The Best Movies of 2012 by TV Script Doctor Joey

Posted on by Eric

Even though here on the site she is known as TV Script Doctor, our good friend Joey (About Joey) knows a ton about feature films, and her yearly “movie lists” were the main inspiration for The Great Movie Challenge of 2012.  

So, check out Joey’s list below.  And for all the “Best of 2012” lists please see All the “Best of 2012” Movie Lists.

The Best Movies of 2012
by TV Script Doctor Joey 

1. Silver Linings Playbook – Loved it!  Reminds me of my own crazy family.

2. Hunger Games – I’m a big fan of the books, so I was worried….but it worked for me.  And Jennifer Lawrence gets the #1 and #2 spot!

3. Django Unchained – Only Tarantino could have pulled this off. But boy, does he!

4. Beasts of the Southern Wild – Original and moving.  Loved that little girl.

5. Argo – My pick for Best Picture.

6. The Hobbit – Not quite to the LOTR standard, but still #6 for the year.  I miss the ol’ “fellowship.”

7. Looper – Don’t over-think it.

8. Les Miserables – I love the musical and really enjoyed the movie.  I didn’t cry, but I did sing along quietly in the theatre.

9. Safety Not Guaranteed – Go see this movie!

10. The Avengers – The perfect summer popcorn movie.

11. Ruby Sparks – Great quirky premise, surprisingly dark at moments.

12. Pitch Perfect – Unexpectedly sweet.  Makes me want to join an accapella group.

13. Lincoln – I could have done without the opening and closing scenes, but I was surprised but how compelling it was.

14. Promised Land – An enjoyable movie with some depth.   Plus I do love Matt Damon.

15. The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Who doesn’t love a good high school movie?  There should be more high school movies!! 🙂

16. The Sessions – Much more interesting and enjoyable than I expected.

17. Life of Pi – I read the book and couldn’t imagine the movie.  It was well done but not life-changing.

18. Amour – It’s exactly what I expected.   Extremely well-done and moving and I hope to never see it again.

19. Moonrise Kingdom – I know people LOVED this movie.  I liked it.  The “charm” felt a little forced.

20. 21 Jump Street – I had low expectations on this one and enjoyed it immensely.

21. End of Watch – I hope I never date a police officer.

22. Chronicle – Goes a little too far toward the end.

23. Zero Dark Thirty – A little slow.  Since we all know how it ends there’s no sense of tension or urgency.

24. Flight – I didn’t buy the ending.

25. Friends with Kids – This is a premise I consider often for my own life, so I had to see it. 🙂  It’s “cute.”

26. Dark Knight Rises – I was already kind of done with the Dark Knight series.  And how did he get from that prison back to NYC — all he had was clothes?

27. Celeste and Jesse Forever – Meh.  I wanted to love it.

28. Hope Springs – There were some really funny moments.

29. Prometheus – There were lots of plot holes but that “abortion” scene certainly stays with you.

30. John Carter – I read the books so I knew the story and it was impressively faithful.  It’s not brilliant but why does everyone hate it so?

31. Frankenweenie – Couldn’t really get that into the story but it did look really cool.

32. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – I love Ewan McGregor.  Who approved this title?

33. Magic Mike – It is what it is.

34. The Impossible – So manipulative.  But the acting (both adults and kids) is impressive!  And that cut on her leg still makes me cringe.

35. Brave – Not at all what I was expecting and disappointing for Pixar.  Certainly no Wall-E or Up.

36. This is 40 – More like…This is 40 Minutes too Long!  🙂

37. Mirror Mirror – Of the two Snow White movies, at least this one tried to be fun and campy.

38. The Campaign – Should have been so much funnier.

39. Ted – Should have been so much funnier.

40. The Master – A little too much like Scientology.  I just don’t quite get it.

41. Jeff Who Lives at Home – Should have been so much funnier.

42. Wanderlust – Should have been so much funnier. I mean it’s Paul Rudd!

43. Five Year Engagement – This is why Rom Coms have a bad rep.

44. Trouble with the Curve – Slow and predictable but I still kind of enjoyed it.  Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake are pretty cute together.

45. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World – The trailer is good.  Just watch it and skip the movie.

46. Cabin in the Woods – What???  They actually had me until the elevators.

47. Savages – Blake Lively’s VO made this almost unwatchable.

48. Snow White and the Huntsmen –  A *serious* live-action Snow White?  Why?

—

The Hunger Games and The Hobbit seemed to be ranked a bit high.  That is all I’ll say…for now.  🙂  -Eric  

Best Movies of 2012 by Dan Hartman

Posted on by Eric

And the winner of The Great Movie Challenge of 2012 for seeing the most movies released in 2012 is…

Daniel Hartman Jr.!
@DanielHartmanJr

Congrats to Dan who wins a 1 year membership to the SellingYourScreenplay.com Forum (a $49.99 value)!  And thanks to Ashley Meyers of SellingYourScreenplay.com for donating such a great prize!

Dan’s winning “Best Movies of 2012” list is below.   Of course it is but one of the lists in the The Great Movie Challenge of 2012.  For all of the “Best movies of 2012” lists please see the post: All the “Best Movies of 2012” Lists  -Eric

The Great Movie Challenge of 2012
by Daniel Hartman Jr.

TOP 10
1) Django Unchained – The best film of the year! An ultraviolent, well-written, expertly acted, great time at the movies, with one of the best shootouts ever put to film.
2) Looper – A thrilling and smart sci-fi film, with great performances and stunning visuals.
3) The Dark Knight Rises – Completely exhilarating film! Not a wasted second in its 165 min. run time.
4) The Cabin in the Woods – Thank God a movie finally came along that pokes fun at conventional horror films, but is also great fun to watch.
5) Killer Joe – A masterpiece of depravity, it’s unflinchingly violent, relentlessly brutal, and thoroughly hilarious. I enjoyed every minute of it.
6) The Avengers – This is exactly what a comic book film should be; exciting, fun, and action packed!
7) Killing Them Softly – Brutal, violent, and a funny, satirical look at the flaws of capitalism and the incompetence of those in political power. The cast does an amazing job and the direction is flawless.
8) Silver Linings Playbook – Charming, hilarious, and expertly acted by the entire cast. Also, doesn’t follow romantic comedy conventions and therefor avoids their downfalls.
9) Wreck-it Ralph – The Academy should give Pixar a break this year and book a trip to the podium for Ralph.
10) Jack Reacher – Fun, realistic action film with an intense car chase expertly directed by McQuarrie.

