Curiously enough I spent most of 2012 ignoring the release of Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Granted, the trailers for it were interesting, but they never actually sold me to the film’s potential. When I finally sat down to watch “Perks,” I was shocked to discover that the film was not only a modern masterpiece, but a completely unorthodox teen dramedy that treats its character not as niches for marketing merchandise, but as actual human beings.
After wallowing for almost two decades in movie limbo thanks to the horrific failure of “Batman & Robin,” it took Warner Bros. hiring of independent filmmaker Christopher Nolan to finall bring Batman out of the whimsy of the nineties and transform him in to a relevant cinematic hero once more. Christopher Nolan, always a man intent on bringing his own ideas to the forefront and never crushing under pressure, decided to basically play the trilogy of Batman movies on his own terms and delivered three of the most quintessential Batman movies ever made. Christopner Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy presents the quintessential cinematic Batman that would come to influence a slew of comic book based films that strived for realism and an adult attitude toward the source material.
Director Ben Affleck has compiled a wonderful and small list of films that bring substance, relevance, and real depth of cinema to the table. Once a man on the verge of fading in to obscurity, Affleck has now really re-invented himself as a man who has something to contribute to the world of cinema that doesn’t involve a smile and a cleft flash. Ben Affleck has revealed himself to be an understated and often under appreciated cinematic artist, who can often explore the worlds he chooses with great complexity and restraint. “Gone Baby Gone” remains his truly unnoticed masterpiece, but Affleck has managed to completely topple the last film, with thrillers and dramas that provide audiences with something unique and bold, while exploring themes of redemption, salvation, and hatred.
If you want a true picture of the mind of Sylvester Stallone and how he approaches his life, his 1976 underdog drama “Rocky” is the best film to turn to. For an insight in to his upbringing “Rocky” bring audiences very close to Stallone. Rocky Balboa is a man who grew up in the sticks and lives his life by the bare minimum. He’s a petty boxer who spends most of his time as a lunk head strong arm for local loan sharks. But deep down he has a heart of gold and a determination that’s both admirable and completely undiscovered. Deep down Stallone is Rocky Balboa, that street hood who had to show the world that he’s so much more than a ghetto hood.
And while “Rocky” is the story of Rocky Balboa’s rise to garner respect and love from the world, Stallone ultimately garnered respect and acclaim by writing what is still the best boxing drama ever made. “Rocky” has heart, soul, and is still one of the most riveting romances ever depicted. A genuine beauty and the beast story, “Rocky” depicts Balboa as a man of unappreciated wisdom and love who spends most of his time dodging violence around him, and seeking ways to fuel his love for the sport of boxing. When he meets young Adrian as a favor to his friend Pauly, Rocky discovers a kindred spirit in the young woman who has also retreated in to a life of the bare minimum, composing her livelihood based around expectations from her friends and family.
The great Talia Shire is magnificent as the meek Adrian who is a reserved and bookish young woman that eventually bursts from her shell thanks to the confidence from Rocky, who sees something deep down in her soul that no one else bothers to look for. Forming a unique bond, Adrian also begins to see a perseverance and sheer courage in Rocky that she knows can elevate him beyond a street hood that everyone else expects him to be. When undefeated heavyweight boxer Apollo Creed loses his chance at a bout, he decides to build up his image by fishing out a local boxer from Philadelphia to grab a chance at the title. Expecting a wash out from the beginning, Apollo and his team recruit Rocky Balboa.
Known as “The Italian Stallion” around the boxing circuit, Apollo is confident Rocky will put on a good show but prove no match. Rocky decides that he can become a champion and soon rises to the challenge and aims for the heavyweight belt. Burgess Meredith gives an equally amazing performance as Rocky’s crusty trainer Mickey who not only shows Rocky how powerful he can truly be, but also becomes his surrogate father over the course of the story. “Rocky” doesn’t so much become about Balboa as a man proving everyone wrong, but proving to himself he’s worth much more than everyone ever told him he was. Stallone gives the best performance of his career as this humble gentle giant who has a lot of love and wisdom to give and no one to really offer it to.
When he finds the opportunity to show that he can rise above the slums and live a life of relevance, it becomes the central focus of the story offering some of the most grueling and compelling moments of obstacles and hardship. “Rocky” builds up to a wonderful action packed climax that’s still among the best sports cinema has to offer, and as a break out film and an ode to the under dog, “Rocky” is still the best ever created. A crowning achievement in Sylvester Stallone’s career as a writer and a performer, “Rocky” is a marvel of dramatic cinema with compelling themes of love and hardship along with a riveting romance. It’s the classic tale of the under dog proving he’s worth a damn in the eyes of the world and himself and an unparalleled cinematic masterpiece.
Ben Affleck is quickly on his way to becoming one of my favorite modern film directors. His complete re-invention as a mediocre actor to a very understated and incredibly complex director has been an experience worth watching unfold, and “Argo” is the further metamorphosis of a man who has miles to go to show everyone he’s anything but a pretty face. Affleck’s portrayal of an expert expatriate is nowhere near the sensationalistic character the director has the potential to depict him as. Affleck stars as Tony Mendez, a conflicted and troubled agent who has to sneak in to Iran to save the lives of a small group of people stuck in the middle of a violent revolt.
Mel Blanc was a genius, and with the driving force of his multi-faceted voice work for Warner Bros. on the Looney Tunes library, he managed to pack a lot of power and life in to some of the most iconic cartoon characters of all time. From Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, and Tweety, to Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, and yes, Bugs Bunny, he gave them personality, idiosyncrasies, and quirks that made them feel alive, even though they were animated.
Originally a wacky ne’er do well, Bugs Bunny turned in to a sly and quick witted under dog hero whose humility and charm was contradicted by his sharp wit, and ability to out match any villain mentally. Except for that damn tortoise. But that’s another story for another day. Bugs Bunny is easily the best cartoon character of all time, and he’s managed to pack more laughs than most iconic cartoon characters combined. Paying tribute to ol’ Bugsy in the new year, we count down our top ten Bugs Bunny toons of all time!
2012 was filled with so many surprises, and it’s a year we may be talking about for a while. The big screen adaptation of “21 Jump Street” we were convinced would be pure swill ended up being the funniest comedy in the last few years. Ridley Scott’s return to science fiction “Prometheus” which we were sure would be an epic masterpiece ended up being sub-par genre fare that didn’t exactly re-invent the wheel in spite of causing a rift between genre fans who either loved it or hated it. However, the comedy movie about a foul mouthed talking teddy bear pretty much met our rock bottom expectations. Disney and Marvel Studios took a gamble on a movie that assembled a group of superheroes from film franchises of varying success entrusting the task to a director and storyteller primarily beloved by cult fans, and ended up conquering the box-office, and the world.
Disney’s gamble on another fantasy film entitled “John Carter” also made history as one of the biggest flops in movie history. A movie based on a board game was crucified by movie fans all over the world, while the director of “The Avengers” made waves with his cult horror comedy “The Cabin in the Woods.” Quentin Tarantino introduced one of the rare African American Western heroes to mainstream cinema, and The Dark Knight made his return to the screen unfortunately being forever linked to a horrific killing spree inflicted by a heartless monster, prompting Hollywood to re-think their stance on film violence causing an uproar among movie buffs. 2012 was a rather eventful year in the world of cinema and storytelling, and without further ado we introduce our Top 10 and Worst 10 Films of 2012.
Be sure to send us your own Top 10 and Worst 10 of 2012! We can likely begin a conversation that’s human and polite.