 Warner Bros. Pictures, 2012 Yes, it's yet another "year-end" list for you to chew on. As a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society and Online Film Critics Society, I saw well over 130 films in 2012. Usually these lists include some type of preamble (like this one), where the person compiling the list puts his/her choices into context, spouts his/her credentials and otherwise preemptively braces themselves for impact, from the positive or negative reaction that his/her list will have on the audience at large.
Of course, these lists rarely have any lasting resonance. They are meant to be easily digestible, read mainly as a means of comparison to see just how closely a particular critic falls in-line with your own personal preferences. Most movie-goers will read these lists with hopes of finding their favorite films listed among the obscure, mostly irrelevant (to them), independent or foreign films that seem to populate many critic's year-end lists. Others will scour over the choices waiting to pounce. "You picked that?!? That movie sucked!" Surely, my list will produce similar cries of foul and maybe a few agreeing cheers, perhaps both well warranted. They are subjective picks and I assure you that these selections are not meant to be "controversial" or to "raise eyebrows" (OK, not entirely true...I did leave Silver Linings Playbook off completely, just out of spite). These are simply my favorite films of the year, reputation and stature be damned (sadly, I did not get to see the critically acclaimed films Amour or Holy Motors for consideration on this list). So without further ado, sink your teeth into this: My Top 25 films of 2012:
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 Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Western, Action, Drama
Run Time: 2 hours 45 minutes, Rated R Starring: Jamie Foxx, Cristoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins Written & Directed by Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2) Those who go into Django Unchained expecting another recognizable Quentin Tarantino gem will likely be pleased. The auteur’s latest film – as one would expect - once again blends an array of genres into a wildly funny and violent piece of entertainment. It’s not for the weak of heart or the easily offended. But it is thoroughly Quentin Tarantino.  Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Run Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Werner Herzog, Robert Duvall Based on the book "One Shot" by Lee Child Written & Directed by Christopher McQuarrie (The Way of the Gun) Just like last December (with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol), Tom Cruise stars in what is the most entertaining film of the holiday season. In Jack Reacher, he is a gruff, mysterious, wise-cracking killer tasked with investigating a cut and dry case, even if he wasn't asked to by the police.  Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy
Run Time: 2 hours, 14 minutes, Rated R Starring: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Jason Segel, Robert Smigel, Megan Fox, Graham Parker Written & Directed by Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People) The scene-stealing couple from writer/director Judd Apatow's 2007 film, Knocked Up, get their own movie with This is 40. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann reprise their roles as Pete and Debbie, the hilarious couple that became so popular because of how true-to-life their relationship seemed in that first film. Funny (or not, I guess), how time changes everything. What a difference a few years can make in both a marriage and in a director's ability to reign himself in.  Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy
Run Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand Written by Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love, Tangled, Cars, Cars 2) Directed by Anne Fletcher (Step Up, 27 Dresses, The Proposal) It's been over 30 years since Barbra Streisand has starred as a lead in a comedy (1981's All Night Long opposite Gene Hackman), not that anyone but hardcore Streisand fans are counting. But when producers set up production within 30 minutes of your home, promising to shoot a cross-country road trip movie entirely in the confines of Hollywood (as was done in order for Streisand to sign on), it isn't hard to understand why Babs has decided to come out of leading-lady-comedic-retirement, so to speak. It definitely wasn't for the script.  Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Biographical, Drama
Run Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes, Rated R Starring: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Williams, Elizabeth Marvel, Olivia Colman, Samuel West, Elizabeth Wilson Directed by Roger Michell (Morning Glory, Notting Hill, Enduring Love) Margaret Stuckley was a distant cousin of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and after her death at the age of 100, a box of letters was discovered under her bed. These letters are the basis of this film and detail an affair young Margaret had with the President.  Rating: 5 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Musical, Romance
Run Time: 2 hours, 37 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter Directed by Tom Hooper (The Damned United, The King's Speech) If you are predisposed not to like musicals going into one, chances are you won't like it. Just like foreign films, movies with sub-titles or the work of an actor or director that you loathe, you should enter into each film with an open heart and an open mind, hoping to surprised even if perhaps your gut is trying to save yourself from a letdown. But if you can do that, then you probably will love the newest film version of the classic tale, Les Miserables.  Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama
Run Time: 1 hours 37 minutes, Rated R Starring: Alan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt, Isaac Leyva, Frances Fisher, Gregg Henry, Jamie Anne Allman Written by Travis Fine & George Arthur Bloom Directed by Travis Fine (The Space Between, The Ride, The Others) The thin line between overemotional preaching and heartfelt story-telling is toyed with in Travis Fine's Any Day Now. It is very loosely based on a true story about a boy with Down syndrome who is abandoned by his mother and the custody battle that follows when he is taken in by a gay couple.  Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Adventure, Fantasy
Run Time: 2 hours, 49minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Scott, Andy Serkis Based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkein Directed by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Lovely Bones, King Kong) "With great power comes great responsibility." Spider-Man taught us this quote, but Peter Jackson is living proof of it. Helming The Lord of the Rings trilogy - one of the most commercially (and critically) successful franchises of all time - was no small task and it's hard to believe that it's been nine years since the last chapter, The Lord of The Rings: Return of the King, hit theaters. The films together grossed nearly 3 billion dollars worldwide, won 17 Academy Awards and a total of 219 total awards scattered across the world.  Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Romantic Comedy
Run Time: 1 hours, 46 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Noah Lomax, Dennis Quaid, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judy Greer, Iqbal Theba, James Tupper Written by Robbie Fox (So I Married an Axe Murderer) Directed by Gabriele Muccino (Seven Pounds, The Pursuit of Happiness) So Gerard Butler plays George, a former soccer star and a legend of the game who finds himself past his prime. He is behind on all of his bills and is now a single dad to his young son, who lives with his mom, George's ex-wife, Stacie (Jessica Biel) and her soon-to-be husband Matt (James Tupper). He tries to be a good dad, but is too irresponsible and immature to impress anyone. When he takes his son to soccer practice, he notices that the team is a bunch of misfits, being coached by a guy who could care less. George is asked to take over as the coach of his son's soccer team, and he accepts. A rich soccer dad (Dennis Quaid) hands him an envelope full of cash, telling him its a donation to buy uniforms for the team, but that he expects his son to play goalie. |
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tom santilli movie reviews
Tom Santilli is a professional film critic, TV personality, host and
the Executive Producer of Movie Show Plus.
He also is the featured film critic appearing on WXYZ Channel 7 Action News in Detroit,
and appeared weekly on FOX-2 in Detroit from 2016-2020.
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