For our first substantive blog post, I’m going to be lazy and transfer over the last post from my former blog. I’ve added in a few additional comments, along with Brandon’s typically succinct weigh-in. Disclaimer: We saw much fewer movies than usual this year due to Lucas’s arrival, so I’m drawing from a fairly small pool of 23 movies released in 2012. Let me know which good ones I missed out on in the comments!
10. This Means War: This is a cute little comedy about Reese Witherspoon in a love triangle with Captain Kirk and Bane. The interaction between the male leads was quite funny and definitely the best part of the movie. I wanted Reese to end up with Bane, because I liked his character better, but it wasn't so bad that he ended up back with his ex. The degree to which both Kirk and Bane abused their work privileges in order to intrude on the rights of an unsuspecting woman was quite horrifying, though!
Brandon’s Opinion: *long pause* I thought it was okay.
9. 21 Jump Street: A fun surprise we discovered on DVD. Who knew Channing Tatum was so funny? Although I saw four out of five of his movies this year, this is the only one I liked enough to make the list (sorry, Magic Mike). The plot was fairly silly, as these types of movies are, but the comedy makes it worth watching.
Brandon’s Opinion: Ugh...guilty pleasure? (I don’t think he likes to admit liking anything with Channing Tatum in it.)
8. The Cabin in the Woods: I am a huge Joss Whedon fan from way back, so it’s not surprising that I enjoyed this movie. I'm not sure I would watch this one again. I’m fascinated by horror movies because I am terrified of them, so I always want to see them even though they give me nightmares and make me jump at every creak for weeks afterward. Even though this one more poked fun at horror movies than anything else, I still found it very disturbing, but the structure and ending was interesting and creative.
Brandon’s Opinion: Surprisingly better than I thought it would be.
7. The Amazing Spiderman: The plot of the movie itself was very meh and the villain utterly uninteresting. But Andrew Garfield is too adorable, as is Emma Stone, and their cuteness is doubled when they are on screen together, so I think the movie is worth watching just for their scenes together.
Brandon’s Opinion: Pretty good.
6. The Dark Knight Rises: I absolutely loved the first two Nolan Batman movies, and this was a good end to the trilogy, although it was very dark and depressing. I find I’ve lost my taste for realistic violence in movies since Lucas was born. How lame is that? I was pleasantly surprised by Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman, though, and I always like Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Brandon’s Opinion: Fourth favorite Batman movie.
5. Pitch Perfect: I loved this movie! The story and characters were super cute, there were some great musical numbers, and it was very funny (especially Rebel Wilson!). The only thing I could have done without is the drawn-out vomit joke. I’m not much for gross-out humor, I’m afraid.
Brandon’s Opinion: No, thank you. (He hasn’t seen this one ... yet.)
4. Skyfall: This one was way better than the last James Bond, although I don't think I liked it quite as much as Casino Royale, one of my favorite action movies ever. The climactic battle in the Scottish countryside was my favorite part. The villain was lame though, and not very menacing, although maybe I just don't like Javier Bardem? The new Q was funny, and also a highlight, even if his hair did look like Edward Cullen’s.
Brandon’s Opinion: That was really good.
3. The Hobbit: The LOTR trilogy are my favorite movies of all time, so there wasn’t much chance that I would dislike this movie. It is a bit long and drawn out, but a good set up for the movies to come. Martin Freeman makes a great Bilbo. My favorite sequence was Bilbo and Gollum and the game of riddles, and the scenery was gorgeous as usual for these films. I'm looking forward to the next movie.
Brandon’s Opinion: Excited for more. (Said in a tone implying that he wasn’t overly impressed with what he saw.)
2. The Avengers: I've seen this movie three or four times already this year! I thought it was fantastic, an exciting action movie with a lot of great one-liners. Thanks again, Joss Whedon. I'm a sucker for the Marvel superhero movies though.
Brandon’s Opinion: I really liked it, probably my favorite movie of the year.
1. The Hunger Games: Amazeballs! I’ve loved the book for years and thought it was a great adaptation. Jennifer Lawrence is one of my favorite actors right now, and the casting of the other characters was spot-on. I can't wait for Catching Fire in November!
Brandon’s Opinion: Um, decent.
And for the sake of balance, my top 5 Worst Movies of 2012.
5. Total Recall: I saw this one during a Parent Movie Morning with Lucas, and he screamed through a good portion of it. My opinion is similar to his. Another boring, pointless, re-do.
Brandon’s Opinion: I’m disappointed in Kate. (Beckinsale, that is - Brandon’s Hollywood girlfriend from way back.)
4. Wrath of the Titans: We caught this one on Redbox, and it was also boring. I barely remember most of it, although I liked Rosamund Pike’s character.
Brandon’s Opinion: I thought it was good.
3. The Vow: I usually like this kind of movie, but this was just so ugh. I was hoping for a lot more romantic, win-her-over sequences a la The Notebook, but there wasn’t much of anything. I wanted more of an ending, too. Overall, just a blah movie.
Brandon’s Opinion: Another Channing Tatum movie? (He didn’t see this one either.)
2. Hope Springs: This was my last attempt to take Lucas with me to the Parent Movie, and he screamed through at least half of it. I love Meryl Streep, but I have to agree with him: this movie was awful all the way through. I was very disappointed.
Brandon’s Opinion: I don’t even know what this movie is.
1. The Grey: Yuck! We turned this one off ten minutes before the end because it was too awful to waste any more time one. I was expecting to see Liam Neeson kicking crazy wolf ass, but instead I just saw a bunch of miserable dying men pretending they could outrun a pack of wolves.
Brandon’s Opinion: I told you so. Elizabeth has lost Redbox choosing privileges until further notice.
That’s all for now!
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