The Mid-Year Report: Favourite Performances

Which Moonrise Kingdom star will crack my top 10?

1. Mark Duplass, Safety Not Guaranteed – For bringing humour and humanity to a character who could have seemed way over the top, and for damn near breaking my heart in the process
2. Jake Johnson, Safety Not Guaranteed – For not only being hilarious, but also taking a stock character (the douche-y, cocky reporter) and making him someone we care about
3. Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games – For offering a strong, internalized performance to a teen blockbuster
4. Channing Tatum, Magic Mike – For making me a Channing Tatum fan
5. Edward Norton, Moonrise Kingdom – For taking a small role and stealing the whole damn movie
6. Jack Black, Bernie – For bringing ambiguity and heaps of charm to a character who should be black-and-white
7. Brie Larson, 21 Jump Street – For playing a hugely charming love interest and being genuinely funny in her own right
8. Chris Hemsworth, Snow White and the Huntsman – For once again playing the macho leading man while still balancing the physical requirements with humour and warmth
9. Aubrey Plaza, Safety Not Guaranteed – For proving she has the charisma and acting chops to be an offbeat leading lady
10. Charlize Theron, Snow White and the Huntsman – For bringing the wrath and just generally being fierce

Honorable Mentions: Woody Harrelson in The Hunger Games (for being his usual sassy self, and also hinting at the dark undertones of Haymitch), Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in 21 Jump Street (for working together brilliantly), Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (for making a fetching pair and elevating otherwise light material), Dane DeHaan in Chronicle (for making a highly charismatic leading debut), Gina Carano in Haywire (for kicking ass and offering up menacing on-screen presence), Matthew McConaughey in Magic Mike (for saying “alright, alright, alright” a couple dozen times).

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2012 Movie Preview: Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Part 1)

Alright, so I’ve come up with a giant list of upcoming films of 2012 that look interesting to me, and over the next week or so, I’ll be sharing it here in separate parts. It is by no means an exhaustive list, but I have tried to cover a lot of different genres. Today, we’ll look at the first half of the sci-fi/fantasy blockbusters that caught my eye. Stay tuned for part 2 of the sci-fi/fantasy list tomorrow.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (June 22)

This could very possibly be terrible, but it could also be stylish and fun. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Mary Todd, which is bound to be awesome, and the film also stars Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Alan Tudyk, and Jimmi Simpson (McPoyles!). I must admit, lead actor Benjamin Walker (playing ol’ Abe) is pretty much unknown to me.

The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3)

Like most people, I think that a Spider-Man update is unnecessary. However, I do love Andrew Garfield, so I support his foray into leading man territory. Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, and Dennis Leary are pretty cool, too, and I’m curious to see what 500 Days of Summer director Marc Webb will do with this oh-so-familiar story.

The Avengers (May 4)

It looks like Joss Whedon’s superhero amalgam, The Avengers, will serve as this year’s official kickoff to the summer movie season. The trailers haven’t impressed me too much, and I could see this thing going horribly wrong (too many stars!), but I still remain cautiously optimistic. And anything with Robert Downey Jr. is worthwhile watching.

The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)

Part of me thinks that Christopher Nolan should have stopped the Batman franchise with his 2008 masterpiece (yeah, I’m one of those people) The Dark Knight. But a bigger part of me is also excited to see where he’ll take the series, as well as what Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, and Anne Hathaway will bring to the film.

Gravity (November 21)

Little is known about this Alfonso Cuaron-directed thriller, other than that it will star George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. It’s apparently about an astronaut trying to return to his family on earth. And while that doesn’t sound like especially new territory, Cuaron is bound to add a lot of visual richness.

The Hunger Games (March 23)

With its fast-paced plot and nonstop action, The Hunger Games reads like a book that is waiting to be adapted to a movie. So with that source material and with Jennifer Lawrence as your leading lady, it would be hard to screw up the movie too badly. It’s definitely marketed to a teen audience (a la Twilight) but The Hunger Games, if done well, could be an exciting time at the movies for all age groups.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 14)

Considering how good the Lord of the Rings films were, it’s hard not to be excited for part one of this prequel of sorts. Martin Freeman seems like a great choice for Bilbo, and it’ll be great to see some of the original LotR cast back.