My # 1 Favorite Film of 2012

Wow. What a week. This week has been scary, exciting, dangerous, and fun. In all honestly, I'm glad I've made it to this post. Let me start off by saying that 2012 was a great year for cinema. A lot of great films came out. A lot of flops came out too, but that's for another time.

Let's focus on the great films that came out.

To start today's post off, I will disclose my Honorable Mentions list. In my opinion, these movies were fun and pretty decent in their own rights. Although they didn't make my "Top 5" doesn't mean I did not thoroughly enjoy these films. So let's get to it!

HONORABLE MENTIONS:


Wreck-It-Ralph

Honestly, one of my favorite animated films in years. Definitely ranks up their in all time highs within the animated category and it has an awesome and fun story that appeals to adults and kids.

This is 40

Judd Apatow. Awesome filmmaker and this one is no exception because a lot of the humor in this film is grounded in reality and I can totally see this being my life in some ways.

21 Jump Street

Channing Tatum. Nuff' said.  The chemistry between Tatum and Jonah Hill was hilarious and I look forward to their sequel. Although outrageous at times, this film has some of the best laughs to be had in 2012.

Ted

Another great comedy which is reminiscent to Family Guy in some ways due to Seth MacFarlane but very HILARIOUS!

Contraband

I enjoyed this thriller mainly because of Mark Wahlberg but the action sequences are supreme and it's story is pretty sound.

Hunger Games

Jennifer Lawrence. And more Jennifer Lawrence.

The Dark Knight Rises

Mainly because this was Nolan's last Batman film, however The Dark Knight was way better in my opinion. I have a lot of problems with this film but it was a epic conclusion.

Now.... For the what everyone has been waiting for... the #1 Best Movie of 2012!!! (According to Me!)

#1

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

Wow. This movie was out of nowhere. This movie was the biggest surprise of the year for me. I not only left the theater loving this film, but it grew on me. It stayed with me. If there's anything I love for than Bradley Cooper, it's Jennifer Lawrence.

The movie starts off with Cooper's character leaving a mental health care clinic where he's been for the past 8 months. Why is he in a health care clinic you ask? Well...he walked in on his wife having an affair and he snapped. He beat the heck out of the dude. So he's being released from the mental health care clinic to his mom who assumes reliability in case if he were to have another incident. A lot of things are going on here. He living back with his parents while rebuilding his whole life. He lost his job, his house, and his marriage all because of this one incident so how on earth does he become more than he once was? Watch to find out.

The characters have a LOT of issues in this film. From rage, to bi-polar disorder to gambling to OCD to everything in between. This movie had it all. Consisting of a  cast with Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper, this movie left you feeling a wide variety of emotions that kept you longing for what could be. Although I don't believe this movie will win Best Picture this year, it should. It absolutely should. It's one of the most endearing romantic comedies in ages.

Watching these characters remain focused, discipline, and watching them learn to love again, makes these characters memorable for all that they are. These aren't the most likeable characters in a Rom-com. They are however, the most interesting.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK---92% (A-)

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Thanks for reading throughout this week! It's been fun. See you Monday!

#2 Best Movie of 2012!!!

Happy Valentine's Day for all you lovers out there! Or...Happy Singles Awareness Day AKA Boozing it up while watching some TV day.

So what if I told you my 2nd favorite movie of 2012 had like 20+ sequels? Well at first this thought may seem striking but if you think about what came out in 2012, you'd realize it was nothing other than...

Bond. James Bond.

NUMBER 2

SKYFALL

Heck ya! What's more interesting than Bond facing off any other villains? Facing Javier Bardem. Javier Bardem was an awesome villain in this film. He was disturbed, wanted revenge, and he didn't care if he would die as long as he got it. He was a former MI-6 agent, and his main goal is to kill M.

Another unique quality about this Bond as opposed to other Bond films was that this one was a bit darker for 007 himself. The movie starts with an exciting action sequence which results in Bond's DEATH! Oh snap... SPOILER ALERT!~!~! Yes, James Bond is believed to have died in the early stretch of our film, but of course he didn't! Else, we wouldn't have a movie.

