The Best & Worst Films of 2012

I managed to see 22 films at the cinema this year; the same amount as last year. Not a bad effort I would say considering where I'm located and the range of films my local cinema plays. The quality of films were certainly better than last year. The second half of this year really delivered some strong titles from a whole mix of genres. 

Top Ten Films of 2012

1) Hugo - The very first film I saw at the cinema this year, January 13th to be exact. And it was one of my most memorable cinema going experiences. Hugo is the finest example of 3D done well and utilised to fill effect. Director Martin Scorsese gives us a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to one of the early pioneers of cinema.   

2) Moonrise Kingdom - This film was so adorable  It's a quirky story of young love that's wonderfully shot with gorgeous use of colour and the whole cast is terrific. In my opinion it's Wes Anderson's best since Rushmore.

3) Killer Joe - The latest from director William Friedkin. Now this film is way out there that does't shy away from anything. It's a story about trailer trash, murder and fried chicken. And it's fantastic! It's got this very dark comedic under current and it's crazy violent. Matthew McConaughey just steals it as our man Joe.

  

4) Argo - Easily the best drama of the year and the most skilfully directed film. Ben Affleck just nails it so hard in this movie about a fake movie. This is real edge of your seat stuff, it's so thrilling. I'm calling Argo for the Best Picture Oscar but if it only wins one I want it to be for Best Director.

    

5) Seven Psychopaths - This was another film that was pretty nuts. It's pokes fun at action films, screen writing and basically Hollywood in general. I loved the dialogue in this and the characters are kinds of strange. 

6) Shame - A very bleak and mesmerizing film about a type of addiction that is not often portrayed on film. Michael Fassbender delivers a career defining performance. It's not a film you could watch over and over but it's a very powerful drama that's well worth checking out. 

7) Skyfall - Not the biggest Bond fan and haven't many of the films but this was excellent. Not so much heavy on the action but it was a very dramatic up close and personal look at the character of James Bond. It's the best out of the Craig films by far.

  
8) Prometheus - A modern science fiction epic that's visually stunning and raises more questions than it answers which is what I liked about it so much. It works great as a stand alone film yet still has a strong connection to the original Alien.

9) Looper - Once you get your head around the mind bending plot it's a very entertaining sci-fi action flick. It's kind of like The Terminator meets, Inception, meets The Source Code. Great stuff.

  
10) Lawless - I've always been drawn to depression era dramas, it's just the look about them that I find most appealing. This film seem to come and go pretty quickly but I really enjoyed. It's the story of family, moonshine and violence, but the ending is a little rushed and there wasn't enough of Gary Oldman.    

Honourable Mentions:

End of Watch - It was a very thrilling and engaging police action/drama but the extreme use of the shaky-cam technique really hurts the films for me.

Les Misérables - I saw this last night and was quite impressed. I'm not the biggest fan of musicals but this was done extremely well. I can see it winning as few Oscars for sure. 
  
Ted - A very funny comedy that was pretty much a 90 minute episode of Family Guy with cut-aways and all.   

Dark Shadows - The first half was very entertaining and was reminded me a lot of Burton's earlier work in terms of visuals but it's becomes a little disjointed the ending was nothing much. 

Carnage - A great little comedy centred around four people all inside a New York City apartment. Check this one out. 

The Dark Knight Rises - I suppose I should mention this as I really did enjoyed it but I'm just so sick of hearing about it. Anyone would think it was the only film released this year. Apart from being a bit too long for my taste and some technical flaws it's a very satisfying conclusion to Nolan's Batman trilogy.     


The Worst:

I think I dodged quite a few bullets this year so I only have a couple to mention quickly

Cabin in the Woods - Just horrible, what people see in this absolute mess of a movie is beyond me. 

Battleship - I actually got quite a kick out of this in the cinema but I think that was the WW2 buff in me. After seeing it again it was a different story; the action is decent but overall a pretty pathetic movie.  

So that's all and that's it. I look forward too seeing what 2013 brings to the world of cinema. Happy New Year everyone!