STILL REALLY GOOD
11) Prometheus – Visually stunning and exciting film. One of the best Sci-Fi films of the last decade.
12) Dredd – An explosive film with non-stop action, impressive visuals, and Urban in full in bad-ass mode.
13) Zero Dark Thirty – Very well-made with excellent performances, but it’s in the final 40 mins. where the film becomes the most intense I’ve seen all year.
14) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World – Funny and sad at the same time. Does a great job of balancing tones. Chemistry between Carell and Knightley is perfect.
15) End of Watch – Brutally violent, but also deeply emotional. The only thing keeping this from being a masterpiece is the off-putting camera work.
16) Ted – The story isn’t anything special, but it’s consistently hilarious the whole way through.
17) Hara Kiri: Death of a Samurai – Expertly told and beautifully photographed film with deep emotional resonance.
18) Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson is an acquired taste, but this is a Quirky, expertly made film that is well acted by a wonderful cast.
19) Hitchcock – A wonderfully acted and thoroughly interesting film. Hopkins and Mirren should be nominated for Oscars.
20) This is 40 – A hilarious look at married life that many adult couples can relate to, which makes it even funnier.
21) The Raid: Redemption – A bit cliché, but awesome, non-stop action until the very end.
22) The Bourne Legacy – Renner does a great job in this thrilling, well-constructed action film.
23) Skyfall – Superbly acted and fast paced, this entertaining action film, a notch below Casino Royale, is not without its flaws. (e.g. All that planning to just walk into a room shooting???)
24) Argo – A tense, thrilling film with terrific performances. Well-made and well-written.
25) Lincoln – It’s entertaining for 2 ½ hours of nothing but talking and Day-Lewis is phenomenal!
26) The Grey – Thrilling from start to (almost) finish. Poor ending. Needed five more minutes.
27) Amour – Honestly, this is an amazing film, flawlessly made in every area. The only thing keeping it from the top of the list is that it’s absolute torture to sit through. By that I mean the only thing more sad would be watching a loved one actually die.

GOOD
28) The Hobbit (HFR 3D) – Stunning visuals, but the story filler used by Jackson drags the film out longer than necessary. The HFR worked well most of the time, but sometimes made the footage look cartoony.
29) ParaNorman – Fantastic animation, and funny, unique characters make this fun film to watch.
30) Howling – Korean filmmakers really know how to make entertaining films with fantastic stories.
31) V/H/S/ – Tense and scary throughout. I can’t stand “found footage”, but it worked very well here.
32) The Sessions – Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always heartfelt, with terrific performances by Hawkes and Hunt.
33) Compliance – A stomach turner with great performances and the feel of the film is gritty and dirty and that’s how the viewer feels while watching it.
34) Lawless – Thoroughly interesting period piece and at times brutally violent. Well-acted by everyone invovled.
35) Brave – Not Pixar’s best film, but it’s still really good.
36) Bachelorette – Funny, vulgar film with likeable performances by Caplan and Fisher.
37) Trouble with the Curve – A bit of sloppy directing, but the cast and the satisfying ending more than make up for its flaws.
38) Madagascar 3 – Fast paced with rapid fire jokes, this is the best of the series.
39) Here Comes the Boom – It may be a bit hard to believe, but this film is funny, touching, and uplifting.
40) The Hunger Games – Thrilling, with an interesting plot. Three flaws: Poorly filmed fight scenes, lame climax, and a resolution that feels forced.
41) Goon – I’ve been waiting for a funny hockey movie. This foots the bill.
42) Pitch Perfect – Funny, somewhat predictable. The musical performances are actually good.
43) For a Good Time, Call… – An enjoyable, funny film. Well-written with likeable performances.
44) Promised Land – Good, well-written film, but the filmmakers focus too much on the heavy-handed message instead of entertainment value.
45) Magic Mike – More than just a film about male strippers, this film is smart, funny, and interesting. Tatum does a terrific job at playing the most likeable stripper ever.
46) Casa de mi Padre – Bad acting, bad sets, bad filmmaking. All of it intentionally hilarious.
47) Safety Not Guaranteed – Well-made and a good film, but it wasn’t the classic indie I was hoping.
48) The Expendables 2 – Why is this film this high on my list? Two words: Chuck… Norris. It’s a decent film, but the horrible editing makes it look much worse than it is.
49) Chronicle – Great story, but the FF style of the film holds it back and drains all dramatic power from the climax.
50) Seven Psychopaths – It’s a decent film full of surprises, but it’s not quite as funny as it thinks it is.
51) The Amazing Spiderman – It may be the same story I’ve seen/heard 1000 times, but it’s told well.
52) The Man With the Iron Fists – Narrowly avoiding becoming a narrative mess, it’s actually a fun Crouching Tiger/70’s kung fu flick combo.
53) Red Lights – Well-made, very interesting story with a neat little twist at the end.
54) Savages – Interesting story and well-acted. Hayek and del Toro steal the show.
55) Celeste and Jesse Forever – Smart, funny, and realistic, with likeable characters.

