Best of 2012: Film: Directing, Writing, Ensemble, Technical

Kathryn Bigelow, ZERO DARK THIRTY

TOP 10 BEST DIRECTORS

1. Kathryn Bigelow for ZERO DARK THIRTY
2. Joe Wright for ANNA KARENINA
3. Michael Haneke for AMOUR
4. Paul Thomas Anderson for THE MASTER
5. Ben Affleck for ARGO
6. David O. Russell for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
7. Wes Anderson for MOONRISE KINGDOM
8. Benh Zeitlin for BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
9. Sam Mendes for SKYFALL
10. Ang Lee for LIFE OF PI

Michael Haneke, Emmanuelle Riva, and
Jean-Louis Trintignant, AMOUR

TOP 10 BEST ORGINAL SCREENPLAYS

1. AMOUR by Michael Haneke
2. ZERO DARK THIRTY by Mark Boal
3. THE MASTER by Paul Thomas Anderson
4. MOONRISE KINGDOM by Wes Anderson
5. LOOPER by Rian Johnson
6. DJANGO UNCHAINED by Quentin Tarantino
7. MAGIC MIKE by Reid Carolin
8. YOUR SISTER’S SISTER by Lynn Shelton
9. THE INTOUCHABLES by Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano
10. TAKE THIS WALTZ by Sarah Polley

Bradley Cooper, David O. Russell, and
Jennifer Lawrence, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

TOP 10 BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAYS

1. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK by David O. Russell
2. ANNA KARENINA by Tom Stoppard
3. THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky
4. LINCOLN by Tony Kushner
5. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
6. ARGO by Chris Terrio
7. LIFE OF PI by David Magee
8. SKYFALL by Neal Pervis, Robert Wade, & John Logan
9. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, & Steve Kloves
10. LES MISÉRABLES by William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg, & Herbert Kretzmer

Ben Affleck and the cast of ARGO at the SAG Awards.

TOP 10 BEST ENSEMBLES

1. ARGO starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Christopher Denham, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Kerry Bishe, Kyle Chandler, Chris Messina, Sheila Vand, and Zeljko Ivanek
2. LINCOLN starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Gloria Reuben, Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Gulliver McGrath, Michael Stuhlbarg, Colman Domingo, Elizabeth Marvel, Adam Driver, and S. Epatha Merkerson
3. ANNA KARENINA starring Keira Knightley, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jude Law, Alicia Vikander, Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfayden, Olivia Williams, Ruth Wilson, and Shirley Henderson
4. MOONRISE KINGDOM starring Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban, Jake Ryan, Tanner Flood, Wyatt Ralff, Lucas Hedges, Charlie Kilgore, Andreas Sheikh, Chandler Frantz, Rob H. Campbell, L. J. Foley, Gabriel Rush, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Tommy Nelson, Larry Pine, and Marianna Bassham
5. ZERO DARK THIRTY starring Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Ehle, Reda Kateb, Chris Platt, Harold Perrineau, Mark Duplass, and James Gandolfini
6. THE MASTER starring Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Jesse Plemons, Ambyr Childers, and Rami Malek
7. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham, Dash Mihok, Brea Bee, and Julia Stiles
8. MAGIC MIKE starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, MatthewMcConaughey, Olivia Munn, James Martin Kelly, Cody Horn, Joe Manganiello, and Matt Bomer
9. TO ROME WITH LOVE starring Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page, Judy Davis, Flavio Parenti, Roberto Benigni, Alison Pill, Alessandro Tiberi, and Alessandra Mastronardi
10. LES MISÉRABLES starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveit, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Huttlestone, and Colm Wilkinson

Roger Deakins, SKYFALL

TOP 10 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHERS

1. Roger Deakins for SKYFALL
2. Mihai Malaimare, Jr. for THE MASTER
3. Seamus McGarvey for ANNA KARENINA
4. Darius Khondji for AMOUR
5. Claudio Miranda for LIFE OF PI
6. Wally Pfister for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
7. Rodrigo Prieto for ARGO
8. Greig Fraser for ZERO DARK THIRTY
9. Masanobu Takayanagi for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
10. Janusz Kaminski for LINCOLN

