Best of 2012 Films

I have to say, there were a lot of really good movies this year. To be honest, my "Worst of" list were the only movies that came out this year that I didn't like. There were about 24 movies that I did like, and I narrowed it down to 10. I did, however, pick an "All Star" movie and an "Honorable Mentioned". I will even give a quick list of the others I liked, just to get them out there.

#10

I just watched this recently, and it was hilarious. The story is kind of basic, and much like Seth Mcfarlane to do. Regardless, it was still really funny and a bit heart felt. I like that Seth made fun of himself a few times, and that a Teddy Ruxpin mention led to an all out battle where the bear practically wins. Mark Wahlberg was funny, like in 'I Heart Huckabees'. Mila Kunis is *deep fantastical sigh with a smile*. This movie was just a lot of fun.





#9

I'm still on the fence. There were some really cool aspects that were changed that I like. I like that it was the Lizard for the villain, since he's not that known, but I wish he would've had a snout with the teeth. That would've been cooler, I think. Emma Stone was great, and Andrew Garfield pulled off an awkward geek better than I expected. I think I prefer him over Tobey. I like the darker quality, and I like the Uncle Ben dying scene more, but it could've been a little bit lighter. I always saw Spider-Man as a lighter character, rather than darkness of Batman (Yes, different universe, but go with me). Mix the original and this one together, and we have a winner. I am interested to see what's in store with the next installment.


#8

I really, really enjoyed this movie. Way much better than the original. A lot darker. I like that you never see Dredd's face, love Dredd's humor and badassery. Karl Urban did great, and so did Olivia Thirlby. I enjoyed the action and movement throughout, and staying in one location majority of the film. I saw it in 3D, and it was great that the drug used in the film made the 3D experience worth every moment. Although some "slow mo" scenes where too long, and had a few unnecessary moments for it. This was just so much fun, and I enjoyed it a lot. Lena Headey didn't play her character as scary as she should've, but pulled it off okay. Her make-up was fantastic though. She is gorgeous in real life, but looks messed up in this film. Like Charlize Theron in 'Monster'.

#7

 This movie was visually great. I love the story behind it, and the connection to the 'Alien' universe. I enjoy expansions like that, it keeps you going intellectually. I like that they answer questions, then bring up more. There are some questions that make me angry, but others I understand. They did a great job with having this movie to be discussed so much. Whether you like it or not, everyone can enjoy talking about it. The worst part of the film was the acting, and character motivations. Micheal Fassbender was the best in the film, and Idris Elba is next. There were a lot of things wrong and off with this movie, but I can't help but enjoy it, and I've seen this movie so many times already. It's still really cool. I saw this in Imax it it was awesome. I'm anxious for the sequel.

#6

This movie was great. The visualization was amazing. Some of the shots were just freakin' cool as hell. Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond by far. He is what I've always seen Bond as being like. It was truly great, and Javier Bardem was a perfect bad guy for this bond film. The Adele song fit perfectly for this film. It was great using it for advertisement, and the opening credits were awesome, as usual. I love the action at the beginning, and leading to the credits. Great start to the story. It was a really, really enjoyable bond film.
#5

 Yes, this movie was great. It's a real basic concept with a unique twist. I thought it was a great story and idea. The actors were great, and it was so freaking funny. I really wouldn't consider this a horror movie, but a horror-comedy, yes. I love the dialog. All those crazy scary things getting let loose, was just cool. I love all the comedic set-ups and pay offs. And the stoner wins! How often do you see that? The truth is known, the stoner is the smartest, most intuitive, and is a survivalist. This movie was just great.




#4

Okay, now choices are becoming harder and harder to make. I feel weird and guilty that this movie has made it to this number, but maybe I will explain myself well. This movie was great and very enjoyable. I just think Bane didn't have enough of an arc, or story, to him, and his "death" was kind of quick and lame. The twist with the woman being the old enemies daughter seemed out of place. I don't understand, and I don't like, the fact that Batman survives. I also don't like that John Blake's real name is Robin. That made me groan out loud. The idea behind his character is that anyone can be Batman, right? So why say Robin? People automatically associate Robin to the traditional character, and now you're confusing us. Robin can't be there, or be Robin, without Batman. You could leave out that short dialog exchange about the name, and the ending effect would still stand, so, it's not needed. This movie was definitely not better than 'The Dark Knight'. Still good enough for me to buy the day it came out though. I'm a Batman fan.