OKAY
56) The Collection – While it lacks the thrills of the first film, it’s effective enough. The “Aliens” template is a good thought, but the execution is lacking.
57) The Pact – It drags a bit, but this direct-to-dvd horror film isn’t that bad. It throws a pretty neat little twist at ya in the final 20 mins.
58) 2 Days in New York – Strange, but often funny indie comedy.
59) The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Funny and touching drama/comedy. Well-written with good performances.
60) The Paperboy – Violent and disturbing with great performances, but brought down by a slow pace.
61) Life of Pi – Visually stunning with some tense scenes between the lead and the tiger, but it’s a bit slow at the beginning and lacks much of a punch at the end.
62) The Master – While this is a filmmaking masterpiece with great performances, it also has a story that bogs it down and keeps it from being great.
63) The Watch – Entertaining and kept my interest, but the solid sci-fi plot is wasted in favor of a couple of familiar subplots.
64) Sleepwalk with Me – A funny and smart, but moves a bit slow despite an 80 min. runtime.
65) Resident Evil: Retribution – Poorly scripted and clumsily directed, but I’ve always had a soft spot for action/sci-fi/horror films.
66) 3, 2, 1… Frankie Go Boom – Wildly inconsistent, but funny with quirky, likeable characters.
67) Detention – It’s a mess, but it’s a fun, interesting mess that had me laughing consistently throughout.
68) Haywire – Great fight scenes. Carano does a decent job opposite the plethora of A-list actors.
69) Jeff, Who Lives at Home – A funny, touching little indie film.
70) Wanderlust – Half the jokes are hilarious, the other half not so much.
71) Hope Springs – Superbly acted and realistic, but predictable and boring at times.
72) Big Miracle – Touching family film with good performances and an interesting story.
73) God Bless America – Funny, but a bit too preachy. It attacks only one side of politics while both are ripe for satire.
74) Silent House – Single shot gimmick is neat, but holds the film back a bit and the supporting actors are awful. Once the film gets going though, it’s intense and Olsen is such a great actress.
75) Sinister – Tense with some scary images, however silly at times and lacking a satisfying climax.
76) The Woman in Black – Eerie atmosphere. A few good scares, but predictable.
77) Battleship – SFX are good and the film keeps things interesting, but it’s ultimately dumb entertainment.
78) John Carter – Okay, so the editing’s poor, the characters are bland, it’s undeniably silly, and it defies its own logic, but it’s still fun to watch.
79) Safe – Entertaining, albeit goofy, with dialogue that sounds like a child wrote it.
80) Man on a Ledge – Thrilling at times. Illogical and an extremely sappy, cliché ending.
81) The Raven – Interesting idea. It has many flaws, but the story is intriguing enough to let them go.
82) Men in Black 3 – Started off really bad, got better, then hit a stride and ended up enjoyable.
83) Cloud Atlas – I appreciate the ambition, and the film wasn’t a mess like most are saying, but the execution was off.
84) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – Visually appealing, but overly serious and not as much fun as it could’ve been.
85) The Campaign – Hit and miss.
86) Premium Rush – Some interesting ideas, but watching Levitt speed through NY on a bike for 90 mins. becomes tedious after a while.
87) Hit and Run – decent film, but it offers nothing I haven’t seen a hundred times before.
88) Hotel Transylvania – Cute, but offers nothing new.
89) Arbitrage – Well-made and superbly acted, but the filmmakers failed to draw me in and sympathize with the character, which destroys most of the tension.
90) Mirror Mirror – Turned out to be a decent film. Nothing amazing, but better than Snow White and the Huntsman.

NOT… GREAT
91) Flight – An amazing first 25 mins. gives way to melodrama and predictability.
92) People Like Us – Well-acted film, however long and tedious at times. The ending is amazing, though, and drug this film from the bottom of this list.
93) Total Recall – Good SFX and a couple thrilling action sequences, but the story is the same as the original beat for beat.
94) Vamps – Occasionally funny, often uneven, but managed to hold my interest.
95) The Bay – Creepy, but once again the found footage style drains any dramatic power from the narrative.
96) Taken 2 – Megaton is a terrible director. The family scenes feel forced and the hand-to-hand combat seems fake. Neeson is the only reason this film works in the slightest. Bring Morel back!
97) The Day – Looks good and the actors all do a decent job, but it takes 50 mins. of the 85 min. runtime to get to the meat of the story.
98) Les Misérables – I’m probably gonna get beat up for this, but I thought it was okay. A Good story with terrific performances, but they glossed over areas that needed more development and some scenes drug on longer than they needed. Don’t get me wrong it had some amazing moments, but it also had moments of pure boredom.
99) Won’t Back Down – A couple of good performances, but overlong and preachy.
100) Fire with Fire – Pretty decent for a direct-to-dvd action flick.
101) Liberal Arts – What starts out as an enjoyable film with likable characters descends into an insanely frustrating 3rd act that for me brought down the film.
102) A Lonely Place for Dying – Feels kind of amateurish at times and the direction is flawed, but it’s an enjoyable and interesting spy thriller.
103) 2016: Obama’s America – While not a fan of documentaries, I enjoyed this film when it actually provided facts, which was about 1/4 of the runtime.
104) That’s My Boy – Not the piece of crap I thought it would be. Still bad, but it’s kind of funny actually.
105) The Tall Man – Interesting because of all the twists in the plot. For most of the film I wasn’t really sure what was going on. The final reveal wasn’t as interesting as the rest of the film.
106) Red Dawn – Kept my interest, but has ZERO character development, bad dialogue, and a shocking ending that’s sure to piss people off.
107) Chasing Mavericks – Decent film, but surfing’s not really my kind of thing.
108) Chimpanzee – Cute film, brought way down by silly narration and Disney’s insistence on naming the “bad” chimp after the villain from “The Lion King”.
109) Hick – Interesting, but I fail to see the point of the film.
110) The Hunter – Well-made film. The first hour kinda drags.
111) Transit – A terrific idea and at times it’s exciting, but the poor script, editing and lighting keep it from reaching its full potential.
112) Rampart – Woody Harrelson is terrific and the film is interesting, but it falls apart a bit in the 3rd act.
113) Wrath of the Titans – Great special FX, but a little boring and poorly edited.
114) American Reunion – Okay. Has some funny moments, mostly near the end.
115) Dark Shadows – Tone is all over the place. It can’t decide what it wants to be. Not as funny as advertised or as good as the talent involved.
116) Gone – A total surprise. I thought it was going to be trash. Not great, but worth seeing.
117) Safe House – Some good action scenes, but suffers from gross predictability and shaky camera syndrome.
118) Lockout – Terrible SFX, but Pearce keeps this unoriginal action film from being too dull.
119) 21 Jump Street – Not as much fun, or as funny as it should be, but it has its moments.
120) Apartment 143 – Scary images and likeable characters. Better than PA 2, 3, & 4.
121) Breaking Dawn Part 2 – As stupid as it is, it still manages to send the series out on a slightly higher note than the crap that came before it.
122) Project X – A lot better than expected. Some funny moments and the hand held camera didn’t annoy me like I thought it would.
123) The Pirates! Band of Misfits – A few moments of genius, but ultimately bland and predictable.
124) Ice Age: Continental Drift – For each moment of brilliance, there’s 5 moments of “Oh, God, that’s terrible”.
125) Excision – Well-made, but extremely weird and creepy. The lead is like a deranged, female Napoleon Dynamite.
126) Cosmopolis – Interesting, despite the plot revolving around a psycho going to get a haircut.
127) Paranormal Activity 4 – Same old jump scares and predictability.
128) Snow White and the Huntsman – Well-made and acted, but predictable and so boring.
129) The Words – Well-made with some good performances, but tedious with very little to say.
130) Madea’s Witness Protection – Poorly made, but has some funny moments throughout.
131) Girl in Progress – Occasionally funny dramadey, however predictable.
132) The Viral Factor – Some good effects and action scenes, but offered nothing new or exceptional.
133) Beasts of the Southern Wild – The cast, especially Wallis, do a tremendous job, but film failed to be interesting in the slightest.
134) The Hole – Dante fails to resurrect any “Gremlins Magic” with this uneven, cliché family/horror film.
135) Why Stop Now? – Sometimes funny, but the characters are underdeveloped and the story is nothing new.
136) Bernie – Black and MacLaine are fantastic, but the film kinda drags.
137) What to Expect When You’re Expecting – Chuckled a bit, but ended up a cliché mess.
138) Being Flynn – Interesting at times, but ultimately unsatisfying.
139) The Lorax – A structural mess. A Few fleeting moments of brilliance.
140) Friends With Kids – Few strong scenes, has difficulty balancing tone, and predictable.
141) Piranha 3DD – Not as bad as you’d expect. At least it knows it’s trash and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
142) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – Really corny with too much CGI, but at least it’s kinda fun.
143) Rec 3 – Blood-filled gorefest with a badass heroine, but it’s kinda goofy and poorly written.

