A student's look into the world of cinema and all its elements.



Saturday, July 7, 2012

The Halftime Top 5


Halftime Top 5

            So were just over halfway through the year so it’s time to check up on how were doing so far. This year’s first batch hasn’t really done that much for me despite the many anticipated releases. This is expected though as lately all the really good to great films are all piled up in the winter “Oscar” season. So on to the list; this list contains my top 5 movies of the year so far which includes the last couple of leftovers from last year that I didn’t see in time for the top 10 last year (don’t worry this will be the last time you hear from these). So without further due here is the top 5 films of the year plus leftovers…


Prometheus was Ridley Scott’s big comeback to Sci-Fi that was, for the most part, a huge success. Even if the characters where the most part dull, the film still delivered when it provided great tension and fantastic action sequences. Despite not being as great as Scott’s past Sci-Fi masterpieces Prometheus still managed to be a dark, entertaining film and one of the best of the year.


Action and explosions turned up to eleven that is what the Avengers brought to the table. The Avengers is the film that will change all expectations for superhero films that don’t have the name Christopher Nolan attached to it as now every film with giant monster action scenes needs to be at this jaw dropping level. The Avengers is one of the most entertaining experiences that I’ve had all year and I’m glad to have it on this list.

3. Shame

A 2011 leftover, Shame is one of the most brave and impactful films I have seen in a while. The power of Shame lies in the grit (this movie isn’t afraid of confronting the brutality of sex addiction) of the material and the absolutely jaw dropping performances by Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan. Shame is one of those haunting films that stays with you for a long time and it’s defiantly one of the best films I’ve seen all year.


Now we move from one end of the spectrum to the other. Moonrise Kingdom is a whimsical adult fairy tale that features the joys of young love and the evil of the adults who try and stop it. This film is such a joy to watch as it’s filled with colors left and right, an amazing cast, and lovely story which makes it one of the absolute best of the year.


Look I tried to take it away from this spot I tried but David Fincher’s adaptation of the popular Swedish novel is simply so fantastic I couldn’t. As I said in my review if I hadn’t seen this until later on in the year this would have been a strong contender for number one on my list last year. The tone, the editing, the music, the script, and the sheer knock out performance by Rooney Mara made this film a near perfect thriller and yet another amazing adaptation of Steig Larson’s fine novel.

Quick TV Mentions

Mad Men and Luck
            
 First off Mad Men had yet another amazing season this year proving that yet again it’s one of the best ever television shows. Acting, character, and just the sheer amount of surprises kept this series on an amazing level. The other show well worth mentioning is the now canceled (due to horse dying) HBO drama Luck. The show turned from a show I couldn’t understand (literally, good job horse racing lingo) to arguably my favorite season of television so far this year. Episodes four to nine where just simply spellbinding with fantastic performances, good old David Milch writing, and the most well directed episodes on television this year (or any) period. When the series comes to DVD (hope and pray) give the series a shot (getting through the first two is a bit of a drag but then three sets up the rest of the series which is well worth watching especially the horse racing sequances). Luck along with Mad Men form the best TV of the year so far (until Breaking Bad hopefully…).

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