#3

This movie was lovely. The story is one I've been interested in for a while. I love how all these different stories and characters intertwine. I also really enjoy seeing actors play like six different characters each. It's great diversity. Tom Hanks is amazing, and Hugo Weaving has the best characters. Hugh Grant did really well too considering he's been gone for a bit, it seems. This is the best I've seen Jim Sturgess, especially his "final" character, I couldn't tell it was him. That's how some are, it isn't until the credits when you realize certain actors were certain characters. It's lot of fun. Oh, and Jim Broadbent is wonderful too. Who can't enjoy character driven stories? Especially with great actors to do them. This is a movie that can, and should be watched several times, and you're always making new discoveries. The music is awesome, and is a drive in the story. This movie made me warm and fuzzy, and sent me on an intellectual and slight spiritual journey. I also thought this long movie had great pacing, I was into it the whole time.

#2

I just saw this for the midnight feature. In one of my latest blogs I give the full review of this film. Check it out if you're interested in the full scoop. In short, the movie was fantastic and everything I could hope for in this movie. My only quarrel maybe be with the high frame rate I saw it in, it just threw me off a bit. Other than that, the movie was on point. I look forward to the next two films, owning them all, and watching them over and over. I always enjoyed this book more than LOTR.





#1

I love this movie so much. I saw it in Imax, and I had so much fun. I'm into every moment of this movie, and I love the humor. The idea of all these great different heroes together is awesome, and seeing it was exciting. I really like the tying in of all the other movies to lead to this movie. That's just a great marketing idea. I still watch this movie all the time. I was nervous about Mark Ruffalo, but he's my favorite in this film, and he's playing my favorite hero. I just think everything is damn near perfect, and I'm already stoked about the next.




Well, there you have it folks, my top ten best movies for 2012. It was hard moving movies around to certain spots. I'm anxious to hear some responses, so let them come. Before I allow that, I need to do my other two.

Honorable Mentioned

I thought it was cute and entertaining. The visual was fun. I like fantastical things. This was right up my alley. It was like 'Star Wars' meets 'Prince of Persia'. I liked the humor in it, and it was a lot of fun.






All-Star

For the budget and film quality, I thought this was really good. Basic story line, but really good. I liked the acting. If three guys found they had powers, this is what would happen. The villain guy reminds me of someone I know, so, I understand his character. It's a fairly emotional story. I was drawn in, and I thought they did a really great job.



Just a quick list of other movies I like and recommend that came out this year: Bad Ass, American Reunion, Goon, Casa de Mi Padre, Bernie, Pirates!, MIB 3, Wrath of the Titans, and Battleship.

I also have plans to watch Monster's Inc 3D, but it won't count toward this because it just doesn't. I want to see 'Cirque du Soleil' because it eems really cool, but may not make it to the list. However, I have plans to see 'Django Unchained', and that could make it to the list. We'll see. Send me some comments. Until later, have a good life.

Worst of 2012 Films

   Alright folks, here's my list of the worst films I've seen that came out this year. I admit, only one of these movies was actually seen in the theaters. I kind of know my taste, and make it a point to not see an "iffy" movie in the theater. So, majority of these I rented from Redbox. I'm just doing 10, and I will start with the not so bad, then lead to the worst. Just as a note, I'm never ashamed to say that I've watched anything. Watching really bad movies is good, especially as a film maker, because you know what not to do/ know what people don't like. Some bad movies can be enjoyable and entertaining, but never be considered a "good movie". Just like my first film on the list.

#10

It was a decent movie. Jennifer Lawrence is super attractive, and I can't wait to see more of her. Woody Harrelson is awesome as always, Stanley Tucci can never have a bad thing said about him, and Elizabeth Banks did good too; her character was interesting. The story seemed ripped off of other stories I grew up with. It was completely predictable, I don't like that at all. I hear that it doesn't compare to the book, and maybe that's so, but this movie was not worth the hype, and was not one I saw in theaters.

