Best Picture-Winner

The winner for the Best Picture of 2012 is...


Marvel's the Avengers


There were so many good moments in The Avengers.  I'll give you what I believe is the most iconic.  It's the moment when the six Avengers finally stand united against the alien invasion at ground zero preceded by the Hulk's thunderous roar.  It may be a little corny, but that part does kind of give me chills of excitement.

So, congratulations Earth's Mightiest Heroes.  You were 2012's mightiest movie!

Hope everyone had as much fun with this as I did. 

Best Director-Winner

And the winner is...


Joss Whedon


Whedon had the biggest potential for disaster in 2012 with the highly anticipated Avengers film and he blasted it out of the park.  Don't take my word for it.  The world thought he did, too, to the tune of over $1 billion in revenue across the planet making it the third highest grossing movie of all time.  It was a brilliant effort on Whedon's part.

Therefore...

Best Picture 2012

The Amazing Spider-Man

Chronicle

Django Unchained

The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey

Marvel's the Avengers

Silver Linings Playbook

Sinister

Skyfall

Ted

Wreck-It Ralph

Best Director 2012

Joss Whedon (Marvel’s the Avengers)- I said in my original review of The Avengers that this film could have gone horribly wrong given the # of characters sharing screen time.  Whedon, however, deftly gives each hero his/her moment to shine without it feeling forced.  It’s one of the better directorial juggling acts I’ve seen in recent memory.

Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man)-Webb had the unenviable task of rebooting the Spider-Man franchise after Sam Raimi.  Well, Spider-Man 3 wasn’t much to come back from; however, Raimi was responsible for what many consider the Webhead’s magnum opus in Spider-Man 2.  It was a risk to allow Webb to tell Spidey’s story in his own voice and not build on the groundwork established by the previous director.  It was a risk that worked better than anyone could have expected.  For me, Webb’s darker version of the Spider-Man mythos is the best version of the character on screen to date. It’s just a shame that some were more concerned with the fact that it was a reboot so soon after Spider-Man 3 rather than judging it on its own merit. 

David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)-Russell’s dark take on the rom-com about two emotionally disturbed people made me interested in a genre that has done very little to get me excited through the years.  ‘Nuff said.

Scott Derrickson (Sinister)-Derrickson has made one of the creepiest horror movies in recent memory.  He knows how to set a mood, that’s certain.  The plot in Sinister starts with a slow boil and builds to its killer (literal) crescendo at the climax.  And we are introduced to the demon, Bughuul.  Bughuul is the ultimate face of terror and it’s not only due to his frightening visage.  What makes him so creepy is that he is not directly responsible for the evil in the movie.  When you are powerful in your own right and still have others do your bidding…you’re one of the great movie monsters in the last 20 years.  Here’s hoping the inevitable sequels don’t ruin “Mr. Boogie.”

Peter Jackson (The Hobbit:  An Expected Journey)-Jackson returns us to Middle Earth complete with Orcs, Hobbits, Elves, and Dwarves.  For good measure, he even adds a dragon to the mix this time (although Smaug is not fully seen).  Like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I’m sure the Hobbit’s next two sequels will amp up the fighting even more.  If you were a big fan of LOTR, this trip back to Middle Earth is more than satisfying.

Josh Trank (Chronicle)-Trank expertly delivers a super hero movie (of sorts) without the capes.  But Chronicle is more than super powers.  It’s about how power can totally corrupt a person, especially a downtrodden teen who has had little happiness in his life.  It’s a very powerful, underrated film.

Seth MacFarlane (Ted)-How do you tell the story of a foul-mouthed, pot smoking teddy bear come to life?  I don’t know either, but MacFarlane pulls off the comedy of the year in his directorial debut.

Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)-Tarantino takes his usual visceral view of the world back to the Antebellum South.  Django is violent, over the top, and wickedly comical.  You know.  Very Tarantino.

Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph)-Normally, Disney’s summer Pixar release is its best animated feature of the year, and, usually considered the best animated feature of the year period.  Moore’s video game inspired feature far exceeded the Pixar release of Brave for me.  It has an unlikely hero, a lush animated landscape, and all those nostalgic video game characters from the ‘80s and 90s that just pushes it over the top.

