Top 5 Films of 2012 (so far) Guest Post: Cineaste77

BULLHEAD-

This film hits the audience like a punch to the head- sudden, horrifying and unpleasant. It’s about lost potential and a destroyed life, and a grown man suspended in adolescence at the moment things changed to render him a wounded animal.

THE AVENGERS-

Fun, thrilling, well-written and well directed, but then there was never a reason to expect any less from wunderkind Joss Whedon. The cast gels together as much as their characters do not, attracting and repelling each other through the film. THE AVENGERS is everything a summer action movie should be and more.  

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL-

A powerhouse of British acting elevates this predictable and cliche story to something pretty good. They play a group of retirees who are trying to find the balance between the luxuries they think they deserve, and the budgets they actually have. Judi Dench and Maggie Smith’s characters in particular have some great things to say about old age, dignity, and not letting oneself be put out to pasture prematurely.

THE GREY-

Liam Neeson doesn’t take crap from any creature, be it human or animal.  Widely criticized for its inaccurate depiction of wolf behavior, this film is about the raw survival of humanity out of its element. The most horrifying and disturbing death here doesn’t involve the wolves at all, and it’s touches like that that make this film great.

PARIAH-

Navigating sex and love in your teen years is hard. Navigating sex and love in your teen years when you are a young lesbian ups the difficulty exponentially. Dee Rees’ debut film adeptly shows that there are experiences that are different for gay teens. It also shows that sometimes, no matter what your sexual orientation, things like first loves and heartbreak are common to the human experience.

About Cineaste77:   You might say that Cineaste77 was born to be a movie maven. Legend has it that her mom went into labor after laughing too hard at the “Make Em Laugh” scene.  Her inherited smart eye  for film is especially fond of classics and kung fu.