10. The Hunger Games
I have no shame in admitting that I'm a fan of The Hunger Games. What everyone thinks of as "the new Twilight" is actually a really interesting sci-fi series that could potentially open up the genre for a gigantic young audience. All the people who enjoyed this movie may go on to watch The Running Man or Battle Royale which could mean good things for science fiction movies and books. Putting all of that aside, this was actually a pretty good movie with a good story and some cool action. You shouldn't write this one off just because your little sister has a Peeta t-shirt. 4 out of 5 Framed Pictures of Ricky Smith.
9. Goon
This was a movie that slipped under the radar in 2012, mostly because it wasn't advertised or even shown in most theaters, but Goon was an incredibly funny comedy that is definitely worth seeing. Hockey fan or not, this movie about a minor-league enforcer is an awesome comedy that was a lot better than about 90% of the sports movies out there. Goon gets 4 out of 5 Framed Pictures of Ricky Smith.
8. The Man with the Iron Fists
The RZA's directoral debut is a movie that I can understand the majority of people not liking. It doesn't appeal to a mainstream audience at all, with poor acting and a story that isn't exactly Oscar-winning, so I understand if you don't like it. However, to fans of kung-fu films, this movie was simply awesome. There was a ton of really cool fight scenes and some badass characters, mixed with a soundtrack filled with everyone from Kanye West to The Black Keys. The film was a love-letter to 70's kung-fu films, and it certainly showed. If you can overlook bad acting for action and atmosphere, you should see this film. This film gets 4 out of 5 Framed Pictures of Ricky Smith.
7. Expendables 2
Speaking of films that only a select audience will enjoy, the sequel to the Expendables! If you can't sit and enjoy a ridiculous action movie with a script that is mostly one-liners, go see something else, because this is the kind of movie you can just kick back and enjoy without really thinking about the plot. I love 80's action movies, and I love seeing 80's action stars kick the crap out of each other, and that's what I got with this film. The addition of Jean-Claude Van Damme to the original cast was one of the best movie-related news I had heard in my whole life, and I was not disappointed. Unsurprisingly this movie gets 4 out of 5 Framed Pictures of Ricky Smith.
6. Skyfall
I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of the older James Bond movies, mostly because I haven't really seen many of them. I have, however, seen every Daniel Craig Bond film, and I can assure you that this is the best one. This movie had everything: a great story, great action and a true Bond villain in the always great Javier Bardem. After Quantum of Solace, Bond needed a great movie, and Skyfall did not disappoint. Plus, Adele's theme song was one definitely the best of the Bond songs from the Daniel Craig era. 4 out of 5 Framed Pictures of Ricky Smith.
5. Looper
This is a movie that I went into with low expectations. Not because it looked bad, but because from the previews I had seen it looked like an average sci-fi film about time traveling and Bruce Willis being awesome. I was pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be a well-made, well-acted, well-written science fiction movie that did a really good job of dealing with time travel (a topic that is very hit or miss in the genre). This was also a movie that didn't take this year's Total Recall approach at a "sci-fi future" with ridiculous flying cars and flashy cities. Looper had a nice subtly when it came to the future, and didn't go completely overboard with it. 5 out of 5 Framed Pictures of Ricky Smith.
4. The Dark Knight Rises
Batman's conclusion was the film that EVERYONE was waiting for in 2012. How could Christopher Nolan bring his ultra-realistic Batman franchise to a satisfying end? Bring in the most badass Batman villain there is, of course! Tom Hardy's performance as Bane was as good as it gets in superhero films, and despite a few glaring issues I had with the plot, The Dark Knight Rises was undeniably one of the best movies of the year. 4 out of 5 Framed Pictures of Ricky Smith.
3. Prometheus
With all of the hype, rumors and speculation surrounding Prometheus before and after it was released, this movie became more of a science fiction event than just another film. This was a movie that really pushed the boundaries about what a sci-fi movie can ask about the universe and what we think we know about the world. I feel like I could watch Prometheus a hundred times and it would still have me really thinking after every view. 5 out of 5 Framed Pictures of Ricky Smith.
2. Dredd
British comic anthology 2000 A.D. introduced the character Judge Dredd back in 1977, so why did it take so long for him to get the movie he deserved? If it wasn't for the Hellboy movies, I'd say that Dredd is the best comic book movie ever made, because this was a film that stayed true to the source without being a word-for-word adaptation of a single story. It was obvious that the people who made this movie really understand the original comic strip and cared about making this character come to life. Karl Urban could not have been more perfect as the baddest dude in Mega-City One and I strongly suggest you buy this film on Blu-Ray when it comes out on December 28th so that we can see a sequel starring Urban real soon. 5 out of 5 Framed Pictures of Ricky Smith.
1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
It would take multiple posts to explain why I consider The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey the best movie of 2012. I think that all Tolkien fans can agree that Peter Jackson really cares about us, and showed it in this film. The Hobbit, a book that is shorter than any Lord of the Rings volumes, is being split into three films. Why, you ask? Because Peter Jackson decided that instead of just making a movie out of The Hobbit, he would make a movie that collected everything J.R.R. Tolkien had written about that particular time in Middle Earth and the period before. To avoid turning this small review into a nonsensical, stream-of-consciousness conversation with myself about Tolkien, I'll end it by saying that you must see this movie. 5 out of 5 Framed Pictures of Ricky Smith
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