2012 MOVIE LIST -- The Top 153 So Far

THE STANDOUTS (21) - This should go without saying, but these are all must-sees.

The Place Beyond the Pines ***1/2
Zero Dark Thirty ***1/2
The Impossible ***1/2
The Raid ***1/2
The Sessions (fka The Surrogate) ***1/2
Moonrise Kingdom ***1/2
Silver Linings Playbook ***1/2
The Grey ***
Compliance ***
Rust and Bone ***
End of Watch ***
Argo ***
Beasts of the Southern Wild ***
Life of Pi ***
Django Unchained ***
Game Change (HBO) ***
The Imposter ***
Chronicle ***
The Perks of Being a Wallflower ***
Project X ***
21 Jump Street ***

THE GOOD (41) - These represent quality filmmaking all-around.

Flight ***
Safety Not Guaranteed ***
Looper ****
Arbitrage ***
West of Memphis ***
Skyfall ***
Michael ***
Easy Money (Snabba Cash) ***
Jack Reacher ***
Ruby Sparks ***
Ted ***
Frankenweenie ***
This Is 40 ***
Lincoln ***
Pusher ***
A Hijacking ***
Promised Land ***
Bullhead ***
Take This Waltz ***
Your Sister's Sister ***
Sleepwalk With Me ***
Smashed ***
That's My Boy ***
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon ***
Act of Valor ***
Killer Joe ***
God Bless America ***
The Five-Year Engagement ***
Hope Springs ***
Friends With Kids ***
Haywire ***
Sleepless Night ***
Room 237 ***
Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope ***
Hit and Run ***
Goon ***
Shut Up and Play the Hits ***
Robot and Frank ***
Celeste and Jesse Forever ***
Save the Date **1/2
Side By Side **1/2

THE GOOD... BUT SHOULD'VE BEEN BETTERS (23) - Why weren't these good movies better? I don't really know. But they should've been. Hence, the name of this section.

The Dark Knight Rises ***
The Master ***
Magic Mike ***
Wreck-It Ralph ***
Killing Them Softly ***
The Hobbit **1/2
American Reunion **1/2
ParaNorman **1/2
Thanks for Sharing **1/2
The Company You Keep **1/2
Disconnect **1/2
Dark Shadows **1/2
The Hunger Games **1/2
Cabin in the Woods **1/2
The Avengers **1/2
Seven Psychopaths **1/2
Bachelorette **1/2
V/H/S **1/2
Lawless **1/2
Man on a Ledge **1/2
Seeking a Friend For the End of the World **1/2
The Woman In Black **1/2
The Words **1/2

THE GUILTY PLEASURES (18) - These are movies that I shouldn't like but I do, for one reason or another. I only feel ashamed because the Internet tells me I'm supposed to.

Dredd 3D ***
Pitch Perfect ***
Get the Gringo ***
What To Expect When You're Expecting ***
For a Good Time, Call... ***
Fun Size **1/2
Sushi Girl **1/2
Bindlestiffs **1/2
The Bay **1/2
Wanderlust **1/2
The Paperboy **1/2
No One Lives **1/2
Piranha 3DD **1/2
High School **1/2
This Means War **1/2
The Babymakers **
John Dies at the End **
Mirror Mirror **

THE UNDERWHELMING DISAPPOINTMENTS (38) - Chalk it up to expectations but these movies just didn't cut it for me.

Prometheus **1/2
The Amazing Spider-Man **1/2
Cloud Atlas **1/2
Contraband **1/2
Savages **1/2
Sinister **1/2
Safe House **
Premium Rush **
Liberal Arts **
Deadfall **
Not Fade Away **
Men in Black 3 **
Total Recall **
Alex Cross **
10 Years **
Holy Motors **
Les Miserables **
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter **
The Bourne Legacy **
The Campaign **
Rise of the Guardians **
The End of Love **
Nobody Walks **
To Rome With Love **
Nature Calls **
The Collection **
Silent House **
Chernobyl Diaries **
Anna Karenina *1/2
Battleship *1/2
Excision *1/2
Aftershock *1/2
Simon Killer *1/2
The Raven *1/2
The Watch *1/2
The Innkeepers *
Red Lights (Sundance cut) *
Apartment 143*

THE BAD (12) - For better or worse, I just don't know what these movies were thinking.

Lay the Favorite *
John Carter *
Damsels in Distress *
The Lords of Salem *
The Dictator *
On the Road *
Cosmopolis *
ATM *
Snow White and the Huntsman *
Taken 2 *
Detention 1/2*
The ABC's of Death 1/2*

OOPS, I MISSED (63): 2 Days in New York, Alps, The Apparition, Being Flynn, Brave, Bully, Casa de mi Padre, Chasing Ice, Chasing Mavericks, Crazy Horse, Dark Tide, The Deep, Deep Blue Sea, Detachment, The Devil Inside, Don't Go In the Woods, The Expendables 2, The Flowers of War, Footnote, The FP, Gone, The Guilt Trip, Headhunters, Here Comes the Boom, House at the End of the Street, The InBetweeners Movie, In Darkness, Intruders, The Island President, Jesus Henry Christ, Juan of the Dead, Kid With a Bike, Klown, Lockout, Lola Versus, Loosies, The Lorax, Meeting Evil, Middle of Nowhere, Newlyweds, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, On the Ice, Paranormal Activity 4, Parental Guidance, People Like Us, Perfect Sense, Playing For Keeps, Polisse, The Possession, Red Hook Summer, Red Tails, Return, Roadie, Rock of Ages, Salmon Fishing In the Yemen, The Samaritan, Scenes of a Crime, Sparkle, Thin Ice, This Is Not a Film, Turn Me On, Dammit!, Undefeated, The Vow

COMING SOON (6): Amour, Hotel Transylvania, Hyde Park on Hudson, The Intouchables, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Trouble With the Curve