Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012

I am really excited for next year. Tim Burton's back, there's a new Batman movie, a heap load of horror, and so much more awesomeness coming out this new year. Maybe it's because we all need to watch the greatness before the world ends, but either way this year is going to be super sweet for cinema and I don't think I will be able to hide my excitement for much longer! Expect me to start jumping off the walls come a few weeks from now when Beauty and the Beast is re-released into theaters :)

But without further hesitation, here is my top 10 most anticipated of 2012. For the record, I did not allow myself to count re-releases :D

10. Django Unchained

I'm kind of excited for the Civil War version of Inglorious Bastards. Though I suppose it's not to original for Tarantino (because this does really sound so much the former). However, it's interesting enough to get MY attention :D And I cannot wait to see this next Christmas.

9. The Great Gatsby

This is one of my favorite high school books I had to read for some English class. Actually, it could quite possibly be the only other one I enjoyed aside from Pride and Prejudice. I'm excited to see Baz Luhrmann's take on it. I feel like he's a really capable director for a project like this one. The pictures so far tell me that it looks fabulous, now I just hope the direction and acting are as well :D As well as the adaptation. I'm also quite interested that Leo DeCaprio is coming out with 2 movies around Christmas weekend (he's also in Django Unchained).

8. Dark Shadows

3 words: Johnny Depp Producer. He already has a good track record with Hugo, so I cannot say he's a bad producer yet. Add Chloe Moretz and Michelle Pfeiffer to the rest of the Burton crew, and I'm getting antsy just thinking about all the great acting possibilities :D. I really need to start watching the show if I want to finish by summer :).

7. Lincoln

How can I not be excited for a movie about my favorite president?? And it's directed by Spielberg and Daniel Day Lewis is the ever awesome Lincoln? It's like someone dissected my mind and decided to make awesome this year. This movie cannot come out soon enough, and you bet I shall be looking for a trailer. I'm surprised no one has done this yet.

6. The Cabin in the Woods

I've waited for forever for this movie I feel, and finally it's almost here! So close, yet so far away. Thank you Lionsgate for knowing how to advertise a horror movie correctly. I bow down to you for finally getting this movie in theaters so I can go and see it on the big silver screen :). Hopefully this movie fulfills my love for horror like it promises.

5. Paranorman

Laika stop motion? Are you kidding me? Of course I'm excited for this, you'd have to not know me at all if you thought so. Go read my blog about The Nightmare Before Christmas on my tumblr. I love stop motion, it's the best kind of art form. Gore-tastic.

4. The Dark Knight Rises

Who isn't excited for this one? Do I really have to say any more? I could ask more rhetorical questions, but at this point I think you get the picture.

3. The Hunger Games

Upon knowing these were going to be made into films, I read the trilogy in August before school started. And was I blown away. 5 days it took me to read the three books, and they are excellent, very on par with Harry Potter. Hopefully the movies are too. Unlike many, I was very excited about ALL the casting, and the director seems good too. The trailer as it stands is so perfect to the book, it's just how I imagined it. I love it when that happens. Mark my words, if you have not read these books, you will regret not doing so after seeing this awesomeness. I just hope Lionsgate doesn't mess this up, but I have faith in them.

2. Prometheus

The trailer for this movie is remarkable. Please, try telling me with a straight face that you are not impressed by the editing in this trailer. It's one of the best I've ever seen. Not only that, but it's an alien movie. Duh, I am excited.

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Let me inform you about a little marathon I hold twice a year. After every semester has passed, I sit down with my boyfriend to watch LOTR. Hands down, those are the greatest movies to grace the silver screen. They have absolutely everything -- action, fantasy, story, character, romance, war, lightness, darkness, etc etc. Perfect films. I expect no less for The Hobbit Part 1. This one with either be the best movie of the year, or the biggest disappointment to date. Maybe I'm crazy, but if you don't think all the things I've stated above about LOTR, then you know nothing of greatness. Absolutely nothing.

