Top 5 Films of 2012 so far...

There's slight comfort as we enter the bombastic tales of the summer movie season; a few films have proven their weight dramatically and culturally.  Here's my picks for the top 5 of the year as we near the halfway point:

5) THE CABIN IN THE WOODS- A daffy and effectively scary uprising of the horror genre, courtesy of director Drew Goddard, writer of Cloverfield who earned his stripes while working TV duties with J.J. Abrams and co-writer Joss Whedon.  The meta-coolness behind the film was enough to give it a cool indie credibility, but there's a chilly and wonderfully seductive touch to the film as it plods through in its dissection of the genre in whole.  For whomever might gripe that the characters are merely ciphers, the magicians at the work are fully aware and play with the idea of archetypal horror movie characters in a way that feel more revelatory than the first Scream did back in 1996.  The Cabin in the Woods sat on the shelf for several years due to distributor MGM's financial woes, as well as a brief flirt with a 3-D conversion; happily for the audience that came out (and a decent $40 million gross hints that many did) saw a special scary movie carved out for those long in need of a smart, fun spooky film.  Let the Buffy alums collaborate again soon...

4) BULLY- Likely the most important film to come so far in 2012, Lee Hirsch's thoughtful, emotionally avid documentary set around the concept of teen bullying in schools has incensed many (including the MPAA, who in an act of graciousness changed their initial ruling), as this is a film that demands to be seen be not merely by every student, but by their parents, and every school administrator.  While not the most artful of muckraking projects, it packs an emotional wallop that would be hard pressed not to turn any person into rethinking their ways, or recalling back to less than stellar youthful times.  Bully is a hard, but necessary film that stands as an important piece of filmmaking for any child who has felt less than, and every grown-up who looked the other way.

3) THE HUNGER GAMES- Shockingly, the spring sensation, the same one that broke all those box office records, and had such super-bolic hype also happened to be that rare, imperfect slice of franchise filmmaking that was about something.  Whether viewed as an unlikely mash-up of Battle Royale and 1984 or merely as a cynical Hollywood attempt to capitalize on yet another teen-lit phenomenon, The Hunger Games, smoothly and articulately directed by Gary Ross, is a rare blockbuster friendly franchise that was full of ideas.  Sad, myopic ideas of civilization and worlds gone far astray as kids compete to the death so an all-encompassing set of leaders can retain control.  The Hunger Games is sci-fi in the better sense where the characters advance the story, rather than the props and futuristic gagdetry.  I think somewhere, Phillip K. Dick might be proud.

2) THE KID WITH THE BIKE- The latest slice of humanistic slice of life, brought to the screen from the masters of such, The Dardenne Brothers delivered with their latest, which had its award winning premiere at last years Cannes Film Festival.  Centering their latest around a wayward youth trying to find a sense of home after his father unapologetically casts him aside, there's something slightly daring and beautiful with The Kid With the Bike that hits emotionally without overt sentimentality or preaching.  It's a small gem of a film.

1) JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME- As one who has never quite warmed to the indie-cool sensibilities of the Duplass Brothers before, with their mumblecore indie hits Cyrus and The Puffy Chair, it's a welcome surprise that their latest, about a slacker thirtysomething (played effortless by Jason Segal) works as well as it does.  A small, but passionate piece of American filmmaking, unjustly ignored in it's initial springtime release, I hope this weird, funny, warm family dramedy finds new life in the realms of the home viewing because it's almost the indie slacker version of Homer's Odyssey.


What are your favorite films of 2012 so far?

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Lost in the shuffle in mid March and released without any seeming confidence by Paramount's struggling indie arm, Paramount Vantage, Jeff, Who Lives at Home kind of just came and went.  The sad part is that the film directed by brothers Jay and Mark Duplass (Cyrus, The Puffy Chair) is an affectionate and humane day in the life bittersweet film whose greatest achievement is that of nearly unfathomable surprise.  That the quirky, mumblecore filmmakers-- divisive for sure-- created their richest, smartest and most tenderly conceived characters studies, that of surprisingly substantial emotional impact devoid of sentimental tics, and for it not to be more celebrated feels like a small crime of modern American independent filmmaking.  Perhaps that's over stepping a bit, but there's a wonder and near gracefulness in this sad tale of detachment.  There's also a refreshing and interesting turn related to its performers, all of whom are given something different, and rise to the occasion is such a confounding way.

The Jeff in question is played by Jason Segal, a ne'er do well, 30-year-old man child living in his safe confounds of his mothers basement.  In between bong loads, he starts thinking and obsessing with destiny and the meaning of "it all."  While the nearly flaky archetype of a grown man resisting a normal adult life, pondering and philosophizing the interconnectedness of the universe might appear arch and a bit silly...and truthfully, many of Jeff's ideas are nutty, there's a difference and a subtle humanity to Segal's performance that is never made the butt of a joke, nor defined by only-in-the-arthouse-film-world quirks.  He's a depressed lost loner, and never sought to be a stand-in for a generational divide, merely a sad young man looking to grow.  He's the direct contract to his older brother Pat (Ed Helms), a middling corporate goon who forgot honest communication long ago, replacing it with possessions (his latest prize, a Porshe), while neglecting his wife Linda (Judy Greer.)  Jeff, Who Lives at Home comes full familial circle with Susan Sarandon as the boys mother, a similarly disconnected woman struggling with ambivalence over her sons differences, who gets recharged by a secret office crush. 

To describe the plot of Jeff, Who Lives at Home is almost besides the point.  It reads more often not as though not much happens, but it leads to an honest emotional catharsis, if one is willing to take the leap of bounds of the third act.  Instead it's really a chronicling of a day's adventures in hopes of connecting the disconnected, and the surprising depths of the performers make that possible.  It's almost profound the way that goofy comics like Segal and Helms hold it all back in such a realistic and believable fashion.  It's also nice to see Sarandon rejoice in a role worthy of her superior talents.  What's most surprising, especially coming from a non-fan of Cyrus or The Puffy Chair is the quiet, bittersweet poignancy and restraint the Duplass Brothers bring to Jeff, Who Lives at Home, while keeping their singular brand for the most part in tact; they bring an almost melancholic European art-house sensibility, showcasing a strong degree of wit and happenstance coupled with hard felt emotion, with nary a hint of melodrama or proselytizing.  B+