It didn't seem like it at first, but 2012 turned out to be an interesting year for movies. Especially since our movie calendar started out with probably the worst movie ever....The Devil Inside. A totally laughable found footage exorcism movie. Fortunately the month closed out with The Grey. It was the kind of movie that creeps up on you in your dreams. The next big surprise was Chronicle. The previews looked like a typical teen movie like the sucky Project X, but it was more than that, it was impressive. Salmon Fishing in Yemen was funny, romantic and clever. Then we were subjected to Act of Valor which was a propaganda film for the Navy SEALS As much as one appreciates our men in uniform, it really didn't do anyone a service. 21 Jump Street was so funny to the person sitting next to me at the screening, that I couldn't hear over the laughter. It was the beginning of the year of Channing Tatum many movies. Hunger Games was the first big draw of the season with it's Young Adult novel audience. The older audience was charmed by The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Our brains were sucked dry by the remake of the Three Stooges, but Joss Whedon came to our rescue with the most amazing Cabin in the Woods to restore our faith in movies. He was also responsible for The Avengers thankfully reminding us that superhero movies can be more than great FX. The wonderfully touching French film The Intouchables stirred our hearts and made a foreign film accessible. That's My Boy reminded me why I dislike Adam Sandler movies. Battleship failed to make Taylor Kitsch a star after he failed in John Carter, which I enjoyed more than this board game redo. Men in Black 3 was much better than the second of the series. As a huge Alien fan I had hopes for Prometheus which looked great, but amounted to a big black hole. So happy with Moonlight Kingdom, which restored my faith in quirky smart movies that messed with your head. Rock of Ages was weird, and not being a Tom Cruise fan, it was just annoying. Beast of the Southern Wild bored some, but fascinated many. Quvenzhane Wallis deserves some recognition for her performance. Safety Not Guaranteed was surprising and funny as well as Your Sister's Sister. Love those indie films. Abraham Lincoln the Vampire Hunter confused a lot of people, Ted offended a lot of people, and Magic Mike made lots of women happy. The Amazing Spiderman and The Dark Knight Rises in one month made comic book fans giddy with truly well done treatments. The Watch and Total Recall were bombs. Killer Joe fans will never eat chicken again. The best documentaries of the year were Ai WeiWei:Never Sorry, Searching for Sugarman, First Position, Wild Horses Wild Ride, Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Bully. For a Good Time Call... and Pitch Perfect showed that womancentric comedy can be truly funny. The unfortunate timing of Clint Eastwood's political TV appearance didn't help Trouble With the Curve. Perks of a Wallflower made everyone's best of the year list and hopes that we will see Ezra Miller more often in movies. Seven Psychopaths – loved it. Wreck it Ralph and Rise of the Guardians were favorite animated movies, but really loved the Secret World of Arrietty. The Sessions brought us a bravely naked Helen Hunt and an amazing performance by John Hawkes. Lincoln will probably walk away with the big awards. Everyone loves a movie that makes them feel smart. Denzel Washington made everyone gasp over that small liquor bottle in Flight. Silver Lining Playbook showed that Jennifer Lawrence is the new “it” girl, and for once Bradley Cooper was not Hangover Bradly Cooper. Robert Di Niro should get a best supporting nod as the sports OCD dad. Life of Pi blew me away. Eye candy and a touching story. My favorite of the year. Ben Affleck impressed us with his directing skills in Argo. Enjoyed End of Watch so much I saw it three times. Skyfall breathed fresh air to the franchise, and Javier Bardem was freaking amazing. The Twilight Saga is finally over. Too bad they didn't start the series with the last one which was so much better than the other three. Outside of Bill Murray's surprising turn as FDR in Hyde Park on Hudson, the movie was a bit of a disappointment. This is 40 was funny, but I don't know any of those people in life anywhere. We welcomed back Middle Earth with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with it's innovated 48 frames per second but don't know if we actually saw that version. It sure looked good. Les Miserables assures Anne Hathaway will get a golden statue with her gut wrenching performance. Django Unchained was off the charts. A MUST see. Didn't get to see Zero Dark Thirty or The Impossible which have both garnered lots of buzz on everyone's charts. Wasn't invited to the press screenings. Oh well.
Would love to hear your comments.
reesa
Django Unchained was funny and serious at the right times and The Perks of Being a Wallflower made me want to read the book again. :)
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