So what do I mean by darker? Bond is a struggling drunk. He has shrapnel in his shoulder. He is trying to prove to MI-6 his is capable of active service. He's trying to stop M's assassination while dealing with all of his issues. Although all the women want him and all the men want to be him, Skyfall shows Bond in a more realistic sense. He's just like everyone else. He's human folks. He has issues. Physical. Psychological. Mental. All the above. So how does he deal with all of this? By showing us a Bond we've never seen before.

SKYFALL---89%(B+)

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#3 Best Movie of 2012!!!

Where was I yesterday? Well, yesterday I was busy planning my awesome Valentine's day so in order to spread the love, tonight I will post the 3rd and 2nd best movies of the year according to me! Tomorrow (AKA At some point on Friday) I will post MY NUMBER 1 All-Time Favorite film of the year 2012! Did you hear that? Two thousand and twelve! Boom!

Without further ado....

 NUMBER 3

LOOPER

Two words. Bruce Willis. Okay okay... Another two words. Time Travel. Enough said right. Well, the answer is no. Time Travel movies can often be really confusing. If the movie isn't executed right, then you can lose your audience. But here is the other thing about movies involving time travel, if it can make enough sense, and if reason and logic can argue the timelines, then you have a good start.

Where this movie excels is its concept. Boom. You're in the future. Time travel is used only by the mafia. Joseph Gordon Levitt's character, Joe (or Young Joe if you will), is sent targets from 30 years in the future to eliminate them. Joe is a "Looper."  When a target is sent back, normally pieces of silver are attached to the target. EXCEPT, that rare occasion when gold is sent back with the target. Gold you say? Yes, however this is a horrible sign. When gold is sent with a target from the future, that target is you. It's called, "closing the loop." If you don't close the loop, bad BAD I repeat BAAADDDD stuff happens. If you don't believe me, watch the scene when Joe's friend, who should be "closing the loop", doesn't and what ensues. Joe doesn't know what to think of this at first and then, before you know it, his future self is sent back. This Sci-Fi was phenomenal in concept. In execution, it was unique. I won't say more than I already have, but not only do you have time-travel, you also have people who have TK. Telekinesis. At first, I didn't really see why it was so cool to have TK, especially when the rare individuals who do have it use it as a means of picking up women by moving quarters, but as the story progresses, the audience sees the damage that ensues from "The Rainmaker" and his abilities.

LOOPER---87%(B+)

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#4 Best Movie of 2012!

Welcome back all!

After going through my list of my favorite films of 2012, I had to make some tough decisions and had to cut some from the top 5. Making this list was pretty fun but also difficult in the sense that I could like several movies equally but not rank them the same because of my opinion or preference to genre. Having said that, I will continue the week counting down my favorite films announcing Number 1 on Friday with an Honorable Mentions list.

Once again, don't be afraid to comment or share my post. A fun thing about movies is the discussion that ensues so without further ado, My #4 Best Movie of 2012!!


NUMBER 4


CHRONICLE

 

Wow. Really? Another found footage/ documentary style type. Yes! I remember watching the trailer for this and I was like, "Teenagers with super powers!??!" I'm in. Going into this movie, I was intrigued by the concept but I honestly was not expecting a whole lot. Once again, the biggest thing that stood out wasn't necessarily the way the film was shot, (although that contributed) it was the protagonist who wielded the camera and the story he went through. These three unknown actors came in and portrayed the essence of high school with the fun, the trials and tribulations, and the aspect of being god. Now take a quick second. Close your eyes... You're back inn high school, but not only are you back in high school, you have telekinesis. You are more powerful than anyone or anything around you. What would you do?

What stood out most for me was the overall character arc that Andrew Detmer played by Dane DeHaan went through. You empathize with him. But after time, you see how the external conflicts he faces at home changes him into something to be feared. Great acting by Dane DeHaan who is currently filming The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (He'll play Harry Osborn). I certainly enjoyed the chemistry amongst the three and I definitely liked the direction here by Josh Trank,

This movie just makes you wonder about what you would do if you were in that situation. It puts you in a vulnerable position by being in high school yet at the same time you have the greatest power you could ever know. Overall, a great story and a dynamic character arc.

CHRONICLE---85% (B)

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Until tomorrow when I reveal my 3rd favorite movie of 2012.

