ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

12 years, 7 months ago - Margarita Jimeno

My top films of 2012 1. HOLY MOTORS 2. TABU
3. LEVIATHAN 4. Crossfire Hurricane 5. The T.A.M.I. Show (1964) best audience experience ever-surreal- the entire MOMA audience started screaming and clapping as if it was 1964, great time capsule!
6. A Royal Affair 7. Searching for Sugar Man . Still on my to watch list: Amour, The Master, The Act of Killing, Call me Kuchu .

12 years, 7 months ago - cath le couteur

There is an excellent post on the Hobbit here from Vincent La Foret

http://bit.ly/V6iJbb

12 years, 6 months ago - cath le couteur

See it only in 3D. MARVELous.

12 years, 7 months ago - SP User

Yes Prometheus was a massive disappointment and even The Dark Knight didn't Rise unflawed.
But Surely Shooters aren't above a little Skyfall love... Wonderful, good natured and above criticism in my book, a bit like Kylie.
My 2nd favourite film this year was a Norweigan film called 'Headhunters' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1614989/)...excellent!!

12 years, 8 months ago - Helen Jack

Prometheus was definitely one of the WORST and most mind-numbing, badly acted films of 2012. I still want someone to tell me why the usually brilliant Kate Dickie ended up in it. A bizarre and incongruous choice.

Whilst at work (for my sins) I saw Silver Linings Playbook a couple of nights ago. This film was truly god awful, and I'm usually quite forgiving of rom coms. It made me want to reach into the screen, grab De Niro and Jacki Weaver by the collar, and pull them out and shout "what the hell are you doing in this piece o'crap?! You're better than this!".

On a more positive note, I've definitely seen some great films this year. Agree with above - Amour was excellent and beautifully performed by the two leads. A stunning piece of cinema.

It's been a great year for documentaries. I looovvvved Searching for Sugarman, and saw some great pieces of work at Doc/Fest (you can see the highlights in the blog here: http://bit.ly/YDO7R3).

Skyfall was a great return to form for the Bond franchise, and provided a slice of pure entertainment (hats of to Sam Mendes for polishing off a dusty relic).

12 years, 6 months ago - Claudette FLINT

Paul, there is worse than Top Gun. Don't try the last Mission Impossible where Tom Cruise climbs a skyscraper instead of taking the lift...

12 years, 7 months ago - Martin Wallace

BTW - you can keep Rust & Bone. Searching For Sugarman is brill but it took me a while to accept it wasn't a spoof....

12 years, 7 months ago - Claudette FLINT

I disagree with Stephanie Walton. Rust and Bone is one of the best film of the year and Salmon Fishing in Yemen, the most original and intriguing film title

12 years, 7 months ago - Martin Wallace

Do yourself a favour and see Holy Motors

12 years, 8 months ago - Ross Leeson

I saw the Man with the Iron Fists and it was so bad I thought it must be on purpose. I loved Silver Linings Playbook, Bradley Cooper is always top notch for me. It's definately not a rom com though. That's just the MacGuffin. Sightseers had some cool gags, but the ending left me bemused, why was I watching film ? Overall a good year the arthouses and multiplexes have kept me quite satisfied.

Stay Positive x

12 years, 7 months ago - MJ Simpson

The Raid was absolutely terrific, but just to be pedantic it was Gareth Evans' third feature. His first, shot in his native Wales, was Footsteps, a magnificently bleak tale of an unemployed loner lured into making snuff movies, which has finally had a UK release as Vengeance Day. His second was Merantau, which was called Merantau Warrior for the UK DVD: a more traditionally themed/structured martial arts picture very definitely worth seeing.

12 years, 8 months ago - Jo Phipps

I agree there's certainly so much to admire in Amour. For me the film was more about 'love' or what 'love' might be understood to be rather than ageing.. after all, that particular set of circumstances could happen to middle-aged or even younger characters and the trajectory of the story could/ would be very similar... Darius Khonji's intense yet beautifully understated camerawork so perfectly envelopes us in the proximity of the couple's world. (My vote for best of 2012 goes to Rust and Bone)

12 years, 8 months ago - Steven Broughton

Prometheus agreed hugely underwhelmed. I personally found The Devil Inside to be one of the worst films I've ever seen, let alone in 2012.

