The Best (and Worst) of 2012

Christopher Nolan's masterful conclusion to The Dark Knight trilogy is not only a step up comparing to previous two movies, it's also one of the most epic and incredibly well made action/adventure films I've seen. Directed with much skill, done with great scope and featuring stellar performances from the cast, the movie has been my number 1 of the year for the last six months and though some films came close, not one of them managed to dethrone it. The film has one stand out performance - that delivered by Anne Hathaway as suave and clever Selina Kyle - but it doesn't have the biggest issue The Dark Knight had - the performance so fantastic it puts everyone in the shadow, making the film uneven. Lead by wonderful Christian Bale, the cast delivers earnest performances that are never overshadowed by the film's incredible action set pieces and breathtaking moments.

It is a true art to create powerful performance in average movie. Denzel Washington created incredible work based on the mediocre script - his astonishing performance is the only thing driving this movie, preventing it from derailing. The anguish, self loathing, desperation and finally - redemption - without Washington all of those aspects of his character would be completely hallow. With him playing Whip, they are brutally real and powerfully honest.

Rapace's powerful work in Ridley Scott's Prometheus was not easy - after all she would inevitably be compared to one of the most bad ass heroines in the cinematic history - Sigurney Weaver's Ellen Ripley. As Dr Elizabeth Shaw she is naive, curious and trusting - at first. She is driven by her desire to meet her makers and uncover the unknown. In the process of the movie we see her becoming strong and fearless, prepared to do whatever has to be done to survive. Rapace delivers a performance of a heroine who is admirable, inspiring and strong but she never stops being human and never loses her innocence.
De Niro finally delivers amazing performance - his Pat is a loving father, devoted husband and slightly obsessed football fan. As you can see this category was very competitive and we truly got a whole variety of wonderful supporting performances this year, but none of those amused me and moved me as much as De Niro's work. He was both hilarious and powerful throughout the movie and there is no way the film would work as well as it did without his scenes, especially his final lines to his son.
In the film that features so many talented actors, Anne Hathaway managed to completely steal the spotlight. Though her work as Selina Kyle isn't quite on the level of the iconic Catwoman created 20 years ago by Michelle Pfeiffer, Hathaway delivers fun, sexy and cool version of the character that brought the classic depictions of Catwoman to mind. Her work here is miles above her overrated turn in Les Mis and I only wish she was as cool and suave during Oscar season as her character is in the movie.
Best director:Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight Rises (2. Rian Jonhson, Looper 3. William Friedkin, Killer Joe 5. David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook)
Best screenplay:Killer Joe (2. Looper 3. Argo 4. Silver Linings Playbook)
Best music:The Dark Knight Rises(2. The Hobbit 3. Beasts of the Southern Wild 4. Dredd)
Best track:Why do We Fall, TDKR (2. Rise, TDKR 3. Over Hill, The Hobbit 4. Batman Chased, TDKR 5. Dear Frodo, The Hobbit)
Best costumes:Snow White and the Huntsman (2. Anna Karenina 3. Lincoln 4. The Hobbit)
Best cinematography:Skyfall (2. Moonrise Kingdom 3. The Dark Knight Rises 4. Prometheus 5. Killer Joe)
Best editing: The Dark Knight Rises(2. Skyfall 3. Looper 4. Argo)
Best visual effects:Prometheus(2. The Dark Knight Rises 3. Looper 4. Skyfall 5. The Hobbit)
Best trailers: 



