5 Movies You Should Have Seen so Far in 2012

First Half of 2012-Top 5 Films

There's a theme here somewhere but I can't quite place it....

Today marks the beginning of a new series from me, your now-slightly-more-professional-friendly-neighborhood-Spiderman. This series is Movies of 2012. We'll look at the year in two halves, and I'll tell you what films I think are going to be the best and the worst. Anyways, here we are! Just over halfway through the last year before the world's end, and so far Hollywood has been kicking out some great stuff. From fairy-tales to superheroes to aliens to children-murdering-children to reboots to remakes to more fairy-tales, it's been quite the 6 months. Travel back with me back to 5 movies that stand out above the rest, and if you haven't seen them already, are worth watching.

Chronicle

They took "dark and gritty superhero movie" very literally

This "found-film" story about a few teenagers who get nosebleeds a lot looked slightly interesting to me at first, but I figured it wasn't going to be all that great. I had no idea who Writer/Director Josh Trank was, and was unimpressed by the trailers. Chronicle was released into theaters and of course didn't have much box office success, but critical acclaim for the superhero flick was through the roof. It settled comfortably into the mid-80's on Rotten Tomatoes. I gave it a look, and so far everything I'd heard was true. It's clever, engaging, exciting, and most of all it has great lessons to teach us about the importance of family, friendship, and the sacrifice a hero really has to make. If you like superhero movies, or movies that have great emotional stories, Chronicle is a must-see.

Cabin In The Woods

Joss Whedon might not be a name you've heard much of is very quickly establishing himself as an incredible director. His other success this Summer, a low-budget independent film called The Avengers, did pretty well in theaters, and had some nice support from critics as well. Something he did that was completely different (besides being hilarious and having Thor in it) was Cabin in the Woods. This sci-fi/horror/comedy crossover was fresh, entertaining, and something I feel Hollywood has been lacking. There are some out there like it (The Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy, Zombieland), and they always seem to do quite well. Joss took the whole horror/comedy thing and added a whole new aspect. I won't tell you what it is because it's worth it to go in not knowing. I myself am not a horror movie fan, but this film makes fun of all your horror stereotypes, keeps you laughing, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and will most likely turn you into a Whedon fan.

Moonrise Kingdom

Lately, it seems Wes Anderson can do no wrong. The unique director's last two films have both received very high marks from critics. 2009's Fantastic Mr. Fox was his first romp into the animated realm, and it looked like something he'd done a thousand times before. This Summer's Moonrise Kingdom featured a remarkable cast, with actors like Bill Murray, Edward Norton, and Bruce Willis. The plot is something like this: Two children in love run away from their home in New England, and the result is a local search party to find them. Moonrise Kingdom looks to offer plenty of laughs, as well as a great, if somewhat unconventional, love story.

Also really cool hats

Hunger Games

Suzanne Collin's novel about a future were the gap between upper and lower class is so great that the latter live in districts and send their children to murder each other in "Hunger Games" for the entertainment of the former was a giant hit among young people. The book had to be very difficult to adapt into a film, but a wonderful job done by director Gary Ross, another standout performance by Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence, and direct help from author Suzanne Collins helped make The Hunger Games another successful book-to-movie adaption.

MARVEL's The Avengers

"Look at the mayhem we've caused...it's...it's awesome..."

Has any movie ever received as much hype as The Avengers? Technically the sixth installment in the Marvel superhero series, this massive consolidation of characters lived up to the hype, and is now one of the most successful movies of all time. Director and writer Joss Whedon brings out the depth in the characters, keeps the serious moments serious, and never fails with his humor and wit (I call it the "Whedon Whit" now). The critics agree that it's a great movie, and the box office numbers broke records everywhere. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I highly recommend you do so. For my review, click here. If you're one of those people who needs to know everything about a movie before you see it, you can check out the spoilers.

Honorable Mentions: 21 Jump Street, Prometheus

Both of these films managed to impress in some great way, but they didn't do as much for me as the other five. 21 Jump Street brought in unexpected cleverness and humor, as well as a decent acting performance by Channing Tatum. Prometheus was also great to watch, but I realized afterwards that my favorite part was the visuals, and everything else was merely decent. Both are still definitely worth seeing.

Tickets here!

If you're thinking about seeing any of these movies or maybe something else, you can buy tickets though our site now! Just click the Fandango box and find a theater near you! If you buy through us, we make a small amount of money, but everything we make will go towards our blog and improving it. We'd really appreciate it.



Stay tuned for more posts this week, as the YAMB team seeks to churn out material!


-Zack