My Top 10 and Bottom 5 of 2011

This year I did not get to see all the movies I wanted to towards the end. There was just no way I could catch up after only seeing 1 movie a month starting October. This school year was just rough, and on top of that working 5 days a week starting Christmas break did not help either. I did get to see the ones important to me, for the most part, and the ones I have left on my list probably were not going to reach my top 10 anyway (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tintin, A Dangerous Method, My Week with Marilyn, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse, Carnage, Iron Lady, The Descendents, The Artist and many more).
I'm saddened that this happened, for it has not in a while. I am utterly behind, and it's depressing. But I will end up seeing these movies eventually, and there's no doubt in my mind that most of them will be good. It's kind of funny, I was the most excited for Spielberg to come back this year to the directing world, yet I didn't make any time to see his 2 movies. Life's funny.

But without further ado, my Top 10 :)

10. Fright Night

Here we go, this spot took a lot of thinking. I could have chosen a Korean revenge (Enemy at the Dead End) or a creative romantic Japanese flick (Kimi ni Todoke) or a crazy fun-to-sing-along musical (The Muppets) or the super hero film with the most impressive trailer (X-Men First Class). Why may you ask did I chose Fright Night then? The fact is, this movie pretty much summed up my favorite class this year in school. It is by far the most wonderful horror remake of this decade that strayed enough from the first, but still did little homages as well. I really liked it. I have to admit, though, X-Men was a really close 11.

9. The Help

The most pleasant movie of the year had to make my list. I really liked this movie. It was so well acted and so well done. This movie impressed me a lot because I didn't expect it to be that great. It was a nice feel good movie.

8. 50/50

I really liked this movie, and when I saw it I immediately thought it was going to be my favorite of the year, but as I let it settle in my mind, I found it not as great as the others I saw, and possibly not as fantabulous as I originally first thought it was. The more I thought about the acting overall the less I found it outstanding. Great movie though, fantastic writing.

7. Hugo

The movie about movies :). This one was so touching and beautiful to watch. That, and I needed more than 1 kids movie on my list this year, because I feel this year had better children's movies all around than adult movies (statistically speaking). So magical, so well acted, and so well done.

6. Super 8

My nostalgia got the best of me with Super 8, and I instantly fell in love with it the moment I saw the trailer for it during Iron Man 2. There was no stopping it, I knew from the start it was going to be a favorite and it did not fail to impress. Loved this movie.

5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

The trailer was great, the movie was even better. I still stand by Andy Serkis getting a best actor nod for his role as the monkey. He's totally brought back monster-movie acting and has made into a pure art form. He's one of the greatest actors of this age. He's been a gollum, a hobbit, a big and smaller monkey. This movie as had one of the greatest moments I've seen all year (Caesar being able to talk much?!). I LOVED IT.

4. Rango

I knew this movie was a love affair the instant I chose to watch it during every usher break earlier this year. I laugh every time, and it's definitely the best Johnny Depp movie to grace the big screen this year. Not only that, but the animation is gorgeous. I'm so glad that someone aside from Pixar and Dreamworks can make an excellent CGI movie. Nickelodeon may have marked themselves as a real competitor this year.

3. Midnight in Paris

This has got to be the best script all year. It was amazingly creative, and if it doesn't win best original screenplay, I will be mortified. I'm still ashamed I missed the first 5 or so minutes of this movie. I cry, I cry. Oh well, this will just convince me I need to buy it on blu-ray yet!

2. Midnight FM

Ah, Korean revenge thrillers. You know just how to make me swoon and sigh (and gasp!). This movie is insanely good, and I cannot stress how much you should watch it eventually. Last year it was I Saw the Devil. Oh man. I just wanna move to Korea and make movies now please. They are beyond perfect. Incredible. This would have been my favorite of the year if it wasn't for one little film...

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

OH MY GOD. The past few years I have withheld Harry Potter films from my lists, but no more shall I repress my love. Harry Potter is my favorite story of all time, and the movies are so well acted and well directed and well shot, I just cannot help myself. I saw this movie a good amount in theaters, and then I bought it on blu-ray and I have successfully cried EVERY TIME. These movies bring the books to life for me, and this one being so close to the films made me just wanna bow down to the Davids (Heyman and Yates). They brought my childhood to life, and they did it so well. I don't know how to thank them more. Behind LOTR, the Harry Potter films are definitely the best films out there. Disagree all you want, but there are 8 HP movies and all of them were good, if not great, if not excellent, if not perfect. The conclusion deserves more recognition than people are giving it. It is the greatest achievement in film. Ever.

