2012: Top Ten Best & Worst

[Mitch Henessey]

2012 is coming to a close, so let's list our picks for the top ten best movies and the ten worst movies!

10 Best​

1. The Cabin In The Woods-It’s a total mind-fuck from beginning to end, and the puzzling story is loaded with shocking curveballs.

2. Lincoln- Daniel Day Lewis might be the front-runner to win the Oscar for Best Actor, and deservedly so. And on top of that, I wouldn't mind a nomination for Tommy Lee Jones in the Best Supporting Actor category.

3. Django Unchained- Probably won't live up to the hype for most people, but it's still an enjoyable treat for Tarantino fans.

4. The Dark Knight Rises- It's starting to grow on me since I bought it on DVD.

5. Prometheus- Plenty of awe-inspiring visuals, and Scott did a wonderful job of providing a haunting, bleak atmosphere, filled with terror, tension, and wonder.

6. End Of Watch- Needs an Oscar nomination for something.

7. Dredd 3D- It's better than Stallone's Dredd.

8. Chronicle- Easily the best found-footage film in 2012.

9. The Master- Joaquin Phoenix’s remarkable ability to display a wide range of emotions is mesmerizing.

10. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower-A nice heartfelt drama with a superb young cast.

10 Worst​

1. Project X- No story, no plot, no structure and no character development. It's just a shit-fest from beginning to end, and a lame excuse to show naked women on the big screen.

2. ATM- One of the dumbest films I've ever seen in my entire life

3. Gone- I love Amanda Seyfried, but Gone is horribly boring, and the twist at the end is so lame.

4. Resident Evil: Retribution- I still can't believe this franchise made it to five films.

5. House At The End Of The Street- It fails to live up to the very low standards of generic mainstream horror films.

6. This Means War- Tom Hardy and Chris Pine are spies, who use their resources to capture Reese Witherspoon's heart. Just think about that for a second.

7. Chernobyl Diaries- Starts out with some promise, but eventually it devolves into a boring "WE HAVE TO CONSONANTLY RUN FROM THE BAD GUYS!" snoozer.

8. The Five-Year Engagement- I watched this for a second time a few weeks ago, and my God I can't believe I gave this film a positive score.

9. Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance-It's Nicholas Cage in another Ghost Rider film, that's enough.

10. Wrath Of The Titans- I finally saw this last week, and I thought about writing a review on it, but I didn't want to waste the time. Sam Worthington is a TERRIBLE actor. He's the worst action drone in Hollywood, and Wrath Of The Titans makes Man On A Ledge look like a work of art.

 

[JGlass]

I question the validity of your list as Prometheus is ranked so high on the Best of 2012 when truly excellent films like Cloud Atlas, Argo, Silver Linings Playbook, and 21 Jump Street are left off the list.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

You didn't like Prometheus? Did the dislike of a vague Alien prequel have anything to do with this?

I guess I'm in the minority, but I didn't see anything special in Silver Linings Playbook. 21 Jump Street was a funny R-rated comedy, but a lot of the jokes were hit-and-miss. Plus, let's not forget about the cliched and predictable bromance between Channing Tatum and Joanh Hill.

And I left off Cloud Atlas and Argo, because I haven't seen both films yet, so there's always a chance I could change my picks.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

Some movies you left off this list that I really enjoyed like Rock Of Ages, Ted, Avengers and Wreck It Ralph. Did you see them? If so, What did you think of them?

I agree 100% with Chronicle I had my doubts going in but I loved that movie and wish somehow that could happen to me (minus the dying.)

Project X the worst movie of the year though? Sure there was no plot but it was decent.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

4. The Dark Knight Rises- It's starting to grow on me since I bought it on DVD.

I watched it again last night expecting to not enjoy it as much as I did at the cinema due to some gaping logic holes; specifically Batman's miracle back healing with rope and return to Gotham from the middle-east (I think) with no money.

Putting my blinkers on to these things, its still thoroughly entertaining with Bane being a fantastic villain. The scene where Daggett yells at him and demands that he obey him, only for Bane to gently rest his hand on his shoulder then talk about fear and power sent chills down my spine.
His militaristic swagger, posture and facial movements are a world away from Joker's theatricality but Batman had not yet faced a truly physically imposing enemy, so all of Bane's attributes make him a great challenge for Batman to overcome.

Selina Kyle has now overtaken Beckinsale in Underworld as my favourite woman in black. Just throwing that in there.



I need to get back to visiting the cinema regularly as I don't think I've even seen 10 films at the cinema this year so I can only offer up one film as the worst, and that is Rec 3. I've discussed it with Mitch before but if you liked the first 2, do all that you can to avoid the third, its only going to let you down.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Some movies you left off this list that I really enjoyed like Rock Of Ages, Ted, Avengers and Wreck It Ralph. Did you see them? If so, What did you think of them?

Ted was a raunchy and fun R-rated comedy, but I don't think it's worthy of a top ten spot on a best of 2012 films list. As far as The Avengers goes, I was only going to put one superhero movie on this list, and I chose The Dark Knight Rises. In hindsight, my initial love-fest for that film feels like a knee-jerk reaction now. After the theatrical release, I watched it on a DVD a few times, and it didn't blow me away again. The same thing happened with Inception a few years ago.

I'm still on the fence about Rock Of Ages, and I've been planning to see Wreck It Ralph for a while, so I'll watch it soon enough.