Top 5 Movies of 2012! Starting with #5

First off, I want to take a quick minute and introduce myself. My name is Jordan Hannah and I absolutely love movies. Truth be it, I love all mediums but movies hold a special place in my heart. Not only do I love cinema, but my dream job which I'm working hard towards is to become a screenwriter. A goal I have would be to land representation sometime in 2013 but one can dream. Some of those that know me, know that I have been saying forever that I would start a blog but now I can happily say that I have finally started this fun adventure!

So... what's in it for you? Well, if you love movies and love discussing them and agreeing or disagreeing with my awesome opinion, I would love to hear from you. This blog will serve as a platform for movie reviews, movie news, best of lists, worst of lists, and everything movies. I honestly don't know what to expect from this but I expect it to be fun on my end. The goal is for there to be a post everyday Monday thru Friday with the weekends being time for you all to bash my opinions on Twitter or something. So with this being the first week of my blog, I plan to do a Top 5 list of 2012. Once again, you may agree, disagree, but no matter what, I would like to hear your opinion! Here goes nothing....

TOP 5 Movies of 2012!!!

NUMBER 5

END OF WATCH

I was definitely curious about this film prior to watching it.  Writer/Director David Ayers was on my radar for a variety of reasons. He is very diverse within cinema involving the police force. He wrote the screenplay for S.W.A.T. (guilty pleasure) and one of my favorite films Training Day. Given this being his directorial debut, I found it intriguing that he shot the film using a documentary-type style. Another aspect that I thought about going into this film, was that Michael Pena is a wildly underrated actor. He previously starred in Shooter with Mark Wahlberg, was great in his brief screentime in the Lincoln Lawyer and a variety of other roles. Up next, you have the great Anna Kendrick. DISCLAIMER: If you don't like Anna Kendrick, then maybe you shouldn't read this blog. I'm just going to say it, she's eye candy and talented, I mean did you see Pitch Perfect? Kidding! Carrying on... Jake Gyllenhaal was a solid choice to be the lead. I'm sure that the majority of the female crowd didn't mind.

So what makes this movie work?
DISCLAIMER: I'm a geek/nerd/ whatever else fits within this category. I love CGI. I love action. However, what hits home...what separates great movies from good movies is characters and story. This is the main reason why I enjoyed this film. Now I have heard the arguments! I'm here to make my case. I know that some people out there did NOT like this movie because it "just follows" two cops throughout their daily grind. Some may say there's nothing really happening and that we're only watching two friends share laughs, and goof off throughout their day. Understandable. However, the chemistry between Pena and Gyllenhaal was supreme. Sharing those stories, those moments of happiness and everything in between made me care about them. I loved these guys! I rooted for them! This movie was built on the chemistry between the characters and making it personal. Where this movie struggled was probably on the story. However, having said that, the story isn't bad. It's decent, but for me as an audience member, I was invested because of the characters and....Anna Kendrick.

After seeing them struggle, and then having the audience know that a greater evil was plotting against them was all that was needed. I bought into it. Now some of you may have hated the ending. I will not spoil it if you haven't seen it and for future reference if I ever do tend to discuss spoilers I will say SPOILER ALERT!!@*^!(*^!#(*!#^!( OMG!!! SPOILS AHEAD!!!... or something to that affect... or effect... damn. Where was I? Oh, the ending... all I will say, the ending got the reaction it wanted. You don't have to love it... Shoot, maybe you do love it... but the greater result to be had is the feeling and the emotions you experience with any ending. This is why people love happy endings but I digress. I love endings as long as it elicits the reaction it seeks.
Overall, I didn't expect a lot going into the film. However, by the time I came out. I loved it... and it stuck with me... Hence, #5!

Now for a grading procedure... for now I will give the movies I discuss a percentage grade from 1-100 given the typical letter grading scale. I'm not sure if I will stick with this or if I will actually give a letter grade or if I give a few stars like the 4 star scale or some other means. I'm open to suggestions.

END OF WATCH--- 83% (B-)

What! I thought you said you liked this movie?!?!?!?! WTH!!! Well, I like to think of myself as a tough grader but I'm probably just being arrogant. If this offends you, please discuss it with me in comments.

Well. That was fun. I hope you enjoyed. Until next time.
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