Horror & Horror/ Thriller Reviews

This is going to be a batch of quick reviews of Horror films and Horror/ Thrillers that I have seen this year. Some people ask why I watch so many horror films. I think it is because the REALLY good horror films are out there and, when you find one, it makes sitting through all the crap worth it. Witness Neil Marshall's film 'The Descent'. I have yet to find anything too great on this front so far this year. While they all have great moments and great things in them, nothing has really been fabulous yet this year.
Read on for reviews of Dark Skies, Last Exorcism 2, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Hansel & Gretl Witch Hunters, Evil Dead(2013), and V/H/S.

V/H/S- available on video now

This is a "found footage" anthology horror film which shows a group of thieves who break into a home to steal a specific videotape. When they get there, they find the homeowner dead and a ton of VHS tapes. So, while looking for the tape, they also watch several of them.
As with most anthology films, some stories are much better than others. They are all obviously low budget. The first story seems to be the longest and, while very cool in execution (I believe the last segment is shot in one long take), the story of guys bringing unsuspecting girls back to their hotel room and having the tables turned just isnt very interesting. None of the characters connect at all with the audience.
Other stories are much better (Second Honeymoon starts off very slow and gets creepier with a total WTF ending, a story of a supernatural killer in the woods who cant be photographed uses the VHS ploy to its advantage, the story where guys go to the wrong house for a Halloween party has some amazing physcal effects that I wont soon forget, and a Skype conversation with visitors is creepy), but still, even in these, pacing and acting may be off in sections and perfect in others.
There is a sequel coming out in Summer of 2013 and advance word is that it is much better than this installment. I really liked the inventiveness and how they tried to do different things throughout. So, for adventureous types looking for a mixed bag anthology of low budget horror stories, I highly recommend this. For others, watch if this review intrigues you. All others- stay away!


Movie rating- 5
Film rating- 4


Last Exorcism 2- video release date- June 18, 2013

Nell Sweetzer from the first film (played again by Ashley Bell) is found cowering in the kitchen of an unsuspecting couple after the end of the events in the first film. She is taken to a home for wayward girls. Some of them have run away from home, others are there using it as a halfway house. At this home, they are ruled over by a strict but loving (maybe too loving???) caretaker who gets them all jobs at local businesses. Nell gets a job at a motel cleaning the rooms and meets a young man that she carefully starts dating.
However, the demon from the first film will not let her go and he starts creeping into her dreams and then into manifestations throughout the day. Some of these scenes are creepy, others laughably stupid. When Nell discovers that she is endangering those around her by ignoring the demon, she must find someone who can help get rid of the demon once & for all.
The ending is hilariously bad and the tone is completely off from the rest of the film. This is almost as much of a mixed bag as V/H/S, the bigger problem is that it is not an anthology film. The only thing that keeps this film afloat is Ashley Bell as Nell. While some may think she is overly mannered in her performance, I found that I was enthralled with what she would do next. While the charcater of Nell is bizarre and totally off-kilter (due to the events of the first film and things which are inferred therein), Bell's performance never wavers and she is staggeringly good. If I only rated a film based on one performance, this would get a 10 for Bell alone. Unfortunately, the totality of the rest of the film is quite bad to mediocre.

Movie rating- 3
Film Rating- 2


Texas Chainsaw 3D- available on video now

While the fact that the beginning shows a conclusion to the events of the first film in 1974 and they find a baby and flash forward 20 years, the year should be the late to mid 90's, only it is obvious that after the flash foward we are in present day. This immediately takes one out of the film and it sverely undermines much of the seriousness of the film, if you can just turn off your brain, TC3D is actuallly a fun little horror film.
Alexandra daddario plays Heather, a girl who has a dead end job, lives with her musician boyfriend, and tries to avoid her parents whenever possible. She discovers that she has actually been adopted and that her grandmother has left her some property in a small Texas town. She confronts her parents and then heads down to pick up her inheritance with boyfriend and skanky friend couple in tow.
Once she gets there, the realtor has her sign some papers and then gives her a note from her grandmother (which she conveniently never reads until the last moments of the film- ooops!) and is given keys.
Obviously, throughout the next 12 hours, she and her friends are tormented both by Leatherface and the local townspeople who don't want her there. People are sliced and diced after having sex, others are hacked up as they try to escape, and there is not too much originality going on.
Dadarrio (seen in the Percy jackson films), gives it her best but is not very memorable as the "final girl". She is a good scream queen, but not much else. Her friends are not too much different than other potential victims in a dead teenager film, but the movie does have its share of blood, guts, and gore and a few actually tense sequences. It is also helped out by Richard Riehle, one of "those guys" whose face you recognize but not his name.
The film sets itself up for a sequel and, if one comes from this, I wont be first in line to see it on opening night, but I will definitely check it out.
As it is, a fun time with a few unintentional laughs thrown in, but nothing spectacular.