#9
It was okay. The movie was visually stunning, and I loved the twist to the old fairy tale. I hear though it's a rip off of another foreign film. The CinemaChick knows. I loved the dwarfs, they were the saving grace of the film. There was great costume, make-up, and cinematography to show their smallness very well, not like LOTR. I also liked that I couldn't tell which actors some of the dwarfs were, overall, they were the highlight. Chris Hemsworth was enjoyable, and fits in this type of role. Kristen Stewart sucked, straight up. I got no emotion from her, and after hearing her "battle speech", I wanted to leave. I would never follow her into battle. That whole scene was jacked up. No one even wonders how the hell she woke up? Charlize Theron was off her game too, just like 'Prometheus'. She must've filmed them in the same year because I got the same person in both movies, and they both sucked. So, this movie is worth seeing for the dwarfs, and the visualization. This is the movie I saw in theaters.

#8

Yeah, the movie was exactly what I thought it was. "Oh, these people want to see a movie with all the action heroes. Let's put them in, and not have a plot." I couldn't pay attention to this movie. I was anxious because I miss Jean Claude (for some reason), and it's got the other cool guys in it more, but there's no pay off. I loved the first one, it was a lot of fun. But this was like some kind of cry for help, and it seemed like they all were stooping low to do this movie. I respect wanting to get them all together for 1 movie, but make sure your priorities are in order, meaning have a good story first.

#7

Now, this is a documentary movie. I had to watch it because certain family members were mentioning it, and some people are using it against Obama. I enjoy the fact that I'm knowing more about Obama's life that leads too this point, it's kind of interesting. What doesn't make sense is the cover, and end of the film, puts you in a place where you can make your own decision to"love" Obama or "hate him" after knowing the "truth" about his life, but throughout the film the host seems to persuade you against Obama, but then will show something good. He also pointed out "bad elements" about Obama's tactics, but once you really think about it, it's not near as bad as it is made out to be. I think the film was a tactic to keep people from voting for him, but, obviously, they did a horrible job. I encourage people to watch it who are into politics and seeing different sides, but for me this film didn't sway me any way. I feel the same about him, but more knowledgeable.

#6

Not a whole lot to say about this one. It was funny in some parts, but a bad idea to make the film. I didn't get anything out of it. I enjoyed the first one (remake), but this was just a regular B-movie...or maybe C-movie. If you feel so inclined, please watch it.







#5

Not much to say here either. It was really freakin' funny in some parts, but that's about it. It was entertaining, especially at this point in time with the presidential race. I never saw 'Bruno', but I'm sure this is better than that, but I still prefer 'Borat'. Watch it if you like his humor, and have a slight interest in politics.




#4

Just bad. Johnny Depp's make-up was bad, all the make-up looked bad. I didn't like the color choices either. The story was hard to follow. It was slow, and it was hard to pay attention. I really can't think of anything good to say, except that Eva Green looks good.








#3

Seriously, just stop making these. The first one was good, and that's about it. The story seems to be somewhat interesting, but you guys went about it the wrong way. This just isn't any good, or fun anymore. Stop. Please.








#2

I've already been criticized about my opinion of this movie, but it still stands. I like Liam Neeson, but I don't know what's going on. Between this and Taken 2, it looks bad. Nothing against him as an actor, just his choices in films to do, lately. Maybe it's just because I expected something different, but I didn't enjoy this movie at all. I fell asleep twice, and tried to re-watch it, but I couldn't do it. If you like survival movies, then maybe you'll like it.





#1

This was a let down. The scene with the lady on the exam table scared the hell out of me (haha), but overall the movie was lame. Enough exorcism movies for a while, please. Unless you have something truly unique, scary, and original to bring with it.




Well, that concludes my "Worst of" list. Please feel free to comment on my decisions. I'm always up for a banter, and I have been swayed in the past for some things. I will do my "Best of" soon. I will enjoy that a lot more.

'The Hobbit' High Frame Rate Review

   I'm back and it's with a movie review. I saw the midnight feature of 'The Hobbit' on Dec. 14, 2012. I watched the movie in 3D and in the 48 frames per second. I have to say I was very excited to see this movie in this new rate. I know this will be a new thing that filmmakers will be experiencing with in the future. James Cameron has shown that he will most likely shoot the next two 'Avatar' movies at the same rate. I figure, if Peter Jackson and James Cameron want to do it, then there has to be something good about it. I've been looking forward to this movie for a while in general, and it's good to watch a ground breaking movie.
 