Project X the worst movie of the year though? Sure there was no plot but it was decent.

Project X tried to be this shocking and raunchy party film, but the end result is an unoriginal and unfunny found-footage debacle, and I honestly can't think of any redeemable qualities from that film. ATM and Gone were both trainwrecks, but at least they give you a few "it's so bad, you can't help but laugh" moments.

 

[Wolf Pac]

I see Dredd 3D on your list, how about The Raid: Redemption? That film is absolutely brutal, took violence to a whole new level, and it has the best choreographed fight scenes I've seen in a long time. The main characters were really good at making you care and invest your emotions in them, Rama is a kickass machine but you really feel for him cause all he wants to do is just get back to his wife & unborn child, and Tama & Mad Dog are just pure evil, ruthless & scary, first time I felt those about any antagonists in some time. Also the deaths were gruesome. Personally I thought it was better than Dredd 3D but I'm a sucker for Dredd too, so maybe you could tie Raid & Dredd together at 7 since they have similar storylines.

 

[JGlass]

You didn't like Prometheus? Did the dislike of a vague Alien prequel have anything to do with this?

No, it had to do with utter lack of logic in it. Apart from Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, and to an extent Idris Elba, all the characters in the movie straight up sucked. Fuck, even Theron's character sucked, but Theron played her so well that I'm willing to give her a pass.

I guess I'm in the minority, but I didn't see anything special in Silver Linings Playbook. 21 Jump Street was a funny R-rated comedy, but a lot of the jokes were hit-and-miss. Plus, let's not forget about the cliched and predictable bromance between Channing Tatum and Joanh Hill.

I thought Cooper, De Niro, Lawrence, and Tucker all played their characters phenomenally well, and I really felt shaken by a lot of the characters' illnesses. It was also extraordinarily heartwarming. I'll grant you that the plot progressed in a fairly predictable way, but that's not always a bad thing, and I was willing to overlook the lack of originality in terms of storytelling because of how unique and interesting these characters were.

21 Jump Street is one of the funnier comedies released in recent years. The fact that the film was so self-referencing and Channing Tatum managed to not alienate the male audience only helped solidify it as this year's best comedy.

And I left off Cloud Atlas and Argo, because I haven't seen both films yet, so there's always a chance I could change my picks.

Well then you're missing two of this year's best films. Go out and see those ASAP!

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

What are your positives and negatives about Rock Of Ages?

Project X had some funny moments like the midget in the oven for example.

Honestly I would put The Campaign on the top 10 worst movies, that movie really bored me. Oh yeah and you will probably enjoy Wreck It Ralph. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

 

[TLC]

The Best​

1. Argo - Ben Affleck's third film as director and once again he hit a home run. The film is one of the most thrilling films I've seen this year and managed to do it without shoot outs or car chases. The film is made exciting through the excelled dialogue and superb performances. A wonderful film with a great cast, easily my number 1.

2. End of Watch - The best cop film I've seen for a long, long time. Jake Gyllenhall and Michael Pena playing to cops who are the best of friends. The film is filled with humour, emotion and has one of the most brutal, heart breaking endings I've seen for a long time. A brilliant film.

3. Flight - Denzel Washington is back in top form, playing an alcoholic pilot. Not only does it have one of the most terrifying plane crashes ever produced, but it's filled with drama and Denzel Washing is absolutely fantastic.

4. Skyfall - The best Bond I have watched. The film is filled with great action, thrilling fight scenes and a mesmerizing performance from Javier Bardem, this definitely deserves a spot on this list.

5. The Amazing Spider-Man - This may be a bit too high, but I loved it. I had some reservations going in, but man it blew me away. Andrew Garfield plays a great Spider-Man and Emma Stone was gorgeous. A really good reboot.

6. The Dark Knight Rises - I really disliked this when first watching but after coming back to it, it's gone up a lot. Bane was a fantastic villain and it had an epic feel to it. There were some annoying parts with the defeat of Bane and the 'twist', but I had a good time with this film and it was a great way to end the trilogy.

7. Premium Rush - I have no idea why I liked this movie so much. The plot wasn't anything too great, but the film was so fast that I didn't care. A highly entertaining film with Michael Shannon putting on a great performance.

8. 21 Jump Street - A film that I didn't despise Channing Tatum in; that's how good it was. The film is filled with some great humour, fun action and is all around a fun film to watch. The film where they're tripping is the highlight of the film.

9. The Avengers. - A highly entertaining film which was worth the wait. Not as good as I thought it was in cinema, but still very fun and worthy of a place.

10. Chronicle - Putting a new spin on the found footage genre, this film felt very fresh and I had a good time with it.

I haven't seen Lincoln, Killer Joe, Arbitage, Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained and numerous others yet so my list will probably change.

The Worst​

1. Ghost Rider - This film is just awful. I'm a huge Nicolas Cage fan but man this was shit. Somehow worse than the original; probably due to the fact that with Eva Mendes gone, there was no eye candy.

2. Project X - Not original, not really funny, annoying characters and a stupid ending. There is nothing redeeming about this movie.

3. The Hunger Games - I'm probably rating this a little too low, but man I hate this movie. It doesn't deserve the praise it received. It's filled with a poor script, boring story and crap action scenes with the shaky cam being annoying as hell. The only thing decent about the movie was Woody Harrelson and Jennifer Lawrence looking smoking hot.

