A good year for movies?

[CMoon]

It occurred to me the other day that 2012 has been a pretty decent year for films. It didn't hit me all at once--maybe because there was no single movie that blew me away--rather a gradual realization that a good number of competant, well-made films had come out this year. Maybe you're struggling to find the classic, but here are a few that I left the theatre having fully enjoyed:
(in no partucular order)
Life of Pi
Moonrise Kingdom
Dredd 3D
Skyfall
The Avengers (stupid fun that I'm not supposed to admit I really enjoyed)
Hunger Games (a few reservations, but otherwise pretty good)

Maybe you might even have Prometheus or the new Batman movie on your list.

Painted broadly (your tastes will differ from mine on particular movies) I'm of the opinion that 2012 wasn't just a better year for films than the dismal 2011 but actually a bit above average. Compare it to about any given year (short of the legendary 1982) and you'll note that the number of entertaining/good films this year was actually pretty high. Probably your favorite film did not come out this year, no surprise right, but 2012 feels like it tried.

I left the thread title specifically vague so you could use it to trash my movie tastes, discuss the years when REAL movies came out, make yourselves sound like senior citizens on parade, etc. Hell, bring up that old chestnut, 'why can't hollywood make classics anymore?'

"That's where the popcorn business comes in. Buy yourself a bag and plug up your ears."

[Skykid]

My favourite threads.

Dire:

The Hunger Games
Man on a Ledge

Forgettable:

Dark Knight Rises
Skyfall
Prometheus

Enjoyable:

Project X
John Carter of Mars
The Dictator

Recommended:

Dredd 3D
The Cabin in the Woods
The Imposter
TED

Film of the Year:

The Raid: Redemption:

2012 movie verdict: Meh.

[xris]

A great year for movies!
Stuff I really liked, no order -
Chronicle
Cabin in the Woods
Avengers
Sound of my Voice
Raid Redemption
Dredd
Smashed
Looper
Moonrise Kingdom ( movie of the year for me )

Stuff that was good -
Paranorman
Man with Iron Fists
Ted
Resident Evil Retribution

On DVD -
The FP
Resident Evil Damnation
Starship Troopers Invasion

Fun to talk about -
Prometheus

A whole new standard of unwatchable -
Universal Soldier Day of Reckoning

Best older movie I saw for the first time this year -
The Plague Dogs

I really saw this in the theater? -
Here Comes the Boom

Grumpy that I haven't seen it yet -
Wreck It Wralph
Skyfall
Robot & Frank
John Dies at the End

Didn't get released this year -
Knights of Badassom

[Moniker]

The Master was phenomenal.

Looking forward to Les Mis, Django, Zero Dark Thirty, and I still haven't seen The Hobbit.

[Octopod]

The only movies from this year that I saw and enjoyed are Cabin in the Woods and Wreck-it Ralph. I haven't seen the Hobbit yet either though.

[Super Laydock]

haven't seen enough of recent films to contribute a serious list,

best remembered for me was Darknight Rises,

And for the record, I really, REALLY think that TED was only just about mediocre and really not that funny.

[CMoon]

2012 movie verdict: Meh.

But how would you compare it to 2011, or actually any of the years that start with a two and a zero?

For me what it is fun to look at the list of movies that came out other years. Even years we recall as very memorable often only had three or four good films.

Also, as a person who generally feels cinema before 83-84 is better that everything that follows, its worth noting that films used to be cheaper and many directors often made dozens of films in their career instead of maybe a dozen at best (look how many films Hitchcock made.) Cheaper films to me means more chances for some real winners. Now every movie is too expensive to fail, and that means it can't take risks.

Best older movie I saw for the first time this year -
The Plague Dogs

One of my favorites. For me, and I know I just saw it a day ago, but it must be Sunset Boulevard.

[Ed Oscuro]

The only movie I saw this year was Lincoln, and that made the year for me.

[njiska]

It was a good year for movies for me, just because of Robot & Frank, Seven Psychopathes and Skyfall.

