Best (and worst) of 2012 so far

We officially crossed the halfway point of 2012 a few days ago. I’m not sure where all that time went, but reviewing my list of movies seen in 2012 tells me that I spent quite a lot of those six months in the theater or on my couch watching Blu-Rays. A quick count from that list tells me that I’ve caught 128 films so far this year, which indicates to me that I’m going to cruise past last year’s total of 188 movies seen. 

There have been some good films out this year, and they’ve been scattered across virtually the entire year. I thought now would be a good time to reflect back on the year that has been and give you my rundown of the best films so far. Plus, I will throw in a couple of disappointments for you as well, films that carried high expectations but let me down in the end.  

Some of the selections might surprise you, others might not.

Top 10 of 2012 So Far

10. Prometheus

This one lands at #10 based purely on the visuals. The set design, production values and special effects for Prometheus are top notch. Director Ridley Scott did a fantastic job of transporting us to an alien world. Every frame popped with energy and was packed with rich detail. Everything about the film looked and sounded the way a proper big budget science fiction film should. I saw this one three times this year, twice in IMAX, and I kept finding new details to marvel at with each viewing. Now the story on the other hand… let’s just say to keep reading to the end of the piece.

9. Wrath of the Titans

This movie told a very simple story, and it did it with visceral action and fun special effects. It was a dumb popcorn movie all the way, but it was a very, very good dumb popcorn movie. The story is almost pure testosterone.  All the talky bits are just excuses to race from one crazy fight scene to the next. Even the lone female in the film is herself a warrior queen who enjoys dishing out damage every chance she gets. The 13-year-old boy in me loved this film and wants me to rank it higher.

8. Chronicle

The ‘found-footage’ genre is wearing quite thin with me. I view most films of this sort as lazy, ill-conceived, often incoherent, and a bore to watch. While watching ‘found-footage’ films, I just keep wanting a cinematographer somewhere to pull back the camera, frame the shot, and show me what’s going on. Then along came Chronicle. Here is a ‘found-footage’ film that gets it. The film follows a group of high school kids who gain superpowers and document their adjustments to their new abilities. The filmmakers manage to overcome many of the issues I have with the genre. Chronicle is smart, well structured, exciting and beautiful. I hope other directors of ‘found-footage’ films were taking note.

7. 21 Jump Street

Who would have guessed that Channing Tatum could be so funny? Not me. But the pairing of Tatum and Jonah Hill produced one of the best ‘buddy cop’ movies in a long time. Sending those guys into a high school was great, but flipping their roles so that Tatum was the smart one and Hill was the athlete was genius. That really set up some fun situations for the two leads to work through. Fun times!

6. The Woman in Black

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Daniel Radcliffe in his first major film role post-Harry Potter. It turn out, he attached himself to a very good and very creepy horror film. Radcliffe does well in his role as a lawyer whose main task is to sort through the paperwork of a haunted house. Sounds dull, but, hey, whatever it takes to get him into this house. The real star of the film is the director James Watkins. This is a creepy and atmospheric horror film that uses long, still shots and bizarre imagery to build a real sense of dread. The tension ratchets up right until the very end of the film, and the final shot is one that gave quite a few people chills. Solid horror film.

5. Brave

Pixar knows what they’re doing. They know how to make great films. Even a lesser Pixar film is better than most other studios best stuff, and Brave is certainly not a lesser Pixar film. The story of a princess who defies her parents in a bid to go her own way is sweet, funny, compassionate, exciting, and it even teaches us a lesson or two.

4. The Cabin in the Woods

Do you want to know a bad sign for a horror film, or for any horror film for that matter? It’s when our finished film sits on a shelf for a few years. Whenever this happens, it usually indicates that the studio backing the film isn’t sure what to do with the final product. Normally, such films get shoved onto DVD or are never heard from again. The Cabin in the Woods, however, is a great horror film. Written by generally bright guy Joss Whedon and starring several solid actors, the problem with The Cabin in the Woods is it’s content. The whole point of the film is to deconstruct popular horror film convention into its component pieces and then play with those pieces. It’s easy to see where such an exercise could lead to a terrible film, but the writing, directing and acting are superb. The end result is a film that walks the tight line between genius and stupid and lands solidly on the genius side. If you are a fan of horror films, The Cabin in the Woods is certain to delight.

3. The Raid: Redemption

How does an Indonesian martial arts film make it into the top three? Because it’s amazing, of course. While Wrath of the Titans was a testosterone-fest for the sake of getting to the next big action sequence, The Raid: Redemption is a testosterone-fest with purpose and heart. The story is pretty simple. A drug lord controls a housing block full of criminals, and the time has come to go in and arrest him. Easier said than done. A building full of maniacs are unleashed on our heroes the minute they set foot in the place. The film is packed with wild shootouts and bone-crunching fights. For the life of me, I can’t figure out how these guys pulled off some of these fights without literally breaking each other in half. Combine the fighting with layers of family drama, friendships made, friendships broken, double-crosses, and, ultimately, moving on with life and you’ve got a memorable film.

2. The Grey

Liam Neeson is a mighty fine actor, and he puts in another strong performance in this film. A group of men returning from a remote Alaskan worksite find themselves stranded and half dead when their airplane crashes. They must fight the elements, wolves, each other, and themselves if they ever want to get home alive. The film is one of the most intense experiences you’ll have in the theater. You’ll have to consciously force yourself to relax your jaw unless you want to walk away with a headache. But, not only is it a mesmerizing experience, it also has tons of heart. These guys just want to go home, and they are willing to endure whatever is necessary to see that they have a chance to get out alive. The final scene drives home the man versus nature theme of the film and provides a satisfying conclusion to a great story.

1. The Avengers

I’m guessing you’re not surprised by this selection. A $610 million dollar box office haul (and counting) must surely be a sign of a quality film, right? In this case, it is. The Avengers is a fantastic payoff for years of planning and setup by Marvel Studios. We’ve gotten to know the major players in prior films, and here we get to see them in all-star form unite to take on their toughest foe yet. The story was fun, the action exciting, the writing sharp, the characters likeable, the effects spectacular. In the end, The Avengers is an amazingly entertaining film and it delivers on the promise set up by the previous films. There might not be a better film this year.

Who disappointed in 2012?

5. Safe House – The pairing of Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in a spy film should have been exciting and entertaining. Instead, we were treated to a by-the-numbers snoozefest with zero memorable action scenes.

4. The Hunger Games – For all the hype and box office success, I thought this film was a mess. It was well acted, but poorly shot and poorly directed. I got the feeling that, if you hadn’t read the books beforehand, then you would be totally lost. I hope they do better with the next one.

3. Snow White and the Huntsman – Previews and still shots for the film looked impressive, but when it came to the actual moving picture, it all fell apart. The characters were stiff or downright unlikeable, they did stuff for no reason or motivation, and the dwarves felt completely unnecessary. It tried way too hard to be Lord of the Rings while lacking the heart to do so.

2. Dark Shadows – I’m kindof over Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. This was a lifeless and unfunny comedy. It looked good, but it ultimately was a hollow film.

1. Prometheus – Loved the look, hated the story. It baffles me how a film with so much care put into the look and feel could come off so very, very wrong. Picking out the plot holes, dumb character decisions, and missteps in this film would take too much time and effort. And I would just get angry to think that this is what happened to my most anticipated film of 2012.

What are your picks for best (and worst) films of the year? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter!