the dark knight rises | Killing Time

The first iteration of this blog dates back more than a decade to when I just used to mass email a list of cool stuff I’d found out to a bunch of my friends. I called it the Renaissance News. I’ve let that mostly fall by the wayside in this current iteration, but every year around Oscar time, I do the Renaissance Film Awards (or Rennys as they are known in the business), which are basically my personal Oscars. It is a dictatorial process; subjective to my tastes and it follows the Oscar categories with a few exceptions. I have an ensemble cast award like the SAG Awards. I do not have the documentary or short film awards or-as I like to call them-the part of the broadcast for snack making. I also, to my shame, have not seen any foreign language films this year, so I’ll update the draft when I get around to that. These are this year’s nominees and winners, probably the most widespread dispersion in the eleven or so years I’ve done this. There was an abundance of riches this year. So here they are: this year’s Rennys.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Argo
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Life of Pi
Lincoln
The Silver Linings Playbook
WINNER: ARGO

Best Original Screenplay
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
Looper
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Seven Psychopaths
WINNER: LOOPER

Best Visual Effects
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Life of Pi
Prometheus
WINNER: THE LIFE OF PI

Best Sound Mixing
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Looper
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty
WINNER: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Best Sound Editing
Argo
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Zero Dark Thirty
WINNER: ZERO DARK THIRTY

Best Song
“Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift, The Hunger Games
“Skyfall” by Adele, Skyfall
“Song of the Lonely Mountain” by Neil Flynn, The Hobbit: AUJ
“Too Old To Die Young” by Brother Dege, Django Unchained
“Touch the Sky” by Julie Fowlis, Brave
WINNER: “SKYFALL” BY ADELE, SKYFALL

Best Score
Alexandre Desplat, Zero Dark Thirty
Michael Dyana, The Life of Pi
Thomas Newman, Skyfall
Howard Shore, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Hans Zimmer, The Dark Knight Rises
WINNER: HOWARD SHORE, THE HOBBIT: AUJ

Best Animated Feature
Brave
Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
WINNER: BRAVE

Best Makeup
The Avengers
Django Unchained
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Impossible
Lincoln
WINNER: LINCOLN

Best Film Editing
Argo
The Dark Knight Rises
Looper
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty
WINNER: ARGO

Best Costumes
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hunger Games
Les Miserables
WINNER: THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

Best Art Direction
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables
The Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
WINNER: THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

Best Cinematography
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables
The Life of Pi
Skyfall
WINNER: SKYFALL

Best Ensemble Cast
Argo
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
WINNER: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Best Supporting Actress
Judi Dench, Skyfall
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Jackie Weaver, The Silver Linings Playbook
WINNER: ANNE HATHAWAY, LES MISERABLES

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Javier Bardem, Skyfall
Robert DeNiro, The Silver Linings Playbook
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Andy Serkis, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
WINNER: JAVIER BARDEM, SKYFALL

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Keira Knightley, Seeking a Friend at the End of the World
Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games
Jennifer Lawrence, The Silver Linings Playbook
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
WINNER: JESSICA CHASTAIN, ZERO DARK THIRTY

Best Actor
Tom Holland, The Impossible
Joseph Gordon Levitt, Looper
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Denzel Washington, Flight
WINNER: DANIEL DAY-LEWIS, LINCOLN

Best Director
Ben Affleck, Argo
Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Peter Jackson, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Ang Lee, The Life of Pi
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises
WINNER: BEN AFFLECK, ARGO

Best Picture
Argo
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Looper
Zero Dark Thirty
WINNER: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

TDKR and The Hobbit rotate in my mind daily (with Argo not far behind). I changed my mind between when I did my Top 10 earlier this month and now. What settled it for me was that a spectacular finale trumped a fantastic beginning . No film won more than three awards. It was a triumphant year for movies and some of these were even nominated by that show that will be on Sunday. What films got your personal Oscars this year?

2012 was the year that movies made me want to see movies again. I saw over 75 movies in 2011, and of those, perhaps 20 were good. That is not a good ratio. To be honest the only real classic movie from 2011, though there are a few I like very much, was Hugo. 2012 was so full of anticipated and surprising quality films that I’m going to break the rule of my own column and do a top 10 (though I swear-and the archives will back me up-I’m traditionally a stickler for 5).

I’m not going to re-review them all; I’m just going to present a gallery of the posters in order from 1-10 but 11-20 are so strong that they would have been most of the top 10 in any other year. If you want to vote on your favorite move of 2012, take the poll I’ll put up on the site and let me know. I’ll keep it open 30 days and let you know the community’s pick. All hail cinema!