Movie rating- 5
Film rating- 3


Dark Skies- video release date- May 28, 2013

The first 15-20 minutes of this film could easily be trimmed down to 1 neighborhood BBQ scene (which is already in the film), and instead of getting one laborious charcater development and exposition scene after another, each only giving one important piece of information about the characters, they could throw all of the exposition into the BBQ scene with different characters talkign to each other and setting up the film before the opening credits are done. Unfortunately, the filmmakers do the opposite and drag on the beginning faaar too long setting up the fact that the family is having issues: dad is out of a job, mom is having a hard time as a real estate agent, the kids are pulling away, etc., etc., etc. They almost kill the film from the start, which is really too bad.
Once the film sets its plot in motion, it is actually very intriguing. Are the strange things happening because the kids are acting out or is there something else behind the strange occurrences?
There are enough very unsettling shots and events that, once it gets going, the film holds you in your seat. There are some cheesy jump scares, along with some very well-earned ones. The inematography adds to the feeling of dread, as though something is waiting just around the next corner. The camera also picks up, whether in shadow or sunlight, several very creepy shots that seep into your subconscious.
While the ending is a bit of a cop out (it sets up a sequel), I found that I really enjoyed this film and have thought about certain shots and moments several times since leaving the theater.
A solid choice for a creepy, PG-13 alien flick, once you get past the opening 15-20 minutes.

Movie rating- 6
Film rating- 5


Hansel & Gretl- Witch Hunters- video release date June 11, 2013

To be honest, the title says it all. If the title makes you want to see this film, I say to go for it. If you think the title signifies an idiotic waste of time, stay away. I will not be able to persuade anyone about this film with anything that I say. Unless maybe these words mean anything to you- Gemma Arterton and leather.
The film starts with Hansel & Gretl's father taking them to the woods in the middle of the night due to some emergency happening. he then leaves them alone. They stumble on a house made of candy and start eating and eating and eating. They aretaken in by thye witch who tries to shove them in the oven but they fight back and end up killing her. They have now found their life's calling.
In a very inventive opening credits sequence, we see medeivel newspaper headlines outlining their work as they grow up to become Jeremy renner & Gemma Arterton.
They are summoned, by Peter Stormare, to a town which has come under threat of witches. The duo investigates, find they have more trouble than they bargained for, meet several townspeople who help them or delay them, and they must gear up for the ultimate battle against many very evil witches.
I could go on, but what's the point? This is a silly film enlivened by some good kills, cheesy one-liners, and good acting (all things considered).
Being a theater employee, I got to see this for free, and am glad I didn't have to pay for it, but it was a fun, cheesy time watching a film.
Which has Gemma Arterton in leather.

Movie rating- 5
Film Rating- 3


Evil Dead (2013)- tentative video release date- July 16, 2013

Evil Dead is easily the most well-made of all of this batch of films. It has a lot of blood, guts, and gore, several very disturbing sequences, and a sense of dread that does not stop. I like the fact that it is not a direct remake since the characters have a specific purpose for being at this particular cabin in the woods,and this underlying plot thread leads to some great character moments, even after all hell has broken loose (literally). I love the fact that the effects are 99% practical (meaning very little CGI), so that when a charcater has to cut their hand off, you almost feel that character's pain as something is actually being taken off of their body.
For some, this may be a case of waaaay too much, but I had a fun time with it and enjoyed it.I was sad that the friend I went with was utterly disturbed throughout, so that showed me that it definitely is not for everyone, but I had a good time. Word is that a sequel is being considered and I, for one, would love to see where they take this now.


Movie rating- 7
Film rating- 7

Current list of Media Watched in 2013

Here is my current list of items watched this year of which I will be doing a bunch of reviews coming soon:


Previous Years’ films

Just Go With It- 1st
Raiders of the Lost Ark (re-watch)
Thank You for Smoking (re-watch)



Watching Currently

Long Kiss Goodnight (re-watch)
Gangster Squad
Castle Ssn 4
CSI Vegas Ssn 12
CSI NY Ssn 9
CSI Miami Ssn 10





TV Series

Body of Proof Ssn 2
Covert Affairs Ssn 2
Dollhouse Ssn 1
Good Wife Ssn 2
Mentalist Ssn 2
Mentalist Ssn 3


2012 films

Les Miserables- 2x
Jack Reacher
Life of Pi
Lay the favorite
The Hobbit
Zero Dark Thirty
The Impossible
Django unchained
Wreck It ralph- 2x
Hitchcock
VHS
Beasts of Southern Wild
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen


2013 Films

1-Texas Chainsaw 3D
2- Hansel & Gretel Witch hunters
3- Warm Bodies
4- Good day to Die Hard
5- Snitch
6- Dark Skies
7- Jack the Giant Slayer
8- Last Exorcism Part 2
9- Oz- Great & Powerful
10- Dead Man Down
11- Incredible Burt Wonderstone
12- The Call
13- Croods
14- Gi Joe- Retaliation
15- Olympus Has Fallen
16- The Host
17- Jurassic Park 3D- 2x
18- 42
19- Spring Breakers
20- Trance
21- Evil Dead
22- Oblivion
23- Iron Man 3

Movie Watching Update & Spring Breakers review

So far this year, I have seen 23 movies which have been released in 2013. 13 movies which were released in 2012, 4 movies released in other years (1 for the first time), and also watched 6 entire seasons of various TV shows and watched portions of 5 other seasons of TV shows.
I have decided that I am going to start doing quick reviews 2 or 3 at a time, of the movies I have watched so that my list at the end of the year will not be too surprising to those who read my blog.
And, as the Joker said, “Here we go….”


