Village Voice Names 'The Master' Best Film Of 2012, 'Cloud Atlas' The Worst Film Of 2012

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by Kevin Jagernauth
December 27, 2012 4:52 PM
17 Comments

Well, here's some news that will make one group of fanboys really happy, and another group of fanboys really mad. The sands in the hourglass of 2012 continue to run down, and Village Voice has dropped their list of the best and worst movies. And as always, there's plenty to discuss.

While it didn't quite ride the awards circuit the way some might have expected back in August and September, Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" is still finding love in some quarters, with the movie topping the vote among critics at New York City's alt-weekly. It leads a list of movies that you would expect to find on a best of 2012 list, perhaps leaning a bit more heavily on the arthouse side of things, hence "The Turin Horse" landing above "Lincoln."

Meanwhile, Time Magazine gets a friend in Village Voice, as they too have named The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer's "Cloud Atlas" as the worst of the year. And while most lists of this nature tend to gravitate towards easy fodder, the staff at the alt-weekly spare no one, with the beloved "Beasts Of The Southern Wild" making it in the top ten, along with other prestige-y kinds of movies like "Hyde Park On Hudson," "Hitchcock" and "On The Road" also getting a thumbs down.

Give a look at the top ten selection in each category below and hit Village Voice for even more from their 2012 roundup.

Village Voice 10 Best Movies Of 2012

The Master
Zero Dark Thirty
Holy Motors
Moonrise Kingdom
This Is Not a Film
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Amour
The Turin Horse
Lincoln
Tabu
The Deep Blue Sea

Village Voice 10 Worst Movies Of 2012

Cloud Atlas
God Bless America
Hitchcock
Hyde Park on Hudson
On the Road
What to Expect When You're Expecting
Battleship
Beasts of the Southern Wild
That's My Boy
Alex Cross

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More: Cloud Atlas, The Master, Best Of 2012, 2012: The Year In Review

17 Comments

| Reply
SeriouslY? | April 27, 2013 6:13 AMReply

The master was the worst film I have ever seen.

Maybe in my entire life, so glad history will look back on it as a piece of shit with most 2013 reviews coming out and rightfully saying it's fucking garbage.

Shit film.
Philip | April 27, 2013 9:33 AM

No.
IguessIam | December 31, 2012 8:27 AMReply

Keep in mind that US movies exercise freedom of speech, just as we are all doing now. Censoring our fellow citizens will only ensure that we ourselves will one day be censored. Cloud Atlas bent many race and gender roles, but what harm was done? The point of the cast continuity, which may have been missed, is that the viewer is witnessing an entanglement of the same souls throughout several periods.
jingmei | December 30, 2012 3:50 AMReply

Strangly enough, what's wrong with Beasts of the Southern Wild. Although definitely some sub context contained in the lists, not related with hatress for sure.
CK | December 28, 2012 12:00 PMReply

From the reactions I've read and heard, "Beasts" was fairly polarizing. I liked it, but I can definitely see how some people wouldn't, it had some problems. The fact it was so acclaimed in some quarters probably fed into some backlash.
lane | December 28, 2012 5:18 AMReply

don't really understand how Beasts and Cloud made it on the worst. Melissa Anderson gave a positive review (70 on metacritic) to Beasts in Village Voice, and Nick Pinkerton of the Voice gave Cloud a middle range review (40 on meteoritic). cest la vie
Jay Mckim | December 28, 2012 5:07 AMReply

Thanks god! Cloud Atlas lists in the top spot of the 2012 worst film .

My list is that Cloud Atlas is the worst and the most racist and sexist film of year 2012.
The rat in the spats | March 17, 2013 7:08 PM

What is wrong with you? By allowing actors to shift between races and genders, cloud atlas did more to break race and gender stereotypes than any other film. That wasn't even the point of the person shift though. There was nothing racist or sexist about any of the film. The film was a beautiully accurate portrayal of where humanity has been, and where it may head. I would also like to point out that the film featured leads of men, women, white people, black people, koreans, heterosexuals and homosexuals, whereas the vast majority of the antagonists are white males.

If you think that one of the most accepting, all-emcompassing explorations of the human conditiom is racist due to a few make-up experiments, while you've got zero dark thirty informing people of the horrors of islam, you need your head examined.
Una | December 27, 2012 11:46 PMReply

Cloud Atlas was a joke. Thank god someone said it.
Marcus | December 27, 2012 11:10 PMReply

I don't understand the hate for Cloud Atlas...I went into it knowing nothing but what I saw in the trailer and I left it in awe, craving to see more...I ended up going a second time and I wanted to go a third but ran of time. I thought it was a very well done film, and the acting, make up, and score were outstanding! I guess everyone has different views...
mike | December 28, 2012 4:33 PM

JAY MCKIM, your argument is nonsensical. Why does everyone nowadays have to turn EVERYTHING into a race issue? Yes there is a white man in the film portrayed as an Asian man, but there is also an Asian woman portrayed as a red headed, pale skinned caucasian woman. Is there uproar about that? No, because it was merely a personal choice made by the makers of the film which has no racist link whatsoever.
jay mckim | December 28, 2012 5:01 AM

yeah I agree "I don't understand the hate for Cloud Atlas". You don't have to be insulted by
"Yellowface" cuz you are not the race to be insulted by this film whereas I was directly insulted by Yellowface makeup in white actors in ugly geeky slanty-eye makeup. This film is overtly racist film against Asian male. Again you say so what they are all in conversion make up to other race. You don't care the old Hollywood racist tradition of using Yellowface whereas they used it again. There is no way White guy can play Asian male without wearing a stupid slanty-eye crap. Again you don't care I was insulted.
jimmiescoffee | December 27, 2012 9:35 PMReply

great lists. agree with 90% of worst list. many on best list.
James | February 26, 2013 12:18 PM

@Jay - If you think "Cloud Atlas" was a racist movie, then you bafflingly missed the point of the movie. Either that, or you've been reading all the Yellowface articles and just assumed they were right without seeing the film.
Anonymouse | December 27, 2012 8:31 PMReply

Beasts of the Southern Wild as worst of the year? I have yet to read a compelling criticism arguing thusly. I can see how Cloud Atlas can make this kind of list, yet I thoroughly enjoyed the film.
nightgoat72 | December 27, 2012 5:35 PMReply

Wow, those are my picks for best and worst as well.
nightgoat72 | December 27, 2012 11:32 PM

Nevermind, I just saw Les Miserables. Cloud Atlas has been usurped.