Match Cut's Top 10/Bottom 5 of 2012 Revealed!

[Ezee E]

Starting with the worst....

#5 - Chronicle

http://i.imgur.com/YgO6XmL.jpg


That was a 75-minute facepalm.


Ew, guys, there's way too many people to love this movie which I essentially found to be a live-action Rage comic.

[Ezee E]

#4 - TED

http://i.imgur.com/3t7dkE8.jpg


Oh wow, just, no. This movie was fucking horrible. Seth MacFarlane has truly fucking lost it.


And what the hell else does the movie have to offer? The plot is standard romantic comedy bullshit, all things considered. The last third of the film basically just decides to take Ted seriously like he's E.T. or something and has... no laughs!

[Boner M]

You assholes, Chronicle's great.

[Ezee E]

#3 - JOHN CARTER

http://i.imgur.com/AZg47Oe.jpg


There were a few glimmers of liveliness and humor, but it's mostly as dull and dusty as the specatacularly boringly expensive spans of desert that frame every shot that isn't a made-for-TV closeup. Attack of the Clones 10-year anniversary edition.

[Ezee E]

#2 - COSMOPOLIS

http://i.imgur.com/g69kYKl.jpg


This was awful. Pattinson was utterly unconvincing, but I put a lot of that on Cronenberg's direction. It felt like an amateur production in every respect. Poorly lensed, written and acted. It becomes an absolute chore to sit through by the halfway point.


It's like Cronenberg took all the most ponderous (and pretentious out of context) lines out of Delillo's novel, forgetting the humor and pathos, and made a script out of them. Nay.

[dreamdead]

Huh, I moderately to happily like both of these last two. The Disney film loses a lot because the narrative's been appropriated so much, and the deadpan irony of Cosmopolis worked for me. Not sure if I buy that that and Holy Motors are so intrinsically linked, but I laughed.

[eternity]

Cosmopolis is fantastic, you guys. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought Chronicle reeked.

[Bandy Greensacks]

Not exactly off to a good start.

Did people not see stuff like The Paperboy, Maniac, The Impossible, The Expendables 2 and The Bourne Legacy?

[B-side]

The fact that Cosmopolis is in the bottom 5 is just plain absurd. That film must have really flown over the heads of a lot of individuals because I can't help but think it's simply too unique to be glanced at and enjoyed. It's so insular and alien. It needs a special kind of attention and appreciation for its deadpan humor and bubble of urban decay.

[Pop Trash]

Cosmopolis is an anticinema pedestrian snore of a copy + paste screenplay by a guy who should know better by now.

[baby doll]

I didn't like Cosmopolis either but I have no idea what Pop Trash is talking about when it calls it "anticinema." Also, B-Side's post almost could've been written by Armond White, given the shrill confidence with which he declares that people who don't like the same movies he does must be too stupid and lazy to appreciate them.

[baby doll]

Did people not see stuff like The Paperboy, Maniac, The Impossible, The Expendables 2 and The Bourne Legacy?Aside from The Paperboy, I'm happy to say I didn't.

[B-side]

I didn't like Cosmopolis either but I have no idea what Pop Trash is talking about when it calls it "anticinema." Also, B-Side's post almost could've been written by Armond White, given the shrill confidence with which he declares that people who don't like the same movies he does must be too stupid and lazy to appreciate them.

Trash's sentiment is nonsensical considering the film's strict visual language. And my point wasn't that people who don't like it are too stupid to do so. I am, however, saying that laziness may very well have played a large factor in some people's distaste for it. Laziness and lack of intellect are two very different things. I've watched films lazily and only later came to appreciate them; often times after reading some rather enthusiastic and detailed praise. No one is immune to it.

[Dukefrukem]

None of those fucking movies deserve to be on the WORST MOVIES OF 2012 list.

[Dukefrukem]

Btw Ezee, this format is fantastic. I'm excited for the rest of the lists regardless of how much I disagree with them.

[Raiders]

Chronicle is the correct definition of anti-cinema; didn't see Ted; John Carter was crushingly disappointing but earnestly entertaining; Cosmopolis is one of the best films of the year.

My useless two cents.

[B-side]

Cosmopolis is one of the best films of the year.

My useless two cents.

This and your love of Ferrara are what make you awesome.

[Spinal]

Weird. When I cast my initial 'nay' vote for Chronicle, I think I was the lone dissenter at that point.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I for one think Chronicle is right where it should be. Didn't see any of the other bottom feeders thus far. Only one I was even slightly interested in was Cosmopolis, but the Pattinson factor gave me pause. Haven't gotten around to hitting play yet. Probably won't.

[eternity]

I saw a lot of rancid movies last year (shocking, I know) and Chronicle might have been the worst of all of them. It was at least the worst found footage movie I watched last year, and I saw Project X, Grave Encounters 2, and The Bay for crying out loud.

The rest of these movies don't belong here, but that is what tends to happen when a group of people who tend to only watch movies if they have decent suspicion that they're good or at the very least worth watching for discussion's sake. I've always regarded the "worst of" section of these to mean most disappointing; why else would David Cronenberg, Andrew Stanton, et. al be included?

[Skitch]

You assholes, Chronicle's great.

*high five*

[ledfloyd]

Cosmopolis is an anticinema pedestrian snore of a copy + paste screenplay by a guy who should know better by now.
http://somecamerunning.typepad.com/some_came_running/2011/09/what-is-cinematic.html

Featuring Cronenberg, in a delightful bit of serendipity.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'll take the "anti-cinema" of Chronicle over the stuffy, self-indulgent dreck most of you losers masturbate to.

