Man of Steel review

“Man of Steel” has returned the “Superman” franchise to the silver screen in the form of a franchise reboot helmed by “Watchmen” and “300” director Zack Snyder. Presenting a unique and visually driven take on Superman’s origin, “Man of Steel” succeeds mostly in being a decently entertaining popcorn flick despite ultimately collapsing under the weight of its grander ambitions.

Star Trek Into Darkness review

JJ Abrams’ daring take on the “Star Trek” franchise won over millions back in 2009. The alternate reality established by his half sequel half reboot injected much needed life into a franchise that was slowly but surely growing significantly stagnant.

With the possibilities numerous, Abrams chooses to tackle classic “Star Trek” themes and iconography with his own spin in a film that satisfies but doesn't quite live up to everything that it could have been.

Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) and the crew of the Enterprise return as a part of a response team to take out a rogue Starfleet agent that has launched a one man campaign against Starfleet, the most recent attack of which resulting in the death of Kirk’s close friend and mentor, Christopher Pike (reprised by Bruce Greenwood).

Embarking on a mission to stop the renegade agent John Harrison completely under the radar from Starfleet, Kirk and his crew will be tested in ways that will rock the very foundation of the way that Starfleet operates.

From the very moment that the film starts, its frenetic pace is established and only continues to build momentum the second the opening titles leave the screen. “Star Trek Into Darkness” is fast, flashy, and does not slow down for anyone. Such a tactic would sound like it would make for a fairly shallow or cluttered movie but the result is quite the opposite. “Into Darkness” is quick but ultimately witty, emotional, and more substantive than what we typically get during the summer blockbuster season.

Character chemistry is in full effect. With the groundwork of “Star Trek” laid out, the cast is fully established and completely unchained. The tight chemistry of the cast adds certain unpredictability to each interaction and despite the moderate size of the ensemble; every character manages to serve a definitive purpose without feeling underutilized.

Pine continues to carve out his own interpretation of a younger and brasher Kirk, tempered only by his love for his crew. Despite starting out rather bratty, he undeniably comes into his own in all of the right areas.

 While Pine’s performance remains solid, Zachary Quinto’s Spock truly steals the show with a performance that I question even the great Leonard Nimoy’s ability to pull off. Spock’s nature of being constantly caught between acting logically and allowing himself to be human is portrayed with a delicate level of subtlety that puts the rest of the cast’s highly impressive performances to shame.

To say nothing of Benedict Cumberbatch’s incredible performance as the film’s antagonist would be an absolute crime. Despite my reluctance to accept a certain twist taken with his character, I cannot deny his ability to sell it better than the scrip itself.

“Into Darkness’” post 9-11 feel brought upon by Abrams’ interpretation leads the charge, allowing the film to approach classical “Star Trek” concepts with a more contemporary eye. The militarization of Starfleet into a defensive and offensive navy from an organization of armed but peace welcoming explorers, the merits of emotion driven thinking, and action within perceived no win scenarios are all given a fresh and unique perspective with a level of poignancy the likes of which could have never have existed at any other time in our history.

The themes compliment Abrams’ incredible eye for action well, striking a fine balance between thought provoking and entertaining. “Into Darkness’” direction has provided for several of the most breathtaking action sequences that I have seen all year. If this is what he can do with “Star Trek,” the “Star Wars” franchise is in good hands.

From a general standpoint “Star Trek Into Darkness” is a fully well balanced package, a fun summer blockbuster, and undoubtedly one of the best films of 2013 so far, however what holds me back from loving it as much as I desperately want to is its unfortunate tendency to play it safe at the worst possible moments.

The alternate reality established by “Star Trek” was created to explore new territory and tell stories free from the constraints of continuity while leaving the stories of the past to be explored or developed upon in the prime reality at a later date. Although many of the story inspirations for “Star Trek Into Darkness” come from one famous source of “Star Trek” lore, it takes numerous chances and twists well established formulas in such a way to give it its own stamp. So it baffles me why, after tinkering with so many fascinating ideas, the film ultimately decides to play itself out so straight that I’m left questioning what was actually accomplished.

