'Prisoners' ****

'prisoners' is a damn good film. jake gyllenhaal and hugh jackman are at the top of their game. it's one of the best thrillers i've seen in years. it's tough, suspenseful and gritty. it's not for the squeamish or faint of heart. child abductions never make for easy viewing. this is not the exception.

kudos to director denis villeneuve for keeping me on the edge of my seat for 153 minutes. and for making me not dislike maria bello and melissa leo as much as i usually do. 

i have a feeling it may get lost in the oscar madness even though it is one of the best reviewed films of the year. it is certainly in my top 10 as of this date.

The Tony's: Neil Patrick Harris

2009 opening

2011 opening

2012 opening

need i say more?

yes!!!

closings

 and

so for god's sake watch neil and the tony's tonight

(i love this guy) 

ok ok one more with hugh jackman

Extra Extra Read All About It: Neil to Host Tony's for 4th Time

thank god. nobody does it better.

2012 opening

neil and hugh jackman duet 2012

the special appearance by the cast of 'company' 2012

2012 closing

The Best Films of 2012

better late than never...but to eventually do the 'best of the decade's' list 7 years from now i need to post this....

truly, it took me this long to catch up with all the 2012 films i needed to see to be a fair judge here. my movie going was limited, very, after my surgeries and during an extensive recovery. i promise, hopefully, that i will not use this excuse again but the cancer was real and the past six months were hell. however, the thought that YES i would get to see all these films helped that recovery amazingly.

so well after the oscars, the globes, the guild awards, the critics awards and everyone else's top 10-20 lists it's my turn. so although it may look like i have been so influenced, or not, by all these awards i have not. these are my choices after a lot of thought. it may help you decide to see some films you may not have seen and that are now all pretty much available on disc or streaming.

here goes my favorite films of 2012. they are films that somehow moved me, touched my soul and heart, made me laugh, cry, think, ponder and in each case make me want to see again. 

the top ten in ascending order are:

10. 'the queen of versailles' 

'the queen of versailles' was the best documentary i've seen in a long time. and quite a nice surprise. i generally would not put a documentary on this list but this proves the exception. it plays more like a 'movie' more than a documentary. that's a great accomplishment.

9. 'salmon fishing in the yemen'

this film was sadly among the lost films of 2012. in an excellent year many good films will fall by the wayside. this is one that did but thanks to video it is not gone. it's a charming 'slice of life ' movie with wonderful characters, a nice but simple plot and wonderful performances. emily blunt and ewan mcgregor are at the top of their game. add to them a rare comedic performance by the brilliant kristen scott thomas just adds to it's pleasure.

8. 'best exotic marigold hotel'

i love the film. i love the cast. it was one of the films i got to see early on. as i started catching up i wondered if this might fall below the top ten. (again i repeat 2012 was the best year in years for movie lovers.) but after juggling and moving titles around the board it remained a constant. judi dench and maggie smith top a wonderful cast. it touched my heart.

7. 'django unchained'

this was my great surprise i cannot say i am a fan of tarantino's past films. infact i disliked most of them yet found one almost entertaining '(inglorious basterds'). but djano and company got me. it made me laugh. it made me think. it made me not want it to end. and jaime fox and christoph waltz were amazing. this is a definite to rewatch. surprise surprise.

6. 'anna karenina'

i believe this is one of the most misunderstood films of the year with regards to how it was filmed. i know the theater to other locations back and forth confused some viewers and threw others off guard. keira knightley and jude law shined. give it a try with an open mind. in it's own way it's a masterpiece of film making.

5. 'rust and bone'

another lost film of 2012. it just didn't quite hit in this exceptional year. subtitled films often get lost in the united states. i think it's laziness. americans want to be entertained and reading at the movies does not fit their idea of entertainment. film lovers like me search them out. i mean how do most americans think the rest of the world see american movies? duh. anyway to see this gritty french film is to not only see a remarkable film but two brilliant performances by marion cotillard and matthias schoenaerts. neither was oscar nominted. shame on the academy.

4. 'lincoln'

it's all about the performance of daniel day lewis right? well wrong. there are a number of  great performances in this film amongst them a superlative turn by sally field as mary todd lincoln. it actually is one of the only spielberg films i've truly enjoyed in the last god knows how many years. i've often quibbled that spielberg is overrated. not this time. although it played footloose with history it is a damn good film. not the best but almost there.

3. 'les miserables'

tom hooper has made a brilliant musical. i have filmed this in my mind over the past 25 years. i loved the musical on broadway, in london and in paris. i thought after the 25th anniversary concert it might not be necessary. i was wrong. the entire casting was right. hugh jackman was the perfect jean valgean. amanda seyfried, samantha barks, aaron tviet and eddie redmayne were perfectly cast and delivered the goods. and yes anne hathaway surprised me. i generally find her unappealing, untalented and overbearing but her fantine was remarkable. that mr hooper got this performance out of her says more about him than her. i've written it before and repeat: this is the best musical film in years. and that's saying alot because i am a fan of musicals on stage and film.

