Directing his third movie, Affleck chose a movie with a bigger scope and more locations than his two Boston-set crime thrillers. And he pulled it off quite well with a suspenseful but rather humorous political thriller/Hollywood satire. And with universal critical acclaim and strong box office returns, Affleck is proving that he is a directorial talent with a distinctive voice and staying power. 2012 was a good year for Affleck as he finds himself at the forefront of the 2012 Oscar race and deservedly so.
She was on the list last year and again she earned a spot on this year's list. Chastain, fresh off her Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for The Help last year, showed a different side with a comic voice performance in the animated hit Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and then wowwed audiences with an acclaimed performance in Lawless. But her biggest achievement this year is again being at the forefront of the Oscar race with Zero Dark Thirty but this time her celebrated performance is the frontrunner to win Best Actress.
Last year, I was impressed with Deschanel's work on New Girl. This year, with episodes like "Menzies," "Eggs," and "Santa" as well as many of the late season 1 episodes earlier this year, Deschanel proved that she is a brilliant comedian who effortlessly captures the existential crises of the late 20s set. But New Girl has turned into one of the best ensembles on TV as each cast member (Max Greenfield, Hannah Simone, Jake Johnson and Lamorne Morris) brings a fresh comic perspective to the show. New Girl was a star vehicle that morphed into a star-driven ensemble and it's become one of the best comedies for that reason.
As the creator, star, writer, director and producer of the HBO smash Girls, Dunham emerged as one of 2012's most intriguing talents. While her show is polarizing, there's no denying that it has a distinctive voice and point of view. With a film in the Criterion Collection and 4 Emmy nominations to her belt, Dunham haa risen out of nowhere and become one of the year's most interesting success stories.
When Anne Hathaway was announced as playing Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Christopher Nolan's 3rd and final Batman film, the news was met with skepticism. She was too nice, too brainy for the slinky role. But girlfriend proved them wrong, garnering almost universal praise for her layered, funny and sexy portrayal as a woman torn between herself and the greater good. Hathaway is also getting acclaim for her role as Fantine in Les Miserables. Her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream," first heard in the teaser trailer, already earmarked her for an Oscar nomination and she may be the frontrunner to win. Considering she began 2011 being ridiculed for her Oscar hosting gig, Hathaway turned it all around for herself in 2012.
The man died 147 years ago and yet he is still a topic of discussion. Considering his achievements as the 16th President, that is not really surprising. But while most Presidents get a biopic once in a while or an HBO miniseries every now and then, Lincoln was the subject of not one, but two mainstream movies. And both are wildly different. One envisioned Lincoln as a determined vampire hunter (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) and the other was one of the prestige pictures of 2012 and a frontrunner for most of the major Academy Awards.
Family Guy celebrated its 200th episode. Ted broke box office records for R-rated comedies. And he was asked to host the 2013 Oscars. It's been an incredible year for voice actor/show creator/director Seth Macfarlane, who's finally getting to shine for himself and not just for his talents as a voice actor. It's no surprise that his shows and movie were so popular (they're funny in a way that's hard to pull off--sweet, raunchy and just on the right side of off-color). But Macfarlane will be a great Oscar host because he both loves and is able to parody the best and worst of pop culture.
No one really expected McConaughey to have a career resurrection but his reemergence as a viable actor capable of surprising performances was one of the best surprises of the year. With Bernie, Killer Joe and Magic Mike, McConaughey delivered a trio of varied, nuanced acting jobs that show he's more than a bland romantc-comedy hero. I especially liked him in Magic Mike, where he parodies his sunshine, carefree persona but shows a hint of danger and menace. Killer Joe is a bizarre trailer-park neonoir and he does great, intimidating work. I hope McConaughey keeps up the good work in 2013 and continues to surprise his audience.
The ChanMan released 5 movies this year. Three of which, The Vow, 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike, grossed over $100 million dollars at the box office. In an era where the box office draw of the A-list celebrity has come into doubt, Tatum proved them all wrong. Each of those hit movies played to a specific target audience and, more impressively, each had some crossover appeal. The common denominator is Tatum himself, a male sex symbol who has been accepted by both men and women. Only time will tell if the ChanMan's power at the box office will continue, but I have no doubts.
Starting with Iron Man in 2008, the Marvel film universe has been rebooting itself with a new superhero movie every year or so. And it all led up to the magnum opus, The Avengers, which would feature everyone from Iron Man to Hawkeye. While pre-release buzz was high, no one could expect that The Avengers would be the mammoth box office hit it was. Of course writer/director/geek god Joss Whedon should get most credit. Wrangling diverse but powerful actors Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner,Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders and Clark Gregg and their respective screen personas would have been tough but Whedon pulled it off. The Avengers is a fun, funny, exciting, and very cool superhero movie and rightly the highest grossing movie of the year.
Those are picks for the hot shots of 2012. What are yours?
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