The tightly balanced and ambitious first two thirds of the film are resolved by a third act that, although still satisfying as pure entertainment, ultimately cops out on almost every single idea that gave the film its own sense of identity.

The exploration of shifting political tensions and enemy alignments brought about by the destruction of Vulcan at the end of the previous film, discussing the merits and the cons of cultivating an organization of peaceful exploration into a combat read navy, and a certain shift in the command structure of the Enterprise provided boundless materials that could have given “Star Trek Into Darkness” a true legacy within the franchise but are sadly discarded in the name of playing it safe and conforming to status quo.

Despite failing to live up to all of its potential however, “Star Trek Into Darkness” is far from a bad film. It’s action packed, heartfelt, and even smart at the end of the day. It is an overall package that every film should strive toward. I only hope that its success grants the franchise the courage it needs to follow through on its more bold concepts in the future. 

8 Out of 10

The Great Gatsby review

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel about the decadence of society and the unhealthiness of chasing the past has made its 2013 big screen debut after a brief delay brought on by a busy holiday movie season. Bahz Luhrmann’s take on “The Great Gatsby” undoubtedly provides a lot of food for thought but how much of that is attributed to actual quality storytelling is something that I struggle to ascertain despite being adapted from a novel heralded as an American classic.

Tobey Maguire portrays protagonist Nick Caraway who, in a framing device through which the story is being narrated, seeks therapy for depression, regaling his doctor with the story of his summer in New York of the year 1922 and eventually writing about it as therapy. His story covers the meeting of his good friend Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) and how their friendship has enlightened him on the darker and more tragic elements of the human condition.

Luhrman’s sensibilities are applied both full force and yet with a surprising amount of restraint counterproductive to his stylization. This weird sense of direction may sound like a contradiction but in practice, his techniques serve to give the film a unique flavor where his bombastic style can fit, while allowing the story to breathe and develop organically after pulling back on the bells and whistles to focus on the movie’s themes of human nature’s abuse of upper-class status.

“The Great Gatsby” has a lot of unique ideas going for it. The framing device which effectively makes Caraway a cipher for the late Fitzgerald puts a unique spin on the original story and even allows Maguire to stretch himself a bit more in terms of his range, going back and forth between the courteous, young, wide eyed, and idealistic protagonist of the story that he is perfectly casted for and a slightly older, damaged, and more cynical Nick that asks him to a little bit more than his career has typically asked of him.

DiCaprio continues to impress as with almost every role across his career, with a charismatic yet complex and multilayered performance, which at this point, isn’t even news anymore.

Additionally, Luhrmann’s affinity for modern pop music treats the film better than one would think. Occasionally, a background scene occurs that can distract if you focus in on it but the actual scenes in which they exist serve to generally benefit the story’s build up of lavish and decadent lifestyles in such a way that can connect the film to modern audiences. This works to varying extents but the experimentation is commendable nonetheless.

While the novel focused more on the detriment of decadence to society, this film spins it into a different direction. Luhrmann’s take on the material is ultimately about the hollowness of lavish lifestyle; a study of the idea that at any given time, the carelessly living upper-class is caught between the pursuit of greed and self gratification at the cost of others, or using their assets selfishly for what may have once been good intentions.

“The Great Gatsby’s” backbone, namely its fascinating study and execution of its source material’s themes and history, is solid and thought provoking enough to cover up the fact that there’s a general sense of hollowness about the film that’s rather difficult to place my finger on.

Despite the film’s use of effects, beautiful camera work, large sets and locales, and general sense of style, the world feels oddly empty and devoid of life. This goes beyond a feeling of low population which is not necessarily the case; Carrie Mulligan’s performance as Daisy, Gatsby’s object of affection and obsession feels so bland and phoned in that she overshoots the characters intentional shallowness.

The layers of complexity seem to have been ultimately saved up for Maguire and DiCaprio exclusively, who have a solid chemistry together and collaboratively distract from the fact that the remainder of the cast performances are merely of workman quality.

“The Great Gatsby’s” sense of style becomes something of a double edged sword in this regard, as the first half of the film, ignoring the quirks of the source material’s interpretation, quickly succumbs to the issue of style over substance, despite how impressive said style is, which creates a massive sense of whiplash when the film slows down towards its final act, which does bring the story full circle but still feels oddly disconnected from the bombastic first half.