12 years, 8 months ago - Shoaib Vali

The RAID was great, very impressed with the director's fearless approach towards it, I guess he didnt have to give a shit about any hollywood types making it indonesia and all but I loved the fact that even though it had very little plot, the film on my first viewing, somehow gripped me throughout, was it the action or the mood? dunno, will figure that out on viewing it again but if I had to be pushed, I can't say that was THE best film of 2012? still a bloody good film, but the lack of depth/plot makes it worth viewing it maybe, twice, three times at the very most!...and i end up watching films that i like 4-5 times over a period of months/years.

Amour seems like a film that I would need to be sedated to watch so I don't move from my seat....wait, aint that self-torture? and i dont mean the sedating bit...

12 years, 8 months ago - James Partridge

Electrick Children is incredible

12 years, 6 months ago - Anton Kardasis

@MJ Simpson
Sweet! Thanks for that MJ Simpson. Will be sure to check it out:-)

12 years, 7 months ago - Claudette FLINT

Dear Richard and Sacha

Skyfall was a great film but not a James Bond.

By the way, I find it a bit silly to have now a TV James Bond channel with Bond's films only! It looks like national self satisfaction.
Why not a channel of foreign films for a change. The TV is passing the same films over and over. On the continent the choice is larger because they show all sorts of foreign films. The Brits are missing Italian comedies for example.

12 years, 8 months ago - Anton Kardasis

If it hasn't been added already, may I suggest "The Raid" to be put on your to watch list. Even if martial arts isn't your bag, the tension and excitement created by this suprisingly low budget film really vibrates off the screen. Mix that with incredibly paced and well choreographed action really goes to show why it's the first Indonesian movie to break the American main stream market. And it's only the director, Gareth Evans' second film too.

12 years, 6 months ago - Hector Figueroa

I truly hated Batman Dark Knight Rises. I was bored, disappointed and devastated.
I've seen it twice now and even trying to ignore the bits I hated, I still found it incredibly poor. 98% of my friends disagree with me, but I felt there was more attention to minor visual details over the plot.

My own humble opinion, but felt terribly let down.

12 years, 8 months ago - cath le couteur

AMOUR is absolutely one of the best films for 2012. No, wait. It is the BEST film of 2012.
(And I say this after losing all Haneke-love following Le Temps Du Loup).

Amour truly is a masterpiece. How anyone will ever be able to make a film again about aging, is, well... way beyond my abilities to comprehend. And I really don't use the term masterpiece lightly... particularly after reading about The Master, which was acclaimed by every critic in the world as the best film of 2012.
Huh?

12 years, 5 months ago - Paul W Franklin

It's MI4: Ghost Protocol! I saw it mainly because I'd heard about the skyscraper set-piece. I think Cruise was doing the stunt himself, as usual.
It was okay but I've instantly forgotten it...

12 years, 8 months ago - Jo Phipps

btw thanks for the list, some on there I haven't seen.

12 years, 8 months ago - Aletha Shepherd

Best film of the year for me has to be Untouchable.

12 years, 5 months ago - Paul W Franklin

Is 'Argo' seriously the best film of the last year?? I mean the best of the Oscars bunch? It was pretty good, but I don't think it deserves to go down in history as 'Best Film'.

Maybe the Academy will grow some balls and pick 'Amour'. Hahaha.

As for 'Les Mis', a musical should never be up for Best Film. Ever. IMO...

12 years, 8 months ago - Haider Zafar

'Amour' really was a fab viewing, I very much enjoyed Rust & Bone too. It's funny how both films are european(Good Cinema).

An interesting Brit flick was 'My Brother The Devil' from debut director, Sally El Hosaini. Worth a viewing with a great performance from James Floyd.

The Master was a visual treat at 70mm, though I felt the narrative could have been stronger with a more satisfying ending.

Jack Reacher is also an entertaining watch, a bit of 'old school' cinema it seemed.

Avoid 'Zero Dark Thirty' at all costs, If it wins an Oscar I will quit making films ;)

Looking forward to seeing 'Silver Linings Playbook' next!

12 years, 7 months ago - Sacha Van Spall

The Hobbit, Batman:The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall. All deeply flawed and overrated.

12 years, 7 months ago - Adam Roberts

Am I the only person who - dare I say it, yikes - liked Prometheus? Please, no death threats.

12 years, 6 months ago - Stuart Wright

Prometheus was great to watch but once I mulled it over for more than 5 mins it unravelled like a badly knitted pullover... Rust and Bone and Sightseers were fantastic films - hardly surprising given the talent involved. I enjoyed Expendables 2 - better than the first and a proper celebration of the action genre. Avengers was by far the best tent pole movie IMO. Loved Skyfall but agree with most holes people poke in it, but that's the point of Bond movies... isn't it...? My biggest disappointment by far was Taken 2.

