Ahh, so here we are again, celebrating the year that was. It's gone fast, but it's been a great year for film. It's been interesting to write down the films that make it into my Top Six, because it is completely different to my Top Six Films of 2012 Predictions: basically one film I couldn't bring myself to watch, because - I'm sorry (okay, I'm really not) - but I just cannot stand Kristen Stewart, a second one...well, you can blame Odeon for treating it like shit, so that their scheduling meant that I couldn't see it, and a third one didn't even end up coming out in 2012!
Thankfully, the other three films in my list, did make it into my year end Top Six, so yippee!!
2012 has been a really weird year for cinema in the sense that I have either loved or hated all of the films that I have seen. There has been no middle ground.
So, here is my Top Six Films of 2012. Enjoy:
Now, before I go into the list, I have to say that I had no idea what order to put them in, because they were all so awesome and all deserving of the number one spot. So, I actually put them in order judged by the rating that I gave them when I initially reviewed them, and I have to say that the ordering surprised me a lot!
Six. Looper
Unfortunately, it didn't necessarily live up to what it could have achieved - in terms of ending - which is ultimately why it doesn't make it any higher than five in my chart.
Fun Facts:
Looper isn't Bruce Willis' first time traveling adventure, that has seen him come face-to-face with a younger version of himself. The first time he met his younger self, was Twelve Monkeys, whilst the second was Disney's The Kid.
Best part of Looper:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Not just his amazing transformation in terms of make up, but also his mannerisms that really do make him Bruce Willis. I loved this because it made me realize what characteristics Willis has that make him unique, and in a way it made me appreciate Bruce Willis as an actor so much more.
As two of my favorite actors, Gordon-Levitt and Willis were definitely a fine combination, even if Willis didn't really appear to be in his element - acting wise - despite the fact that Looper is similar to several of his previous films.
Read full Looper review here.
Five. The Hobbit
For something that I only wrote about a few hours ago (as I'm writing this blog post!), it's difficult to know what else there is to write about this film, but so far, I am looking forward to the next two films...I suspect a great deal more than quite a few of the critics!!
Fun Fact:
Before casting Martin Freeman into the role of Bilbo Baggins, several well-known actors were considered including Tobey Maquire, Shia LaBeouf, Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy.
Best Part of the Hobbit:
Initially, I wasn't sure which part was my favourite, but I think it has to be the "riddles" scene between Bilbo and Gollum. Gollum is such a well-constructed character, and Andy Serkis - alongside the CGI - play him so well.
Read full Hobbit review here.
Four. The Hunger Games
I never imagined that The Hunger Games would be anywhere close to the bottom of my list, because at the beginning of the year, I really did expect it to be at number one.
I'm always weary of films that are based on books, but thankfully, this one really did live up to the hype that I'd managed to build up for it - inside my head. That is predominantly down to the Directing of Gary Ross, and the amazing Jennifer Lawrence.
Fun Fact:
It took 45 minutes - every single day - for Elizabeth Banks to have her nails done!
Wes Bentley's beard is not fake or made or hair pieces. Instead, it was "trimmed" using his own facial hair, which is often unusual in films.
Lenny Kravitz didn't audition for his role as Cinna.
Despite there being 24 contestants taking part in the Hunger Games (two from each of the twelve Districts), logistics determined that there were actually only twenty pedestals surrounding the Cornucopia when they enter the Games!
Best Part of The Hunger Games:
It sounds so clichéd, but for me the best part was definitely Lawrence playing Katniss Everdeen. It's really strange, because no matter what I see her in, whether it's doing an interview or starring in another film, I never look at her and see Katniss. It's almost as if she isn't Katniss at all, and that is what makes her the best part. It's the fact that she is such a great actress, that it's difficult to put the actress and the character together.
Read full Hunger Games review here.
Three. Avengers Assemble
Get a big cooking pot. Mix in Robert Downey Jnr, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans (not that one!), Mark Ruffalo and a tiny pinch of Scarlett Johanssen, and what are you guaranteed to get? Well, it could only go one of two ways: It was either going to fail miserably as those personalities and sexy, sexy people clashed, or it was going to be a dream come true.
Of course the film wasn't perfect, but Avengers Assemble (yes, I'm now half-willing to use the films actual and official title!!), was actually really good.
Fun Fact:
The role of The Hulk was originally anticipated to be played by Edward Norton (reprising his role, from his own film, in the same manner as Downey Jnr, Evans and Hemsworth), however things fell apart between Norton and Marvel, and thus the role was re-cast. It was initially rumoured that the role would go to Joaquin Phoenix, however Mark Ruffalo was cast...although, that isn't necessarily a bad thing!
Mark Ruffalo was the first actor to play both sides of The Hulk. All previous films and TV series of The Hulk have seen two actors playing the different sides of the character.
Best Part of Marvel's Avengers:
Mark Ruffalo. Over the past few years, there have been a couple of mis-castings in the role of The Hulk, so when Mark Ruffalo was cast into the role for this film, there wasn't a great deal of confidence, especially since he's not an actor generally associated with this type of film. However, I know I could be biased, because I love Ruffalo, but he did a - perhaps a little unexpected - fantastic job playing The Hulk.
Read full Avengers Assemble review here.
Two. Silver Linings Playbook
Whilst I'm a little surprised to see this film make it so high in a list full of such amazing big blockbusters, it definitely deserves its place up here. I was sceptical, when I sat down in the Cinema, about how good this was going to be, and thankfully, it proved me wrong.
Fun Facts:
My arch-nemesis Mark Wahlberg *shudder* was originally cast as Pat, whilst Anne Hathaway originally took the role of Tiffany. However, Director David O. Russell decided that Bradley Cooper was the better option (damn right!), and a schedule conflict forced Hathaway to pull out. Whilst I like Hathaway, I do think that the re-cast of Lawrence was a good thing.
The Best Part of Silver Linings Playbook:
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. The chemistry between them is electrifying, and I definitely think that that is the reason why this film really works. It needed that spark to be there, even if the characters of Pat and Tiffany can't see it, because it makes you want them to realize they have feelings for each other even more.
The film also proved what brilliant actors both Cooper and Lawrence are. Cooper was practically unrecognisable when compared to roles such as the ones that he played in The A Team and The Hangover, for example.
Read full Silver Linings Playbook review here.
One. The Dark Knight Rises
I know that a lot of people weren't too impressed with the way Nolan chose to end his trilogy, but personally, I liked it. It was an ending that left me sighing happily, and in films with dark films, such as Batman, that is so unusual these days.
Fun Facts:
Tom Hardy gained a total of 30 pounds, for his role playing Bane.
This was the fifth film that has seen Director Christopher Nolan and actor Michael Caine working together.
Christian Bale said that he would only take the part of Batman as long as the character of Robin did not appear in any of the subsequent films. This...almost....happened.
Best Part of The Dark Knight Rises:
The twists and turns. I mentioned it in my review, but I really am glad that I managed to see The Dark Knight Rises without knowing any spoilers, because the film is full of them, right to the last minute and I loved that. Of course, if you go back and re-watch the films, things start to piece together, but nothing beats the first time you experience them.
Read full The Dark Knight Rises review here.
So, there we have it for another year. What will 2013 be like? Who knows, but expect my Top Six Predictions soon :)
What were your favorite films this year?