It’s that time of year again where we round up some of our writers and get their top picks for 2012! Don’t forget you have until New Years Eve to vote for YOUR favourite movie of 2012. Vote by clicking here
Vic’s Top 5 of 2012
After much thought and constant changing, my Top 5 list is ready. I could have done a Top 20 list to be honest, but we always stick with 5 here on The Movie Bit. Notable mentions though must go to Grabbers, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Frankenweenie and Goon which are all hovering just outside my Top 5. Anyway, speaking of said Top 5…here we go
5. The Muppets
My childhood revolved around Star Wars, Superman and The Muppets. I hadn’t seen a Muppet movie in over 20 years and I was incredibly excited to go and see this. It brought all the memories flooding back and like a big child I had nothing but tears of joy running down my face time and time again. Simply brilliant with a wonderful soundtrack and a fantastic cast..that’s even before you get to talk about Jason Segal.
4. The Hobbit
I hadn’t expected The Hobbit to make my Top 5 list this year in any shape or form, nor did I think it would be as great as it was. Nothing but spectacular and the HRD 48FPS just left me mesmerised. Sure it could have been a little bit shorter, but to be honest I savoured every single second on that IMAX screen. The humour added an extra element to the overall experience, and what an experience The Hobbit is. One of the most visually accomplished movies of the year!
3. The Raid
The hyper surrounding Gareth Evan’s action packed The Raid was nothing short of staggering. I missed a screening during the Dublin Film Festival, but bounded into the cinema when it finally arrived. And man, did it arrive. This is the craziest rollercoaster I’ve been in on years. It just doesn’t stop. The Raid thunders along at a phenomenal pace and never lets up.
2 . The Dark Knight Rises
The conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy arrived with more hype than one could imagine. Things were at fever pitch when it finally landed in cinemas. From start to finish I absolutely loved this, and while the finale with JGL left me a bit meh, the rest of the finale had me in floods of tears. Scene after scene here is epically presented on screen and The Dark Knight Rises is a fantastic conclusion to Nolan’s trilogy.
1. Avengers Assemble
Avengers or Avengers Assemble is the most fun I’ve had in the cinema this year. Joss Whedon delivered big time here, with a phenomenal amount of balance between such huge characters and the oodles of humour. Simply brilliant!!!!
Tom’s Top 5 of 2012
5. Silver Lingings Playbook
A romantic comedy about people with mental illness? I never thought I would enjoy this movie as much as I did, but with a smart and funny script from director David O. Russell, that puts a nice spin on the usual romantic comedy cliches, and fantastic performances from the whole cast, especially Jennifer Lawrence (stealing the show) and Robert De Niro, this quickly became one of my favorites of 2012.
4. The Cabin In The Woods
A parody of the usual horror movie cliches, this strange little film from form Joss Whedon and Drew Goodard may have been 3 years late but it was well worth the wait. Hailed as this generation's Scream, it is so much more than that. A smart and unique story, it feature the most outrageous finales in recent memory, and the greatest double acts of the year in the mighty Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford.
3. Dredd
An adaption so faithful to the original comic's style and tone, you would have sworn that the book was being run through the projector. Erasing any memory of the disappointing Sylvester Stallone movie, Dredd finally did big screen justice to the classic character, cramming in spectacular special effects, intense action, and note perfect performance's (putting Karl Urban well on his way to cult god status, and letting us know Olivia Thirlby is an actress worth keeping your eye on) into it's relatively short runtime.
2. Avengers Assemble
Marvel Studio's biggest gamble paid off, with Joss Whedon delivering a movie that many people believed would turn out to be Iron Man 3. It perfectly balanced the ensemble cast, giving each character their time in the spotlight, and the perfectly paced story, packed with many wonderful lines and moments, led to one hell of a third act. Sure it had a few bouts of comic book logic, but what do expect from a comic book movie. It also had one of the most heart breaking death scenes of the year, one I'm not quite fully over.
1. What Richard Did
Anchored by a spectacular lead performance from Jack Reynor, Lenny Abrahamson's study of the power of guilt is equal parts shocking and breathtaking. The story takes it's time, really letting us inside the skin of the characters, imbuing the movie with a light tone that makes the events that unfold even more shocking. A tough watch, but one that is so rewarding, and will stay in your memory for a very long time.
Ger’s Top 5 of 2012
5. The perks of being a Wallflower
A surprise to even me that it's in my top 5. It wouldn't have been my first choice for a night's movie watching but I for one enjoyed it. Talented cast with some star performances dealing with a dark subject matter in parts. Visually stunning, the night time driving shots are sublime. Throw in a brilliant soundtrack and you've got one of the surprise packages of the year.
4. Ted
Seth McFarland in my eyes is comic gold. Even if you aren't a fan of Family Guy or American Dad you will love Ted. Plenty of the same raucous humour we've come to expect from Seth and loads of in jokes for fans of his regular shows. In addition a great cast, easygoing storyline and a talking, smoking, drinking Teddy Bear. What else do you need? Hilarious movie, worth a watch.
3. Argo
Ben Affleck's star is riding high and rightly so. His directorial leadership on recent outings has been very impressive. Add to that a maturity to his acting and most crucially choosing the right projects and you get a very dynamic talent.
Argo is his most ambitious project to date and a proper movie. Argo is sublime and one worthy of multiple viewings.
2. Skyfall
Having watched the previous outings with Daniel Craig as 007 I can't help but think that Casino Royale is still the best of the bunch. A very successful reboot of perhaps the worlds most famous movie franchise. What Skyfall did however Was go a few steps further and tweak it again. Great performances from a strong cast and a super villain worthy of the name. It does feel like Bond movies from eras past and sets up nicely future instalments as we are introduced to money penny, Q and of course a new M.
1. The Dark Knight Rises
Ok ok I know it wasn't as good as The Dark Knight but it was still an outstanding film. Trilogy endings rarely deliver anyway as we all know. Having said that still the best film this year I've seen by a mile. Nolan delivered in spades. The naff part with Robin aside, a very fitting end to a fine trilogy and one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Go see them all again!
