20
The Queen of Versailles
Funny, sad, sympathetic, and disgusting. That great type of documentary project which begins with a specific premise but, due to unexpected events, suddenly becomes about something else entirely.
19
Lawless
Slight and predictable yet riotously entertaining. Glad to see Shia LaBeouf finally cast effectively. He plays a great pussy.
18
The Grey
The first Joe Carnahan film to live up to the promise of Narc. Woefully mis-marketed as a high-concept thriller, The Grey is actually first and foremost an existential character study, and secondly a study of masculinity. It also just happens to be a consciously badass, casually stylized survivalist arctic horror film.
17
Flight
That this film was a major release from the Hollywood studio system remains baffling. Flight revels in amorality. Robert Zemeckis and Denzel Washington treat their potentially hokey story concept like a playground. From the first frame the audience knows how this film has to end. The joy comes from watching Washington defy his inherent charm and likability, from watching him push right up to the breaking point.
16
Seven Psychopaths
Martin McDonagh directs his own meta-meta-screenplay and fills it with phenomenally hilarious character actors. Genuine surprises are rare in cinema these days, but Seven Psychopaths manages several, both through plot twists and scenes featuring unexpected emotional resonance in absurd situations.
15
Shut Up and Play the Hits
A film made solely for an audience of LCD Soundsystem fans. Framed around a maddening Chuck Klosterman interview with frontman James Murphy, the best moments occur when the film takes its title's advice.
14
The Cabin in the Woods
A gift to horror fans and a proverbial love letter to the genre, The Cabin in the Woods both breaks down and adheres to established formulas. It explores, explains, and celebrates their histories and continued exploitation. A smart film that never fails to entertain despite having an academic thesis, Cabin nearly ushers Scream into obsolescence.
13
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Set in a vivid, lived-in fantasy world just off the coast of reality, Benh Zeitlin's strong debut often feels like a sort of primal, naturalistic painting, full of music and life. Not a single shot isn't gorgeous, even the ugly ones.
12
Goon
Full Review
11
Your Sister's Sister
A film about honesty and how it can simplify even the most complex interpersonal situations. The story deals with the malignance of secrecy and the healing power of time, especially within the enduring bonds between siblings. Writer/director Lynn Shelton made Your Sister’s Sister for $125,000. Few films with budgets of any size possess the raw power generated by Shelton and her small cast. Indeed, more than anything, Your Sister's Sister is an acting showcase. Stars Mark Duplass, Rosemarie Dewitt, and Emily Blunt each give natural, nuanced performances.
10
Moonrise Kingdom
A two-hour loop of the beach dance scene would have made this list. Wes Anderson traffics in a very specific brand of sweet melancholy. You buy in or you don't. At this point, audiences know where they stand.
9
Oslo, August 31st
Full Review
8
Lincoln
Avoids common biopic pitfalls by focusing on a small period of its subject's life. Stephen Spielberg, a master of visual storytelling and our most popular populist filmmaker, is often only as good as his screenwriters. Fortunately, Tony Kushner is in top form for Lincoln; verbose, kinetic, and enthralling. He, Spielberg, and the much-lauded Daniel Day-Lewis turn what amounts to a series of meetings into a fast, grand piece of pop entertainment without sacrificing any sense of historical importance or integrity.
7
Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino's fifth straight revenge film features his typical sharp wit and crowd-pleasing debauchery. However, Tarantino elevates Django by forcing its titular protagonist into a disturbing socioethical dilemma. Django embodies everything audiences have come to expect from Tarantino, but with slightly more substance.
6
Zero Dark Thirty
Full Review
5
Silver Linings Playbook
David O. Russell portrays familial chaos more effectively than any other contemporary filmmaker. Here he spends most of the film subverting romantic-comedy genre expectations and cliches before intentionally, purposefully embracing them in the final act. Quite a trick.
4
The Comedy
A film profoundly sympathetic for its disgusting, offensive characters. Tim Heidecker gives an disturbingly soulful, likely once-in-a-lifetime lead performance. Without him the film would be an insufferable series of disparate annoyances.
3
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Very much a 90s period piece, yet defiantly timeless. Perfectly captures teenage social anxiety and the relief of being liked and appreciated against all perceived odds.
2
Searching For Sugarman
Pure and masterful documentary filmmaking. Structured for maximum impact without blatant contrivance or manipulation; unreliant on sentimentality. The songs of the enigmatic Rodriguez are vivid and dense, occaisionally abrasive but more often beautiful. They carry the weight of the film.
1
The Master
Paul Thomas Anderson has reached the next level of human evolution. He waits for us there.