BAD
144) Silent Hill: Revelation – Horrible dialogue and poorly directed, but the story is good, even if it makes no sense some of the time.
145) House at the End of the Street – Lawrence elevates the material… slightly, but it’s completely unoriginal and not scary in the slightest.
146) Lovely Molly – Started off tense and scary, but got more and more silly as it progressed. Once it ended, I failed to see the point.
147) The Lucky One – Well-made, but silly and predictable.
148) Seeking Justice – Not a bad idea, but contains many illogical moments and unintentional humor.
149) Chernobyl Diaries – A few scary moments, but lacks a compelling story and interesting characters… Well, actually there is no story and characterization is non-existent.
150) Contraband – Run-of-the-mill thriller, predictable, and kinda boring.
151) Underworld: Awakening – Dumb. Made slightly watchable because of a thrilling climax.
152) The Cold Light of Day – Silly and offers nothing I haven’t seen 100 times before.
153) Nitro Circus 3D – Visually amazing, but repetitive and witless.
154) One For the Money – While not the trash others would make it out to be, it’s also uninspired and poorly executed.
155) Act Of Valor – Poorly written, underdeveloped characters, but the mission scenes are really well done. The SEALs deserve a better film.
156) Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – How does Nicolas Cage keep getting work?
157) Deadfall – This movie is badass for about 3 minutes of its 90 minute runtime.
158) Fun Size – Cute, but not a lot of fun… or funny.
159) The Three Stooges – The original Stooges were geniuses. These feels like a cheap knock-off.
160) The Possession – A few creepy moments, but the whole film feels contrived.
161) Vile – Lives up to its name. It’s sick and disturbing.
162) Meeting Evil – Intriguing at first, but quickly descends into mediocrity and boredom.
163) The Courier – I like Morgan and it’s well made, but it’s also derivative and boring.
164) FDR: American Badass – Silly and strange, but it’s obviously what the filmmakers intended. It’s also funny at times.
165) The Odd Life of Timothy Green – Silly, strange, really corny, and worst of all boring. The actors do a good job however.
166) Airborne – Bad dialogue and bad acting, but at least it kept my interest.
167) Best Laid Plans – Good acting and good source material, but the pace moves so slow and I lost interest.
168) Werewolf: The Beast Among Us – Silly, derivative, and not at all scary. Fight scenes are poorly staged.
169) Red Tails – Who’s the dumbass that thought it was a good idea to put credits over a battle scene? Also, Poorly written, acted, and directed. Completely devoid of emotion. The only saving grace is the CGI.
170) The Dictator – Quite possibly the least funny theatrical film of the year.