[drauch]

I never watch anything because I know I'll hate it. Regardless, going to see The Hobbit tonight with some family. Will probably write a hateful summary later.

[Vexorg]

I tend to avoid R-rated movies as much as possible, and I'm not exactly a big movie fan but end up watching a fair number of them with my GF. That said, here are some of my thoughts on the ones I've seen (Mostly in theaters, a couple on DVD/Blu-Ray):

WTF:
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (then again, I'm not sure it was ever intended to be watched by anyone older than about 12 years old anyway.)

Bad:
Lock Out
Snow White and the Huntsman
Wrath of the Titans

So-So:
The Bourne Legacy (Mostly this one was confusing as heck.)
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (a late 2011 release, but I saw it in the theater in 2012. I'm trying to figure out why the heck you need bullet-time special effects in a film set in the 1890s...)

Decent:
Brave
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (This might just be the most ADD movie I've ever seen.)
Pitch Perfect (it was definitely a "dragged to it" movie for me, but actually turned out OK.)

Good:
Mirror Mirror (Far more watchable than Snow White and the Huntsman)
The Pirates: Band of Misfits
Wreck-it Ralph
The Adventures of Tintin (Looks like this is actually another late 2011 release, but I'll keep it here anyway)
John Carter (I thought it was better than the critics gave it credit for)
The Avengers (Only saw about 2/3 of it though)
Men in Black 3

Excellent:
Nothing really stood out

Haven't seen yet, want to:
Skyfall
The Hobbit

Haven't seen yet, not planning on it:
Prometheus
The Hunger Games
The Dark Knight Rises
Anything with the word "Twilight" in the title.

EDIT: Added a couple more I forgot.

[njiska]

The Bourne Legacy (Mostly this one was confusing as heck.)

And it didn't really have an ending. They just sort of decided not to continue the plot while they were sitting on the boat.

[Moniker]

Also, as a person who generally feels cinema before 83-84 is better that everything that follows, its worth noting that films used to be cheaper and many directors often made dozens of films in their career instead of maybe a dozen at best (look how many films Hitchcock made.) Cheaper films to me means more chances for some real winners. Now every movie is too expensive to fail, and that means it can't take risks.

Not entirely true. Look at Wes Anderson, Lars von Trier, Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen (yes, his earlier efforts were better, save Match Point, but still), and the Coen Bros. And the multitude of indie & foreign filmmakers.

Blockbusterism, to coin a term, is damaging to the medium, save certain efforts, but we're by no means short of visionaries these days. The output may not be as robust as Hitchcock, but I feel that's an unfair comparison. He was no Shakespeare, but for the sake of argument, the great poets declined to dabble in drama for centuries after his death for fear of comparison. Their output has been incredibly valuable, nonetheless, and I feel the same might be said of contemporary directors.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Also, as a person who generally feels cinema before 83-84 is better that everything that follows, its worth noting that films used to be cheaper and many directors often made dozens of films in their career instead of maybe a dozen at best (look how many films Hitchcock made.) Cheaper films to me means more chances for some real winners. Now every movie is too expensive to fail, and that means it can't take risks.

Not entirely true. Look at Wes Anderson, Lars von Trier, Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen (yes, his earlier efforts were better, save Match Point, but still), and the Coen Bros. And the multitude of indie & foreign filmmakers.

Blockbusterism, to coin a term, is damaging to the medium, save certain efforts, but we're by no means short of visionaries these days. The output may not be as robust as Hitchcock, but I feel that's an unfair comparison. He was no Shakespeare, but for the sake of argument, the great poets declined to dabble in drama for centuries after his death for fear of comparison. Their output has been incredibly valuable, nonetheless, and I feel the same might be said of contemporary directors.

Yep, watching Wes Anderson's earlier documentary/comedy flick of "The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou" with actor Bill Murray as top billing was a hoot. It doesn't take itself seriously.

