Director: Shane Black 

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley 

The first Iron Man film was, quite frankly, one of the best entries into the Marvel universe of films. It was a movie that embraced the silliness of the comic book yet somehow managed to bring some substance to the story. Now, with the third film looking to break box-office records, there’s something missing from this franchise… a heart. There are some saving graces in this third installment that will help to make it an improvement upon it’s predecessor (I can’t even remember one scene or one thing that happened in Iron Man 2). Writer/Director Shane Black (I’ll talk more about him soon) infuses a little bit of his cleverness into the dialogue and Robert Downey Jr. is still great as the Tony Stark character (although it definitely seems like he’s losing interest in the role). Overall thought, this is film that is very two-faced and doesn’t seem to know in which direction it wants to be going. It’s a film that’s struggling to find an identity; that wants to make itself darker but can’t find a proper balance between the inherent ridiculousness and fun of the concept of Iron Man and the more serious and poignant themes the series started to explore in the first Iron Man film.

What Iron Man 3 really comes down to is a mesh between high-octane action sequences and screwball comedic scenes where Robert Downey Jr. can be as witty and sarcastic as the script allows. This may not seem like a bad formula, but the execution of that formula in this particular film isn’t really present. The film may be hurt by the fact that Iron Man has actually become too big (as in popular, well-known, etc.) to really fit in with the small scale situations this film is tries to deal with. This is a film that has the opportunity to go big, but it ends up failing when it tries because there is no way for it to deal with the more intimate moments in a real way. The romance aspect between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts does not for one second seem sincere and bringing in an old one-night stand (Maya Hansen, a thankless and useless role given to Rebecca Hall) flat-out does not work.

The film starts with a flashback to 1999, before Tony Stark discovered Iron Man and when that “blue” song was popular (thanks a lot for bringing that song back Iron Man). A scientist named Aldrich Killian (played by Guy Pearce) has a proposal to run by Tony. Stark ignores him and then we are brought back to the present with Downey Jr.’s voice-over talking about how we create our own demons. You could probably guess what happens from then on. Killian turns into a brilliant scientist and is the lead of a project that could be easily weaponized if the technology comes into the wrong hands… and it’s up to Iron Man to stop that from happening!!!!!!! The wrong hands are thought to be a villain’s, who goes by the name of “The Mandarin,” a terrorist who resembles Osama Bin Laden (and played by Ben Kingsley).

Sarcasm aside, the film suffers from the creation of these villains, as there is a deceptive feeling oozing through the screen. This is a film that appears to be more interested in tricking the audience than letting the story grow organically; too involved in creating cheap television plot twists than creating a “serious” superhero film.

I also feel that there is the inevitable “Avengers” question that will arise in the Marvel films from now on. Don’t get me wrong. I believe The Avengers was one of the better films released last year and it found the balance between goofiness and sincerity that Iron Man 3 missed out on, but The Avengers may become a problem for the stand-alone series of films (i.e. Iron Man, Hulk, etc.). The question will arise, since in this Iron Man world The Avengers exist, where are the rest of the Avengers? Couldn’t they be helping out a little bit. I mean I realize it’s not the entire world that’s at stake in this film but one would think at least one of them would be available to assist. And no, I don’t know much about the comics but the Marvel film universe has been created this way and this type of thinking will inevitably bring these types of questions into the fray.

This isn’t the only question that will arise if the audience doesn’t just shut their brains off during this movie (that’s a very distinct possibility though). There is one of the most literal Deus Ex Machina moments I have ever seen in this film. And the scene makes you kind of wonder why it didn’t happen earlier. Of course I’m probably being a little too hard about this movie and it’s not like it wasn’t expected to have its problems (plot holes in a superhero movie? who would’ve thought?). The truth is, even though it didn’t quite capture me as well as the first Iron Man film and has quite a few negatives, I still enjoyed myself while I was watching.

Seriously, even though it seems like I bashed this film completely, it’s a fun experience and is worth catching, especially if you’re wanting to keep track of what’s going on in the Marvel world to keep up with the next Avengers movie.

My Rating: 3 ouf of 5 

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Starring: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman

Arguably the first of the big summer blockbusters, Oblivion does not show much promise for the beginning of the big film season. The movie itself isn’t bad. But it’s not that good either. Much like director Joseph Kosinski’s previous debut film Tron: Legacy, Oblivion doesn’t amount to much more than a forgettable yet entertaining special effects show. The difference between this and Tron however is that the visual effects aren’t really that great. They’re not bad. Nothing in the movie is truly terrible though. It’s just a whole bunch of blah with a sci-fi story that is going to be almost too familiar for the audience. The only way you’ll be surprised by the “mystery” of this film is if you’ve never watched another science fiction film in your life.