The rest of the bad films... The Man With The Iron Fists, Keith Lemon movie, Rock of Ages, that Adam Sandler film and a few others.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I see Dredd 3D on your list, how about The Raid: Redemption? That film is absolutely brutal, took violence to a whole new level, and it has the best choreographed fight scenes I've seen in a long time. The main characters were really good at making you care and invest your emotions in them, Rama is a kickass machine but you really feel for him cause all he wants to do is just get back to his wife & unborn child, and Tama & Mad Dog are just pure evil, ruthless & scary, first time I felt those about any antagonists in some time. Also the deaths were gruesome. Personally I thought it was better than Dredd 3D but I'm a sucker for Dredd too, so maybe you could tie Raid & Dredd together at 7 since they have similar storylines.

Hmmm, forgot about The Raid: Redemption. Funny you mention it, because both films have the same gritty and bleak atmosphere, and the protagonists have to fight their way to the top of a tower. But Redemption has become an afterthought for me, so I would have to watch it again sometime.

The main reason why I fell in love with Dredd 3D is it's such an outstanding upgrade over the Stallone original, and I actually enjoy the original Judge Dredd, as a guilty pleasure of course. Such a shame it flopped at the box office.

No, it had to do with utter lack of logic in it. Apart from Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, and to an extent Idris Elba, all the characters in the movie straight up sucked. Fuck, even Theron's character sucked, but Theron played her so well that I'm willing to give her a pass.

Lack of logic? The explorers were on a mission to find clues for the origins of mankind on Earth, but along the way, they ran into some problems, setting off a series of disastrous events.

Did you have a specific problem with Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw? Because she played the role of a courageous heroine to perfection. Plus, the guy, who played Fifield (the geologist with the smoke machine inside his helmet) provided some good comic relief for a while.

I thought Cooper, De Niro, Lawrence, and Tucker all played their characters phenomenally well, and I really felt shaken by a lot of the characters' illnesses. It was also extraordinarily heartwarming. I'll grant you that the plot progressed in a fairly predictable way, but that's not always a bad thing, and I was willing to overlook the lack of originality in terms of storytelling because of how unique and interesting these characters were.

I understand where you're coming from. I enjoyed certain parts of Playbook (i.e. the dance contest with Cooper and Lawrence at the end), and you can expect some Oscar nominations for this film. But one year from now, I think we'll all remember Silver Linings Playbook for being another seasonal Oscar push drama/comedy film.

21 Jump Street is one of the funnier comedies released in recent years. The fact that the film was so self-referencing and Channing Tatum managed to not alienate the male audience only helped solidify it as this year's best comedy.

Good point about Tatum, and I'll admit seeing him step outside of his comfort zone was refreshing. But halfway in, 21 Jump Street just hit the wall for me. And you could see the outcome of the muscle-headed jock defeating the academic challenge coming from a mile away. The same thing can be said about Noah's nerdy character finding his courage, and we've all seen this same type of overcoming the odds stuff before.

Well then you're missing two of this year's best films. Go out and see those ASAP!

Ha! Will do! Although, I'm nervous about Cloud Atlas, mainly because of the long runtime.

What are your positives and negatives about Rock Of Ages?

Should've been more clear the first time around. When I said on the fence, I meant I'm still on the fence, when it comes to watching it or not. I'm not too crazy about musicals, and unless it's a Mission Impossible film, you can't trust Tom Cruise now a days.

Project X had some funny moments like the midget in the oven for example.

This is another problem that annoyed me about Project X: they gave away all the good stuff in the trailers! The midget in the oven, the car crashing into the pool, and hell, I think they showed the midget attacking everyone with nut-shots in the red band trailer.

Honestly I would put The Campaign on the top 10 worst movies, that movie really bored me. Oh yeah and you will probably enjoy Wreck It Ralph. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

The Campaign was that bad? Huh, that's surprising, especially considering the duo of Ferrell and Galifianakis.

And I'm going to try and watch Wreck It Ralph next week. Kids were out of school this week, and each showing was too crowded.

1. Ghost Rider - This film is just awful. I'm a huge Nicolas Cage fan but man this was shit. Somehow worse than the original; probably due to the fact that with Eva Mendes gone, there was no eye candy.

The CGI slightly improved, but yeah, Vengeance was bad. And having two of the most uninteresting and lame antagonists (a guy, who's main weapon is the power of decay? seriously?) ever didn't help anything.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

Honestly Tom Cruise was great in the role of Stacee Jaxx in Rock Of Ages. His singing was shockingly good too considering he JUST learned to sing for that role.

Catherine Zeta Jones did well in her role too, If you like 80's hairbands type music you should really enjoy the movie.

I agree with you there about Project X, Any friends I have who saw it have only loved the movie because they wanna throw that huge of a party and don't care about it's quality.

 

[smizzy]

The Campaign was that bad? Huh, that's surprising, especially considering the duo of Ferrell and Galifianakis.

I'm assuming you haven't seen it. Trust me, it's not bad.. it's great.

 

[Da Solo]

The rest of the bad films... The Man With The Iron Fists, Keith Lemon movie, Rock of Ages, that Adam Sandler film and a few others.

