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Our pick of films for 2012After consulting our reviewers, we've settled on our list of the best films of the past year.You can never get complete agreement on movie lists. In this annual feature, we've tried to select films which are worthwhile, entertaining and reasonably family-friendly. If you would like to nominate others, please make a comment. It's interesting to see how many excellent foreign-language films have positive messages about human dignity. There's more to life than popcorn! The films are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked in order of excellence. Aftershock In 1976, at the height of the Cultural Revolution, a powerful earthquake struck the city of Tangshan, killing between 240,000 (government figures) and 650,000 (later estimates) people . The terrifying moments of disaster come in the opening moments, but the film is really about the strength of family ties and respect for life. Unsurprisingly, because it is in Mandarin with subtitles, it was hardly reviewed in the Anglosphere when it appeared in 2010. But in China Aftershock ((Tangshan dadizhen) became the biggest-grossing Chinese film ever made. A wonderfully humane movie with an unexpected pro-life message. (This was released in 2010, but only made to the video shops recently.)
Marvel’s The Avengers Here they are, in just one movie (saves time!), all of Marvel Comics greatest superheroes: The Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Iron Man and I’ve probably forgotten a few. Marvellous fun, even though it doesn’t make much sense. Lots of gadgets, acrobatics, special effects and snappy dialogue.
Brave Pixar goes to the Scottish Highlands in this entertaining animated film about a feisty young princess who rebels against her mother’s arrangements for marriage. Kids will love it.
Coriolanus Visceral and visually striking, this version of one of Shakespeare’s historical plays is electrifying entertainment. It has a peculiar relevance in a time when questions hover over the glorification of war, the legitimacy of democracy, and demagogic politicians.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey The critics have been kind but not enthusiastic about the first of three instalment of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel. But the technical excellence, the lively acting and the charm of the story make it irresistible viewing.
Hugo This wonderfully inventive fantasy by a masterful director won five Oscars last year. Twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the Gare Montparnasse railway station in Paris where he furtively takes care of the station’s clocks and tries to avoid the busybody policeman who would send him to an orphanage in the blink of an eye. It’s a gorgeous depiction of a slightly surrealistic city where everything is mechanical and above all a celebration of the early days of cinema. Hard to describe but a treat to watch.
Le Havre This tremendously appealing film tells the story of a shoe-shiner who tries to save a boy who is an illegal immigrant from Gabon in the French port city Le Havre. Kaurismäki, one of Finland’s leading directors, does a brilliant job of highlighting the virtues of kindness, heroism and solidarity.
Lincoln Spielberg has turned Doris Kearns Goodwin’s bestseller Team of Rivals into a compelling film with the help of a brilliant portrayal by Daniel Day-Lewis. It covers the final four months of Lincoln's life, focusing on his efforts to get Congress to pass an amendment banning slavery. The New York Times called it “among the finest films ever made about American politics”. A profound celebration of the finest flower of American democracy and an engaging narrative.
Monsieur Lazhar This Oscar nominee is a superb film about teaching and growing up and the mystery of suffering. In the opening scene a sixth-grader opens the door of a classroom to discover that his teacher has hanged herself. The school has deal with the trauma and to hire a new teacher – an Algerian migrant who makes himself loved but who has his own secret trauma.
A Separation This emotionally wrenching film from Iran gives an insight into this complex country and at the same time asks universal questions about family, law, justice and religion. It opens with a middle-class couple disputing before a judge about a divorce prompted by tension over the husband’s father who has Alzheimer’s disease. But the plot – almost a legal thriller – expands to take in a poor, deeply religious woman who takes a job as a carer, her brutish husband, and a trial for murder. A tough but immensely humane film. Michael Cook is editor of MercatorNet Want to read more articles by Michael Cook Click on the links below
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