I, personally, enjoyed watching Prometheus in DLP format and in 3D indeed. And after hearing that director Ridley Scott wants to make two more Prometheus sequels & the upcoming all-new Blade Runner remake down the road, they are certainly going to be something to look forward to with the sci-fi/horror film genre.

This newfangled Quentin Tarantino flick of Django should be another interesting talky flick indeed with it's Christmas Day debut tomorrow. Will certainly check it out as I'm a Tarantino fan myself. Makes me wonder how this upcoming Kill Bill Vol. 3 will turn out as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[drauch]

Not going to get started on Tarantino again. I promise.

I guess the only movies I saw this year were The Raid: Redemption, Cabin in the Woods, and The Hobbit. I already talked about the other two, so I guess I'll gab a bit about The Hobbit, being as I just got back from it.

I won't get into the whole cash-cow, three part nonsense, but geeze--you can really tell they were struggling for extra material. The extra scenes not in the book seem so contrived and silly and, well, poorly written. It could have certainly been a decent--not great--film if it had stayed true, but so many scenes and dialogue are recycled from Jackson's LotR trilogy. The CGI is much better from before, but at times it still suffers and looks out of place. Nothing ever looks tangible. The dwarf character designs range from good, charming, silly, and awful. One of the dwarves looks exactly like a troll from Ernest Scared Stupid. The comedy was thankfully fairly scarce, yet when it was on screen it made me cringe as I begged it to stop. The worst part of the film is easily the well spoken, composed Goblin king for comedic relief, although he doesn't stick around for long. Regardless of all the faults, I still found it an enjoyable action-fantasy romp, but also a forgettable one, especially when compared to Tolkien's book--or even Jackson's trilogy, maybe.

[Skykid]

Woody Allen (yes, his earlier efforts were better, save Match Point

I thought Match Point was terrific.

But how would you compare it to 2011, or actually any of the years that start with a two and a zero?

Hmm. Compared to 2011, 2012 is the better of two rubbish years for movies.

Compared to all the other noughties: no end in sight for Hollywood's slippery slope of unimaginative trash formula filmmaking.

Bring back Conan.

[Ed Oscuro]

Bring back Conan.

[CMoon]

Also, as a person who generally feels cinema before 83-84 is better that everything that follows, its worth noting that films used to be cheaper and many directors often made dozens of films in their career instead of maybe a dozen at best (look how many films Hitchcock made.) Cheaper films to me means more chances for some real winners. Now every movie is too expensive to fail, and that means it can't take risks.

Not entirely true. Look at Wes Anderson, Lars von Trier, Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen (yes, his earlier efforts were better, save Match Point, but still), and the Coen Bros. And the multitude of indie & foreign filmmakers.

Actually I think we're in agreement here. Part of the reason these directors (I'll pick on Anderson and the Cohens since I'm at least a fan of some of their output) is because their budgets aren't out of control. Also, because they remain independent directors (somehow) they manage to produce films that would never be green lighted by hollywood (IE not safe enough.) Personally I think if there was a way to make films significantly cheaper, hollywood could not only make more films, but they could take more risks.

[system11]

Nice to see a few people liked John Carter, I think it was very unfairly treated by the dribbling idiots we call critics. It's proper old school science fiction/fantasy adventure, made like they used to be.

[Ed Oscuro]

I didn't see John Carter but it's nice to hear some kind words about it. I was sorely let down by the reviews, because I was hoping for something special.

I doubt it'll be as awesome as the animated feature would've been, but that was a different time and it would've been groundbreaking (possibly coming before Snow White would've ensured its place in history after all).

[Octopod]

I am a pretty big ERB fan and I enjoyed the first three books in his Mars series but I didn't get past the first half hour of the film. The problem for me though was my own preconceived notions about how things should look and the film just didn't come close to matching them. I don't understand why they changed the beginning and I don't like the actor or actress cast in the roles of John and Deja. For whatever reason the ship designs in the film actually pissed me off. And WTF is up with Woola? Frazetta made Woola look bad ass, ERB made Woola sound like he looked bad ass, the film made Woola look stupid as hell. And the Tharks were way too scrawny.

