'Pacific Rim' is the Movie We Never Got As a Child

For a long time, Pacific Rim was my most anticipated movie of this summer. Ever since the first trailers started popping up and the positive buzz from WonderCon led me to be over-excited for this film. The problem with that, is it builds unreal expectations. When someone tells you that this movie is about giant fucking robots fighting giant fucking monsters, it's reasonable to have unreasonable expectations. The issue is not fulfilling those expectations. What Pacific Rim did on screen wasn't just spectacular for what it did visually, but in the way that it did it. It by no means let me down.

I was born in 1993. By that time, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Godzilla, all of those disaster-monster films had already came and went. I didn't get to experience them on the big screen. The closest thing I got to experiencing it was Transformers. Which is really just unfortunate that I even have to bring that up. All of a sudden my childhood was gone, and I was moving on to college. Without any disaster-monster film. I was robbed.

A couple years ago Rise of the Planet of the Apes came out. And while mildly underwhelming, it gave hope that something spectacular is on the horizon. I wasn't as big of a fan of Apes as everyone else seemed to be, but I did enjoy the climactic battle on the bridge at the end. And that's when it hit me again that I really missed out.

So here I am, a 20 year old college student. The best monster disaster film I saw was Transformers. Which doesn't even qualify. I mean, there was Cloverfield, but it wasn't as gargantuan as I wanted it to be and as capable as it could have been. Same with Super 8 (which I was extremely underwhelmed by). I have hyped this movie up more than any film I've seen since Dark Knight Rises last summer. I spent months doing research and studying up on Pacific Rim. I completely nerded out. I walk in to the theater, and what's playing before the film starts? ALL OF THE PAST MONSTER FILMS OR SHOWS OR REFERENCES TO MONSTERS. Seriously. I enjoyed the hell out of that. It set the mood just right.

Five minutes into Pacific Rim now. I'm all in. I caught myself smiling a huge smile. Living this movie as if I was 12. It saved my childhood. It was the movie we never got. Us 90s kids and up. We never have gotten a movie like this (a good one).

I'm going to sum up the plot as brief as I can: Kaiju have come up from beneath the Pacific Ocean. We built big robots called the Jaegers that can fight them off. Humans control their movements, and they have to be piloted by two pilots. As time has gone on, the monsters have adapted and are now starting to take control. We still try and kick some ass with the Jaegers. And there's the movie.

Guillermo Del Toro directed this film and I couldn't have hand picked a better person to be behind the steering wheel. He cares so much about how it looks, how it sounds, how crisp everything moves-he's a perfectionist. He directed the hell out of Pacific Rim. Charlie Hunnam played the lead role, and he played his role just right. Nothing over the top, nothing too weak either. People have been complaining about Hunnam but I liked him. He voices over the first 5 minutes or so, and all I wanted was for him to voice over everything ever from now on. His voice was fucking perfect.

Idris Elba steals a few scenes, he always brings it though. Charlie Day was perfectly cast along with Burn Gorman. They have a playful rivalry and a bulk of the few comedic moments stem from Day and Gorman. Rinko Kikuchi was a total badass that was thoroughly enjoyable. And of course there has to be a mention of Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman. He has much more of a minor role than the film is advertising, yet if you're a fan of Hellboy and Sons of Anarchy, you'll appreciate what he does.

But c'mon. The real scene stealers are the Jaegers and the Kaiju. The visual effects in Pacific Rim are unlike anything ever put to screen. I can't remember the last time I saw a film where I was just in awe of what was being done visually. I mean, maybe Avatar? But even then, you knew what you were getting into. I thought I knew what I was getting into with Pacific Rim and I was even more impressed. Also, every big fight scene it just so happens to be nighttime and raining. Which makes it just that much more badass.

It's a perfect summer movie in a summer season that has lacked all sorts of blockbusters. Sure, we were spoiled last summer with the Avengers and Dark Knight Rises, but everything has pretty much been a let down so far. Pacific Rim kicks your ass and lets you know that summer blockbusters are still capable of being done well and done in a way that's fun. It knows what kind of movie it is, which so often films these days are lacking. They don't know if it wants to be funny, action packed, dramatic or what. Pacific Rim knows what it is. It's monsters and giant robots kicking the shit out of each other.

