Monday, October 8, 2012

Sarah & Andrew's Top Ten Lists for 2012 So Far! (October Update)

Andrew: Hello readers! So 2012 is juuuuust over three-quarters of the way over and so Sarah and I thought it would be a perfect time for us to update our individual Top Ten lists of the year! As you may recall from our Top Ten list we made at the beginning of July that covered the first half of the year (which you can find HERE), we had some similarities between our two lists but also some noticeable differences. Well this time we’ve seen 27 movies since that first list and so there are some notable names added to our new lists that have caused others to fall out.

Again, the only criteria for our lists are: they have to be films we've actually seen and reviewed and they had to be films that were first released in theatres for public consumption in the United States in the year 2012. So with that said, check out our respective lists and let us know what you think!

SARAH'S TOP TEN LIST OF 2012 (SO FAR!)

1.) The Avengers: This is still (in my opinion) the best movie of the year. It was just so fun and was everything a superhero movie should have been. The action paired with a phenomenal cast shot this movie to #1 for many weeks in a row. This was such a fun movie to go to and it fed into the other Marvel movies so seamlessly. (Read our 5/5 review)

2.) The Dark Knight Rises: The final installment in Nolan's Batman series was epic and left us wanting more! I loved Bane, even though I could have stood to have seen a little more of him. This movie makes me really wish that in two years we would be seeing a fourth Batman movie starring Bale! Alas, it is not to be… (Read Sarah's 4.5/5 review)

3.) Prometheus: This just still goes back to my love of the Alien movies and getting a little more of that back-story was exciting! While it was not exactly a "prequel" it was still so cool and had a great cast that really brought the world that Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley would later inhabit to life. (Read our 4.5/5 review)


4.) Lawless: Getting to see more of Tom Hardy is always a plus! His understated line delivery was perfect for this Prohibition era movie. Mixed with the perfect elements of "bada$$" and violence, Lawless was pretty sweet. I also loved the cast that really looked like they belonged in the time-period. (Read our 4.5/5 review)

5.) Savages: This was still such a sexy, violent movie and I loved it. This probably speaks a little more about me that any of you cared to know, but there it is. I thought that the relationship between Ben, Chon and Ophelia was very interesting and I also enjoyed the directing style Oliver Stone went with. (Read our 3/5 review)

6.) Ted: Love me some Seth MacFarlane. And he finally gave Mila Kunis more than one line in a movie! (Read our 4.5/5 review)

7.) Looper: I wasn't as in love with this movie as Andrew was because I felt that the storyline was a little heavy, enough that it probably takes two viewings to fully get it all. Why I did want to see this one again was because of the AMAZING cast! JGL was amazing, Bruce Willis is still a force to be reckoned with on the silver screen, Emily Blunt shows her skills as an "American," but the real star was the unknown Pierce Gagnon. If you are iffy on seeing this one on the big screen, SEE IT for Gagnon! This kid is going places. (Read our 5/5 review)

8.) The Cabin in the Woods: Not new in the second half of the year, but new to this list of mine. Andrew made me sit down and watch this one with him and I have to say...it was surprisingly awesome! Not what I expected at all and I really liked it! It went from classic horror slasher film to surprising sci-fi flick! (Read Andrew's 5/5 review)

9.) The Perks of Being a Wallflower: I was a little hesitant about  this coming-of-age movie but after seeing it I thought it was absolutely beautiful. Seeing a movie that totally surprised me is a rarity nowadays so when this one took a twist that I wasn't expecting, I was so pleased! (Read our 5/5 review)

10.) Chronicle: Still the best "found-footage" movie that I think will ever be made. It was so cool, it was an interesting character study and an unexpected twist on the whole super-hero thing! Loved it! (Read our 4.5/5 review)


ANDREW'S TOP TEN LIST OF 2012 (SO FAR)

1.) Looper: Great performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt and Pierce Gagnon along with an incredible strong script, storyline and a near perfect use of time-travel in said storyline makes this the best sci-fi film to come along in quite a while. The best part of the story is it goes where you’re not expecting it to and when it does it becomes an even BETTER movie. Upon second viewing I noticed so many small details in the script and in the sets that enhanced my love for it, plus I was able to appreciate the cinematography and music even more. I love this movie, I really do.

2.) The Cabin in the Woods: My favorite film genre is horror, so this “loving hate letter” to the genre by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard is pitch-perfect. The best deconstruction of horror films since Wes Craven’s Scream, I genuinely enjoyed every aspect of this movie. Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins are a hoot, the group of stock characters that are knocked off one-by-one nail their parts, and it’s a legitimate slasher film. And I can’t forget to mention the whiteboard. It maintains its #2 spot on my list based on repeated viewings holding up and the fact that even Sarah loved it. (Our 5/5 review)

3.) The Dark Knight Rises: The final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy isn’t an absolute perfect movie, but I found it to be the perfect ending to Nolan’s take on Gotham’s citizens. It has the best performance by Christian Bale in the series, a foreboding villain who is more than able to match Batman in Tom Hardy’s Bale (I for one loved his voice), Anne Hathaway was perfect as Selina Kyle and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s presence as a mirror image of Bruce Wayne helped bring the series full circle. Each time I saw this I left the theatre with a smile on my face. That’s all I can ask for.

