Most Anticipated Movies of 2012

With the new year upon us, it's time to preview some exciting movies. And if the Mayans are correct, this could be the last year, which could explain why Hollywood is churning out one great film after another - spanning from its array of comic book heroes, to Disney adaptions/book adaptions, thrillers and remakes, all the way to prequels and sequels. Below is a list of the top 25 films I'm anticipating. Take a look!

January:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (20th)
Underworld: Awakening
Man on a Ledge (27th)










February:
The Woman in Black (3rd)
The Vow (10th)










84th Academy Awards (Sunday, 26th)






March:
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2nd)
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
The Hunger Games (23rd)










April:
The Cabin in the Woods (13th)
Chimpanzee (Earth Day, 20th)










May:
The Avengers (4th)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Limited)
Dark Shadows (11th)











June:
Snow White And The Huntsman (1st)
Prometheus (8th)
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (22nd)










July:
The Dark Knight Rises (20th)










August (BEST month ever!)
The Bourne Legacy (3rd)
Premium Rush (24th)










October:
Untitled Taken Sequel (5th)
Leatherface 3D










November:
Skyfall (9th)
Gravity (21st)










December:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (14th)
The Great Gatsby (Christmas Day, 25th)

While this list isn't definitive (I'm sure other films will spark my interest as the year progresses), it's definitely a great start. So tell me... what movies are YOU anticipating?

Lion King and The Dark Knight Rises Trailer Mash-Up

Source: Youtube

I always love a good movie mash-up. This one is pretty base, but cute. If you haven't seen Christopher Nolan's long anticipated conclusion to his Batman series - The Dark Knight Rises - where have you been?! Click here to view trailer. This new awesome trailer comes courtesy of Youtube user MovieMaestroTen (via SlashFilm). They take the audio from The Dark Knight Rises trailer and place the perfectly edited footage over The Lion King to make Disney's epic, The Lion King Rises. Check it out!

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20th.
How excited are you to see it?

Top 10 Best & Worst Movies of 2011

If I could sum up last year, 2011 was definitely the year of obscure/artsy films. In case you need a little refresher course, check out Genrocks video recap here.

Every year I have a difficult time narrowing down my "best of the best" list - there's always an abundance. This time proved more daunting than usual due to the lack of great movies to choose from. There were a few I'm sad I missed though - My Week with Marilyn, Ides of March, Beginners and We Bought a Zoo. However, compiling my "Worst of the Worst" list wasn't difficult at all. There's always tons of those (can't believe how many awful movies I saw). Without further ado, I present my Top Ten Best & Worst Movies of 2011.

Worst of the Worst

Dishonorable Mentions:
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Horrible Bosses
The Change-Up

10. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1
Even though I enjoyed this movie (hey, I'm a fan of the books), I still thought it was hokey storytelling, cheesy and (as always) it had the signature brand of stiff and awful acting.


9. Red Riding Hood
“Oh, Grandma, what a big, bad movie this one is.” If you thought the Twilight movies were bad, this gothic, teenaged-melodrama love triangle is worse.


8. Captain America: The First Avenger
Blah. Blah. Blah. Here’s a movie that could have been First-Class, instead it was BORE-Class. Feels like it was made in a rush ONLY so they can make The Avengers.



7. The Mechanic
If you are about to go over a ledge of a roaring waterfall and someone tosses you a line and shouts, "I'll tow you to shore, but then we have to watch The Mechanic," take the plunge. And I don't want to hear about how you can't swim either.


6. Abduction
One of the most idiotic and cliche-ridden movies ever. It’s The Bourne Identity for underage simpletons. Cheesy mixed in with a lot of bad acting.



5. Just Go with It
Yeah, Just Don’t. The movie seemed to exist solely so Sandler and his friends could go on a free trip to Hawaii at our expense. Not only will you feel frustrated by watching this mistake of a movie, but it just lacks funny.


4. The Green Hornet
It bored many people to tears with its attempt at a tongue-in-cheek blockbuster. HUGE epic fail. If you’re longing for a super hero movie, save your time and your money and watch The Dark Knight instead.



3. Shark Night 3D
It tried to capture the magic of last year’s Piranha. Only this one was horrible with NO redeeming qualities. Don't eat the American teens! Actually, who cares. Watch Jaws instead.


2. Prom
If you are ever sucked up into an alien spacecraft, and the extraterrestrials offer you a choice between getting probed with their instruments or watching Prom then fine, OK, option B, but still...