I love you guys, and I have no issue with what cinema you enjoy and/or masturbate to.

But I really did enjoy Chronicle.

[Dukefrukem]

So what's number 1? Silent Hill?

[Rowland]

So what's number 1? Silent Hill?It has to be something that a lot of people saw.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Ted is definitely one of the worst films I saw last year. Haven't seen the others.

[Spinal]

So what's number 1? Silent Hill?

Hunger Games!

[EyesWideOpen]

Chronicle is leagues better then the film that is MC's favorite of 2012.

Edit: Maybe not! I was thinking Life of Pi was the #1.

[Ezee E]

THE WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR

http://i.imgur.com/ioJLzUk.jpg


This whole movie was pointless. What an awful final scene.


This was a bloated, corny, convoluted mess.


It's beautiful but its a fucking mess. Ridley Scott, news at 11.


ENGINEER SMASH!!! SMASH SMASH SMAAAASSSH!!!!

[Ezee E]

AND NOW THE TOP TEN

#10 - Life of Pi

http://i.imgur.com/RocRSQA.jpg

MATCH - Ang Lee filmed this with the intention of using the 3D. He does a masterful job with it. He joins the ranks James Cameron and Martin Scorsese as great users of it. Funny how these three don't really throw it in your face, but instead use it for the environment. Most will comment on the flying fish scene, but I found it most useful for the conflict between Pi and Richard. The use of distance shows that 3D can be used in a subtle way here. Ezee E

CUT - I wanted to like this I really did but besides it being pretty it's too full of spiritual gobbleygook for me to embrace it. eyeswideopen

[Winston*]

Hunger Games!

Definitely disliked this film more than the four I've seen from the worst list.

[Watashi]

Love Chronicle.

[Milky Joe]

hey I got quoted, cool. Cosmopolis definitely sucked.

wow, Prometheus at #1? that's kind of shocking.

[Dukefrukem]

I hate MC consensus lists so much. So god damn pretentious. But then again, I love lists so.... I'm fucked.

[Dukefrukem]

Oh and please posts quotes with the top 10 lists too. It's fun reading those.

[Raiders]

So god damn pretentious.

:rolleyes:

[B-side]

Old reliable Duke. Always here to make a brainless, anti-intellectual remark.

[dreamdead]

Looks at duke's comment, looks at B-Side's response, looks at B-Side's take on Cosmopolis haters.

Interesting result on Prometheus. I didn't hate it so much as mourned how wonderfully evocative and powerful the trailer was compared to the actual full film. And the engagement with spirituality there, though it only remains a surface concern, did ring with me. The biggest fault of the film is that the script manipulates characters no matter their predisposition toward an issue--that's unarguable.

And I'm surprised that Life of Pi made the best of list. Lee directs the hell out of it, and I imagine people respect that. It's one that I doubt people will remember years from now, but it's good.

[Dukefrukem]

Heh, B-Side has been on my ignore list for months. If he attacked me, fine. I was at least attacking an inanimate object MC LIST and not someone on a personal level. Plus it should have been taken half heartedly based on the second half of my post.

[Raiders]

Heh, B-Side has been on my ignore list for months. If he attacked me, fine. I was at least attacking an inanimate object MC LIST and not someone on a personal level. Plus it should have been taken half heartedly based on the second half of my post.

I take no issue with disliking the list so far, but man I hate the "p word." Never used in the right context. I don't think disliking Cronenberg's film, for instance, is very pretentious of us. I would also say that as far as Scott's film goes, it has a much stronger case for being pretentious as opposed to us calling it crap.

But anyway, I look forward to the top ten which are sure to be the best films of the year, as long as there isn't any juvenile comedy or action shit. Hate that crap.

[B-side]

Looks at duke's comment, looks at B-Side's response, looks at B-Side's take on Cosmopolis haters.

Oh, please, do explain to me how pointing out that passive film-viewing is something no one is immune to is pretentious of me. I'd be interested to hear it. And maybe if someone came up with a more compelling reason to hate it than "it was boring", I might be more inclined to take them seriously.

[Raiders]

Oh, please, do explain to me how pointing out that passive film-viewing is something no one is immune to is pretentious of me. I'd be interested to hear it. And maybe if someone came up with a more compelling reason to hate it than "it was boring", I might be more inclined to take them seriously.

"That film must have really flown over the heads of a lot of individuals"

Anytime your defense of a film is basically "I got it and you didn't," you have already lost. I agree in spirit that I think a lot of people hate on the film for things that make it so fascinating to me, but I am sure the opposite is true of me on other films. It's why we are unique and special. We are the World.

[B-side]

"That film must have really flown over the heads of a lot of individuals"

I only "got it" in the sense that I was able to enjoy and appreciate it. Saying it went over someone's head doesn't necessarily imply a lack of intelligence. It mostly implies a lack of ability to gel with its world and ideas. When I read remarks about how bad the acting is or some such silliness, I can't help but feel like people are kind of missing the point. The acting is so deliberately mannered that traditional ideals of acting are irrelevant. I don't think it's a very condescending thing to say that many people really expected something different and were upset when it didn't deliver. This isn't The Fly or Naked Lunch. Hell, it's not even A Dangerous Method. That film had a much firmer basis in reality and standard dramatic acting than this did.