Often times as of lately, these action blockbusters have seemed to force humor on the audience for some reason. Transformers forced it more and more as the series went on, and even in The Avengers, where most of comedy hit, it got over the top at points. The good thing about Pacific Rim is that even when Charlie Day is on screen, there are really only a few forced comedic moments.

The last 45 minutes or so is fantastic. Just a visual masterpiece. It's a shoo-in for Best Visual Effects come awards season. It gets a little slow at certain points and the plot goes in very predictable routes, but it more than makes up for it with the ballbusting action sequences. If you go in with the right mindset of just having a mind-blowing braingasm, then you'll enjoy the hell out of this movie. It's what summer movies should be all about, and it's the monster film that my generation has been deprived of for so long.

I'm giving Pacific Rim a 4.25/5. It's not perfect at all, but it is a perfect summer film. A great movie to go to and just shut your brain off and just marvel at what Guillermo Del Toro put on screen.

Pacific Rim is in theaters July 12th. Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief language. Run Time 131 minutes. Directed by Guillermo Del Toro. 

You can follow Will Harmon at @willharmon8 on Twitter.

A Running Diary: Can't Buy Me Love

0:00- I have only seen this movie one time. One time. That's all. I've never owned it on DVD, and never seen it on TV. If I love this movie as much as I remember loving it, it's going to be a good diary. This was the movie that unleashed me into loving romantic comedies. Never have been ashamed to say it. But, I like good rom-coms. Not all of them. So my manhood is safe still, right?

0:01- Patrick Dempsey's character, named Ronald, is mowing a lawn on his awesome lawnmower. You know, the one that you can drive. Like in Waterboy. The song "Can't Buy Me Love" plays over it, for obvious reasons.

0:02- Cindy and her two friends pull into the driveway. They're introduced typically as popular girls always are. Convertable, shopping bags, blonde, sunglasses, big house. You know the drill. Ronald watches her walk in, setting the movie up. Ronald has a crush on Cindy, duh.

0:04- Cindy and her friends are hanging out in her room, watching her ex-boyfriend Bobby who is a college football player for Iowa. He obviously doesn't miss Cindy.

0:05- Ronald is creepily watching cheerleading tryouts through a chain-link fence. His friend Kenneth rides up on his bike, and Ronald shows his first interest in the popular clique.

0:09- Cindy answers the door, and this creepy dude is going out with her Mom. Seriously, this dude is so creepy. Cindy is so hot. This movie was made in the late-80s and she's bangin'. She's like a hotter version of Rachel McAdams with bigger boobs. Quick Imdb check. She hasn't been in anything since 1994. TV or Movies. That's a shame. She's from Greeley, Colorado. Shout out to my home state Colorado. You produced one of the hottest girls of the 80s.

0:10- Back to the film, she goes against her Mom's word and wears her white suede jacket to a party.

0:11- What the hell? Seth Green is in this movie? He has a different voice though. Why did his voice sound so much different back then? Man he was one ugly kid.

0:14- Cindy's suede jacket inevitably gets ruined. Wine spills all over it. Not shocked there. Then again, I've seen the movie before. And of course the guy who ruined it is a complete dick about ruining it. Pretty standard.

0:16- Ronald is at the mall, using all the money he saved for a telescope. Wait a minute, are they in Tucson?? How did I never know they filmed there? I wonder where they filmed this. So the movie was filmed in Tucson where I go to school, and the hottest girl of the 80s was from Colorado where I grew up. I love this movie!

0:17- While looking through the telescope in the mall who does he see? Cindy! With the ruined suede jacket, and not enough money to buy a new one. Ronald knocks on the door and holds all his cash out like a total boss. He negotiates with Cindy that he would buy her a new jacket, if she pretends to go out with him so he can be a cool kid. And here we go.