Sam Mendes (Skyfall)-While a little overlong for my tastes, Mendes’ foray into the James Bond series is an exciting one for the most part.  What’s great about it is it doesn’t focus on world domination in any way.  It’s a simple tale where the villain is motivated strictly by revenge.  Its simplicity and Daniel Craig’s rendition of Bond makes this one a winner.

Best Actress-Winner

And the winner is...



Jennifer Lawrence


The character of Tiffany Maxwell was one of kind to be sure.  This performance was also the easiest call of the year.  Congratulations to J.L.

Best Actress 2012

Again, not many nominees for 2012, but good ones...

Kate Beckinsale (Lori)/Total Recall- Beckinsale is such pure evil as the undercover agent posing as Colin Farrell’s wife.  I can’t recall seeing in a role like this before.  I didn’t know she was capable of it.  Very good performance.

 

Jennifer Lawrence (Tiffany Maxwell)/Silver Linings Playbook- Let’s just say you might not want to get into a heated debate with Tiffany for fear she could lose it and shank you.  Maybe I’m overstating her neuroses in this film, but, there is no doubt she feels things passionately.  But underneath her mental hang ups is a tenderness and yearning to be understood.  It’s a fine performance by Lawrence who is becoming one of the better young actresses in Hollywood.

 

Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy)/The Amazing Spider-Man- I think what strikes me most about Gwen in ASM is that, yes, she is the obligatory  damsel in distress, but she’s not helpless like so many of the super hero love interests.  It’s a smart performance and she shares real chemistry with Andrew Garfield’s wallcrawler. 

Best Actor-Winner

And the winner is...


Dane DeHaan


DeHaan's descent into madness is a sight to behold, and, for me, the best performance by an actor this year.

Best Actor 2012

Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man)- What else can you say about Downey’s performance as the brilliant, arrogant, billionaire inventor turned super hero.  Honestly, I don’t think he’s doing much acting here if you know what I mean.

 

Chris Diamantopoulos (Moe Howard)/ The Three Stooges- While Sean Hayes and Will Sasso did more than credible jobs as Larry and Curly, the standout here was Diamantopoulos as Moe.   His mannerisms, facial expressions, and physicality are classic Moe.  He hasn’t received nearly as much attention as he deserved for this.

 

Dane DeHaan (Andrew Detmer)/Chronicle- DeHaan’s performance tells the sad tale of what a lonely, bullied teenager can do if he gains incredible power.  The power corrupts him completely and DeHaan deserves credit for depicting Andrew’s slow descent into madness.  The most powerful scene?  Andrew sitting cross-legged in a junkyard telekinetically crushing a car while looking blankly into space.  It’s sad and frightening at the same time.  I haven’t seen an expression like that since Vincent D’Onofrio first showed signs of losing his grip on reality in Full Metal Jacket.

 

Bradley Cooper (Pat Solitano)/Silver Linings Playbook- Cooper really displayed some acting chops here playing the bipolar Pat with both gut-wrenching and comic results.  He had great chemistry with his co-lead, Jennifer Lawrence.  It was just an all-around enjoyable performance.

 

Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker/Spider-Man)/The Amazing Spider-Man- I have heard every excuse for why people don’t like this movie or Garfield and very few of them have anything to do with the movie/performance itself.  Garfield is not Tobey Maguire.  That’s not a good or bad thing.  It’s just different.  Garfield plays the part edgier than Maguire did while still retaining the character’s heroism and sense of responsibility.  If you have not seen Garfield as Spider-Man, you are doing yourself a disservice. 

 

Jason Statham (Luke Wright)/Safe- Statham is a double nominee for me this year.  In Safe, he takes the lead role in what I believe is his most nuanced performance.  Yes, it’s Statham, so there is slam-bang action galore in the film, but I actually think he shows a little range as a haunted ex-cop who finds a level of redemption protecting a young girl.  I was impressed.

 

Daniel Craig (James Bond)/Skyfall- In my opinion, the ONLY James Bond!  I mentioned in my review of Skyfall that Craig’s Bond does what he does out of a sense of duty, not because he enjoys the life.  You get the sense that he would gladly do something else if it were an option.  That’s what makes Craig’s Bond different.  That’s what makes him the most layered James Bond there has ever been.