REALLY BAD
171) Silent Night – Who would have thought a film about a deranged Santa Claus wielding a flame thrower would be so boring?
172) The Devil’s Carnival – Interesting if only because of its weirdness.
173) Brother White – Not really as inspiring or funny as it thinks it is, but it’s not crap.
174) Rock of Ages – I wanta fly to L.A. and give Adam Shankman a good, swift kick in the nuts.
175) The Samaritan – Poorly constructed and boring through most of its 93 minutes.
176) The Five Year Engagement – I love Emily Blunt, but this film is so boring that I took a break in the middle of it and cleaned the house.
177) 360 – Well-made and performed, but boring for the entire 2 hour runtime.
178) Alex Cross – Goofy, run-of-the-mill, and devoid of thrills. It’s got laughably bad dialogue, acting, and directing.
179) Dead Season – A mess of a movie, but it finally gets a little good in the last 10 minutes. Only a little.
180) Iron Sky – Who’d have thought a film about Nazi from the moon attacking earth would be completely devoid of fun.
181) Stolen – Derivative and silly. Why does Nicolas Cage look constipated every time he runs in this film?
182) The Apparition – The only good thing about this film is Ashley Greene, but it’s really stupid and boring.
183) Keyhole – Watching this film is like watching someone’s nightmare. It’s weird and feels like a student film.
184) The Forger – Silly and overly dramatic.
185) Goats – I fail to see the point of this film. Was it supposed to be a comedy? If so, it wasn’t funny.
186) A Thousand Words – Okay, I was wrong about the Dictator. This is the least funny.
187) The Devil Inside – Boring. Makes you sit through a movie just to tell you that if you want more info to go to a website.
188) Beneath the Darkness – This poorly written, highly illogical, bore-fest makes me feel bad for Dennis Quaid.
189) This Means War – This movie is so bad it literally gave me a headache. I feel dumber having seen it.
190) A Little Bit Zombie – Some good ideas, but for every joke that lands about 20 more miss.
191) Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie – Painfully unfunny and nonsensical.
192) Battleground – Shamelessly rips off Predator and Heat, but lacks their entertainment factor.
193) Branded – A huge talking cow constellation narrates the film….
194) The Scorpion King 3 – Looks good, but it’s silly with bad dialogue.
195) ATM – Laughably illogical. Every character in this film must be mentally challenged.
196) Hidden – Rips off every horror film and doesn’t do anything interesting.
197) 7 Below – Okay, so apparently ghosts are reenacting murders right in front of the characters and they’re only worried about boring conversations and their lack of sleep.
198) The Mark – “All the terrorists are dead… Oh no! The rapture!” remarks the worst Super Soldier ever conceived for film.
199) Area 407 – Annoying and painfully stupid.
200) Night of the Living Dead: Reanimation – Just like a zombie, slow moving and stupid.
201) Dark Tide – Halle Berry does her best, but this film is booooooorrrrrrrring!
202) Battlefield America – Some of the dancing is mesmerizing, but it’s full of clichés and poor fimmaking.
203) Playback – Boring and stupid.
204) Payback – The most boring documentary I’ve ever seen.
205) Camel Spiders – Yes, I watched this movie… It was hilarious!
206) The Girl from the Naked Eye – A shameless rip-off of Sin City and Oldboy with terrible acting, writing, et al.
207) Rites of Passage – Good production values, but the movie makes no sense whatsoever.
208) Sexual Chronicles of a French Family – Porn disguised as art.
209) Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies – Our 16th president chops off a zombie’s head while exclaiming, “Emancipate this!” Not only is it cliché, it also makes no damn sense.

THE REALLY $#&%ING BAD BOTTOM 10
210) Adopting Terror – LOGIC: The filmmakers do not understand the meaning of the word.
211) Sand Sharks – This film is labeled as a Horror/Comedy, but it’s not scary or funny. Also, Brooke Hogan plays a doctor… so…
212) Parasitic – The director was on the SFX crews of some of Hollywood’s biggest films, so the creatures look really good. Everything else (e.g. Acting, dialogue, direction) is utter crap.
213) Smiley – What a joke! This film is completely awful. As an aspiring screenwriter, I am offended that this film was produced. Characters and even some scenes didn’t even need to exist, the dialogue is just a lot of screaming and babbling about evil, then there’s a twist that makes no logical sense.
214) American Warships – Goofy looking aliens, stupid film.
215) The Perfect Student – Hilariously bad!
216) Don’t Go in the Woods – A slasher/musical. A character sings as she’s being murdered. I think that about sums it up.
217) Strippers Vs. Werewolves – A visual masterpiece with brilliant performances by everyone involved. It’s a smart, fun, thrill ride… Nah, I’m just kidding, it’s crap.
218) Alien Origin – FF rip off of Predator and Prometheus where the characters run around a jungle shooting at nothing for 88 mins.
219) Bigfoot – That moment when Danny Bonaduce and Barry Williams first met face to face was almost as awesome as when DeNiro met Pacino in Heat… almost.

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How the heck did you see so many current movies, Dan?  Seriously.  I mean…Congrats on winning the contest! 🙂  -Eric

All the Best Movies of 2012 Lists

Posted on by Eric

For convenience, below are the lists from everyone who participated in The Great Movie Challenge of 2012!

In other, more cumbersome words that comprise the title of this post, these are the Best Movies of 2012 Lists.

Enjoy!

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Script Doctor Eric’s Best (and Worst) Movies of 2012

TV Script Doctor Joey’s Best of 2012

Dan Hartman Ranks the 219 Movies he saw in 2012

Brian Lee’s Best of 2012 by a MFA

Patrick Short’s Best Movies of 2012, starring The Avengers

Jim Crose’s Best Movies of 2012, starring Cloud Atlas

Carman Tse’s Somewhat Pretentious List of the Best Films of 2012

Judy Lee from China’s Best Movies of 2012

Producer Zac Sanford’s Long List of Best Movies of 2012 as seen in the calendar year

Phillip Mottaz’s Most Enjoyed Movies of 2012

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Best Movies of 2012 by Brian Lee

Posted on by Eric

This “Best of 2012” list is a part of the Great Movie Challenge of 2012.  For all of the “Best of” lists, please see the post: All the Best Movies of 2012 Lists. -Eric

