Top 10 Films of 2012

             My “Top 10” list of 2012 consists of films that I consider to be technically and artistically beautiful, but that also managed to move me in some way, and inspired me as a filmmaker and person.  This was one of those years that had an inordinate amount of terrific movies. Plot and storytelling were the key ingredient to many of this year’s amazing movies. I wish I could have made a “Top 20” list instead of a “Top 10,” well, I sort of cheated and included three more.

            

              I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts on my favorite films of last year, and feel free to share which ones made it to your “Top 10” list.

             If I had “broken the rules” and named this post my “Top 13 Films of 2012,” these three movies would have been included: “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” (Dir. Lorene Scafaria), “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (Dir. Stephen Chbosky), and “Wreck-It Ralph” (Dir. Rich Moore).

10. “The Queen of Versailles” (Dir. Lauren Greenfield)

I’m kicking off this list with a documentary. Why not? This informative documentary about the rise and fall of the Siegel family is clever and funny. Director Lauren Greenfield successfully covers the human side of “the queen” and her self-made billionaire husband. The viewer embarks on a two-year journey with them as they face economic struggles that lead them to make lifestyle changes and make tough choices in both business and their personal lives. This was definitely not what I expected, and the trailer is nothing but a sneak peak.

09. “The Master” (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)

Personally, I didn’t love this film. I guess that explains why it’s number eight on my list; however, it was thought provoking, fearless, and distinct. These are the kinds of movies I like to go see. You may leave the theater with a bittersweet feeling, but at least it managed to make an impact on the viewer and led to dialogue and debate between viewers. Films such as this one are a rarity these days.

07. “Life of Pi” (Dir. Ang Lee)

How did he do it? He’s Ang Lee. This is definitely Mr. Lee’s come-back from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” The story is interesting and makes me want to read the book. Visually, I don’t even have to talk about it. It’s amazing the doors that technology has opened. I smell an Oscar for Claudio Miranda’s splendid cinematography, even though I would personally give it to Seamus McGarvey for his work in “Anna Karenina.”

08. “Anna Karenina” (Dir. Joe Wright)

The third collaboration between director Joe Wright and Keira Knightley proves that rejoining forces does work on the long run. It’s their best collaborative piece so far and I find it disappointing that Knightley’s performance failed to be recognized at this awards season. This theatrical-like film has the best cinematography I witnessed this year (and that’s a lot to say since there were so many films this year with mad cinematography). The production design better get the Academy Award as well as the costume design. This film is one of those that I wish had gotten more hype. The story is heart breaking and intense. Anna is one of those characters you hate to love and love to hate.

06. “Django Unchained” (Dir. Quentin Tarantino)

Tarantino does it again. The cast, the plot, the dialogue, the comedy... they are all there. He manages to portray a touchy subject tastefully and eccentrically as one might expect. The Globes brought a smile to my face last month as they honored Christoph Waltz with an award for bringing Doctor Schulz to life. I was also impressed and content that they gave Tarantino the Globe for best screenplay. Having read the script myself, I can say it is mind blowing, and it keeps you awake till dawn because of the thriller and all of its elements. He has definitely left his signature on this film and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

05. “Les Miserables” (Dir. Tom Hooper)

The leap of faith was worth the risk and all I can say is that this is the best musical film I’ve ever seen. Its value and content are unbelievable. As many of you might agree, the best part of the film is Anne Hathaway's long shot delivering "I dreamed a dream." I was also moved by the scene where Russell Crowe hands his medal to the dead kid. Tom Hooper was definitely snubbed by the Oscars.

04. “Zero Dark Thirty” (Dir. Kathryn Bigelow)

Let me just say I have plenty of respect for Kathryn Bigelow for taking on such a controversial and important role. The story couldn’t have been told better. Maya, played by last year’s “It girl,” Jessica Chastain, is empowering and inspiring. You see her grow throughout the years as she works on the assignment to hunt Osama Bin Laden. As she gets better at her job, the suspense increases and keeps you on the edge of your seat. In my opinion, this should have been Kathryn’s year. She should have been the first women to win an Oscar for best director this year, and not in 2010.

03. “Argo” (Dir. Ben Affleck)

“Argo” is “The Town” on steroids. I have to admit I simply watched it due to all the hype and awards it's been receiving. After leaving the theater, I literally asked another viewer why it had taken me so long to watch it. The edit was outstanding. The pace was fast and kept you engaged. It wasn’t slow, like I feared it would be, and even though you already know what’s going to happen (well, kind of), you are taken on a roller coaster ride that almost moves you to tears as it comes to an end. I identified myself with this film because of all the Hollywood references, from the moment it starts with those storyboards, throughout the film when they’re trying to get a producer, all the way to the end where you see the Star Wars action figures. It definitely is a special film about filmmakers and unsung heroes of this country.

02. “The Impossible” (Dir. J.A. Bayona)

This movie about a family who survives the tsunami that hit Thailand in 2004 is definitely the most emotional film I saw this year.  It simply gives you an appreciation of life. As soon as it was over it made me want to run to my loved ones and hug them. J.A. Bayona recreated the series of events as realistic as possible. Having shot in the actual hotel where it happened, with actual people who were there as extras, it made it much more organic. Naomi Watts should have definitely been this year’s leading actress winner in the various awards held this season, and I wish Ewan McGregor had been recognized for his work as well.

      01. “Cloud Atlas” (Dir. Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski)

How in the world did they do it? I don’t know where to begin. I love this movie so much it's hard for me to put in words what it makes me feel. This year’s most underrated movie had all the components (literally) that made it unforgettable.

