The statuettes have been handed out;
the celebrants have dispersed. Here are my own rankings, starting at
the top. Like last year, I am combining Best Picture and Best Animated Feature nominees.
1. Zero Dark Thirty
There might be a movie (or at least a
good magazine piece) in the political reaction to Zero Dark Thirty.
First, while the film was being made, came the rage on the right. The
pundits knew in their guts that the movie, set to be released shortly
before the election, would be a giant pro-Obama propaganda piece.
Typical Hollywood–pointing out that Obama did “get” bin Laden,
right in the middle of a political campaign. Then the film came out,
and it seemed to suggest that maybe, just maybe, torture yielded a
bit of valid information. My stars, whimpered the left, you never
heard me praising that movie. No no no no no. And there's a sad
aspect to this: The underlying logic seems to be that torture is
justified if it produces any useful result at all. This is the
thinking of much of the political arguing class, across the spectrum.
Hmm. Once upon a time, “The end justifies the means” was very
much an arguable proposition.
Zero Dark Thirty breaks from typical
storytelling in a couple of ways. First is the role of women. A
completely fictional screenplay about a CIA analyst with a
single-minded focus on getting a major terrorist might cast a woman
as the analyst. But you can be sure she would be not only smart, but
a master of the martial arts as well–because the ability to
physically pummel someone is Hollywood's true measure of heroism.
Now, Maya may have been a tough cookie, but I don't recall her
dispatching anyone with ninja kicks. And having cast a woman in the
central role, your traditional script would have surrounded her with
square-jawed men to be her fellow heroes. But ZDT places a second
woman, Jessica, in a key role in the bin Laden hunt; and there's even
a third woman, Lauren, who comes up with a key bit of information.
Oh, reality–you're really overdoing it with the women, aren't you?
The second atypical feature, reflecting
genuine courage and originality by the filmmakers, is the handling of
the raid on bin Laden's compound. Many reviewers were baffled that in
the last act, a complete group of newcomers to the film carry out the
raid. Good God! How dare they vary from formula and keep the main
character outside the action! Of course, writing Maya into the raid
would have been a hacky gesture, but some of the critics apparently
wanted to see that, or to have the raid taken out of the movie. The
rules of plotting must be obeyed, no matter how much they harm the
final product!
2. Les Misérables
Obviously, I liked this film a lot;
even Russell Crowe was welcome. (Russell Crowe is always welcome.)
I've had limited experience with Les Mis; I had never heard the
musical (though five years ago I watched the 1934 film–it was
phenomenal), and was prepared for something tiresome along the lines
of Evita or Phantom. It was much better than those. I didn't mind all
the close-ups. Some critics carped that the character of Éponine was
underutilized, but this happens in musicals and opera all the time.
Some of my affection arises outside the
merits of the film itself. Apparently this musical has caught on
particularly well with young people, and it's pleasing to think that
another generation has been charmed by musical theater. And part of
the story's message–that there are plenty of people in great need
who ought to be helped–argues against some of the nastier
sentiments expressed in today's politics. There are still plenty of
people who would happily give someone five years in prison for
stealing a loaf of bread.
3. Amour
This is a punishing film, depicting the
sad downward spiral of a loved one's health. But it's restrained and
humane–well, as humane as we're going to get from Michael Haneke.
It's life's end as a horror story, with just enough compassion that
it doesn't entirely crush the soul. This thread of compassion, a
lifeline to the viewer, starts at the opening scene of the movie,
when police break into an apartment to find.... Well, I won't spoil
it.
4–5 (tie). Lincoln and Silver Linings
Playbook
These two films were so different that
I couldn't compare them well enough to rank one above the other. Both
had good storytelling and great performances.
Perhaps the dryness and tight focus of
Lincoln's subject–the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment,
abolishing slavery–forced Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner to work
at their highest level; there's little room for mawkishness or
bombast when you're trying to make a series of meetings into an
enjoyable feature film. And of course Daniel Day-Lewis's humanizing
performance brought the story to life. A personal note: I knew it was
coming, but I still got chills from Seward's line, “Now he belongs
to the ages,” which I first learned from a View-Master slide many
decades ago.
Silver Linings Playbook is Hollywood
fare when Hollywood is running on all cylinders. Who doesn't want to
see two sweet, damaged people work things out?
6. Life of Pi
This comes from the My Great Adventure
vaults, with Ang Lee as the beloved uncle you look forward to seeing
on holidays. And there's a little spike at the end of the story that
makes for great after-film discussion.
7. Argo
Here Hollywood pats itself on the back,
but you don't really mind; it's a good yarn with enough historic
truth in it to make you feel a little uplifted.
8. Django Unchained
I think it's Quentin Tarantino's
film-geekdom that makes him such a master of set pieces, and most of
them work in this revenge fantasy. Also welcome, among others, are
Jamie Foxx in a starring role, and Jonah Hill in a hilarious cameo. I
even got some chuckles out of Tarantino's appearance.
9. The Pirates! Band of Misfits
In ranking the animated features, I
asked myself which one entertained me the most. This offering from
Aardman Animations was most on my wavelength–congenial and clever,
and not specifically pitched to kids. The leads, voiced by Hugh
Grant, Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton, and David Tennant, are all
great fun.
10. Wreck-It Ralph
This is a charming adventure, if the
candy colors don't drive you to distraction.
11. Brave
Add another Disney princess to the
castle. Fantasies in Scotland never grow old.
12. Frankenweenie
The parts–family pet resuscitation
and monster invasion–don't quite hold together, but there's lots of
quirky imagination at play.
13. ParaNorman
This one is all right, but it stays
well within the kids' safety zone, which can get a little boring.
14. Beasts of the Southern Wild
Many have taken this very original film
to heart, but it didn't quite work for me.