A Little Treat: Bottom 5

5. Dream House

4. Apollo 18

3. Immortals

2. The Hangover Part II

1. Red Riding Hood

A Few Quick Mini-Reviews :)

Since I have been gone for some time due to school work and such, I figured for my first post back since October I would write a few quick reviews for the few movies I have seen. Sadly, some are no longer in theaters, but hopefully someone will appreciate that I did see them before writing my Top Movies of 2011 list :D Which I shall begin starting the 1st of January!

Why couldn't this movie be as creative as The Fall?? It was a waste of my time this year, and frankly I almost forgot I saw it. The Grecian myths were jumbled, the protagonist was boring, and the story stayed flat from the beginning. The only thing nice about it was the sparkles and colors, but since when was sequence a popular fashion in BC?? Such a disappointment that, with a better script, could have been a really cool action flick. Many would say this is a male-oriented film, but even my boyfriend hated it, if not more than I. Waste of life.

Immortals: 1.5/5

After what felt like a very long wait, I saw The Muppets a bit after the Thanksgiving break and fell in love with its cuteness. I tried to see it again, but alas! Plans failed and I ended up seeing Young Adult. But I digress, The Muppets was a neat little throwback to puppetry and was also greatly amusing. My favorite part about it was the soundtrack, which this morning I bought on Amazon for $3.99 ;). It's a shame it only got a month in theaters, but what can you do?? With all the kid movies out, it was bound to leave theaters sooner or later. The advertising for this movie was just as great as the movie itself. I hope Disney does more with the muppets now that this movie has kind of brought them back into pop culture.

The Muppets: 4/5

The next holiday movie I did see was Hugo. I know, I know...I'm on a roll with the children movies this season. Probably because they were the best, but also because I have a feeling that my attention span is slipping (oh no!). However, this treasure was longer than most children movies, coming in at a grand total of 2 hours! It would be my only complaint about this one, if that at all. It was slow-paced, but beautifully executed, intriguing, and above all magical. I loved all the blues and golds. It also had enough Harry Potter actors to make me giddy (Helen McCrory being my favorite). And how could I not mention Chloe Moretz, because she is my absolute favorite up and coming actress and as always I cannot wait to see her in more! Sadly, I have noticed this movie is slipping from theaters as well, so please without a doubt go and see it, because it is a grand adventure. Plus, it is getting nominations left and right, so why not??

Hugo: 4/5

I was so excited to see an "adult" movie after so many childrens films, and this one seemed perfect because it had adult in the title :p. Either way, Young Adult is a fine movie, but if I could go back I may have exempted paying $9 to see it. It had quirky conversations that were amusing to listen to, but was in desperate need of some music. The reveal at the end was good. It's not like this writer-director duo doesn't have talent, but it may have flat-lined. I don't know if it has repeat value at all, but it was well acted and well written enough. I would call this one a rental.

Young Adult: 3/5

I really enjoyed the first of this series, but this one just didn't have the same flair. I thought it was a tad too long and the story just seemed way drawn out. It needed some cutting down for sure, but other than that it's a very enjoyable movie for the most part. Jude Law always looks and sounds so dashing ;D. And I really like Guy Richie's style, it feels a lot different that many other blockbusters. I'm intrigued if there will be more, seeing as Robert Downey Jr. is not signed on for a third one. Would be interesting if there was, but I'm sure I could live without it if there was not. The movie was a tad more predictable than the other, even though I was not expecting an early death scene. I must admit, I enjoyed Detective Dee much more than this (and sadly I did not make time to review that one).

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows -- 3/5

Puss in Boots

There comes a time every year when animated movies run amok. According to the animated holiday season, it's Thanksgiving! And this year it started with Dreamworks SKG's prequel Puss in Boots.

Now, To be honest I didn't like Shrek the Third (2007) nor did I even see Shrek Forever After (2010), but lately Dreamworks has been on a pretty good streak for me, and there was much hype behind this one so I definitely wanted to see it. The trailers just grabbed me.
And I must admit I laughed my whole way through this movie. From the beginning to the end, I don't know if my smile frayed once. The movie had some incredible gags, some of my favorites belongs to Humpty, the wonderfully hilarious antagonist.

