Like every year in the world of movies, there were films like Django Unchained, a true gem of a film that every adult on the planet should immediately go to their nearby theatre and see ASAP (obviously after reading the rest of this list). Also, there were movies that never should have been made to see…For instance, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, how anyone thought it was a good idea to pay money to see that movie, I will never know. Someone should start a petition for this movie to be banned so no one will ever have to sit through it again.
BEST MOVIES OF 2012
10. Frankenweenie… A fun twist on Frankenstein for kids, and thoroughly enjoyed by adults. Tim Burton does it again, a film that can be enjoyed for generations to come.
9. Seven Psychopaths… As the title suggests, it’s the story of seven (ish) psychopaths, yet the story is original, hilarious and full of awesome characters that you can’t help but love…even if they are psychopaths. Sure, Christopher Walken does his usual Christopher Walken, but this is one of his best.
8. ParaNorman… Like Frankenweenie, this is a fun kid’s movie that adults will love from start to finish. Truly original and great stop motion animation.
7. It’s a Disaster… Technically it is in wide release in early 2013, but it has been playing at several film festivals and loved by everyone who has seen it. Strange and hilarious story about friends coming together for their usual weekend brunch, with a not so usual ending—chemical warfare has been unleashed and everyone will die. Somehow, it’s hilarious, unlike that other movie about the end of the world….
6. Silver Linings Playbook… Full of amazing performances by the cast; Bradley Cooper as the eccentric lead who recently left a mental institution for nearly killing the man his wife cheated with, Robert De Niro as his father (with his own OCD issues that are never discussed, as it is out of the norm for this family), and Jennifer Lawrence as the dark female lead that is falling for Cooper, in spite of the fact that they are both dealing with emotional issues. Great story, but overall, the characters and actors playing them is what makes Silver Linings Playbook so great.
5. Lawless… This movie has everything that I adore; it’s prohibition era, bootleggers, gangsters, twisted plot, and Tom Hardy. In a year filled with great Tom Hardy roles (lets keep this trend going in 2012,
4. Argo… Who didn’t love Argo? Based on the real life events surrounding the Iranian hostage crisis in 1980, I knew how the story ended. Yet, the movie’s pacing and suspense was so intense that I continually second guessed myself. Ben Affleck not only stars in Argo as the extractor sent in to get the Americans out safely, but he directed the film as well. He is a shoe in for an Academy Award nomination, and could take the Oscar home.
3. For a Good Time Call… Fantastic movie with hilarious women at their finest, I’d go so far as saying I would put it on the same level as Bridesmaids (as far as hilarious women goes).
2. The Dark Knight Rises… Fantastic, complex plot that left you guessing until the end, plus, like my number five movie… Tom Hardy. The perfect end to a great trilogy by Christopher Nolan, if you haven’t seen it yet, rent it today.
1. Django Unchained… By far the greatest movie I have seen all year, amazing story, great characters to root for, and evil characters to hate. Each actor gives an award worthy performance in the best movie of the year. See it immediately, see it twice!
WORST MOVIES OF 2012
10. This is 40… If it had been a ninety minute movie, This is 40 would not be in my top ten worst movies of the year. The first ninety minutes or so were actually pretty funny. But it dragged on for another forty plus minutes. A somewhat funny movie turned into an annoying one when Judd Apatow kept the movie going on and on and on and on. Because of those extra forty plus minutes, I hated it.
9. Red Dawn… A cheesy movie from the eighties made into a cheesier movie in 2012. It’s too bad too; I usually root for Chris Hemsworth in everything he does.
8. Cloud Atlas… Suppose to have been the epic movie of the year, but more than half of it was unwatchable and boring. It felt like one of those movies that they tried too hard to make grand and amazing, which usually falls flat. The most interesting part of the movie for me… The Gangster Squad trailer before it started.
7. The Master… Love it or hate it. The Master crawled ever so slowly through a boring, annoying story. No character in it was truly likeable and overall I can’t remember much about it now, it was that boring.
6. That’s My Boy… I admit it, I laughed during That’s My Boy, but Adam Sandler has been one of my favorite comedians since I was in junior high and he was still singing on Saturday Night Live. Childish comedy, filled with crass humor and disgusting jokes. Plus, when you add in the poking fun at statutory rape, it adds a creepy element that you can’t completely overlook.
5. The Vow… Channing Tatum. So handsome. Why did you make such a boring movie?
4. Wanderlust… Boring plot. Annoying characters. Too many unattractive naked men… or maybe it was just one naked man? Either way, an unwatchable film.
3. Paranormal Activity 4… Time dragged on between tiny moments of feeling scared, but at no point was this movie truly frightening… even to me, a self proclaimed wimp when it comes to scary movies. I felt like I was in the theatre for two plus hours, Paranormal Activity 4 was under ninety.
2. Playing For Keeps… How did so many fantastic actors come together to make such a stinking pile of crap? It felt more like watching a bad film from a bunch of drama school drop outs. Sure, Gerard Butler is handsome, but he’s no Tom Hardy. You can’t just enjoy a film by staring at him for an hour and a half.
1. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World… By far the worst movie of the year, perhaps even the worst movie of the 21st century. Long and drawn out, I think it was suppose to be a comedy, but I’m not one hundred percent sure, since I rarely laughed. If you want to see a hilarious movie about the end of the world, check out The Disaster… now that’s how you make the end of civilization as we know it funny.