Whoa whoa, hold the fuck up there. OK, Rock of Ages sucked, the Keith Lemon thing I passed on and both Adam Sandler flicks (Jack and Jill & My boy) were disgraceful, I'll give you that, but you just called MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS bad? Granted, the violence was a bit unnecessarily gratuitous at times, but the soundtrack was an absolute BANGER, the plot itself was nice and the whole film had some real deep Tao/ancient Chinese/Kung-Fu roots in it. And plus, RZA directing it was awesome considering it's his 1st flick.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

Whoa whoa, hold the fuck up there. OK, Rock of Ages sucked, the Keith Lemon thing I passed on and both Adam Sandler flicks (Jack and Jill & My boy) were disgraceful, I'll give you that, but you just called MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS bad? Granted, the violence was a bit unnecessarily gratuitous at times, but the soundtrack was an absolute BANGER, the plot itself was nice and the whole film had some real deep Tao/ancient Chinese/Kung-Fu roots in it. And plus, RZA directing it was awesome considering it's his 1st flick.

Really? Rock Of Ages was MUCH better than Man With The Iron Fists. Man With The Iron Fists was just boring and too much violence with not enough story telling. Plus the fact the story behind everything was just lame.

 

[JGlass]

Lack of logic? The explorers were on a mission to find clues for the origins of mankind on Earth, but along the way, they ran into some problems, setting off a series of disastrous events.

How about the biologist who is afraid to examine alien corpses (a job he agreed to do), but he had no problem getting up close and personal with a space snake that was very much alive? Why did the space people assume the air was safe to breath inside the alien ruins when they detected an oxygen level? What about alien parasites or other chemicals in the air that could be dangerous for a human to inhale? What was the point of Charlize Theron being Weylon's daughter other than random shock? There was no point. How was David able to count on that dude having sex with Elizabeth right after he infected him, enabling her to get pregnant with the aliens?

That's just the tip of the iceberg.

Did you have a specific problem with Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth Shaw? Because she played the role of a courageous heroine to perfection. Plus, the guy, who played Fifield (the geologist with the smoke machine inside his helmet) provided some good comic relief for a while.

I didn't see anything uniquely heroic about her. Wasn't she crying for like, half the film?

I understand where you're coming from. I enjoyed certain parts of Playbook (i.e. the dance contest with Cooper and Lawrence at the end), and you can expect some Oscar nominations for this film. But one year from now, I think we'll all remember Silver Linings Playbook for being another seasonal Oscar push drama/comedy film.

I'll probably remember it as my favorite thing either Cooper or Lawrence has ever done.

Good point about Tatum, and I'll admit seeing him step outside of his comfort zone was refreshing. But halfway in, 21 Jump Street just hit the wall for me. And you could see the outcome of the muscle-headed jock defeating the academic challenge coming from a mile away. The same thing can be said about Noah's nerdy character finding his courage, and we've all seen this same type of overcoming the odds stuff before.

You can't really go into a movie like 21 Jump Street and expect it to be a totally new perspective on comedy. That wasn't the movie the studio tried and make. Still, they managed to put out a surprisingly unique film that took audiences and critics alike by surprised and made it into the hottest comedy of the year.

Ha! Will do! Although, I'm nervous about Cloud Atlas, mainly because of the long runtime.

I didn't even check my phone for the time once during this movie, and it is long.

Should've been more clear the first time around. When I said on the fence, I meant I'm still on the fence, when it comes to watching it or not. I'm not too crazy about musicals, and unless it's a Mission Impossible film, you can't trust Tom Cruise now a days.

He's put out like, 4 films within a yearlong span, and every single one of them looks awful. I heard the current Cruise vehicle out (the one where he's a military cop) is a real turd, and that one that's coming out where he plays some space hero on a dying Earth looks ridiculous.

Seriously, apart from his very small role in Tropic Thunder, I haven't liked anything Cruise has done since Mission Impossible, and even that the movie is more conceptually impressive than Cruise's role is impressive. You might have to go to Jerry Maguire to find the last time I actually enjoyed a Cruise performance.

And I'm going to try and watch Wreck It Ralph next week. Kids were out of school this week, and each showing was too crowded.

I liked it, but it was definitely weaker than I expected.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

For the purpose of these lists I'm eliminating any re-releases. I only saw two five star films this year and they were Titanic and Jaws. I also saw Chariots of Fire, which is the most God-awful pile of boring shite I have ever seen in my life. I'm also going off the list of films I saw at the cinema in this calendar year.

Top 10 (In no particular order):

Killer Joe - Chicken dipper sexual assault! Hilarious! If I had to pick a top film of the year off this list then it'd be Killer Joe.
The Muppets - The best opening 10 minutes of any film I've seen this year. Also the shiniest, happiest film of the year.
Shame - Massive cock on that man!
21 Jump Street - The most consistently funny film of the year.
Ted - If Family Guy was half as good as Ted then that show might deserve some of its reputation.
Looper - I liked Looper, Looper was good. My version would be better though.
Dredd - Violent, I like that!
Skyfall - If I hadn't fallen asleep then I suspect this might've taken the top spot.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - I found this to be heartfelt and touching. Imagine how I'll feel when all the cast are dead. In 2015 most likely.
The Amazing Spider-Man - Fuck you, I enjoyed it. And I don't feel the need to over analyse it like I do Prometheus.

