Cinemonk's Film Rankings of 2012

Here is the complete list of movies I reviewed over the past year in order from best to worst. Coincidentally I saw an even 100 movies this year this is not something I was trying to do, it just ended up that way (If you're being technical, I saw 101 if you count Star Wars and Star Wars Uncut as two different movies, but I listed here together). This is a VERY loosely organized list. Most of the films I saw this year were good to great, this coupled with the fact that the differing genres and types of films make them very difficult to organize into such a list. So don't write to me saying that X movie is better than Y movie, because A) this is a subjective list, and B) this list is far from perfect. I did my best, and that's all you can ask of me. Each entry on this list is linked to my review of that movie so you can use my own words against me in the creation of these rankings. List after the jump.

How to Make a Superman Movie

Tarantino Explains Top Gun

Here's a video of Quentin Tarantino explaining the deeper meaning of Top Gun. Some NSFW language.

The Best Excerpts From Positive Reviews of Adam Sandler's New Movie

Adam Sandler has made a name for himself in Hollywood by frequently starring in and producing films that are just plain awful. Of the 21 films he has starred in/produced/written in the last ten years, only 3 have fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, the best being 2002's Punch Drunk Love (79%) and the worst being last year's Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star (0%). HIs latest film That's My Boy is currently sitting at a lowly 24%, but to give you some of the lines from positive reviews would be boring. You know this movie is horrible, you don't need critics explaining to you why. But what about that 24% minority why did they give this movie positive reviews? Here are some of the best excerpts from their reviews.

The funniest movie Adam Sandler has made since 50 First Dates. -Willie Waffle

For some reason, Adam Sandler’s latest seems less annoying than usual. -CombustibleCelluloid

Of course, it’s no Punch Drunk Love, but you gotta pay the bills somehow. I get it. Grae Drake,Movies.com

I wouldn’t dare recommend “That’s My Boy” to the average filmgoer. It’s reserved for Sandler fans who’ve come to expect a certain velocity of stupidity from their doofus king. -Blu-Ray.com


Sandler, make no mistake, doesn’t phone it in. He delivers every single line with the unspeakably annoying rasp of a rusty nail scraping on your brainpan. -Owen Gleiberman, EW.

If Sandler changed his name to Nicole Holofcener, you’d be reading kinder reviews. -TimeOutChicago.


[I'm] the kind who needs Adam Sandler to keep making deplorable garbage like this. I will watch it and I will enjoy myself and I will have no excuse for it and I will remain un-sorry.
The film gleefully celebrates statutory rape. That might be a deal-breaker for you, comedically speaking. It also celebrates child neglect, drunken violence, three-ways with Grandma and Vanilla Ice (co-starring as himself), shooting people at point blank range with shotguns and pouring orange juice up the nose of a 300-lb. stripper who is simultaneously hanging upside down on the pole while eating a plate of bacon and eggs. -Dave White, Movies.com

The 5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012

By Quinn Levandoski

The movies are getting more expensive all the time. I feel old because (and sad) because I can say “I remember when a large popcorn was only 5 bucks” and have younglings looks at me with magical wonder (and/or scared confusion). Tickets at my theater range from about 7 bucks to 12 or 13 depending on the show and time, and food costs an arm and a leg. Literally, I go to a theater for zombies. With going to the movies turning into less of a fun past-time and more of an investment every day, here are five movies (plus a few honorable mentions) that I think will be well worth your time and cash. The following list is in no particular order, because they’re all going to be awesome.

1. The Hobbit

Truth be told, the trailer released a while back for The Hobbit left me unimpressed. Something about the look of the dwarves rubbed me the wrong way, and the whole thing just didn’t portray the scale and intensity that it probably should have. That being the case, there’s not much doubt in my mind that the final product won’t be a pretty great flick. Peter Jackson, the man behind the three Lord of the Rings movies, is entering back into the realm of Middle Earth, and nothing up until this point gives me reason to believe that he won’t be just as skilled with Bilbo’s tale as he was with Frodo’s. Those that have read The Hobbit (which takes place before The Lord of the Rings) know that while the story may be a bit smaller in scale, it does offer some great moments and a suitably awesome concluding battle.

Full Best Picture Winners Rankings

1. Casablanca

2. Bridge On The River Kwai

3. Lawrence of Arabia

4. Schindler's List

5. Annie Hall

6. The Deer Hunter

7. It Happened One Night

8. The Godfather Part II

9. All Quiet On The Western Front

10. American Beauty

The Worst Best Picture Winners

1. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

This is a fictionalized biography of Florenz Ziegfeld, a real life Broadway impresario. The film tracks Ziegfeld's life from his beginnings as a promoter at the Chicago World's Fair, to his success as a Broadway producer, to his death. The most prominent issue with this film is the musical numbers. Naturally, this film features many of Ziegfeld's stage productions, and these scenes are certainly a visual spectacle. However, they drag on and on. There is one scene that must be twenty minutes or more by itself. Over a quarter of the movie is made up of these musical numbers and they have absolutely nothing to do with the plot! The only part of this movie I enjoyed was seeing the actors who played the Wizard and the Scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz” in other roles.

The Best Best Picture Winners

1. Casablanca (1942) 

 This film is considered by many to be the greatest screenplay ever written. The dialogue in Casablanca is better than any other film I have seen. There are so many classic lines in this movie. From “Here's Looking at you, kid” to “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” this movie is just dripping with brilliant dialogue. Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman both bring the dialogue to life with excellent performances. However, it's not merely the dialogue that makes this film great. It also contains an excellent character study and an intriguing love triangle, all on top of the political tensions of World War II. The shadowy film-noir style lighting and cinematography add even more to the drama and emotions. As time goes by, this movie remains superb.

Oscar Picks 2012

The Oscars are coming up this sunday, and unlike years past many of the categories are much more closely contended with no real front-runners. Here is who I think will win, who ought to win, and a dark horse for this year's biggest categories.