The greatest enemy of “The Great Gatsby,” contrary to what one may believe, is not its contemporary stylization but ultimately its unevenness. I definitely give it a full recommendation and undeniably enjoyed it but I’m still struggling to determine whether or not that is because of its own legitimate quality. Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” is an admirable effort but due to its makeup, may be more of a fascinating film than a good one.


7 Out of 10

Iron Man 3 review

Marvel has come a long way in their cinematic ventures since “Iron Man” hit way back in 2008. In the 5 years that have followed, we’ve seen pulp action super soldiers, biologically engineered monsters, interdimensional beings duking it out with aliens and all of which have culminated in the world’s first major crossover superhero film.

In “Iron Man 2,” the adventures of billionaire playboy, philanthropist, and generally charismatic jackass Tony Stark took a hit in favor of being a 2 hour advertisement for the then upcoming “The Avengers.” Fortunately with less of a burden placed upon and a better balance struck between world building and story focus, “Iron Man 3” manages to fair much better than its predecessor despite its flaws

Robert Downey Jr. returns to the screen as Tony Stark, battling post traumatic stress after his brush with death in “The Avengers” a year ago. After having his trusted bodyguard Happy Hogan (reprised by Jon Favreau) hospitalized after an attack perpetrated by a terrorist making a name for himself known as The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) using technology provided to him by the head of the think tank, AIM, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), Stark sets out on a mission to destroy The Mandarin.

Unfortunately he must do it with his own wits and a new malfunctioning suit prototype after The Mandarin orders an aerial strike on Stark’s Mansion and effectively destroying his equipment and his home base.

Director Shane Black’s sensibilities lend themselves well to the concept, which captures the feel of the source material even better than Jon Favreau’s already impressive take on the franchise had. Tony Stark and his entire supporting cast interactions are chock full of witty dialogue and banter with more pop than ever. It’s humorous, unpredictable and unlike “Iron Man 2,” doesn’t detract from the actual charm of the characters themselves.

“Iron Man 3’s” humor serves to diffuse the high stakes and tension of the film’s plot, which establishes a more grounded and cerebral tone akin to the first film and attempts to maintain throughout. Make no mistake, this is the original “Iron Man’s” true sequel; No awkward hamfisted Avengers plugs or SHIELD hijacking, this show is all about Tony Stark and his fragile world and this time, despite outshining his fellow cast members, Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t carry the show all on his shoulders.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s chemistry with Downey as his former secretary now Stark Industries CEO and girlfriend Pepper Potts, has returned in full force and Don Cheadle is finally allowed to shine in his role as War Machine, serving as a replacement for Terrence Howard that is not necessarily better but is at least acceptable. Even Happy Hogan gets in a handful of great moments. For the first time in the franchise, the supporting cast exists to do more than simply kiss Tony Stark’s ass and stroke his ego.

As strong as the supporting cast is, the story is focused squarely on Tony and his ability to cope with being swept up into a world of action, conspiracy, and death defiance, greater than himself. Separated from the friends and equipment that he has taken for granted, Stark is left to survive on almost nothing but his own wits and whatever materials he can manage to scrounge together, overcoming the challenge ahead of him to face demons that he has created in his arrogance.

The strength of the writing in addition to Black’s fantastic camerawork and action choreography with enough flash to make Joss Whedon eat his heart out, right down to a climax that is easily one of the best final throw downs of superhero film history, are more than enough to make this film an instantly worthy watch and quite possibly one of the boldest superhero films ever made.

Unfortunately, “Iron Man 3’s” major draws also prove to be the source of its biggest and most frustrating problems.

Black’s comedic content and writing are top notch, which is a good thing because his timing leaves a lot to be desired. The snappy dialogue never ceases to entertain in and of itself but it does have a really bad tendency to detract from the tension and dramatic atmosphere built up, which can render details of the plot significantly ineffective. Downey sells his PTSD stupendously but the actual movie unfortunately forgets to take it seriously by regularly making it the butt of a joke whenever it comes up past the first act.