Spring Breakers

Yes, I did go see this film. It is written and Directed by Harmony Korine and follows the escapades of 4 college girls who save up to go to Florida for Spring Break. When they pool their money together the night before they are getting ready to leave, they realize that they are woefully short of the amount needed, so they do what any young group of girls wuld do.
They rob a restaraunt.
They ditch the car (stolen from a professor) and head down to Florida on a bus, ready to party. And party they do. Some get involved in drugs, drinking, sex, and shoplifting. The good girl of the group, Faith (played by Selena Gomez) goes along and witnesses most of the shenanigans, but does not get too involved.
Until one of the parties gets busted by the cops and, since there is underage drinking and drugs at the party, everyone is taken to jail.
The foursome is bailed out by a drugdealer named Alien (played by james Franco) who wants them to help him with some of his nefarious dealings. They go back to his place and, since sher has been scared straight by the jail sentence, Faith decides to high tail it home before things get too far out of control. So, Gomez leaves the picture about 1/2 way through.
The rest of the film shows the other 3 being seduced into the darker world and life led by Franco and where those choices lead.
I have to admit that I really liked the last 5 minutes of the film, but the lead up to get there was not worth it. The camera is "shaky cam", the girls have the exact same personality and dont differentiate themselves enough either by script or acting (except for Gomez) so there are times when it is difficult to know who is doing what to whom. There is not much plot to be discussed, except for the last 20 minutes, and, while I was never outright bored, I wasnt too enthralled with the proceedings either.
Harmony Korine is a filmmaker who makes slimy films about slmiy people in slimy situations. There is abundant nudity, drinking, and drugs in this film and with the directorial style, it seems to wallow in the excesses and the film doesnt give us much reason to care about what happens to any of the characters.
Again, while the last few minutes were generally exciting, and Selena Gomez breaks out of the pack with her performance, there is not much to like about this film. The ending is good, but the journey to get there is not worth it.

Film rating- 2
Movie rating- 2

Iron Man 3 review

You know Shane Black.
Even if you don't recognize the name, you know Shane Black.
He wrote the original Lethal Weapon in 1987. He wrote The Monster Squad, last Action hero and The Long Kiss Goodnight. Then, he disappeared for a few years. When he came back into the spotlight, it was with a small noir-comedy called Kiss Kiss Bang bang which starred athen- on the rebound after his many legal issues Robert Downey, Jr and Val Kilmer. While not many saw it in the theater, it has become much more well-known on video, although I still don't think it is as successful as it should be.
If you have not seen Kiss Kiss Bang bang yet, go see it.
Now.
I'm serious.
Go now.
I'll wait.
have you seen it?
Good.
Now, imagine an Iron Man film written and directed by the guy who wrote and directed Kiss Kiss Bang bang.
Imagining? Got it.
Good.
That is exactly what you will get.
By working at a movie theater as my second job, I got to see the employee screening very very late Tueday night and it was a great experience! I would highly recommend working at a movie theater just for all of the perks!
The Tony Stark in Iron man 3 is a different Tony Stark than the one in the original iron man. He has survived the destruction of New York in 'The Avengers' and that has changed him. He is now all about protecting Pepper Potts and attempting to become the man he thinks he should be. Only he is plagued by doubt, insomnia, anxiety attacks, and fear. Because of this, he must, again, go on the hero's journey and become the man he wants to be, both in the suit and out.
When a terrorist named 'The Mandarin' starts bombing areas around the world and announces it by breaking into all known TV broadcasts, and one of these bombings personally affects Tony, Stark goes on TV and threatens The Mandarin to come at him with all he's got. And he does.
He is destroyed by demons which he created (he says this himself in the first 30 seconds of the film, so it is not spoiler territory). He is destroyed by what he created and now he must face those demons and come back. Tony is dragged through hell in 'Iron man 3'. Those he loves and cares about are hurt and split apart from each other, he is left alone and must re-discover who he is and, once again, become Iron man.
Iron Man 3 is its own film. It does not have the same problem as Iron Man 2 where the Avengers plotline must be shoehorned in to make sure that the eventual upcoming film will tie in. The events of 'The Avengers' haunts Tony and it is omnipresent. Throughout Iron Man 3, Tony is plagued by his celebrity status as being both Tony Stark and Iron Man. He is asked for his autograph. He is put on a pedastal. At very inopportune times, he is asked to discuss the events of New York.One character even mentions Thor in a roundabout way, so it is not totally seperated from the mythology, but it is not tied down so much that it struggles to break free.
No, Iron man 3 is its own film. Shane Black makes sure of that. While Iron man 3 is very dark, it is also explosively funny and human, all at the same time. Tony Stark, Col Rhodes (Don Cheadle), all of the villains, are hiding in some way and trying to be more than they actually are and that conflict is apparent throughout.
In each of our lives, we are trying to become the best person we can in each area of our lives- husband, brother, father, son, wife, etc. and so are all of these characters. In 'Kiss Kiss', Downey's character of Harry was a thief pretending to be an actor who loved being a detective. Here, Downey's Stark is a reluctant at times superhero who is just trying to be the best he can be and stumbling through his own personal issues and ego and, when he falls, he must pick himself back up and rely on his friends and others to help make things right again.
This is just like all of us.
And this makes the film more human somehow.
Even with all of the snarkiness and flying metal suits.
Downey spends a lot of time both inside the suit and out. There is even a moment where, both unsuited, Downey and Cheadle are going against the bad guys with guns, bickering all the way, and it seems as though it might be a trial run of a reboot of the Lethal Weapon franchise with these 2 starring, and I would be all over it. The dialogue sparkles, the acting is top notch (especially for a "comic book movie") and it reminds you why there are actual actors involved- they raise the stakes high and bring humanity to this action adventure.
The plot is smart, the charcaters surprising, the dialogue i whip crackingly hilarious and intelligent, and the action is well-paced and effective.
As I said before, Iron man 3 is an Iron man film written by the creator of Kiss Kiss Bang bang, and it is everything you would expect and more. Well, except for the profanity. There is much less of that than you might expect coming from Black, but it isnt missed. Much. :)
Iron man 3 is playing in a Dolby Atmos theater at valley fair Mall in West Valley Utah for the next 2 weeks and I would highly recommend that sound mix as it brings you into the middle of the action with the suits flying all around and explosions rattling your seat.
Iron man 3 is a fantastic time at the movies.
Also, be sure to stay for a scene after the credits. While it does not lead to any of the other Mrvel movies, it is a fabulously funny sequence that also explains the narrative device.
iron Man 3 is my favorite film that I have seen this year- a fabulous way to start the summer movie season!

