My Year In Film - 2012

Ken Loach's sobering, no-frills look at adolescent perseverance in the face of poverty, cruelty and indifference. The subject matter may be bleak and heartbreaking but the film itself is absolutely brilliant.

Luis Buñuel is an acquired taste that I sometimes have trouble acquiring. His films can be a little cryptic and transcendent (or confusing and pompous - depending on your point of reference). The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is an exercise in precise meandering that will either pull you along by your belt loops or leave you standing befuddled in its wake.

Visually, viscerally and, dare I say it, 'spiritually' breathtaking.

What Sam Fuller lacks in finance and technology he almost makes up for in style and intent. White Dog is 5 star social commentary on a 2 star budget.

A bit methodical in its presentation but still a classic rendering of intrigue and high drama. Rex Harrison and Paul Henreid are superb!

Whit Stillman's subtle but profound take on the fallacy of indulgent self importance. Don't let the title put you off, The Last Days of Disco is an underrated gem!

A bit over-hyped but still solidly entertaining.

Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman and Charles Laughton. Need I say more?

Antonio Badalamenti; factory supervisor, loving husband, devoted father, reluctant hit-man.

With very few exceptions, sequels, prequels and trilogies are inherently unoriginal. Generally, they put recycled characters through déjà vu scenarios in marketable attempts to recapture previous box office glory. This film does that, but in an artful, intelligent manner.

Powell and Pressburger's spectacle of color, choreography and catastrophe makes Black Swan look like an ugly duckling.

Arguably the best of Alfredson's three film trilogy.

Call it An Ode to Antonio Gaudi or perhaps A Celebration of Antonio Gaudi but lets drop the "documentary" moniker here and now. This is no documentary.

Creative progression and fantastic casting doesn't quite counterbalance the creepy necrophilic premise.

Unembellished and matter-of-fact. Melville masterfully spotlights the French Resistance without martyring the Nazi regime that spawned it.

Terrific 'stylized' French noir! (Does anyone else think that Serge Reggiani looks like Mr. Bean?)

It's The Blair Witch Project meets Where the Wild Things Are. Sit back, relax and have some fun.

As exhilarating as anything ever seen on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and it's all taking place right in your own back yard.

Starts out like low budget community theater but that's probably part of its charm. Bagdad Cafe has substance and heart that reveals itself in a slow-burn of oddball characters and intelligent scripting.

Okay, it's not really a house. It's a train. Even so, it's good, old-fashioned, Hammer-ish, British Horror.

Teshigahara's first fictional feature film is overflowing with metaphoric symbolism and imagery. Though this doesn't seem to flow as smoothly as Woman in the Dunes or The Face of Another, the same genius is abundantly apparent.

It's all in the details. Argento exaggerates the nuances nearly, but not quite, to the point of distraction. His exorbitant use of red and blue lighting gives Inferno its other-worldly, nightmarish appeal which seems to make the horror more visceral and effective.

More like a college class project than a feature film. Cute but uninspired.

I don't mind dead wives showing up for dinner as uninvited guests but when a Sasquatch starts to browse your old photo albums THAT is where things get a little weird.

Okay, I realize that not everyone enjoys a dialog driven film, but when the dialog is coming from two hot, entwined, butt-naked women does it really matter? Seriously?

A very unconventional and ingenious contribution to an increasingly unimaginative genre. Eerily off-center and unsettling.

An admirable rendition of Fritz Leiber's 1943 novel, Conjure Wife. Tangibly atmospheric and delightfully spooky.

A bloody confluence of Alien and Old McDonald Had A Farm.

I have no idea how Jacques Doillon managed to get such sincere performances out of 4 year old children (especially Victoire Thivisol) but Bravo Jacques, Bravo!

Most of the disparagement that has been heaped on Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man is unjust and undeserved. What an under-appreciated gem of a film.

Wow! Almodovar is a master at finding humor and romance in the most unlikely places.

In spite of great casting, without James Whale at the helm the overall result is campy and less artful. Not a horrible film but not in the same league as Whale's Frankenstein or Bride of Frankenstein.

Harlan's life imitates his art. Angry. Rebellious. Uncompromising.

Terrific documentary about one of the bloodiest, most horrific battles in American history.

This is one of those films that's audience ambiguous. If you want to like it you can find 100 things to like about it. If want to dislike it you can find 107 things to dislike about it. Take your pick.

A low budget 70's horror classic with perverse underpinnings. Similar to Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971) and The Last House on the Left (1972) but much more subtle and enigmatic.