Additionally, suspension of disbelief behind Stark’s ability to make witty banter as a defense mechanism for the horrors that he is experiencing becomes stretched to its absolute thinnest. Between grappling with his own stress and personal losses in the midst of a battle to protect everything that he holds dear, his aloofness in certain situations just doesn’t click with the rest of the film, despite his own self obsession and narcissism.

The comedic timing as a whole just isn’t as great as it needs to be and the struggle to tread the line in order to maintain a tone ultimately manifests itself in the form of a second act twist involving The Mandarin that is sure to rub several people the wrong way. It took me two viewings and a week and a half of contemplation before I understood what they were going for and it’s sure to be divisive but although I personally enjoy it, I cannot within reason fault those that will have a problem with it.

“Iron Man 3” is undoubtedly the most uneven film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe made thus far and I would dare say that it will beat out “Thor” as the most contested movie of the franchise as a whole. Do not however, let that scare you off. For all of its massive problems, “Iron Man 3” is very quickly becoming a film that I find more endearing as time passes and at its heights is one of the finest specimens of its genre.

Its flaws may distract from that but they do not change that status in the slightest, even if it’s promise ultimately outweighs its execution.

8 Out of 10

Best of 2012: Number 1

1. The Avengers:

After months of work oriented distractions and technical errors resulting in the complete rewrite of this entry twice, it finally sees the light of day to no surprise to anyone that knows my preferences whatsoever.

“The Avengers” may feel like a total Hollywood copout of an answer to best film of 2012 but I didn’t choose this film simply for what it is but for the way that it changed the game. On its own, “The Avengers” is the highly satisfying fruits of the labor of a film project that may go down in history as one of the most ambitious concepts ever conceived of for the silver screen.

Tying together four properties under a framework allowing for more to be integrated later was a daunting task in and of itself but crafting a fun, witty, and even meaningful film with more spectacle than a Michael Bay film while still having a brain in the areas that matter is nothing short of a miracle.

“The Avengers” is the new paragon that anything with Hollywood support should strive to achieve and as far as I’m concerned, nothing less will do. 

Best of 2012: 4-2

4. Chronicle:

In discussing “The Dark Knight Rises,” I touched on the fact that although the average caliber superhero film has gone up today, there are still few people willing to truly take risks with the genre. Although I praise Marvel Studios for finally being able to distill the perfect formula for superhero movies, the fact of the matter is that getting something nontraditional and of quality is still a rarity.

For all the praise I heap on something like “Captain America: The First Avenger,” all they did was take a World War II adventure story starring a superhero and give it to the man that previously directed a World War II  adventure story starring a superhero. It’s great to finally see Hollywood thinking logically but this essentially like praising a mathematician for figuring out 2 + 2 = 4.

“Chronicle” provides a fascinating deconstruction and character study of superhero tropes as we know and understand them today but even serves as an intriguing science fiction story and a brilliant evolution of the found footage concept which has been getting progressively more tired out.

The twists and turns of the origin story that unfolds onscreen makes for an interesting study of the tropes and dynamic between superheroes and super villains, showing how easy it can be for the same circumstances to lead to 2 completely different outcomes and truly showcasing how dangerous power in the wrong hands can be no matter how good a person is on the surface. The film even makes its own nods to the nature of the conventions that it pays homage to, such as costumes and a climax that is the single most compelling argument for a live action “Akira” movie.

As if the central concept and performances of the newly super powered teens wasn’t strong enough to hold the film together, the framing of the film and the very justification for its found footage style steal the show in ways that I could have never imagined. Right when I thought pretentious bullshit like “Paranormal Activity” had run this trend into the ground, my mind gets blown in ways that I haven’t experienced since I first saw the concept done in “Cloverfield”

3. Silver Linings Playbook:

My process for constructing these lists typically involves tracking where a potential film’s viewing belongs on a list at any given moment of its running time. Some come in high, others low, more shift as the film continues to play out and the rest tend to rise or fall as I think about them. “Silver Linings Playbook” is the only film that leaped across the entire list to take its place below the only 2 films that top it, from second one.