Top 10 Worst:

Dark Shadows - Not bad exactly. Just...just...nothing.
Mirror Mirror - I clearly haven't seen as many bad films this year as I thought because I actually enjoyed some bits from this. I can't give you examples. I've forgotten them.
Piranha 3DD - Piranha was one of the most entertaining films of 2010. Somehow this managed to be boring.
Snow White & The Huntsman - Dull. Incredibly dull.
Wrath Of The Titans - I still haven't gotten over having to watch this.
Red Tails - I it's a comedy move this out of the Worst Of section. If it isn't then...Jesus!
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - Just awful. How can a film like that take itself seriously?
Top Cat The Movie - Ends with implied rape. Only positive.
Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance - Another film that somehow turned out boring.
The Dark Knight Rises - I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy bits of it. But...SO.MANY.PLOT.HOLES. If you present yourself as serious and intelligent don't be so silly and plot hole-y.

Top 10 Hey, I Don't Remember Seeing You Films:

The Possession - The title tells me all I know about this film. And I paid several quid to see it.
Here Comes The Boom - MMA comedy, right?
The Five-Year Engagement - Emily Blunt, what a babe!
Lockout - Lockout, wow, it's been a while!
Michael - Drab paedo film.
Friends With Kids - Advertised as a Bridesmaids reuninon if I remember correctly. It was a relationship drama if I recall. Eughh.
Joyful Noise - Dolly Parton film!
The Lucky One - No idea what this is.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Got Oscar nommed, didn't it?
Safe - Not what I'd call vintage Statham.

 

[TLC]

Whoa whoa, hold the fuck up there. OK, Rock of Ages sucked, the Keith Lemon thing I passed on and both Adam Sandler flicks (Jack and Jill & My boy) were disgraceful, I'll give you that, but you just called MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS bad? Granted, the violence was a bit unnecessarily gratuitous at times, but the soundtrack was an absolute BANGER, the plot itself was nice and the whole film had some real deep Tao/ancient Chinese/Kung-Fu roots in it. And plus, RZA directing it was awesome considering it's his 1st flick.

Really? Rock Of Ages was MUCH better than Man With The Iron Fists. Man With The Iron Fists was just boring and too much violence with not enough story telling. Plus the fact the story behind everything was just lame.

Both movies were bad. The Man With The Iron Fists had a few decent fight scenes and the rest was pretty boring. RZA was an awful lead actor.

Rock of Ages was only entertaining when Tom Cruise was in it, the rest was pretty awful.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

I thought Catherine Zeta Jones did well in her role. Julianne Hough made for a hot rocker girl and her version of harden my heart was good. Deigo Boneta did good in his role of Drew too, I'm not saying any song was better then the originals cause they weren't, but I thought every song was done well for a cover and considering Deigo & Julianne were either not born yet or very young when this music was popular they did fine. It wasn't movie of the year but it wasn't one of the worst either.

 

[Da Solo]

Both movies were bad. The Man With The Iron Fists had a few decent fight scenes and the rest was pretty boring. RZA was an awful lead actor.

Rock of Ages was only entertaining when Tom Cruise was in it, the rest was pretty awful.

Yeah, even as the only defender of this movie, even I can admit I don't know what the RZA was thinking making himself the lead role. He never was much of an actor anyway.

And even Cruise couldn't save Rock of Ages. God, that was horrible...

 

[Mitch Henessey]

How about the biologist who is afraid to examine alien corpses (a job he agreed to do), but he had no problem getting up close and personal with a space snake that was very much alive?

Agreeing to examine the bodies, and actually seeing the alien corpses are two different things. The sight of the corpses obviously freaked him out, but he wasn't afraid to interact with a seemingly harmless snake. I can pump myself up to get on The Incredible Hulk roller coaster, but once I'm on it, the speed, the twists, and the turns can still freak me out.

Why did the space people assume the air was safe to breath inside the alien ruins when they detected an oxygen level? What about alien parasites or other chemicals in the air that could be dangerous for a human to inhale?

If my memory is correct, Charlie is the only one, who took the risk of taking off his helmet, and once he did, he confirmed the air was safe to breathe, so what's the problem?

What was the point of Charlize Theron being Weylon's daughter other than random shock? There was no point.

Well, the revelation did come out of left field, but I'm guessing we'll learn more about the daughter/father relationship between Vickers and Weyland in the sequel. There's still more ground to cover, so hopefully we'll learn more about the relationship in the next film.

How was David able to count on that dude having sex with Elizabeth right after he infected him, enabling her to get pregnant with the aliens?

Because Elizabeth and Charlie share a trusted and passionate boyfriend/girlfriend relationship?

I didn't see anything uniquely heroic about her. Wasn't she crying for like, half the film?

Eh, mainly after Charlie's execution, but that's understandable. Remember Elizabeth's gruesome c-section scene? And let's not forget how she stood up to the attacking Engineer at the very end, causing his death at the hands of that giant alien creature.

I'll probably remember it as my favorite thing either Cooper or Lawrence has ever done.

Don't have a problem with that all, because I don't know about you, but I've always labeled both Hangover films as two of the most overrated comedies ever. And I'm probably alone on this, but I really enjoyed Cooper in The Midnight Meat Train. As far as Lawrence goes, I haven't seen The Hunger Games yet, so I'll hold back my decision on her for now.

You can't really go into a movie like 21 Jump Street and expect it to be a totally new perspective on comedy. That wasn't the movie the studio tried and make. Still, they managed to put out a surprisingly unique film that took audiences and critics alike by surprised and made it into the hottest comedy of the year.

