Top 50 Films of 2012: No.30 - 21

So we're halfway through this crazy year now and here are some films that were in my Top 10 at one stage but due to the quality have tumbled down into this section.

The Angel's Share 
Director: Ken Loach

Ken Loach returns to the tone he set in Looking for Eric in this amiable comedy with an edge that sees Paul Brannigan's Robbie and his fellow community service parolees attempt to steal several bottles of the world's most expensive whisky. The whole whisky heist story almost plays out like an Ealing comedy however Loach brings in a lot of depth to the film thanks to the past the Robbie character has endured including rendering a young boy disabled. Screenwriter Paul Laverty, who will feature in this list later on, mixes warmth with social commentary and the film also has a great supporting turn from John Henshaw as Robbie's whisky mentor.

The Cabin in the Woods - SPOILER ALERT!!
Director: Drew Goddard

OK so I'll try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible but you can't talk about the delightful Cabin in the Woods without talking about what made it great. While the trailer made you think that this was a simple kids in the woods slasher movie, writer Joss Whedon and director Drew Goddard's film was much more of a satire on horror movies over the years. The characters played by Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins were a complete antithesis of what you usually see in your teen horror films and helped the right amount of sarcasm to the film. While I think the ultimate idea split audiences for me I think it was a brave attempt at something new however I reckon it will unfortunately mean a lot more film-makers will try to copy the idea.

The Descendants 
Director: Alexander Payne

Though technically a 2011 film, this Oscar winner was one that I watched in 2012 and therefore counts towards this list as we saw George Clooney's sad-sap dad try to comfort his daughters after their mother ends up in a coma. While this was one of Alexander Payne's weaker films it still had plenty of heart thanks to the script and the performances from Clooney and the two young actresses playing his daughters. The setting of Hawaii gave the film a real sense of place and once again Payne perfectly depicts what it's like to be a middle-aged man and still not sure where you stand in the world.


The Hunger Games
Director: Gary Ross

I initially felt that Gary Ross' blockbuster would be another Twilight as both were based on sets of books aimed at young female readers however thankfully it was so much more than that. That was partly down to Jennifer Lawrence's grounded performance as Katniss Everdeen a bow-and-arrow-wielding teen who was attempting to survive The Hunger Games which was essentially a less brutal Battle Royale. The combination of the harsh subject matter with the colourful supporting performances of Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson really bought this film to life and I have to say I was gripped from beginning to end. I would also go as far as to say that Jennifer Lawrence made much more of an impression on me in this film than she did in her Oscar-nominated role in Silver Linings Playbook.

The Kid with a Bike 
Directors: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

I wasn't expecting a great deal from this little French film but it ended up being a simple tale of lost childhood and trying to find your place in the world. It concerned twelve-year old Cyril a resident and a children's home who was convinced that his father would one day come for him something that never happened. Instead Cyril found a new home with a kindly hairdresser who looked after him yet hankered for something more and unfortunately fell under the influence of a local gang leader. The film was beautifully shot by the Dardenne brothers and stuck with me due to the great lead performances of Thomas Doret and Cecile De France.

Life of Pi 
Director: Ang Lee

The award for most visually stunning film of the year must go to Ang Lee's Life of Pi or as I call it a boy, a boat and a tiger. From beginning to end the film lit up the screen with its cacophony of colour and stunning later scenes with starkly-lit marine life and an island full of meerkats. The reason why it's so low on the list is that I found it a little bit lacking in narrative depth and I felt Lee spent a little too long on the boat however the opening and closing of the film had plenty of character. All of the actors playing Pi were really compelling and overall I found this to be a great tale of survival and belief.

Marley 
Director: Kevin MacDonald

It's fair to say that Kevin MacDonald knows his stuff when it comes to documentary making and after the brilliant Touching the Void comes this tribute to Bob Marley. You can tell from the offset that this is MacDonald's labour of love to his idol and despite its lengthy run time I never once felt bored. Instead I enjoyed listening to the story of Marley and more importantly hearing all of the music that the Marley family let MacDonald have the rights to. For me the only issue with the film was that it didn't dig deep enough into Marley's more aggressive side, only hinting at it in some sections, but other than that a great music biography of one of the icons of the industry who had a story that needed telling.

