Best movies of 2012

NPR Review

Charming, funny, romantic, magical, smart, original- there's no shortage of complimentary adjectives that one can heap atop this movie. Simply put, it's the most special English-language film to come around so far this year.

Stand-out performances from Mark Duplass and Aubrey Plaza and a screenplay that springs to life with cinematic playfulness. The story and plot revelations unfold perfectly and it seems that every creative instinct at work here is dialed in to perfection.

The ending has been the subject of some debate- for me it's the only one that fits and it's the one the film deserves. Go see this.
-- from August Movie Journal - Xanadon't

When I emerged from the theater in which I watched the miracle that is Perks, I was on one of the highest of emotional highs that I've ever gotten from a theatrical experience. I was exhilarated. No feelings are left untouched here: when Perks wants to be uplifting and draw smiles from you, it absolutely sweeps you off your feet with its endless charm, and when it wants to be devastating and draw tears from you, it crushes you like a ton of bricks. I won't compare this to other "high school movies" because I think that'd be an insult to this movie- it's in a category of its own. Just when you think Perks might be close to ending, a whole other layer is added to the plot that makes things immensely more heart-breaking and disturbing. One of the most impressive things about that is that, as a PG-13 film, it handles some super touchy issues very gracefully, yet without feeling like things are getting airbrushed or sanitized. The DVD already has a spot saved in my section of movies to watch after a stressful day or when I need something that's guaranteed to make me happy.
--from lotr23's Favorite films of 2012

The cast is mostly stellar...even DiCaprio impressed me with his performance, which is a first actually. Samuel L. Jackson once again completely disappears into his character & thus makes him memorable when a lesser actor might have made him stereotypical. I could go on & on about the cast, but I'll leave that for our reviewers. ;) I will add, however, that the only part of the cast that doesn't work is QT's performance which for unfathomable reasons finds him saddled with an accent he can't handle AT ALL.

Otherwise everything here works well, and I liked little touches like the discussion of the Klansmen's masks, the restraint from showing the bloody details of a runaway slave's death, and the film's final moment. And yet I can't give it a full 10, as it falls short of the Greatness achieved by Pulp Fiction, etc. But I'd still say it's great in its own right.
--from my DVDecember 2012 list

So my "wife" & I rented Lincoln & this was the last night of the rental. As I turned on the DVD & sat watching the menu scenes & hearing the orchestral music, I realized I was not at all in the mood for that movie. So I asked her if she'd rather watch Paranorman, and she said yes.

The animation here really won me over. I love the way the entire film looks & had several moments where I was really impressed by what I was seeing, with a conscious awareness that it must have taken many people and hours to put it all together & have it work the way it does. I loved the characters and I laughed heartily several times. And how cool is it to see zombies & witches & ghosts animated this way? The only thing I might complain about is that the story's not as original as the presentation is. But with as many movies as are made I guess that's typical.

All I know is Lincoln wound up being a day overdue, and I have no regrets about my choice to not watch it.

Just a thought: Sooo glad I didn't try watching this with my daughter instead; definitely not a movie for young children.
--from my May 2013 list

Review by PvtCaboose91

Review by PvtCaboose91

A.V. Club review

Review by Joshua "LF"

I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but I deeply enjoyed it all the same. It's smart, funny, and endearing. Dug the cast, dug the story, and was pleased with all aspects. Course I'm a sucker for films that break the 4th wall, and here I felt it was well done. Oh yeah, and this is a true story that's actually true, not one of those cases where it's "based on a true story" with little resemblance to something that actually happened.

(By the way, my rating on this is largely due to how hard & often it made me laugh, which endeared it to me all the more. Your sense of humor may yield a different rating.)
--from my January 2013 list

Review by PvtCaboose91