Top Movies of 2012 - LifeOfTheCam Awards!

Top 5 Movies

5. The Dark Knight Rises

4. Beasts of the Southern Wild

3. The Hobbit

2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

1. The Master

*6th man of the year: Lawless

- If The Proposition didn't solidify the talent behind the Aussie tandem of John Hillcoat (director) and Nick Cave (screenwriter) then Lawless surely did the trick. The duo took the Aussie-outback outlaw folklore (tongue twister alert!) behind The Proposition and transformed it into prohibition America. The two movies are brother films of sort - both take gratuitous violence to the next level, both are gritty masculine films, and they both are littered with eccentric characters and dialogue. So the lingering question is, what will they do next?

*Just missed the cut: Sherlock Holmes: A Games of Shadows, Les Miserables

- While I had been anticipating the Sherlock sequel, I was not anticipating (or wanting to see) Les Miserables. They are both slick (although you'd have to give the Slickest of the Slick Ricks award to Sherlock) yet accomplished in their own right. They also do a credible job of slotting the narrative into a historical context (something which movies like X-Men First Class do a very poor job at) and using the history of the time to really enhance the characters. 

*The one(s) I missed out on seeing due to my impoverished university existence: Moonrise Kingdom, Killing Them Softly, Argo, Lincoln

- You'd think Moonrise Kingdom and Killing Them Softly would make wide/popular release in Australia... nup! 

I'm anticipating all these flicks for different reasons: Moonrise has a director I've never been able to understand but am intrigued by, Killing Them Softly is an Andrew Dominik film (he made Jesse James which happens to be in my all-time top 10), Argo's story is too good to be true (and yet it's based on a true story), and I want to see how Lincoln depicts the man, political scene and history.

*Flop of the year: Rock of Ages

- My fiancé took me to see this one and afterwards I said, "You are off movie choosing duties indefinitely." The love story of the dull and insanely stereotyped young couple kill it for me and I'm left wondering if they really couldn't have found better actors/singers. 

*DVD of the year: Moneyball 

- Football Manager diehards around the world, raise your heads... and glasses! Here's a toast to a sports film which takes the clichés of the dogged sports genre and produces something refreshing. 

Billy Beane: "Adapt or die!"

*The Emergent: Tom Hardy 

- Tinker, Batman, Lawless - it's been a busy year for Tom Hardy. In Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy he plays a character who breaks your heart and then hands it back to you in a doggy bag. In The Dark Knight Rises he explodes onto the screen as Bane, and if it wasn't for poor character development (and a horrible comic plot), he would've been just as good a villain as The Joker (*when the final twist is revealed he's relegated to 'glorified body guard' and then is blown to the side of the room like a swatter to a fly). In Lawless he plays another inaudible hulk but Forrest's intrigue and strength comes from his silence. 

This guy is real class - they'll be begging him to play Bond one day. Is that a good thing?

*Golden oldie: Gary Oldman 

- It's been a big year for my Golden Oldie - actually his 2012 resume reads much like Tom Hardy's. Gone are the days when Oldman played the Russian dude trying to kill the president, now he's the spy trying to take care of the Russians! My how things have changed. Yes, It's his role as Smiley which gets the nod from me. If The Master hadn't hit screens in 2012 then Tinker Tailor would be number one and Oldman would be my Best Actor. It takes Oldman 18 minutes to get a line in Tinker Tailor and he's the protagonist! His ability to transform his appearance, walk, swagger, personality and demeanour into the solemn, and in many ways tragic, British spy is remarkable. Tell me your heart doesn't break when he finds out about his faithless wife. John Le Carre, the original author of Tinker Tailor, describes Smiley as "one of London's meek who do not inherit the Earth," and yet it is this 'meekness' which captures our attention and leads us through the Circus. I love that scene where Smiley visits Connie and the Cold War is really put into perspective, 

Connie Sachs: It was a good time back then.
George Smiley: It was a war, Connie.
Connie Sachs: A war we could be proud of.

*Original Screenplay of the year: The Master

- Don't be fooled into thinking that this is just a movie about Scientology. I walked away reflecting more on the relationship between Freddie and Dodd than Scientology. Paul Thomas Anderson is a genius writer and filmmaker who makes movies which middle America will always want to ban. Let's put it this way, if Anderson was around and making films during the McCarthy witch-hunt era then he'd probably be in jail... or exiled. 