I know, it's hard to convince you to go see another Dreamworks movie that makes fun of fairy tales, because maybe you feel you've seen them all. I mean, what did they not touch up upon in all four Shrek movies? There's no way they had any material left. Well I think the ones they saved for this movie, that was long in the making, fit perfectly with another. They worked, but I don't know if you should expect a Puss in Boots sequel in a couple of years. I don't think there's any way possible they can pull out another creative fairy tale story. I think they have officially used them all.

The movie was of course not perfect, however. It had a really strange structure that I can't say I've seen in a film before, but that made it not very predictable, which maybe was good. It was experimental, and although it was odd, it didn't take anything away from the movie. I still was laughing all the way til the end.

The downside is that if you do not see this movie, this will be Dreamworks third box office bomb. This weekend it pulled a grand minimal $34 million, and even if that may be a Halloween weekend high, it's a weekend low for an animated film, especially Dreamworks (Puss in Boots is actually their second lowest weekend opening to date). With other popular franchises like The Muppets and Happy Feet 2 coming out as well as two other children oriented movies (Hugo and Arthur Christmas) around the Thanksgiving holidays, this movie may mean Dreamworks has met their match...domestically. Now this movie hasn't hit global theaters yet, and seeing as that is where Dreamworks is currently making most of their money, it may still have a chance to make a profit. And it may be because I wrote a 10 page company report (that made an awesome 97) over the company, but I really want to see Dreamwork succeed. Their animation is a feast for the eyes, their 3D above the curve, and their stories original and creative. I feel the only company's issue as it stands is advertising, which has successfully killed them this year in the domestic box office.

But Puss in Boots is funny, quirky, and brings tons of laughs. I strongly suggest you spend that little extra cash and go see this movie, and if you wake up early enough on the weekends catch an early bird special for the 3D showing or something, because this movie is so much fun. And truthfully, according to my movie forecast, unless you're waiting to take your tweens to Breaking Dawn Part 1 (shame on you if you are!!), The Muppets is the next foreseeable grand family movie adventure in the near future, and that's quite a ways away.

I give this movie 3.5/5 paws :)

Dream House

Dream House -- 2/5

This movie could have been a mediocre horror/thriller that would probably have fair amount of people watching it on syndication around the Halloween time...if the ending didn't dive into the deep end of "WTF is going on in this movie?"
The plot in the beginning in simple -- from the trailers we all know it's about a guy who supposedly killed his family in this pseudo-magnificent house a few years back. Sounds simplistic enough, and could lead to some very interesting, but possibly predictable twists in the end. But just because a horror movie has the Naomi Watts and Daniel Craig approval apparently does not mean it's going to be pretty okay, but far more terrible than you could even imagine.

I should have known -- September is where movies go to die. It's always been that simple.

The really big problem with this movie is that it did not know its ending. Or rather, it did know it, but it was poorly set up and poorly executed. Once the third act arrived, I honestly didn't care for anyone anymore. They could have all burned up in the house and died for all I cared, at least the world would be a little more at ease without these psychos running around. The bad guy's motive wasn't discovered til a flashback at the very end, nor was the villain even a threat the whole movie. I'll give the flick credit for not having me guess the ending, but it didn't even give me a chance to. The ending sort of surprised you, which is probably why it needed so much exposition and explaining at the end. I felt like I had watched two separate movies by the time the credits rolled -- one a mystery about a man whose family was supposedly killed by him, and another about a psycho jealous ex who yearned for custody over his daughter (both of whom have minimal screen time).
By the end of the film, I had a way better ending thought up in my head that would have made the movie flow a lot better, and have most fun-twist action:
After Daniel Craig discovers his true identity, he runs over the the beautiful blonde neighbor Naomi Watts, who seems to know more than she lets on and genuinely cares for Mr. Craig. Every time Craig leaves the house to visit Naomi, we see his ghosty wife (played by Rachel Weisz) look stony and somewhat angered (possible jealousy alert!!). Well, all this plays out and in the end we discover that Craig was having an affair with Naomi, which made Weisz go insane, and she kills her children, attempts to kill her husband, and then he kills her in self defense.
This all would explain:
- Why Naomi was always worried about Craig and why she visits him in the insane home
- Why Naomi's husband wants a divorce, and custody over the child (because as he sees it: she slept with the crazy neighbor who killed his family AND still looks after him)
- Why Craig was shot in the head and why he shot his wife
- and Why Weisz always looks so angry when he speaks to Naomi

In conclusion, I have come to realize that after this month of crazy-dumb horror movies (Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Apollo 18, and Dream House), I should just run off and create my own production company called "Awesome American Horror Movies." Maybe Lionsgate will fund me!

