FILM: The Year In Film, 2012
The 5 Most Enjoyable Films Of The Year ■ by Robert Singer
◗ The Perks of Being a Wallflower
This coming-of-age tale is an adaptation of the beloved novel by the same name and was written and directed for the screen by the author himself, Stephen Chbosky. The film tells the story of Charlie (Logan Lerman), an emotionally fragile teenager navigating the treacherous pitfalls of his freshman year of high school following a year of intensive therapy after the suicide of his best friend. Charlie learns to come out of his shell as he makes friends with misfit upperclassmen, including the fabulously loud and proud Patrick (Ezra Miller in a scene-stealing performance), anti-establishment punk chick Mary-Elizabeth (Mae Whitman), and the beguiling but insecure Sam (Emma Watson). Many films about teens tend to feature implausible plots that overshadow or undermine the complex realities of growing up, but The Perks of Being a Wallflower avoids this problem by avoiding clichés, instead focusing on how raw and painful the early emotional wounds gained in high school can really be. The film takes an honest look at how powerfully important the feeling of belonging is during one’s transition to adulthood and how crushing heartache can be when experienced for the first time. In a film beset with great lines, a simple yet brutal truth uttered by Charlie to Sam encapsulates the intimate honesty of this film, “We accept the love we think we deserve.”
◗ Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson’s latest film just may be his best. Yes, I’m serious. Moonrise Kingdom features many of the director’s signature tropes: meticulous attention to minute detail, glorious mise en scene, 1960s inspired costumes and sets (although this time it really does take place in the 1960s), and his trademark wry humor. But Moonrise Kingdom diverges from Anderson’s previous work because the story feels more organic, establishing an intimate sincerity that is lacking from his earlier classics Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which have often been criticized for being too ironic. This is the filmmaker’s first film in which the characters feel like characters rather than caricatures, a clear sign of maturation on the part of Anderson, the film’s director, producer, and co-writer. Revolving around the story of two star-crossed adolescent lovers Sam and Suzy (played with aplomb by newcomers Jared Gillman and Kara Hayward), Moonrise Kingdom subverts the clichés of stories about young love by allowing the film’s characters as well as its audience to root for the kids to be together.
Moonrise Kingdom
■
◗ The Avengers
After the colossal commercial and critical success of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight in 2008 (the same year Marvel released Iron Man) it was likely very tempting for Marvel Studios to skew all subsequent films with a darker, more serious tone in an attempt to “Nolanize” all of its characters. The company has yet to do so, however, and this year, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige made the smart choice in hiring geek god Joss Whedon as director of The Avengers. Whedon handles the larger than life cast of characters ably, giving the impressive ensemble of established and rising stars moments to shine as a group as well as separately. Whedon’s trademark wit, humor, and passion for drama are evident in every exchange, and equally impressive are the action sequences, the likes of which have never been seen before on the big screen. Sure, we’ve watched New York trashed by aliens dozens of times, but not on this scale, and never for so long! The final 45 minutes is just one scene after another of adrenaline pumping, nerdgasmic, utterly epic action. Never before in the history of cinema have so many powerful superheroes fought on screen together as a team, fending off a threat that no single hero could handle alone. It sounds corny and goofy, and it is, but it’s also what people have wanted to see all this time, a movie that manages to satisfy your inner eight-year-old without abhorrently offending your cultivated aesthetic sensibilities. The Avengers is the epitome of what a superhero movie ought to be: epic, dramatic, and most importantly, fun.
◗ Silver Linings Playbook
Silver Linings Playbook tells the story of Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper), a bi-polar history teacher recently back from an eight month stint in a mental health facility and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a young cop’s widow who is coping with the loss of her husband through manic rage and sexual promiscuity. Both characters are living at home with their parents after losing everything and are struggling to manage their respective conditions. Then, they meet. Pat and Tiffany are tremendously vocal about how disturbed each thinks the other is, but that doesn’t stop them from forming a steady bond that leads to friendship, love, and the possibility of recovery. Also, it’s a comedy. Dramatic, funny, and edgy from start to finish, David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook is one of the best romantic comedies of the year. The film moves at a frenetic pace, navigating the bizarre lives of the two leads and their quirky, dysfunctional families and friends, as they follow their beloved Philadelphia Eagles through an NFL season. The film is bolstered by great supporting turns from Robert De Niro and Chris Tucker, who steal scenes every chance they get, but its real heart and soul lies with Cooper and Lawrence, who give the most mature and emotionally charged performances to date and whose chemistry is undeniable.
◗ Lincoln
Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln is a quintessential American film that recounts the intriguing and powerful true tale of the most important legislative battle in our nation’s history: the passing of the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery by the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner were wise to base their film on Doris Kearns-Goodwin’s mesmerizing account of the Lincoln administration, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln; the result is a film equal parts period-piece biopic and compelling political thriller. Spielberg’s direction is the best it’s been in over a decade and the cinematography by Janusz Kaminski (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List) is his finest work to date. Lincoln boasts a tremendous ensemble cast including David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, and John Hawkes. However, the true strength of Lincoln lies in three terrific and key performances. Sally Field’s portrayal of feisty and emotionally drained First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln is one of the most memorable supporting performances of the year, and Tommy Lee Jones as racial equality Republican firebrand Thaddeus Stevens deserves every nomination and accolade he will most assuredly receive this awards season. However, the crux of the film’s power lies in the performance by the impeccable Daniel Day-Lewis, who evokes the haunted, brilliant giant of American history perfectly, cementing his own legacy as the greatest actor of his generation.
■
The Ryder, January 2013