2012's Best!!!

10 BEST FILMS OF 2012

For the first time ever, I make this list with a bit of a caveat.  Due to time restrictions I haven’t seen Lincoln yet, nor have I seen Django Unchained.   Due to lack of screening options I haven’t seen Silver Linings Playbook either, and all are films I think would merit a spot on this list.  However, here we present the standing 10 best films of the year.

10.  Chronicle:  A surprisingly well done and smartly written look at what happens when the bullied can become the bully.

9.  The Divide:  What happens if you survive a nuclear blast?   What happens if there are others?  Were the dead really the lucky ones?

8.  V/H/S:  A vicious, no-holds-barred “found footage” horror film that brought true terror to the multiplexes.

7.  Looper:  A clever little sci-fi film that was just clever enough to not alienate audiences.

6.  Cosmopolis:  Cronenberg manages to squeeze a real performance from Pattinson, a polarizing film that wrapped me in its world.

5.  Argo:  Puts you back into the Iranian hostage crisis, director Affleck had his stuff right with this one.

4.  The Dark Knight Rises:  Took a hit after the Aurora nightmare, sadly overshadowed a brilliant end.

3.  Hitchcock:  A look at the legend as he makes his masterpiece, never loses focus and feels deeply real. 

2.  The Avengers:  The best time I’ve had at the theater this entire year, with a great cast and smart story backing it up.

1.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower:  Not as good as The Breakfast Club, but damn close.  A brilliant coming of age tale for this generation.

Mini Review: "Jack Reacher"

Feels like Cruise channeling a more intense version of Ethan Hunt, but still a fun and enjoyable watch.  Nice cameo from Robert Duvall as well.

B

Mini Reviews!

Cloud Atlas:  A stunningly ambitious film based on the 2004 novel of the same name, and while very clever and the type of avant garde cinema we need more of, this film is quite dull.   D

Looper:  Another outside the box sci-fi thriller, another daring type film that we need more of yet unlike the previous film this one is oustanding and an good watch.  A-

You wanted the worst, you got the worst! 10 Worst Films of 2012!

WORST MOVIES OF 2012

10.  Ted – Just not funny, maybe it was the hype it didn’t live up to, but I felt like I was watching a bad homage to a Cheech and Chong movie.

9.  Casa de me Padre – More proof of what I’ve been saying for decades….Will Ferrell is not funny.

8.  The Cabin in the Woods – You know youre in a bad movie when the scripts highlight is the pretty college blonde making out with the moosehead on the wall.

7.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – More proof that good geek fiction never translates to good film.

6.  Total Recall – You have to have an imagination to do a re-imagining.

5.  Battleship – Or, as its known overseas, Americans needing a paycheck.

4.  Snow White and the Huntsmen – See, Kristin Stewart can’t act in anything.

3.  That’s My Boy – Another Adam Sandler movie on the worst list…its almost a tradition by now..

2.  This Means War – Reese Witherspoon?  Really?  Going to war over Reese Witherspoon?  Was ebola spoken for?

1.  Rock of Ages – Say what you will about 80s rock, the fact its survived all the jabs thrown means it’ll outlive this auto-tuned, glee-ifed, diarrhea inducing attempt at film. 

Mini Review: "Hitchcock"

What a great performance from Anthony Hopkins, leading the way as he became the legendary director, nice turns from Johansson and Biel as well, and I think the always wonderful Helen Mirren rounded out this magnificent film.

A+

Mini Review: "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"

Based on the book, this look into a troubled young man's freshman year of high school is tender and compassionate.  A brilliant performance by Emma Watson as well as most of the cast nails down a top notch film.

A+

Mini Review: "Trouble With The Curve"

A nice, friendly, predictable film that was so cozy and familiar to the actors, they were able to relax and do what they do best.  Not great by any stretch, but enjoyable and its always nice to see Clint.

B