The 2012 RyMickey Awards - Best Picture

My disappointment in 2012 can be seen in the fact that two movies I've rated 'B' manage to make it into my Top Twenty -- the first time that's happened in my four years of doing this.  While my #1 film is one of the best films I've seen in years (and my top six below I think quite fondly of), 2012 was a cinematic year that didn't excite me nearly as much as I had hoped it would.  Here's hoping 2013 is better (and considering that fact that as of this post I've only seen four movies released in 2013, I've got a lot of catching up to do).

For those interested, seventeen of the films listed below are streaming on Netflix and they're all worth checking out.

Best Picture of 2012

Runners-up
(SoN = Streaming on Netflix)
#50 - Zero Dark Thirty   - - - - -   #49 - The Queen of Versailles (SoN)
#48 - The Hunger Games (SoN)   - - - - -   #47 - Mirror Mirror (SoN)
#46 - Snow White and the Huntsman   - - - - -   #45 - End of Watch (SoN)
#44 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
#43 - The Dark Knight Rises   - - - - -   #42 - Sinister
#41 - Les Miserables   - - - - -   #40 - Celeste and Jesse Forever
#39 - Frankenweenie
#38 - Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
#37 - Haywire (SoN)   - - - - -   #36 - The Grey (SoN)
#35 - The Woman in the Fifth (SoN)   - - - - -   #34 - The Master
#33 - Sleepwalk with Me (SoN)   - - - - -   #32 - Safe House
#31 - Amour   - - - - -   #30 - 21 Jump Street
#29 - Seven Psychopaths   - - - - -   #28 - A Late Quartet (SoN)
#27 - The Bay (SoN)   - - - - -   #26 - The Five-Year Engagement
#25 - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
#24 - Prometheus   - - - - -   #23 - Your Sister's Sister
#22 - Butter (SoN)   - - - - -   #21 - Django Unchained


#20 - Brave - B

Even lower-end Pixar is better than most animated films, but the revered company is fading a tiny bit as of late.  Brave is a good film, but it's one of Pixar's least imaginative.  Still, I think it got unfairly lambasted by some critics.  The animation and voice acting is still top notch -- two areas at which Pixar still excels.

#19 - Cabin in the Woods - B
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

The most inventive (non-animated) horror film of the year, Cabin in the Woods takes the typical horror clichés and twists them around creating something fresh, yet honoring what came before it.

#18 - Killer Joe - B+

Killer Joe is twisted and fun, filled with people as white trash as they come.  A darkly comic tone invites the audience to embrace the characters rather than be turned off by them.  Granted, this film is off-the-wall and its NC-17 rating certainly indicates that it isn't for everyone, but if you're someone that enjoyed Bug, the previous director/screenwriter collaboration of William Friedkin and Tracy Letts, than check this one out.  (That being said, I don't know anyone other than me who liked Bug, so maybe you should take this recommendation with a grain of salt.)

#17 - The Raid: Redemption - B+

I'm not sure I've ever seen a film as violent as The Raid: Redemption so right off the bat I've now either hooked you or sent you running.  Story doesn't matter here.  You watch this film solely for the action scenes which are refreshing in that the quick cuts and edits are tossed to the side in favor of extended highly choreographed sequences that oftentimes are shocking in their complexity.

#16 - Bachelorette - B+
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

This is the lowest rated film in my Top 20 on RottenTomatoes, but I found Bachelorette a refreshing addition to the female-centric "dirty comedy"genre started a few years ago with Bridesmaids.  All I can ask for in a comedy is to laugh out loud and I did with these characters.  Kirsten Dunst and Lizzy Caplan's characters are given nice arcs that allow the actresses to imbue them with enough depth to make this worth checking out.

The remaining fifteen will come after the jump...Be sure to click "Read More" below...

#15 - The Intouchables - B+
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Surprisingly more comedic than I expected, The Intouchables succeeds because of actors Omar Sy and François Cluzet who play off of each other extremely well.  Yes, it's not reinventing the wheel, but it's a film that knows what it has to offer and offers its goods darn near perfectly.

#14 - Wreck-It Ralph - B+

I'm not a gamer, so seeing the various video game characters scattered throughout Wreck-It Ralph meant nothing to me.  The film succeeds because it develops a touching relationship between the title character and the young character of Vennelope -- two outcasts who come together because of their mutual dismissals by their supposed friends.  The animation and voice acting is also quite good, but this isn't the top animated film of the year as you'll soon see...

#13 - Arbitrage - B+

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

This taut, smart character study about a successful businessman whose indiscretions (both personal and financial) send him on a downward spiral was a big sleeper hit for me, coming out of nowhere and impressing in all aspects in front of and behind the camera.  Anchored by a great lead performance by Richard Gere, those looking for an adult drama/thriller should absolutely check this one out.

#12 - Paranorman - B+
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

The animation studio Laika's previous feature film release Coraline didn't suit my fancy, but Paranorman was a rare treat.  Beautifully seamless stop-motion animation and a story that doesn't sanitize things for the kiddies (it reminded me of the "edgier" family fare of my '80s youth like The Neverending Story and Labyrinth in that regard), this is the best animated film of the year.  Unfortunately, the concept of a kid fighting zombies may not have appealed to a wide swath of folks, but don't stay away from this one thinking that it's "just for kids."

#11 - Cloud Atlas - B+

Cloud Atlas isn't a perfect film, but I admire its ambition.  A intertwining web of six stories from six different times across centuries past, present, and future, this nearly three-hour epic flows effortlessly from one story to the next switching things up so that just as soon as we may tire of one tale, we're whisked to the next one.  Keen editing, a great ensemble, and superb production values headline this flick that may not suit all tastes, but was a surprise hit for me.

