Year In Movies

2011 was such a good year for film, of course I would be disappointed with 2012, but I didn't realize I would be this disappointed.  There were only a handful of remarkable films this year so instead of my top 10, it's going to be my top 5.  Here they are in order:

1. Moonrise Kingdom

I loved this movie so much.  It might be my favorite Wes Anderson movie next to The Royal Tennenbaums, but I still haven't decided.  The story was adorable, the casting superb (Edward Norton as Scout Master Ward!) and of course it was visually beautiful set in 1965 on an Island.  Suzy is my hero.

2. Anna Karenina

I toyed between this and Moonrise Kingdom as being my favorite of the year.  I saw this in the theater twice already and I still have the urge to go back and see it again.  It's so fantastical and unlike any other film I've ever seen.  And it got me to go back and actually read all 817 pages of Leo Tolstoy's beautiful novel. 

3. Frankeweenie

I was skeptical about this going in since I haven't liked a Tim Burton movie since Ed Wood with the exception of Corpse Bride and I only thought that was so-so.  Finally, he got back to his roots and made a classic Tim Burton film straight out of his book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories.  It was wonderfully heartfelt and perfectly dark.  (a black and white stopmotion animation movie?  doesn't get much better than that.)

4. Django Unchained

I saw this on Christmas Day (which I don't think I've ever done before) and I really liked it.  Leonardo DiCaprio was definitely my favorite part of this film.  He was hilarious as Calvin Candle with his thick southern accent and charm.  The ending did drag on a bit, but apparently slowness was a theme this year.  Maybe since movie ticket prices are so outrageous, filmakers think they need to get us our money's worth.

5. Paranorman

Yup, I did that.  I put two animated movies on my top 5 list.  That's how disappointed I was this year.  ParaNorman was made by Laika, the company who also made Coraline.  Their attention to detail is inspiring.  This is one of those films that you could watch 100 times and still see something new every time you watch it.  The story wasn't as great as I would have hoped, but this was a film just as much for adults as it was for kids (if not more so). 

HM: Safety Not Guaranteed - It seems like there were so many films like this, this year.  This one was probably my favorite because it was the most original.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower - If this had come out when I was in High School, I would have loved it.

Most Disappointing: The Hobbit - I can't even express how let down I was by this film.

Lincoln - Daniel Day-Lewis was about the only exciting thing in this film.  I have never been so afraid to breathe in movie theater before.  My brother described it best as watching the animatronic Hall Presidents at Epcot Center in Disneyworld. 

*I still haven't seen The Master as it was in theater's here for barely a month and still hasn't been released on dvd.  I'm guessing this would have been on my list as I love Paul Thomas Anderson.