Keira Knightley and costume designer
Jacqueline Durran, ANNA KARENINA

TOP 10 BEST COSTUME DESIGNERS

1. Jacqueline Durran for ANNA KARENINA
2. Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey, & Richard Taylor for THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
3. Paco Delgado for LES MISÉRABLES
4. Joanna Johnston for LINCOLN
5. Sharen Davis for DJANGO UNCHAINED
6. Kasia Walicka-Maimone for MOONRISE KINGDOM
7. Nic Ede for HYSTERIA
8. Jacqueline West for ARGO
9. Margot Wilson for LAWLESS
10. Lindy Hemming for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

The soundtrack list of THE PERKS OF
BEING A WALLFLOWER

TOP 10 BEST SCORES/SOUNDTRACKS

1. Soundtrack of THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
2. Soundtrack of DJANGO UNCHAINED
3. Score by Mychael Danna for LIFE OF PI
4. Score by Alexandre Desplat for MOONRISE KINGDOM
5. Score by Jonny Greenwood for THE MASTER
6. Soundtrack of LES MISÉRABLES
   
7. Soundtrack of PITCH PERFECT
8. Score by Dario Marianelli for ANNA KARENINA
9. Soundtrack of SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
10. Score by John Williams for LINCOLN

TOP 10 BEST VISUAL/SPECIAL EFFECTS

On set of LIFE OF PI

1. LIFE OF PI
2. LOOPER
3. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
4. ANNA KARENINA
5. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
6. THE IMPOSSIBLE
7. DJANGO UNCHAINED
8. THE AVENGERS
9. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
10. SKYFALL

Set design of ANNA KARENINA

TOP 10 BEST ART DIRECTORS/SET DESIGNERS

1. ANNA KARENINA
   
2. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
   
3. MOONRISE KINGDOM
   
4. DJANGO UNCHAINED
5. LES MISERABLES
6. LINCOLN
   
7. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
8. HYSTERIA
9. THE HUNGER GAMES
10. LIFE OF PI

Moonrise Kingdom - From Manhattan With Love: Saving Harrisburg's Midtown Cinema

MOONRISE KINGDOM, now playing
at Midtown Cinema

As an avid moviegoer and a small town Pennsylvanian, it's so difficult to see some of the great indie films in theaters. I don't mind driving to the city and I do so often, but it's usually to see Broadway or Off-Broadway shows, not film. To quench my indie-thirst, I travel a mere 50 minutes to Harrisburg, PA where one of the best independent theaters calls home. "Quaint" doesn't do this cinema justice. I've been to many indie houses across the country and Midtown Cinema is the best. Plus, for someone living in PA, it's one of the only theaters besides Philly or Pittsburgh that offer great, intriguing, art house films. 

Living in New York City for the summer, I've decided to do my part and help out Harrisburg's Midtown Cinema by reviewing each film that is released there before it's released. (Go to www.midtowncinema.com for more details on why they're struggling and how we can keep this important theater in central Pennsylvania). 

I've been reviewing films for nine years now (in college and on this blog) and while sometimes I fall behind in actually writing a review, I hope you trust my judgement, or at least go to Midtown Cinema to see for yourself how important it is to save this theater. 

Kara Hayward & Jared Gilman
in MOONRISE KINGDOM

MOONRISE KINGDOM - now playing at MC

Written and directed by Wes Anderson

Starring Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel & Jason Schwartzman

Let me just be frank about the latest Wes Anderson film: it is the best movie of 2012 so far. There are absolutely no reasons why you shouldn't see this film not just once but four to eight times. So to break away from the typical paragraph review, I'd like to present listed reasons as to why this is the most important film for you to see in theaters.