0:18- Cindy rips Ronald's sleeves off. Puts mousse in his hair. Takes his glasses off. Changes him up. He's gonna walk through the cool hallway! You go, Ronald.

Egg-Eater (middle) and Crop Top

0:20- One of the supposed-to-be cool guys they walk past is wearing a crop top. What the fuck was that. I hope that wasn't a trend in the 80s. They ask Ronald if he "used to mow our lawns". I'll just leave it at that...

0:21- Here we go. Ronald is turning into a douche to his best friend Kenneth!

0:21- Cindy and the football players happen to all be in the same Home-Ec class. A football player holds out an egg yolk, and eats it. Everyone is pretty noticeably impressed. What just happened there?

0:22- Cindy gets interrogated by her friends. She returns with: "Guys, see my forehead, do you see a sign that says 'Information' on it?" Whoa, Cindy. Attitude.

0:23- Ronald sits with all the cool kids at lunch. He starts to fit in a little better.

0:25- Ronald forgot to eat lunch while at lunch, which is the only thing you're supposed to do at lunch. He claims he got too nervous to eat around those guys. Wait, what? Whatever, I can move past that. Anyway, who walks in but all the cool football guys! Ronald offers up the pizza, which of course to them means, take all the pizza and leave none for Ronald and Cindy. Classy. That pizza looks so good. If that's a real place in Tucson, I want to be going there immediately when I get back.

0:26- Young Seth Green doesn't buy that Ronald is dating Cindy. He investigates.

0:27- Cindy's mad that Ronald didn't pick her up in a car. He claims he "forgot", which he has gotten pretty good at doing lately. He puts it in a much more delicate romantic way than "I forgot" but still. Cindy and Ronald start to bond. Uh oh, they actually are going to like each other. You can tell.

0:29- While at the party, Egg-Eater offers Ronald a "brew", which Ronald thinks means Root Beer for some reason. Does anyone drink Root Beer anymore? I feel like it's starting to die out. That makes me sad. Anyway, Ronald grabs a Budweiser and he feels cool still.

0:30- Ronald gets back to school and talks to Kenneth, who of course is mad that Ronald didn't hang out with his old gang, nor did he tell them what he was doing. Ronald's starting to become a douche!

0:31- Ronald washes Cindy's car. They bond over it. Some good quotes here "You can do whatever you want. Whatever you put your heart and your mind to". Cindy walks inside her house, with Ronald staring at her. As soon as she gets inside her house, he starts spraying the hose on the car. I really hope they meant that as the sexual reference it turned out to be.

0:32- Cindy returns with some poems. Sappy love scenes are starting to happen. She mouths the words while Ronald reads. She claims no one knows she writes. Now Ronald does. Uh oh, they're growing closer. The sappiness ends and Cindy starts spraying Ronald with a hose. Ronald picks up a sponge and Peyton Manning's that shit at Cindy. Seriously, he LAUNCHED that. That sounded like it hurt, not the way to a lady's heart Ronald.

0:33- Montage of Ronald becoming cool and Cindy helping him buy new clothes and shit. Kenneth sees them and gets pissed. I think it's important to note that Kenneth is pissed at Ronald because he's a dick now, not because he's dating Cindy. Which, if it is because he's dating Cindy, he's not a good friend. Cindy's hot and you always root for you best friend. That's in the bro-code somewhere.

0:35- It's the last date of Ronald and Cindy already, and Ronald is taking her to a. Wait for it...a plane junkyard? I don't know. That's a ballsy move. That's like when the girl gets the shitty date in Bachelorette. I think he's trying to spit some game by spouting facts about the planes.

0:37- Now this is more what I'm talking about Ronald. Starry night and the Moon. Important line metaphorically: "You didn't ruin it, you just changed it, I guess."

0:38- DAMMIT RONALD! She wanted to kiss you. That was the signal!! You ruined it. Cindy obviously doesn't want to break up.

0:41- Oh, Ronald. Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie. You fucked up big time my friend.

0:43- Ronnie walks in to school acting like a total boss. One of Cindy's friends who is noticeably not wearing nearly enough clothing for school asks him out. Cindy's even more pissed.

