Half way through 2012..The Best [and Worst] Movies of the Year so far!

This year has flown by so far hasn't it? Like most other years I seemed to have spent a big chunk of my time watching movies again [thank you Cineworld Unlimited]

It’s fair to say most of 2012 has been pretty dull and uneventful with many sequels, remakes, reboots and "reimaginings" being churned out at the cinema on a weekly basis... it hasn't all been bad though!

Special mentions go out to 21 Jump Street, Rock of Ages, The Hunger Games, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Five Year Engagement and Seeking a Friend For The End of the World but here are my top five movies of the year so far [not including July!]

5. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Judy, Celia, Maggie, Penelope and Bill... what a cast! This film was based on the 2004 novel, These Foolish Things and told the story of a group of people from different backgrounds entering their "Twilight Years" meeting in a run down Indian hotel.

Some critics were very harsh on this film, comparing it unfavourably to Carry On Abroad. Proof that people talk utter sh*t! The film so far has made over $125 million at the box office; I think that makes it a hit &#59;)

4. The Avengers Assemble

If you thought £125 million was a lot of money, that's nothing compared to the $1.5 Billion that this film made. It was HUGE! Everything about it is epic from the eye popping 3D, the nonstop action sequences, some meaty visual and sound effects and a witty script from Sci-Fi legend Joss Whedon. You may question why I only put this film at number four, it's an obvious choice for the number one but there were some different and more "quirky" films that I enjoyed more....

3. The Muppets

It's time to start the music. It's time to light the lights...

Could this be the happiest movie ever made? As soon as the music starts and the cast burst into "Life's A Happy Song" I didn't stop grinning all the way through this film. You can call it nostalgia if you like but I BLOODY LOVE The Muppets and this film did not disappoint. How many other films have you seen that include a Barbershop version of Smells Like Teen Spirit?

Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, Animal and now Walter. I salute you!

2. Chronicle

I hated The Blair Witch Project; nothing happened other than a loud girl screaming in the woods carrying a camcorder and making the audience dizzy. The reason I mention this is that there are obvious comparisons with this movie. The whole thing is recorded with various pieces of equipment such as i-phones, camcorders and even helicopter cameras throughout.

The main difference between the two films though is that the characters here are much more believable and likeable. I don't want to tell you too much more as I didn't know that much about it before I saw it and I was really pleasantly surprised at what I saw. Brilliant stuff!

1. Jeff, Who Lives At Home

At the moment I am addicted to American Sitcoms, particularly those on NBC [The office, 30 Rock, SNL, Parks and Recreation...], and 98% of the films that I have watched over the last couple of years have someone from at least one of these shows. I have called this my "NBC rule" and it seems to be pretty accurate!

I mention this because "Jeff, Who Lives At Home" is a very small movie [seen by approximately 157 people when it was on] and I probably wouldn't have watched it myself had it not been for the two main leads - Ed Helms [from The Office] and Jason Segel [from How I Met Your Mother.]

I'm so glad I have been one of the few people who has saw this film though as it was just so warm and sweet. Jason Segel plays Jeff [he lives at home] and he doesn't do much other than smoke pot and obsess over the terrible film "Signs". As a result of his two main hobbies he believes everything happens for a reason and throughout this film he is proven right.

This film is not exactly what you would call "fast paced," if anything it crawls at a snail's pace at the start, but that really doesn't matter as the two main characters are so interesting and charming that you get caught up in their little worlds.

I know that this film won't appeal to everybody, but people who are willing to give this film a little time and patience will be greatly rewarded!

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So they were the best movies, here are the worst in no particular order [I only picked two]

Dark Shadows

Tim Burton directs Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Grace Moretz and Michelle Pfeiffer in a movie version of a 60s US soap, what could go wrong? Plenty it seems...

The whole film should have worked, it has a lot going for it, the cast was perfect and Johnny Depp is a very reliable lead star. However, the whole movie comes across as DULL. The action sequences are disjointed, not making much sense and the "story" is about as interesting as seeing someone's holiday slides for the 34th time.

Mr Burton could and should do much better than this.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Imagine a version of Snow White where the main character is played by the girl from Twilight. Yes, it IS as bad as it sounds!

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So that is the year so far, there are still plenty of big films on the way. Its very possible that the top five at the end of the year may be very different. We'll just have to wait and see!

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