Oddly scripted but intriguing. It's difficult to deny the presence of homoerotic undertones here, making this a most unconventional war film.

Strigoi, at least in America, is more zombie than vampire. It's a hybrid that works well for humor as well as horror in this peculiar tale of murder, deceit and the supernatural.

Nice paring of legends Vincent Price and Roger Corman. Solid '60's Gothic horror.

Price is really in his element here, playing a sadistic prince hellbent on bringing pain and suffering to his loyal subjects. (1964)

An exploration of love and relationships and cultural restraints. Lianna is sexual without being exploitative and a shining example of John Sayles' minimalistic approach to movie making.

"What is war if not mud, pestilence and horror?"

How do you make a Hitchcock movie without Hitchcock? Step 1: Cary Grant. Step 2: Find yourself a screenplay with a lot of twists and turns. Step 3: Hire the most beautiful actress you can afford. Step 4: And finally, you go get that guy who directed Singin' in the Rain.

Sexy, charming and downright silly. Jean-Claude Brialy might be the only man on the planet who can repeatedly say "no" to Anna Karina and keep a straight face.

Time has taken a toll on this '80's offering but Dead and Buried retains a measure of macabre creepiness that compensates for its campy transparency.

Once in a great while a film comes along that is not only brilliant and artistic but meaningfully important. This is one of those films.

A drive-in classic. At least three different edits are circulating; the original director's cut, an "American Version" (less skin, no lesbians), and "Planet Ape" version designed to capitalize on the Planet of the Apes craze.

"That's the saddest picture ever made. It would make a stone cry!" -Orson Wells speaking about Leo McCarey's Make Way for Tomorrow. He wasn't far wrong.

If you can get past the ridiculous premise and some crude special effects this isn't half bad. A clever combination of suspense, science fiction and herpetology.

"What Is the strange, terrifying evil secret of the dummy... and why is it locked in a cage every night? Is it flesh or wood? Man or monster? Alive or dead? The Devil Doll. It walks. It talks. It kills. Strange! Terrifying! Evil!" -tagline

A minor masterpiece of 70's horror. Like Suspiria, Argento turns the genre upside down with his bright colors and well lit sets, a technique that brings fear out of the shadows and sets it squarely in your lap.

A mildly effective but harmless vehicle for venerable horror icons Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff.

Ultimately, there is a strength that emanates from this film, a strength that is feminine and maternal and very, very powerful.

In keeping with the spirit of Elmo, Kevin's story is uplifting, educational and inspirational.

A sociopathic swordsman hacks and hews his way toward his inevitable undoing, or so it seems. Director Okamoto expertly builds both tension and tempo as his samurai epic progresses, but be aware that the ending is rather odd and anticlimactic.

Not as high on my list of favorites as it used to be. Tonino Valerii's tongue-in-cheek Spaghetti-Western has taken a beating at the hands of father time, though the homage to Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah is still undeniably apparent.

In spite of Mr. Price's noteworthy performance, Witchfinder General is at best a second-rate production. The story is conceptually dark, the script is graphically brutal and the characters are painfully one-dimensional.

Like Kurt Vonnegut's novel, Slaughterhouse-Five blurs the line between fantasy and reality, intermingling the two until they're inseparable and indiscernible.

Yet another Woody Allen vehicle centered around his trademark Semitic neurosis ...and yet again I smile and laugh and applaud. What is wrong with me??

Lucía Puenzo's second effort is original, taunt and full of passion. Artfully crafted and wonderfully acted, El Nino Pez deserves a lot more attention than it's getting.

This could have easily turned into something cute and frivolous but Ozon has a way of turning a story inside out. Instead, Ricky is an angelic metaphor, an uplifting tragedy about coming to terms with devastating loss. An odd but lovable film.

An enlightening, unflattering exercise in French history highlighted by betrayal, corruption and Depardieu.

A milestone of cinema that is historically important but distractingly abstract and exaggerated.

A compilation of interviews and insight into the nostalgic world of late night horror hosts from small TV stations across America. Vampira, Elvira, Svengoolie but, sadly, no Mazeppa Pompazoidi.

This is a film that aims for the heart of the nostalgic cinephile and, quite frankly, hits the bullseye.

The quintessential science-fiction film of the 1950s. Ripe with cold-war innuendo, Invaders from Mars has, in a sense, become a parody of itself. It's as if someone merged John Carpenter's The Thing with an old episode of Leave it to Beaver.

Moving anti-war animation reminiscent of the old Tintin comics of the 1930's.