Film rating- 9
Movie rating- 10

2012 Oscar Nominations

While there seems to be a very large discrepancy between Best Picture nominees and Director nominees (Nothing for Affleck, Bigelow, Hooper, and Tarantino even though their films got a combined total of 25 nominations???), and a few other notable snubs (no Leonardo DiCaprio or Samuel L Jackson nomination for Django, only 1 nomination for The Avengers (visual effects), and zero nominations for Bernie, Dark Knight Rises), I am pleased with others- Waltz for Django, 7 noms for Argo, 5 for Skyfall-though nothing major.

Here is the full list of nominations followed by a handy scorecard for the amount of nominations for each film.

Nominations for the 85th Academy Awards



Performance by an actor in a leading role

•Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook”
•Daniel Day-Lewisin “Lincoln”
•Hugh Jackman in “Les Misérables”
•Joaquin Phoenix in “The Master”
•Denzel Washington in “Flight”


Performance by an actor in a supporting role

•Alan Arkin in “Argo”
•Robert De Niro in “Silver Linings Playbook”
•Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master”
•Tommy Lee Jones in “Lincoln”
•Christoph Waltz in “Django Unchained”


Performance by an actress in a leading role

•Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty”
•Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook”
•Emmanuelle Riva in “Amour”
•Quvenzhané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
•Naomi Watts in “The Impossible”


Performance by an actress in a supporting role

•Amy Adams in “The Master”
•Sally Field in “Lincoln”
•Anne Hathaway in “Les Misérables”
•Helen Hunt in “The Sessions”
•Jacki Weaver in “Silver Linings Playbook”


Best animated feature film of the year

•“Brave” Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
•“Frankenweenie” Tim Burton
•“ParaNorman” Sam Fell and Chris Butler
•“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” Peter Lord
•“Wreck-It Ralph” Rich Moore


Adapted screenplay

•“Argo” Screenplay by Chris Terrio
•“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
•“Life of Pi” Screenplay by David Magee
•“Lincoln” Screenplay by Tony Kushner
•“Silver Linings Playbook” Screenplay by David O. Russell


Original screenplay

•“Amour” Written by Michael Haneke
•“Django Unchained”Written by Quentin Tarantino
•“Flight” Written by John Gatins
•“Moonrise Kingdom” Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
•“Zero Dark Thirty” Written by Mark Boal


Achievement in cinematography

•“Anna Karenina” Seamus McGarvey
•“Django Unchained” Robert Richardson
•“Life of Pi” Claudio Miranda
•“Lincoln” Janusz Kaminski
•“Skyfall” Roger Deakins


Achievement in directing

•“Amour” Michael Haneke
•“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Benh Zeitlin
•“Life of Pi” Ang Lee
•“Lincoln” Steven Spielberg
•“Silver Linings Playbook” David O. Russell


Best foreign language film of the year

•“Amour” Austria
•“Kon-Tiki” Norway
•“No” Chile
•“A Royal Affair” Denmark
•“War Witch” Canada


Best documentary feature

•“5 Broken Cameras”
Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
•“The Gatekeepers”
Nominees to be determined
•“How to Survive a Plague”
Nominees to be determined
•“The Invisible War”
Nominees to be determined
•“Searching for Sugar Man”
Nominees to be determined


Best documentary short subject

•“Inocente”
Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
•“Kings Point”
Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider
•“Mondays at Racine”
Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan
•“Open Heart”
Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern
•“Redemption”
Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill


Achievement in film editing

•“Argo” William Goldenberg
•“Life of Pi” Tim Squyres
•“Lincoln” Michael Kahn
•“Silver Linings Playbook” Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
•“Zero Dark Thirty” Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg


Achievement in costume design

•“Anna Karenina” Jacqueline Durran
•“Les Misérables” Paco Delgado
•“Lincoln” Joanna Johnston
•“Mirror Mirror” Eiko Ishioka
•“Snow White and the Huntsman” Colleen Atwood


Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

•“Hitchcock”
Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
•“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
•“Les Misérables”
Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell


Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

•“Anna Karenina” Dario Marianelli
•“Argo” Alexandre Desplat
•“Life of Pi” Mychael Danna
•“Lincoln” John Williams
•“Skyfall” Thomas Newman


Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

•“Before My Time” from “Chasing Ice”
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
•“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from “Ted”
Music by Walter Murphy; Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
•“Pi’s Lullaby” from “Life of Pi”
Music by Mychael Danna; Lyric by Bombay Jayashri
•“Skyfall” from “Skyfall”
Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
•“Suddenly” from “Les Misérables”
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil


Best motion picture of the year

•“Amour” Nominees to be determined
•“Argo” Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers
•“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, Producers
•“Django Unchained” Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone, Producers
•“Les Misérables” Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh, Producers
•“Life of Pi”Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, Producers
•“Lincoln” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
•“Silver Linings Playbook”Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
•“Zero Dark Thirty”Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, Producers


Achievement in production design

•“Anna Karenina”
Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
•“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
Production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
•“Les Misérables”
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
•“Life of Pi”
Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
•“Lincoln”
Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson


Best animated short film

•“Adam and Dog” Minkyu Lee
•“Fresh Guacamole” PES
•“Head over Heels” Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly
•“Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare” David Silverman
•“Paperman” John Kahrs


Best live action short film

•“Asad” Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura
•“Buzkashi Boys” Sam French and Ariel Nasr
•“Curfew” Shawn Christensen
•“Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)” Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele
•“Henry” Yan England


Achievement in sound editing

•“Argo” Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
•“Django Unchained” Wylie Stateman
•“Life of Pi” Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
•“Skyfall” Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
•“Zero Dark Thirty” Paul N.J. Ottosson


Achievement in sound mixing

•“Argo”
John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
•“Les Misérables”
Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
•“Life of Pi”
Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
•“Lincoln”
Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
•“Skyfall”
Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson


Achievement in visual effects

•“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White
•“Life of Pi”
Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
•“Marvel’s The Avengers”
Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
•“Prometheus”
Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
•“Snow White and the Huntsman”
Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson


12

LINCOLN


11

LIFE OF PI


8

LES MISERABLES
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK


7

ARGO


5

AMOUR
DJANGO UNCHAINED
SKYFALL
ZERO DARK THIRTY


4

ANNA KARENINA
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

3

MASTER
HOBBIT- UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

2

FLIGHT
SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN


SINGLE NOMINATIONS

AVENGERS
BRAVE
CHASING ICE
FRANKENWEENIE
HITCHCOCK
IMPOSSIBLE
MIRROR, MIRROR
MOONRISE KINGDOM
PARANORMAN
PIRATES- BAND OF MISFITS
PROMETHEUS
SESSIONS
TED
WRECK IT RALPH


FOREIGN

KON-TIKI
NO
ROYAL AFFAIR
WAR WITCH


DOCUMENTARY

5 BROKEN CAMERAS
GATEKEEPERS
HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE
INVISIBLE WAR
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

SHORT SUBJECTS

DOCS

INOCENTE
KINGS POINT
MONDAYS AT RACINE
OPEN HEART
REDEMPTION

ANIMATED

ADAM AND DOG
FRESH GUACAMOLE
HEAD OVER HEELS
LONGEST DAYCARE
PAPERMAN

LIVE ACTION

ASAD
BUZKASHI BOYS
CURFEW
DEATH OF A SHADOW
HENRY

Top 13 of 2012

Yes I know that I already listed #13 in my last post, but I split #12. It's my list nd I can do with it as I want! :)


Top Ranked- these are the films which I enjoyed the most this year-


12 & 12 1/2- 21 Jump Street & The Raid Redemption- While trying to decide between these 2 films, I decided to just split the difference. Both of these films are examples of the films being much more fun and better than they have any right to be. The Raid is the most action packed, intense big dumb action movie of the year with amazing stunts and martial arts action to match any film you can think of while 21 Jump Street is a big dumb comedy that just makes you laugh- hard. Very enjoyable in their own ways.

11- Hunger Games- I have not read the books but was very impressed by this film. As great and as tight as it was, it was Jennifer Lawrence who grounded this film and made it interesting and fascinating to watch. Without her, I think the great performances by Sutherland, Harrelson, Kravitz, Tucci, and others would have been lost in a mess of a film. Looking forward to the next one.

10- End of Watch- One of the hardest films that I have ever watched. My father started his life as a policeman as an Ogden City Policeman. While the events in the film were not exact to events he was involved with, the feeling was exactly spot-on from the stories he told me. The relationship with the partners is something that I saw and rang very true. While the “self filmed” style didn’t work a time or two, it was more than compensated for, in what I brought to the theater, the relationship between Gyllenhaal and Pena and their families and the situations in which they found themselves.

9- Pitch Perfect- I have written a full review elsewhere on my blog about this, but, to quickly review: Kendrick, laughs, great music, different types of humor and I had a great time each of the 3 times that I saw it.

8- Paranorman- I am a huge fan of stop motion animation. This film roped me in with its amazing animation, quirky sense of humor, great characterizations, and a plot that touched me. I loved it every step of the way.

7- Dark Knight Rises- I am just as shocked as anyone that this is as low on the list as it is. A great ending to a fabulous trilogy with amazing acting turns by everyone from Bale to Hathaway to Hardy to Oldman to Caine to Leavitt to Freeman. As with Paranorman, I was with it every step of the way and entranced by the sights of Gotham City destroying itself.

6- Cabin in the Woods- While I enjoy horror films, generally they do not show up in my favorites of all time lists. This one is different because it is every bit the cliché while stepping outside of its clichés to bring a fresh view of horror movies to its audience. It was written by Joss Whedon who subverts the clichés at every turn. If you have ever liked a horror film, trust me and see this one. I will not describe it any further to keep the surprises and twists for those who have yet to see it. Am I still on speaker phone????

5- Bernie- My mouth was agape during most of the runtime of this film, not quite believing what I was watching. It is filmed in documentary style with some of the real life people who lived in the town where the true events occurred discussing their feelings of the events and people involved. Add in actors portraying some of the townsfolk (such as Matthew Mccaugnahey as the attorney prosecuting the case) and Jack Black and Shirley McLaine portraying the two main characters in reenactments of the events. Then, mix in one of the strangest true-life crimes and you come up with this winning film experience unlike any other this year. I saw it twice in the theaters and twice on video so far and it will be going into my constant rotation of films to watch.

