2012: The Year In Review

At one point in time, I dubbed 2012 "the best year for film in history." Now, I do have a bit of a tendency to be hyperbolic, and my colleague is often very quick to calm me down. We have conversed about subjects like this dozens of times, and I have come under the impression that there is actually nothing that we agree on. Of course, I am sure he would disagree with that. However, I digress. Was 2012 the best year in film history? Is there such a thing? Some will define how good a year is by how high its highs are, and others will define it by the sum of the highs.


If we define how good a year is by how high its highs are, we are left with the options of examining if it is defined by the highest high, or the group of very high highs. I understand that may sound confusing, so I will apply it to film. Do we define a year as good for film by the best movie of year or the best movies of the year together. For example, if we are defining the year by the best film of the year, then the best year for film could be 1941 with Citizen Kane, or 1943 with Casablanca, or 1954 with Seven Samurai, etc. If we define the year by the group of best films, then the best year could be 1975 with the five nominees for Best Picture being One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Dog Day Afternoon, Nashville, Barry Lyndon, and Jaws. There is no conversion system, obviously, with Citizen Kane being worth Nashville, Jaws, and Dog Day Afternoon combined, or something. This is up to the individual, but most people tend to gravitate toward the latter option.

The most popular second option is that the year's quality is the sum of its parts, ALL of its parts. This would be the category that I felt 2012 would fall under. This is the kind of year that has a handful of wonderful movies, a bunch of excellent movies, a multitude of great movies, and dozens of good movies. Sure, these are arbitrary terms, but you get my point. 2012 fits this pretty well, but so do lots of years. The question that I have faced is if this year has the greatest sum, and the question has no definite answer because this is not a mathematical equation. Though this is not a mathematical equation, it is quite obvious that some years are better than others. I have seen a lot of movies this year, more than a dozen probably, and I liked most of them. Most were tremendous, and I had more fun this film year than any year before. Do we have to match this year in film up against other years? Absolutely not. This year can stand alone as very good and it doesn't demand comparison, but it is fun to! I could name all fo the movies this year that I thought were good, or contribute to this year being one of the better ones in history, but that would be a bit moot when trying to compare to other years when all the titles for other years would be a  bit harder to list. The reason that people usually tend to compare years based on the highest points of the year is because it is a lot more convenient than watching all of the movies that make up the year. Measuring by the second option has only become easier in modern times with the rise of the Internet and the emergence of the independent film movement.

In recent history, there have been some very good years for film, and some not so good. When my colleague and I discussed it, he raised the point that 1975 is probably the best if we are measuring by the Best Picture nominee list, and that if we are measuring by the second standard, 2007 is also very excellent. However, as I have investigated this subject and discussed it a bit with different people, I have come to the understanding that measuring which year is best may not be the best idea because people will never all agree. Nevertheless, just because it is not the best of ideas to compare years, it is great to praise the year for the heights that it reaches.

2012 saw everything from praiseworthy money magnets like The Avengers to stunning independent films like Beasts of the Southern Wild. This year was ripe with great movies that you probably saw, like Lincoln and Skyfall, and a handful of lower profile critical successes like Amour and Moonrise Kingdom. There are a lot of really good movies this year that you probably did not see, and if you love movies, I encourage you to see the movies that top the end of the year lists because they're worth the time. Personally, my favorite movie of the year was The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and most people probably did not see it (if you haven't, I encourage you to). Life of Pi was stunning and thought provoking, Lincoln moved and inspired me, and The Cabin in the Woods thrilled and entertained me. The smattering of films of all subjects and emotions this year was tremendous. 2012 may not be the best year in film history, but I can say for certain that it has been the best film year in my opinion. I give it an A+, and I encourage all of you to see Beasts of the Southern Wild, because almost none of you saw it. Of course, this is just my personal opinion, because films are only as good as each person finds them. It is a matter of taste, and I understand that. However, if you like films that value theme and message in addition to entertaining value, I encourage you to delve deeper into the films of 2012, because it will be highly rewarding.