[Dukefrukem]

I take no issue with disliking the list so far, but man I hate the "p word." Never used in the right context. I don't think disliking Cronenberg's film, for instance, is very pretentious of us. I would also say that as far as Scott's film goes, it has a much stronger case for being pretentious as opposed to us calling it crap.

But anyway, I look forward to the top ten which are sure to be the best films of the year, as long as there isn't any juvenile comedy or action shit. Hate that crap.

Haha that's the first time I've seen someone refer to it as the "P word". And I do think I used it correctly. It's all the history of MC posting and MC condemning big time hollywood movies and prime time directors as THE WORST. And lifting smaller independent movies into the spotlight maybe more deserving.

I'm totally fine with hating a movie for being bloated or corny or a mess...

[Ezee E]

#9 - Oslo, August 31

http://i.imgur.com/J1FOci8.jpg

MATCH - This is a brilliant portrayal of character. Layers of his past, present, and future are unveiled simultaneously not through flashbacks or cuts through time, but the events of a day. It's an unfortunate case of a man simply unable to close a chapter in his life because he incidentally exposes himself to a past that changed without him. Finally, a 2012 release I can really stand behind. LUCKY

CUT - NONE.

[Ezee E]

#8 - Cabin in the Woods

http://i.imgur.com/OQIZKkL.jpg

MATCH - This movie was fucking beautiful. This was just so supremely satisfying. A send-up, love letter, and sharp critique of the genre, riffing on every possible cliche while showing the insane imagination of its history. I was smiling incessantly for the last twenty-odd minutes, to the point where my mouth hurt. Dead & Messed Up

CUT - This was too clever by at least half. Maybe even a full stop. I grew tired of the riffing, the winking, and the spoon fed self-congratulating. This is one of those movies where all you can see is the ink on the page. It fails to engage on any other level. DavidSeven

[Ezee E]

#7 - Zero Dark Thirty

http://i.imgur.com/vX2tg8f.jpg

MATCH - I've now seen this twice within the last few days and it really is such an expertly crafted, tightly-wound piece of storytelling that I almost can't imagine any other (better) way of this subject matter being made into a film. Despite employing much of the same stylistic aesthetic as The Hurt Locker, this is a very different, much less character-based, emotionally-motivated narrative, and yet it manages to be every bit as engrossing in its storytelling because of how specific its details of even its most well-known events that reverberated throughout the world as they unfolded in the past find ways of relating to a grander landscape of this story. HENRY GALE

CUT - I generally don't like to politicize works of art but in this case the topic is so sensitive and the manner in which it is broached is so irresponsible that I can't merely appreciate the craft and disregard the content. Zero Dark Thirty is woefully unbalanced, untruthful and apolitical and it's impossible for me to ignore this no matter how expertly crafted it may be. ROBBY P

[Dukefrukem]

lol @ TAMPAX

[B-side]

What in the holy hell does pretension have to do with condemning Hollywood films? Jesus.

[Izzy Black]

Haha that's the first time I've seen someone refer to it as the "P word". And I do think I used it correctly. It's all the history of MC posting and MC condemning big time hollywood movies and prime time directors as THE WORST. And lifting smaller independent movies into the spotlight maybe more deserving.

I'm totally fine with hating a movie for being bloated or corny or a mess...

Well, some Big Time Hollywood Movies and Prime Time Directors aren't very good (and some really are the worst), but that doesn't mean MC thinks all of them are. Anyways, does it make me pretentious if I tend to like independent movies more than I like Hollywood movies?

[Dukefrukem]

Well, some Big Time Hollywood Movies and Prime Time Directors aren't very good (and some really are the worst), but that doesn't mean MC thinks all of them are. Anyways, does it make me pretentious if I tend to like independent movies more than I like Hollywood movies?


It's about how people want to be perceived. They want to feel like they know more about movies than other people so they try to reflect that in a movie grade. It's really has nothing to do with where movies come from. I had an example in my post but it was too incriminating so I removed it.

The answer to your question is of course not.

[elixir]

Honestly, this list isn't pretentious enough.

[baby doll]

Anyways, does it make me pretentious if I tend to like independent movies more than I like Hollywood movies?We've sort of had this discussion before, but my feeling is that Hollywood is basically over, and has been since about 1960 when the studio system collapsed. Of course, there are still interesting films here and there, but it's increasingly rare. There are fewer movies being made (the major studios each release fewer than twenty pictures a year), and Hollywood is primarily in the business of making big event pictures. And when you have a budget of 200 million dollars, the money people get extremely nervous about taking even the slightest risks. (Just recall the palpable apprehension in the pre-release coverage of Scorsese's Hugo about whether or not kids were going to like it, as if it were Sátántangó.) It has nothing to do with pretentiousness; it's just that the conditions for filmmakers in the independent sector are more hospitable to artistic achievement than in the mainstream.

[Raiders]

It's about how people want to be perceived. They want to feel like they know more about movies than other people so they try to reflect that in a movie grade. It's really has nothing to do with where movies come from. I had an example in my post but it was too incriminating so I removed it.