Surrealistic short film about a sculptor struggling with the loss of his beloved wife. Director Nacho Cerdà combines blue-grey imagery with macabre special effects to convey debilitating grief and despair. The results are sometimes effective, sometimes not.

Beautiful, imaginative and utterly adorable.

Even though it starts out as an exploitation of 13 yr old Austin Visschedyk, Teenage Paparazzo evolves into an insightful exposé on celebrity culture ...AND it confirms the assumption that Paris Hilton is an air-headed attention whore.

Based on a true story, Sister My Sister is a tale of intolerance, repression and consequence. The pacing is exquisitely purposeful and deliberate so don't expect to be on the edge of your seat until the last 10 minutes or so.

A companion piece to Genesis, Nacho Cerdà manages to fill an entire half hour with an abundance of gore and an absence of sophistication and good taste. The purpose being: 'Let's see how many disgusting and perverted acts we can squeeze into a 30 minute film'.

Peel away the $13 budget, the atrocious scoring and the unnecessarily long sequences shot inside a slaughterhouse and what you have left is a compelling story, nice direction and a couple of outstanding performances.

I'm convinced that Ju-On is a Japanese word meaning 'creepy looking children are going to appear out of nowhere and scare the crap out of you'.

Director Mari Asato does a commendable job with a film franchise that has been sequeled, imitated and exploited entirely too much.

Nice, inclusive documentary on the evolution of the American Horror genre. Lots of insightful interviews and clips from known and lesser known films.

Eddie Sausage and Mitch Deprey turn their loud, hellish neighbors into veritable cash-cows, blurring the line between artistic freedom and invasive exploitation.

Lust leads to intimacy. Intimacy leads to love. Love leads to turmoil. The sex scenes may be explicit and controversial but there is a lot more to this film than Mark Rylance's boudoir and Kerry Fox's booty.

Ever so slightly over-hyped but whimsical and imaginative enough to be well worth your time.

This is one Charles Bronson away from being a Korean Death Wish.

My respect and admiration for Pedro Almodóvar continues to grow. He repeatedly finds warmth and human connection in the most inhumane of circumstances. With Pedro, you not only discover that you can tolerate the intolerable but you find yourself empathizing with it. True to Almodóvar form, The Skin I Live In is both weird and wonderful.

Sometimes disjointed but never dull, Until the Light Takes Us offers an insider's point of view into the oft misunderstood culture of Norwegian Black Metal.

"I'm not a psy-cho. I'm a cy-borg."

A series of vignettes on life as a twenty-something resident in and around the city of Austin, Texas. Known in some circles as a "cult classic", Slacker features atrocious acting, shaky camera work and Madonna's pap smear.

Mosquito Squadron is rife with terrific aerial combat and bombing sequences but the film gets bogged down in it's romantic subplot and story tangents. Will Quint make a play for Beth, his best friend's widow. Will Beth learn that her husband is still alive? Will Beth's brother be fitted with a prosthesis for his missing hand? It's all far too distracting.

There's been a lot happen in the comic book industry since 1989 but this is great resource material for fans (like me).

A throwback to those 70's/80's horror films I knew and loved. Very retro, very creepy, very nicely done.

An eye opening and thought provoking investigation into the evolution of Native American portrayals in film. Director Neil Diamond examines contemporary projects and revisits a few old classics on his way to exposing racial stereotypes and blowing up long held misconceptions about Aboriginal culture.

Barbara Stanwyck exudes enough sexuality to spark a fence post. I don't think I've ever seen a film with such perfect casting. Hilarious and brilliant.

For a 9 minute short, this is surprisingly emotional. Entertaining, dark and a little comedic.

I don't mind 'message films' but I don't care for ones that repeatedly beat you about the head and shoulders with preachy, cliched stereotypes.

You have to feel for Tiffany, Her polite grace and accessibility has made her an easy target for the obsessive and delusional.

I'm slightly too old to have cared much for the animatronic spectacle of "Showbiz Pizza". Still, I'm glad there are fans around who have kept this loveable bit of commercial iconography alive.

This is Depression and Anxiety set against the backdrop of Armageddon. A prodigiously artful expression of disorder.

Surprisingly engaging and philosophical. One of science fiction's hidden gems.

Beyond being an iconic milestone in the evolution of cinema, Robert Wiene's masterpiece is still as entertaining as ever. The truly great films never go out of style.

"I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom." --Bob Dylan

This is good psychological horror toying with the possibility of being great psychological horror. It never quite gets there, but it comes very, very close.

Supernatural thriller featuring the beautiful and talented Angelica Lee. The concepts aren't exactly original but the approach is fresh and effectively frightening.

