Best of the year...so far

I’ve been doing these lists for awhile: long enough (and infrequently enough) to know that ranking movies is a fool’s errand reserved for people who get paid for doing this. Subjectivity, taste, availability blaah blaaah blaah. Still, countdown lists are enjoyable to make because they force me to really interrogate my likes and dislikes. It's an exercise that pays off through the surprises that crop up: some films that I thought would make me fall in love left me cold and unsatisfied, whilst other films that I had tepid predictions about to wound up on my top 5 list at the midpoint of the year. A common thread among each of the films I chose would be this idea of realigned expectations. Each film comprised an entirely different experience than I expected, each to its own benefit. Like I always say, there is no prize like a surprise.

 

                                   

Honorable Mention: The Cabin In the Woods

Horror’s place in modern filmmaking has been relegated to niche; most people make do with the latest exorcism look-a-like or Paranormal Activity sequel each year. Though I watch them occasionally, the genre comes off too simplistic for me. The slashers are mainly about sexual punishment relying on teenagers realized as archetypal personality traits. I think Cabin in the Woods was successful in anticipating such fatigue as it fiddles with its conventions, providing a seat at the table (slaughter) for horror purists and genre newbies who come to know its conventions and form. Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard created a horror film through and through that carries a winking realization of the genre and why we like to watch kids get murdered. A particularly noteworthy elevator scene (which I won't ruin here), well-written surprising characters, and a twisty narrative that does not rely on its surprises combine to make this film a great sixth man off the bench. 

5. The Dark Knight Rises
How do you do follow up a film that was so universally well-received that is was almost blasphemy to hail it as anything less than a paragon of modern filmmaking? After The Dark Knight was released, I imagined critics hunched over laptops, checking over their shoulders and clandestinely publishing underwhelmed reviews under fake names like TheDarkMeh? and WhataJoker372 hoping to escape the watchful eye of Dark Knight Lovers. Obviously, the film had a lot of scrutiny to endure. As objective as I try to be with most movies, I have to admit a certain affection for the story; Batman has been close to my heart since I was a little boy and such affection may or may not have clouded my appraisal of the film. As epic and darkly realized this film was advertized, the film surrenders reluctantly to its comic book origins at times, erring on the side of the incredible – convenient – rather than the grounded. When you try to skirt that line, nothing less can be expected. For instance, how do you explain sending an entire police force into harm’s way during a possible time of insurrection?  I have no Earthly idea, but the film trades on the good will of its trilogy to allow us to forgive some of its logical missteps. I’m satisfied explaining away Batman’s ability to transport himself presumably thousands of miles under cloak and dagger and infiltrating a city with heavily guarded entrances and exits with little to no money with a simple explanation: He’s Batman. Still, as great as the movie is, the hopeful ending is shoe-horned in, bringing a harrowing franchise to a discordant close. Because of that, I believe The Dark Knight Rises missed the mark.

4. Bachelorette

Without reservation, I enjoyed Bachelorette exponentially more than Bridesmaids. Such comparisons are warranted, and I felt it would be best to get it out the way first. It's a shame that the film's subject matter and proximity to the release of Bridesmaids hold it back from standing on its own because it really deserves attention for its great characters, smartly plotted third act, and divergent portrayal of women. Bachelorette suceeeds in telling a story of self-involved, miserable people in positions in their lives that make them lash out at each other with such sardonic and personal humor. These friends, though they act like anything but, somehow provide fault-filled look at what friendship truly is. Friends will have a fight with you and then snort coke minutes later for being so heavy. Friends will scramble across Manhattan in the middle of the night when they've accidentally ripped your wedding dress while making fun of you for being fat.  Bachelorette's characters are fantastic examples of real, flawed people who, though selfish, are sympathetic precisely through their vulnerability and loyalty. And they just so happen to be women. How about that?

3.  The Avengers

Popcorn movies can get away with being nothing more than funny, BIG, and excusably disposable. Who needs to ruminate on the darker themes of life? That’s a subject better served for winters of discontent. The Avengers captures the grand and minute moments with equal consideration and ardency. Truthfully, the Hulk steals the show, but thankfully each character has time to shine in what could have been a trainwreck of big bodies pushing each other out the way to soak up screen time. Perhaps Joss Whedon’s roots in television had some impact on the characterization. Perhaps statements like that are best proceeded by “duh!”. The best compliment I can give this movie is that the characters clash: Personalities ruffle feathers, not hollowly contrived actions. Aside from a weak villain and a third act that I could have sworn I saw last summer in Transformers 3, The Avengers deserves the crown of King of Summer grabbing up 1.5 billion dollars, inserting itself as the third movie on the all-time box office record list. I don’t usually drop box office stats on this blog, but damn that is a lot of money.

2. Magic Mike

When you enjoy certain directors, you tend to throw on the blindfold and follow his move indiscriminately. Steven Soderberg has earned that distinction and was the prime reason I went to check out Magic Mike. Though admittedly, the idea of a male stripper movie sounded so outrageous that in a "can’t look away" sort of way. I can say emphatically that if all romantic comedies were portrayed like this, I wouldn’t cringe when I’m taken to one. Make no mistake, there is the meet cute, the unknowing betrayal, and the happy ending (get your mind out of the gutter), but they all happen to occur in the world of male stripping. Yet still, the movie decries being placed into box as there are some buddy elements and coming of age. Through Soderberg's deft camera, he asks questions that we didn't know we wanted to know the answer to. At what point do you stop stripping and become an adult? Or at what point do the excuses you make for yourself become as hollow to you as the people around you? These are all questions precariously engaged through a thoughtful and natural performance by Channing Tatum. The movie finds a universal theme of self-actualization in a world where we didn't expect to find it.

                        

                       

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild

A cute kid. An unsubtle metaphor. Handheld camera. This movie should have been a saccharine mess. For me at least, all of these elements are overused in what often comes off as heavy-handed and visually  indistinguishable from other contemporary movies. Yet, the creators of this film made it work somehow. Leaving the theater, I came away dazzled by it’s beauty, performances, and charm. The movie isn’t difficult to figure out: It doesn’t try to bait you with elaborately conceived abstractions; It simply develops through the eyes of a young girl who loves her father.The story is fantastical, but revolves around a group of people fiercely protecting a way of life. The naturalistic method of telling the story keeps the film grounded without becoming a mess. The film's impatient and wondrous camera fits perfectly with our true surrogate into the film Hushpuppy. The set design as well supports the lush world that the story takes place in, allowing us to truly see what Hushpuppy, her father, and their neighbors strive so wholeheartedly to protect. People adapt and fiercely protect what is theirs, especially their way of life. This story remains true to the human connection and desire to establish a permanency; it uses the medium of film to respectfully communicate that desire to those who have that human right taken away from them, and that is what I applaud.