2. 'life of pi'

if for no other reason this makes #2 because it is the most beautiful movie i have ever see. but that is not the only reason. ang lee has made an impossible book to film quite possible. he did it. he won the oscar for best director and deservedly so among the nominees. the best director was unfortunately not nominated. i have only seen the film in 3d and that is the film i am giving this slot to. i can't guarantee the 2d version.

and the best picture of the year is

1. 'argo'

i guess you saw this coming. i have championed this film from the first weekend it arrived on screen. as i watched each film since, and prior to, it's release i never wavered. it never once fell to #2. it was a perfect film. even though the outcome was never in doubt it keep me on the edge of my seat. it is as intelligent as much as it is a thriller. ben affleck has made a great film. he has directed three films to date and they all shine. the academy should still be holding it's collective head in shame over his oscar snub. they did award it best picture and rightfully so. i cannot imagine this not being one of the  best pictures of the decade. it is #1 at the moment. 

under the top 10 in alphabetical order:

1. 'the bourne legacy'

it wasn't jason bourne but it worked. and rachel weisz got to be in a franchise film. who am i to complain.

2. 'flight'

gripping and the best denzel film since 'philadelphia'. he stole matthias schoenaerts (rust and bone') oscar nomintion but what the hell he didn't win it after all.

3. 'the impossible'

this almost made the top 10 in the 10th slot but i went with the documentary 'queen of versailles'. it is naomi watts best work to date. i was not once bored watching this film.

4. 'little white lies'

here is another french film that got to little exposure. depending on where you live this may have been a 2011 film. sometimes america is slow on the uptake. sometimes???

5. 'magic mike'

for awhile i thought this would make the top 10. but the movies just got better and better. it proved channing tatum and matthew mcconaughey were not just pretty faces. they can also act and damn well too. this is a fun movie.

6. 'silver linings playbook'

i was not as enamored as most critics or my friends. it was a nice 'slice of life' film with wonderful moments. but the first hour or so went on and on and... what did blow me away was the performance of bradley cooper. he was great in a cast the was really good. jennifer lawrence got the press and the oscar. bradley gets my respect.

7. 'the twilight saga: breaking dawn'

don't start! it had the best 'holy crap' moment on film this year. there was a collective audible gasp from the audience when i saw it. that alone gives it this standing.

8. 'zero dark thirty'

well it made it 'under the top 10' which is better than it's director, kathryn bigelow, did with me with her 2008 'the hurt locker' which made my worst of the year back then. jessica chastain stole marion cotillard's (rust and bone) oscar nom for what? it was a one expression throughout and tossing a red mane of hair performance. i don't get it.

worst film of the year
 'woman in the fifth'

it's what happens when you expect so much and get so little or nothing at all. it's kristen scott thomas for god sake. what a mess. there were other contenders but for me this was a personal disappointment.

best actor

this was a tough one. daniel day lewis is the obvious choice and has been since he signed on to play 'lincoln'. but there was another contender or two. after a lot of thought and consideration i am going with everyone else's also ran hugh jackman. he was the perfect jean valjean in 'les miserables'. he had to vary his character more than mr day lewis and work with varied time spans which he did effortlessly. many believe this to be true: i just have the balls to say it out loud.

best actress

the not oscar nominated marion cotillard gave the best performance of the year period, period. the problem is i'll bet is that half the academy did not see this performance. also, they would not nominate two french, or foreign, actresses in the same year. so by word of mouth they nominated emmanulle riva for 'amour'. whereas the winner, jennifer lawrence had a 'showier' role in 'silver linings playbook' and one damn good scene, ms cotillard showed a sense of despair and then eventual hope throughout 'rust and bone'. i dare you not to see this film and not acknowledge marion's brilliance.

best supporting actor

hands down it is and was christoph waltz in 'django unchained'. this was a tour dr force for mr. waltz. mr tarrantino seems to be his lucky charm as it is his second win in this category for this director. this portrayal will go down in the books as one of the best of all times.

best supporting actress

i so so want to say sally field in 'lincoln'. i so not want to say anne hathaway in 'les miserables'. i can do neither. it is anne hathaway as fantine. she nailed it. this was not a one song win. her approximately 40 minutes on screen is what film is all about. she owned it. now go away. you had your day in the sun. even i bow to your performance. i repeat, now just go away.

and last but not least

best director

the non  oscar nominated ben affleck hands down. again collectively the academy should bow it's head in shame for ignoring his directorial brilliance earlier this year. enough said.

