2012 has come to a close, which means it’s once again time for my look-back at the best and worst movies of the past six months.
From July through December, I saw 51 movies at Essex Cinemas and Cumberland 12. And, yes, I missed a handful, but most of them were intentional (House at the End of the Street, Sinister, 2016 Obama’s America).
Without further ado, away we go…
Best Acting: Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis)
Runner-up: Flight (Denzel Washington)
Worst: Trouble with the Curve (Clint Eastwood)
Best Action: Skyfall
Runner-up: Looper
Most Disappointing: The Amazing Spider-Man
Best Bloodiest Bloodbath: Django Unchained
Runner-up: Killing Them Softly
Just Bloody Awful: Alex Cross
Best Remake/Reissue: Dredd
Runner-up: Total Recall
Worst: Red Dawn
Best Movie No One Saw: End of Watch
Runner-Up: Seven Psychopaths
Worst Movie Everyone Saw: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part II
Funniest Movie: Pitch Perfect
Runner-up: The Campaign
Funny? What Funny?: Here Comes the Boom
Best Use of 3D: Finding Nemo (3D reissue)
Runner-up: Life of Pi
Worst 3D Movie: Resident Evil: Retribution
Best Eye Candy for Kids: Wreck-It Ralph
Runner-up: Hotel Transylvania
Honorable Mention (and surprisingly kid-friendly): Katy Perry: Part of Me
Best Kids Movie Not for Kids: Frankenweenie
Runner-up: ParaNorman
Worst, Kids or Not: Parental Guidance
Best Movie about a Family: This Is 40
Runner-up: The Guilt Trip
Worst: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Best Old-timers Movie: Hope Springs
Runner-up: The Expendables 2
Worst “Kids These Days” Movie: Step Up Revolution
Best “Guns a-Blazin’” Movie: Taken 2
Runner-up: Lawless
This franchise must be shot: Ice Age: Continental Drift
Best “More Cerebral Than You’d Think” Movie: The Bourne Legacy
Runner-up: Jack Reacher
My brain still hurts, thinking about how this thing was even made: The Words
Most Sweeping Epic: Les Miserables
Runner-up: The Hobbit
Epic Fail: Fun Size
Most Surprisingly Good Movie: Premium Rush
Runner-up: Rise of the Guardians
Most Surprisingly Awful Movie: The Watch
Not as good, now that I think about it: Cloud Atlas
Runner-up: Hit and Run
Even worse, the more I think about it: The Odd Life of Timothy Green
and, finally…
Best Movie: Argo
Runner-up: The Dark Knight Rises
Worst Movie: Playing for Keeps