Amos Gitai's fictional examination of the Yom Kippur War of 1973 is presented without pretense or embellishment. Like the conflict that inspired it, Kippur is muddy, bloody and disorienting. A fitting commentary on man's perpetual failure to coexist.

Korea's answer to The Dirty Dozen. Intense, violent and politically stylized.

I have to wonder if casting directors of this era intuitively sought out Gloria Grahame whenever a script called for a 'promiscuous' or 'unbridled' sort?

There are elements of this film that I loved (i.e. Stanley Tucci's character, the genetically engineered fauna, etc.) but the complete lack of chemistry between Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutchenson) kept me from becoming engrossed in the story. In fact, the whole romantic element seemed forced and artificial. I'm hopeful that the inevitable sequel opens with an arrow to Peeta Mellark's head so that Katniss Everdeen can move on to someone she could believably care about. Maybe Lenny Kravitz?

Nice documentary highlighting the important preservation work being done by the National Film Registry.

A solid documentary about the life and death of Herman Mudgett, aka H.H. Holmes, America's first documented serial killer. Informative and educational.

I lean slightly toward Niels Arden Oplev's version but this film has its own merits. Rooney Mara is simply fantastic.

A trip through the mysterious dynamic of mothers, sisters and complicated families. Layered and darkly optimistic.

A touching tribute to some of the greats of the Sci-Fi film genre like Forrest Ackerman, Roger Corman, Ray Harryhausen and George Pal.

A feel-good, have-fun, don't-take-it-too-seriously, William-Castle kind of movie.

Singled out to represent the heroic U.S. 8th Air Force, the Memphis Belle and her crew survived 25 bombing missions against the German war machine of WWII. This documentary contains actual combat footage as well as a few staged and reenacted scenes designed to emphasize the importance of these missions and to raise the morale of wartime movie audiences.

No disrespect to Anela Ismailos, but how could anyone interview the likes of David Lynch and John Sayles and Catherine Breillat and not have an interesting documentary?

Harmless and silly slapstick comedy bolstered by a who's-who cast of horror legends.

A new-waveish beatnik sociopolitical commentary that gets far less recognition than it deserves.

I'm tempted to use the term "gore-fest" but the word 'fest' implies something enjoyable.

A haunted castle with all the trappings. Eerie fog. Dense cobwebs. Human skulls. Dead lesbians.

True stories seem to pack a little more umph.

How hard can it be to escape the clutches of an obese asthmatic dwarf?? There's humor here, buried deep beneath layers and layers of sick, disgusting, over-the-top special effects. I laughed, I hurled, I wondered how much you'd have to pay actors to crawl around with their face in someone else's ass.

Campy cult classic that combines post-apocalyptic drama with flesh eating zombies and parachute pants.

A blood drenched fright fantasy from the brilliant but twisted mind of Clive Barker. As much as I enjoy a good scare, gore just isn't my cup of tea. I waited 25 years to see this film, it'll be at least that long before I want to see it again .

Sadistic Nazis, terrified Jews and a horrific train ride from Berlin to Auschwitz. Powerful and poignant.

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff." -Steven Moffat

Quirky, energetic and out-there. I absolutely loved it!

Engrossing drama, even if it's not that scary. Taunt direction and terrific performances.

Robert Altman writes, produces and directs this film about the confluence of three 'damaged' women and their problematic interactions. The plot seems to meander here and there but Altman has a knack for getting an audience from point A to point B by way of points C, G and K.

Incredible cinema! This is why we love Carole Lombard, William Powell and screwball comedies.

Lassie Come Home with spurs. Decent family entertainment but it's so polished and contrived that, at times, it's unintentionally funny.

Nice little family film that should appeal to parents and kids under the age of 12. Clean language, Christian values and Clint Howard.

If there is a hell (and I'm convinced that there is), Fred Phelps will have a seat of honor there. Burn Fred Burn!

I love films that combine my passion for WWII history with my passion for cinema.

Boyle rummages through the trash heap of heroin addiction and exposes a bit of humor and humanity. Contrary to what's been written in various reviews, Trainspotting doesn't glorify the junkie lifestyle but it does present it with flair and pugnacity.

I felt uneasily drawn in by this film. No beginning. No end. Just an exhausting trek across a dangerous frontier. This isn't mindless entertainment, this is an exercise in empathy.

Colorful and strange. The channeled improvisation between child actress Catinca Untaru and Lee Pace is fantastic, adding a dimension of believability and realism to some rather questionable exchanges of dialogue.

Its Oliver and Stan in the French Foreign Legion. Good clean fun.