This film is so forgettable that I’m having trouble finding much more to say about it. Tom Cruise was basically the same Tom Cruise he is in every movie. He’s a little bit more stoic perhaps in this performance. Olga Kurylenko is beautiful of course, but she doesn’t have any real use in the movie besides serving as eye candy. Morgan Freeman is insignificant at best.

I guess there are some pretty decent action sequences, maybe a showdown between two different characters about halfway through the film being the most entertaining, but there’s also some pretty messily put together sequences that are a little too “transformery” (disorienting, explosion filled, etc.) for me. This may be a film that turns into an easy re-watch that allows the audience to turn off some brain activity; a film that people can pop in to have some background noise while they’re doing something else.

In all honesty, I guess the movie I’ve described in the preceding paragraphs is really what everyone has come to expect out of the summer film season, but there are quite a few better options out right now. Those looking for a brilliant Minority Report type experience will be disappointed in this movie. Those going to see the movie in order to kill a couple of hours will probably be satisfied enough by the familiar sci-fi narrative and the traditional blockbuster feel of the spectacle.

I guess the bottom line with this film is that you could do worse… much worse.

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 

Director: Jeff Nichols 

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Reese Witherspoon

Matthew McConaughey appears to be on a roll in regards to choosing his roles. With this Jeff Nichols follow-up to the fantastic Take Shelter, McConaughey is now the lead (or at least the co-lead) in a film that happens to be my favorite of the year so far (I realize that’s not saying a whole lot since this year has been crap so far, but I swear this movies is awesome).

Mud is centered around a teenage boy named Ellis. He and his friend Neckbone travel to an island to discover a shipwrecked boat they want to work on to keep for themselves. What they do not expect to find is a man wanted for murder living on the island. This man, even though he’s a murderer, seems like a fairly nice guy and the two adolescents start to help him by bringing him food and helping him avoid the police. Of course the film becomes a little bit more complicated than the basic plot I’ve laid out.

It turns out this film is really about finding a way to believe in love, no matter how bleak things get or how badly the opposite sexes can tend to treat each other. As Ellis goes through some difficulties with his personal life; a pending divorce of his parents, his first girlfriend breaking his heart, and, well… helping the stranger he met on an island who’s wanted for murder.

All of the plot points combine to provide the audience with a poignant, yet entertaining film that believes in something. It’s a film that seems cynical on the surface but has so many moments where the opposite is proven, where the good shines through in the characters and where hope is found.

The film accomplishes these goals not just through the tight telling of the story, but also with some excellent performances. The kid actor, Tye Sheridan, is great as Ellis, especially for a young actor in a film that relies quite heavily on such a young character. If the audience doesn’t buy this character, the movie just flat out does not work. It’s a character that remains consistent and believable throughout the story,  as he gradually loses trust in people and struggles to keep his faith in the existence of love.

McConaughey is exceptional as the title character, Mud (yes that’s the guy’s name, or at least what he tells people to call him). There’s a little bit of your typical McConaughey cockiness that comes through in the character, but it works well for a person who is, by many appearances, very deceitful. There’s also a sense of innocence in Mud, or at least as much innocence as one could expect for a murderer. His relationship that is developed with Ellis is one that turns out to be very interesting and he could be seen as the guy that Ellis will eventually turn into.

A few other things to mention would be the Michael Shannon appearance. Every time Michael Shannon is in something that thing is automatically made better than it would have been without him. There’s also a quite important role from Reese Witherspoon in this film as Mud’s love interest. The other child actor in this movie serves as somewhat of a comic relief, and the young actor, Jacob Lofland, does a really nice job.

This is movie that gets just about everything right. It’s thrilling. It’s smart. It’s funny. It’s sad. It’s an extremely well-made film that can be enjoyed by general audiences and cinephiles at the same time. Jeff Nichols created a very nice follow-up to his previous masterpiece.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 

Director: Terrence Malick 

Starring: Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, Javier Bardem

Terrence Malick is a director who has a knack for making everything much more beautiful than it actually is. His latest effort is no exception as the scenery and the performances carry a delicate beauty along with a tone that almost seems defeated. As usual, the camera is brilliantly placed and moved throughout the film with the wonderful cinematography, bringing many of the Malick films to life, from Emmanuel Lubezki. The concern with all the director’s films has been, and I’m guessing will always be, the storytelling aspect of the films. I have a feeling To the Wonder will be a very divisive film, even compared to normal Malick standards. The reason being that along with the directors non-traditional sense of film construction, the subject matter seems to be his most personal and least ambitious (for lack of a better phrase) of all 7 of his films (it seems weird to have 2 Terrence Malick movies in the same decade).