4- Looper- A time travel, sci-fi mobster movie that stars Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon Leavitt, Jeff Daniels, and Emily Blunt directed by Rian Johnson (director of ‘Brick’ and ‘Brothers Bloom’, both of which almost worked). This one knocks it out of the park. Leavitt plays a ‘Looper’ who kills people who are sent back in time by the mob of the future so that the bodies can be destroyed before they are even born. When Leavitt does not kill a potential victim (once he realizes that it is himself 30 years older), he goes after himself. There is much more to the storyline, but again, the surprise is watching it unfold. Blunt plays a very important character as well. The only small issue that I had was a small twist involving a character played by Piper Perabo, which could have been a major twist but downplayed. A very happy surprise of the year!

3- Avengers- Joss Whedon did what many naysayers said he could not do- create a multi-character superhero film out of disparate elements from 5 previous films to create something stronger than the sum of its parts. And it worked! Equal parts action, drama, comedy, with surprising turns by most of the cast kept this one plowing through the summer box office from its release on May 3rd all the way until Labor Day. A winner in all areas- this is what a summer blockbuster can be!

2- Skyfall- An excellent film in its own right, let alone, the fact that it is a James Bond film! Like The Avengers, it takes the best parts of the previous Bond films, adds an amazing cast led by Daniel Craig as Bond and Judi Dench as M, blends it with the snazzy cinematography of Roger Deakins and the assured direction of Sam Mendes, and creates a film to rival Casino Royale from several years ago and starts the Bond franchise again in style after a 4 year hiatus due to MGM’s bankruptcy. Welcome back, 007!

1-Argo- a film which takes a stranger than fiction true story, great acting and directing from ben Affleck, a mix of drama, politics, comedy, suspense and action and turns it into a white knuckle thrill ride. While any of the top 7 films could have occupied this spot, this is the one which truly knocked my socks off this year. While I was expecting great things from Whedon, and Nolan, and hoping Johnson could finally take a film of his to the finish line, and loving Bond since I was a kid especially now with Craig, Argo was the one film that I was excited to see but not sure if it would work at all and was surprised that I liked it as much as I did.

Top Movies of 2012- #58-13

Watch for my top 13 list later tonight.

This is a list of the ranking of the films that I saw this year which were released in theaters in 2012. While I saw many other films this year, some of them were much older films that I was catching up on (Rocket Science, Junior Bonner, Cincinatti Kid, Poseidon Adventure), they were officially released in 2011 and I did not see them until this year (Footloose, Immortals, for example) or they were 2011 releases that I caught up on for Oscar purposes (Artist, Tree of Life, My Week with Marilyn, Jane Eyre, et al).

While there are some that I will be seeing in the next couple of weeks that I have not yet seen (Les Mis, Django Unchained, Hobbit, Life of Pi, Jack Reacher) and others that I do want to catch up with on video (The Grey, Big Miracle, The Vow, This Means War, Gone, Lucky One, Chimpanzee, Moonrise Kingdom, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,Part of Me, The Words, Hit & Run, Lawless, The Master, Dredd, Trouble with the Curve, Sinister, Seven Psychopaths, Silent Hill revelation, Chasing mavericks, Man with the Iron Fists, Wreck It Ralph, Killing Them Softly), this is where it stands at this time.

It is very interesting to me that as I went through the different areas of the list, as I subtracted titles, my top 13 favorites really did end up being at the top even though I did not specifically select from the top down.
Without further ado, here is the list, starting at the bottom:

Bottom of the barrel-

58- Chernobyl Diaries- I only saw this because I had to wait an hour and a half to see Men in Black 3 on opening weekend and the times worked out. I wish they hadn’t. I went in expecting a few creepy moments and didn’t even get that. While the concept was cool, the acting, script, production values, everything was totally botched. Other than the general idea, there was absolutely nothing good in this film.

57- Alex Cross- Tyler Perry taking over the Alex Cross character from Morgan Freeman. Really? This is the best we can do? While a couple of the ideas are interesting (sniper from a moving train) and some of the supporting actors are great in ultra-brief roles (John C Mcginley and Rachel Nichols, to name just 2) the rest of the film is a waste. The villain is violent but uninteresting, the mystery makes no sense, the emotional moments beat you over the head, and Tyler Perry looks like he is lost without a dress.

56- Wrath of the Titans- While I found the 2010 ‘Clash of the Titans’ to be a piece of crap, at least it was fun and had Gemma Arterton. This one had neither of those factors. When an action film is boring, you know you’re in trouble. While not as completely botched as Alex Cross or Chernobyl Diaries, there was not really anything to recommend it at all


Some good moments or a good cast, but even this, unfortunately, does not take the next batch out of the huge disappointment group.

55- Wanderlust- an amazing comedic cast (Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Alan Alda, Malin Akerman, Justin Theroux, Joe LoTroglia, Lauren Ambrose, even Linda Lavin and many more) is left to fumble their way through a largely improvised script about a couple who finds themselves on a hippie type free love and live off the land community. A few huge laughs don’t make up for the long stretches of unfunniness.

54- American Reunion- The film again centers around Jason Biggs which is a huge mistake. Even though the cast is coming back for their 12th high school reunion, most of it seems as though they haven’t changed at all in the intervening years. Alyson hannigan and Eugene Levy get the film’s best moments and biggest laughs, and Seann William Scott has a nice character moment near the end, but the rest of the film seems as though they are attempting to force these characters to have more onscreen adventures just for the sole purpose of money. It doesn’t work.

53- Raven- John Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe trying to help the police solve murders which are done in the style of his books. While this is just the same basic plot as the pilot for the TV show ‘Castle’, there is nothing really interesting done with it. The cast flounders and the film sputters and has some good moments, but all in all, it is very blah.