In general, the Hollywood machine is specifically designed to stunt challenging films from being released with large budgets and other big costs. They have to turn some sort of profit, and the only way to guarantee this is to be as broadly appealing as possible. It is only through the success of those films that major studio offshoots and mid-level studios can even make the riskier and heavily genre-type films that nonetheless still have an expectation of profit (just not a big and also less costly when it doesn't happen). But, as the budgets inflate and profit margins thin on the biggest of films, it goes back to the Doomsday prediction of Spielberg / Lucas that studios will pool their resources for only a small, small few films each year and charge high prices to try and ensure profitability and round out their revenues with much smaller films. Whether that actually happens or not, it is still all about the erosion of the middle movies which has been happening for a while now and where we see the surge of TV taking that opening and running with it.

All this to say that it is silly to think what movies and where they come from doesn't matter. Of course it does. It is at the heart of what final film is released. I don't think it is any great shock that a community of longtime film buffs would find more value in the challenging films released either independently or from a studio offshoot. This is where real risk and reward often happens.

I would of course add that there are numerous exceptions. Many Hollywood filmmakers are talented enough and clever enough to make good, even sometimes interesting, films within the framework of the system. But, it's not the norm.

[Watashi]

Honestly, this list isn't pretentious enough.

There's still time for Resident Evil: Retribution to make it as #1.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I am honored to be quoted.

And "X is pretentious," at least in internet movie arguments, means little more than "I'm better at opinions than X."

[Mr. McGibblets]

It's all the history of MC posting and MC condemning big time hollywood movies and prime time directors as THE WORST.

I think it would be much weirder if a low-budget or independent or non-American film was the consensus worst. The only 'bad' movies that lots of people see are going to be big Hollywood movies.

[Dukefrukem]

I think it would be much weirder if a low-budget or independent or non-American film was the consensus worst. The only 'bad' movies that lots of people see are going to be big Hollywood movies.

I dunno. The Loneliest Planet and Keyhole were pretty damn bad.

[Skitch]

Now now, let's all play nice, kids. Let's keep this thread nice and fluffy fun.

[Spun Lepton]

If you guys didn't keep coming into the horror thread constantly and mercilessly bashing the horror geeks' opinions, why, Duke wouldn't have to throw fits in your threads. EYE FOR AN EYE!!

This emoticon shows how totally serious I am being: :frustrated:

That said, I know Spring Breakers is going to appear somewhere in the Top 10, and I'm already ashamed of all of you. :D

[Dukefrukem]

I thought we were playing nice? Well, except for B-side...

[Dukefrukem]

That said, I know Spring Breakers is going to appear somewhere in the Top 10, and I'm already ashamed of all of you. :D

Not if my 1 star and my 15 alt accounts can help it!

[Ezee E]

For top tens, you do have to take into account that the shitty indie films weren't really seen by many, whereas Prometheus was (I think) one of the top twenty viewed movies of last year. It simply has a bigger chance of ending up on those ballots.

[Ezee E]

#6 - Tabu

http://i.imgur.com/voqUfzW.jpg

MATCH - Elixir's formula is solid, but more than its exquisite parts, it's the way the film deals with the theme of memory, asking you to measure its two sections up against the other, which allows for all sorts of complicated, messy, spooky, wonderful feelings the further the film progresses (and the more you look back on it). And, for its entire second half, finding a cinematic language that's the perfect correlation to watching memories in action. It's like the cinematic equivalent of the bittersweet earworms that pop up all over the soundtrack. BONER M

CUT - NONE

[Ezee E]

#5 - It's Such a Beautiful Day

http://i.imgur.com/NzXt3iU.jpg

MATCH - This just destroyed me. What an experience. I'm not sure the tedium and minutia of life have been captured so perfectly in a film before. Loved the way that Hertzfeldt turns the narrative on its head in the end. For such a devastating and seemingly bleak film, it is conversely life-affirming and inspirational. I found myself thinking, "I really need to make a bigger and better difference with my life." This is definitely the best film I've seen this year. Kurosawa Fan

CUT - NONE

[Ezee E]

#4 - HOLY MOTORS

http://i.imgur.com/vvVFluJ.jpg

MATCH - Well, that was fun. It's a pretty gleeful film--an elegy to, and the celebration of, cinema past and present; the performance angle and cheeky genre-hopping work like gangbusters. NickGlass

CUT - My favorite idea within the film, but also the film's downfall: it's never quite as good as that which it mimics. It's post-modern to the point it's hardly a film anymore, and it just seems inadequate whilst smirking about "Death of Cinema!!"... So the film's actually a lot like Cabin in the Woods... BOSCO B THUG

[Boner M]

The Andersons & Tarantino as the top 3, good to see the boards' collective tastes are still stuck in the 90's. (I kid, although it does feel like Anderson kinda coasted his way into the top 3 with relatively little passionate support, even though The Master's leaps and bounds beyond every other American 'event film' from 2012)

Still, the absence* of TDKR can only be seen as a sign of progress.

*Unless...

[Boner M]

That said, I know Spring Breakers is going to appear somewhere in the Top 10, and I'm already ashamed of all of you. :D
That counts as a 2013 release and it's inevitable top 10 placement will be earned and you probably haven't seen it.

[Izzy Black]

We've sort of had this discussion before, but my feeling is that Hollywood is basically over, and has been since about 1960 when the studio system collapsed. Of course, there are still interesting films here and there, but it's increasingly rare. There are fewer movies being made (the major studios each release fewer than twenty pictures a year), and Hollywood is primarily in the business of making big event pictures. And when you have a budget of 200 million dollars, the money people get extremely nervous about taking even the slightest risks. (Just recall the palpable apprehension in the pre-release coverage of Scorsese's Hugo about whether or not kids were going to like it, as if it were Sátántangó.) It has nothing to do with pretentiousness; it's just that the conditions for filmmakers in the independent sector are more hospitable to artistic achievement than in the mainstream.