Biggest Disappointment:Zero Dark Thirty  (2. Killing Them Softly 3. Les Miserables)
Worst Performance by an Actress:Sally Field, Lincoln
Worst Performance by an Actor:Whoever played the young villain dude in The Hunger Games
Most Overhyped:The Hunger Games (2. Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables 3. Zero Dark Thirty 4. Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty) 
Worst Movie of the Year:Cloud Atlas(2,5/10) (2. Premium Rush - 2,7/10)
Biggest Miscast:Jaime Foxx as Django in Django Unchained
Funniest scene:Thomas Hayden Church's jacket falling apart in Killer Joe (2. De Niro vs the kid who wanted to do the interview in Silver Linings Playbook 3. Thranduil screwing over the dwarves in The Hobbit prologue 4. LOOK WHAT JESUS DID! in Ted 5. The bag scene in Django Unchained 6. Every time Pat worked in Tommy being dead in a conversation in Silver Linings Playbook 7. Is that your dick? in Killer Joe)
The most I cried during the movie:Frankenweenie (2. The impossible)
The most shocking scene;The chicken drumstick moment in Killer Joe (2. Telepathic sex scene in The Paperboy 3. the LACK of sex scene between Idris Elba and Charlize Theron in Prometheus - seriously I went to see it in the cinema and in 3D and it didn't happen?!)
Best Kiss:Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Fight:Elizabeth Shaw vs the fetus in Prometheus (2. Bane vs Batman, The Dark Knight Rises 3. First shootout in Candyland, Django Unchained)
Best Chemistry:Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender in Prometheus
Best Quotes:Pings, glitches, life forms, what the fuck?! (Prometheus), You are my favorite, favorite thing (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World), Fuck the cops! Fuck them! (Seven Psychopaths), Keep fighting, ni**ers! (Django Unchained), A king has his reign, and then he dies (Prometheus), You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden, that you would not survive in the wild and that you have no place amongst us? I've never been so wrong in all my life.(The Hobbit)
Best Line deliveries:Congress must never declare equal those who God created unequal! (Lee Pace, Lincoln), I've been lying about my drinking my whole life (Denzel Washington, Flight), You will procure me these votes. (Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln), I'm adaptable. (Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises), Then you have my permission to die (Christian Bale, The Dark Knight Rises),  Thank you....thank you so very much (Naomi Watts, The Impossible), Your slave wife speaks German and her name is Broomhilda von Shaft? (Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained)
Best Scene:  Bruce makes the climb in The Dark Knight Rises (2. The vote/the amendment is passed, Lincoln 3. Whip confesses, Flight 4. The plane takes off, Argo 5. The dance, Silver Linings Playbook)
Best Opening: Thank God for The Hobbit because otherwise that category would be empty.
Best Ending:The Dark Knight Rises (2. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World 3. Killer Joe)
The Lisbeth Salander favorite hero award goes to:Dr King Shultz, Django Unchained (2. Selina Kyle, The Dark Knight Rises 3. Elizabeth Shaw, Prometheus)
The Joker favorite villain award goes to:Joe Cooper, Killer Joe (2. Fernando Wood, Lincoln 3. Calvin Candie, Django Unchained 4. David 8, Prometheus 5. Queen Ravenna, Snow White and The Huntsman)
"I blacked out for a moment there' reaction for the hottest character of the year goes to:Garret - Lee Pace, Twilight -Breaking Dawn part 2 - seriously just look at him.
(2. Captain Janek - Idris Elba, Prometheus - had I been on board no one would pilot that ship. He would be otherwise engaged.
3. Fernando Wood - Lee Pace, Lincoln - I know he is racist. I know. I'm SORRY.
"Am I high or did it actually happen?" question for the most ridiculous movie moment goes to: 1. Idris Elba's HANDS UP!!! death scene in Prometheus - seriously what the fuck was that? (2. Marion Cotillard's death scene in The Dark Knight Rises 3. James freaking Bond taking elderly woman to the middle of nowhere in Scotland with barely any guns to keep her safe from the bad guys and pissed off Javier Bardem in Skyfall)
The Jar Jar binks facepalm gesture statute for the most annoying character of the year goes to:Maya - Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty (2. The main kid in Moonrise Kingdom 3. Mary Todd Lincoln in Lincoln 4. all the talking crap aka trolls, orcs and other ugly creatures in The Hobbit)
The shirt with the scarlet H letter for the Hypocrite of the year goes to: Quentin Tarantino, for making the movie about race discrimination while committing discrimination on basis of nationality and not hiring Idris Elba...because he is British.
Flaming dog poo and eternal shame goes to: Thepeople responsible for the deaths of 27 animals on The Hobbit set, Wes Andersonwho featured pointless scene with the dog dying in Moonrise Kingdom and the directors of Cloud Atlas for featuring the scene where dog is shot for comic relief. You people make me sick.
Pussy Wagon travel in style award goes to:King Thranduil and his elk in The Hobbit
Uggie Award for the cutest animal goes to:Sebastian, the hedgehog in The Hobbit
Tub Scene award for the hottest sex scene of the year goes to: You all sucked this year. And not in THAT way.