Best Movies of 2012
by
Brian Lee, MFA 

Great
01 ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA – Murder mystery as tone poem in the Turkish countryside, incredibly nuanced commentary on characters’ lives.
02 HOLY MOTORS – Leos Carax and Denis Lavant team up again in a wonderfully bizarre, almost indescribable flight of fancy.
03 THIS IS NOT A FILM – Deconstructs narrative and reality as well as highlighting the state of Iranian cinema.
04 AMOUR – Unflinching look at aging and death, powerful performances from Trintignant and Riva.
05 MASTER, THE – Perfectly captures the strangeness of the post-WWII era and the emotional struggle between two twisted men.
06 JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI – Both inpsiring and depressing, what complete commitment looks like.
07 56 UP – The latest installment in what Ebert called “the most noble use of film,” this is real humanity in the age of “reality” shows.
08 DAMSELS IN DISTRESS – I’d been waiting for years for the next Whit Stillman film, he didn’t disappoint.
09 MOONRISE KINGDOM – Childhood is the perfect subject for Anderson.
10 5 BROKEN CAMERAS – The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is so compelling almost any documentary would be near the top of my list.
11 INTO THE ABYSS – Herzog stares death in the eye, again.
12 OSLO 31, AUGUST – Graceful deptiction of a day in the life of a recovering addict.
13 BULLHEAD – If Scorcese made a gangster movie about the illicit bovine hormone trade in rural Belgium.
14 GERHARD RICHTER PAINTING – At times opaque, it was an interesting look at an artist showing some vulnerability in front of the camera.
15 HAYWIRE – For me, the perfect action film, long takes, no shakey camera, awesome stunts, Gina Carano is a superstar.
16 DJANGO UNCHAINED – QT has got the revenge flick down pat.
17 TURIN HORSE – Bleak and nearly silent, this was almost unbearable but in a good way.
18 ZERO DARK THIRTY – Tense and understated, I still questioned the verisimilitude of much of this film.
19 SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK – Although I wasn’t excited by the subject matter or the trailer, I correctly put my faith in David O. Russell.
20 TAKE THIS WALTZ – Emotionally wrenching, Sarah Polley is very talented.
21 HEADHUNTERS – Clever and amusing, why are Scandinavians so good at thrillers these days?
22 AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY – More about Ai WeiWei the activist than the Ai WeiWei the artist, my favorite parts were when he had to talk about his child out of wedlock.

23 PATIENCE: AFTER SEBALD – A meditation on one of my favorite writers, it is a mimetic journey through his book, The Rings of Saturn.
24 KLOWN – Raunchy Danish equivalent of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
25 2 DAYS IN NEW YORK – Julie Delpy is so funny as a writer, director, and actor. This follow-up to 2 Days in Paris had a much more hopeful outloook.
26 HELL AND BACK AGAIN – I first saw footage from this on a Frontline about Afghanistan. An all too familiar story about a veteran adjusting back home.
27 KID WITH A BIKE, THE – Dardennes brothers have never missed the mark. They show what families can be at their best and worst.
28 QUEEN OF VERSAILLES – Funny and ironic look at capitalistic excess during the Great Recession.
29 TURN ME ON, DAMMIT! – This Norwegian movie was like a female Superbad, more naturalistic but just as funny.

30 CHRONICLE – This is the last “found footage” movie I will tolerate. Still, the core of the movie was the relationships between the three protagonists.
31 LOCKOUT – I love a sarcastic, quipping Guy Pearce, especially if he’s on a space fortress.
32 AVENGERS – Ridiculous plot but Whedon has just the right touch for superhero movies that don’t take themselves seriously.

Good
33 BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD – I don’t know. The racial politics of this made me squirm a bit. But it’s lyrical in the vein of Malick.
34 HUNGER GAMES, THE – Much better than I thought it would be. The only things holding it back were the source material and the frenetic editing.
35 CABIN IN THE WOODS, THE – It’s really clever and funny but kind of just thew it away in the end.
36 DARK KNIGHT RISING – We don’t need any more of these.
37 SLEEPWALK WITH ME – Birbiglia is funny. Lauren Ambrose is so good. But I’d heard so much of this material before the movie underwhelmed me.
38 FRIENDS WITH KIDS – It starts out great but ends up so conventionally I couldn’t shake the feeling it could have been much better.
39 21 JUMP STREET – Probably one of the best tv show adaptations I’ve seen in a long time.
40 MAGIC MIKE – Matthew McConaughey is gross.
41 PINA – I wish there was more of Pina Bausch’s productions and less of the weird staring head interviews.
42 FLIGHT – Denzel plays a great drunk. But I could only roll my eyes when I realized what was going to happen in the climactic scene.
43 TIM & ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE – This stuff is better suited for television but their genius still shines through.
44 COMEDY, THE – Talk about depressing. I almost don’t see the point of this movie yet I still felt like it captured some slice of real life.
45 GOD BLESS AMERICA – A bit too on the nose but funny.
46 LOOPER – I expected more from Rian Johnson. This world just didn’t make sense to me. It’s a cool concept though and I love Jeff Daniels as a crime boss.

OK
47 HUNTER, THE – So slow for no reason. A lot of indie movie tropes here.
48 HOBBIT, THE: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY – Not painful to watch but probably unnecessary.
49 TED – Mildly amusing jokes.
50 WANDERLUST – White people problems.
51 DICTATOR, THE – There were some really funny scenes in here. The parts in between were lackluster.
52 FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT, THE – White people problems.
53 THIS MUST BE THE PLACE – I could not get past Sean Penn’s make up and voice.
54 HOW MUCH DOES YOUR BUILDING WEIGH, MR. FOSTER? – Despite the beautiful shots of buildings, this movie bordered on hagiography and so I feel I learned nothing.

Bad
55 AMAZING SPIDERMAN, THE – Completely unnecessary and filmmaking by rote.
56 JOHN CARTER – The movie tried to pack too much into it. It didn’t feel epic, just busy.
57 FRONT LINE, THE – Koreans have also gotten good at making stylish action movies that have no resemblance to reality.
58 TOTAL RECALL – The CGI views of the city were awesome.
59 RAID, THE: REDEMPTION – I am a big fan of B-movie action but the gore and fighting in this got to be so repetitive.
60 WATCH, THE – So many people I like are involved in this movie but sometimes the whole is worse than the sum of its parts.
61 VIRAL FACTOR, THE – Cheesy and dumb.
62 PROMETHEUS – All the characters were irrational and unbelievable, there was no narrative logic. What was left was a kind of a cool premise.
63 SKYFALL – James Bond outruns and outfoxes an explosion by running into a side tunnel. Lots of cliches. Bardem’s haircut was perfect.
64 GREY, THE – The camera work was fun to watch. The emotional component was contrived.