I also want to quickly add I saw the movie at the Alamo Drafthouse on Slaughter and Mopac in Austin, TX, and it was a great experience. The set-up they have in the theater was wonderful. It's more intimate and spacious. I had their French Press Coffee, and it was amazing. It's hard to find coffee I enjoy drinking black, and still have the caffeine stimulation.
 
Now, the frame rate made the film experience different, it's hard to describe. There were some moments at the beginning during the dialog period that I could tell it was sped up. Some things also appeared more realistic, and some parts seemed more computerized, but yet it all seemed to flow together well. Mainly at the dialog portions it seemed like I was watching a children's play. Now, I majored in Theatre, so, I am a little bias, but I do not mean this in a negative way. Some responses I get are negative, but I'm not saying it looks like someone is filming a play, which does not work well most of the time, I mean it just looks like they are performing live. The more realistic factor, I suppose. With the higher frame rate you can see more details in gestures, and facial expressions, which can work well for a children's show. The fact that 'The Hobbit' is supposed to be a children's book makes this element of the film so much better.
 
There were also moments, due to the frame rate and camera movement, that made it feel like one of those movie rides where your seat moves with the roller coaster on the screen, tough the seats didn't move. So, some motion sickness may be involved. I can understand some having a problem with this factor, but I rather enjoyed it. It brought me into the film more. My movie date said she had to slow her drinking due to this aspect.
 
The frame rate also keeps your attention a lot better. We all know that the world's, or at least America's, attention span is becoming near nonexistent. On top of that, I felt that the movie got off to a slight slow start, but after Bilbo runs carrying the contract, "I'm going on an adventure!" I feel it picks up and goes nonstop to the end. Just when you think they will have a moments rest or "just walk" like some complain about in LOTR, something else happens, and it's back to thrilling suspense.
 
The shots, of course, were beautiful. It's more of a beautiful movie than 'Return of the King'. The acting from everyone was on point. There are some really great characters throughout the film. One of my favorite moments was the song the dwarfs sing in Bilbo's house. I even belted my excitement out loud. It kind of sucks that they cut a lot of the singing portions from the book. I know there were some things missing, but to me as long as the really good and important moments get shown, then that's all that really matters. Like, for example, the Gollum scene didn't need the extra riddles that were cut. Although the Gollum scene was one of my favorite and most anticipated scenes.
 
I'm also glad they showed portions of Smaug, and how they ended the film. I don't remember reading that type of stopping point in the book, but I liked it either way. I'm a huge dragon fan, and someone needs to make a badass dragon film soon. Just sayin'.
 
Some of my other favorite parts was the rock fighting scene, you know were the big rock guys fight each other and everyone holds on for dear life? Yeah, that one. And the show down scene with the Blue Orc, and those wolves, then they are all on one tree on the edge of a cliff, and start throwing burning pine cones. Only to lead to a big battle with everyone. That was awesome, especially when the Eagles saved them.
 
So, overall the movie was great, and the high frame rate was the only disturbing portion. I recommend seeing it though, and come to your own conclusions. It will be happening a lot more. I could see someone like the Farrelly Brothers, or Tom Shadyac making a comedic movie with that frame rate, and it being hilarious. They could go back and shoot 'Three Stooges' again at that rate, and it could be better. I will be seeing this movie again in the regular frame rate to truly judge the difference. Who knows, it could end up being a better movie. For now, I give it a 9 out of 10.
 
Stay tuned, I will be posting my personal "Best of" and "Worst of" movies for 2012.

It's Been A While

I realize I haven't made a post in a while, though not many would have noticed anyway. I just wanted to make a post to show I am still alive and kicking, and I shall have some stuff come up soon. I will make my comeback by posting a 'Best and Worst Films of 2012'. I enjoy movies a ton, and I'm often told I should write about them. So, I will dive into that a little bit more, and see what happens.

I'm also thinking of doing a vlog. I haven't done one yet, and I want to experience it. I just don't know what I would want to talk about.

Maybe that can be my best and worst film list. What do you think? Any suggestions?

Until then, have a good life.