0:46- Ronnie goes out with the slutty chick and her best friend comes on to him. Young Seth Green spies on the whole thing, and gets his second Egg-Eater fart to the face. Not a good outing so far for Young Seth Green. 

0:47- Uh oh. Locker Room talk. Cindy's in nothing but a towel. Hot. But she overhears her best friends talking about Ronnie. Cindy doesn't like that. Sidebar-Is it weird that I'm attracted to a girl from a movie in the 80s who's probably over 40 now? Oh well.


0:47- Young Seth Green commentates the WWE on TV. It's still fake in 1987, too in case you were wondering. Ronnie barges in to watch American Bandstand. I don't really know what that is at all. Outdated for sure. Then it's revealed he's not watching American Bandstand. Oh boy, this is gonna get good.

0:51- School dance time! Awesome live band. Looks like Lionel Richie. I cosign this dance so far. Ronnie breaks out the big dance moves. Mostly just flailing of the arms. Everyone thinks it's weird at first. And then everyone starts to do it too. Forced conformity motif. In real life, this plays out like "Ronnie stop it, just take it easy" and then that's the end of that. Instead, Ronnie turns into the coolest kid in the school.

0:55- Ronnie gets into it with Cindy. Then his slutty date starts taking off her clothes and talking about her titties. I don't think people actually talk this way. Especially in high school. It wouldn't shock me though, they are in Tucson. Lesson as always: Tucson is fucking weird.

0:56- Ronnie is back at home under his sheets with a flashlight on looking at a calendar and says one of the corniest lines in the history of cinema: "17 years, 3 months, and 5 days...that's a long time to wait for some tit! HEHEHE". I'm not exaggerating his chuckle. It literally sounded like if you were to read "HEHEHE" out loud.

0:57- Kenneth starts to get pissed in class at Ronnie, who's asleep. Moon motif again. Then, Ronnie and his dumb friends, Crop-Top and Egg-Eater go to lay down a shit-bomb at Kenneth's house. Yes, I could have phrased that better. Yes, it's staying like that.

0:59- Cindy and her friends finally get in a fight with each other about Ronnie. Cindy has a lot of class. Attagirl Cindy.

1:01- Ronnie, Crop-Top, and Egg-Eater go for the shitbomb. Little do they know, Kenneth and his family are prepared. Kenneth catches Ronnie in a net trap, then lets him go realizing it's Ronnie. God damn was that awesome. Kenneth deserves friend of the year for that.

1:03- Cindy's new boyfriend is a total asshole. So naturally she dumps a chocolate shake on his head. Cindy, you're my girl. Despite your corny comebacks and the fact that you're 40 years old now.

1:05- Cindy dishes out a "she's given more rides than a Greyhound". Cindy Sass Level: 7. Ronnie is a total dick to her again, she wrote him a poem but he doesn't care.

1:07- New Year's Eve party. Cindy's hammered already and drinking vodka straight (attagirl), which means the sass is going to be extra heavy this evening. But wait, she's wearing her Mom's dress again. Please don't go the direction I think this is headed. I don't remember this part.

1:08- Cindy's ex-boyfriend-kind-of Bobby is back. Meanwhile, Ronnie is saying things like "All summer I just want to hold you" and "I respect you" and "I AM hot!" to random chicks. Classy Ronnie. Cindy is drunk off her ass and you are spitting terrible game at sluts that already want to bang you.

1:11- Cindy gets in a fight with Bobby, who calls her a prostitute. Classy guy. Then, Cindy who is incredibly inslopsicated, spills the details about how Ronnie paid her 1000 dollars to make him cool. Yep, her sass is maxed out like I predicted. Then, everyone turns on Ronnie and he gets kicked out of the party by Egg-Eater.

1:16- Ronnie is a loser again. Except now none of his friends want to hang out with him. Poor Ronnie. Cindy starts calling out her slutty friends. Stand your ground Cindy! I'm still on team Cindy. Yes, even after she broke the promise she made Ronnie and being super drunk.

