PurpleMonkeyBird's Top 12 Films Of 2012

12. Paranorman

A strong year for animation, 2012 saw Brave and Frankenweenie equally impressing – one because of its adventurous, pro-child, feminist storyline; and the other due to its dark outsider humour and references to classic horror movies. Yet it was Laika studio’s Paranorman that combined both of these themes sublimely and, with a cheeky helping of innuendo, managed to create an interesting, entertaining and thoroughly thought-provoking family film.

11. Argo

It is testament to Ben Affleck’s ability as a director that a little known, and somewhat predictable, story can be brought to the big screen with such prowess. Argo’s well-edited mixture of frustrated CIA drama, light-hearted Hollywood insider comedy, and nail-biting political thriller is absolutely seamless and also surprisingly effective.

10. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The media coverage leading up to the release of Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings prequel described the movie as too ambitious, too long and too realistic. Yet The Hobbit ultimately proved to be a magical, exciting and overdue return to Middle Earth that successfully serves as a lighter and cosier companion piece to Jackson’s seminal fantasy trilogy. George Lucas and Ridley Scott should take note.

9. The Dark Knight Rises

After the success of The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan may have been genuinely afraid of creating a trilogy so well liked that it would be impossible to complete. The Dark Knight Rises therefore let fans breath a huge sigh of relief - despite having plot holes large enough to drag a nuclear bomb through. Hans Zimmer’s score, Wally Pfister’s cinematography, and Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performances allowed Batman to gracefully bow out knowing that Gotham will never again have it so good.

8. The Master

Although its thin plot is spread over an excessive 140-minute running time; the substance of Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master more than makes up for what it lacks in story. Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s central performances create one of the greatest relationships ever committed to film, and the subtle beauty of the direction re-enforces Paul Thomas Anderson’s reputation as a master of cinema.

7. A Royal Affair

Is there any way of making a historical drama about the Danish royal family of the eighteenth century sound interesting? Though severely under-watched in 2012, A Royal Affair is so much more than costumes and haircuts. This well-acted film addresses the struggles of the enlightenment against religion, proletariat against bourgeoisie, liberty against security and ultimately explores how power can corrupt those with even the most principled intentions.

6. The Cabin In The Woods

Whilst Joss Whedon broke box-office records this year with international hit The Avengers, his screenplay for The Cabin In The Woods is a much more original, unpredictable and over-the-top cult comedy. Loaded with self-conscious horror tropes, there are loads of laughs to be had from the shameful exploitation of gore, shock, sex and violence; as well as the ongoing meta-joke that the audience are pulling the strings of the action and baying for teenage blood. A hilarious and entertaining ride.

5. Untouchable

Not unlike last year’s The Artist, France has again provided us with the year’s most charming and uplifting feel-good movie. Never overly exploiting the emotional strings that could so readily be pulled, Untouchable is witty, uncondescending, and funny throughout. Omar Sy’s likeable and charismatic performance alone will allow you to ignore any reservations you may have towards the schmaltzy premise, and enjoy the film for what it is – an absolute treat.

4. Searching For Sugar Man

Apartheid South Africa was so isolated from the seventies that music fans believed the American anti-establishment artist ‘Rodriguez’ was bigger than Elvis Presley. Upon realising that his fame is not universal, musicologists search through clues in his lyrics to discover the story of the man who inspired their generation. Rumoured to have died poor and unappreciated, after burning himself alive on stage, the search for 'Sugar Man' is an amazing exploration into how great art lives forever in the hearts of those it reaches.

3. Sightseers

Not since Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz has a film so amusingly captured the dark irony present in how psychopathically defensive the quaint Little English can become when they perceive their world to be under threat. Ben Wheatley was undoubtedly the perfect choice to direct this wonderfully witty script, which manages to terrifically balance both shock and humour. Steve Oram and Alice Lowe’s hilariously judged performances as a couple of psychopathic caravaners helped make Sightseers the funniest film of the year.

2. iLL Manors

Shot for a paltry £100,000 and featuring a cast of largely untrained actors, Ben Drew’s debut film iLL Manors could have easily been disregarded as a low budget vanity project. Instead, Drew has created an inescapably dark, yet strikingly relevant, exploitation film similar to 2009’s Harry Brown. Its broad range of cinematic references draw from the likes of Pulp Fiction and Taxi Driver, but also Superfly and Eastenders. A film that is simultaneously involving and alienating, iLL Manors is an exciting debut from a rising British talent, and boasts a soundtrack that matches the action in a way that no film has since the golden age of blaxploitation.

1. The Imposter

Another debut film from a British director, The Imposter’s unbelievable premise, gripping plot and spectacular cinematography leave you having to remind yourself that you are watching a documentary, and not a sophisticated crime thriller. Bart Layton’s fascinating film explores deceit, suspicion, loss, and the desire to be loved. Yet, within its thick web of lies and questions, the notion of truth is constantly fleeting; and as the story unravels it becomes increasingly difficult to trust what is being presented on screen. The Imposter is an intriguing and exciting piece that really must be seen to be believed.

Entertainment Not Guaranteed

Safety Not Guaranteed

Dir: Colin Trevorrow

Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson

Safety Not Guaranteed is a low-budget feature from debut director Colin Trevorrow, which derives its title and central premise from a 1997 classified advertisement posted by a supposedly experienced time traveller in search of an assistant. The original ad was actually written last minute by a newspaper employee, and recently found a second life as an internet meme; yet Trevorrow’s film instead tells the fictitious story of a pig-headed journalist and two socially awkward interns who set out to track down the eccentric who posted the advert and exploit his probable incompetence for the sake of a light-hearted magazine story.

Safety Not Guaranteed is about as good as you’d expect a film based on a meme to be. There are frequent early references to Facebook and Craigslist to remind the intended demographic that what they’re watching is set in the 21^st century, despite most of the action taking place in a forest or a suburban home. The movie is more a romantic comedy than a sci-fi piece, yet it still must understandably exist in a world in which time travel is possible; although it's also apparently the case that in this world every female character is regarded as considerably more ugly than she appears, whilst the men are all supposed to be much more attractive - despite being utter tools. Casual sexism aside, the characters are still a pretty hollow bunch whose intentions and emotions rarely manage to engage the audience enough to care, and are instead either just affectedly ‘kooky’ stock characters or lazily written stereotypes.

Rather than injecting the oddball humour into the amateur master/desperate apprentice relationship that is present in films such as Super and God Bless America, Safety Not Guaranteed is a much more slower and forgettable adventure that is just about interesting enough to hold your attention for an hour and a half, but is ultimately predictable and unrewarding. It goes to show that a mildly amusing 36-word meme may not be the strongest basis of a screenplay, especially if you completely ignore the “I have only done this once before” part. Maybe Trevorrow’s next adaptation, "Condescending Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", will bring him more luck.

6 / 10