Yeah, well, I don't really disagree with any of this. Although I'd say Hollywood was still strong after the studio system collapsed. I think the era of most artistic freedom in Hollywood ranges somewhere between 1967ish - 1979ish - the tide started shifting away from Hollywood supported auteurism after the commercial failure of Heaven's Gate and the production troubles of Days of Heaven and Apocalypse Now, along with the rise of Steven Spielberg, Star Wars and high-concept films that helped usher in a new era. But that aside, I think this is right. What I was arguing before had more to do with American auteurism / American cinema as a whole (which exists outside of Hollywood). I agree though there's more artistic freedom with independent markets, and now with the complicated relationship between Hollywood studios, distribution, film festivals, and independent production companies, there's a lot more money to go around for independent filmmaking than there was, say, 30 years ago. It's also a lot cheaper. The cameras are cheaper, you can edit film on your own laptop, etc;

[Ezee E]

#3 - Django Unchained

http://i.imgur.com/b9Li8Kv.jpg

MATCH - I thought this was pretty great. Though a step down from Inglourious Basterds, it was interesting in the same way, as a postmodern pop history; I find the playing with history in these movies a lot more engaging than the playing with pop culture in some of his others. I especially liked how Django became an increasingly mythical figure throughout the movie. Within that heightened tone of myth-making, the bloody vengeance became almost purely metaphorical, a revenge against the historical existence of Southern slavery itself, culminating in the annihilation of the plantation house, symbol of antebellum romanticism. The movie as a whole felt like an excavation and destruction of slavery, bringing the raw ugliness of it into the public realm of the pop format, and then smashing it apart. MELVILLE

CUT - Django Unchained was unbearably cartoonish and just awful. The structure was pure shit; the worst Tarantino has ever written. Interesting to see him flail around in dialogue, though, without his usual pop culture crutches. It's a crap movie, but I do have to respect his attempt to drag race & slavery, and the brutality of American history, into the multiplexes. Everyone seems to be dancing around that in the reviews, and I can't really blame them. As a narrative, the movie is terrible & boring, but as a stepping stone into a larger discussion, it's interesting. IRISH

[Ezee E]

#2 - THE MASTER

http://i.imgur.com/h7tjujK.jpg

MATCH - this was totally engaging, and i like seeing a PTA who seems content to step back and let the work speak for itself rather than intoxicate audiences with spectacle. it's such a seamlessly crafted film. the lead performances are spellbinding and serve as a fascinating study in contrasts. phoenix's nervous, twitchy, method inhabitation of his character juxtaposed with hoffman's stately, wellesian performance. as to what it all means, i will have to ruminate on it further. but in terms of craft, it's stunning. LEDFLOYD

CUT - I was quite taken by this at first - agree with Boner that it's a big step forward in PTA's craft, and the 70mm presentation was remarkable - but in the end also struggled to make sense of where it was going, echoing the sentiments of Pop Trash, et al, here in that it seemed to just peter out around the arrival of the second book, and I wasn't sure what to make of the closing scenes. There's explicit, surface level closure (the final separation between Quell and The Cause, the echoing of images from the beginning), but it arrives without force or clarity. Maybe that's the point, maybe I'm looking for the wrong thing, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was also missing. STAY PUFT

[Izzy Black]

It's about how people want to be perceived. They want to feel like they know more about movies than other people so they try to reflect that in a movie grade. It's really has nothing to do with where movies come from. I had an example in my post but it was too incriminating so I removed it.

The answer to your question is of course not.


Do you think that's what MCers are doing? That's pretty cynical of you. I don't think anyone on this forum does that.

[Ezee E]

#1 - MOONRISE KINGDOM

http://i.imgur.com/eZU3eSJ.jpg

MATCH - Some things I loved: the hit it n' quit it running time, that it's a big love letter to the boy scouts,* the decidedly untwee actors Willis and Keitel (whose character was awesomely the Winston Wolf of the boy scouts) in a typically twee Anderson film, the "I can't believe this was shot on super 16" gorgeous cinematography, the great music and not just in a "wow Wes Anderson has great taste in pop music" way, and how genuinely affecting a lot of it was while still often maintaining that typical Anderson archness. POP TRASH

I enjoyed the fairy tale aspect of the film. There was several fairy tale allusions that I spotted (most notably Peter Pan) and it was nice to see a earnest romance that captured the awkward essence of adolescence. The film felt like a live-action Fantastic Mr. Fox more than a live-action Wes Anderson film (if that makes sense). WATASHI

And I loved the last act of Moonrise Kingdom. I'm still in awe that Wes Anderson managed to successfully craft a film that is equal parts love story/romance, comedy, drama, and adventure all rolled into one. This is how you make a movie action picture, and I think that's been overlooked just a little bit. MADMAN

CUT - Wes Anderson has been making movies about the breakdowns and repairs of families (natural and surrogate) for decades now, so it's odd to see him make a movie about the formation of a family. It feels less personal than his other movies; in all of them, there was always a familiarity between the director and the world of the characters the audience is not part of. Everything in the movie existed closed off from everything real (time, space, the audience).

