Top 12 of 12: Best Of

            Hello everyone in blog land, my name is TheCinemaChick!  I am a lover of all things involving the cinema and a friendly neighborhood stalker (according to Fry).  I’ve given you all my top 12 worst films of the year, so let’s have a more positive note with this one.  I would like to announce that I hit my goal of seeing 50 new releases, having a grand total of 66 films.  If you’re wondering how that works out, keep in mind I went to three marathons, saw “Avengers” eight times and yeah…it adds up.  

            What movies did I absolutely love this year?  Could anything top last year’s top movie?  Honestly…”Drive” is still pretty freaking awesome, but this year had some good contenders.  Let us dive right in and explore my favorite movies of 2012.

            As with my previous list, the first movie listed will be my least favorite.  I liked it, but not enough to buy it or watch it repeatedly.  Therefore the last movie I list will be the one I cannot live without.

            12. The Devil’s Carnival

            Ok, most of you have no clue as to what I’m talking about here.  It’s a film done by Terrance Zdunich and Darren Bousman.  It’s a pseudo sequel to “Repo! The Genetic Opera”.  What I liked about this was the music and the presentation.  The overall film isn’t that impressive and got to be a little irritable at points, but the way Zdunich presented it was awesome.  They did a nationwide tour, stopping in select cities.  The premiere was carnival themed, including side shows before the film.  I got to meet both men and they were very nice.

            I ranked this one low because it was a limited release, so it wasn’t widely available to the masses.  It is out on DVD now, so if you’re interested, check it out.

            11. The Artist.

            I know, this one came out in 2011 and won a lot of Oscars.  This was not available in my area until 2012.  I fell in love with this.  It is an homage to vintage films, showing only black and white and being silent.  It showed how powerful music can be when an actor cannot speak directly to the audience.  Emotions poured off the screen, thanks to the amazing cast and their willingness to overact.  I was the youngest person in the theater that morning, but everyone there agreed, it was one of the best modern films to date.

            10. The Secret World of Arrietty

            Hayao Miyazaki.  That’s all.

            9. John Carter

            Yes, this one was a box office bomb.  Poor Taylor Kitsch did not have a good year.  All his movies failed and he has a bad rap now.  I honestly loved John Carter.  It was new, it was different and wonderfully acted.  The special effects were amazing, the costuming was excellent and the story was gripping.  It was based on a book, which I have been reading and it’s also a very good adaptation.  Despite the harsh criticisms it received, I still loved it.  Just because a big critic hates it, doesn’t mean it’s bad.  This film deserves more recognition that it got.  As for Kitsch’s over film “Battleship”, I don’t know what to say.  I knew that one would be a bomb before it was even released.

            8. The Woman In Black

            This was by no means an amazing movie.  In fact, it’s quite dull.  So why did I enjoy it?  I loved that it did not jump straight into the horror aspect.  It built up the suspense until the end, which was a huge twist for me.  I also liked how they presented the Woman as someone who preyed on children.  I was genuinely unnerved at the end because of how things transpired.  I think its worth another look.  I also like that Daniel Radcliffe is trying to do roles outside of Harry Potter.  While I don’t think he’s succeeded in shedding that persona yet, I think he will have a lot of success in the future.

            7. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

            A lot of people probably skipped this one.  It was genuinely aimed at the older audience, so I ended up going with my parents.  They loved it.  It had a good mix of humor and emotion.  The characters were relatable so there was someone I could connect with.  It was realistic in that they made me think of people I actually knew.  I came to care for these characters, which is hard to do lately.

            Also, due to recent events, I can understand the characters a little more now.  They had experienced deaths of family members and close friends, so I know how it feels..  I would not mind going and spending a few months in India to find peace.

            6. The Hunger Games

            Honestly, I didn’t love it nor did I hate it.  I thought it was one of the most faithful adaptations of a book I’ve ever seen.  That’s it.

            5. Skyfall

            I’m not a James Bond fan.  I never have been, but something about Skyfall intrigued me.  It was a wonderful film, even though I hated that the first act seemed so disconnected from the second half.  The action kept me hooked and let’s be honest.  Javier Bardem is the best thing in this.  He was so brilliant that I fell in love with his flamboyant ways.  I also loved Ben Whishaw as Q.  Judi Dench was awesome, as always, though it is sad to know she is going blind.  I wish her nothing but the best.

            Another reason this film is important to me is that it was the first movie I saw after my mother’s funeral.  Butterfly took me to see it and it helped me be able to move on with my life.  I love my mother, I miss her every day and she wanted me to keep doing what I loved.  Skyfall made me remember why I review films.