And the #1 WORST movie of 2011 goes to...

1. Beastly
This is an awful and completely ridiculous modern take on Beauty and the Beast. This movie had some of the worst clumsy dialogue ever, the whole concept was even clumsier. It tries to cram magic and social media into the same half-baked world, and it never even approaches convincing. (rolls eyes)

Best of the Best

Honorable Mentions:
Limitless
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Super 8

10. Soul Surfer
This little one arm surfer girl made me cry. I know this pick may be a little cheesy and out of left field, but I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It’s inspirational, touching and makes you feel good about life in general and reminds you that anything's possible.


9. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
What looked to be the most unnecessary film of last summer turned out to be a surprising hit, thanks in part to the remarkable performance of Andy Serkis as Caesar and cool old-school storytelling.


8. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Who knew the fourth installment of the series would be the best one yet. This is one terrific thriller that holds some of the best action sequences around. It’s kind of like action poetry.





7. Moneyball
The film makes a great deal of sense. It's a great film about American business. This is a pretty sympathetic view of what it takes to run a large business organization. Intriguing storytelling mixed with great acting!


6. Midnight in Paris
This Romantic comedy is a fabulous day-dream. Not only is it funny and charming, but it’s surprising touching, and profound. Even if you’re not a fan of Woody Allen you’ll fall in love with this film for sure.



5. The Help
It's funny, touching and incredibly humane – so don't be ashamed to turn on the waterworks if you feel like it. And don't be surprised if Viola Davis walks away with a golden statuette for her performance.


4. Bridesmaids
Director Paul Feig + hilarious Kristen Wigg headlining an amazing cast of ladies = last year’s BEST comedy and one of the best comedies in a long time.

3. Hugo
The most charming 3D adventure of last year belongs to a young boy named Hugo. This is the first real children's film by Martin Scorsese, and one of his finest films yet. If you love movies and the history of film, I guarantee you’ll fall in love.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
It's a film that did the seemingly impossible. The eighth film of the series ends up being the best of the series and a truly great film in every respect. It definitely ended with a bang. I’m just sad it’s finally over.

And the #1 BEST movie of the year goes to...

1. Drive
From its gripping getaway opening scene to its ambiguous dramatic ending, Drive packs a powerful punch. Yes, it’s definitely gory and violent (in parts), but it has some of the best acting, directing, and editing that you’ll be completely mesmerized from beginning to end. This film is definitely a work of art and Ryan Gosling is truly magnificent!

There you have it, folks. The floor is now yours... What movies made your best and worst list of 2011?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer

Source: Youtube

It's time to return to Middle Earth once again. The first full trailer for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first part of The Hobbit adaptation, has arrived. Apparently it will be playing in front of Tintin. For Lord of the Rings fans, like myself, this is everything you could imagine. Martin Freeman stars as Bilbo, along with Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Andy Serkis as Gollum, and many more. Take a look and Enjoy!

The Hobbit is once again directed by Peter Jackson in two separate segments. It's set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in a trilogy ten years ago. The Hobbit films, with screenplays by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, will be shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera technology. The Hobbit follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. This epic film arrives in theaters in 3D on December 14, 2012.

You in??

Young Adult Review

What can be said about Young Adult other than it's this year's feel bad dark comedy. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody, whose two previous films (Juno and Jennifer’s Body) both centered around teenagers. In a way, this one is also about adolescence. This movie stars Charlize Theron, one of the best actors working today, as Mavis, a character we thoroughly dislike. She's a 37 year old who still views the world as if she were still 17, when she always got her way, when her beauty made everyone fawn over her, and when she was queen of her small town.

Mavis is not a likable person. You’ll find yourself both laughing at her and with her, as you observe her incredible desperation to win back her old flame, Buddy (Patrick Wilson). She is a woman who doesn’t have the best plan, nor does she even get it, but it’s intriguing to watch her carry out her ridiculous plan to the bitter end, with all the peaks and the valleys of her often embarrassing journey, which contains some serious and shocking, (some) funny and tragic moments.

There's definitely an underlining theme of attitude in the film, which was thought provoking - how we perceive the world and deal with the hand dealt is ultimately up to us.

Young Adult had some great performances. I'm a big fan of both Theron and Wilson. Over all it was a well put together film. I will say, though, it was a little more depressing than I had anticipated, but I'm glad I saw it.
RATING: C

What did you think of it?