Bradley Cooper stars as Pat Solitano, who upon release from a court mandated sentence at a mental health institute, sets out to win back the wife who left him an come to terms with his own status as bipolar with the help of the separate yet equally insane Tiffany, played by the lovely Jennifer Lawrence. In true David O. Russell fashion “Silver Linings Playbook” is a deceptively simple plot told with characters of highly unpredictable complexity that makes for a romantic comedy that is the calculated opposite of the garbage that the genre is loaded with across any given year.

The wild chemistry between Cooper and Lawrence alone could have held the movie afloat as an entertaining time passer. They’re funny, impulsive, sympathetic, quirky, and likeable leads with an uncommon attraction to one another that proves to be highly compelling to play out. The rich supporting cast however is what truly steals the show. I never would have thought that Robert De Niro would genuinely surprise me but his relationship with his recovering son garnered and chemistry with Jacki Weaver contributed to a heart that goes unmatched in any other film this year.You know you have a special piece of work on your hands when you successfully make Chris Tucker, a lovably endearing character.

To simply say that this is a good film, would be a major injustice; “Silver Linings Playbook” is the feel good film of the year not simply because of its emotional payoff and endearing characters but because it manages to please and satisfy in every respectable facet of storytelling without talking down to a lesser audience. It isn’t simply great; it is everything that every film of its type should strive for.

2. Argo:

“Silver Linings Playbook” took me by storm by crawling its way up my list during every second of its running time. Were it not for the more personal connection that I feel for my number one pick, “Argo” would have easily and undoubtedly swept film of the year, without a second thought.

It’s truly remarkable how straightforward “Argo” is despite the sheer brilliance of its premise. Following a former exfiltration expert’s mission to get 6 Americans out of Iran under the guise of making a movie provides for many an opportunity for the film to mercilessly poke fun at the business of Hollywood.

Ben Affleck doesn’t miss a beat, affectionately displaying the conventions, contradictions, and general quirks of working in the film industry. However, in choosing to focus on the mission of saving innocent lives from becoming victims of an international crisis, the jabs at showbiz become welcome lighthearted jabs to loosen the high tension of an incredibly sensitive operation that can easily end in death for everybody involved.

Even in the high stakes of the Iranian exfiltration, the pervasive sense of emotion is what really locks you into what’s going on. These 6 Americans and their Iranian allies are not simple character archetypes and plot devices; they are living people with real lives waiting for them, facing consequences for their actions, and rarely ever acting in the manner of their apparent stereotypes.

“Argo” was jaw dropping from start to finish. Ben Affleck has really proven himself a man to be taken seriously, directing a film so tense yet with so much human emotion, you almost forget how simple the actual plot is. Between tight direction leading to one of the most tense climaxes that I have seen in my life, a snappy screenplay that knows just how to balance heavy drama with a bit of dark humor, and an all around excellent cast, “Argo” isn’t quite my favorite film of the year but it came pretty damn close to toppling the juggernaut that did.

Best of 2012: 7-5

7. Life of Pi:

As somebody that has been trained to be able to find stories worth telling in the most mundane areas of life, “Life of Pi” was a charming and unexpected pleasure that transcends the few storytelling hiccups that it has, making for a life journey that is not only enthralling to see play out but visually spectacular.

The nature of protagonist Pi’s struggle at sea with a tiger rendered by and unfolded through incredible visuals at this point has become the one definitive point of attraction that everybody who has and hasn’t seen the film is aware of at this point. And to the film’s credit, the visual direction is absolutely stunning, however I find myself rather surprised that this has been the sole element attracting its audience.

Pi’s recollection of his journey to understand faith to a fascinated writer contains such an incredible level of real life charm that I found myself intensely envious of Rafe Spall for being allowed to partake in the life story such a fascinating man that has, for all intents and purposes, lived a fairly normal life.

Ang Lee tells Pi’s story masterfully through the charisma of Irrfan Khan with a terrific performance from Suraj Sharma. The first half alone is had me charmed over so much that when the visual direction kicks in, I was almost taken by complete surprise.

The incredible visuals of the protagonist’s plight at sea with a live tiger served as icing on the cake and were a true sight to behold. However the progression of the film into this territory, despite the breathtaking visuals, the storytelling becomes significantly more fantastical. As his life story becomes more of a fable than a biography, details begin to become less consistent and although most of these issues could be argued to be intentional, there are more than a few instances in which it weakens the storytelling, culminating in a revelation that could have been a terrific note to leave on, that is unfortunately spoiled by over explanation.

