As a child that grew up in the Chicago area, I grew up watching "At The Movies" with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel on WGN. At my young age, I didn't realize that other cities didn't have movie reviewers on TV. All I did know is we had the best.
As my love for film grew, I would watch Siskel and Ebert to see if my opinion matched theirs. They became virtual friends before the Internet. As they would have discussions about movies (or even more entertaining, arguments), I would feel like I was discussing it with them without being in the same room. This was what made them different. Roger and Gene made the audience feel like they were sitting with them after the film with the taste of popcorn still lingering on their tongue. I would listen to their critique and re-watch the films to see if I could see the same problems they found. They shaped the way I watch films.
With Roger's passing, we have lost one of the best voices of our time. I can't help but feel I also lost a friend. Rest in Peace, Roger. I'll always save the aisle seat for you.
With the Oscars on Sunday, I thought I would post my 10 top movies of 2012. In general, I thought the year was pretty average. The summer was rather weak and the winter had most of the standouts. Without further ado, here are my top 10:
10) Life of Pi
9) Cloud Atlas
8) Dark Knight Rises
7) Argo
6) The Avengers
5) Skyfall
4) Zero Dark Thirty
3) Django Unchained
2) Silver Linings Playbook
1) Looper
Honorable mention:
Moonrise Kingdom - Just missed the top ten. Truely heartwarming.
Cabin in the Woods - My favorite horror movie of the year.
Wreck-it Ralph - My favorite adimated film of the year.
21 Jump Street - My favorite comedy of the year.
Indie Game: the movie - My favorite documentary of the year.
Every year I feel the same way about the Academy Award nominations. I'm hopeful for my favorite movies to get the exposure and respect they deserve and without fail, this hardly ever happens. This year is no different. Here are my initial reactions to the nominations:
HITS:
- Silver Linings Playbook- I'm so glad the nominations for this film will get more people to see it. It is one of my favorite movies of the year. The fact that it got a nomination in all the acting categories says how good the performances are.
- Daniel Day-Lewis - Best Actor - A formality. He should win this going away.
- Christoph Waltz- Best supporting actor - He was the heart of Django. I hung on every line he delivered.
- Skyfall- Cinematography - The most beautiful film I saw this year. Also, in a weak year for scores, I'm glad it got nominated for best original song by Adele and best score.
- Prometheus- Visual Effects - The most stunning visuals of the year for me.
- Moonrise Kingdom - Original screenplay - Such a heartwarming film that more people need to see.
MISSES:
- The Master- I'm very surprised it didn't get nominated for best picture and cinematography.
- Brave- I don't understand why this was nominated for best animated film. I thought this was the worst Pixar movie they have ever made. The second half of it was a mess.
- Best Director- Leaving Affeck, Bigelow, and Tarantino out was a mistake. Seems like the academy is setting up Spielberg to win.
- Looper- I was hoping it would get a screenplay nod; especially over Lincoln, which I thought was the weakest part of that movie.
- Cloud Atlas- To weave all the story lines together without making the movie a disaster is a marvel.
- Leonardo DiCaprio- He should be nominated for best supporting actor in Django. He stole the scenes he was in.
- Dark Knight Rises- Really? Not one nomination? It should have at least got a nod for best score and an argument could be made for sound and sound editing as well.
I will post my top 10 movies of 2012 in a few days. I still have a couple of movies left to see. Until then...
2012 was the year that the downloadable game flashed its brilliance. My most memorable gaming experiences came from downloadable games and not the major releases. Here are my favorite video games from 2012:
10) Fez - True gaming at heart. I felt like a kid again trying to find all the easter eggs hidden in the levels. True genius in level design.
9) Uncharted: Golden Abyss - Uncharted became my favorite gaming franchise this year and to have a legit Uncharted game on a handheld was unbelievable.
8) Assassin's Creed 3 - It has is faults, it's buggy, and the eavesdropping missions can be frustrating. However, one of the best worlds ever realized in a video game and it was a blast experiencing history with George Washington, Sam Adams, Paul Revere, and friends.
7) Little Big Planet Vita - Another game with genius level design. This is the spiritual successor to Mario games. I couldn't stop smiling while playing it.
6) Sound Shapes - Half platformer and Half music game. This is a game you have to experience to get why it is so good. The level creation tool makes this a fantastic value. After playing the included levels, thousands more await. Loved how Deadmau5 and Beck got behind this and made levels.
5) Persona 4 Golden - No game this year had me addicted to playing like this game did. It came out at the end of the year and was a total surprise. I've never been interested in playing a JRPG before but after seeing it being raved about everywhere, I had to try it, and I'm so glad I did.
4) Mass Effect 3 - The end of the epic space saga. I didn't realize how much I cared about the characters until I got to the end and it pulled the heart strings. A groundbreaking series with real choices that many games in the future will try to duplicate.
3) Unfinished Swan - The biggest surprise of the year. This game came out of nowhere and shocked me with it's creative gameplay and heartwarming story about a boy and his mother.
2) Walking Dead - Not only the best story in gaming this year, but one the best stories in any medium all year. I cared about Clementine like she was my own daughter. The choices that have to me made are gutwrenching, however I always felt I had an option to say or do exactly what I would do in real life. That is just great script writing. I've never read or watched the Walking Dead series but after playing this, I think I'll give them a try, however it will be a high bar to meet.
1) Journey - This is not a game, it is an experience. Not a word is said but it tells a beautiful story. You play with other people but you don't talk to each other or know with whom you are playing. Every scene is like a work of art. This is the poster child for why video games are art. An emotional ride that literally gave me chills and tears.
I wanted to also mention, I played a few older games this year to catch up on things I've missed. I played through the entire Uncharted series and it has become my favorite current gaming series. It is the most cinematic game I've ever played and is the Indiana Jones game I've always wanted. A fantastic experience that I'm glad I went back and played.
I also played Heavy Rain which came out a few years ago. It is a interesting take on the merger of film and gaming. An adult story told in an adult way. I can't wait to see what this team does next.
My favorite iOS game of the year was Hero Academy. Deep gameplay that can be played a minute at a time. Words with Friends but with depth. I wish more people would play this game.
It has been a good year for games but not a great year. Most of the big titles didn't live up to expectations. Thankfully, the small, downloadable games filled in the gaps and my heart.
This year, for my new years resolutions, I'm going to keep it simple. Outside of the typical eating better/workout more resolution all of us will be doing, I have two additional things I want to work on:
1) Write more - I'm going to post more here to expand on my thoughts past the 140 characters Twitter allows.
2) Shoot more - I'm going to be joining a project that takes one photo a day. Most of the photos will probably be bad, some good, and (hopefully) a few will turn out great. The only way to get better as a photographer is to shoot and do it as often as possible.
Here's hoping I can stick to these for the entire year. I hope everyone else is making plans to better themselves as well, in some way. Push yourself. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish.
