Q&A: The Best of 2012 Movies So Far
The summer blockbuster season has essentially come to an end and it is time for a quick retrospective look at the cinematic offering so far this year. Like most years, there has been the pleasant surprises and the painful disappointments, gems we dug and duds we didn’t. Post your thoughts and rankings in the comments below!
This is a bit of a down year for me as far as my movie watching goes but there is no doubt that we have been blessed with some ample amount of decent entertainment both on television and at the movie theater. Two movies in particular are likely to stay with me. I was completely smitten by Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, a whimsy, sweet and darkly humorous love story with a star-studded cast. As shown last year with Midnight in Paris, there is absolutely nothing wrong with loving whimsical movies.
And there is Beasts of the Southern Wild, a thoroughly singular cinematic experience powered by Quvenzhané Wallis, the 6-year old actress (at time of filming) who will may soon be known as the youngest Oscar nominee to date. Not too many sets of eyes were dry by the end of the movie (including our own Red Georges) and that’s something worth noting.
And what about Joss Whedon and what he brought to the table with The Avengers? He has essentially shown that comic book movies don’t have to be so “dark and gritty”, that there is hope after the end of Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Speaking of which, I’m not going to lie: I initially loved The Dark Knight Rises but after seeing it a second time and delving more into it, I can’t help but be slightly disappointed by how flawed the movie is.
My top 12 movies of the year so far:
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- The Raid: Redemption
- The Avengers
- The Dark Knight Rises
- Ted
- Miss Bala
- 21 Jump Street
- Brave
- The Bourne Legacy
- Prometheus
- Chronicle
The Duds:
- Haywire
- The Grey
- The Hunger Games
For the remaining of the year, my most highly anticipated films are: To The Wonder, Django Unchained, and Les Miserables.
Your turn! What are your favorite movies of the year to date? The most underrated? The most surprising? The best performances, scenes, moments, etc… What are you looking forward to for the rest of the year? Discuss in the comments.
44 Comments
I haven’t seen a lot of new films this year so here’s my list so far:
1. Moonrise Kingdom
2. The Avengers
3. The Dark Knight Rises
4. Brave
5. 21 Jump Street
6. The Hunger Games
The Grey, a dud? NOOOOO… come on!
That’s one of my faves!
I havent been able to see Moonrise or Beasts yet (unfortunately), but I did get to see “The Raid: Redemption”, and that’s a lock to make my top ten. Avengers, too.
Hunger Games has an outside shot.
I’m with my man Fogs’ here. If The Grey is a dud, it’s the best dud of the year. That’s a damn good flick.
The premise was too ridiculous for me. The movie could easily have done without the wolves then I would have gotten behind the pseudo-philosophical stuff.
I think the threat of the wolves is what makes a lot of the existential stuff about mortality work, though.
I have only seen 25 films, but my top 10 for now:
01. The Dark Knight Rises (Christopher Nolan)
02. The Avengers (Joss Whedon)
03. Detachment (Tony Kaye)
04. The Amazing Spider-Man (Marc Webb)
05. Brave (Mark Andrews)
06. Prometheus (Ridley Scott)
07. Game Change (Jay Roach) *
08. ParaNorman (Chris Butler)
09. Friends With Kids (Jennifer Westfeldt)
10. The Pirates! Band Of Misfits (Peter Lord)
*If Television films doesn’t count, then add The Cabin in the Woods below Pirates! instead. But Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin was really great to watch.
It’s interesting that 3 animated films are in my Top 10.
I know that films like Beasts of the Southern Wild and Moonrise Kingdom premiered already, but I haven’t seen them yet.
Worst films of 2012:
1. Dark Shadows (Tim Burton)
2. Red Tails (Anthony Hemingway)
It’s not been a great year for movies so far, in my opinion. But there have been a couple of good ones. My hope, though, is that there will be a movie that comes out later this year – maybe ‘The Master’ or ‘Django Unchained’ or maybe even the Spielberg biopic ‘Lincoln’ – that will go down as my hands-down favorite of 2012. I can’t say my current #1, as much as I love it, is quite at that level for me.