Despite the unevenness of the storytelling as a whole, “Life of Pi” easily takes the award for biggest surprise of the year and on top of Lee’s previous directorial work, “Taking Woodstock,” have redeemed himself permanently for the existence of “Hulk.”  

6. Les Miserables:

In 2012, after an age where the musical has become something of a joke, one film came to stand apart from all of the others, pushing the envelope in terms of the current weak quality of musicals; a movie that has shaken me to my very core to this day. That film was called “Rock of Ages,” a wretched production of scum and horrors of one of the most embarrassing eras of Rock history, distilled into a 2 hour theater experience of evil so terrifying, it brought me within a hair’s width of quitting my ambitions of being a proper critic of fiction at the sheer idea that my job would force me to willingly expose myself to such inhumane tortures and perversions of genres that I love on a regular basis. The embarrassment of the musical genre of film, despite 1 or 2 worthwhile productions over the course of the last decade or so notwithstanding, had culminated in this film and has left me cold to something that I once felt a very powerful love and appreciation for. “Les Miserables” is the anti-“Rock of Ages.”

Tom Hooper directs a silver screen translation of a stage production with care and intricacy the likes of which I have not seen since Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet.” The film makes full use of its camera to create a world that immerses its audience in the setting and story that it has to tell, a trick that sounds very simple in theory but is rarely ever attempted or executed properly. It draws you in almost immediately and never releases its grip on your attention despite a few tight shots and close-ups.

The sense of immersions steals the show and enhances the storytelling through a masterfully crafted and performed soundtrack. Every song tells a full story within the film so incredibly well but are so beautifully crafted and emotionally performed that they can stand alone in their own right. I haven’t been this in love with a musical soundtrack since “Chicago.”

And most importantly, the human element is alive and strong from start to finish. I was more spellbound in any given minute of “Les Miserables” than almost any other film to come out this year. Jean Valjean’s journey to redeem himself as a human being in his own eyes, Javert’s dedication to his extreme views of right and wrong, Marius and Cossette’s desire to fight through revolution to be with one another; all of these ideas and more are powerfully presented with little to no traditionally spoken dialogue and while many of the actors are asked to sing beyond their range, the emotion behind the vocal performances and the incredible acting carries them a long way.

Pacing issues aside, “Les Miserables” was an emotionally moving and brilliantly crafted journey that has not only restored my faith in a genre but reinvigorated my love of it. It has earned my recognition sheerly for its uniqueness as a production but as powerful therapy for my “Rock of Ages” PTSD, it has earned a permanent spot in my heart.

5. Cloud Atlas:

The Wachowski siblings have fallen pretty far from grace since the heyday of “The Matrix.” After taking the worlds of film and science fiction by storm, their continuously fading star, culminating in the abysmal “Speed Racer” seemed to be a sad sign that their first film, as impressive as it was, was ultimately one epic fluke. While I still don’t doubt that they have a tendency to be a tad bit pretentious, I find myself pleasantly surprised to admit that “Cloud Atlas” proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are far from talentless.

The ambitious undertaking of weaving the six tales of “Cloud Atlas” together into a single 3 hour long coherent film worth the necessary amount of time and investment it must demand of its audience was one that should have ended in complete and utter disaster. By all means, this should have been the largest cluster fuck of our generation. What was born out of this ambition instead is a series of interweaved vignettes that contribute to larger messages about celebrating life, karma and redemption, and destiny vs. free will that create one of the purest art films of recent history.

Every second of “Cloud Atlas” feels like a necessary piece of its puzzle; every shot, every line of dialogue, the usage of music, the usage of makeup, the roles of the cast members, and the nature of the settings are all integral in forming one of the multitude of interpretations that the film intends for its audience to take away from it.

This film thoroughly blew my mind upon my initial viewing of it and has left me hungry to rewatch in search of interpretations that I missed. “Cloud Atlas” is a well rounded masterpiece that is both intellectually complex and heavily emotionally resonant the likes of which the world of film has never seen before.

Best of 2012: 10-8

10. The Dark Knight Rises:

I’ve grappled with this one for quite some time. Christopher Nolan’s grand finale to his well deservedly critically acclaimed interpretation of Batman is by no stretch of the imagination a flawless film. However, upon viewing it after having written it off for a slot for months, I slowly came around to realizing that I wasn’t quite giving the film enough credit for what it was doing right.

While not shying away from its issues, “The Dark Knight Rises” is nonetheless of an incredible level of filmmaking in nearly every regard that is still not quite the standard of this genre. Nolan directs a packed yet tightly crafted epic, bringing the more human element of “Batman Begins” back around full circle. Bruce Wayne’s final adventure is full of twists and turns, believably escalated stakes, character revelations, and an unexpected amount of emotion that adds a weight to the finality of the films intent. Nolan has always been an excellent teller of complex plots but the shocking detail found in the rest of the film surpasses even his own demonstrated level of skills.

The cast of “The Dark Knight Rises” all give some of the most incredible performances of their careers, lending the franchise a level of heart it had never achieved before. The levels of literary metaphor within the challenges that Bruce must face are masterfully crafted and ultimately culminate in one hell of a sensational climax.

The films high ambitions have for the most part have yielded an intense payoff. Unfortunately, payoffs born out of such high ambitions don’t come without a few tradeoffs. The higher levels of spectacle, despite being more grounded than most films of the same ilk, lends “The Dark Knight Rises” a slightly more alien quality that prevents it from feeling as immersive as its predecessor, which slightly distracts from the heavier atmosphere that the film projects. Furthermore, while I applaud its efforts to tell a unique epic on a grand scale, it does have a bad tendency to rely on telling rather than showing for the sake of furthering its plot.

This unfortunate combination of flaws results in a film that could have been 20 minutes shorter or used 20 minutes to more organically flesh out its ideas. Despite its problems however, “The Dark Knight Rises” dared to take a chance that for the most part worked. Unlike 95% of superhero storytelling today, it put the integrity of its tale ahead of its desire to make a profit, rounding out a trilogy that I will be happily watching decades from now and creating a film that I have grown to love more and respect as one of my favorites of 2012.

9. The Cabin in the Woods:

If there is one genre that our modern genre savvy culture has utterly ravaged, it would have to undoubtedly be horror. With most modern twists and turns in storytelling exposed and conventions explored in great detail, most modern horror films have defaulted to the cheap and manipulative jump scare to get a rise out of the more naïve moviegoer. About the only thing truly scary about almost 90% of modern horror films is the how torturously boring they can become. And, along came Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard to give the horror genre the kick in the pants that it so desperately needs.

“The Cabin in the Woods” is a genre busting and trope twisting affectionate criticism, loving parody, and straightly executed production of the horror genre that I have not seen since “Evil Dead 2.” The film’s deconstruction of horror formula is done with an eye of both criticism and affection, observing the stereotypes and clichés of horror fiction and identifying them in such a way that celebrates their hand in the culture of the genre.

Meanwhile, thanks to Whedon’s sharp script and Goddard’s intricate direction, the delicate balance that goes into mixing the horror with the comedy prevents one element from overtaking the other, resulting in a respectable horror movie in and of itself with a strong element of humor that knows how when to step back, creating a less cynical parody that keeps all of its elements in check as opposed to the age of lazy spoofs that permeate the parody subgenre of comedy.

“The Cabin in the Woods” is a rare comedy in today’s day and age; one that doesn’t fall back on its comedy as a cop out to proper storytelling. Whether the charm of the characters, the subtle winks to horror formula, or the glorious grand reveal of the end, the film has a charm thanks to the perfect balancing act that it pulls off that few films attempting what it is going for have been able to achieve.

8. The Secret World of Arrietty:

I admit that I skated around this issue last year but this year has made it abundantly evident that the state of animation is on its way into a slump. Often I relish in the chance to talk up an animated film around this time of the year. Only then do I come to find that this year and the last have been far from stellar (you know things are getting when Pixar’s churned out mediocre content two years in a row). I’ll give credit to a few sleepers, like “Paranorman” and “Wreck-It Ralph” but thank god Studio Ghibli has stepped up to the plate to redeem itself after the laughably bad “Tales from Earthsea” with Hiromasa Yonebayashi’s take on “The Borrowers.”

