40 Years of Movies: 2012

 


2021 is the year I turn 40. As part of my celebration, I'm looking back at 40 years of movies, picking my favorite film from each year I've been around! To learn more about the criteria for this process, check this introduction. Each post will feature my pick, plus three runner's up. So check back over the next 40 weeks of this journey!

2012:

The Hunger Games
About: This was a year that presented some tough choices, but I landed on The Hunger Games. I wasn't as taken with the series of sequels, and I wasn't a big book reader, but I loved the first film. The story is intentionally grim, or at least the idea is. There is a depth to this that is making a commentary or social structures, our fascination with reality television and our cultural lust for violence. You can watch the film without thinking about that, I suppose, but for me that was the heart of what raises this to a level above. And Jennifer Lawrence is great.

Other Considerations:
Silver Linings Playbook
About: Speaking of Lawrence, she won an Academy Award for this film, which pairs her opposite Bradley Cooper as a pair of damaged souls who find something in each other and through a dance competition. It's funny, heart felt and engaging. It was a Best Picture contender and I like it a lot. I read the book, which is also interesting. These two power the film with felt unique.

Pitch Perfect
About: This comedy has some wonderful music and some endearing characters. Anna Kendrick is great in the center of the narrative, but this is a strong collective. I enjoyed the sequels, but neither stands up to how great the original film was. This was a good time and is a soundtrack I revisit often.

The Avengers
About: The culmination of years of discussion and four years of other films, at the time this original Avengers film was unlike anything we'd seen. For a long time it was one of my favorite MCU films, but they've had some many great ones in recent years this has slipped down the list a little. It remains a great and fascinating achievement.

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