To the Wonder is about love and faith, as the film portrays a man trying to find both. It is a film that parallels finding love with finding God, and while this particular writer was extremely interested in the subject matter and loved just about everything about the film, there is a certain level of inaccessibility that comes with deciding to watch this film (again, even more so than Malick’s other films).

In the film, Ben Affleck plays Neil, a man who starts a relationship with a french woman, Marina (played by the astoundingly gracious and beautiful Olga Kurylenko). Affleck is solid in the film, although there is not a lot he has to do (there’s very little speaking in the film; you could even argue it’s almost a silent film). Kurylenko gets a majority of the screen time, which is a good thing for more than just how good she looks. The character is an interesting one, as her search for faith is stunted by the stonewalled character Ben Affleck portrays. There are essentially just three other characters in the film that include a nice little child performance from Tatiana Chiline as Marina’s daughter, a short but different role for Rachel McAdams as she plays the “other woman” Jane, a former classmate of Neil who has been through some tragedy in her life, and what is probably the least subtle character in the film of Father Quintana played by Javier Bardem. When Javier Bardem is the worst part of a film, the movie is probably pretty good.

I won’t pretend that everyone will like this film. I’ll even admit that I think most people who watch it will not enjoy themselves very much, but I honestly can’t get enough of Terrence Malick’s filmmaking. His films are dreamlike in their ability to capture an audience through visual wonderment and they truly can give an audience something to really think about. Now please excuse me while I go watch another Terrence Malick movie. I realize this is my first post in quite awhile. I saw a bunch of movies recently so I’m going to try to get more out soon.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 

7:00 – well I thought the oscars started at 7 but it looks like I’ll be suffering through 30 minutes of red carpet…

7:04 – Halle Berry is proud to be a part of the Bond franchise, even though Die Another Day sucked.

7:05 – Kristen Chenowith has been much smaller than everyone she’s interviewed so far.

7:06 – George Clooney is so cool…

7:08 – Thank The Lord for a commercial break!

7:12 – Never mind about being thankful for commercials. That was dreadful.

7:13 – Just for the record I don’t care what or who anyone of these people is wearing.

7:14 – Anne Hathaway guessed something correctly and Chenowith got way too excited. Imagine that.

7:17 – It’s weird seeing Daniel Day Lewis being Daniel Day Lewis.

7:19 – and the winner for best dressed is… Nobody cares! Actually I think they said it was Jennifer Lawrence according to whoever the voters were.

7:23 – Just kill me now.

7:24 – Gah! Renee Zellweger just appeared on screen and it is not good! How will she ever act again with a completely frozen face?

7:25 – Chenowith must have had an agreement that everyone she stands next to is required to tower over her.

7:27 – Alright. I survived. The show is about to begin!

7:30 – and out comes Seth Macfarlane.

7:31 – There’s apparently a theme tonight. Music in films.

7:36 – William Shatner just came in to stop Seth from ruining the academy awards, thus ruining the academy awards.

7:39 – Well that was different… A song about boobs.

7: 40 – Go away Shatner!

7:41 – The sock puppet thing is neither funny nor creative.

7:44 – I don’t know what to think of this back and forth between the Macfarlane humor and the classy stuff.

7:47 – I’m going to go ahead and say I enjoyed everything in the opening except for Shatner.

7:48 – Octavia Spencer is presenting for best supporting actor.

7:50 – and the winner is… Christoph Waltz! I was expecting Jones to win (Hoffman should have won for The Master).

7:56 – Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy are on stage making fun of voice acting. Brilliant performances. Just splendid.

7:57 – and the winner for best animated shirt is… Paperman. I actually saw that! John Kahrs is the film creator.

7:59 – and the best animated feature film goes to… Brave! This was my favorite animated film this past year and I actually think its an underrated Pixar effort.

8:00 – Reese Witherspoon is on to introduce a few of the Best Picture nominees.

8:01 – and now an unnecessary montage…

8:04 – I’m kind of starting to hope Wallis wins for best actress.

