However, Spring and this Autumn did give us an impressive run of great and memorable titles, and I'm not just talking about the start and end of year Oscar bait either. So, with this in mind, here is my "completely subjective and not at all official in any way, shape or form and only made up of things I've actually seen so nobody bitch about their favourites not being on here" list of the top ten films I most enjoyed at UK cinemas this year!
10. The Innkeepers
As a friend of mine put it, you know this is a real horror film because for the first hour, nothing happens. Ti West is rapidly gaining kudos as a real retro horror director. I didn't think his previous big title House of the Devil was as good as many others made out, but his slow-burn style really comes into its own here. This "ghost story for the minimum wage" focuses a lot on its leads Sara Paxton and Pat Healy, and they are more than up to the ask of carrying the film on their shoulders. They feel very real, flawed and likeable, meaning the horror hits harder since we really don't want anything to happen to them, and boy does this one deliver the scares when it gets going. From jumps to quiet tension building to a full on nightmarish climax, there were moments when I was almost too afraid to carry on watching; it's been a VERY long time since that's happened.
9. Looper
Proving that smart sci-fi cinema is still very much alive, Ryan Johnson gave a thriller with a damn clever premise, great chase and action scenes, and some killer acting from leads Joesph Gordon Levitt (who's had a damn good year!) and Bruce Willis. You perfectly buy these two playing different versions of the same character, and when it's fully revealed what the older one's mission in the past is, it opens up some fascinating moral questions. For me, a true sci-fi film is one about big ideas, and this one has more than enough for entire franchises of films, and knows how to use them.
8. Searching for Sugarman
All the best documentaries should give you a new found curiosity and interest about the subject matter, especially if it's something you haven't been interested in and/or never even heard of beforehand. This one definitely did for the tale of musician Sixto Rodriguez, one who, if you've never heard of him, is understandable, but in South Africa, he became the soundtrack to a generation. Some have criticised the film for presenting a mystery when there wasn't really much of a mystery, but I think those cases are missing the point; the format is to put you in the position of fans at the time, for whom it genuinely was a mystery who Rodriguez was and what became of him. It also means the final section has an incredible emotional impact, and I guarantee you will walk away from this wanting to have his albums on your ipod at once.
7. Dredd
There were some early warning signs that this might not turn out well, as rumours abounded about issues involving the editing of the film; all these turned out for naught though, as this was a great post-Summer action flick. All bad memories of the Stallone version are washed away; although it's not absolutely like the comic in terms of visuals, this is an incredibly true to the spirit realisation of the character; Karl Urban is Dredd, no question! This also shows a great way of introducing a comic book character to the big screen without going through the origin story again; just show them in a typical day on the job (that's something at least one film out this year could have learned). It's a real shame though that it didn't do well enough at the box office to warrant a sequel, it's set up a franchise perfectly; still, maybe if it does well enough on DVD... No holds barred, true to the comics, and with some of the best uses of 3D I've seen in a live action movie, this ranks as my second favourite comic book movie of the year. Speaking of...
6. Avengers Assemble
It was one hell of a gamble by Marvel, but it paid off magnificently! With five movies' worth of build up, the pressure was on this one, but with Joss Whedon at the helm, it lived up perfectly. Joss was an ideal choice, not least for his previous experiences writing for Marvel, and his near faultless command of ensemble cast dynamics. All the heroes have reason to be there, and all have their own crowning moments of awesome within the film. The action scenes are epic, the cast have amazing chemistry (with the big surprise being newcomer to the franchise Mark Ruffalo fitting in like he was always there) and it's all topped off with a wonderful sense of humour. A new bar has been set for superhero movies and blockbusters in general; here's hoping that the next phase of Marvel movies will meet it!