Contagion

Contagion -- 3/5

Contagion would have been the show-stopper of the month if it weren't for Drive, but that's not saying too much since it's September. The film is an interestingly open-ended thriller about how the world would react if a disease epidemic broke loose in this day and age. Following many characters at once, this film is not afraid to kill off one of their big stars quickly. It's good, it's compelling, and it's a very interesting commentary on how people react to something so scary and so unavoidable.

This film, though interesting in concept, was all about the performances I feel. It hired huge stars for all the tiny main roles in this film. If I were to pick, the protagonist was probably Matt Daemon's character, because the movie starts out with his story, and also ends with his. Played by Gwyneth Paltrow, his wife's death was the catalyst in figuring out the disease and where it started throughout the film. However, my absolute favorite performances in the film belonged to Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard. I found their stories the most interesting and the most heart-wrenching.

Though creative and compelling to watch, the big question is doesn't this movie have repeat value? Probably not. It was an interesting character study, but I feel watching it again wouldn't have that same compelling vibe. Once the spark for the virus is unveiled, the movie neatly falls into place and the mystery the movie builds up so well is gone. Though this can be said for many films, there are some that once the mystery is discovered, the movie loses its edge. Though it's packed with characters, the audience never has enough time to become fully entangled in their lives to fall in love and become attached to them. When a character dies, it's sad for sure, but it is not tear-worthy. This is where I feel the movie lacks, and why it does not hold that special repeat value, therefore diminishing the film's greatness and making it only good.

Sorry this review is very short, but I fell behind so much that I actually forgot a lot of what I wanted to say about this movie. I guess that means I could also add this movie in pretty forgettable as well, which makes it even less greater. :)

Apollo 18

Apollo 18 -- 2/5

I'm going to drive right into this review with budget comparisons! So apparently according to IMDB, this movie cost $5 million to make. Well, at least it can say it made money, but did it really cost that much to make this super unappealing movie? Though I'm not crazy about it either, when someone can make Paranormal Activity for $15,000 and it honestly looks better than this movie, I worry. Now, let's compare + contrast my favorite and least favorite horror movies of this first person POV genre (from greatest to least amount spent).

Paranormal Activity: $15,000 (3/5)

The Blair Witch Project: $60,000 (3/5)

Rec: $2 million (4.5/5)

Apollo 18: $5 million (2/5)
Cloverfield: $25 million (4/5)
I would say my favorite out of them all would be Rec, the Spanish zombie infestation movie (maybe you have seen the remake Quarantine?). I think it was done very well, and it was quite spooky. And the best part about it was the fact that it didn't shake as badly as some of the other previously mentioned movies above do. They all have similar-types of stories, but the one thing that can totally mess up one of these movies is the direction, and Apollo 18's was horrible.

I liked the idea that someone had captured alien life on the moon and no one knew about it, and I also thought the acting wasn't too awful, though it wasn't fantastic either. The problem was the plot holes and the direction. The fact that most of the footage was caught via super 8 film that was destroyed by a crash or left behind, confused me a little. How did someone retrieve said super 8s? It was quite a perplexing little plot hole.

Also, the way time lapsed was really boring to watch. I understand the reason for no music, but the action was so painfully slow to get into, that I never really got scared. There were no jumps, because they were a little obvious and expected.

I also found the aliens a little laughable. Attacking rocks? Apollo 18 should go meet up with Don't be Afraid of the Dark and look at their "scary" tiny monsters, and see where they went wrong. It's not that tiny monsters can't be scary, you just present them and design them better, and on top of that write them better. No fairies, no rocks.

I suppose I should have known this movie would be bad when it kept jumping around with release dates (a tell tale sign that a production company doesn't know how to advertise the movie, and on top of that they do not have faith in it). September movies also tend to be on the not so good side, so that maybe should have been flashing red lights already. Oh well, time goes on, and people waste time watching mediocre movies. Maybe you saw this movie, and maybe you were lucky enough not to. Even if it hits Netflix instant (which after this month, you may not even be a subscriber), I'd say skip it and watch something better.