If you want a no holds barred experience of human depravity, delusion and mind twisting then check this one out. Phoenix and Hoffman are unforgettable and Amy Adams is downright haunting. It could be considered unorthodox but it's right up my alley. This one got 10/10 from me - that's unchartered territory. 

* Adapted Screenplay of the year: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

- I must confess, I have never read John Le Carre's novel nor watched the BBC miniseries. What?! I was only born in 1988 and the miniseries started in 1979 and the book was published in 1974. From what I've heard (and have read) it was not going to be easy to make a movie-length adaption seeing as the past adaptions have been so well received and the mini series ran for 350 minutes! So how was Tomas Alfredson going to do it? Well by assembling a cast full of Britain's best for starters. For me though it's in the dreariness of England, the script and the old fashioned men which makes this version stand out. The literal dreariness and darkness which looms over the film adds to the suspense and crankiness of Smiley and co. It's the Cold War - no one wants a Cold War, as Connie frankly stated. In many ways Smiley (and the entire movie) is the antithesis of James Bond - no wild shoot outs, no scantly dressed Bond girls, no gizmos which lead us to escapism, there isn't even an Aston Martin! This is more the depressing weather and shocking teeth side of England. I must warn you though, you might not get it first time through... Mum has seen it three times and is still battling. 

It's rather beautiful in a slightly treacherous way. 

Simley: It's about which master you've been serving, Toby.

P.S. This one is for you Smiley, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTIjLLCRD4g

*Director of the year: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master

- Just go and watch The Master. 

Yes, that's all I have to say.

*Aussie of the year: John Hillcoat and Nick Cave (Lawless), Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe (Les Miserables)

- I've already spoken about Hillcoat and Cave so let me turn to the other Aussie tandem which lit up the screen this year. Russell Crowe has sung before - in fact he's been in a band for some time now (it just seems his acting career has overshadowed his musical endeavors ;). And this may shock you but Hugh Jackman is no rookie to the musical scene, *gasp! Mum and Dad went to see him perform in The Boy From Oz on Broadway nearly ten years ago - and they are still raving about it! As I said in my review of Les Miserables, I'm not a musical man, nor a musical fan... but I enjoyed this one. I knew nothing about the novel or the musical but I thought the relationship between Jackman's Valjean and Crowe's Javert was incredibly moving. Valjean's view of God compared to Javert's (which really comes out in their solos) struck me something silly as usually God is not allowed to be described in such a depth on the big screen. It poses an interesting question of how God is both full of grace and mercy and also just and law abiding. 

Both Jackman and Crowe compliment each other... even their distinctly different singing voices seem to bring the best out of each other. And for me the saddest part of the film was when Crowe threw himself down to his shattering death. I had tears in my eyes by the end and it certainly wasn't due to the little annoying cockney boy or the bottom up battle of the lower class versus the petty Bourgeoisie. The tears were due to the relationship between Jackman and Crowe.

*Best Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

- Haunting. He's absolutely haunting! I even found myself thinking on his wavelength at one point - and yet I know he's deluded... but then what is delusion? What is brainwashing? Aren't we all indoctrinated by something? Perhaps I agree with him then? ... And it begins!  

Hoffman's charisma and ability to be totally consumed by a sordid soul is riveting... and here I thought Al Pacino was the finest method actor. I was hooked from the first Q&A between Dodd (Hoffman) and Freddie (Phoenix). Lancaster Dodd is obviously inspired by Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard but that isn't why you should watch the film. By the end you'll be watching for the relationship between Freddie and Dodd rather than to learn about Scientology. But Hoffman... he does it again! I love everything he does! In The Master it's his ability to suddenly change his voice/demeanor and fly off the handle bars. At one point Dodd will be whispering and humming like a cat and then in a split second he'll be yelling, snarling and showing the beast within. How many actors can do that without audiences noticing their acting?

Lancaster Dodd: If you figure out a way to live without a master, any master, be sure to let the rest of us know, for you would be the first in the history of the world. 

*Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

- I was going to give this to Amy Adams for her role in The Master but I feel I need to give it to Anne Hathaway. I don't know how to write about Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables because it's taxing just thinking about her in the film. My heart broke once, twice, three times, and then a fourth with her scene at the end. I think something which swayed me to give her this was when I found out that Anne's mother had played Fantine in the musical. Taking this into consideration I began to see why she looked the way she did, how she was able to bring herself to the emotional state of Fantine, and why she was so memorable. I felt fatally wounded when she died but her role really encapsulated and brought to life the desperation of so many people in 19th century Europe. There's a reason why revolutions broke out across Europe in the 1800s and why socialist led changes had to be adopted by heads of states and monarchies across the continent.

*Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

- It had to take something extraordinary to stop Gary Oldman from getting this one... and it arrived in Phoenix's portrayal of Freddie Quill. Freddie is an enigma to me and I kept trying to "understand" him, but I think that was perhaps the wrong route to take. What a come back for Phoenix who really had me rolling my eyes and saying "forget about him!" in I'm Still Here. This was the role he was born to play, even though apparently they originally wanted Jeremy Renner to play Freddie (instead Renner went for The Avengers?!). Surely it was the role Phoenix was born to play because Freddie seems to do what he wants, when he wants, and also tries to do who he wants. That's Freddie Quill for you. Actually let me just show you the image which really sets you up for what is to follow in The Master...

Yes, he made a sandcastle of a naked woman... and then had his way with it. It's jarring but it's also the perfect way to introduce this man. As all my screenwriting lecturers have said, 'If you can show it then show it.'

*Best Actress:  Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

- It was a performance I will never forget. I don't know how a child has the ability to play the part of Hushpuppy but Wallis nailed it. She had me laughing, crying, biting my lip and praying that nothing devastating would happen to her. I know the Oscars brain trust likely won't give her a statue but I reckon she deserves it. The story is unorthodox and I call it the American Bayou version of Samson and Delilah. These are the stories which need to be told and so we should celebrate them when they are. Wallis may play a little girl but she is anything but your ordinary little girl. Her father is an off-centre drunk and a bitter man who takes his anger out on the swamp and those around him. Hushpuppy and her Dad can make you uncomfortable, even squirm in your seat but it's all part of the experience. In so many ways its unique and I have no idea how someone sits down and writes and directs it. Have a look of the trailer.

*Mouth watering movie of 2013: Anna Karenina/The Great Gatsby 

- Gatsby is my favourite novel and Anna Karenina is number two. Anna has been out for months but it still hasn't hit Australia (you're killing me people!). I believe it's to be released on Valentine's Day, which in turn makes me wonder if the companies/movie theatres know anything about the story! I believe Anna has been adapted to the screen over 20 times - so I'm wondering what this adaption will bring? I've heard good things about the movie so I'll be there to watch but what's interesting is that Jude Law plays Karenin even though I would've picked him to be on par with Vronsky. Keira Knightly isn't anything like the Anna I pictured when I read the novel but I'm sure she can nail Anna's temperament and emotions. 

As for Gatsby? Well I shudder because I don't like Baz Luhrmann's films much at all. For me he's all glitz and show... but there is rarely any depth. Flash and awe doesn't capture me, and I'd rather Tinker Tailor to Bond's high fashion and creative outfits... which is Luhrmann to a 'T'. Gatsby is my favourite novel because Fitzgerald nailed the modernist critique and outlook - can Luhrmann do that? Is Luhrmann capable of the depth which is in the novel? The fact that it has been postponed worries me but I guess in Leo and Carey we have (misguided) faith(?). I do hope Baz doesn't butcher it... or I'll be knocking on his door with a Wilson-like look on my face! 

The fact that the only headlines surrounding the film now is that Jay-Z is writing the score doesn't fill me with promise either...

Samuel tweeted a message to fans on Dec. 30, "Jay-Z and myself have been working tirelessly on the score for the upcoming #CLASSIC The Great Gatsby! It is too DOPE for words!"  

DOPE?! This is The Great Gatsby we are talking about, not a music video about money cash hoes. My prayer is that this will make people pick up the book, but I realise this prayer will likely fall on deaf ears.