All the Movies I saw in 2012

Movies I saw in 2012, from Worst to Best:

• The Three Stooges - D+
• God Bless America - D+
• Jeff, Who Lives at Home - C-
• Red Tails - C-
• Anna Karenina - C-
• Not Fade Away - C
• This is 40 - C+
• Men in Black 3 - C+
• The Grey - C+
• The Deep Blue Sea - C+
• Bernie - B-
• Prometheus - B-
• Hitchcock - B-
• The Woman in Black - B-
• The Cabin in the Woods - B-
• Premium Rush - B-
• Safety Not Guaranteed - B
• Trouble with the Curve - B
• Haywire - B
• Django Unchained - B
• Goon - B
• The Hunger Games - B
• Flight - B
• The Dark Knight Rises - B
• End of Watch - B+
• Arbitrage - B+
• Les Miserables - B+
• Argo - B+
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - B+
• The Master - B+
• Looper - B+
• Silver Linings Playbook - B+
• Moonrise Kingdom - B+
• Zero Dark Thirty - A-
• Lincoln - A-
• Coriolanus - A
• The Avengers - A
• Skyfall - A

Countdown: 10 Best Films of 2012

10. Argo

Argo is one of the best thrillers of the year and a showcase for Ben Affleck’s talent as a director. This film did an excellent job in capturing the turbulence of the Iran Hostage Crisis, with good acting, great direction, and an outstanding script.

This film was surprisingly funny, too. Tony Mendez’s (Affleck) plan to get the hostages out of Iran is to use them as a film crew for a fake movie. John Goodman and an Oscar-nominated Alan Arkin are introduced here as makeup and producer, respectively, and they both do an outstanding job in providing laughs and some dramatic moments.

This is a movie I want to see again really soon because it’s a great movie and I somehow don’t remember a whole lot about it.

9. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Is it a step down from The Lord of the Rings? Mostly. Is it a disappointment? Yes. Should it have been made into three films? No. Is it still excellent the way it is? Yes.

Peter Jackson brings his signature visuals and passion for Tolkien back in the first film of an inexplicable trilogy. Martin Freeman stars as Bilbo, an outstanding performance and character. This film maintains a great deal of the humor of the children’s novel while also trying to recreate similar dramatic moments from The Lord of the Rings. It may fall short a few occasions, but we can all appreciate the effort and enjoy what is put on screen.

I was entertained by nearly every second of the movie. While the pacing is no doubt deliberately slow, I was dazzled by the visuals and the action even in the flashback scenes. The film had problems telling its story but through assured direction from Jackson and some performances, it’s still worth a watch.

8. The Master

The Master is a difficult film to recommend. It’s excruciatingly well made, directed by one of the great ones in Paul Thomas Anderson, and filled with three remarkable Oscar-nominated performances. It’s complex, challenging, difficult to watch, and arguably unfulfilling.

Nevertheless it will keep your interest. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Freddie Quell, a traumatized former soldier driven to alcoholism, is one for the ages. The first section of the film focuses on his problems, but the film really picks up when he meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), possibly the most fascinating character of the year. The relationship between Quell and Dodd is at the heart of the film, as Dodd looks to help Quell through ways that may not be helpful.

This film has been very polarizing, with some remarking it as a masterpiece and others hating it. It may misfire at times, but it’s still a great movie.

7. Looper

Looper is the most action-filled, imaginative, and somehow old-fashioned science fiction film to come about in years. Rian Johnson’s direction and original screenplay stand out as some of the best things about it.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a “looper” who is assigned by the mob to kill people transported from the future. One day his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back and he fails to kill him. While I didn’t buy Gordon-Levitt as a killer/drug addict so much, Bruce Willis was great and so was Emily Blunt as a woman trying to raise her child despite future knowledge that he may be a horrible murderer.

There were a few strange things about the movie and a few nitpicky moments, but it’s entertaining and it makes you think, as all science fiction should. It’s a very good film.

6. Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook is that romantic comedy about two clinically-depressed people that we’ve been waiting to see for a long time. The performances are outstanding, particularly from Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, both playing difficult roles.

This film is funny but also poignant throughout. Despite the characters’ problems, they are very human, likable, and interesting. The audience truly grows to care about these characters, a testament to both the writing by David O. Russell and the performances.

On a side note, it is great to see Robert De Niro care about a role again, and he does a very good job. One of the year’s best films easily.

5. Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom is a Wes Anderson-directed film and thus strange and quirky, but also quite clever, funny, and original. Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, and Bill Murray headline a star-studded veteran cast, but this film also features fine performances from young, previously unknown actors.

Moonrise Kingdom is a tale of forbidden love—a love forbidden for no reason other than the lovers being children. The film was very clever in how it subtly showed that none of the adult characters truly had an idea of what love is and that these kids could be right.

 It’s strange, but it’s also inarguably creative and unique, and well worth your time.

4. Zero Dark Thirty

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Zero Dark Thirty. The trailer didn’t look that great to me and I wasn’t a big fan of Kathryn Bigelow’s last film, The Hurt Locker. Nevertheless I saw this based on its critical acclaim and I was very pleased.

It’s a story about the CIA’s unrelenting hunt for Osama Bin Laden—in particular, an agent named Maya’s decade-long search for truth. Jessica Chastain does a great job in the lead role and this film is very well made. This is one of the few movies where the handheld camera never seemed to bother me and actually fit. In addition to that, this is a brutal, intense movie that allows the viewer to decide what’s right and wrong, as it displays only the facts.

The performances were all good, the script was outstanding, and the film is outstanding.

3. Lincoln

There is so much more to talk about Lincoln than simply Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance in the lead. I absolutely loved Tony Kushner’s screenplay, employing some of the wittiest and most interesting dialogue I’ve heard in a long time.

The story, focusing on the passage of the 13^th Amendment which would abolish slavery, shows us all the intricate details of the political system in a fight for freedom. As the main character, Day-Lewis is engaging as a man who is trying to end both the Civil War and abolish slavery when he is told both can’t be done, even doing things of questionable legality. It brings life to this figure of legend and a great deal of this is done through the humor of the script.

I can’t mention Lincoln without also mentioning Tommy Lee Jones’s magnificent performances as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, the leader of the abolitionists in the House. He has nearly as much screen time as Day-Lewis and he is just as good. The film is filled with great performances all around, however, employing a veteran cast that includes Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn, Sally Field, and John Hawkes.

Due to the surprise of Kathryn Bigelow not getting an Oscar nomination for Best Director, this is now my prediction to take home the Oscar for Best Picture. If it does indeed happen, it wouldn’t be undeserving.

2. The Avengers

I’m not a superhero fan at all. With the exception of The Dark Knight and for whatever reason Iron Man 2 and Superman Returns, this was the first one I saw in theaters. I’ve just been frustrated that comic books are the main source for films now, and I do in general find superheroes childish and silly.

But then I saw The Avengers, a superhero movie that was made with such quality that it could be called not just a great comic book film but a great film. A great deal of the credit here (if not most of it) must be given to director/writer Joss Whedon. He didn’t let the film that featured so many “iconic” characters ever seem bloated, and his dialogue is rich and genuinely funny.

But I suppose no one would have liked this movie if it weren’t for the action. There is plenty of action in the film, including some very exciting scenes of the heroes fighting each other, which I didn’t expect to see. But the climax, while lasting quite a long time, was what did it for me. Even though the movie was about two and a half hours, I didn’t want the last action sequence to end, which is one of the best compliments I can give a movie. It’s one of the most entertaining movies I’ve ever seen.

1. Skyfall

I feel kind of guilty closing out this list with two action movies, considering the subject matter of some of these other films, but I can say Skyfall is the best action movie in about a decade.

Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in the first film in the series that had a significant amount of Academy-recognized talent working. Sam Mendes, director of American Beauty, helms the film and brings his trademark creative cinematography. Ralph Fiennes, most famous probably for playing Voldemort but most acclaimed for playing Amon Goth in Schindler’s List is in the film, as is Oscar-winner Javier Bardem as the best villain in film since the Joker. Judi Dench is also of course returning.

With that kind of talent behind and in front of the camera, it’s no surprise that Skyfall is a masterpiece of modern action. It features a relevant cyber-terror plot and the best action I’ve seen in years. The opening scene is absolutely incredible in its action, but then the film slows down and focuses on the characters. It does this better than any other Bond film, allowing Judi Dench’s M to be fully understood as a character and actually adding depth to Bond himself. It’s subtle, but it’s there, and it’s one of the better aspects of the film.

Because Skyfall focuses so much on the characters, the action seems to have more stakes; I was far more emotionally invested in this than in any other film like it. Also, I must say I’m excited about where this series is headed in the near future, as it left some hints at the end.

Countdown: 20 Best Films of 2012 (Part I)

20. Safety Not Guaranteed
Most of you probably didn't see this little indie comedy, and a lot of you wouldn't have even heard of it. It's a shame, really, considering this film's subtle, deadpan humor, and its heart. The story follows Darius (Aubrey Plaza) and a few co-workers as they investigate a strange classified ad posted by someone who claims he can travel through time.

The laughs are consistent in this film as the author of the ad (Mark Duplass) appears to truly believe this, taking the audience along for the ride. Plaza shines in the main role, emerging as a talent to watch, and her easy chemistry with Duplass is reason enough to see this film.

19. Trouble with the Curve
Clint Eastwood's first acting role since 2008's brilliant Gran Torino was considered by many critics to be a disappointment and I'm not certain why. Eastwood plays Gus, an aging baseball scout who has one last chance to cement his legacy, but needs help from his daughter (Amy Adams), whether he admits it or not. Films about Eastwood aging, since Unforgiven, have been overwhelmingly good, and while this doesn't compare to the two aforementioned films or Million Dollar Baby, there is a lot this has to offer.

Amy Adams was marvelous as Gus's daughter Mickey, one of the better performances of the year (and I think her best, though the Academy would disagree). Her chemistry with Eastwood is so real that you almost feel like she's known him all her life. Justin Timberlake is also in the film as a new scout trying to pick up a few pointers from Gus. He played a really good character.

This film may not have a whole lot to offer in terms of baseball insight, but its script presents three great characters who yield to quite good performances. This isn't a baseball movie so much as it is a story about getting older and of forgiveness.

18. Haywire
This movie succeeds for one reason and one reason only: Gina Carano. The MMA fighter may not be able to act much, but she is beautiful and she can kick ass, which she does plenty of in her film debut.

This film, directed by Ocean's Eleven's Steven Soderbergh, surrounds Carano with great veteran performers including Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, and Michael Douglas. While the film knows how to treat its rookie actress, it's the action that steals the show.

This spy film has some of the best scenes of hand-to-hand combat I've ever seen, rivaling any Bourne or Bond film. It's exhilarating, suspenseful, and exciting as hell.

17. Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino's latest film is a revenge film, comedy, slavery drama, and ode to the spaghetti western all in one. This was the film we had wanted to see QT do for quite sometime, but I do consider it somewhat of a disappointment.

There were some flat-out excellent things about the film, I should say. Christoph Waltz's performance as Dr. King Schultz, well worth the Oscar nomination, was my favorite aspect of the film, as it was hilarious and at times dramatically fulfilling. Leonardo DiCaprio was also excellent as Calvin Candie, a horrible slave owner and antagonist of the film. Both these characters are incredibly interesting and some of the best scenes involve these two interracting.