1:18- Ronnie tries apologizing to Kenneth, who doesn't budge. He grabs him and yells "you shit on my house!". Which, says everything that needs to be said.

1:20- Ronnie stalks Cindy and then follows her into the women's bathroom to apologize. Romantic. Dammit Ronnie, why can't you do just one romantic thing without screwing up?

1:23- Ronnie follows up that marvelous endeavor by getting Cindy's attention by mowing her lawn at 6 in the morning. I'm sure she's thrilled about that. He recovers quickly by making a very heartfelt speech to Cindy, who just got out of bed and looks fantastic. Not very realistic there. Either that or she is just that beautiful.

1:25- Kenneth gets into it with Crop-Top. But Ronnie is there to save the day! He slams a baseball bat on the table. He says some things about how they used to be friends. Then every one starts clapping. Very cliche but I liked it. Cindy was happy so I'm happy. God I'm getting creepy.

1:29- Ronnie is back mowing Cindy's lawn, and Cindy runs off to be with her friends in their convertable.

1:30- Wait! Cindy's back! She calls his name and runs after him! She hops on his lawnmower (sexual reference intended there) and they drive off and kiss in the sunset! Oh, and "Can't Buy Me Love" gets played over the end scene. By default of course.

Okay, besides the fact that I became so obviously enamored with Cindy, I didn't like this movie as much as I remember liking it. It's still good, I just remember it being a little better. I love this movie still though. I hope they redo this movie sometime soon. And no, Love Don't Cost a Thing doesn't count at all. I want a remade version of this. I don't say that often.

You can follow Will Harmon at @willharmon8 on Twitter.

'The Way, Way Back' has heart, hilarity, and brilliance

Here's the thing. I saw this movie maybe 2 months ago. I'm reviewing it now. Which is a terrible strategy. It's never good. But what is important, is that I love this movie more after letting it sink in, even more so than I did in May.

The Way, Way Back is that "coming-of-age" film this year that really sets the bar for what's to come in 2013. It's been a pretty abysmal summer, and year in film. There's been a few films here and there, but nothing that's really been fantastic. Man of Steel was a slight let down, I didn't love Iron Man 3 as much as I wanted to, Place Beyond the Pines had way too earlier of a release date. It just really hasn't been a great year so far. But all that has changed because The Way, Way Back is easily my favorite movie so far this year,

The Sundance Film Festival alum 'The Way, Way Back' begins with some back and forth banter between Duncan (Liam James) and his Mom's new boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell). Immediately the entire film is established. Protagonist. Antagonist. Eventually Duncan, his Mom (Toni Collette) and Trent arrive at a beach house and that's where they find alcoholic comedic genius Betty (Allison Janney) and her daughter Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb). And from there we have our film. Duncan struggles with his awkwardness and lack of confidence, as well as the fact that he doesn't really have any friends at this summer house. He makes his way to a water park and gets a job there, run by the scene-stealer Sam Rockwell.

I did a full breakdown about how Sam Rockwell is in the lead for Best Supporting Actor right now. He hit on every single joke he had. I'm sure he did plenty of improv. He knocked this role out of the park. He was fantastic. He was dramatic when he needed to be, and his chemistry with Duncan was perfect. If the two of them don't have chemistry, the film fails. No matter how good the rest of the film is. Every time Rockwell is on screen you're just fixed on his character. He's perfect.

The Way Way Back was directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, both of whom play supporting roles in the film as well. They wrote the film 'The Descendants', and they wrote this film as well. They did such a wonderful job crafting this film together. It sounds like such a typical film with a familiar plot, but it's just different for some reason. I think in large part due to the directing, as well as the ensemble cast that was assigned perfectly.

I only have one complaint about his film. It took me a while to buy into Liam James' portrayal of Duncan. Something about it just hung me up. And then I thought about it. He's supposed to be awkward, shy, and to a certain extent unlikeable. He does everything he's supposed to do perfectly. I think some of my displeasure for Duncan came from the fact that it was his character, and not necessarily Liam James's performance.

