2012 in Films

Movie Star Rating Quick Review

-21 Jump Street ***   Much better than I thought it would be. Pretty clever and funny.

-Ai Weiwei: Never Give Up *** Interesting artist but ultimately dull documentary.

-Amour *** The best movie I never ever want to see again.

-Anna Karenina *** Over-stylized but that is part of its charm.

-Argo **** The airport is stressful enough as it is.

 -Beasts of the Southern Wild **** Inspiring and depressing.

-Bernie *** Jack Black was great. The story drags a bit in the middle and it’s not as humorous as the director would have you think but it’s decent.

-Brave *** Great until the bear-mom then gets to “kiddie” for me.

-Casa de mi Padre ** No es bueno.

-Celeste and Jesse Forever ** This movie felt like forever.

-Compliance 0 stars     Worst piece of garbage ever.

-Detropia *** Depressingly beautiful documentary on Detroit.

-Django Unchained ***** Fantastically entertaining. The last 1/3 drags a bit but still very good.

 -End of Watch *** Good performances but not terribly good story.

-Flight **** Denzel plays the hero/villian brilliantly.

-Friends with Kids ** Booooooring.

-Goon *** Surprisingly sweet film about a hockey doofus.

-Hit and Run *** Mindless fun.

-Hope Springs ** Meryl buys a dildo, and it’s not as funny as you want it to be.

-Jack Reacher **** Enjoyable but more so for the Pgh scenes.

-Les Miserables **** As good as can be expected for a overly-worshipped musical.

-Life of Pi *** Beautifully shot but the storytelling scenes brought it down.

-Lincoln ***** Amazing!

-Looper *** It’s a paradox why people love this film.

-Magic Mike  *** Shocking and sexy for the soccer mom set.

-Man on a Ledge  ** JUMP!

-Mansome * Interesting idea but sooooo boring.

-Moonrise Kingdom **** Darkly humorous and heartbreaking.

-Nate & Margaret **** Rent it just to see Brad and my parents as extras!

-ParaNorman **** Best animated film of the year. Funny and creepy.

-Pitch Perfect **** Hilarously dumb fun and great music!

 -Prometheus *** Huh?

-Promised Land **** Surprisingly good. It’s a nice Saturday afternoon movie.

-Raid: Redemption ** Impossible fight scenes are entertaining at first but ultimately repetitive.

-Safe House *** Decent semi-smart thriller.

-Salmon Fishing in Yemen **** Cute and romantic in a British way.

-Scrooge & Marley ** Gay Dickens!

-Silver Linings Playbook **** Over-lauded in my opinion but entertaining. I would never want to meet any of these people.

-Skyfall *** Better than Quantum of Solace; worse than Casino Royale.

–Sleepwalk With Me *** Funny and sad “documentary” about a comedien with a sleeping disorder.

-Sparkle ** Perfect for a Midnight showing with drunk friends.

-The Amazing Spider-man ** Unnecessary origin story that makes Peter a dick instead of lovable.

–The Avengers **** Best super-hero movie ever. Better for repeat viewing.

-The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel **** Old people are people too!

-The Bourne Legacy *** Jeremy Renner is no Matt Damon.

-The Cabin in the Woods ***** My favorite movie of the year. Scary, funny, clever. It’s near perfect.

–The Dark Knight Rises **** I have a feeling this grade will drop when I watch it a second time.

–The Grey *** You know that scene in the trailer where he punches a wolf? Yeah, that never happens.

-The Guilt Trip **** Cute and funny. I’d rewatch it every time it’s on TV.

-The Hunger Games *** Meh.

-The Impossible ***** Amazing performances and a spell-bindingly tragic story.

-The Perks of Being a Wallflower ***** I loved this movie more than any I have seen in a long time. Pgh + Class of ’92 + Smiths songs = Perfect

-The Sessions  **** Helen’s hunt is on display and I am pissed that John Hawkes was not nominated for an Oscar.

-The Woman in Black  *** Harry Potter finally meets his match!

-Titanic 3D **** Whatever.

-Total Recall *** Entertaining but unnecessary remake.

-Trouble with the Curve * A highschool theater class could write and direct something better than this piece of garbage.

-Wanderlust *** The most overlooked comedy of the year. It’s raunchy fun!

-Wreck-it Ralph **** I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Great for kids and adults.

-Zero Dark Thirty ***1/2 Very good and very intense.