• If You Weren't a Wes Anderson Fan Before, You Will Be Now - Out of all seven of Anderson's movies, Moonrise Kingdom is the best in style, writing, acting, and drama. Is it my favorite? Not yet (my personal favorite is The Darjeeling Limited); that takes time and over twenty views, but I am confident to say it is his best. Of course the film boasts hilarious and pained performances by the well-knowns (particularly Willis, Murray, Norton, and McDormand), but Anderson and his casting staff have discovered two of the most believable, lovable, and intelligent young actors out there: Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward. They're almost like your everyman/woman but in a twelve year old's body. They capture the you you were at their age. Being weird or in love or bullied or believing in something or just wanting to run away, these two gifted actors create something true in the characters of Sam and Suzy.
• The Instragram Generation - In a digital world in which we can't take a bite of our dinner before taking a picture with our iPhones, choosing the perfect filter ("I wonder if Hefe is a better choice than Walden"), and uploading it to Instagram, Moonrise Kingdom fulfills the need to be nostalgic; it actually radiates with longing for the past, to be young, almost in a Peter Pan mode of thought. And the irony in the film is while we, the audience, wish to be in Sam and Suzy's world, Sam and Suzy wish to be in ours, where you can love whomever you wish without parents pulling you away. Anderson also doesn't forget that this is a memory story; many of the scenes and intricacies - such as the tree house and the lightning incident - are realized in a heightened, exaggerated way because this is nostalgia and nostalgia emphasizes to seem more important and less sad. So, we gain so much humor through Anderson's reminiscent point of view.



Young actor Jared Gilman and writer/director
Wes Anderson

• Wes Anderson Is Our Woody Allen - What's so great about going to the Midtown Cinema to see Moonrise Kingdom is that you can hop on over for a double feature of Woody Allen's latest film, To Rome With Love (a review to come). But even though Woody is still busting out great flicks, I've always wanted to know what it was like to go to a movie theater in New York City to see some of his earlier masterpieces, like Annie Hall, Manhattan, or Hannah and Her Sisters - to have conversations about these films as they are just released and to now have the claim that I saw Manhattan in the theaters back in 1979. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a screening of Annie Hall a few weeks ago here in New York, and I was overwhelmed with joy to be able to share that film with a community; but it still isn't the same as living in that moment. For an audience of 2012, Wes Anderson is our Woody Allen of the 1970s, and he is showing us growth as a filmmaker in the last seven movies. I think it will be so important to say in twenty years that you saw Moonrise Kingdom in the theaters, to have a real experience with it. These experiences is what cultures us. In twenty years or so, when Anderson reaches two dozen films, it's going to be the early ones that will be longed for, just as I long for Manhattan and Hannah. Go see this movie while you still can. 

Click here for more information and the trailer to Moonrise Kingdom, now playing at Midtown Cinema in Harrisburg, PA.

Best of 2009 (Movies): Everything But...

So it has taken over six months to post my Top 10s of 2009 - I know, it's pathetic - but, first of all, living in small town Pennsylvania does not make it easy to be an unpaid film critic, especially since I have to drive over an hour to see decent movies; second of all, two movies in my top 10 didn't even come around here until now (because they just came out on DVD); and thirdly, I was real frickin' busy this year!

So without any further ado, here are all my Top 10s besides acting and best films:

Top 10 Directors of 2009
10. Pedro Almodovar for BROKEN EMBRACES

9. Spike Jonze for WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

8. Jane Campion for BRIGHT STAR

7. Louis Psihoyos for THE COVE

6. Wes Anderson for FANTASTIC MR. FOX

5. Quentin Tarantino for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

4. James Cameron for AVATAR

3. Kathryn Bigelow for THE HURT LOCKER

2. Michael Haneke for THE WHITE RIBBON

1. Tom Ford for A SINGLE MAN

Top 10 Screenplays of 2009

10. AN EDUCATION, adapted by Nick Hornby

9. IN THE LOOP, by Jesse Armstrong & Simon Blackwell & Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche

8. A SINGLE MAN, adapted by Tom Ford & David Scearce

7. DISTRICT 9, by Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell

6. FANTASTIC MR. FOX, adapted by Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach

5. UP IN THE AIR, adapted by Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner

4. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER, by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