I'm a big score and soundtrack guy. I love to hear music from a film. The soundtrack for this film is perfect. It really did a good job establishing a tone and lyrically, it actually very well represented each scene. Two songs in particular- "Power Hungry Animals" by The Apache Relay (featured in the trailer), and "Alone" by Trampled by Turtles-really hit you hard. This movie has an emotional payoff at the end, and without those two songs, it just wouldn't have worked as well.

This is the best movie that has come out so far in 2013. I adored this film. It definitely is a perfect summer movie for what has been an abysmal summer so far. I didn't have anything wrong with this movie. I can't wait to see it again. I'm giving The Way, Way Back my first ever 5/5 rating.

The Way, Way Back is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language, some sexual content and brief drug material. Run-time 104 minutes. It is currently in limited release. Click here for when it will play in theaters near you. 

You can follow Will Harmon at @willharmon8 on Twitter.

Re-Ranking the Best Films of 2012 Halfway Through 2013

Anybody who knows anything about me already knows what I think is the best movie of last year. I've made it very clear, an obnoxious amount of times. And I'm not going to apologize for that. For those who don't know me very well, then congratulations! You have the luxury of not already knowing my favorite movie of last year! This is my list. I want to make that very clear. I'm a random blogger that has no real credit. These are my opinions. So before you go freaking out about how I left out a few films, just know that it really doesn't matter...

A few honorable mentions before we get started:

Django Unchained: Here's the thing with this movie. I understand why people love it. I understand why it was some people's favorite film of last year. I just am not a huge fan of Tarantino. I appreciate what he does, I respect what he does. Obviously he's a brilliant man. He's made some unbelievable films and is certainly one of the best directors of our time. I just can't get into very many of his films. Some of his films in the past I've adored. This wasn't one of them. It was solid, but it got really slow in certain points. I will say this: I thought Leo Dicaprio was going to WIN Best Supporting Actor. Not only did he not win, he wasn't even nominated. Granted, the category was full of winners. It was a great year for supporting actors in 2012, that's for sure.

Beasts of the Southern Wild: This movie touched my heart. Quvenzhane Wallis deserved all of the acclaim she got last year. She carried this movie. I've never seen a girl this young give a performance this great. She was brilliant. The movie felt a little documentary to me, though. Which was one of the few problems I had with it. A great film, a great directorial debut, just not good enough to make it into my Top 10.

Alright let's get started. As always, in reverse order:

10) Perks of Being A Wallflower
An important thing to remember here is that this is a re-ranking. Which means, this is a list based on rewatchability to go along with the other elements that originally qualified a film in a Top 10 list. This movie shocked me. I didn't read the book. It looked silly. Emma Watson sounds British for most of it. But it really was the performance of Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller that carried this movie for me. It was funny, it was enjoyable, and it had a lot of heart. Easily the most shocking movie from 2012.


9) Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods poster

If you know me well, you also know that I hate horror films. I hate them mostly due to the fact that they've gotten so over the top and ridiculous. The plot doesn't matter, the mystery elements have disappeared for the most part and yet, this film gave me a little bit of hope that the genre isn't done just yet. Honestly, when was the last time you saw a horror film and came out of the theater or turned off the Blu-Ray player and said: "Damn, that was so good!". Never. Never is the answer. Because it's a genre that has been stained for a decade, maybe even longer. Every once in a while, a film comes along, like this one, that makes you think that horror isn't dead just yet. Paranormal Activity 1 was like that. And then it just got out of hand with sequels. I loved Cabin in the Woods. There are a lot of people out there who think this movie is so stupid and over the top, but if you understand some of the satire and homages to past horror films, it's one of the most enjoyable horror films in recent years. It has some comedy, but not as much as people are saying it does. I went into it thinking there would be more comedy based off what I was told. Were there comic moments? Sure. But the mystery and the plot were so brilliant and original that I loved it. That's the thing with this film-it's original. In a genre where originality has become so scarce, Cabin in the Woods got it right. PS: Has there ever been a cooler movie poster than the one for The Cabin in the Woods? It's perfect, especially after having seen the film.