There’s a somber tone about “The Secret World of Arrietty” that sets it apart from most typical animated films. Rather than direct a broader, almost theater-like production bloated with flash, quick pacing, and numerous other quirky bells and whistles, this is a film that takes the completely opposite tact. The sense of scale given to the small world of the borrowers is made apparent via the slow, methodical, and detailed pacing of the following of their day to day activities.

This pacing may sound like it makes for a boring film but the detail used to bring the world to life, as well as a strong down to earth plot based around the developing friendship between Arrietty and the protagonist (whom I shall leave unnamed both in the spirit of the original novel and to avoid the immature dubbing vs. subbing conflict of anime) contain so much charm that you don’t even notice the time fly.

In a year that was generally unimpressive for animation, “The Secret World of Arrietty” was a pleasant surprise not merely for its own quality, but as a fresh model that other animated films should strive to follow if for no other reason than to shake up the status quo a bit.

Best of 2012: Honorable Mentions

2012 has come and gone, leaving several hits and more than a few meh’s. Superheroes have thrived, animation has stabilized though not necessarily improved, Oscar season ranges from genuine quality to pretentious parody, and summer fills up mostly on wannabe style with no substance. In other words, a typical year for film; few surprises, few off beat trends, and not much remarkable or worth discussing in length despite being better than the abysmal 2010.

Like every year however, works of sheer brilliance will always shine through the haze. Unlike other years however, I’d like to take a moment to highlight a few items of interest that did not make my top 10 but nonetheless bear mentioning if not outright viewing.

Dredd:

An incredible action film with an amazing level of deceptive simplicity. Dredd’s production values, solid pacing, and fantastic action choreography alone are plenty entertaining but what caught me off guard about Dredd was just how much the film had to say despite the simple set up that essentially amounts to a rookie cop’s training day with a veteran superior.

It’s messages on the negatives of thinking and operating in extremes, the necessities of thinking outside of the box, and exploring what happens when the justice system is given too much power, are what really won me over. “Dredd” is viscerally satisfying, well paced and performed, and surprisingly cerebral, missing out on making my top 10 sheerly due to being pushed out by better films.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:

The only surprise greater than watching this nightmare of a production actually making it to the big screen is it’s succeeding in not sucking. Rising like a phoenix from the ashes of MGM’s financial stability, “The Hobbit” takes us back to Middle Earth in glorious fashion.

Although I’m still not sold on the concept of splitting the simplicity of the story of “The Hobbit” into a trilogy of epic length films, even with the padding offered by material from Tolkien’s “Unfinished Tales,” and the unevenness of the first third of the film had me wary for quite some time, once the film takes off, it kicks into gear spectacularly.

Zero Dark Thirty:

Still proving she can handle sensitive subject matters with a high level of class, Katherine Bigelow’s interpretation of the decade long search for Osama Bin Laden was as tense, tightly paced, and thrilling as anticipated. CIA agent Maya’s increasing obsession and personal stake in bringing down Al-Qaeda by all means necessary is fascinating and leads to one of the most tense climax that I’ve seen all year.

Were it not for its somewhat emotional coldness and stunted development of side characters, it would have easily made my list. As it is, it’s easily an incredible piece of filmmaking that doesn’t warrant its overblown political controversy.

Prometheus:

 Despite earning a notably polarizing reaction from its audiences, I personally found Ridley Scott’s epic prequel to his own landmark on science fiction to be a tense and beautifully shot emotional thrill ride from start to finish, despite a clearly rushed climax.

As it exists, the film was simply pushed out of the list by better candidates, but had it actually kept even half of its fully produced deleted scenes, it would have had an easy shot at the upper half.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower:

For years I have waited for a film about the modern day teenager that isn’t some vapid commercial regurgitation of pop culture references and obnoxious humor lacking in any actual wit. If John Hughes could see what people were doing with his legacy today, he would be turning in his grave.

On that note, I almost put “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” on this list for finally scratching that itch alone. It’s funny, charming, endearing, and almost had me convinced that John Huges produced it from beyond the grave.