Django (Jamie Foxx) himself is a mere stock character, similar to the ones Eastwood or Bronson would play in Leone films, but Foxx's performance comes as close to elevating it as possible.

As for the bad in this movie, I'd have to complain that it went on far too long. I was thoroughly entertained for the first two hours or so, but got pretty bored ironically when the film became an action-packed gore fest. I didn't feel like the shootout was properly led up to, as the dialogue was always the most interesting part of the film. I appreciate a good action sequence, though, and this contained more than a few.

This is worth seeing for anyone who can handle a little bit of eccentricity and a hell of a lot of violence.

16. Goon
The best thing to come out of Canada since Zap Rowsdower, this sports comedy starring Sean William Scott truly surprised me at how well done it was. A few of the jokes didn't work and it was needlessly vulgar at times (what do you expect from a script written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, among others?) this film had a surprising amount of heart and more than a few laughs.

At the heart of the film is Doug Glatt (William Scott), a bouncer who gets his chance on the rink after beating the shit out of a hockey player in the stands. He's a goon - a hockey player who is to do nothing other than hit people and get in fights to please the fans. It's an interesting concept for a film and Sean William Scott is somehow able to make this guy who's capable of beating the hell out of anyone he lays eyes on likable.

The laughs keep coming in this incredibly violent (easily the goriest sports film I've ever seen) slapstick comedy.

15. The Hunger Games
I didn't know what the hell was happening for a good portion of The Hunger Games. But there was Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen to make the film's emotions understood to me, and once it got going, it was quite the entertaining film. It's poorly directed and I heard it's not a great adaptation of the novel, but it's entertaining and emotionally involving.

The best scene of the movie was right when the Hunger Games started and a bunch of teenagers started murdering each other, with no soundtrack if I remember right. It let the shocking violence sink in as disgusting and wrong to the audience without bashing the viewer over the head (pun intended).

14. Flight
While Flight features an outstanding, Oscar-nominated script, I think it might be safe to say that this movie is nothing without the performance of Mr. Denzel Washington. He's so incredibly believable in his role of addicted anti-hero and is absolutely electrifying onscreen.

Robert Zemeckis's first real movie (fuck Beowulf) since Cast Away is mostly a success; there's not a dull moment in it. Washington plays Whip Whitaker, a pilot who wakes up barely in time for his flight and snorts cocaine to stay awake before drinking on flight and having one of the engines fail. He makes a remarkable crash-landing, injuring many but saving dozens of lives.

Whitaker is looking at life in prison, with cocaine and alcohol in his blood, unless he can get his shit together. A great deal of the film doesn't even focus on the pending trial, but on his continuing struggle with alcohol dependency. Along the way he meets another addict in Nicole (Kelly Reilly) and they become emotionally involved.

Flight is a hard movie to watch, but it's also rewarding. Washington is at the forefront of one of the best acted films in recent memory, with memorable performances from Kelly Reilly, John Goodman, and Don Cheadle.

13. The Dark Knight Rises
Despite its being more ripe for nitpick than almost any movie I've ever seen, TDKR is a pretty good movie. Its huge scale is impressive and gripping, as are many of the performances and characters.

Christian Bale plays Batman, in the first movie in which the viewer grows accustomed to care about the titular hero. In the past it was just cheer for Batman because the Joker is evil; here, he has to overcome all his injuries as well as fight with the police and public who have been told to wrongly accuse him of murder. On the other side is Tom Hardy as Bane, a menacing and worthy adversary even if you can't understand a word he says and his accent keeps changing. Somewhere in between is Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, the best performance of the entire film.

I found myself on the edge of my seat many times in the theater during this movie and I don't think there's a dull moment in it. It's not as good as The Dark Knight but it's still a good movie.

12. Arbitrage
Arbitrage is Richard Gere's movie, from start to finish. It's partially a thriller and partially a complicated character study on someone who would break the law to protect his family and ultimately harm them.