[Ganelon]

I can't say I overall enjoyed this year's movies more than those of other years, but I really liked Cloud Atlas. It juggles its 6 stories effortlessly and, unlike Tree of Life, is not at all confusing. Cloud Atlas doesn't even teach any sublime lessons but rather focuses on core values. The CG visuals, thematic music, exotic settings, and recast characters are obviously meant to stimulate emotions throughout. Except for an incongruous action period about 2/3 of the way through, the length seems just right. Obviously, on the opposite end, this film is not for those looking for quick action.

Anybody who's played Xenogears (one of my favorite RPGs) should notice many similarities; I would be very surprised if the author of the novel upon which the movie was based, David Mitchell, never played the game before, especially considering his time in Japan.

[BrianC]

Amazing Spider-Man was surprisingly good and did some things better than the Sam Ramini movies.

[emphatic]

Nice to see a few people liked John Carter, I think it was very unfairly treated by the dribbling idiots we call critics. It's proper old school science fiction/fantasy adventure, made like they used to be.

It's rumoured that the Disney marketing department forgot to market this. I've also heard that everyone responsible got the boot. Too bad, I really liked it too.

[GaijinPunch]

My favourite threads.

Dire:
The Hunger Games

I didn't even make it all the way through. Thought it was complete shit.

The Master was phenomenal.

Shit, this came out? These types of movies come to Japan at the same pace as human and animal rights laws and nether-region grooming habits. In short, I'll be getting the BR off of Amazon I'm sure. Worth the purchase? It looked wicked based on the trailer.

[evil_ash_xero]

John Carter wasn't as bad as you'd think, but it's not what I'd call good either.

[trap15]

My favourite threads.

Dire:
The Hunger Games

I didn't even make it all the way through. Thought it was complete shit.

Fucking same. Awful movie.

[Moniker]

My favourite threads.

Dire:
The Hunger Games

I didn't even make it all the way through. Thought it was complete shit.

Fucking same. Awful movie.

I don't know.. Granted, aside from the lead's performance, there wasn't anything particularly good about the movie, but for me, the sum somehow ended up greater than its parts. The atrocious makeup and costumes of the upper class gave me wtf for awhile, but now, looking back, it's grown on me. The underlying politics are sophomoric at best, and the love triangle bull is rubbish. But the overall experience, and especially the main character, has stuck with me.

Maybe it's just that the same actress's performance as basically the same character in the much better Winter's Bone rubbed off on it. In any case, I found Hunger Games to be oddly compelling. Hardly a winning endorsement, but I think it deserves a closer look.

[Moniker]

The Master was phenomenal.

Shit, this came out? These types of movies come to Japan at the same pace as human and animal rights laws and nether-region grooming habits. In short, I'll be getting the BR off of Amazon I'm sure. Worth the purchase? It looked wicked based on the trailer.

Yeah, it didn't seem to get all that much attention over here, although they talked it up for awhile on NPR. Joachin Pheonix & Phil S. Hoffman give easily their best performances, which is enough by itself, but IMO they're among the best cinematic performances period. Won an instant place among my top 10 films of all time. I think the general reticence comes from the fact that it's a profoundly unsettling movie, without any obvious resolutions or upshots.

If Phoenix doesn't get Best Actor for this, I'll... be sort of upset and cynical for awhile, and then get over it.

[Ed Oscuro]

Nice to see a few people liked John Carter, I think it was very unfairly treated by the dribbling idiots we call critics. It's proper old school science fiction/fantasy adventure, made like they used to be.

It's rumoured that the Disney marketing department forgot to market this. I've also heard that everyone responsible got the boot. Too bad, I really liked it too.

There wasn't much of anything in the way of marketing, but probably the biggest thing going against it was the very generic rust-red look of the poster and the featured stills I saw. That probably turned away a number of folks.