8:05 – “so you got nominated for an Oscar… Something a 9-year old could do”

8:06 – The Avengers are on stage!

8:07 – The winner for cinematography is… Life of Pi. I would have given it to Skyfall personally, but the scenery in Life of Pi was great.

8:09 – The winner for visual effects is… Life of Pi. As long as The Hobbit didn’t get it that’s fine.

8:12 – They just played the Jaws theme to get the guy off stage. That was kind of funny.

8:13 – it really seems like they’re flying through this. There must be a lot of long, boring things to come.

8:14 – Brad Pitt needs to fire somebody for being on those Chanel commercials.

8:16 – Channing Tatum are about to present for make up and stuff.

8:18 – The winner for costume design is … Anna Karenina. Of course it goes to the British period piece

8:20 – Achievement in make-up goes to… Les Miserables. I’m a little relieved this visual stuff isn’t going to The Hobbit, which was a tremendously disappointing movie.

8:21 – I believe this is the Bond tribute.

8:25 – Okay this might be pretty cool. It looks like they might be having some special guests singing Bond themes.

8:27 – He loves gold!

8:28 – Well that turned out to be disappointing. A weak montage and one song… Shirley Bassey was good though.

8:32 – Jaime Foxx and Kerry Washington are the next presenters for live action shorts.

8:33 – and the winner is… Curfew. I have no idea what this is. I’m sure it’s good though.

8:35 – Best documentary short subject … Inocente. I again do not know. On an unrelated note, Tommy Lee Jones looks pissed.

8:37 – Lliam Nissan is the definition of a modern American superhero… Even though he’s Irish. He’s on to introduce a few more best picture nominees.

8:39 – I’m not sure why they need these trailers. I think most people watching already know who the nominees are.

8:42 – Seth Macfarlane just made some funnies and introduced Ben Affleck to present for Best Documentary.

8:44 – and the winner is… Searching for Sugarman, that movie I keep meaning to watch but will probably never get to.

8:50 – Jennifer Garner and Jessica Chastain are out to present for Best Foreign film.

8:51 – and the winner is… Amour. Shocking, I know. I feel bad that I haven’t seen it yet.

8:52 – Macfarlane is now awkwardly acknowledging the orchestra and then introduces John Travolta.

8:54 – Wow! I did not expect this. Catherine Zeta-Jones is performing All That Jazz.

8:57 – It looks like Jennifer Hudson is next.

8:59 – This is impressive so far. I hope they don’t ruin it by letting Russell Crowe sing.

9:00 – Uh-oh.

9:01 – After a standing ovation for Jennifer Hudson the threat of Russell Crowe’s voice is looming!

9:04 – Gah! Dammit Russell Crowe!

9:05 – Okay, they managed to not let Russell Crowe completely ruin it. We’re in the clear people!

9:08 – Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana are out to give the annual list of awards no one cares about (more so than the others).

9:11 – Ted just came on with Marky Mark to present for best sound mixing.

9:13 – The winner is … Les Miserables. Whatever.

9:15 – best sound editing … A tie? Zero Dark Thirty and … Skyfall. That’s weird. I didn’t even know they could have a tie.

9:18 – the next presenter is Christopher Plummer after a pretty funny joke from Macfarlane.

9:19 – This is for supporting actress.

9:23 – And the winner is… Anne Hathaway. There’s no surprise here. Let’s move on. (although, Amy Adams should have won).

9:24 – Start playing the Jaws music already!

9:29 – back from commercial for Macfarlane to introduce the academy president. Boring.

9:32 – Sandra Bullock is now on stage to present for film editing.

9:33 – The winner is … Argo. These awards are getting spread out quite a bit.

9:34 – Jennifer Lawrence is on to introduce Adele. This ought to be good.

9:37 – This is making me want to watch Skyfall again.

9:39 – So Adele can sing.

9:43 – Nicole Kidman’s on stage to introduce the rest of the best picture nominees.

9:47 – Daniel Radcliffe and Kristen Stewart are presenting for production design.

9:48 – The winner is… Lincoln. Seriously, these awards are getting spread all over the place.

9:51 – Salma Hayek is on to introduce the honorary achievement awards for som old dudes.

9:57 – George Clooney and his beard are introducing the in memoriam montage.

10:01 – It looks like Barbara Streisand is going to sing. I don’t know how I feel about this.

10:05 – I’m starting to get very tired. This is lasting too long.

10:07 – Splash … the worst concept for a tv show ever.

10:09 – Stop showing Renee now!

