Juan’s Top 25 of 2012

I won’t keep you all busy reading tons of stuff about what I thought about 2012 in cinema, but just know that this was a tough selection to make outside of the top six. Last year I made a list in January of my favorite films of 2011, and it’s drastically changed since then, so I decided to wait a little longer this year. There’s always the chance I’ll change my mind again, but for now, these are the top twenty-five films (with one honorable mention thrown in).

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Honorable Mention: Holy Motors (Leos Carax)

Holy Motors is the sort of film I appreciate a lot more than I actually enjoy watching. I’ve seen it twice and I honestly don’t really think I want to watch it more than maybe once more just to dive in a little further. I’ll get a lot of heat for tossing this one down here, but I don’t really care. It’s just genuinely not the sort of film I’d say is my absolute favorite of the year regardless of my interest in it.

25. Haywire (Steven Soderbergh)

Anyone who knows me knows I love Soderbergh. Having two films by him in the same year was a treat, but I have to admit I really loved Haywire a lot more than Magic Mike. It may not have male strippers, but it has a really awesome lead female character who kicks ass and it even has some nice little echoes of classic Bond. I don’t always love action flicks, but this one is up there.

24. Damsels in Distress (Whit Stillman)

What can I say? I was completely and utterly charmed by Stillman’s latest film. I’m a sucker for Greta Gerwig, who I think should be in many more lead roles, and that musical number at the end sealed the deal for me. Plus, it started The Sambola! International Dance Craze and we should all be glad about that.

23. The Avengers (Joss Whedon)

I know, I know. It’s a little low on the list, but remember this is out of about ninety movies or so. On retrospect I do think I’d probably bump this up some more, but I haven’t had a rewatch in a while so who knows. I will say it’s definitely one of the best executed superhero flicks in a very long time, and probably one of the best there will ever be. I’d love to see how this grows with age.

22. Prometheus (Ridley Scott)

Fuck the haters, I loved Prometheus. It’s visually and technically stunning and the story is engaging as hell. Yes, it poses questions that it doesn’t answer. Yes, it devolves into a traditional horror narrative. Yes, it’s totally ridiculous sometimes. And not a single one of those statements is a bad thing. It’s just a cool friggin’ movie and I can’t wait to see more like this from Scott.

21. For A Good Time, Call… (Jamie Travis)

I was 100% caught by surprise by this little female-led comedy. Seriously. That poster does not make you think “this is a good movie” in any way, but lo and behold, it’s in the top twenty-five! The rewatch factor of this movie is high as hell, the dialogue is realistic enough to make me think “I’ve actually said this before,” and it brings a new edge to sex comedies. I just really loved it and I can’t wait to see more from this bunch of gals.

TWENTY THROUGH ELEVEN ON THE NEXT PAGE!