Ugly
65 LAWLESS – Shia Lebouf bad. Tom Hardy wasted. Jessica Chastain also wasted.
66 SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN – Flashy, stylish but hollow.
67 MAN WITH THE IRON FIST – RZA really disappointed me. I know classic kung fu movies make no sense storywise but we’ve seen too many well done wuxia movies by now.
68 RED TAILS – Lucas really screwed up his chance at making a great war movie with an all black cast. Tuskegee Airmen deserve a better movie.
69 SAFE HOUSE – Another dull rogue secret agent movie.
70 PROJECT X – Let’s party dudes. We’re douchebags.
71 BATTLESHIP – They really got some details about the navy right and a lot of details about the world and reality wrong.
72 RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION – This is the Paul Anderson that is always at the bottom of my list.
73 ONE FOR THE MONEY – Why is Katherine Heigl so bad at choosing roles. And acting?
74 THIS MEANS WAR – White people problems combined with another dull rogue secret agent movie.
75 WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING – What to expect when you’re expecting a really terrible movie.

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At least you didn’t see This Means War in the theater.  Seriously. -Eric

Best Movies of 2012 by Patrick Short

Posted on by Eric

This is a submission to Great Movie Challenge of 2012.  For all of the “Best of” lists of 2012 submitted for the contest, please see the post: All the Best Movies of 2012 Lists. -Eric

The Great Movie Challenge of 2012
Patrick Short
@patrick_short

1. The Avengers – (8/10) – A kid/comic book nerd’s dream. That’s the only way I can describe The Avengers. Five years have passed since we saw Sam Jackson in that post credit scene in Iron Man. It’s been a long wait, but it was damn sure well worth it.

2. The Grey – (8/10) – If you want to see a typical Hollywood movie, don’t see The Grey. Liam Neeson is brilliant as John Ottway. The story of survival is amazing. Rarely do I like movies that make me feel terrible after a viewing. The Grey succeeded in that.

3. The Cabin in the Woods – (8/10) – Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon flip the horror movie genre on its head with The Cabin in the Woods. To simply call it a horror movie spoof would be doing it a grave injustice. Cabin is a brilliant mash up of all the great horror movie tropes.

4. Silver Linings Playbook – (8/10) – As someone who has a bipolar stricken family member, this movie adequately portrays the trials of having to deal with such an issue. It was such a charming tale of two troubled individuals who connect deeper than either of them thought possible.

5. Zero Dark Thirty – (8/10) – Kathryn Bigelow directs this thriller about the mission to hunt Bin Laden. Even though the viewer (probably) knows the end result, the movie still manages to have that “edge of your seat” feel.

6. Django Unchained – (7/10) – Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained is pretty damn good. Leonardo DiCaprio shines as Calvin Candie, and the acting all around is great. Some scenes tended to drag and there were some directorial question marks for me.

7. Skyfall– (7/10) – The first two acts are phenomenal, but the third act falls flat and doesn’t work as well as the other two. Luckily, that doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the film. Skyfall is the best Bond that I’ve seen.

8. The Dark Knight Rises – (7/10) – TDKR is visually impressive. There’s no doubt about that. The acting, minus Marion Cotillard, is superb. However, the story leaves little to be desired, andthe twist at the end was anticlimactic. Also, the lack of Chicago as Gotham took away from the movie, for me at least.

9. Lawless – (7/10) – Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, and Guy Pearce round out a fantastic cast in a pretty damn good movie. I wasn’t too big a fan of the ending, though. At this point we are just sitting here waiting for Tom Hardy to be nominated in one of the big award shows.

10. American Reunion – (7/10) – The whole original cast is back in this fourth installment (not including those straight to DVD crapfests) of the American Pie series. American Reunion is just like the originals: funny, gross, and filled with heart.

11. Chronicle – (7/10) – What happens when three teens wind up with super powers? Chronicle is what happens. Right vs Wrong, Good v. Evil, It’s all there in Chronicle. This happens to be the ONLY “found footage” movie I have ever liked. R.I.P. Steve.

12. Les Miserables– (7/10) – Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway star in this 2012 version of “the greatest musical of all time.” It was fantastic aside from Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter. They completely took me out of the story and were close to ruining the entire film for me.

13. 21 Jump Street – (7/10) – The combination of Jonah Hill, Ice Cube, and Channing Tatum is just shy of comedic gold. Brie Larson and Dave Franco were awesome as the “cool” kids. The movie was just funny all around. On top of that, the cameo by Johnny Depp put it all over the top.

14. Trouble with the Curve– (7/10) – Amy Adams carries Trouble with the Curve. Clint Eastwood is as good as ever, and it’s nice to see a comeback by John Goodman recently. Justin Timberlake is steadily becoming a pretty decent actor. As a sports fan, Trouble is more than just a baseball movie. The story between Adams and Eastwood was the highlight of the film for me.

15. The Amazing Spider-Man – (7/10) – Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone shine as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, respectively. Dennis Leary is good as well. The tone of the character and the tone of the movie didn’t match very well, and there we several plot points that seem to just die off without any resolution.

16. Dredd 3D – (7/10) – Karl Urban plays the title character perfectly. Wood Harris and Lena Headey play excellent bad guys. The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that is exactly what I expected. I loved everything about this movie.

17. Safety Not Guaranteed – (7/10) – This little charming indie movie is the best time travel movie to be released this year. Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, and Aubrey Plaza are all wonderful.

18. Looper– (6/10) – I’m ashamed that I didn’t like this movie more. I went in with such high expectations, and unfortunately, they weren’t lived up to. Time travel continues to be a troublesome venture for writers. The story was good, but the film itself is filled with inconsistencies that take away from the overall quality.

19. Lockout – (6/10) – A prison is overrun by its inmates… in space! Do I really need to say more? I knew it wasn’t going to be good, but damn, this movie sure is fun. Guy Pearce’s demeanor as Marion Snow was awesome.