10:10 – best original score … Life of Pi. Now somebody help Renee Zellweger!

10:12 – best original song as Zellweger is still on the stage.

10:16 – and the winner is… after a performance from Nora Jones… Adele. Yup.

10:17 – They should just immediately start playing the Jaws music instead of letting people talk.

10:22 – Dustin Hoffman and Charlize Theron are presenting for adapted screenplay.

10:24 – The winner … Argo. It’s looking pretty good for Argo right now.

10:27 – Original screenplay … Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained. Awesome!

10:32 – Why does it seem like the commercials are going longer?

10:33 – Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas are going to present for best director.

10:34 – And the winner is… Ang Lee? What the hell? Did the academy just feel bad about the Brokeback Mountain travesty?

10:37 – Ang Lee had the best speech so far.

10:40 – I’m ready for the 2013 Oscars to end right now.

10:41 – Here comes Jean Dujardin to present for best actress.

10:43 – The winner is… Jennifer Lawrence. Should have been Chastain. Zero Dark Thirty is getting predictably screwed.

10:45 – Meryl Streep is out to present the award to Daniel Day-Lewis.

10:49 – The winner is… Daniel Day-Lewis. Streep didn’t even open the envelope.

10:50 – Correction… Daniel Day-Lewis had the best speech.

10:52 – Finally Jack Nicholson is out to present for best picture. Or not. He’s out to introduce Michelle freakin’ Obama and she’s presenting!

10:56 – The winner is… Argo. And the Academy gets it wrong again!

10:57 – Alright. I’m exhausted. This lasted way too long. I’m going to bed.

So that was the end of the year awards ceremony! The Oscars never seem to fail in getting things wrong. Not a lot of the winners made a sense tonight, but what are you going to do? Oh well. There’s always next year!

Best Cinematic Experience

The Dark Knight Rises

Despite the tragic events in Colorado that put a damper on the opening week of the film, The Dark Knight Rises is still a thrilling blockbuster and is an extremely well put together piece of filmmaking. Going to see this in IMAX was a great experience and it was one of the very few Summer blockbuster films that actually worked. It tied up the trilogy very nicely and left this writer completely satisfied.

Most Surprising Comedy

21 Jump Street

Let’s face it. There’s no way this movie should have been good at all. It had all the makings of another horrible retread of a television series, but the cast worked out well and the film was surprisingly a lot of fun to watch.

The Token Musical that is Required to be Nominated for an Academy Award but No One Really Likes

Les Miserables

This was honestly a very disappointing film, and Russell Crowe’s singing will haunt audiences around the world. I will say that Anne Hathaway was astounding and deserves the Academy Award nomination, but overall the experience of this film was underwhelming and it was somewhat a relieving feeling when it ended.

The Unnecessary Flashback to 1999

American Reunion

I initially really enjoyed watching this film as it brought me back to my adolescent years. The movie has since been showing repeatedly on HBO/Showtime/Cinemax/whatever premium channel it’s actually showing on and it really is not a great movie by any means. I still laugh at some things but… well… they probably should have stopped after American Wedding.

The Movie Based On a Teen Novel That Managed Not to Annoy the Crap Out of Everybody

The Hunger Games

There were many surprisingly good films this year and The Hunger games was no exception. This is one of those films that is truly better than the book and the people involved with this project made a world and characters that became more believable in the surroundings of a science-fiction film than in a mediocre book.

The Joss Whedon Award

Joss Whedon for Cabin in the Woods & The Avengers

Joss Whedon finally proved this year what many had already known. He’s a big-time director who can make pretty much anything turn to gold. Cabin in the Woods was a great romp that mixed parody with actual horror. It was also astounding that anybody made a film as ambitious as The Avengers turn out so well.

Biggest Disappointment

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

It’s not a good thing when you have to convince yourself a movie is good because of the last 30 minutes of the 3 hour event were worth watching.

The Movie that Should Have Been Absolutely “Dreddfull” but Turned Out to Not be All That Bad

Dredd

See what I did there? I’m not going to go as far as saying Dredd was a good film, but unlike it’s Sly Stallone led predecessor, I didn’t hate myself after watching it.

Best Film

The Master

I think everyone has probably used the line that Paul Thomas Anderson named this film after himself, so I’m going to use it again. This movie is awesome.

The Film that All Hipsters Probably Loved at First but Once it started Getting a Little Recognition Turned out to be Sketch (whatever that means)

Safety Not Guaranteed

This was actually one of my favorite films of the year. It’s one I could see myself putting in in the back ground. It’s a comforting flick.