The Muppets 
Director: James Bobin

It's easy to be sniffy about The Muppets but to me it was the best kids/family film of the year as it definitely appealed to both children and adults. It was clear that Jason Segal had a real love of The Muppets and wanted to do them justice with both his script and Brett Mackenzie's songs setting the right tone for the film. All of The Muppet performers were at the top of their game and a tear almost came to my eye when I heard 'The Rainbow Connection' while there was a lot of fun to be had from Chris Cooper's evil landlord. Overall this was a real reinvention for The Muppets and I just worry that their reputation will be tarnished by future sequels.

Nostalgia for the Light 
Director: Patricio Guzman

A fascinating documentary focusing on both astronomy and the atrocities committed by Pinochet's regime in Chile. Guzman's film is set mainly in the Atacama Desert where women still search for crushed up bones of their loved ones while at the same time the film looks at the similarities between the desert and the surface of Mars. I think the reason I enjoyed Nostalgia for the Light is that it shone a light on a part of history that I knew nothing about while at the same time was phenomenal to look at. While it wasn't always the easiest of watches it was still a fascinating and eye-opening documentary made by someone who clearly has a passion for telling good stories.

Young Adult 
Director: Jason Reitman

The reunion of Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody, the team behind Juno, passed a lot of people by and for me Young Adult didn't get the recognition it deserves. Cody took the criticism  that she didn't write for young people and turned her latest character, Charlie Theron's author, into a young adult novelist meaning that she didn't talk or act her age. As well as being a fantastically written work it also featured Charlize Theron's best performance as the awful Mavis who actually has a lot of pain behind those stinging insults meanwhile Patton Oswalt put an awesome supporting turn as her unlikely new ally. While Young Adult didn't have the best of endings it was still one of the year's funniest films and should've got a bit more love than it actually did.

So there's another ten. Next time we hit the Top 20.

Review No.178: The Angel's Share

Next up for the new style review treatment is Ken Loach's The Angel's Share

Plot: The Glasgow-set film sees repeat offender Robbie given community service for his latest crime which sees him winding up in the care of Harry played by the wonderful John Henshaw. On Robbie's first day of Community Service his girlfriend Leonie goes into labour and when Harry drives him to the hospital he witnesses being beaten up by two of Leonie's uncles who warn him off their niece. Harry takes Robbie under his wing and is amazed by his nose for whisky when he takes his community service charges on a day out to a distillery. As Robbie agrees to meet up with one of his former victims he realises that he must leave Glasgow with his young father and spots a way to do this when a priceless cask of whisky comes on the market. Accompanied by his community service pals Robbie comes up with a plan to steal out of the cask but it remains to be seen whether his plan will be successful or not.

Positives: This is possibly one of Ken Loach's most comic pieces to date as he mixes in broadly comic characters, such as the idiotic Albert, with the more humanistic drama that he's known for. Screenwriter Paul Laverty creates some incredibly well-rounded characters with Robbie especially coming across as incredibly believable as he's someone who has become a victim of his circumstances. Despite Robbie inflicting both physical and emotional pain in his past you can't help but feel for him in the scenes in which Leonie's family tries to separate him from his girlfriend and child. The believability of the character is heightened by the performance of relative newcomer Paul Brannigan who is incredibly sympathetic but also commands authority when he takes charge of the bunch of community service misfits. John Henshaw is also used well as Harry an incredibly warm man who actually takes his job as a way to find a better life for some of these repeat offenders. The latter part of the film in which the gang attempt to steal the whisky has an Ealing comedy vibe about it and as a fan of that particular brand of film I really enjoyed it.

Negatives: You could say that the robbery scenes do stretch credibility while I personally would've liked to have known more about Robbie's community service cohorts.

Verdict: A warm, funny and heart-warming tale with a sympathetic central character and a great screwball plot that never loses all of the edge that we've come to know from Loach so for all those reasons the film gets an 8.5/10