20. The Five-Year Engagement – (6/10) – Randall Park shines in his role as Ming. To stand out among the likes of Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Emily Blunt, Rhys Ifans, and Jason Segel is no small task. Five-Year was fun with an almost perfect blend of drama and comedy.

21. The Words – (6/10) – The trailers led me to believe that the movie was about a guy who stole a book. The film is much more than that, and not in a good way. Dennis Quaid’s character writes what I believe to be an autobiography of sorts when he writes The Words. The film asks us to care about a person who lies and cheats his way through his adult life, and I didn’t buy that.

22. This is 40 – (6/10) – There wasn’t many laughs for me in Judd Apatow’s latest flick. It almost seems as if the more Apatow works, the worse his films get. It’s a shame to see that from such a funny and talented writer and director.

23. Act of Valor – (6/10) – Is this a good movie? Not really. It had its moments; the opening drive through the busy streets and the river boat gun fight are two of my favorite scenes. I’m going to admit that this ranking is a little high, and I would feel un-American if I didn’t enjoy the movie.

24. Prometheus – (6/10) – I wanted to love this movie. The movie is basically about a man’s want to live forever and his hiring (and making) of people to help him do so. Fassbender is great as David. Idris Elba, CharlizeTheron, and NoomiRapace are great as well, but a good cast couldn’t save this movie from being just mediocre.

25. Magic Mike – (6/10) – Matthew McConaughey shines in this dramedy about a male strip club and those who dance in it. Magic Mike’s cast is full of people who can’t act. I haven’t seen a good movie from Steven Soderbergh since Ocean’s 11.

26. Project X – (6/10) – There really isn’t much to say about this movie. It was funny here and there, but it didn’t do much for me. Maybe it’s because I would never attend a party like this. Maybe it’s because my hopes were too high. I just don’t know.

27. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World – (6/10) – I can’t wrap my finger around how I feel about this movie. Movies about the end of the world are weird to me. I hardly ever feel good when they end, but this one kind of succeeded. It’s sweet and just funny enough.

28. Taken 2 – (6/10) – While remaining entertaining, Taken 2 fails at making the stakes high enough for me to ever worry for the main character and his family especially after showing just how much of a bad ass Brian Mills is in the first one.

29. Safe House – (6/10) – The two stars of the movie (Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington) are both good in their respective roles, however there wasn’t much that set this C.I.A. action movie apart from any other of its type.

30. Snow White and the Huntsman – (6/10) – A classic fairy tale with a twist is what we get from SWATH. It is the Dwarfs (and the creepy fairies) that stand out in the movie. To be honest, that’s pretty much it. It’s a fairy tale turned into a slightly better than average film.

31. Total Recall – (6/10) – Aside from the movie having (in my opinion) the two hottest females in Hollywood and tons of action, Total Recall is fairly dull.

32. The Hunger Games – (6/10) – Before I begin, I’d like to state that I have not read the book. With that said, The Hunger Games is an okay movie. There wasn’t enough of emphasis on the fact that Katniss was in a “fight to the death.” I never felt like at any time in the movie that Katniss’ life was in danger.

33. John Carter – (5/10) – I went in to the theater expecting a 6 out of 10. It didn’t disappoint. It was corny funny and had terrible dialogue at points. On the plus side, Lynn Collins wasn’t bad to look at for 2 hours.

34. Haywire – (5/10) – Despite its star studded cast, Haywire failed to impress or entertain me. The movie seemed to be sluggish at times, and it took a little long to get into the action. I caught myself checking my watch on more than one occasion. There were even times I laughed when I clearly wasn’t supposed to.

35. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – (5/10) – I’m a sucker for movies based on comic books/comic book characters. I’m also a big fan of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. With that being said, there isn’t much going for Ghost Rider. It’s still better than the first one, though.

36. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – (5/10) – When will this whole vampire craze stop? Hopefully soon. AL:VHwas slightly better than bad and slightly worse than good. The premise is nice, however. I like the idea of exploring possible alternative pasts, but this movie just didn’t do anything for me.

37. Red Dawn – (5/10) – Chris Hemsworth was the standout here. I’d be completely satisfied if Josh Peck and Adrianne Palicki were to never act again. The action was terrible, but everything else was laughable at best.

38. Battleship – (5/10) – Liam Neeson headlines an otherwise terrible cast. Unfortunately the line “You’ve sunk my Battleship,” is never said. The only positives the movie has to offer is Brooklyn Decker and a nice homage to the men who served during the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Battleship? More like Battleshit.

39. Pitch Perfect – (4/10) – Rebel Wilson is coming off of a scene stealing role in Bridesmaids. The locomotive that is her comedic talent doesn’t seem to be slowing down. In a movie full of hot women and bad music, Wilson shines, and I’m looking forward to more from her.

40. Silent House – (4/10) – Elizabeth Olsen is a breath of fresh air. She’s been nothing short of great in what I’ve seen her in. The movie wasn’t even scary. It did, however, build up the perfect amount of suspense. Then it ended, badly at that. I won’t spoil it, but the ending seemed like a cop out to me.

41. Underworld: Awakening – (4/10) – Underworld: Awakening had two things going for it before I saw it: Kate Beckinsale and the fact that I’m a fan of the series. That being said, it’s hard to find something good in this supernatural garbage heap. I would’ve liked to see a movie about the attempted cleansing of Vamps and Weres.

42. Wrath of the Titans – (4/10) – I genuinely like Greek mythology. I also genuinely disliked this movie. Same Worthington and his mullet can just go away. I’m even finding it hard to pinpoint the smallest good thing about it.

43. What to Expect When You’re Expecting – (4/10) – Not even a cast full of hot women could save this trash. It’s a pregnant version of New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day, and that’s definitely not a good thing. It fails at being funny, and it fails at telling a compelling story.

I also saw Argo, but I fell asleep in the theater, thus it will not appear on this list.

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 Woah, didn’t expect that diss of Argo at the end, Patrick!  Try and stay awake for the the whole thing next time – you just may like it!  -Eric