5. Paranorman
Balls. That's why this movie works so well, it has balls. From the same company that gave us the superb Neil Gaiman adaptation Coraline comes another kid horror that's not watered down at all and goes into areas many other "family" films would never dare to tread. It tackles some pretty weighty topics like bullying, persecution and even a bit about the whitewashing of history in a frank way that kids will get into precisely because it doesn't talk down to them. It's also just plain fun as well with impressive visuals and animation made possible through new 3D printing techniques (stay after the credits for a glimpse of this!). The characters are a lot of fun too, and I do have to give major points to a revelation made at the end about one of them that I don't think any movie aimed at a younger audience would have dared do five years ago or more. It's interesting that a whole bunch of animated kids films using classic horror iconography all came out this year, and while I definitely thought this was the best, I enjoyed Hotel Transylvania a lot more than I thought I would, and Frankenweenie was Tim Burton's most enjoyable film in a very long time (not that that's saying much...).
4. Berberian Sound Studio
A mindbending tribute to Italian Giallo horror, Toby Jones continues to show himself as an acting talent up there with the best of them. This tale of alienation has many clever touches, such as never seeing any direct scenes from film-within-the-film the Equestrian Vortex and all the details of the foley work, all of which create an off-kilter mood like pretty much nothing else I can think of; closest comparisons would probably be to the work of Darren Aaronofsky or maybe Videodrome. The last act has divided audiences, but I personally liked where it went, and didn't think it was anti-climactic at all. With a film of this sort, anything approaching a traditional ending wouldn't have worked at all with what came before. This is probably the main sleeper title on this list, and one I really recommend seeking out on DVD in the new year.
3. The Raid
The only reason Dredd wasn't higher on this list was that some of it's thunder was stolen by this film which has a very similar premise for the plot, but both films go about things in very different ways. I could go on about the way The Raid (The Raid:Redemption if you're American, which makes no sense as I'm not sure who's redeemed in the movie) represents a new age of international filmmaking considering it's an Indonesian martial arts film made by a Welshman in a very American John Carpenter-esque style, but that wouldn't sell why it's on here. It's on here for the best action direction in films in years. It's on here because.. well, just watch the trailer, and you'll be sold!
2. The Cabin in the Woods
Joss Whedon on here once again, but this time only co-scripting with Drew Goddard, who I feel sorry for since he's kind of getting over shadowed by Joss fans. The two of them have put together not only the smartest horror movie in years, but also a whole new way of looking at bad horror! Since watching Cabin, I've rewatched and gone over a few older titles (such as 80s fare Madman and Demons), and with the revelations in this film in mind, I now enjoy them on a whole new level. Add to that the film is just a hell of a lot of fun, with some familiar faces from many a Joss production playing to their strengths, and an utterly insane climax, and this one will be a cult classic for years to come. Bonus points also for making a new horror movie for which a terrible sequel and cash-in franchise is actually physically impossible; see it and understand what that means!
And my number 1. movie of 2012 is... Holy Motors
This isn't just the one I enjoyed the most, and genuinely thought was perhaps the best pure cinema experience I've had in years, it's also the one where it's the hardest to explain why I liked it, simply because I'm still not 100% sure what it is. Director Leos Carax has delivered a truly surrealist masterpiece that seems to be celebrating the nature of cinema and being lost within stories as a whole, without directly addressing either. Denis Lavant gives the performance of a lifetime... or is it several performances, for each of the strange "appointments" he is driven to over the course of the film. We learn little about what any of what we see him do is for, or why, and it becomes very uncertain later on what's real and what's an appointment, but it's the way each of his encounters is its own mini narrative that we get enthralled in is its true strength. It may seem like I'm showing off and playing my extra snobbish film geek card in putting the most "arty" title of this lot at the top of the list, but it genuinely is one I absolutely love to pieces. If you want to try something really different to multiplex fare, you have no excuse not to give it a try, it is just fucking brilliant.
Well, that was fun! Come back in a couple of days, when I'll share what I'm most looking forward to in 2013! In the meantime, below are my honourable mentions that didn't make the main list...
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