 

Karl Urban (Judge Dredd)/Dredd- The best part of Urban’s performance is it’s not Sylvester Stallone’s awful portrayal of Dredd.  All kidding aside, Urban plays the character perfectly, grimly speaking his lines in the low growl that fits a no-nonsense butt-kicker like the Judge.  Another good thing is he never removes his helmet to mug for the camera.  More evidence that Urban at least took the character a lot more seriously than his predecessor. 

 

Sacha Baron Cohen (Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen)/The Dictator- Pure comedic roles are rarely recognized by the Academy, particularly, completely raunchy ones.  Genius, madman (very likely both), Cohen is bad taste personified.  And you know what else he is?  Extremely funny!

 

Denzel Washington (“Whip” Whitaker)/Flight- Washington’s rendition of an airline pilot struggling with alcoholism is gut-wrenching and hard to watch  because his character can never quite get his act together.  There aren’t many actors that could have brought home a performance that elicits an equal amount of sympathy and disgust.  Washington pulls it off.

 

Seth MacFarlane (Ted)/Ted- OK, I admit this is way outside the box, especially since we are only talking about MacFarlane’s voice.  However, the rude, crude, lewd teddy bear come to life is arguably the best creation of 2012.  And MacFarlane’s irreverent humor proves he still knows how to be funny even if he doesn’t do it with Family Guy consistently any longer.

Best Supporting Actress-Winner

And the winner is...



Natasha Calis

 

She showed such an incredible range of emotion for an actress at such a young age.  Whether she was supposed to be incredibly frightened or evil personified, it was the best depiction of possession I've seen since Linda Blair.  Don't believe me?  Check out the photo.

Best Supporting Actress 2012

Not many nominees here.  Hopefully, some surprises.

Anne Hathaway (Selina Kyle)/The Dark Knight Rises- When I first heard that Hathaway was cast as the sultry Catwoman (although she is never called by this name in the film), I was a little worried.   Hathaway is attractive, but could she bring the allure and smolder that is part of this character’s make-up as well.   The answer is yes as Hathaway delivers the best rendition of the character to date.  She’s strong and dangerous.  This is the true Selina Kyle.   A master thief with mad fighting skills.  No supernatural origin.  No magic cats.  Just a human being with an advanced skill set.

 

Natasha Calis (Emily Brenek)/The Possession- I don’t think I’ve ever seen as chilling of a stare in a horror movie as Calis delivers here.  She is without a doubt the standout performer in a decent, but ultimately unremarkable film.  Her range is amazing going from a scared out of her wits child to something that makes your skin crawl when the possession fully takes her. 

 

Chloe Grace Moretz (Carolyn Stoddard)/Dark Shadows- Again, the best performer in an otherwise unremarkable film (even with Johnny Depp).  Moretz’s sarcastic and amusing take on her character teaching Depp’s character about life in the new era to which he has awoken are easily the best the movie has to offer.  Rebellious and isolated, the audience is again given depth by a child actress.  With all of the adept child actors/actresses there are, it again makes me angry at George Lucas for giving us Jake Lloyd!

 

 

Best Supporting Actor-Winner

And the winner is...



Josh Brolin

Brolin's uncanny performance as Young Agent K was the best of the year.  I still don't know how he mimicked Tommy Lee Jones as well as he did.




In what was the most hotly contested category of the year, Josh Brolin's spot-on mimicry of Tommy Lee Jones just could not be ignored.  I have never been the hugest fan of the Men In Black series, but his performance alone made MIB 3 my favorite of the trio.

Best Supporting Actor 2012

Let's kick this puppy off.  Good year for this category in my opinion.

Josh Brolin (Young Agent K)/Men In Black 3- It’s absolutely uncanny the way Brolin channeled the younger version of Tommy Lee Jones’ crusty character.  He must have followed Jones around 24/7 watching every last nuance of his mannerisms and voice inflections.

 

Tom Hiddleston (Loki)/Marvel’s the Avengers- Hiddleston plays the Trickster God with twisted, evil glee.  You’re actually happy when the Hulk viciously pounds him.  Speaking of which…

 

Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/The Hulk)/Marvel’s the Avengers- Mark Ruffalo finally gives the audience the definitive movie Hulk.  Something Eric Bana couldn’t do.  Something Edward Norton wasn’t bad at.  Ruffalo’s timid scientist-turned- green rage monster is what this character will be measured against from now on.