            4. The Dark Knight Rises

            I was late joining the Batman crowd.  I’d seen the earlier films but I didn’t really enjoy it until I saw “The Dark Knight”.  Heath Ledger is the reason I loved the Christian Bale films.  I attended a triple feature, leading to a midnight showing.  I really like this film, even though it had a surprising lack of Batman.  Upon reviewing my notes, I realized this wasn’t Batman’s movie.  This was Bane’s show.  Tom Hardy was perfection as the criminal genius.  A lot of the plots twists didn’t add up, the ending was a bit of a cop out and I still don’t like Anne Hathaway.  However, I loved this movie.  It was entertaining and worth the wait.

            We all know what happened this night as well.  I do not wish to mention it out of respect to those affected by it.  It was another senseless act of violence.

            3. The Hobbit

            Yes, brand new to theaters and already on my favorites list. Isn’t that amazing?  I absolutely love Peter Jackson’s interpretation.  It gave more of the story so I had a better sense of what was going on.  We got to hear why Thorin because so sullen.  It started with Ian Holm as Bilbo and seamlessly faded into Martin Freeman as Bilbo.  The battle scenes were flawless and they managed to add a good amount of humor.  I didn’t mind the run time of 3 hours.  To me, it was one of the best films I’ve seen in about 2 years and it deserves recognition.

            However, the higher frame rate wasn’t the best choice and at times, the film did feel a lot slower than it actually was, but I am going to see it again.  I’ve seen the high frame rate in 3D, I’d like to see it in 2D now.

            2. The Avengers

            Surprise!  Most people thought this would be my top film.  I did love this film and I saw it 8 times in the theater and once on DVD.  Joss Whedon did a terrific job with this one and I cannot wait until the sequel comes out.  The acting was superb, the humor was friendly and the plot never dragged.  Not to mention, Tom Hiddleston said one of the dirtiest words known to the English language and almost no one knew what it meant.  I was the only one who gasped aloud in the theater when I heard it.

            This movie launched Loki’s Army, which is basically fangirls who love Loki and only Loki.  While I’m not opposed to this, I like tom Hiddleston as an actor.  Have you seen him in “Midnight in Paris”?  He plays F. Scott Fitzgerald!  It was awesome!

            “The Avengers” also restored my faith in the Marvel franchise.  It had hit a lull since Ghost Rider tanked and The Amazing Spiderman wasn’t exactly amazing.  I’m looking forward to the future sequels, starting with Iron Man 3.

            What was my favorite film this year?  Did it move me?  Was it the most popular movie out there?

            Nope.

            1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

            Yes.  I absolutely loved this movie.  I went out of my way to see it and paid more money for a ticket than I care to admit.  I had tears streaming down my face when I left. 

            Most people probably did not have the same reaction.  I’m willing to bet a lot of people went just to see Emma Watson in her first non Harry Potter role.  Well…I ‘ll get to my reasons in just a second.

            One thing that I absolutely loved was that Steven Chbosky wrote the book and the screenplay and he was highly involved in the filmmaking process.  The movie was very faithful to the original text, which is a huge bonus.  I loved the music they used because it fit so well.  The acting was perfect, especially Ezra Miller.  That man alone deserves a bunch of awards for his role.  He was Patrick.

            But what got me was Logan Lerman as Charlie.  I can relate to the character of Charlie more than people know.  I’m bipolar so I know what its like to struggle with my identity, to find a place where I belong, the have friends that understand who and what I am.  Plus, being a teenager is hard enough.  Having a mental disorder makes life just a little bit harder.  While I never ended up in a psych ward, I’ve struggled with my bipolar disorder.  It has cost me relationships (like the ones I had with Neon and Terra) and sometimes, it makes just waking up unbearable.

           When I walked out of the movie, I realized, I am Charlie.  I struggle with myself on a daily basis, but I will be all right.

            This has been a very difficult year for me.  I apologize once more for being absent most of the time.  Things were strange and unexpected.  I certainly did not expect my mother’s untimely passing, which just caused a huge creative block.  Things are just…I’m learning to live without her.  There are days I cry and there are days when I can go about as normal.  Thankfully, people like Kit Kat, Fry, Butterfly and Mumford have been around for me.

            I promise to be better in 2013.  I may return to vlogs, but personal insecurities have prevented me from doing so.  We’ll see how things go.

            I would like to dedicate my Top 12 of 12: Best Of list to my mother’s memory.  She encouraged me to do this and she loved hearing me talk about films when her sight was gone.  She was my first fan.

            So, here’s to you, Mom.  Thank you and I miss you so much.

            I’m TheCinemaChick and expect two more reviews from me this year.  Tonight I’m seeing “Red Dawn” and Fry and I will be seeing “Les Miserables” on Christmas day.  We’ve made a tradition of seeing a movie on Christmas.

            Whatever you celebrate, I wish you a happy holiday and a prosperous New Year.