Robert Miller (Gere) is a multi-billionaire whose mistress dies in a Chappaquiddick-like incident. Seeing a way out, Miller flees the scene and is thus under investigation from Detective Michael Bryer (Tim Roth) and his exaggerated accent. This is why I hate casting British people in roles like this, but whatever.

The audience can almost feel the guilt build on Miller, who is doing everything he can to sell his company so that no one discovers the missing money which he paid his mistress. His daughter (Brit Marling) discovers the discrepancy and is immediately suspicious.

From the investigation by Detective Bryer to the investigation by Miller's daughter, this film is intense and gripping. Gere does a great job, as does Nate Parker as Gere's young getaway driver from Harlem. It's certainly worth a watch.

11. Les Miserables
Anyone who has a heart will be touched by this movie. In addition to having some of the greatest music ever recorded, it has some of the greatest characters in literature, performed by some of the greatest actors out there today. What's not to love?

Hugh Jackman is astounding as Jean Valjean, and "Valjean's Soliloquy" was when I first realized just how much emotion these actors were able to convey in their songs. This increases exponentially in Anne Hathaway's songs as Fantine, easily the highlight of the film.

I must complain about Tom Hooper's direction here, as it's the biggest drawback of the film. The film looks great, the music is great, and the acting is great, but the direction simply isn't. Nevertheless I'd recommend this film to just about anyone. It's easily the best musical since Chicago.

Books I Read in 2012

Since I didn't read a single book published in 2012 save for a short story, I decided to rank all the books - no matter their publishing date - that I read during that calendar year. It didn't matter if I read them for the first time or not.

1. Dubliners by James Joyce (1914) (Short Stories) - A+
2. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (1859) (Novel) - A+
3. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (1851) (Novel) - A+
4. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner (1929) (Novel) - A+
5. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce (1916) (Novel) - A+
6. Richard III by William Shakespeare (Play) - A+
7. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (1937) (Novel) - A+
8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818) (Novel) - A
9. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) (Novel) - A
10. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (1862) (Novel) - A-
11. Paradise Lost by John Milton (1667) (Epic Poem) - A-
12. 11/22/63 by Stephen King (2011) (Novel) - B+
13. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce (1939) (Novel) - B+
14. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1902) (Novella) - B+
15. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005) (Novel) - B+
16. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard (1966) (Play) - B+
17. Stephen Hero by James Joyce (1944) (Unfinished Novel) - B+
18. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (1895) (Play) - B+
19. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1920) (Novel) - B+
20. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1939) (Novel) - B
21. Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare (Play) - B
22. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1845) (Novel) - B
23. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (1953) (Play) - B
24. The Divine Comedy by Dante (1321) (Epic Poem) - B
25. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (2009) (Novel) - B
26. The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare (Play) - B
27. Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos (1925) (Novel) - B
28. The Culture of James Joyce's Ulysses by R. Brandon Kershner (Nonfiction) - B
29. Henry VI Part III by William Shakespeare (Play) - B
30. Cane by Jean Toomer (1923) (Poems, Short Stories) - B
31. The Cats of Copenhagen by James Joyce (2012) (Short Story) - B
32. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith (1952) (Novel) - B
33. Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow (1974) (Novel) - B-
34. New York by Edward Rutherfurd (2009) (Novel) - B-
35. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726) (Novel) - B-
36. The Leopard by Jo Nesbo (2011) (Novel) - B-
37. The Gothic by David Punter and Glennis Byron (2004) (Nonfiction) - B-
38. The Tiger in the Smoke by Mary Allingham (1952) (Novel) - B-
39. I, Claudius by Robert Grave (1934) (Novel) - B-
40. Hitchcock as Philosopher by Robert J. Yanal (2005) (Nonfiction) - B-
41. Henry VI Part II by William Shakespeare (Play) - B-
42. 1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion by Morgan Llywelyn (1998) (Novel) - B-
43. Henry VI Part I by William Shakespeare (Play) - B-
44. The Day of the Jackal by John Forsyth (1971) (Novel) - B-
45. The Monk by Matthew Lewis (1796) (Novel) - C+
46. The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare (Play) - C
47. Mr. Monk in Outer Space by Lee Goldberg (2007) (Novel) - C
48. For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming (1960) (Short Stories) - C-
49. Drood by Dan Simmons (2009) (Novel) - D
50. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (1959) (Novel) - D
51. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951) (Novel) - F