Just like “Melancholia,” my favorite movie from last year, “Cloud Atlas” kept me up at night for two straight weeks. It made me think about numerous things, not just about the craft of filmmaking, but about life, people we meet, things we do, just to name a few. The most memorable elements from this movie were the beautiful score, the production and costume design, and the edit. This is the definition of a fearless movie that took many risks; for me, it worked. I'm currently reading the book, and all I can say is that it takes a group of geniuses to adapt such a twisting story and bring it to the big screen. Here's my favorite quote from the movie: “Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.”

             Since I just started this blog six months ago, I wrote my “Top 10” from the last two years as a note on my personal Facebook. Here they are:

“Top 10” from 2011:

10. “The Art of Getting By” (Dir. Gavin Wiesen)

09. “Like Crazy” (Dir. Drake Doremus)

08. “The Artist” (Dir. Michel Hazanavicius)

07. “Martha Marcy May Marlene” (Dir. Sean Durkin)

06. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Dir. Stephen Daldry)

05. “Drive” (Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn)

04. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (Dir. David Fincher)

03. “The Tree of Life” (Dir. Terrence Malick)

02. “J. Edgar” (Dir. Clint Eastwood)

01. “Melancholia” (Dir. Lars von Trier)

“Top 10” from 2010:

10. “Never Let Me Go” (Dir. Mark Romanek)

09. “Conviction” (Dir. Tony Goldwyn)

08. “The Kids Are All Right” (Dir. Lisa Cholodenko)

07. “The Fighter” (Dir. David O. Russell)

06. “The Social Network” (Dir. David Fincher)

05. “The King’s Speech” (Dir. Tom Hooper)

04. “True Grit” (Dir. Ethan & Joel Coen)

03. “For Colored Girls” (Dir. Tyler Perry)

02. “Inception” (Dir. Christopher Nolan)

01. “Black Swan” (Dir. Darren Aronofsky)

Roundtables

            This blog post is an assignment for the “Negotiation and Deal Making” course that I’m currently taking at Full Sail University. We had to watch three videos that discuss negotiation techniques.

            My first discussion comes from The Hollywood Reporter Oscar Roundtable hosted by Matthew Belloni. I found it on a blog by IndieWire. The hour-long interview is titled The Producers: Full Uncensored Interview, and it features six producers whose films have gone on to receive multiple nominations and awards this season, including the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, PGA Awards, to name a few. Among the interviewees are Phillipa Boyens (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), Stacey Sher (Django Unchained), Joanne Sellars (The Master), Grant Heslov (Argo), and Eric Fellner (Anna Karenina, Les Miserables).

Producers are problem solvers. In the case of Fellner, one of his main goals include analyzing formulas that determine if producing a film on a predetermined budget makes sense. On the other hand, producers such as Sher, want to make sure they are able to make the director’s vision happen.

When it comes to negotiation techniques, Sher and the Django team had to handle a dirty trick by “Mother Nature” in a creative way. The cast and crew were scheduled to shoot a scene at a ski resort in Mammoth, California. To everyone’s surprise, no snow was falling for the first time in a hundred years, and that was an essential element to the scene. A few days later, the producers decided it would be more efficient to move the set to a different state. This is an example of Murphy’s Law at its best.

Another example of a hardship that Heslov talks about is when somebody says “no” or falls back. Having to start all over again when you depended on someone can be pretty frustrating.

            The second video is presented by the Los Angeles Times in association with Epix, and is hosted by John Horne. It is a Directors Roundtable that includes Tom Hooper (Les Miserables), Sacha Gervasi (Hitchcock), Ben Affleck (Argo), Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty), David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook), and Ang Lee (Life of Pi).

The interview covered many different topics, but I picked two that caught my attention. In the first one, Bigelow talks about the challenge of capturing a moment of time that would test time. Shooting began only a year after Bin Laden’s assassination, so realizing that it was very recent and contemporary, as well as prepping for two continents, required a lot of confidence on her behalf. When shooting began for Les Mis, Hooper wanted to shoot a scene with Hugh Jackman in the French Alps. His line producers told him it was too expensive, but that he should go look at Scotland or Wales. Convinced that there’s nothing like France, Hooper came to a negotiation with the production team. They skipped three days of rehearsal and put the Jackman and the crew on a commercial flight. They shot that for thirty grand.

            Last but not least, I remembered a video I saw about three months ago on YouTube that interviews screenwriters and directors Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer of the underrated film Cloud Atlas, which also happens to be my favorite film of 2012. The interview is done by the DP/30 Channel

They pretty much broke the “rules of cinema” and talk about some of the things they made in a non-traditional way to make it happen. For example, they composed the music first and played it during the table reads with the actors. They talk about the challenge of telling a tale with six stories and how it would require for the audience to engage in the storytelling process. “There’s this trend in the industry where audiences go to the movies to turn off, and we don’t want to turn off when we go to the movies. We don’t want a passive movie-going experience. We want to be stimulated. We want to participate. We are trying to take a stand in terms of trying to tell an adult big film and something you’ve never seen before,” says Andy Wachowski.

An example where the director had to trust a key player in the crew happened when the casting agent demanded them to send Hugh Grant the script. At first, they never believed he’d be able to play the characters in the film, but it took a try and listening the to casting director to find out that indeed, he was meant for the part, or parts, since the main cast plays more than three characters. Another thing that required extreme communication skills was that they shot separately with two crews. They had two keys for each department.

            These interviews definitely opened my mind a bit more to the challenges that present themselves when making a film. However, they also reminded me that passion is key to being successful. Sher mentioned how she was finally able to start a project that had been in the talks for twelve years. So patience and finding the right time for a project is important.