Q’s Year in Review: Top Movies of 2012

So, here we go.  First list of the Year in Review:  Top 10 Movies.  Except…um, I didn't watch 10 movies this year.  I got to 7.  That’s it!  Now, the 7 I got to were all phenomenal!  I don’t think I've ever had three movies I gave a 10/10 to before.  So what I lacked in quantity, I made up for in quality!

So, here are the 7 movies I saw this year, in order of how much I enjoyed them.  I also listed a few movies at the end that I missed, but wanted to see.  I might have to go find them on DVD (or head out to the theatres...since some are still out there).

1.  Skyfall (10/10) – I’ve decided that my favorite movie this year, among many, many excellent choices, was the new James Bond flick, Skyfall.  Without giving too much away, Skyfall once again helps set up the back story of where James Bond comes from, the story of the organization around him, and setting the franchise up for further movies.  This Bond begins with the familiar characters from the past two Daniel Craig Bonds, and ends with some familiar characters in place that we’ll remember from Bonds gone by.  And it is done phenomenally well.  2 ½ hours freaking flew by.  Honestly, for my money, Skyfall is a top 5 Bond movie of all time…and that’s saying something.

Note:  I’d probably go 1) Goldfinger, 2) From Russia With Love, 3) Casino Royale, 4) Skyfall, 5) GoldenEye.

2.  The Dark Knight Rises (10/10) – The conclusion to the Dark Knight trilogy did not disappoint.  Christopher Nolan took our popular caped crusader and crafted three movies driven by character development, relationships, and true human drama.  I’m particularly impressed with this third and final chapter in that, you could tell from the second one that Joker was supposed to be a part of the storyline going forward…but Heath Ledgers untimely death made that impossible.  So this new movie was built up surrounding Raz al Ghul, Bane, and the redemption of Batman.  A fitting end to what has become the pinnacle of the super hero genre of movies.

3.  The Avengers (10/10) – Throughout the past few years, we’ve seen the movies leading up to this one…Ironman, Ironman 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America…and now, its finally all put together in Joss Whedon’s phenomenal The Avengers.  Our heroes come together to battle Loki (who you will remember from Thor) and his army, under Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D.  As with the Dark Knight movies, and the previous movies leading up to Avengers, I love how these stories, built around super heroes and super villains, are story and character driven.  A great movie always has a great storyline, a great character arc, and makes you care about the people involved.  This movie does all that beautifully. 

4.  Lincoln (9.5/10) – Just hand the Oscar to Daniel Day Lewis now.  His portrayal of Abraham Lincoln was just captivating.  Lincoln is a 2+ hour movie about Lincoln’s quest to get the 13^th Amendment (the one to end slavery) ratified before the end of the current Congressional session.  Its mainly a 2 hour character piece on who Lincoln was, what drove his decision making, and what it took to get the 13^th Amendment turned into law.  A very intriguing look at politics from the era, there’s a lot of talking…so you’d fear it could become boring.  But that’s where the magic of Daniel Day Lewis comes through.  Every word, every action, every battle with politicians is so stunningly portrayed that you can’t look away.  At least, I found it particularly interesting, especially with my background in Political Science.  For anyone who appreciates Civil War era politics, for anyone who reveres our greatest past President, and for anyone who appreciated acting at its best…Lincoln is a must see.

5.  The Hunger Games (9/10) – So, I read the books before seeing the movie.  The books were really, really entertaining…and the best part about the movie was how closely they kept to the first book.  I mean, it was a legit visualization of the vivid imagery of the first book…so I really appreciated that.  The Hunger Games is such an intriguing story…a story about an oppressive government, class warfare, and the people rising up against it.  I’m super excited to see what they come up with for the movies on the second and third books.

6.  The Expendables 2  (8/10) – A total guy’s flick…pure action and adrenaline.  Was there a storyline?  I don’t freaking remember…all I remember are the explosions, and the gun battles, and the destruction!  And the one liners, of course.  No action flick is complete without one liners.  Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews, Randy Couture…I mean, what else needs to be said!

7.  Men in Black 3 (7/10) – Solid movie if you like the MiB series.  It was typical Will Smith stuff, and typical MiB humor…although providing some heartwarming backstory into both K’s and J’s lives, which was nice!  So, yeah, it was good for what it was! 

Movies I missed but want to see:  Looper, Taken 2, The Bourne Legacy, Ted, The Hobbit, Django Unchained, Les Miserables.

Please feel free to comment with your own favorite movies of the past year.  See you tomorrow for a look back at the world of sports in 2012.