The State of the Art: Movies 2012

If there's one thing this blog accomplishes (and that's a big "if"), it's a handy form of organizing the pop culture I consumed over a set period of time. Now I can get all statistical on this bitch! If the posts I've made correctly comprise everything, I've seen 21 movies that were released this year, and 54 movies total over the course of 2012 [numbers updated 12/31]. I'll see more before the new year, and this list doesn't even take into consideration any movie I watch over and over again - just the ones I saw for the first (or second) time. Since I assign letter grades to the movies I watch, a ranking naturally falls into place. I'm pretty surprised by how these films shook out; if you had told me in January that an animated movie would wind up being way more enjoyable than the year's award magnet dramas, I'd have laughed. But here we are! So, allow me to present my Top Five Movies of 2012:

#1: Wreck-It Ralph

What I Said: This film was heartfelt and funny and beautifully animated and had terrific voice acting and was loaded with video game in-jokes. How could I not love it? The entire audience, both adult and child, was captivated throughout the entire running time.

#2: Looper

What I Said: I don't even really have any nerdy nitpicks about potential plot holes opened up by the time travel. Tons of care and thought went into this movie, and it shows.

#3: Jiro Dreams of Sushi

What I Said: This almost monarchical story, combined with seemingly endless beauty shots of the sushi itself, kept me totally enraptured. Even those who do not like sushi would find much to enjoy in this as purely a movie, but for those of us who would sell our plasma for some tasty unagi, this film is pitch perfect.

#4: The Avengers

What I Said: It's amazing how many pitfalls this movie could have fallen into, and didn't. The sultry Black Widow could have been a generic eye-candy character, and instead, pretty much becomes the glue that holds the entire plot together. Any of the heroes could have been lost in the background, but everyone gets a chance to shine. The Hulk, so sullen and plodding in other movies, becomes simultaneously more threatening and more empathetic in Whedon's hands.

#5: Moonrise Kingdom

What I Said: This movie fits nicely into the Wes Anderson oeuvre. The basic structure is made a lot deeper by some impressive acting - Add in some gorgeous set locations, excellent music, and Anderson's patented quirkiness, and you've got a pretty charming little film.

This isn't meant to imply these are the five best movies of the year. They are simply the five I enjoyed the most of the ones I was able to get to. There are plenty of 2012 films I have yet to watch, and as always, a lot of them will have to be seen months or even years from now. For now, here's the full list.

2012 Movies

Wreck-It Ralph (A)
Looper (A-)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (A-)
The Avengers (A-)
Moonrise Kingdom (B+)
Chronicle (B+)
Brave (B+)
The Dark Knight Rises (B+)
The Hunger Games (B+)
Cloud Atlas (B)
Skyfall (B)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (B)
Magic Mike (B)
Argo (B-)
Lincoln (B-)
Les Miserables (B-)
Pitch Perfect (C+)
Rise of the Guardians (C+)
The Campaign (C+)
Joyful Noise (C+)
The Amazing Spider-Man (C-)

Strange. Nothing below a C-, which means that my stinkbomb filter must be in pretty good condition. Also, it seems pretty clear that a lot of these were grades were derived by weighing against what I felt the film was trying to accomplish. For example, Chronicle wanted to tell a deep, complex character study involving superpowers with no big name actors and no budget, and succeeded admirably, while Lincoln threw a ton of prestige and money towards telling the definitive story of a period of history, and fell a bit short. The list above is all the movies released this year I was able to see, but there were plenty from other years I was able to get my paws on. Hit it!

The Artist (2011) (A)
Wreck-It Ralph (A)
Looper (A-)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (A-)
Midnight in Paris (2011) (A-)
Winter's Bone (2010) (A-)
The Avengers (A-)
Michael Clayton (2007) (A-)
The Illusionist (2010) (A-)

Moonrise Kingdom (B+)
Chronicle (B+)
Brave (B+)
V For Vendetta (2005) (B+)
The Dark Knight Rises (B+)
Brick (2005) (B+)
The Hunger Games (B+)
The Social Network (2010) (B+)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) (B+)
Beginners (2010) (B+)
The Station Agent (2003) (B+)
Good Hair (2009) (B+)

Cloud Atlas (B)
The Descendants (2011) (B)
Skyfall (B)
Weekend (2011) (B)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (B)
Magic Mike (B)
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) (B)
Super (2010) (B)
Conversations With Other Women (2005) (B)
Argo (B-)
Lincoln (B-)
Black Swan (2010) (B-)
Les Miserables (B-)
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) (B-)
The September Issue (2009) (B-)

Pitch Perfect (C+)
Rise of the Guardians (C+)
The Perfect Host (2010) (C+)
Halloween (1978) (C+)
The Campaign (C+)
Joyful Noise (C+)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982) (C+)

Born Yesterday (1950) (C)
The Iron Lady (2011) (C)
The Help (2011) (C)
Christmas Vacation (1989) (C)
Serenity (2005) (C)
Thor (2011) (C)
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) (C)

The Tree of Life (2011) (C-)
The Amazing Spider-Man (C-)
Halloween II (1981) (C-)
The Room (2003) (F)