Considering the hype and praise behind it, I don't think it's unfair to have high expectations for something different. I went into 21 Jump Street with a positive mind set, but it was a let down for me.

I didn't even check my phone for the time once during this movie, and it is long.

Yeah, I just looked it up before logging on, and they clock it in at two hours and forty-three minutes

He's put out like, 4 films within a yearlong span, and every single one of them looks awful. I heard the current Cruise vehicle out (the one where he's a military cop) is a real turd, and that one that's coming out where he plays some space hero on a dying Earth looks ridiculous.

Jack Reacher? I heard it's an enjoyable popcorn flick, but all the trailers didn't blow me away. And yeah, Oblivion looks like the upcoming Will Smith movie, which is equally unimpressive.

Seriously, apart from his very small role in Tropic Thunder, I haven't liked anything Cruise has done since Mission Impossible, and even that the movie is more conceptually impressive than Cruise's role is impressive. You might have to go to Jerry Maguire to find the last time I actually enjoyed a Cruise performance.

He starred in that horrendous espionage comedy with Cameron Diaz a few years ago, Valkyrie could've been so much more, especially when you consider the source material. But they settled for mediocrity.

I'm tempted to mention Minority Report for the last enjoyable Cruise vehicle, but I think that film receives an inflated reputation for the man behind the camera (Spielberg).

Good point about the MI films. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the main reason why I really enjoyed MI III, and the extravagant set pieces, top notch special effects, stylish directing, and slick action sequences made MI 4, not Crusie's performance.

I liked it, but it was definitely weaker than I expected.

It looks like a lot of fun, but I'm not a video game aficionado anymore (haven't been one since Playstation 2), so that's another reason for my hesitant feelings for Wreck It Ralph.

I'm assuming you haven't seen it. Trust me, it's not bad.. it's great.

Nah man, I haven't seen it, but I will soon enough. With the exception of Due Date, I usually enjoy anything with Zach. G, so I'm sure I'll like it.

Really? Rock Of Ages was MUCH better than Man With The Iron Fists. Man With The Iron Fists was just boring and too much violence with not enough story telling. Plus the fact the story behind everything was just lame.

That's not saying much, because The Man With The Iron Fists was atrocious, featuring two horrendous performances from Batista and RZA, sloppy fight sequences, and terrible CGI. Although, I'm more tempted to watch Rock Of Ages now. Who knows, maybe It'll pull some laughs out of me.

 

[JGlass]

Agreeing to examine the bodies, and actually seeing the alien corpses are two different things. The sight of the corpses obviously freaked him out, but he wasn't afraid to interact with a seemingly harmless snake. I can pump myself up to get on The Incredible Hulk roller coaster, but once I'm on it, the speed, the twists, and the turns can still freak me out.

So he was afraid of dead bodies but not living snakes of an unknown nature? And he's supposed to be a top notch biologist? Not buying it.

If my memory is correct, Charlie is the only one, who took the risk of taking off his helmet, and once he did, he confirmed the air was safe to breathe, so what's the problem?

You wouldn't necessarily be able to tell that you were infected with an alien microbe right away. I mean, let's say you walk into a radiated area in a hazmat suit. Would you remove the hazmat suit simply because you knew you could breath the air without immediately dying? No! You keep it on because taking it off would expose your body to radiation poisoning that would slowly kill you.

Well, the revelation did come out of left field, but I'm guessing we'll learn more about the daughter/father relationship between Vickers and Weyland in the sequel. There's still more ground to cover, so hopefully we'll learn more about the relationship in the next film.

Are we sure there will be a next film?

Because Elizabeth and Charlie share a trusted and passionate boyfriend/girlfriend relationship?

So they have unprotected sex every night? And David knew that, because he infected Charlie with the alien DNA stuff, that it would immediately transfer to Elizabeth?

Eh, mainly after Charlie's execution, but that's understandable. Remember Elizabeth's gruesome c-section scene? And let's not forget how she stood up to the attacking Engineer at the very end, causing his death at the hands of that giant alien creature.

I'm pretty sure any competent female actress could be shackled to a scene, sprayed with water to look like sweat, and scream Bloody Mary for 5 minutes.

Don't have a problem with that all, because I don't know about you, but I've always labeled both Hangover films as two of the most overrated comedies ever. And I'm probably alone on this, but I really enjoyed Cooper in The Midnight Meat Train. As far as Lawrence goes, I haven't seen The Hunger Games yet, so I'll hold back my decision on her for now.

I too think that The Hangover is wildly overrated. It's funny, but people treat it like one of the best comedies ever.

I really enjoyed The Hunger Games, but Lawrence was way more impressive in Silver Linings than Hunger Games.

Considering the hype and praise behind it, I don't think it's unfair to
have high expectations for something different. I went into 21 Jump Street with a positive mind set, but it was a let down for me.

Whether you feel that way or not, it was still a fresh take on the high budget comedy and arguably the funniest film of the year.

Yeah, I just looked it up before logging on, and they clock it in at two hours and forty-three minutes

And it feels like an hour and half. The way they seamlessly move from story to story is incredible.

Jack Reacher? I heard it's an enjoyable popcorn flick, but all the trailers didn't blow me away. And yeah, Oblivion looks like the upcoming Will Smith movie, which is equally unimpressive.