Most Ludicrous Premise for a Film

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Not only is the film about Abraham Lincoln killing vampires, but it has the audacity to share a really messed up metaphor that undermined what the civil war was about.

Worst Message for Kids in an Animated Film

Wreck-It Ralph

It may just be me, but I think the intended message of this film came out horribly wrong. Basically the movie approves of people being bad because the bad guys play an important part.

Most Overlooked Film

Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson continues to churn out solid work and this one may be his best. This is a director who absolutely knows how to use the performers he has. This is one of the most charming films of the year and it was an absolutely wonderful experience.

Funniest Teddy Bear

Ted

I really can’t believe this turned out to be one of the better comedies in 2012. It was a really good year for films in general, but not so much for the gross-out comedy genre.

Coolest Film of the Year

Looper

Looper is awesome. Period.

Most Insulting Film of the Year

Trouble With the Curve

Not only was this film a blatantly uninformed response to Moneyball, it was also a really bad movie. If I have to sit through 30 different heavy-handed  scenes emphasizing how Clint Eastwood was never there for Amy Adams ever again I may have to consider hammering a couple of nails into my eyes and tearing off my ears.

Most Unnecessary Reboot that Turned out to Be Good

The Amazing Spider-Man

This is basically the same movie as the initial entry in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man franchise, but I personally found the cast much more likable (Kirsten Dunst was not involved) and the villain was a little bit better (it wasn’t a power ranger).

The Guilty Pleasure Film of the Year

Pitch Perfect

The film about the A-Capella competitive scene was shockingly heartfelt and fun. This film actually had me laughing and liking what I was laughing at.

The Movie Frustratingly Full of Too Many Self-References

Seven Psychopaths

We get it Seven Psychopaths! Your film is about your film being made! You don’t have to bash the concept into our heads! (I still enjoyed this film by the way).

The Comeback Franchise of the Year

James Bond/Skyfall

This is honestly one of the 4 films I feel is missing from the Best Picture nominees, although I haven’t seen Amour so I can’t be sure. I thought this would have been a great nominee with it being the 50th anniversary of the series and all.

The Spike Lee Award for Brilliant Filmmaking

Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained

I’m just saying… Django Unchained was a very good movie.

The Movie that General Audiences Were Probably Upset With but I Thought Was Great

Lincoln

I’m assuming there were a lot of audiences out there that had a lot of people falling asleep during this movie, but I really think this was Spielberg’s best film in almost a decade.

The “If There’s One Movie I Will Remember this Year for it’s…” Award

Zero Dark Thirty

While I’ve come to believe The Master is the best film of the year, Zero Dark Thirty is a much more important and relevant film that will, without a doubt reach a much wider audience. Zero Dark Thirty is absolutely brilliant filmmaking at it’s finest and there’s not a film out there that is able to make an audience ask more questions (with the exception of The Master).

So those are my arbitrary awards. I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments section.

One more thing. Here’s what I think the best picture nominees should have looked like for the Oscars this year.

1. The Master

2. Zero Dark Thirty

3. Django Unchained

4. Looper

5. The Dark Knight Rises

6. Skyfall

7. Silver Linings Playbook

8. Lincoln

9. Beasts of the Southern Wild

10. Argo

(note: I did not see Amour so I wouldn’t be able to add it).

Thanks for stopping by!

Director: David O. Russell 

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence 

Silver Linings Playbook is a film that got quite a bit of positive attention from the Academy when it came time for Oscar nominations. I can’t say that I completely agree with the positive attitude towards David O. Russell’s latest effort. However, I can’t say that I disagree altogether as well. This film is one of the “safer” selections of the films nominated for best picture. It’s not extremely poignant or controversial but deals with a serious subject matter (how well it covers the subject should be up for debate). It has very good performances. It’s plot is somewhat universally friendly; essentially a romantic comedy and a film about family.

What we really have here is the quintessential Oscar bait film that caught a fish. The movie centers around Pat (Bradley Cooper), a former local Philadelphia substitute teacher, who is released from a mental institution 8 months after an incident involving his wife and another teacher at the school in which he taught. He suffers from bipolar disorder and is determined to earn back the trust of his wife. As the audience quickly recognizes his goal of fixing his marriage is somewhat of a hopeless journey, he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), another troubled soul who appears to be a good match for Pat. Tiffany promises to help Pat get back in touch with his wife if he agrees to become her partner in an upcoming dance competition.

