It’s only been a few days into 2013, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to take one last look at the best and worst from 2012. This particular blog is dedicated to the best entertainment events from 2012, along with some of the bad moments. Bear in mind, a majority of these categories were a) made up off the top of my head and b) are, for the most part, based on movies that I’ve seen so far. If there’s a movie that I haven’t seen, you’ll know immediately.
With that being said, let’s hand out the prestigious “Nerdy” awards.
Best Superhero:
2012 was the year of the superhero. Whether it was Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye and Captain America saving New York City from Loki, Peter Parker coming into his new spider-abilities or Bruce Wayne protecting Gotham from a ruthless madman, superheroes dominated 2012.
Winner:
Batman (The Dark Knight Rises)
Sorry Avengers fans. The one movie that I’ll remember most from this year is The Dark Knight Rises. Although it has it’s fair share of plot holes, (but, to be honest, what movie doesn’t?) director Christopher Nolan has managed to make an exciting and thoughtful conclusion to the Dark Knight trilogy. With a cast featuring Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman and Marion Cotillard, Nolan’s tale of the Dark Knight comes to an exciting and thrilling finale.
Honorable mentions:
The entire cast of The Avengers, Spider-Man (The Amazing Spider-Man)
Best Movie Villain:
Winner:
Tom Hardy as Bane (The Dark Knight Rises)
This was a tough decision. The other runner-up in this category was Javier Bardem in Skyfall. But, ultimately, Hardy’s performance as the ruthless warlord holding Gotham City hostage won out. Chilling, menacing and ruthless, Bane managed to capture the audience with his terrifying plan to hold Gotham hostage with a nuclear bomb. While I still prefer Heath Ledger’s Joker, Hardy managed to make breathing issues terrifyingly awesome.
Biggest Surprise:
Winner:
The Avengers
Now, I have to be honest when I say that when The Avengers came out, I was the opposite of excited. My honest opinion was that Marvel was rushing out its superhero movies solely to get The Avengers made, and for that reason, I refused to see it in theaters. But when I eventually saw it on DVD, I actually felt bad for my stubbornness. Again, while I preferred The Dark Knight Rises, Joss Whedon manages to hold his own with a movie of this size. Stellar performances by the entire cast.
Best Comeback:
Winner:
James Bond (Skyfall)
Nobody does it better than Bond, James Bond. As I said in my review of Skyfall as well as my countdown of the James Bond movies (the rest of the list will be finished shortly), Quantum of Solace was a huge disappointment from the elements that worked so well for Casino Royale. After a four-year hiatus due to MGM’s financial troubles, director Sam Mendes helped to re-reboot the Bond franchise with, arguably, one of the series best movies, as well as being one of the best movies of the year. Sam, please come back and direct Bond 24. Additionally, James Bond also takes home a “Nerdy” award for Best Spy of the Year. The Bourne Legacy and Taken 2 never stood a chance against the suave and sophisticated 007.
The “Thank God”/Most Anticipated Award:
This particular award goes to a movie that I have been looking forward to for the entirety of the year.
Winner:
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
I know what you’re thinking: “How did the last Twilight movie make it onto this list?” Well, one reason, really: this series is finally over. I won’t have to listen to another “Twilight is better than Harry Potter” or listen to another argument over Team Edward or Team Jacob. And don’t get me started on the fact that Twilight took the idea of splitting their last movie into two parts from that other successful fantasy series? You know, the one that actually had a plot and interesting characters? So, thank God this movie finally came out. Fingers crossed that a remake is not in the future for these movies.
Runners-up:
Skyfall, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Django Unchained Les Misérables
Best Actor:
Winner:
Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln)
No contest here. If he doesn’t win the Academy Award for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, I will have lost all faith in the Oscars and the Academy itself. Whenever he’s in the room, he exudes a sense of power and dynamism, and manages to capture the attention of everyone. Powerful, evocative, thought-provoking, Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance is, perhaps, his best role so far.
Best Director:
Winner:
Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
Having not yet seen Les Misérables, Zero Dark Thirty, The Hobbit or Django Unchained yet really narrowed down my list of best directors. However, the “Nerdy” goes to Spielberg for Lincoln. Spielberg manages to elicit good performances from the entire cast (including Sally Field, who should be nominated for best actress, Tommy Lee Jones and David Strathairn) as well as tell the story about the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Spielberg’s talent for good storytelling and impressive dialogue has never been more evident than in Lincoln.
Best Picture (That I Saw):
Lincoln
My opinion might change after seeing Zero Dark Thirty, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Les Misérables and Django Unchained, but the best movie of 2012 (that I saw) is Lincoln. Masterfully directed, amazing performances from the entire cast and relevant to our modern political culture. Lincoln should win Best Picture at the Oscars this year.
What were your favorite movies of 2012? What movies are you most looking forward to in 2013? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Rather Be A Nerd 