I'm not sure this works as well. Some of the characters (Willis especially) don't feel like fully formed Anderson-creations. To me, he seems like someone who doesn't yet fit (or who grows to fit) into this world. In some ways, being about the creation of a family, it has to also be about the outside and the before, when and where everything wasn't fully formed. But to me, that doesn't jive with Anderson's style where there is no outside and no before. MR. MCGIBBLETS

[Ezee E]

FULL LIST
1. Moonrise Kingdom
2. The Master
3. Django Unchained
4. Holy Motors
5. It's Such a Beautiful Day
6. Tabu
7. Zero Dark Thirty
8. Cabin in the Woods
9. Oslo, August 31
10. Life of Pi

SPECIAL THANKS GOES TO ETERNITY AND LUCKY for composing the pictures and pulling the quotes.

[Izzy Black]

Not a terrible list.

[Izzy Black]

God this board loves them some Wes Anderson. I just can't....

[Dukefrukem]

Do you think that's what MCers are doing? That's pretty cynical of you. I don't think anyone on this forum does that.

I do.

And yes it is cynical.

[Dukefrukem]

This list confirms I need to write more about the movies I see. No Duke quotes pulled. :(

[Izzy Black]

I do.

And yes it is cynical.

Who does that? What makes you think that?

[Spun Lepton]

That counts as a 2013 release and it's inevitable top 10 placement will be earned and you probably haven't seen it.

I haven't seen it, no. But, I hate Harmony Korine's films with the burning passion of a thousand suns, so I doubt I will. But, in light of the list as it is, I've been meaning to see the top 3, so, I've got that going for me ...

[Raiders]

Since I never did do my year-end thread and I never did post my list here, below is my list:

1. This is Not a Film
2. Oslo, August 31st
3. Girl Walk // All Day
4. Moonrise Kingdom
5. Tabu
6. Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below
7. Cosmopolis
8. The Deep Blue Sea
9. It's Such a Beautiful Day
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

[Ezee E]

Moonrise Kingdom was pretty dominant, showing on most lists.

#2-#4 are pretty interchangeable.

#5-#6 as well

then it kind of peters out. Kid with a Bike barely missed.

[Dukefrukem]

Surprised Skyfall didn't crack the top 10.

[Fezzik]

I've only seen 5 of MC's top 10. My movie-going priorities have clearly changed.

[MarcusBrody]

That was fun to read. I finally got to see The Master last weekend (in 70mm at the AFI's theater to boot). At least on first viewing, i wouldn't have ranked it so highly. Moonrise Kingdom and Holy Motors would have been in my top 3 though and Django Unchained probably would have made my top 10, so no real complaints.

Thanks to everyone for putting the list together!

[Yxklyx]

I dunno. The Loneliest Planet and Keyhole were pretty damn bad.

I liked The Loneliest Planet well enough though Keyhole was pretty disappointing until the end. A film that takes chances (like these two) has to be really really bad before I start bad-mouthing it. I found lots of interesting things within both and I love seeing new things being tried out in film.

As for the list - not a fan of PT Anderson's latest films at all. I need to check out Oslo and Tabu.

[TGM]

I don't suppose you have the list for the full bottom 10 and top 20, E?

[Lucky]

This list confirms I need to write more about the movies I see. No Duke quotes pulled. :(

You'd have a better shot writing negative comments about movies everyone here loves. Those quotes are scarce.

Speaking of which, I did pull one of your quotes as a "CUT" for Oslo, because it was the closest thing we had to a negative comment. Didn't really count though.


The tone is very melancholic, which I think works against the enjoyment of the audience. 4/5 stars because it would be hard for me to watch again.

[Lucky]

Also, Henry Gale and Kurosawa Fan get my nominations for poster of the year award. They both had numerous quality quotes in the threads I read through to compile these. I wanted to quote them for multiple movies in the Top 10, but I limited to one per poster for variety.

[ledfloyd]

God this board loves them some Wes Anderson. I just can't....

Moonrise is the first Anderson film I've loved without reservation.

[Fezzik]

This list confirms I need to write more about the movies I see. No Duke quotes pulled. :(

I had the exact same thought. Or maybe my comments just didn't rate? I know my written opinions of late have been a bit off the cuff and vague :D

Thats It! BOYCOTT! ;)

[Henry Gale]

Also, Henry Gale and Kurosawa Fan get my nominations for poster of the year award. They both had numerous quality quotes in the threads I read through to compile these. I wanted to quote them for multiple movies in the Top 10, but I limited to one per poster for variety.

Yay! Thanks man. Of course all I could think when I saw my Zero Dark Thirty quote was how much of an awkward run-on sentence the latter half was.

I now feel little less out of touch with everyone considering how much I like Chronicle, Prometheus and John Carter. :P

[Yxklyx]

Moonrise is the first Anderson film I've loved without reservation.

Yeah, same here. I've never been a fan of his.

[Dukefrukem]

I had the exact same thought. Or maybe my comments just didn't rate? I know my written opinions of late have been a bit off the cuff and vague :D

Thats It! BOYCOTT! ;)

Well I know in my case it's because I suck at expressing rational thought and I always sink to standard generalizations whether my experience was love/mild/hate..

[NickGlass]

Moonrise Kingdom was pretty dominant, showing on most lists.

#2-#4 are pretty interchangeable.

#5-#6 as well

then it kind of peters out.

I'd be curious to see some sort of passion index, or percentage of seen vs. ranked.


Kid with a Bike barely missed.

Bummer, although I suppose it lingered near the bottom of my top 10 nonetheless.

[D_Davis]

I like Prometheus better than anything I've seen in the top 10 list, but I still need to see Zero Dark Thirty and Holy Motors.

Moonrise Kingdom? Ugh. So over Anderson's shtick.

My favorite film of 2012 - The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee Scratch Perry

[Bandy Greensacks]

How many people here have seen Starlet?

[baby doll]

How many people here have seen Starlet?I'd guess half a dozen at most.

[NickGlass]

How many people here have seen Starlet?

*raises hand*

Twas my #3.

(Three of my Top 10 made the consensus list, though, so I suppose I'm not too disappointed.)

[Spinal]

Percentage of Match Cut yays for Chronicle: 69%
Percentage of Match Cut yays for Holy Motors: 73%

[Kurosawa Fan]

Also, Henry Gale and Kurosawa Fan get my nominations for poster of the year award. They both had numerous quality quotes in the threads I read through to compile these. I wanted to quote them for multiple movies in the Top 10, but I limited to one per poster for variety.

Hey, thanks man. Probably undeserving, but appreciated nonetheless. I've been trying to make an effort to write more often about the films I see, though this summer I've been too busy.

Solid list, very representative of the site. Moonrise Kingdom, while very good, is valued a bit too high, as is Django, but I'm not surprised by their placement. Very happy to see that The Avengers and TDKR missed the list. Both are deserving omissions.

[MadMan]

I loved Prometheus and I liked Ted. I regret nothing. Django Unchained is currently my #1 of 2012 but that could change. And I loved Moonrise Kingdom. The day Wes Anderson stops making movies because people are tired of his so called "shtick" I'll be sad. And hey I got quoted. Hurray.

The Avengers is really good and I liked TDKR way more than I probably should and more than most people, but I echo KF when I say that its a pleasant surprise they didn't make the list. No Skyfall is a little weird, but maybe not considering its you lot :P And I'll try and catch up on 2012 when I'm already way behind on 2013.

[EyesWideOpen]

Chronicle and John Carter were both good films and Prometheus was great. Moonrise Kingdom was my favorite film so I can't complain too much.

[Scar]

Prometheus has certainly grown on me. No classic by any means, but entertaining.

[Bandy Greensacks]

*raises hand*

Twas my #3.
It's great. It actually reminded me a bit of Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, modernized and without the romance.

[EyesWideOpen]

In comparison here is MC's Top Ten/Bottom 5 of 2012 based on the 2012 database (and a minimum of 10 votes):

1. The Kid with a Bike
2. It's Such a Beautiful Day
3. Girl Walk // All Day
4. The Queen of Versailles
5. Searching for Sugar Man
6. I Wish
7. The Day He Arrives
8. The Pirates! Band of Misfits
9. The Invisible War
10. Oslo, August 31st

Bottom 5:

1. The Campaign 26.32%
2. Snow White and the Huntsmen 27.27%
3. Battleship 28.57%
4. Sinister 30%
5. Total Recall 30.77%
(tie) Lockout 30.77%

Our top 9 films didn't even have a single negative vote. I like this list far better.

[eternity]

Top 10/Bottom 5 based on star ratings (minimum 10):
1. It's Such a Beautiful Day
2. Girl Walk // All Day
3. Oslo, August 31st
4. Moonrise Kingdom
5. The Imposter
6. The Kid With a Bike
7. Tabu
8. The Day He Arrives
9. This is Not a Film
10. Zero Dark Thirty

1. Lockout
2. Battleship
3. Snow White and the Huntsman
4. Casa de mi Padre
5. The Bourne Legacy

[Q & T]

Really glad to see It's Such a Beautiful Day on the list. Also even more glad to see Prometheus as the number one worst movie. God, I hated that movie. What a great theme: You can't know everything. Well, thanks for telling me, dingus, that really helps me think about my place in the universe.

[Spinal]

8. The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Here are some 'raves' about this particular movie from Match Cut:


... rather splendid despite having a terrible narrative structure and a deflating third act ...


For every joke that falls flat there is at least one that works.


Doesn't ever reach the full-on belly laughs of the Wallace and Gromit movies, but it's agreeable enough to amuse.


Story's nothing to get too worked up about, there's a flat joke/dramatic dynamic every quarter hour, and the final act should've amounted to more.


I thought it was decent. Nowhere near as good as Chicken Run or the Wallace & Gromit stuff. The voice cast is astounding though even though the plot is ho-hum and most of the attempts at humor fall flat.


I've been meaning to see this but things keep coming up.

Those top 5 quotes were from 5 of the 11 people who voted 'Yay'.

[Gizmo]

Top 10/Bottom 5 based on star ratings (minimum 10):
1. It's Such a Beautiful Day
2. Girl Walk // All Day
3. Oslo, August 31st
4. Moonrise Kingdom
5. The Imposter
6. The Kid With a Bike
7. Tabu
8. The Day He Arrives
9. This is Not a Film
10. Zero Dark Thirty

1. Lockout
2. Battleship
3. Snow White and the Huntsman
4. Casa de mi Padre
5. The Bourne Legacy

This list makes more sense to use than yay/nay, at least to me.

[Irish]

Top 10/Bottom 5 based on star ratings (minimum 10):
1. It's Such a Beautiful Day
2. Girl Walk // All Day
3. Oslo, August 31st
4. Moonrise Kingdom
5. The Imposter

I'll be that guy (of course I will, what did you people expect?): This list is largely meaningless. A movie with 9/10 positive votes isn't as meaningful as one with 63/70. That alone should be obvious (especially given the number of active users here, which hovers around ~60, with less than half of those being regular posters).