4.) The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Based on the novel of the same name and directed by the novel’s author, Stephen Chbosky, this movie had a big impact on me while watching it. Superb acting turns by Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller made me totally invested in their plights, I loved how Chbosky was able to bring his own novel to life in exactly the way I imagine he wanted to, how he made me care about his characters and how I’d love to buy this as soon as it’s available on Blu-ray and watch them again immediately.

5.) The Avengers: It might not necessarily be Oscar-worthy, but this epic superhero film is pretty much everything you could ask for out of a popcorn flick. It’s fun, exciting, dramatic, bombastic…I could go on and on. The culmination of Marvel’s efforts to create an interweaving world for their characters on the big screen is a rousing success. The bantering between Robert Downey, Jr.’s Tony Stark and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner is worth the price of admission alone. It only drops down some spots because repeat viewings at home have caused me to start picking out some plot-holes, and the realization that the first 20 minutes isn’t necessarily a master class in acting.

6.) 21 Jump Street: The best studio comedy of the year would have had me rolling in the aisle if we weren’t sitting in the middle of the row. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are perfect together, and who knew Tatum was this good at comedy? There hasn’t been an R-rated buddy cop movie this good in a long time, so this was a refreshing change of pace. It was also refreshing to see them flip the script and make Tatum’s “jock” the outcast and Hill’s “dork” one of the popular kids. (Read our 4.5/5 review)

7.) Celeste and Jesse Forever: An indie comedy starring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg as a married couple and life-long BFF’s who decide to get divorced and remain BFF’s, this caught us off guard by how realistic a portrayal of this kind of situation might be. Jones does a great job shouldering most of the movie (she also co-wrote it) and Samberg does his best non-SNL work in a more dramatic role. Raunchy, funny and touching all at once it reminded us 2011’s Crazy, Stupid, Love which was our 2nd favorite movie of last year. (Read our 4.5/5 review)

8.) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World: Led by another great performance by Steve Carell and his surprisingly good chemistry with Keira Knightley, this dark comedy caught me off guard by making me really think about what I would do if I knew the world was ending in 3 weeks. The realistic portrayals throughout the entire movie made the proceedings easy to relate to. A fantastic effort all around to make you care even though you know where the film is headed. (Read our 4.5/5 review)

9.) Sound of My Voice: This film had a great mystery to it that kept you wondering and thinking even after it ended. It’s helped by its atmosphere and the performances by Brit Marling and Christopher Denham. I loved going down the rabbit hole into the cult the two main characters, Peter and Lorna, try to infiltrate and expose as a fraud. A small budget sci-fi film with strong performances and a stronger story are always appreciated, but it's the staying power the gives it such a high ranking for me. (Read our 4/5 review)

10.) Lawless: A gorgeous, slow-burning and violent drama about a trio of bootlegging brothers in 1920’s Virginia, led by fantastic performances by Tom Hardy as the leader of the pack and Guy Pearce as a sadistic Special Deputy brought in to bring them down through any means necessary. Even Shia LaBeouf as the youngest brother and not enough Gary Oldman as a Chicago gangster who wants in on the brothers’ action can keep this from cracking my top ten.

Honorable Mention: The Hunger Games, Prometheus, Chronicle, Ted, The Vow, ParaNorman, The Odd Life of Timothy Green


Photo Courtesies: Teaser-TrailerTime

5 comments:

  1. Great lists you two! Sound of My Voice is one I'm waiting to see (it's on Netflix, I have no excuse, I know).

    I hate to see The Hunger Games on your honorable mentions, though. I found that to be one of the worst movies of the year.

    And as much as I like both of your lists, I have to side more with Andrew on this one. Glad to see Looper and Cabin in the Woods on top. Sorry, Sarah.

    I feel I should make my own list...

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  2. Oh, and I'm also glad to see you guys publishing almost daily now! It's great to see a variety of content!

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    1. Thank you Nick! Sarah wasn't as big a fan of The Hunger Games as I was but I liked it because it was an incredibly faithful adaptation of the book and I was fine with the adjustments they made for film.

      And yeah, we're trying to publish daily stuff if we can. Sometimes we can't but we're certainly trying to do so more now, even if it's just trailers and news that we can talk about.

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  3. Glad to see love for "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" and "Prometheus"! For me the winner so far is The Dark Knight Rises, but Killer Joe and Looper were also fantastic.

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    1. Yes! Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and Prometheus are two that we need to go buy ASAP. And we haven't been fortunate enough to have Killer Joe come our way yet, but it's definitely one we want to see!

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