Ranking the 2012 Best Picture Nominees

I have a policy about creating my top 10 films of the year list, and that policy is that I must watch at least 40 films from a given year in order to make that list. For the films of 2011, that feat took me so long to accomplish that my list wasn't formed until the middle of 2012... kind of embarrassing for a film guru like myself but then I'm not getting paid for this!

This year I am in better shape. Just three weeks in to 2013, I've seen 32 films from 2012, including every Best Picture nominee. In fact, I'd seen eight of those nine films before the nominations were even announced. Still, there are many movies that I feel I must screen before making a best of 2012 list. There are just some movies that deserve my consideration, titles that I feel that if I don't see would render my list illegitimate in some way.

Needless to say, I'm working on it, and I hope to bring that list to you soon. So instead, I thought I'd try a new tradition, which is to rank the nominated films for Best Picture in order of preference. The truth is, I have been doing this on my own for over 20 years, and I've never made my rankings public, until now.

Here's my quick look at the how I'd rank the movies up for the big one this year, from the film I believe deserves that statue down to number nine. I have to say that I am actually fine with each of these films being nominated this year; they all deserve such recognition. That is not something I can say every year. For my specific thoughts on each film, check out their individual reviews here on my blog.

1. LINCOLN
I suspect that Spielberg's "Lincoln" will be remembered as one of his crowning achievements, and the same will be said of Daniel Day-Lewis' performance as the sixteenth president. Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, James Spader and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are perfect. The loving and meticulous recreation of period accuracy is breathtaking. The lighting and sound are exquisite. And a film that is essentially little more than a bunch of people talking took my breath away. In the tradition of the grand days of Hollywood when the Best Picture Oscar went to films deserving of a place in the pantheon, "Lincoln" deserves the award over the other choices on this list, including films that are much more "of our time." Sometimes the master class just deserves to be recognized as such.

2. AMOUR
If Daniel Day-Lewis gave the best male performance on film this year, than surely Emannuelle Riva's work in "Amour" was his female companion at the pinnacle. I can't imagine anyone who calls him or herself an actor - be they a community theatre performer or a SAG member - watching Riva and not being stunned by her raw honesty, vulnerability and outright physical believability. People won't like "Amour" because it's a foreign film (and don't get me started on that). They'll like it even less because it's not an "enjoyable" movie. How much fun is it to watch a married couple in their 80s reaching the end of their earthly walk together? But what film this year was more real than "Amour"? And what film was more perfectly titled? What a wonderful, deserving movie.
 

3. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
Creative, captivating, commanding, confusing. "Beasts of the Southern Wild" was this year's little indie that could. And did. From the unforgettable voiceover work and on-screen performance by Oscar's youngest-ever Actress nominee, Quvenzhane Wallis, to the profound complexity faced by audience members in attempting to decide whether her character's father is a good man and father or a rotten one, "Beasts" was the movie I found myself processing for the longest period of time after watching it, and I love movies that confront me in that manner. Some might be turned off by the dour subject matter or its element of the supernatural, which I myself questioned the value of on first viewing but have since come to appreciate. But this film is the portrait of the disenfranchised in our country, and quite possibly the year's best study of minorities in America.

4. ZERO DARK THIRTY
Could it be better than even "The Hurt Locker"? I've thought about it. So brilliantly assembled and directed that I've only just begun to understand how great it is, "Zero Dark Thirty" is appropriately scattered in fits and starts for two hours and then lasers in on its heart-pounding, night-visioned final act.  Jessica Chastain is excellent in the film, but is probably receiving more praise than necessary because she's one of only two significant female characters in the movie. A woman deserving of more praise is director Kathryn Bigelow, who has blossomed into a true auteur with a style that combines documentary with fiction. It's hard not to watch "Zero Dark Thirty" and not be convinced that things went down just like this. Both director and star are tough women playing in worlds dominated by men, and delivering some of the year's most riveting cinema in the process.

5. ARGO
The year's most solid popcorn thriller is definitely "Argo," a film that is currently enjoying the fruits of revenge voting from members of the film community in protest over the omission of director Ben Affleck from an Oscar nod. But while "Argo" was indeed tightly directed and thrillingly executed, it's also evidence of a director who continues to improve with each film (this was his third), but one who still hasn't found a true authorial style.  There is no question that "Argo" is this year's edge-of-your-seat movie, and the ensemble cast is perfect, as is the film's pacing. But it's not a perfect film, and as you can see from my rankings, its completely worthy nomination for Best Picture still places it right in the middle of the pack for me. And yet I'm bracing myself to hear this film's title called out on Oscar night, which would make it the first film since "Driving Miss Daisy" to win the Best Picture Oscar without its director even being nominated. That would be a shame for "Lincoln," for sure. And I'm also wondering if, years down the road, "Argo" will feel as lightweight in this year as "Daisy" did when it beat films like "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Dead Poets Society."

6. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Maybe one of the most enjoyable films to watch this year was "Silver Linings Playbook," and for so many reasons. It has the legendary De Niro in a true return to form, and the up-until-now disposable Bradley Cooper turning in a shockingly powerful lead performance. And it's that rare treat of the movie that is really funny and really sad, charming and romantic all rolled into one movie. It's that true emotional roller coaster experience that doesn't exist in any of the other nominees this year, and as such, it really felt like a throwback to the kinds of movies that won this award back in the 1960s. I was delighted by this film; it felt like a throwback to a bygone era. And yet, while director David O. Russell continues to build his case for being a master at capturing the interpersonal struggles of blue collar families, it's the performances that elevate a film that feels a little slight in its other attributes to be handed the biggest prize in movies.

7. LES MISERABLES
All three movies that remain on this list are problematic in different ways and for different reasons, and I could have easily ranked them in any combination 7-12. "Les Miz" edges out the other two here probably because of my bias towards musicals and my genuine excitement that quality film translations of musicals have made a serious comeback. This is by all means a worthy filmed version of the beloved musical, dropped down a notch in my mind by Russell Crowe's performance, though it's really his singing that bothered me and not his look or his acting performance. Hugh Jackman is probably even better than I gave him credit for after I walked out of the theatre now that I've had time to reflect on his performance. Anne Hathaway's brief screen time is, regardless, some of the most painful and raw moments of performance I can remember seeing in a film. And Eddie Redmayne is the movie's great surprise as the freedom fighter/student Marius. Its massive scope and unbelievable production values are quintessentially Oscar. It's nomination is deserved. And yet, it's not in the top third of what this year had to offer.

8. DJANGO UNCHAINED
I had no more fun at the theatre this year than I did at "Django Unchained," a movie that gives any of this year's other films a run for their money in terms of across the board acting perfection but suffers from a lack of discipline and focus in storytelling on the part of wild man writer/director Quentin Tarantino, who also appears briefly with an inexplicable (and poorly executed) Australian accent. Wildly shifting from one tone to another,  "Django Unchained" is not as good as "Inglorious Basterds" and, if I'm being honest, some of its best characteristics - including the work of Oscar-nominated Christoph Waltz - seem lifted straight from its predecessor. And yet minute for minute, it's a film stuffed with as much production value and attention to detail as "Les Miserables." Not to mention the fact that it's a true film lover's nerdgasm of the year.

9. LIFE OF PI
"Life of Pi" is this year's "Avatar" for multiple reasons. If I was giving the Best Picture Oscar to the most technically stunning film, this would be my choice. Its musical score is virtually perfect, its adaptation of a seemingly unfilmable novel into a workable screenplay a true success. And the special effects are truly breathtaking. So why was there something missing for me when I watched "Life of Pi"? Some of it had to do with the film's final minutes, which I thought lacked the creative vision director Ang Lee poured into the rest of the film. And some of it had to do with how moved I was by the spirituality of Yann Martel's novel and how that just didn't translate to the big screen for me. This "story that will make you believe in God" renewed my continued belief in movie magic, but it never quite took me where I wanted to go.

How would you rank the best picture nominees? Which films that didn't make the cut most deserved to be on the list? Feel free to add your comments!

The Queen of Versailles (2012)

It's a documentary about filthy rich people suffering during the Wall Street collapse of 2008. Many people thought it was the year's best documentary, but it failed to shortlist for an Oscar nomination. So how easy is it to feel sympathy for a family who was attempting to reconstruct Versailles in Florida when the economic collapse halted the production of their palace? Stay tuned for my review.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Saw it. Liked it. Wrote an introductory review for it, which got erased. Don't feel like trying to recreate it. So I'll post a review here soon... I hate technology.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

One thing Peter Jackson hasn't lost is his touch or sense of vision when it comes to his ability to recreate the world of J. R. R. Tolkein, because "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is a feast for the eyes if ever there was one. It is also, if I'm being honest, a slight test of one's will, clocking in at an indulgent two hours and 50 minutes. Par for the Jackson/Tolkein course, I know, but this time, I felt the time. But that's certainly not to say that spending more time in the Shire and its surrounding vistas wasn't pure cinematic pleasure.

Review coming soon...promise!

The Invisible War (2012)

"The Invisible War" should be required viewing during training camps for every branch of our U.S. military. Ditching his usual bite and bravado, documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick relies only on the facts here. In doing so, his documentary about women (and in the case of the film, one man) who are raped while serving in the armed forces and not compensated for the crimes committed against them makes a stronger point by being a super-safe and traditional medium-shot interview-styled documentary than if Dick had gone for flash.

No film this year will make you more angry. And that's why you simply have to watch it.

I'll have a full review posted as soon as I can. Realizing how far behind I've been with full reviews, I've been taking good notes and promise you a good review as soon as possible! But trust me...see this movie!

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Entertainment Weekly says that director Kathryn Bigelow has invented her own genre with "Zero Dark Thirty." They call it "investigative drama."

I call "Zero Dark Thirty" a terrifying, heart-pounding, must-see film that is so meticulously created that you'll find it difficult to believe that you are not watching a documentary of exactly how Osama Bin Laden was located and killed. Sure, we're not supposed to believe films as true accounts of history. But if this film is so far off, why are members of Congress currently investigating Bigelow's creative team for links to breaches of national security? Part of the experience of viewing "Zero Dark Thirty" is in the giving in to it and believing that this is what happened. Do we have enough information to know otherwise?

Once again enlisting the help of Mark Boal, her co-contributor as screenwriter of their Oscar-winning effort "The Hurt Locker," Bigelow and company return again to the Middle East and recapture a level of tense suspense the likes of which I haven't seen since, well, "The Hurt Locker." The only other film that has matched this level of excitement this year has been "Argo," and in a funny coincidence, both co-star Kyle Chandler. So for 2012, it's clear that Coach Taylor = suspense!

Moments of cerebral investigation are broken apart without warning via acts of shocking violence, making "Zero Dark Thirty" feel like as much of a thriller as it feels like a History Channel masterclass. And that final raid? It's as intense as you imagined it would be.

Visit here again for a full review of what is sure to be one of the front-runners for Oscar.

Hitchock (2012)

If you're a fan of the "master of suspense," it will be hard not to enjoy "Hitchcock," a broadly-toned look at the famed director's creation of his horror masterpiece, "Psycho." Movie-goers who have seen "Psycho" at least twice are most likely to give into the charms of this often clever and sometimes flat biopic. Come for the fantastic performances (led by Anthony Hopkins as the director) and stay for the recognizable sets and costumes, meticulously recreated to match the 1960 film.

This is one of those movies that I was just plain entertained by, whether or not it was a "great movie." It's also the kind of film I could see myself watching again. I've been working hard to see as much as possible lately, so I'll get back to you with a full review. 

Amour (2012)

While I was impressed with Austrian director Michael Hanecke's 2009 film "The White Ribbon," the film left me emotionally cold. The film justifiably received an Oscar nomination for its stunning black and white cinematography and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, but I found myself more interested in it than invested with it. I haven't seen much of Hanecke's work, but I do know that he is a very well-respected European filmmaker and that the opinion I hold about his previous film is not uncommon, as he is criticized for some degree of emotional detachment.

"Amour" will change all of that.

There is no better title for Hanecke's latest than simply, "Love." It's the story of an elderly couple dealing with physical deterioration. It's an exploration of what-do-we-do-nows and why-is-this-happening-to-us-es. And yes, it is horribly depressing.

But "Amour" is also soul-shakingly moving and emotional, thanks in no small part to the work of Emmanuella Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant as the married Anne and Georges. In a perfect world, both would be nominated for Oscars, and I suspect that at least Riva, in the more obviously crafty of the two performances, has a good shot at one.

For two hours, Hanecke keeps us cooped up in the couple's apartment as Georges' love for Anne is challenged but never fully tested after she suffers a stroke. "Amour" is not the kind of film you'll be able to watch over and over again, but if you think you love someone, it's also not the kind of film you should let escape your viewing priorities simply because of its painful subject matter.

A stunner.

I will post a more complete review here soon.

Rust and Bone (2012)

Marion Cotillard, or as I like to call her, La Streep Francais, continues her parade of bafflingly good performances in "De rouille et d'os," or "Rust and Bone." Playing a killer whale trainer whose livelihood (and in some ways, her life) is cut short by a freak accident on the job, Cotillard's Stephanie fights to gain mobility, confidence and self-respect with the aid of a hunky but down-on-his-luck wanderer played by the magnetic Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts (last year's "Bullhead").

Directed by Jacques Audiard, who took my breath away with his last feature, "Un Prophete (A Prophet)," is not just a pity party about an able-bodied person learning to cope with a stunning new handicap. It's about redemption, maybe more for Schoenaerts' Ali than for Stephanie. And in the hands of Audiard, it is a stunning film of power with many excellent visual moments and a memorable score and soundtrack.

Expect to hear Cotillard's name called during the Oscar nomination announcements, and expect a full review from me as soon as I get a chance!