But then if you look at movies like "The Avengers" and "Moonrise Kingdom" now, you're still not getting the full story.

"The Avengers" got a huge response here its opening weekend. It generated a lot of posts, almost all of them positive. For a long time, it had the most votes out of any film in the 2012 forum. It's still got something like a 93% approval rating.

"Moonrise Kingdom," on the other hand, didn't fare so well. I remember a few weeks after it came out, it was hovering around 20 votes total. It didn't generate much discussion at all, or even much in the way of response. Now, of course, a year later it's got a large number of votes and a high approval rating. But it seems like nobody went out of their way to see it. When they did finally see it, they weren't in any kind of rush to talk about it.

So, yeah. But mostly: This list is meaningless because it's not weighted properly.

[eternity]

I'll be that guy (of course I will, what did you people expect?): This list is largely meaningless. A movie with 9/10 positive votes isn't as meaningful as one with 63/70. That alone should be obvious (especially given the number of active users here, which hovers around ~60, with less than half of those being regular posters).

But then if you look at movies like "The Avengers" and "Moonrise Kingdom" now, you're still not getting the full story.

"The Avengers" got a huge response here its opening weekend. It generated a lot of posts, almost all of them positive. For a long time, it had the most votes out of any film in the 2012 forum. It's still got something like a 93% approval rating.

"Moonrise Kingdom," on the other hand, didn't fare so well. I remember a few weeks after it came out, it was hovering around 20 votes total. It didn't generate much discussion at all, or even much in the way of response. Now, of course, a year later it's got a large number of votes and a high approval rating. But it seems like nobody went out of their way to see it. When they did finally see it, they weren't in any kind of rush to talk about it.

So, yeah. But mostly: This list is meaningless because it's not weighted properly.

This one was based on an average of ratings between 1 and 5. EyesWideOpen posted the rankings based on yay/nay votes.

[Irish]

This one was based on an average of ratings between 1 and 5. EyesWideOpen posted the rankings based on yay/nay votes.

Sure. But it doesn't matter what scale you're using. Both lists are meaningless for the same reason -- unless you're saying the same number of people voted on every movie, and abstentions carried as much weight as a vote.

(And yeah, I know I'm nitpicking here).

[Kurosawa Fan]

Sure. But it doesn't matter what scale you're using. Both lists are meaningless for the same reason -- unless you're saying the same number of people voted on every movie, and abstentions carried as much weight as a vote.

(And yeah, I know I'm nitpicking here).

You aren't taking into account the small films not coming to theaters anywhere near a lot of us. I had to drive 90 minutes to find a theater playing Moonrise Kingdom. Some of us are currently bemoaning the fact that The World's End didn't come our way. To chalk that up to people on the board not making an effort to see the smaller films is misleading and in many cases completely inaccurate.

[EyesWideOpen]

I don't think any of the lists are "meaningless" you just have to take them for what they are. I didn't post the yay/nay list as some sort of end all be all I posted it because I thought it would be neat to compare to the list in this thread.

Besides that Pirates movie (which I yay'd but just barely) the rest of the yay list is highly regarded. The Kid with a Bike had 27 votes quite a lot for a small film and all of them positive so it's interesting to me that it didn't even make our top ten.

[Raiders]

You aren't taking into account the small films not coming to theaters anywhere near a lot of us. I had to drive 90 minutes to find a theater playing Moonrise Kingdom. Some of us are currently bemoaning the fact that The World's End didn't come our way. To chalk that up to people on the board not making an effort to see the smaller films is misleading and in many cases completely inaccurate.

I don't think Irish is making a statement on why people didn't vote. Just that they didn't.

Though, your argument means nothing for Girl Walk // All Day, which everyone could and should have seen. Bastards.

[Ezee E]

Moonrise Kingdom was nominated for a bunch of Matchies wasn't it?

[Spinal]

I think in every poll that's ever been taken on Match Cut involving Wes Anderson, Wes Anderson has placed far higher than one should reasonably expect. Match Cut really likes Wes Anderson.

[Izzy Black]

I think in every poll that's ever been taken on Match Cut involving Wes Anderson, Wes Anderson has placed far higher than one should reasonably expect. Match Cut really likes Wes Anderson.

QFT.

[TGM]

Moonrise Kingdom was nominated for a bunch of Matchies wasn't it?

Not just nominated, it won most of them, too.

[Sycophant]

Wes Anderson is my favorite American filmmaker and I will not feel the least bit apologetic about that.

[MadMan]

Wes Anderson is my favorite American filmmaker and I will not feel the least bit apologetic about that.He's one my favorites, that's for sure. So high five.

[MadMan]

I watch what I have time/money for and what I can get my hands on. That's just how I roll, man.

[baby doll]

Wes Anderson is my favorite American filmmaker and I will not feel the least bit apologetic about that.You mean your favorite living American filmmaker, right? I like his movies as well, but I wouldn't put him in the same company as John Cassavetes, D.W. Griffith, Howard Hawks, Buster Keaton, Stanley Kubrick, Nicholas Ray, or Orson Welles (just to name a few of my favorites).

[Sycophant]

Hi baby doll.

[MadMan]

I'm not going to get into another favorite vs best debate with you people I really will not.