And the Will Smith picture looks like the new Stephanie Meyers vehicle. It's like post-apocalyptic Earth is 2013's version of the 09/10's Zombie movie.

He starred in that horrendous espionage comedy with Cameron Diaz a few years ago, Valkyrie could've been so much more, especially when you consider the source material. But they settled for mediocrity.

I'm tempted to mention Minority Report for the last enjoyable Cruise vehicle, but I think that film receives an inflated reputation for the man behind the camera (Spielberg).

Good point about the MI films. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the main reason why I really enjoyed MI III, and the extravagant set pieces, top notch special effects, stylish directing, and slick action sequences made MI 4, not Crusie's performance.

Silly me, I meant to say that Minority Report is the last film I enjoyed him in but think that the movie was more conceptually interesting. And I still standby that and agree that Spielberg's direction is a big part of that movie's appeal.

I can't say much for the Mission Impossible movies. I'm not a big fan of the over the action genre, so it's hard for me to gauge the value of those movies.

It looks like a lot of fun, but I'm not a video game aficionado anymore (haven't been one since Playstation 2), so that's another reason for my hesitant feelings for Wreck It Ralph.

I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I think one of the reasons I was disappointed by Wreck It Ralph is because there weren't as many video game in-jokes as I was hoping for.

 

[jmt225]

Killer Joe - Chicken dipper sexual assault! Hilarious! If I had to pick a top film of the year off this list then it'd be Killer Joe.

Killer Joe was awesome until that fucking chicken leg showed up, then it went downhill from there with perhaps the most ******ed 5-10 minutes ever put to film. The entire climax was simply atrocious and made me regret sitting through the whole thing. I feel like I was robbed of what should have been a great film. Instead I was left with this disgusting taste in my mouth for it.

Anyways, I still need to see a lot of movies from this year. Here's what I've seen so far....

The Dark Knight Rises
The Avengers
Silver Lining Playbook
Jeff, Who Lives At Home
21 Jump Street
The Cabin in the Woods
Killer Joe
Premium Rush

I liked them all a lot besides Killer Joe. Premium Rush was pretty cool. Not great, but still had some cool shit in it. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt of course is the fucking man, as is Michael Shannon. Great casting there, though the main broad in the film and the black guy were beyond fucking awful.

TDRK and The Avengers are the best you could ever ask for out of comic book films.

Silver Lining Playbook and Jeff, Who Lives At Home were both terrific independent dramadies.

And 21 Jump Street and The Cabin in the Woods were satire at its finest.

Even if these were the only films I've seen from this year, that would still make this a better year for film than the past 3 or 4. Here are films I still need to see and have high expectations for...

Ted
End of Watch
Seven Psychopaths
The Master
Django Unchained
This Is 40
Killing Them Softly
Argo
Magic Mike
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Fat Kid Rules the World
Life of Pi
Prometheus
Hitchcock
Room 237
The Sessions
The Intouchables

I think when it's all said and done it'll be really tough for me to narrow down and order the best out of all of them.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Fortunately I've been keeping a list; keeping a list for just such an occasion as this.

I found myself more often disappointed than not at the cinema this year. Most notably, Prometheus - which didn't make my bottom ten - and The Dark Knight Rises - which did - were huge let downs. That said, most films were of a decent standard and three stars is a decent rating, damn it.

My top ten, in ascending order:

10. Sightseers:
Ben Wheatley is my kind of director. Firstly, he's British. Secondly, he's beardy. Thirdly, he doesn't cut away when there's violence. Blow it out your arse, Hitchcock - I didn't imagine a hammer to the skull to be more grisly than what I just saw; that was fucking brutal. Sightseers is a black, light hearted comedy about homicidal caravanners. There's knitting, there's dogs and there's the world's largest pencil. Yes, it's that good.

9. 21 Jump Street:
Another comedy, so soon? Turns out I'm not as humourless as I thought. Channing Tatum is better suited to stuff like this than the terrible action and romance films they put him in. And Jonah Hill is funny too, though he's supposed to be. This was many people's surprise of the year when it turned out to be, you know, actually funny. And it is.

8. Killing Them Softly:
A period drama set in... 2008. If you've ever wanted to see Brad Pitt and James Gandolfini share tiny beers in a restaurant, this is the film for you. Very funny, very tense, and even puts up the facade of being very truthful. The best gangster film of 2012 - unless you count End of Watch (which I don't, because that's a cop movie).

7. The Raid:
Who would have thought the breakout kung fu movie of 2012 would be directed by a Welsh guy? Who would have thought anybody would actually give a shit about what the breakout kung fu movie of 2012 was? Well, you should - The Raid is the most fun you can have with your pants on. Doesn't outlast its welcome either.

6. Skyfall:
Still can't quite make my mind up on this one. See, I'm one of those people who actually liked Quantum of Solace. It's better as an epilogue to Casino Royale than an outright sequel, sure, but it has its merits. Skyfall, on the other hand, is a very pretty, very novel Sam Mendes film reintroducing all the old Bond elements. And it works, and it was very fun to watch. Perhaps it occupies the same "brilliant fanservice" category as The Avengers. Just don't think about it too much.

5. Carnage:
If there were ever a director so good that he should be allowed to get away with rape - and if Hollywood has its way, there would be - then it's Roman Polanski. This isn't exactly Rosemary's Baby tier, but it's a very funny observational comedy about two couples projectile vomiting at one another. More or less.