52- Snow White & the Huntsman- The first 30 minutes is very good, but then it slowly goes downhill with much more style than substance. As the friend I saw it with mentioned to me after it was over, “If they could have just turned the volume off after the first 30 minutes or so, it would have been a fabulous film.” It looked good, and Chris Hemsworth came out showing that he has real star power (Charlize Theron even did a great job, but her character just had one attribute after the ebeginning-evil), the rest of it just sat on the screen looking like a ditzy gorgeous blond- looks good but has nothing in her head.

51- Dark Shadows- Some great elements (Eva Green’s sexy witch, Elfman’s great score, Chloe Grace Moretz looking amazingly like she could actually be Michelle Pfeiffer’s rel life daughter, bits of the actual TV show’s plotlines) just couldn’t come together for a cohesive whole.


Good for what they were-pure entertainment- not really ranked, just in chronological order of release

50-Underworld- Awakening- More with Kate Beckinsale as a vampire in tight leather- nothing wrong with this at all.

49-Man on a Ledge- silly, but fun suspense thriller with a great side performance by Genesis Rodriguez.

48- Safe House- Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington in a throw-away action movie. Fun action scenes but very forgettable.

47- Ghost Rider 2- A flaming skull riding a motorcycle doing the devil’s bidding. Very cool, but another forgettable action movie. With Anthony Stewart Head in a throw away 30-second role.

46- Lockout- More Luc Besson good guys vs bad guys in space prison. You get what you expect Maggie Grace and Guy Pirece acquit themselves well.

45- Abraham Lincoln- Vampire Hunter- some fun ideas that are poorly executed more often than not.

44- Expendables 2- the 80’s action bad boys are back. Again, you get exactly what you expect. One heck of a 10 minute opening sequence, though.

43- Premium Rush- Joseph Gordon Leavitt does what he can to elevate this almost-shot-in-real-time chase movie . It’s fun, but, again, forgettable.

42- Taken 2- Nowhere near as good as the first one. The action is not shot as well and the script is much more silly (how many times can we leave Famke Janssen alone just so she can get kidnapped again IN THE SAME FILM???), but Maggie Grace uses her action chops she got from Lockout and gets into it more this time around. Neeson is awesome as always, but just a fu action flick, nothing more.

41- Paranormal Activity 4- While the Wii moments and the final 10 minutes are standouts, a lot of this film is waiting for something to happen, and not much does. Good to see Kathryn Newton getting back into acting after Gary Unmarried, and much more Katie Featherston in this one to move the mythology along- I just wish they could have done more with it.

40- Red Dawn- A fun update of the 1985 original. Nothing spectacular, but again, easy to see that hemsworth is a star.


Good for what they were, but had a lot to live up to and did not quite make it

39- Prometheus- When 2 of the most intense sequences of the year are from this film and yet they make no real sense to the continuity of the film, there is something wrong. Great ideas and great stand alone sequences do not add up to a cohesive whole, unfortunately.

38- Rock of Ages- With the cast it has( Tom Cruise, Julianne Hugh, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones, Bryan Cranston, Paul Giamatti, HeyMan, and many more), it should have been better. As it is, it is an awful lot of fun, but for every good thing it has, there is at least 1 bad thing in it. The overall experience is fun, but the mai story does not work.

37- Savages- Oliver Stone getting back to his Natural Born Killers vibe. The actors do a fine job, but the characters are just not really interesting or intriguing and when your “heroes” are not even really interesting anti-heroes, it just falls flat more often than not. This is an issue with the main story, not the acting or directing. Although the 2 endings is a little weird and takes the wind out of the film as a whole.

36- Bourne Legacy- With a couple of great action scenes, particularly the ending motorcycle chase, an intriguing story, and good acting (Renner, Weisz, Allen, Norton, and others), it is nowhere near a waste, but the ending does not end. While the endings of the previous Bourne films always left a thread hanging to send a sequel to latch onto, this one is nothing but a non-ending. Not bad, just doesn’t live up as a whole to the others.


Good for what they were, and surprisingly better than I expected

35- Act of Valor- Yes, the acting is horrible, but the scenes of the actual Navy SEALs doing their jobs and the emotion behind it as whole, this film still works, even though it is about as bad in spots as filmmaking can get.

34- Safe- A Jason Statham action film with some actual character moments and believable emotions. Who would have thought it was possible?

33- Ted- While it hits ever so slightly more than it misses, this is still a very hit-or-miss comedy. But the bits that work are so amazingly funny, with fabulous acting from Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis in this silly comedy, that it actually works as a whole.

32- Chronicle- A mix of superhero and found footage film, this posits the question of ‘What if a normal teenager got superpowers but did not necessarily use them for good?” A much more satisfying film than I was expecting.

31- One for the Money- Yes, this is a completely breezy adaptation of the first boo in the Stephanie Plum series and yes, it stars Katherine Heigl (an actress I only like on rare occasions) but this is just a fun entertaining time at the movies that I liked much more than I was expecting. I would totally be up for another cinematic adventure with Stephanie Plum.

30- Contraband- A heist movie with some very dark moments. Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale are great in this with a nice ever so slight twist and a plot that doesn’t quite go where expected. Not amazing, but fun.

29- Battleship- After a completely awful opening 30-40 minutes, this movie settles in and is a great blockbuster action movie. Trim that opening down to 10-15 minutes and it would have been a much bigger hit. I think this is better than all 3 Transformers films combined. A big, dumb action spectacle. And there is nothing wrong with that.