So the plot is a little thin, but the film isn’t really about the plot. It’s about family and relationships and how those relationships are affected by certain conditions. I should mention, though, that the lack of a significant or interesting plot is disguised by the performances. Bradley Cooper is highly effective as the mostly manic Pat. Jennifer Lawrence is… well… Jennifer Lawrence. Robert De Niro is utilized as a comic relief of sorts (though there is some semblance of a troubled past). Jacki Weaver plays a nice supporting role as Pat’s mother (but I do feel the Oscar is unwarranted; she wasn’t a big part of the film). Even Chris Tucker plays a useful role in the movie.

The experience of watching Silver Linings Playbook was mostly positive. The characters are likable, the mood is appropriately balanced as the film never takes itself too seriously, yet knows when to turn away from the often lighthearted feeling of the movie. There was a well developed chemistry between the cast and the structure of the film was well handled even if it was straightforward.

I’m not sure Silver Linings Playbook was deserving of all the Oscar attention it received, but I do know that it was an enjoyable experience and I would not find myself complaining if the film did well at the awards show.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 

Director: Andrés Muschietti 

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier

After bringing to the screen one of the most impressive performances of 2012, Jessica Chastain’s follow up film is this rather typical supernatural horror thriller. While Mama may not be a film in which one would expect to see Ms. Chastain, it is a film that is heavily backed by the production skills of Guillermo Del Toro and it is a film that is worth a viewing (especially if you’ve already been able to catch up on all those Oscar nominees).

Mama provides a relatively effective thrilling experience for its respective genre even if it is an unbalanced film with plenty of moments to complain about. Not surprisingly, many of the more interesting moments in the film happen to occur when Jessica Chastain’s character, Annabel is involved. Her dealing with taking care of children that she never wanted develops into something, which is less than what can be said about some of the other plot developments in the film that are either never taken advantage of or shouldn’t have been in the film in the first place.

Before getting into the dull side stories that are involved in the film I guess I should provide a little bit of an outline. The film is about two little girls who are raised in an abandoned cabin for five years of their lives after their father has a nervous breakdown, murders their mother, and comes close to murdering his daughters. They are spared due to the ghost with a disturbing past living in said abandoned cabin and grow up in an environment that isn’t very adherent to healthy social development. After the five years pass, the twin brother of the father finds the girls an decides to take care of them alongside his girlfriend (Annabel).

As one could probably imagine, the girls would need some therapy, and this is one of the aspects of the film that fails to deliver. Daniel Kash plays Dr. Dreyfuss, a character that takes a rather bizarre turn during the story as the psychologist studying the behavior of the girls.

The other apparent weakness of the film is the involvement of the uncle, Lucas (played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). I don’t have any particular problems with the performances (the actor also plays the twin brother/father) but this character is where the main problems of balance and pacing come in. There are seemingly very long periods in the film where this character, thought to be a pivotal character in the film, pretty much becomes non-existent, only to pop back into the film only to remind the audience that he exists.

The movie does provide its fair share of scares and creepy moments. The atmosphere is appropriate and the production value is solid (no surprise there with Del Toro’s involvement). So, yes the film is a fairly regular horror film, maybe a notch above most, and it is certainly worthy of some attention, even if its only to see Chastain make a surprisingly difficult performance (at times her character seems awkward) work quite effectively.

My Rating: 3 out of 5

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Jessica Chastain 

Zero Dark Thirty is, simply put, a masterpiece. Tragic and exhilarating performances from all involved combined with a thrilling and collaborative telling of the mission in which Osama Bin Laden was killed provide a theatrical experience unmatched by any film released in 2012. The film portrays the story in a detailed and carefully structured manner that mixes the violence, terror, intricacy, emotion, and exhaustion people were put through during the search for Bin Laden.

While the film does work hard to achieve a feeling of true collaboration, the central character, Maya, played in an absolutely astounding performance by Jessica Chastain is the character that brings everything together. This is quite honestly one of the strongest female characters I have ever seen in film and Chastain pulls it off with a determination and credibility that makes the film so interesting and helps to give the audience a more intimate experience with the film.

What truly makes this a special film though, along with the performances, is the way in which the material is presented. This is a film that can be read in a variety of ways, which is probably a huge contribution to why this movie has been viewed as controversial. So many want to tag Zero Dark Thirty as “pro this” or “anti that” while in reality the film is much more than a political statement. It’s a film that presents itself in a documentary fashion, and in many ways presents itself as a documentation of events much better than a majority of films that deem themselves true documentaries (which exemplifies on elf many reasons I prefer fiction films to documentaries but that’s beside the point).