3. THE HURT LOCKER, by Mark Boal

2. THE WHITE RIBBON, by Michael Haneke

1. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, by Quentin Tarantino

Top 10 Ensembles of 2009

10. The cast of NINE (Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Stacy Ferguson)

9. The cast of UP IN THE AIR (George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey, Danny McBride, J.K. Simmons, Zach Galifianakis)

8. The cast of A SINGLE MAN (Colin First, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode, Ginnifer Goodwin, Lee Pace, Jon Kortajarena, Paulette Lamori, Ryan Simpkins)

7. The cast of THE HURT LOCKER (Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Ralph Finnes, Evangeline Lilly, David Morse, Christian Camargo, Christopher Sayegh)

6. The cast of A SERIOUS MAN (Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick, Aaron Wolff, Jessica McManus, Amy Landecker)

5. The cast of PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY SAPPHIRE (Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Sherri Shepherd, Stephanie Andujar, Chyna Layne, Amina Robinson, Xosha Roquemore, Angelic Zambrana, Nealla Gordon, Barret Helms)

4. The cast of IN THE LOOP (Peter Capaldi, James Gandolfini, Anna Chlumsky, Steve Coogan, Tom Hollander, Olivia Poulet, Chris Addison, Mimi Kennedy)

3. The cast of THE MESSENGER (Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Steve Buscemi, Eamonn Walker)

2. The cast of INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Denis Menochet, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Bruhl, Til Schweiger, Gedeon Burkhard, Jacky Ido, B.J. Novak, Omar Doom, Martin Wuttke, Mike Myers, Julie Dreyfus, August Diehl)

1. The cast of THE WHITE RIBBON (Christian Friedel, Maria-Victoria Dragus, Leonard Proxauf, Leonie Benesch, Burghart Klaubner, Roxanne Duran, Ursina Lardi, Susanne Lothar, Rainer Bock, Ulrich Tukur, Thibault Serie, Fion Mutert, Steffi Kuhnert, Enno Trebs, Milijan Chatelain, Eddy Grahl, Branko Samarovski, Detlev Buck)

Top 10 Cinematographers of 2009

10. Rodrigo Prieto for BROKEN EMBRACES

9. Dion Beebe for NINE

8. Roger Deakins for A SERIOUS MAN

7. Greig Fraser for BRIGHT STAR

6. Lance Acord for WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

5. Barry Ackroyd for THE HURT LOCKER

4. John de Borman for AN EDUCATION

3. Robert Richardson for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

2. Eduard Grau for A SINGLE MAN

1. Christian Berger for THE WHITE RIBBON

Top 10 Best Costume Designers of 2009

10. Hope Hanafin for (500) DAYS OF SUMMER

9. Arianne Phillips for A SINGLE MAN

8. Moidele Bickel for THE WHITE RIBBON

7. Monika Jacobs for THE LAST STATION

6. Colleen Atwood for NINE

5. Anna B. Sheppard for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

4. Odile Dicks-Mireaux for AN EDUCATION

3. Catherine Leterrier for COCO BEFORE CHANEL

2. Sandy Powell for THE YOUNG VICTORIA

1. Janet Patterson for BRIGHT STAR

Top 10 Best Scores and/or Soundtracks of 2009

10. The soundtrack of NINE

9. J. Ralph for THE COVE

8. Mary Ramos & Jim Schultz for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

7. Abel Korzeniowski for A SINGLE MAN

6. Michael GiacchinoUP

5. Carter Burwell & Karen Orzolek for WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

4. Stephen Bruton & T-Bone Burnett for CRAZY HEART

3. Randy Newman for THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

2. Alexandre Desplat for FANTASTIC MR. FOX

1. The soundtrack of (500) DAYS OF SUMMER and original music by Mychael Danna & Rob Simonsen

Top 10 Best Visual/Special Effects

10. TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

9. WATCHMEN

8. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY

7. FANTASTIC MR. FOX

6. STAR TREK

5. A SINGLE MAN

4. THE HURT LOCKER

3. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

2. DISTRICT 9

1. AVATAR