#10 - Bernie - A-
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Based on a true story, Bernie is a film of many tones -- comedy, drama, courtroom saga -- all perfectly mixed together by director-writer Richard Linklater who skewers yet reveres small town Southern life at the same time.  Performances by Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, and Matthew McConaughey (the second film McConaughey appears in on this list) perfectly "blend in" with the "real-life" non-actor roles Linklater utilizes with his mock-documentary style of filmmaking here.

#9 - Headhunters - A-
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

In the grand scheme of things, the above snapshot has nothing to do with Headhunters, but pictures with nudity always drive traffic to the site.  Headhunters is the type of movie Hitchcock would be making were Hitchcock alive and making flicks today -- so there's really no surprise this Norwegian thriller makes my top ten of 2012.  With a fantastic leading performance from Aksel Hennie and great direction from Morten Tyldum who has a keen eye for lensing both action scenes and the quieter moments, there's a North by Northwest meets Deathtrap meets Sleuth vibe that is a helluva lot of fun despite the far-fetchedness that is often taking place onscreen.  Get over your aversion to subtitles and instantly stream this one on Netflix now.

#8 - Ruby Sparks - A- 

Ruby Sparks is proof that romantic comedies need not play to the lowest possible denominators in terms of raunchy behavior or bland stereotypes in order to succeed.  The film begins with a sense of whimsy, but also contains some dark moments that give the whole thing a bit more heft than one would expect.  Even with those heavier moments, this still ends up being the best comedy of 2012.

#7 - Looper - A-

Looper is perhaps the most heretofore underrepresented film in my Best Picture Top Ten in all the other RyMickey Award categories, but that shouldn't be any indication of failure.  Although taking place in the future, Looper has a retro feel which sets it apart from much of the other sci-fi/action films of this day and age.  Writer-director Rian Johnson has almost crafted two different stories here -- one reminiscent of a Twilight Zone/Star Trek episode about time travel and another that harkens to a 1950s romance -- yet they blend quite nicely with neither side getting the short shrift.

#6 - Lincoln - A-

After the disappointments of War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin, it was a treat to see Steven Spielberg back on the top of his game with Lincoln, a film that I can't believe I actually liked.  By focusing on only a short time in Lincoln's life, we get a slightly different vibe than we do in most biopics, and when you couple that with a tour de force performance from Daniel Day-Lewis, you've got a drama that's incredibly riveting even though we know how the whole story pans out.

#5 - Skyfall - A-

I had never seen a James Bond movie prior to 2012, so I initiated myself with the Daniel Craig Bond era which culminated (so far) with Skyfall, a fantastic action flick that contains a helluva lot more character development than I ever could have imagined.  With great performances from Craig, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, and Javier Bardem coupled with exquisite direction by Sam Mendes (including some of the best directed action sequences of the past decade), I'm ecstatic that Mendes is back at the helm again for the next Bond flick and that I now have a new franchise to get excited about.

#4 - Flight - A-

The film begins with a harrowing plane crash sequence that has you gasping for breath, but it's the aftermath of that event that makes Flight the gripping movie that it is.  Moral dilemmas abound and ethics start to be questioned, but the film is shockingly even-handed in doling out punishments and rewards to its characters.  Life doesn't always end on a positive note, but making the most out of what we've been given seems to be one of the underlying messages here in this refreshingly adult drama -- a genre that we don't see often enough these days.

#3 - The Sessions - A

I am well aware that some may think that my (perhaps unjustified) crush on Helen Hunt since I was a pubescent fourteen-year old may have played a role in this film garnering the 'A' rating, but let me state that this isn't the case.  The Sessions succeeds because of much more than Helen Hunt's nakedness.  First, it's a Hollywood film that doesn't shy away from sex, instead placing it front and center, but doing so without playing things for the titillation factor.  Second, it's a Hollywood film that allows religion (specifically Catholicism) to be treated with respect, integrity, and tolerance.  For those two reasons alone, I'm shocked this film ever made it to the big screen.  This was a ballsy movie to make and it succeeds at everything it sets out to achieve.

#2 - Argo - A

It's interesting to note that in this year's RyMickey Awards, Argo didn't receive a single acting nomination -- not even in the "Honorable Mentions" or "Runners-Up" categories -- but it did walk away with the Best Ensemble award.  And I think it's the ensemble that makes Argo the fantastic movie that it is.  Director Ben Affleck displays that he not only has the ability to helm a dramatic and exciting film (well-paced from beginning to end), but that he also can allow actors to shine.  Argo is a great film that I'm thrilled walked away with the Best Picture Oscar...and came so close to taking home the Best Picture RyMickey Award.

#1 - The Impossible - A

For those who have followed this year's RyMickey Awards, The Impossible's placement here probably comes as no surprise.  No other film moved me the way Juan Antonio Bayona's film did this year.  With performances that exceeded expectations and a true story that touches your heart, I'm not ashamed to say that The Impossible made me cry.  This isn't an easy film to sit through -- the chills as the tsunami hits land, the uncomfortable squirming as the bruised and battered characters desperately search for safety, the gut-wrenching moments when joyous reunions unexpectedly occur -- but it rewards its viewers by giving them an engaging, exhilarating, and touching cinematic experience.  If you haven't seen this one, you don't know what you're missing.  This film deserved so much more love on the awards circuit this past year and I'm more than thrilled to be able to give it its due on this tiny little blog.

Previous RyMickey Award Winners

2011

2010

2009