Best:
1. Beasts of the Southern Wild
2. The Turin Horse
3. Chronicle
4. The Kid with a Bike
5. The Dark Knight Rises
6. Cabin in the Woods
7. Moonrise Kingdom
8. Pina
9. Magic Mike
10. Your Sister’s Sister
Worst:
1. Project X
2. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
3. Mirror Mirror
Yea I agree Justin that weren’t too many movies that really blew me away, if any so far this year. Have yet to see Cabin in the Woods as well as your artsie picks, The Turin Horse and The Kid with a Bike.
I like Haywire, but The Grey and Hunger Games sucked. For me so far when it comes to the best it’s TDKR, Prometheus and The Cabin in the Woods, though I’m sure I’ll love Moonrise Kingdom.
My top #1 will probably shock people and draw criticism. Here’s my top 5 thus far:
1. Prometheus
2. The Avengers
3. Moonrise Kingdom
4. DKR
5. Ted
Cant wait for Django, Lincoln, The Master
Nothing wrong with loving Prometheus
I think there is a lot of people who really liked it but the haters are much more vocal 
Surprised to see The Grey and Haywire highlighted as duds. I thought both were pretty solid.
My highlights so far:
The Dark Knight Rises
Take This Waltz
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Moonrise Kingdom
The Cabin in the Woods
The Intouchables
The summer movie season has been disappointing on the whole, but it has given me my favorite movies of the year so far: THE AVENGERS and SATISFACTION NOT GUARANTEED.
Seeing as it’s the only new movie I’ve seen this year, here’s my top ten list:
Prometheus.
REALLY? Only one movie???
Sir, how do you call yourself a cinephile, you should be ashamed!
Just kidding
He really should be ashamed. Come on Dave!
Dave doesn’t need to be ashamed
… I have only seen 2 movies this year… Prometheus and TDKR, my list would be:
1. Prometheus
2. TDKR
Correction: I saw 3 movies this year:
1. Prometheus
2. The Raid
3. The Dark Knight Rises.
I am the only one in blogosphere that wasn’t impressed by TDKR
..sorry
Trust me, you’re not the only one who didn’t think much of TDKR. It’s a hodgepodge.
I got The Raid: Redemption in the mail today! Can’t wait to watch it
My top 5 are:
1. The Dark Knight Rises
2. Prometheus
3. The Amazing Spider-man
4. 21 Jump Street
5. The Grey
My dud of the year is Good Deeds. Yes, I actually watched that movie.
I knew you didn’t like The Grey as much but Haywire too?! Ouch! You’re hurtin’ me, man. But still, some good stuff there in your Top 10. I don’t know. I don’t even feel prepared to speculate or make a rough draft of a Top 10 at this point. I’m getting a sense this year is going to be backloaded.
But I did enjoy Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World & Beasts Of The Southern Wild a fantastic amount. Which is an odd pair. But that’s how I roll.
The number 1 slot is clogged up in a 3-way-tie between Moonrise Kingdom, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Cabin in the Woods. If I have to choose an order, though,
1. Moonrise Kingdom
2. Cabin in the Woods
3. Beasts of the Southern Wild
4. Klown
5. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
6. The Avengers
7. Polisse
8. The Raid: Redemption
9. The Grey
10. Detention
Subject to change as The Hobbit, The Master, Looper, Django Unchained, To The Wonder, and other films hit in the last four months of the year (thereabouts), but that’s a solid 10 for now.
Oh…I forgot that The Raid is this year’s movie…well I have to change my previous comment
I actually liked all three of those duds. Oh well. My top 5 of the year so far would be:
1. The Dark Knight Rises
2. Moonrise Kingdom
3. Prometheus
4. Haywire
5. The Avengers
Well I think this has been a rather thin year in general but here are my picks
1. Beasts of the Southern Wild
2. The Avengers
3. The Dark Knight Rises
4. Prometheus (kinda sorta)
5. Farewell My Queen
Cannot wait to see The Hobbit, Skyfall (gonna see it in London!)
