-02T18:05:50.317-06:002013-01-02T18:05:50.317-06:00A great list as always.
I'm so glad to see th...A great list as always. <br />I'm so glad to see that my number 1's from this year (Tabu) and last (Oslo, August 31st) both made your cut. <br />And your favorite moment is in my top three scenes of the year as well (along with the burning down of the house party in Something in the Air, and the abortion in Prometheus). <br />Amirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06862108887275338771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-39508254379144782412013-01-02T18:01:21.097-06:002013-01-02T18:01:21.097-06:00Wow. How did I miss Skyfall? Put that at number 5....Wow. How did I miss Skyfall? Put that at number 5. Maybe it was a better year than I thought.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04634087887519608773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-42762116738814594732013-01-02T15:32:46.722-06:002013-01-02T15:32:46.722-06:00"Worse still, without a protective layer of s..."Worse still, without a protective layer of silliness, the rancid philosophy muscles out in front and squats there, grotesque and self-satisfied, like a horrid little gnome of selfishness."<br /><br />I want to have this sentence's baby.RickRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17060339578835099120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-91234909489946046752013-01-02T14:54:50.369-06:002013-01-02T14:54:50.369-06:00"Aggression to the mean" is my favorite ..."Aggression to the mean" is my favorite typo in a long time.Zev Valancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10239062791827527067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-11534129263408300342013-01-02T14:23:14.724-06:002013-01-02T14:23:14.724-06:00I spent the longest time typing out a response to ...I spent the longest time typing out a response to each and every one of you, and then I closed the window instead of hitting publish.<br /><br />A couple of short answers to some of the more pressing questions raised:<br /><br />Mysterious F- Basically, I got tired of waiting for better film than my 9/10 for <i>Anatolia</i> in October 2011 (when visions of Malick and Kiarostami were dancing in my head yet), and hit the wall of "Fuck it, I want to give out a 10" in the last week of the year.<br /><br />Thrash- "action movies... boring and void of content" is in fact exactly how I'd describe anti-action, though I do not pretend that I could ever convince anyone to agree with me that this is amazing rather than a slog.<br /><br />Surly Duff- I'm mostly tempted to blame a lack of American filmmaking ambition; but this is actually more of an aggression to the mean for me than a newfound love of foreign films. Back in the first half of the decade, before I had a blog, my lists were stuffed full of foreign films.<br /><br />Vilsal- Oh, I've thought about such a series, or a 1927 vs. 1928 showdown, or similar things. But right now, I'm a bit series-out, and after my last one this month, I'm going to take a break.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-83806618511617568852013-01-02T13:58:21.717-06:002013-01-02T13:58:21.717-06:00You know, if you ever find yourself without a them...You know, if you ever find yourself without a theme for a series, you could do a lot worse than a 1928 retrospective. Your take on 1939 was certainly great.Vilsalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08543768922895368484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-8785847035439008432013-01-02T13:15:25.197-06:002013-01-02T13:15:25.197-06:00Do you have some insight into why six of your top ...Do you have some insight into why six of your top 10 movies are foreign-made films? Do you think that your personal preferences are shifting towards the production/style/etc of foreign films in general, or is it more a lack of ambition from the U.S. and hollywood motion pictures? Or is it just a down year with lots of okay, not great U.S. films?<br /><br />And while I agree with you on the horrible promotion of <i>John Carter</i>, it wasn't like the trailer was hiding a good film. And while the choice of <i>"My Body is a Cage"</i> was poor, the lack of continuity in the trailer - here is JC in the desert; here he is with a lady; here are some lights on a floor; then aliens riding towards him; strange ships with wings; the OCEAN!; here he is drawing a picture; fighting in leather in the sky; a 19th century calvary charge?; aliens; SKY JUMP!; moons in the sky - is horrible. I have no idea what is going on in the trailer, and I watched the damn movie! Surly Duffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12847807145926996504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-81026207019369504842013-01-02T12:18:36.204-06:002013-01-02T12:18:36.204-06:00Good list. There's a few titles I'll have ...Good list. There's a few titles I'll have to check out. My list (for a year I found disappointing over and over again - I couldn't even muster a whole ten): <br /><br />1. Django Unchained<br /><br />2. Killing Them Softly<br /><br />4. Moonrise Kingdom<br /><br />5. Raid Redemption<br /><br />6. Haywire<br /><br />7. Killer Joe<br /><br />8. Avengers.... I guess (still haven't seen Argo, LIfe of Pi or the Master yet).<br /><br />Biggest Disappointment: Dark Knight Rises. I'm continually baffled by critical praise for this film. I honestly feel like I watched a completely different movie than everyone else. All flash. No substance. And a very poor screenplay.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04634087887519608773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-25058364491425033052013-01-02T09:55:50.796-06:002013-01-02T09:55:50.796-06:00Fun stuff, Tim! I thought "surely with his lo...Fun stuff, Tim! I thought "surely with his love of The Raid/ZDT/Les Mis they'd be more films in his top 10 that I've seen/heard of"<br /><br />Nope!<br /><br />I never feel comfortable making my own top 10 for cinema. I don't have a lot of the popular films available to me(Holy Motors, Amour, SLP, ZDT), and by the time I CAN watch them, the conversation has come and gone! Regardless, I enjoy reading them anyway; adding to that ever-increasing Netflix quereJeremyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12219137212221355997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-89162487359315750312013-01-02T09:19:32.441-06:002013-01-02T09:19:32.441-06:00Shucks. I was really hoping that The Deep Blue Sea...Shucks. I was really hoping that <i>The Deep Blue Sea</i> would actually crack the top 10. As usual, I'm waiting through the whole of January to see those late releases before I decide on what I think of 2012 in film although (unfortunately) I'm feeling like you a bit underwhelmed.<br /><br />I actually say no on LAWLESS. Your good review was actually one of the reasons I checked it out. Sure, it has little explicitly new to say thematically (or, visually probably) but it's a genuinely okay film with some great costumes and music.<br /><br />(As much as I love your top 10, I sort of live for "The Antagonists" - so anxiously waiting those.)Andrew K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01104647944747041277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-58274341644309028652013-01-02T08:24:13.512-06:002013-01-02T08:24:13.512-06:00That was good and comprehensive. I'd definitel...That was good and comprehensive. I'd definitely feel inclined now to seek out "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" and "Tabu." I've only seen one film on your "best of" list, which is your professed "most contentious." And right enough - I contest it. "Haywire"? Maybe I'm not entirely clear what you mean by "anti-genre exercise," but I assume it must be different from a deconstruction, because I've seen deconstructions of action movies that aren't completely boring and void of content.<br /><br />Anyway, my top 10, as a devout lover of trash and genre (and as a resident of the UK, the ass-backwards country where we still haven't had Lincoln, Django Unchained or Zero Dark Thirty) looks something like this:<br /><br />1) "The Raid(: Redemption)" - It's pretty much the martial arts movie I always wished existed. Stripped down, alternately achingly tense and breathtakingly intense with a genuine threat of mortality and some of the best villain kills in cinematic history. This is going to be one fans of the genre talk about for decades.<br /><br />2) "Argo"<br /><br />3) "The Dark Knight Rises"<br /><br />4) "Seven Psychopaths"<br /><br />5) "The Avengers"<br /><br />6) "Chronicle"<br /><br />7) "The Cabin in the Woods"<br /><br />8) "Skyfall"<br /><br />9) "Hari-Kari: Death of a Samurai"<br /><br />10) "Livide"<br /><br />Worst: "Act of Valo(u)r"<br /><br />Biggest "Meh": "The Bourne Legacy"<br /><br />Biggest Disappointment: "Prometheus"<br /><br />Guiltiest Pleasure: "The Expendables 2"<br /><br />I'm most annoyed with myself for missing: "Dredd"<br /><br />Best Line: Bryan Cranston in "Argo" - "Brace yourself. It's like talking to those two old fucks in The Muppets."Thrash Til' Deathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01741491764040608276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-38074459632694947602013-01-02T05:54:24.120-06:002013-01-02T05:54:24.120-06:00So did the movies at the top of your list go from ...So did the movies at the top of your list go from a "9/10" to a "10/10" for you now? Just wondering. (Haven't seen most of these so I can't comment.)Mysterious F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08290239526984106990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-69991998349913423292013-01-02T05:40:24.330-06:002013-01-02T05:40:24.330-06:00I am shocked and pleased by your inclusion of Hayw...I am shocked and pleased by your inclusion of Haywire. I know you liked the movie initially, but I'm glad I'm not the only one who found it fascinating enough to include in a "Best of" list.The.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06746957245529915320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-45556409926698150812013-01-02T02:19:22.202-06:002013-01-02T02:19:22.202-06:00Wreck it Ralph was totally overrated, thank you. ...Wreck it Ralph was totally overrated, thank you. <br /><br />My favorites:<br /><br />1. Rise of the Guardians (This movie had a delightfully simple story, charming characters, superb layout, lighting, and atmospherics, and a knockout score by Alexander Desplat. I don't get the critics when it comes to this one, including you, Tim.)<br /><br />2. Paranorman (most arguably the best animated film of the year in terms of technical innovation and writing. Rise of the Guardians probably did not have the best CG animation (maybe I get criticism of it to some extent), but Paranorman is a knock-out of its medium.<br /><br />3. Frankenweenie (This is my predicted winner for the 2012 Oscar - the Academy will probably pounce on this opportunity to recognize Tim Burton. Love the film, but was hoping the outcome of the dog had gone in the bittersweet direction rather than the Disneyesque turn it took.)<br /><br />4. Wreck it Ralph (You're right, Tim, it was likeable, but I was as (weirded out? irritated?) as you with King Candy's (Alan Tudyk's) inexplicable likeness to Ed Wynn's Madhatter from the 1951 Alice in Wonderland).<br /><br />5. The Pirates: Band of Misfits (Silly, but solid).<br /><br />Honorable Mention: BraveKayMartha12https://www.blogger.com/profile/18374583887079610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-76178486122375371222013-01-01T23:08:27.989-06:002013-01-01T23:08:27.989-06:00Interesting list and awards!
My own top 10 of 2012...Interesting list and awards!<br />My own top 10 of 2012, so far, following the rules you made:<br /><br />1. Amour (2012, Michael Haneke)<br />2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012, Peter Jackson)<br />3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012, Christopher Nolan)<br />4. Indie Game: The Movie (2012, Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky)<br />5. Holy Motors (2012, Leos Carax)<br />6. Cloud Atlas (2012, Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski)<br />7. The Cabin in the Woods (2011, Drew Goddard)<br />8. God Bless America (2011, Bobcat Goldthwait)<br />9. The Turin Horse (2011, Bela Tarr)<br />10. Safety Not Guaranteed (2012, Colin Trevorrow)<br /><br />As you can see we agree and disagree here and there :)Jaime Grijalbahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00175192502767519362noreply@blogger.com