Wednesday, November 21, 2012

2012 Viewing Update

I've been watching several 2012 films lately, trying to catch up before the end of the year. Here's my very brief thoughts on 12 of them (with ratings).


Damsels in Distress (dir. Whit Stillman)

**1/2

Funny moments and good performances, but the quirkiness can be quite grating at times.



Your Sister's Sister (dir. Lynn Shelton)

***

Duplass, Blunt, and DeWitt are superb, even if the film drags in the third act.

The Invisible War (dir. Kirby Dick)

***

A shocking, infuriating documentary on rape in the U.S. military.
Declaration of War (dir. Valerie Donzelli)

***1/2

Writer/actors Donzelli and Jérémie Elkaïm present a touching drama of a couple trying to save their ill child.

Take This Waltz (dir. Sarah Polley)

***

Good script, with even better performances from Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen.

Sound of My Voice (dir. Zal Batmanglij)

***1/2

In a startling look at a future cult, Brit Marling gives a knockout performance.

Ruby Sparks (dir. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris)

***1/2

Takes a page from Stranger Than Fiction, but has its own charm, with Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan in fine form.

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

***1/2

Though it's overlong, there are wonderful moments between the characters, and the cinematography is beautiful.

360 (dir. Fernando Meirelles)

**

Love some of the performances, even though the characters and the narrative are bland.

Safety Not Guaranteed (dir. Colin Trevorrow)

***

For some reason, this indie time travel film works quite well, and it features great work from its cast.

Return (dir. Liza Johnson)

***

Linda Cardellini delivers a fantastic portrayal of a veteran returning home, with Michael Shannon and John Slattery giving strong supporting performances.

Butter (dir. Jim Field Smith)

**1/2

It's a bit uneven, but it's still hilarious, quirky fun backed by a solid cast.

8 comments:

  1. I really liked Your Sister's Sister and Safety Not Guaranteed and Ruby Sparks is my favourite of the year so far. Glad you liked them too :)

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    1. The performances were great in those movies. And I totally forgot that Kristen Bell was in Safety Not Guaranteed.

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  2. Loved Your Sister's Sister, especially Rosemarie DeWitt and Take this Waltz(big Sarah Polley fan so...). Sound of my Voice, not so much - I had couple of problems with it but loved the note it ends on.

    P.S.: isn't Anatolia 2011 ? It's in my Netflix queue but I haven't gotten to it.

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    1. Enjoyed those two films, and Sound's ending is awesome!

      Anatolia was released theatrically in the U.S. in January 2012, so I'm going by U.S. release date.

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  3. I haven't seen any of these movies yet. I'm still working on 2011. :-)

    Safety Not Guaranteed, Ruby Sparks, & Your Sister's Sister are on my watchlist. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia looks good. And I've never heard of Return (which sounds like something I'd appreciate) and Sound of My Voice (which sounds fascinating).

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    1. I've still got films from 2010 and 2011 to see too. I'm never caught up. Really, I've still got more to see from ANY year. ;)

      I saw Return because I heard Cardellini was great, and she is! Don't know if you've seen Marling's previous film Another Earth, but Sound of My Voice is even better. I'd recommend it, especially if you think it looks interesting.

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  4. Are these all out on DVD in America? I think some of them haven't even made cinemas here yet! You've been a busy boy.

    I enjoyed seeing Alicia Silverstone in Butter and Jennifer Garner was good fun too.

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    1. All of these, except Butter, are out on DVD in the U.S. I either went through Netflix or Amazon Instant Video to watch them.

      I loved Garner's accent in that film!

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