DUD=Friends w Kids
my fav films i saw in 2012 list is better:
1. prometheus
2. carnage
3. the artist
4. avengers
5. take shelter
6. moon
7. moonrise kingdom
8. dkr
9. under great white northern lights
10. ted
11. senna
12. 12 monkeys
13. savages
14. raid
15. puss in boots
16. cabin in the wood
17. the descendants
I haven’t seen all that many new releases this year, but I was sufficiently impressed by both Moonrise Kingdom and The Avengers. I guess The Artist is in that mix too, although I sort of count it as a film from last year. I also thought Cabin in the Woods was a damn fine genre flick. I was kind of meh about TDKR.
The next few months have some serious potential. I’m sure that whatever my favorite movie is in 2012 will come out of the next four months.
It’s odd. A lot of people are saying that they didn’t see that many new releases this year…
For whatever it’s worth, Castor, I don’t see many new releases during any year. I might average about one a month.
By the time Argo, Lincoln, The Master, Killing Me Softly, and all of the other gangster movies hit, I’ll probably see more new releases this year than most years.
1 & 2 is already on my watch list. Interesting to see Ted there, I must check it out later. You’ve seen my list, but the updated one will have TDKR and Salmon Fishing In The Yemen.
Oh I enjoyed ‘Salmon Fishing In The Yemen’ too, might even rent that one to see it again.
Your top 2 are my most eagerly anticipated. Going to catch them when they eventually hit he small screen here. Thanks to ridiculously small releases of both of those! Heck, I don’t think Beasts got released.
Mine top films would be…
1. The Dark Knight Rises
2. The Avengers
3. Cabin in the Woods
4. The Muppets (didn’t get released here til Feb this year!)
5. Prometheus
6. Headhunters
7. 21 Jump Street
Hunger Games is one of the biggest duds for me. I wasn’t all too invested in it, but I at least thought I’d get some entertainment out of it. And Bourne Legacy. Aside from TDKR, Prometheus and Avengers, this summer hasn’t shaped up all too well.
My daughter just told me 21 Jumpstreet is really funny. I was thinking about renting it today. I have today and tomorrow off from work so…movie time! I agree with the four you listed that I’ve seen. Hunger Games though was a gripping adaptation and Jennifer Lawrence was wonderful. I must say, for me, the top of my list and everything in between is, “Safety Not Guaranteed.”
I miss your Q&A Castor!
I agree with half of your Best List Castor, but I quite enjoyed Haywire and Hunger Games. I don’t know what my Top 10 would be yet, but I think BRAVE, Avengers, Moonrise Kingdom and TDKR are likely to make my list.
Me too Ruth!
The Q&A will be back on a more regular basis effective immediately.
I don’t think none of the films I saw so far this year were the best but I consider them quite entertaining:
TDKR
The Avengers
Prometheus
Haywire
21 Jump Street
DUDS:
Safe House – it’s a like a cheap imitation of the last two Bourne films but none of the intelligence.
Red Tails – I would’ve walked out but I went to a private screening with a lot of war veterans in attendance and didn’t want to be rude. So I stayed, I wish I could’ve gotten 2 hours of my life back.
Total Recall – Total waste of time, see the original instead.
No one has seen Miss Bala. I mean technically, it’s a 2011 movie but it was released in 2012.
If I happen to come across a screening of it, I’ll watch it. If it’s on Instant, that’s even better. I thought it might be the latest Alex de la Iglesia movie just based on the title and the poster, but after reading some reviews, it ain’t him. Sounds worth checking out.
I saw it! I saw it! I thought it was good. I don’t think it will make my year-end Top 10 but still, a quality movie.
It’s interesting how The Avengers and/or The Dark Knight Rises is on everyone’s lists. I wonder what the Oscar voters think.
2012 has been a pretty solid year. But The Grey is no way near a dud (at least for me). It’s my favorite movie this year so far. Here’s my Best of 2012 List (So Far) Nominees: http://randomfilmbuff.com/2012/08/04/d-8/
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