Colin Trevorrow’s pleasantly surprising debut effort is that most wonderful kind of comedy, one where the laughs are big but the heart is even bigger. It wrestles with complex and genuine human emotions, dives deep into the psychology of one of science fiction’s most fascinating concepts, and creates warm, memorable, three-dimensional characters worth investing oneself in. The film is a small-scale triumph deserving of celebration.
Safety Not Guaranteed is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
A much better film than many have given it credit for, Marc Webb’s Spider-Man reboot may not be inherently necessary a mere five years after Sam Raimi’s trilogy ended, but with a perfectly assembled cast, top-notch technical credits, a warm emotional core, and a compelling spin on the origin-story mythos, The Amazing Spider-Man is a very worthwhile addition to the modern superhero canon, and one of my favorite films of the year.
The Amazing Spider-Man is currently available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
21. Les Miserables
My thoughts remain complicated on Tom Hooper’s ambitious film adaptation of the celebrated stage musical; it falls flat too frequently for me to put it any higher than this, but when everything clicks, the film is absolutely entrancing, as stunning and powerful as anything else released this year. Anne Hathaway’s supporting turn as Fantine is my second-favorite performance of 2012, and her devastating, show-stopping delivery of “I Dreamed a Dream” may be my single favorite scene of the year. Les Miserables is not quite a great film overall, but it is brilliant enough often enough to place this high.
Les Miserables arrives in theatres nationwide December 25th.
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