Yet more of the best of the 2012 films:

• Bernie (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was more or less a true story, and probably the best work Jack Black has ever done. It’s full of East Texas quirk and humour and small-town whispering and, as it turns out, murder. Very entertaining.
• It seemed difficult to understand how Skyfall (imdb | rotten tomatoes), a James Bond film, could score a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, Casino Royale rated a 95%, but I think had more to do with genuine surprise at the success of the reboot with Daniel Craig as Bond. When Quantum Of Solace more or less sucked — or, rather, turned out to be a generic old Bond film — I think everyone assumed the party was over. But Skyfall impressed me by stitching together the best of the rebooted franchise (humanity and a feel of real physicality) with the best of the classic Bond themes, all while adeptly referencing the past films. I was quite pleased with it, as someone who both appreciates real film-making and who has a soft spot for classic Bond.
• Over time The Invisible War (imdb | rotten tomatoes) will likely gain the label of “essential” documentary as a result of its social impact. At least, I hope it will.  It certainly deserves to, as it tries to reveal a crime that’s too often covered up: rape in the US military. Now, it’s not exactly a secret that rape occurs in the military, but what the documentary makers focus on — and what shocked me — was the absolute lack of action taken by a military hierarchy which admits the problem. So either those in charge are unable to fix the problem, or they’ve accepted that it’s a natural side effect of putting women and men in such close quarters. That sounds ridiculous, but it’s a view that was actually endorsed by a Fox News analyst this year. Be warned: this isn’t an easy documentary to watch, but it’s vital that everyone does.

.:.

Photo by zoe toseland, under under Creative Commons license