By John Pluntze
Well, since last year's first-ever "Fave Films" article I happily wrote for SVO was ultimately read -- and discussed at-length, in some cases -- by so many readers here (just type "Fave Films Of 2011???" into the SVO search engine here to read last year's list), I thought it might be fun to get the ball rolling once again this year as well.
As I said last year around this time, since, in any given year, we often don't have the luxury here in the Wood River Valley of getting all of the "2011" or "2012" releases until the FOLLOWING year -- and/or don't see a particular movie AT ALL on ANY movie screen here in the Valley until it's later released on DVD and Blu-Ray -- don't worry for a second if your "2012 Fave Films" list contains some films that are actually 2011 releases, because I certainly won't. (And, please also feel free to mention some "Honorable Mentions" on your "Fave Films List" as well, because I certainly had no trouble coming up with a Top 20 list this year AT ALL.)
Might be fun -- AND helpful -- as well to list at least a couple-three WORST movies, too ... lest some of us perhaps make the mistake of paying four or five dollars to rent them, otherwise!! (LOL)
Okay, so here goes (and please keep the public chastisements and/or ridiculing to a minimum if at all possible, where my own "Fave Films" list is concerned. And yes, this list IS in order of preference:
1) Young Adult (Charlize Theron portrays with aplomb one of the least likable -- well in SOME ways, anyway -- characters she has ever played, in this constantly surprising, unceasingly audacious and undeniably memorable and moving melodrama-comedy from director Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air,""Thank You For Smoking"), one of the very rare films I saw this past year that I couldn't readily compare to ANYTHING ELSE that I saw in 2012 (or 2011 for that matter, either). Definitely not a movie for everyone -- but then again, it's (verrry wisely) NOT trying to be...
2) "Safe House"
3) "Zero Dark Thirty"
4) "Salmon Fishing In the Yemen"
5) "Silver Linings Playbook"
6) "Argo"
7) "Chimpanzee" (docu)
8) "A Separation" (foreign)
9) "In the Land Of Blood and Honey"
10) "Looking For Sugarman" (docu)
11) "The Perks Of Being a Wallflower"
12) "The Life Of Pi"
13) "The Intouchables"
14) "The Impossible"
15) "They Come To America" (docu)
HONORABLE MENTIONS: "Inside Job (docu),""The Hunger Games,""Haywire,""The Artist,""Django Unchained,""Moonrise Kingdom,""Footloose (2011 remake),""Snow White & the Huntsman,""Lincoln,""Bully (docu),""Take Shelter,""Act Of Valor,""The Dark Knight Rises,""First Position (docu),""Brave,""Rock Of Ages: The Extended (152-min cut ONLY -- on Blu-Ray),""The Descendants,""Here (foreign), "Serious Moonlight,""The Kid with the Bike (foreign),""Marley" (docu),""Flight,""Chernobyl Diaries,""Paranormal Activity 4,""Beasts Of the Southern Wild,""Snowflower and the Secret Fan,""Trishna,""The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,""Katie Perry: Part Of Me,""Into the Abyss (docu),""Jeff Who Lives At Home,""The Cabin In the Woods,""Dirty Girl,""Dr. Seuss' The Lorax,""The Vow,""Friends With Kids," 'War Elephants (docu),""Magic Valley,""Soda Springs,""In Darkness (foreign,""Intruders,""The Bourne Legacy,""Footnote (foreign),""Frankenweenie,""Dark Shadows,""Wreck-It Ralph,""Magic Kingdom,""Little Birds,""Despicable Me,""Soul Surfer,""Monsters, Inc. 3D,""A Late Quartet,""The Sessions,""Madagascar 3"
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And now the WORST:
"Savages" (Oliver Stone has made a lot of truly remarkable and superb feature films -- "Salvador,""Born On the 4th Of July,""JFK,""Heaven & Earth,""Talk Radio,""The Doors" and especially "Nixon," among them -- but this muddled, desperately self-important crime thriller about the pot-growing trade in southern California and Mexico (based on one of Don Winslow's novels) succeeds ONLY in reminding you that director-screenwriter Oliver Stone really can make an even more instantly-forgettable film than his "U-Turn" one. (Directed instead by Oliver STONED, perhaps??? (LOL)
HONORABLE MENTIONS: "The Devil Inside,""Rum Diary,""Bel Ami,""Step Up: Revolution,""Rampart,""Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,""To Rome With Love,""The Grey,""Big Miracle,""Bandslam"
Okay, so once you've finished rolling your eyes and/or finished posting some public admonishments here about my own (verrry dubious???) film choices, please be sure to add your own film list (s) in the Comments section right below this article -- since it may very well contain one or more movies that the rest of us HAVEN'T seen yet (for better, or worse)...