8) The Grey

Liam Neeson in 'The Grey'

This is a movie most people forgot about. It had a January release date, which is codeword for "this is gonna suck". But it was, like Perks, such a surprisingly good movie that I appreciate it even more. Its rewatchability is high. It is an intense survival film that really makes you feel like you're lost in the arctic with them. I love this movie. The ending was one of those things where people are split on it. But when you step back and look at the overall picture, you appreciate what it did, and you understand what they were going for with the ending. The soundtrack is also very underrated. It's very moving and it helps drive the story and the intensity. A very underrated movie, and great one at that.

7) The Impossible

Tom Holland and Naomi Watts in 'The Impossible'

Another underrated movie, a heart-wrenching film that describes the survival story of the Belon family. While on vacation in Thailand, a tsunami hits, dividing the family and sparking a search to reunite the family. I thought this was one of the best acted films of last year. Naomi Watts was recognized, however, to me she wasn't the best part. Or even the second best part. Ewan McGregor had some unbelievable scenes. He had some heart-wrenching scenes and just a great emotional performance. He's not in the film for long, though. The story mostly revolves around Lucas (Tom Holland) and Maria (Watts). And Tom Holland was brilliant as Lucas. He's basically the lead for this film, and he showed an unbelievable amount of dramatic talent. This kid's going to go places for sure. We haven't seen the last of him, I can guarantee that. This movie was such an emotional roller coaster and it makes you think, "What if that were me? What if that happened to my family?". It is a superbly acted film, and a superbly directed film as well.


6) Argo
I enjoyed this film for what is was. Did I think it deserved Best Picture? No. Do I understand why it won? Yes. Here's the thing-I was happy this film won Best Picture. It was a film I couldn't be mad that it won. Which is always nice. I hate when a film you don't think deserves to win it, ends up doing so. I was fine with this winning. I liked this movie a lot. Loved? Certainly not. Has anyone ever resurrected a career at a magnitude equal to Ben Affleck? I can't think of anybody. He went from a laughing stock of Hollywood into one of the industries best filmmakers. The guy knows how to make a film, that's for sure. His speech at the Oscar's after winning Best Picture made you feel for the guy. It made you want to be an Affleck fan. He seems like such a great guy. This movie is great. He definitely deserved it, and so did this movie.

5) The Dark Knight Rises
Yes this movie is flawed. Yes this movie isn't as good as The Dark Knight. Yes this movie let a lot of people down. But it's only because of the ridiculous standards everyone had for it. Doing what it did on the scale that it did, under all that pressure, really is a testament to how good this movie is. I've rewatched this movie almost as many times as any movie I've seen. I really enjoyed it. I love Bane. I loved everything about Bale and what he did as Batman. Yeah I have a few complaints, but I enjoyed the hell out of it and that's all that should matter. It already had unfair standards to live up to and the fact that it was a good as it was should say enough about this movie. It was entertaining as hell. Anne Hathaway didn't suck as Catwoman which was shocking and fun to see. Arthur is always great. The plot was great. It was such a great film. This movie was everything I wanted Iron Man 3 to be. Nolan is arguably the best in the business right now, until something he touches isn't gold or a very large amount of silver, then we can discuss who's better. But the guy knows how to make movies. And he knows how to make them well. But, even with all that said, there still were 4 movies I enjoyed better than TDKR.

4) Wreck-It Ralph

Ralph and Vanellope

Easily the best animated feature of last year. It also had the animated short Paperman attached to it, which was easily the best animated short of 2012 as well. So basically this film dominated the animation world of 2012. The only reasons it didn't win Best Animated at many awards ceremonies was because voters have a hard on for Pixar. Which isn't a bad thing and certainly is understandable, I just thought Wreck-It Ralph was far and away the best animation of 2012. It had the feel of a Pixar film. It was weird-it seemed like Brave should have been the Disney film and Ralph should have been the Pixar release. But, what do I know. I do know that this movie was hilarious, fun, creative, and also very heart wrenching. It had the heart that Pixar movies and old Disney animations had. It tears you up a bit at the end. I love this movie so much. I like it better than a lot of Pixar movies, actually. Which isn't a hit on Pixar at all, it's a complement for Wreck-It Ralph.