4. Argo:
Ben Affleck is so good that he can put Ben Affleck in his films and they'll still turn out great, or so the saying goes. Argo, for me, is considerably better than The Town. Half farce, half drama, half spy caper. The third act is about as tense as I got in the cinema this year.

3. Killer Joe:
I thought the crescendo of ridiculous hyperviolence was in keeping with the rest of the movie - necessary even. The rest of the movie is about pubic bushes and Emile Hirsche getting the shit kicked out of him and implied molestation; I don't see how else you should end it. It's nice to see ol' Willie Friedkin still has it.

2. The Avengers:
I'm not calling it Avengers Assemble. I refuse. It's not happening. The line's not even in the film. But now when somebody says, "What do you expect out of a Hollywood blockbuster - Citizen Kane?", I can answer with, "No, you cunt, I want it to be The Avengers" and jam a fork in their stupid fucking throat. For starters, you can actually see what's happening in The Avengers. It's broad and colourful and not exactly cerebral, but it's still effective, and that's all I ask.

1. End of Watch:
I like the two protagonists of this film more than my actual friends. If the entire movie was just following them round, watching them shoot the shit - and it nearly is - then I would have no complaints. Unfortunately, they have to shoot bad guys and get told off by their sergeant and all that. To be fair, that stuff's all very entertaining as well. David Ayer - writer, producer, director - seems to know how to write epic bromances. First The Fast and The Furious and now, just a short eleven years later, End of Watch. I'm going to go ahead and say it: best movie bromance of all time. Fuck off, Lethal Weapon.

I do have to get showered and dressed to go out soon. Most of you will be shocked to learn I shower, dress, or, indeed, go out. I do though, so sacrifices must be made. I'll do my worst list when I come back. I solemnly swear.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

So he was afraid of dead bodies but not living snakes of an unknown nature? And he's supposed to be a top notch biologist? Not buying it.

I still maintain the belief that nothing, and I mean NOTHING can prepare you for the shock from seeing a dead body, especially an alien species, top notch biologist or not. You can watch all the footage you want and study all types of photos, but seeing it up close and personal is a different experience. At firs glance, the white snake was harmless, so he had no reason to fear it.

You wouldn't necessarily be able to tell that you were infected with an alien microbe right away. I mean, let's say you walk into a radiated area in a hazmat suit. Would you remove the hazmat suit simply because you knew you could breath the air without immediately dying? No! You keep it on because taking it off would expose your body to radiation poisoning that would slowly kill you.

Nice scenario, but you have to remember, Charlie was willing to travel to a desolate moon to find the origins of mankind, risking his career and life. Charlie was willing to take the risks for uncovering every crucial detail, so I can understand the urge to remove the helmet.

Are we sure there will be a next film?

Pretty sure. A sequel was confirmed a few months ago. But one of the writers for the original screenplay won't return. I posted a thread it on somewhere, but I can't find it.

So they have unprotected sex every night?

Considering the fact both Charlie and Elizabeth were willing to trust each other's theories that lead them to a dangerous exploration on a distant moon, I'd say having unprotected sex is a minor concern in their relationship.

And David knew that, because he infected Charlie with the alien DNA stuff, that it would immediately transfer to Elizabeth?

Sure, why not? That was obviously David's plan from the beginning, because David wanted to see how far Charlie would go to find the answers he was searching for.

I'm pretty sure any competent female actress could be shackled to a scene, sprayed with water to look like sweat, and scream Bloody Mary for 5 minutes.

I wouldn't count it on it. Rapace's agony during the c-section was genuine, same thing can be said about her fearlessness towards the Engineer at the very end. Only a handful of Hollywood actresses are capable of providing the same believable reactions.

I too think that The Hangover is wildly overrated. It's funny, but people treat it like one of the best comedies ever.

It's asinine, especially when you consider the lazy writing for both films. Story wise, Part II is just a carbon copy of the original. They just changed the setting, and switched the lost member of the "Wolf Pack," that's all.

Whether you feel that way or not, it was still a fresh take on the high budget comedy and arguably the funniest film of the year.

Fair enough.

I really enjoyed The Hunger Games, but Lawrence was way more impressive in Silver Linings than Hunger Games.

It wouldn't surprise me at all, because nothing in The Hunger Games trailers blew me away.

And it feels like an hour and half. The way they seamlessly move from story to story is incredible.

I hope so. Long run time or not, I'm usually hesitant to watch anything with Halle Berry.

And the Will Smith picture looks like the new Stephanie Meyers vehicle. It's like post-apocalyptic Earth is 2013's version of the 09/10's Zombie movie.

The Host looks terrible so far, but considering Will Smith's lack of consistency (I Am Legend is more of a personal favorite for me, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone), it wouldn't surprise me if The Host triumphs After Earth in overall quality.

I can't say much for the Mission Impossible movies. I'm not a big fan of the over the action genre, so it's hard for me to gauge the value of those movies.

Meh, they're enjoyable stylized action popcorn flicks. The first one is fun to watch, but the series took a dive after the original. But Ghost Protocol restored some faith for the future.

I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I think one of the reasons I was disappointed by Wreck It Ralph is because there weren't as many video game in-jokes as I was hoping for.

I probably won't catch most of the nostalgic video game references, but I'm not going into Wreck It Ralph with high expectations, so the insider info stuff won't bother me.