Evident in the film is not only the realistic and procedural presentation, but a grippingly thrilling story for those who aren’t interested in developing political theories and opinions of the movie (I include myself in this group. I am rarely interested in political pandering even though films can undoubtedly be utilized for such purposes). At its core Zero Dark Thirty is a riveting procedural that manages to keep itself vibrant and fresh even though its audience already knows the basic story being presented.

I would move on to the flaws of the film here but the words are extremely difficult to come by as those flaws are few and far between if there are indeed any to be found. The content, mood, pacing, performances, writing, and directing is crisp, concise, and appropriate. There may be a slight possibility that some audiences will find the film to be too deliberate with its pacing, but those audiences are more than likely the impatient audiences going into the film with negative and hostile hearts.

The structure of the film is one of the most challenging obstacles this movie faced, and director Kathryn Bigelow pulled it off beautifully. Opening with a black screen in which a phone conversation that occurred during the events of 9/11, the movie quickly establishes an emotional appeal to the audience reminding us of why Bin Laden is being hunted. Then the audience is quickly thrown into the realm of interrogation, introducing a darker side of investigation. Again, the presentation of the torture doesn’t necessarily suggest it as being right or wrong, but that it happened. The violence is NOT glorified (that’s all I’m going to say. So be it if you disagree).

Zero Dark Thirty is, quite honestly and simply put, the best film of 2012. With this effort Kathryn Bigelow has surpassed her previously exceptional The Hurt Locker and has created an experience in which an audience can revisit an event of utmost importance without feeling as if they are being put through the misery that originated from the September attacks. This film is a masterpiece.

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Director: Judd Apatow 

Starring: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann 

Judd Apatow’s films are experiences that I have thoroughly enjoyed. From one of my personal favorite films with The 40-Year-Old Virgin to Adam Sandler’s satirical vehicle Funny People, Apatow has managed to make this reviewer laugh while still finding a way to make the characters worth caring about.

This is 40 is not very different from the director’s previous 3 films. The only real big difference is that with this latest effort, there is a lack of a well-structured narrative. Instead, the film plays as a sort of sketch comedy that brings many different aspects of a mid-life crisis onscreen without telling much of a story. It’s a film that struggles to find it’s way through much of the 2 hour plus runtime (although it does eventually find a thread to latch onto, albeit a little too late).

Having said that, the characters in this film are just too darn lovable to really care about how much of a mess the structure of the film is. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann have an undeniable chemisty and all of the supporting performers including Albert Brooks and John Lithgow (even, gasp… Megan Fox) add something to the film.

So, while this may indeed be Judd Apatow’s weakest film to date, I still enjoyed spending some extra time with the family that was introduced in Knoccked Up. The issues the film brings up could have been brought to the screen in a more organized fashion perhaps, but the film deals with the issues at hand in very funny, and very interesting ways.

In the film Paul Rudd plays Pete and Leslie Mann is in the role of Debbie, a married couple who happen to both be turning 40 in the same week. As Debbie pretends she’s not turning 40, lying about her age, she tries to make some changes in the way her family and herself live; trying to control what they eat, using less electronics, etc. while Pete tries to fix a financial mess the couple has seemingly run into without the knowledge of his wife due to his failing music label that is interested only in signing artists in which people don’t have a lot of interest.

Basically, the audience will get a rundown of many of the problems that occur with couples. The film deals with issues of sex, money, children, and communication among other subjects, and the the movie does not deal with these subjects in a subtle manner. There were many moments in the film in which I found myself wanting the film to move on from a topic instead of continuing to spell things out.

When the film did attempt to move on from one of the many issues it was trying to deal with, it seemed to jump into a seemingly illogical scene. It really felt as if this film was written in a very segmented way that didn’t allow the filmmakers to make the pieces fit together. At one point the couple takes a trip that comes out of nowhere. While the scenes involved in the trip are funny, in the scheme of things the segment didn’t work very well.

This was an extremely disappointing film relative to what I wanted it to be. It happened to be one that I was anticipating for over a year and I really wanted this to be another brilliant comedy from Apatow and company. I still did enjoy the experience and there are plenty of things to laugh at and plenty of characters that are worthy to follow in the film, but all in all I think the audience and the story deserved better.

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 

*This still wasn’t as disappointing as The Hobbit.