3) Zero Dark Thirty
This is a movie that has really changed since the end of 2012. It was a film like Argo to me. I thought it was good, not great. It was a good action film, not a great movie. But having rewatched it a few times, I realized that this is a fantastic movie. Jason Clarke was phenomenal in his role, as was the entire cast. Jessica Chastain was a badass, and was my runner up to Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress last year. I think that she was brilliant. The whole movie was excellent. This is one of those movies that I have all sorts of questions about. Like the fact that the movie was already in production before Bin Laden was killed. How was the movie going to end? What was the plot like? This movie was improved drastically by Bin Laden's death. It allowed for the climactic ending that was some of the most intense action ever put to screen. I loved it. At first I liked it a lot, and then I loved it. It's a great film. One that I would have been more than happy to see win Best Picture.

2) The Avengers
I mean, what else is there to say. To do what this movie did, and to do it as well as it did, is truly remarkable. It put a 6 year plan from Marvel to screen, and didn't suck. It was fantastic. I had such a good time with this movie, and it was easily the fastest 2 and a half hour film I've ever seen. I wanted this movie to be 6 hours long. I didn't care. It was just so much fun. It was so fucking good. That's all there really is to say. The ending is so epic, too. The ending is like every ending of Transformers combined, except you can actually tell what's going on, as well as the fact that you care so much about these superheroes. You have emotional attachments to Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, etc. Something I really fucking hate about responses to this movie is the "there's no character development and plot! It's just action!" complaints. That's why you have all the other movies! That's why Iron Man had 2 films. That's why Thor got his own movie. That's why Captain America and Hulk had theirs. Shut up. You knew exactly what you were getting into with this movie. And my god did it blow every expectation I had for it out of the water. I want every superhero movie to be the Avengers. It raised the bar for Superhero movies forever. I don't see any movie ever really touching it, until Avengers 2 comes out. I loved this film. Everything about it was perfect. The humor was perfectly executed, the action sequences were fantastic. Everything was fantastic. This would have been my favorite movie that came out in 2012, if it weren't for another movie that came out...

1) Silver Linings Playbook

Cooper and Lawrence were brilliant in 'Silver Linings Playbook'

Everyone who knows me, knows how heavily I endorse this movie. It's the best movie I've seen in years. It's so god damn funny. Everything comes together so perfectly. It was such a greatly directed and acted movie. I loved Bradley Cooper, and I think he would have won Best Actor had Daniel Day-Lewis not made a movie this year. I mean, come on. It's almost unfair at this point. I loved everything about it. Jennifer Lawrence only further increased my love for her. She was fantastic and certainly deserved her Best Actress victory. De Niro I thought deserved Best Supporting Actor, but as I said earlier, it was an incredibly competitive category in 2012. Listen, I could talk about this movie for the rest of the day if I wanted to. I love this movie so much. It was perfect. There wasn't anything wrong with it. The more and more I think about it, the more I want to just go watch it again. Easily my most rewatched movie from 2012. I think I'm in the 40s for how many times I've seen it. I think I've seen it more than most people that were even involved with the film. It never gets old. It's a movie where you're always in the mood to watch it. I'm never going to say "no" when someone offers to watch Silver Linings Playbook. It's my favorite movie of all time. It really is. Which is such a hard question to answer, by the way. When someone asks you what your favorite movie is, you end up listing off like 8 different movies. I love everything about it. It certainly is one of those movies that if someone you know hasn't seen it, you just can't even believe it. At least for me anyway. It certainly isn't on the level for people who have never seen Shawshank, Pulp Fiction, or The Godfather among others. But I think in a few years, it could be. It certainly is for me. I'm fucking weird, though. Which is a key thing to remember. There's really not much more I can say at this point. I've basically got this movie memorized. I'm just going to stop talking so that people don't think I'm clinically insane like Pat and Tiffany...