If there is genius to be found here it is most certainly in the casting of off-center actors (i.e. Crispin Glover and Dennis Hopper) to play off-center characters. Creepy and dark in a light-hearted '80s sort of way.

As apolitical as it is poignant. Dame sobh lays bare the stark reality of state sponsored retribution and then leaves you to draw your own conclusions. Viscerally powerful stuff.

The lethargic pace and avant garde style will limit the audience of this artsy offering from director Béla Tarr. My suggestion; skip this one and watch Temptation Harbour (1947) instead.

Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren and a kick-ass ending.

One of those life-altering documentaries that EVERYONE should see. This isn't a perfect film but its social and ethical significance is immense.

Terrific performances by Sean Hayes (Larry), Will Sasso (Curly) and Chris Diamantopoulos (Moe) are muted by the sophomoric, asinine inclusion of Jersey Shore and Kardashian gags that frankly don't work on anyone over the age of seventeen.

For better or for worse, Herzog is unable to make a distinction between film making and film directing. His 'interviews' are unapologetically injected with his own personal beliefs and ideas. This being said, Into The Abyss is still a fascinating watch.

Who knew that under all those layers of cynicism and misanthropy that Jack Rebney would turn out to be the most likable old bastard on the planet?

Even in the midst of a Japanese concentration camp, Claudette Colbert's poise and class shines through. What an amazing, beautiful human being.

Laird Cregar's life may have been troubled and tragic but there's no denying his talent. Hangover Square works because Laird can seamlessly shift from charismatic leading man to ruthless killer and back again without the audience ever questioning the psychology or the motive. Good stuff.

Edgy, but in a polite, British sort of way. Bob Hoskins is absolutely spot-on (as usual).

Grand in scope but still personable and humanistic.

Cutesy and melodramatic. A nice example of young Stanwyck honing her craft.

Somewhat edgy, somewhat anticlimactic. Buscemi's directing is superb but his casting is hit & miss.

Gothic 70's horror that's a little too methodical and calibrated to be taken seriously. A bit of atmosphere, a bit of titillation and a bit of schlock.

Part Dario Argento, part Pedro Almodóvar, part Quentin Tarantino. What a macabre work of art!

Russel had me right up until he had Alan Bates and Oliver Reed engage in naked wrestling. A wonderful film in spite of its homoerotic lapses.

Bearable but unimaginative. Hollywood churns out hundreds of films like this because they generate a substantial amount of revenue. Mindless prattle interspersed with a few lowbrow laughs.

David Lean does Dickens like no other. Absolutely superb.

Rabid fans will enjoy this immensely. 90 minutes of clips, comments and fond recollections.

Morale boosting little gem that flies under the radar (pun intended) of most combat connoisseurs. Gotta love Don Ameche!

Submarine has it all - humor and heartbreak and awkward, awkward adolescence.

"This is where the fish lives."

Patriotic WWII drama filled with rebellious youth, anti-Japanese sentiment and Hollywood theatrics.

Family friendly feel-good film based (loosely) on the true story of Benjamin Mee and the Dartmoor Zoological Park near Sparkwell, England. The script, sentimental as it is, makes little use of its exquisite cast. I expected more of Cameron Crowe.

Hollywood depiction of juvenile delinquency in the tradition of Blackboard Jungle and West Side Story. Dramatic and entertaining but decidedly unrealistic.

An underrated, under-hyped spaghetti western featuring Lee Van Cleef in an unusually empathic role. Nice direction and scoring compensates for some shaky camera work.

Nice Tim Burton visuals with commendable performances and a somewhat convoluted storyline. Sort of an Alice in Wonderland with fangs.

If Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk and Captain America are on your list of favorite films then you will not be disappointed. Otherwise, it's just a steady stream of overly choreographed CGI.

Adultery, child abuse, kidnapping, suicide and Joan Blondell. Not necessarily in that order.

Exquisite storytelling. Socially progressive and, for 1971, quite courageous.

Ruth Chatterton is a trail blazing feminist with the hots for George Brent. An atypical romance that becomes decidedly typical as it progresses.

Much better than I thought it would be. An ensemble cast that clicks, a story that takes a few unanticipated turns, and a director that obviously knows his stuff.

Obviously inspired by Rev. Fred Phelps (Topeka, Kansas) and David Koresh (Waco, Texas), Kevin Smith's Red State is an indictment of cults, zealots and law enforcement tactics. Nicely crafted and superbly cast. Highly recommended.

Detail rich war-mance highlighted by the incomparable Alec Guinness. Action packed WWII drama.