                                                                 the winners circle

'Les Miserables' Revisited ****stars

when i first reviewed 'lez miz' i gave it***1/2stars. not too shabby. but after rewatching it this past weekend i am giving it back the 1/2* it had not gotten. i'll use the excuse that i was not fully recovered from my surgery when i saw it in the theater. uncomfortability can be an influence.

first i knocked russel crowe's singing. yes it is still not that good but damn it it fits the role. i mean would josh groban's voice have worked for the character javert? no! as i see crowe play the role his voice or lack of works perfectly.

second i believed anne hathaway was being applauded for one song. i was wrong. her performance throughout her 18 minutes or so on screen was magnificent. no i did not have a lobotomy. on the second and third view she stll amazed me. 

i originally wrote it was a brilliant piece of film. i still say this. however, i add it is a masterpiece of musical film. i always believed 'fiddler on the roof' was the best translation from stage to film. it has moved to second place.

and oh amanda seyfried....she made me smile and cry on my second viewing. she is wonderful and the unsung piece of this film this past award season. it's not often i am more amazed the second time i see a film. generally i am less impressed or just feel the same as the first time. not so with 'lez miz'. 

and hugh jackman. in another year he would have won the oscar for best actor. but there was mr. lincoln. but today i wonder if mr. jackman was not the best actor this year. just thinking out loud. you must decide for yourself.

aaron tveit and eddie redmayne and samantha barks remain wonderful.

sasha baron cohen and helena bonham cater were both great comic relief in an other wise tragedy.

bravo tom hooper.

and here is the lovely unsung amanda seyfried with eddie redmayne

the cast at this year's oscar ceremony

More 'Lez Miz' Soundtrack

just some of my favorites from the score

  

'  

  

'Les Miserables' Releases Today on Bluray and DVD

a grand filmed version gets it's home release today. it is worth every cent you pay to rent or buy it. mine is already preordered from amazon. if you haven't you get to see some damn good performances, one of the worst musical singers of all time in russell croew and anne hathaway's demand and plea for an oscar that she did get over the better sally field in 'lincoln'. crowe and hathaway aside this is a gem with two flaws.

hugh jackman, amanda seyfried, samantha barks, aaron tveit and eddie redmayne are brilliant!

the cast at the oscars:

Time Mag Honors Some of This Year's Best

'Les Miserables' ***1/2

'les miz' is brilliant. the show that is. the tom hooper directed film is somewhat short of brilliant. but that is good. all of us 'les miz' fans have seen the film in our minds over the past 25 years. some of our thoughts and hopes may have been realized with this version. quite a few of mine were. well almost were. but i did not conceive it...mr hooper did and he is to be congratulated. he remained faithful to the original adding snippets here and there to tie together formally loose ends to make a more complete scenario. also a good move.

i cannot quibble with the production values. it is generally amazing to look at and listen to. generally.  for instance: there was just a bit, no maybe too much, excrement in the sewer scene. sometimes less is more. but this is a minor quibble. and vocally the idea to record live on set is quite remarkable with the exception of russell crowe.

the story of jean valjean (hugh jackman) begins with his release from prison, owning a factory encountering his former prison guard javert (russel crowe), encountering the down and out fantine (anne hathaway) and taking responsibility for her daughter cosette. but it all really picks up after the death of fantine when the story moves to paris and we meet the young revolutionaries led by enjoiras, (arron tveit) and his band of student rebels and his best friend marius (eddie redmayne), his friend eponine (samantha barks)  and the now grown cosette (amanda seyfried).

what we now have is an action filled revolt and true romance and the remnants of unrequited love and friends forever gone. and death. not your typical musical but still a bit above most all the others filmed.

the musical highlights are 'the red and black', 'in my life/a heart full of love, 'one day more', 'on my own', 'bring him home' and 'empty chairs at empty tables'. anne hathaways 'i dreamed a dream' is certainly her jennifer hudson moment. it and ms hathaway are wonderful but it is sung for the academy. it is her supporting actress oscar nomination and probable win. if there were justice that nom would go to samantha barks as eponine. i have never been kind to ms hathaway but will give her due credit here. she would just not get an oscar vote from me.

hugh jackman is terrific as jean valjean. eddie redmayne as marius is extraordinary. his 'empty chairs at empty tables is brilliant and a highlight. aaron tveit is a fitting and worthy enjoiras. samantha barks is the quitessential eponine and her 'on my own' is brilliant. amanda seyfried with an almost angelic voice is adorably convincing as the lovely cosset. sasha baron cohen and helena bonham carter add the necessary comic relief as the innkeeper thenardier's. and now we get to the weak link: russell crowe who's right for the part but not the singing. his voice is ear piercing. when he starts singing it just pulls you right out of the film. sadly. and admittedly it lost 1/2 a star because of him. 

all in all see it. it is a grand endeavor that succeeds. and samantha, eddie, aaron and amanda along with hugh amaze.