Jan 9 2013 – As we close out another exceptional year of cinematic offerings, we ask John Dash (our movie critic) to select his top 10 movies of 2012. T-Mak World is focused on genre movies and in particular horror movies so don’t expect any Oscar nominees on our coverage! With his no compromise approach here is what John Dash believes were the cinematic masterpieces of 2012.
10. Citadel
Writer, director Ciaran Foy takes you through a dark and brooding trek into a trio of UK tenement buildings as an agoraphobic father tries to save the life of his baby girl and find out the nightmarish truth about these feral children who breed on the young to survive. Aneurin Barnard role as the agoraphobic father is not to be missed. We saw this movie at Toronto After Dark Film Festival and you can read our review here.
9. Act of Valor
This movie is not just another Navy SEAL send up. Anchored by a brilliant theme song from Snow Patrols If The Storm Ends and heavy with insider secrets seldom seen in lesser than films, Act of Valor peels back the curtains on the secretive world of Navy SEALs and exposes the sacrifices elite teams must take. A CIA operative recovery mission unexpectedly results in the discovery of an imminent terrifying global threat. The reality that not everybody wins adds to the hyper realism.
8. My Amityville Horror (Documentary)
This emotional retelling of the paranormal happenings at 112 Ocean Drive in Amityville, New York by David Lutz, the young boy now 40 something, is haunting as he navigates the corridors of dread that ignited a fire storm in 1975. After some 35 years, the disturbing psychological imprinting from those 28 days continues to linger within David making his life journey forever scarred. We saw this movie at Toronto After Dark Film Festival and you can read our review here.
7. The Possession
A family on the verge of falling apart goes to extraordinary lengths to save their daughter who will not relinquish a mystic Jewish wine cabinet box, called a dibbuk that starts to takes hold. Based on true events this Sam Raimi produced horror is dark right from the opening scene and makes you start to question your own beliefs by the end. Jeffery Dean Morgan shines as the bleary eyed father desperate to save his daughter. Read our review of the movie here.
6. Bourne Legacy
It would stand to reason that writer director Tony Gilroy would helm the latest Bourne instalment given his 3 previous box office successes in the series. And even without the star power of Matt Damon, this refreshing reboot in this spy vs spy thriller holds up nicely due to the power of a solid screenplay that doesn’t miss a beat.
5. Prometheus
Ridley Scott’s latest ethereal alien opus mezmorises with viceral splendour as a unit of explorers seeks the origins of mankind on earth. This quasi prequel to Alien mines the depths of the sci-fi genre with surgerical precision that satiates all who view.
4. The Grey
Reinventing the survival movie genre is no easy feat, but writer director Joe Carnahan icy high octane thriller backed with a driving storyline and standout acting turns is the closest your gonna get in 2012. When a group of oil rig roughnecks at the tail end of their job fly back from Alaska to civilization, their subsequent plane crash, mortal wounds and stalking pack of rogue wolves test the limits of their existence.
3. Haywire
Steven Sodenberg show once again his directing prowess is worthy of all the accolades and more in this slick black ops thriller that’s all wrapped up with a “paybacks a bitch” female assassin. Writer Lem Dobbs edgy bondesque screenplay and alpha male antagonists provides the required counterpoint to Gina Carona’s take no prisoners performance. Carano is the new Mrs. Smith.
2. Django Unchained
This genre bending opus to spaghetti westerns and the raveges of slavery is classic Quentin. When you break it down Django is a reinvention in cinematography and direction as Quentins breaks all convention to deliver a film devoid of overiding cliches yet raw in its conviction. Read our full movie review here.
1. The Hunger Games
Novelist Suzanne Collins distopic masterpiece turned film comes to life in a way words on a page just can’t convey. With elements of Lord of the Flies mixed with George Orwells 1984, this grinding world of conformity broken down into 12 districts of Panem is the most intriguing movie of the year. Hunger Games is a world where district children must fight in a yearly televised games to the death. Parents have no currency and the ruling class is all mighty but Katniss Everdeen must fight for her right to live free or die.
Editors Note – I consider these pics pretty unconventional and that is the beauty of Top 10 lists. I am almost embarrassed to publish a list that has The Hunger Games on it, let alone in the number 1 spot but we gave our movie critic free reign and that is the type of movie he likes (note – he is not a 13 year old female which makes his pick even more surprising). Here’s to hoping our readers find something to watch that they may have overlooked. – Terry (T-Mak)