College Football End of the Year Top 25

1. Alabama (13-1, 7-1)
2. Oregon (12-1, 8-1)
3. Notre Dame (12-1)
4. Stanford (12-2, 8-1)
5. Georgia (12-2, 7-1)
6. Texas A&M (11-2, 6-2)
7. Ohio State (12-0, 8-0)
8. Kansas State (11-2, 8-1)
9. Clemson (11-2, 7-1)
10. Louisville (11-2, 5-2)
11. Florida (11-2, 7-1)
12. Florida State (12-2, 7-1)
13. Boise State (11-2, 7-1)
14. LSU (10-3, 6-2)
15. Oklahoma (10-3, 8-1)
16. South Carolina (11-2, 6-2)
17. Northwestern (10-3, 5-3)
18. Northern Illinois (12-2, 8-0)
19. Cincinnati (10-3, 5-2)
20. Nebraska (10-4, 7-1)
21. Utah State (11-2, 6-0)
22. Texas (9-4, 5-4)
23. Oregon State (9-4, 6-3)
24. Vanderbilt (9-4, 5-3)
25. San Jose State (11-2, 5-1)

My Next-Year Top 25:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Texas A&M
5. Louisville
6. South Carolina
7. Georgia
8. Boise State
9. Notre Dame
10. Clemson
11. LSU
12. Oklahoma
13. Nebraska
14. Florida
15. Stanford
16. Michigan
17. UCLA
18. Florida State
19. Northwestern
20. Cincinnati
21. Texas
22. USC
23. Arizona
24. Oregon State
25. Miami

NFL Awards

I'm going to give my top 5 or 10 for all the NFL awards.

MVP:

1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
2. J.J. Watt, Houston
3. Peyton Manning, Denver
4. Tom Brady, New England
5. Robert Griffin III, Washington
6. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
7. Arian Foster, Houston
8. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis
9. Charles Tillman, Chicago
10. Alfred Morris, Washington

 Coach of the Year:

1. Gary Kubiak, Houston
2. Mike Smith, Atlanta
3. Bill Belichick, New England
4. Mike Shannahan, Washington
5. Pete Carroll, Seattle
6. Leslie Frazier, Minnesota
7. Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis
8. John Fox, Denver Broncos
9. Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco
10. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay

Defensive Player of the Year:

1. J.J. Watt, Houston
2. Vince Wilfork, New England
3. Charles Tillman, Chicago
4. Richard Sherman, Seattle
5. Aldon Smith, San Francisco
6. Daryl Washington, Arizona
7. Tim Jennings, Chicago
8. Von Miller, Denver
9. Cameron Wake, Miami
10. Geno Atkins, Cincinnati

  Offensive Rookie of the Year:

1. Robert Griffin III, Washington
2. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis
3. Alfred Morris, Washington
4. Russell Wilson, Seattle
5. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay

Defensive Rookie of the Year:

1. Luke Kuechly, Carolina
2. Janoris Jenkins, Saint Louis
3. Casey Hayward, Green Bay
4. Bruce Irvin, Seattle
5. Dont'a Hightower, New England

 Comeback Player of the Year:

1. Peyton Manning, Denver
2. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
3. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City
4. Chris Johnson, Tennessee
5. Thomas Davis, Carolina

Walter Payton Man of the Year Award:

1. Philip Rivers, San Diego
2. Charles Tillman, Chicago
3. Matt Birk, Baltimore