With the Oscars coming up, I felt it would be appropriate to list my top five favorite
movies of the year. I’m not necessarily saying these are the best movies 2012 gave us, or that my number one should win best picture. These are just the five movies that stuck out to me the most, and the top movies that made me immediately want to watch it again.
5. Safety Not Guaranteed Not many have heard of this film, but it is one that I believe the average movie viewer would really enjoy. It follows the story of a journalist intern, played by Aubrey Plaza, who is investigating a story of a man looking for a partner to time travel with, played by Mark Duplass. It was nice to see Mark Duplass, best known for The League, on the big screen and I hope he is in more feature films to come. It’s a lighthearted, entertaining, and ultimately uplifting story with one of my favorite endings of the year. It’s funny, emotional, and I walked away feeling something. And that is what is ultimately important.
4. The Hobbit
Being blown away by almost every aspect of the movie, I had to put the Hobbit on my
list. It being the first in a trilogy, the only reason it isn’t higher on my list is because the movie was mostly exposition and explaining what was yet to come. Now that’s not to say it didn’t have its fair share of action and story. The set designs, costumes, and special effects were breathtaking, and you could really tell all the hard work and appreciation that Peter Jackson put into it. Many felt it was boring comparing it to Lord of the Rings, but you have to remember it’s the first in a trilogy, and looking back Fellowship of the Ring was very slow compared to the next two. It was a visual masterpiece, great storytelling, and left me really excited for the next two parts to come out.
3. Django Unchained
It’s always a special experience seeing a Quentin Tarantino film on the big screen. Like I said with Peter Jackson and The Hobbit, when watching a Tarantino movie, you can tell all the love that went into making it. All the performances were great, like all his other movies. This is probably his most action packed film since Kill Bill vol. 1, and it may have, if not more, blood than that movie. Some scenes are definitely not for the squeamish, and Tarantino held no bars with gore and the depiction of slavery. As long as you take it for what it is, you will have a great time with Django Unchained, seeing some of the best performances of the year, complimented by one of the year’s best scripts.
2. Zero Dark Thirty
I can’t remember the last time I was so on the edge of my seat in a movie theater. This
movie was one of the best executed I’ve ever seen, showing an obvious technical proficiency in film. Politics aside, it’s hard to deny that Zero Dark Thirty was a sight to see. The torture scenes may be hard to watch for some, but I don’t think they are anything too extreme. My jaw was dropped the whole third act and the intensity was something only one could experience. It is definitely one you don’t want to miss on the screen.
1. Cabin in the Woods
This was easily the most original film I saw all year, possibly in the last five. If there is any movie advice I can give you, it is go see this movie, and don’t do any research on it. It is one that you do not want to spoil for yourself. I’m not even that big a fan of the horror movie genre, but Cabin in the Woods will easily go down as one of my favorite movies of all time. I was so pleasantly surprised with what the movie became, and its bold filmmaking that is lacking in Hollywood today. If I had to choose one Oscar snub of the year, it would be the screenplay of Cabin in the Woods.