12 years, 8 months ago - Shoaib Vali

I guess the worst or best film is a pretty subjective thing, but for me, The Grey and End of Watch are the films that have made an impression on me, amongst others (still working out "THE" best), both film's are a wee bit contrived, but a thrill none the less, I guess I'm biased towards it due to its guerilla and low budget filmmaking, but friggin intense films..

Worse film - I'd pick Prometheus anyday over Battleship, or is it more like battleshit.

12 years, 5 months ago - Kristina Hughes

There are many I have yet to see. These were from private screenings...
Paranorman- LOVED
Wreck it Ralph- GOOD FUN
Zero Dark Thirty- Last 20 minutes were the best
Les Mis- What a production!
Lincoln-Meh
The Master-Tough subject matter, solid acting
Killing Them Softly-FUN
The Lorax-Creative but had too much of an agenda
Snow White & The Huntsman- Great costuming
Rise of the Guardians- Interesting
Silver Linings Playbook- OK
Flight-OK, first 20 minutes were the best
Django Unchained-GOOD FUN
Moonrise Kingdom-So pretty to watch and a nice break
Hyde Park on Hudson-Hidden Gem

12 years, 8 months ago - Paul Drury

Great list SP. In addition, we totally loved Searching For Sugar Man.

An incredibly well structured, shot & paced documentary. With a wonderfully warm, inspirational & uplifting message at its heart.

Also, confirmed our decision to travel to Detroit next year!

12 years, 8 months ago - Vasco de Sousa

Worst kids movie: The Lorax. Total lack of plot, totally cheesy jokes, some good scenes but an insult to Dr. Seuss. Too bad, it could have been a great film.

12 years, 7 months ago - Steven Broughton

What did people think of the Hobbit and the filming at 48fps. I personally didn't really like it, felt like I couldn't engage in the movie so much. I wasn't a huge fan of the film to be honest.

12 years, 6 months ago - Claudette FLINT

Anyone to comment on Life of Pi?

12 years, 8 months ago - SP User

Electrick Children deserved a much bigger audience than it received. Prometheus was truly dreadful. Cosmopolis was brilliant and completely underrated. Polisse was very good up until the catastrophic ending.

12 years, 6 months ago - Claudette FLINT

Sorry, it was not Mission Impossible, it was far worse: Ghost Protocol! Anybody endured it?

12 years, 6 months ago - Paul W Franklin

"Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" is actually pretty good. Oddly enough it's about a minted Arab who tries to introduce salmon fishing to a middle eastern country - Yemenentary my dear Watson!

"Prometheus" was an utter embarrassment for all involved. Well, except perhaps the financiers...

My Best-Worst Film Ever is "Top Gun". Naturally.

12 years, 7 months ago - Claudette FLINT

Hi Adam
My son loved Prometheus! He even started to explain to me the scenes and their symbols... Well he is your generation. I can't say whether I liked the film or not because I simply did not understand it. I find Kant or Hume easier to understand.
Besides, the actors were saying their lines soooo seriously that it sounded like a tremendous effort to be convincing.
As for the special effects, I give the BAFTA to The Life of Pi. Even the eyes of the animals were expressing more meanings than any character in Prometheus.

12 years, 8 months ago - Stephanie Walton

Has anyone seen the Master yet? Thoughts?

12 years, 8 months ago - Marlom Tander

I went to Chronicle expecting to be underwhelmed and I loved it. A gorgeous character study disguised as a superpowers movie.

As to the bad, The Master, John Carter and Prometheous stand out as things I went to enjoy, and didn't. Though Prometheous did include some of the most gorgeous photography of Iceland I have ever seen.

12 years, 8 months ago - Ben Blaine

Well I've been seeing all the wrong films. Yes Prometheus. Prometheus Prometheus Prometheus. Who'd have thought any film could outdo Alien 4? Or Predator vs Aliens 2?

But just to give an almost entirely erroneous impression of myself as a sci-fi geek - how about this for a surprise entry to best film of 2012 - DREDD.

Who knew a chin could be so compelling? Sure it's a pot boiler but nevertheless a taught thriller story that perfectly captures the style and feel of the graphic novel. Also some of the best stereographic cinematography from Anthony Dodd-Mantel. Using 3D to better create that 2D effect of a comic book is so smart it hurts.