#50
Marley
Dir. Kevin MacDonald
While it felt a little like a biography you didn’t have to read, Marley is still a good insight into the life of one of the most remarkable individuals in history. With interviews with those closest to him, you get a sense what made the man tick and inspired him to write his music. As far as music documentaries go, this is one of the best out there.
#49
Premium Rush
Dir. David Koepp
Joseph Gordon Levitt had a BIG year in 2012. This is the first film of the list that he starred in and there are still three more big ones to go. Premium Rush is the most “popcorny” of the movies, but I still liked it. I will say, that in a way, it was kinda stupid, but it accomplished what it had to, which was keep me entertained for 90 minutes. Not high art by any stretch of the imagination, but worth checking out.
#48
The Avengers
Dir. Joss Whedon
I bet you didn’t expect to see The Avengers so soon on this list, but just because everyone in the world seemed to like it doesn’t mean I did. Well, I did like it, but I don’t think it was quite as spectacular as the general public made it out to be. I thought the actors all gave fairly good performances, but I wasn’t a big fan of the story, which surprisingly didn’t engage me. I can still admit that this is an important moment for comic book films, and was good, just not as good as I would have like.
#47
The Queen of Versailles
Dir. Lauren Greenfield
There are a lot of movies coming out these days about the current economic situation in our country. No movie captures it’s effect quite like The Queen of Versailles. Why? Because it’s a documentary. The film is actually pretty funny at times because these people do ridiculous things with all their money, but when dire times hit, you actually find yourself sympathizing for them as they lose just about everything.
#46
Arbitrage
Dir. Nicholas Jarecki
Richard Gere has a bit of a career resurgence in this thriller. He has a solid supporting cast around him, which includes veterans like Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth as well as up and comers like Nate Parker and The Sound of My Voice’s Brit Marling. The financial world stuff weighed a little thin on me, but it also makes this like an update of Wall Street.
#45
The Kid With a Bike
Dir. Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
Out of Belgium comes this drama about the adolescent mind. To me, the premise didn’t sound all that interesting and I figured it was just about a kid with a bike, but what it really turned out to be was a surprising dark story about what happens when a child is forced to try and cope with life without parents. The story takes some shocking turns that kept me engaged throughout.
#44
Sleepless Night
Dir. Frédéric Jardin
2012 was a solid year for action films. There are still a few more big ones coming on this list from various reaches of the world, but this one comes from, of all places, France. Yes, the French actually are pretty spectacular when it comes to making all-out action movies and Sleepless Night is a classic example. Through all the gunfire, stunts and explosions, there actually is a decent story to be had here, which is what sets foreign action films apart from their American counterparts.
#43
Trouble With the Curve
Dir. Robert Lorenz
After Gran Torino, we all thought Clint Eastwood retired from the acting biz. Apparently that wasn’t true. Here he returns in this baseball drama, that is, admittedly, run-of-the-mill. I did enjoy it, but if Clint was going to pull a Favre, I kind of wish it was in something a little deeper. Still, if you like baseball (which I do) than this is worth checking out.
#42
To Rome With Love
Dir. Woody Allen
After Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen seemed to be on the comeback trail. He continues the rapid travel on that trail with To Rome With Love. While certainly not close to Woody’s more classic efforts, there are still some very funny moments. The film boasts a top-notch cast, including a supporting turn by Allen himself, which is always an added bonus.
#41
Ruby Sparks
Dir. Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Zoe Kazan writes and stars in this quirky romantic comedy. Not that “quirky romantic comedy” makes it seem like anything special, but this is truly unique. The added fantasy element almost makes this feel like a Woody Allen film and that’s never a bad thing.
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