 

Tom Cruise (Stacee Jaxx)/Rock of Ages- Cruise may be as crazy as a road lizard in real life but there’s no denying he is a good actor capable of taking on a variety of different roles.  As the world weary, spaced out rocker, Stacee Jaxx, he is by far the most watchable character in a very forgettable musical.  And, he can actually carry a tune!

 

Jason Statham (Lee Christmas)/The Expendables 2- Amidst all the madcap chaos in both movies, Statham’s character seems the least like a caricature.  Christmas is fast and deadly with a wry sense of humor that doesn’t make you want to constantly roll your eyes.  I know Statham has no formal martial arts training, but his fight scenes always pop.

 

Leonardo DiCaprio (Calvin Candie)/Django Unchained- With all due respect to Christoph Waltz who does give a more than credible performance in this film, it is DiCaprio who has the outstanding part here.  A gross oversight by the Academy.   DiCaprio gives one of the best performances, if not, THE best performance of his career as the charismatic, but brutal plantation owner dealing in slave fighting and prostitution.  Leo breaks from his norm here and is outstanding doing so.

 

Samuel L. Jackson (Stephen)/Django Unchained- Jackson at his snarling, foul-mouthed best as Calvin Candie’s traitorous house slave.

 

Tom Hardy (Bane)/The Dark Knight Rises- It’s no secret that I have some issues with this film (although I have softened toward it upon a second viewing).  Hardy’s intelligent portrayal of this hulking anarchist is one of the best parts of TDKR.  And anything that makes you forget about Joel Schumaker’s Bane is aces in my book.

 

 

 

2012 Golden Lightsaber Introduction

Welcome to the first annual (hopefully) Golden Lightsaber Awards for my blog, Reviews from the Dark Side.  I have seen and reviewed many movies in 2012 and felt this was the next logical step. 

My awards will be a little different than the Oscars, Golden Globes, etc.  Of course there are no actual Golden Lightsabers, so the awards are strictly metaphorical.  There will be only six categories.  “The Majors” so to speak.   So there will be nominees and winners for Best Actor/Supporting Actor, Best Actress/Supporting Actress, Best Director, and Best Movie.  There will be as many/few nominees as I feel are deserving.  Now there’s one thing I’ve never understood about the Oscars.  How can the best director not direct the best movie of the year?  It has happened.  The director is primarily responsible for how a film is constructed and how it flows.  So, for as long as I write this blog, there will be no drama as to what I believe is the best movie of the year.  The best director winner will tell you what it is.  This is how I will present the nominees and winners to you.  Best Supporting Actor nominees will start the process.   The nominees will be allowed to sink in for 24 hours and the winner will be announced the next day along with the next category of nominees.  The nominees for Best Director/Movie will be made on the same day/night. 

Now, how were the nominees determined?  They’re based on reviews from the Dark Side blog and movies seen on DVD.  The nominee selection is limited to 2012 films.  There are over 40 reviews on Dark Side of 2012 movies I’ve seen in theaters.  You will see some surprise nominations for films I have not formally reviewed.  I made the decision a few months ago that I will reserve the main blog for movies seen in the theaters for a couple of different reasons.  One, there’s that whole full-time job thing that limits my time and this is something I do for fun (although I wouldn’t mind being a full-time critic).  Two, while writing the reviews is fun, it is a process for me and takes some doing to formulate my thoughts and add them to paper (or computer in this case).  Also keep in mind the nominees only come from movies I have actually seen.  While I’m sure Lincoln is a fine film and Daniel Day-Lewis gives his usual stellar performance, I haven’t seen it and will not likely see it prior to making my nominations.  Therefore, it’s not fair to that film or the other films I have seen to comment how good or bad it is. 

So there you have it.  The first nominations will be made on February 16.  As in the Dark Side blog, I welcome comments, opinions, and healthy debate.  Keep in mind, these nominations are only one person’s opinions.  Let’s keep everything friendly because this is only a discussion about movies.  Let’s have some fun!

Please see Darth Vengeance's original reviews at sithlordreviews.blogspot.com. 
Blog name:  Reviews From the Dark Side