28- Amazing Spider Man- while there was no need for a complete reboot and retelling of the origin story, the cast more than makes up for it. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are spectacular together onscreen with Denis Leary, Martin Sheen and Saly Field also having fun in the Spider Man sandbox. I will admit that I am much more excited to see the sequel than I am to watch this film again, but it was much better than it had any right to be. Add Shailene Woodley in as Mary Jane in the sequel and the cast alone will make it worth it. Extra points go to this film for the scene where Flash tries to give his condolences to Peter. Very nice character moment on both sides.

27- Five Year Engagement- Great cast and some big laughs which are sidetracked by a film that runs a touch under 2 hours and 10 minutes. A lot of subplots that don’t really add to the film, but Jason Segal and Emily Blunt are great together!

26- Haywire- While Gina Carano is not a great actress, this film is all about the action scenes of her beating up Hollywood men in one-on-one fashion. A fun Saturday night film!

25- What to Expect When You’re Expecting- While not a fan of some of the cast (Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez), they even do good work among the many other actors and actresses in this film. There are some great laughs and some great emotional moments as well. While a definite chick flick, one that works as well. My only major complaint: the strongest acting and character (Anna Kendrick) gets sidelined for the second half of the film since, apparently her story is not as interesting….. Great moments also by Dennis Quaid and Ben Falcone (Air ashal John from last year’s Bridesmaids).

24- Total Recall- A new re-imagining of the Phillip K Dick story with a much more dark take on the material and no Mars scenes. Bokeem Woodbine is the standout actor, while Colin Ferrell and Jessica Biel have great battles with an amazingly evil-and-enjoying-it Kate Beckinsale.

23- John Carter- I do not understand why this film got as maligned as it did. I thought it was a fun version of the story and while, yes, some of the scenes felt like we had been there done that, the scenes originally came from John Carter books and it shouldn’t be penalized for that. The film oooked great and had some thrilling sequences. While a touch too padded, it was a fun ride and Lynn Collins stood tot to toe with Taylor Kitsch every step of the way.

22- Men in Black 3- Some amazing work by Josh Brolin as a young Tommy Lee Jones (Brolin did all of the vocal work himself), a fabulous new character (the seeing all futures at once Michael Stuhlberg), and a great new villain along with the expected fun acting of Will Smith, Emma Thompson, Alice Eve, and an unexpectedly touching ending made this a very worthy sequel to the original.



Great films, but missing that extra little “thing”

21- Pirates- Band of Misfits- Great stop motion by Aardman Animation (of Wallace & Gromit fame) and some very inventive sequences do not quite make up for a slightly plodding plot. I had a great time with this but a bit more of a tighter edit could have helped this one jump up in the ranks. Very fun for all members of the family, though and a much better kids film than most of them out there. Why did this only make 20% of what The Lorax made?

20- Brave- This is a problem with the high expectations that Pixar has created for itself.While a fabulous film n its own right, it is just a 10 out of 10 and not the 14 out of 10 that we have come to expect from Pixar. The animation and voice work is incredible (look at the individual strands of her red hair! Along with the pantomime by the “bear”) , but it is just missing that extra Pixar spark.

19- Cirque de Soleil- Worlds Away- If you have seen anything done by Cirque de Soleil, you will know what to expect. This does not hold together at all as a film, but it is a very cool experience. It is basically a ‘best of’ package from 7 of their different shows in Vegas at this time. Highly recommended for Cirque fans. Not sure if it is a good intro for Cirque newbies, though.

18- Frankenweenie- Great stop motion animation with quirky character designs and a lot of love for the old classic Universal monster movies. The more of those classic films that you have seen, the more you will enjoy this. While a great film in its own right, not as good or entertaining as the other animated film higher on my list.

17- Magic Mike- Some great character moments, an engaging character played by Channing tatum, a sleazeball played by Matthew McConaghey, and a very realistic sense of place made this much more than the “male stripper movie”. While my least favorite movie going experience in a very long time (it was marred by a really creepy audience and several strange things directed to me personally by that audience), it was a much deeper and darker portrayal of the male stripper lifestyle. While I think it will go down in many people’s memories as a film like ‘Saturday Night Fever’ (where people only remember the dancing), it also has the much darker tones and character shading that ‘Fever’ had as well.

16- Flight- Absolutely stunning performances( by Denzel Washington, Kelly Reilly, Don Cheadle, John Goodman, Bruce Greenwood) and an amazingly intense plane crash sequence still cannot quite overcome the Hallmark Movie of the Week melodramatic script about an addict overcoming his addiction. I would have no problem if anyone from this cast gets awarded for their performances, though.

15- Lincoln- The script is my major issue with this film. While fabulous acting and filmmaking is all over this film, the script seems ever so slightly boring. Not the events or anything like that, it just doesn’t have the extra punch. While critics and audiences are falling all over themselves praising this film (all of it rightfully deserved), I cant help but wonder what might have been if Aaron Sorkin would have written the script instead of Tony Kushner (whose script also ever so slightly marred Munich, in my opinion).

14- Silver Linings Playbook- Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert Deniro all bounce off of one another in a big way in this romantic comedy/drama dealing with mental illness in many different forms. Everyone is at the top of their game, but it just doesn’t quite come together at the end. Elfman’s score is very different for him and a great sound!

13- Best Exotic Marigold Hotel- To see the best older British actors working in film today, see this film! Fabulous acting and some touching stories almost make up for one or two boring or predictable moments in this film. Missed out on the top tier of films by a smidge, but still very much worth your time!