1. The Avengers.
This is probably everyone's favorite movie of the year. It blew away all expectations and raised the bar for future superhero films. This is a movie that has been in the works ever since the first Iron Man came out back in 2008. We've been waiting anxiously for years for this ultimate superhero film to finally hit theaters. I saw it with my brother and best friend the day it came out. I was so ecstatic! We went to a sold out showing at Tinseltown. After all the previews, the movie finally came on. From the first action scene to all the character introductions, you got a great sense of what this movie was going to be like. Joss Whedon, the director/writer, made a terrific movie that balanced humor, action, and intelligence in every scene. Each character had his/her moment in the film. I was so impressed with what Joss was able to accomplish. He knew the expectations were high and still delivered a great superhero film, and in my opinion the best one of all time. Robert Downey Jr, Tom Hiddleston, and Mark Ruffalo were the major standouts in the film. They were just amazing. Overall, the movie kept you entertained the entire time. I wasn't bored at all. The writing and acting was that good that you just kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. I can't wait for the sequel in 2015. I just hope Joss realizes what worked in this one and can hopefully make an every better one the second time around.
2. The Dark Knight Rises
A great trilogy is hard to make. I mean there are few great trilogies out there. The Star Wars trilogy (original) and the Lord of the Rings trilogy come to mind when I think of great trilogies. There really aren't many good ones out there. It's easy to think of some pretty bad ones. The Matrix trilogy comes to mind or maybe the Pirates of the Caribbean films. It's hard to make worthy sequels. Enter Christopher Nolan. This man is a genius. What he was able to do with the Dark Knight trilogy was simply spectacular. Batman Begins felt so fresh and amazing that a sequel was inevitable and highly demanded. The Dark Knight came out a couple of years later and made cinematic history. With an indelible performance from Heath Ledger, that movie became one of the greatest sequels of all time. And it obviously raised the bar for the third movie. The Dark Knight Rises came out this past summer. The expectations were enormous. Probably the highest ever for a third movie other than Return of the Jedi. I saw this one opening night as well and was completely impressed by it. This movie had everything in it and gave us a very satisfying ending to one of the greatest trilogies of all time. I will say that the Dark Knight was written better and still has the greatest performance, in Heath Ledger, of the trilogy. But this movie is my favorite of the series. It was just filled with emotion and drama and excellent heart-pounding music in every scene. Christian Bale delivered his best performance of the trilogy in this movie. With a strong cast that included Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway and Gary Oldman, Nolan was able to utilize all this talent into creating a moving action packed spectacle that will go down as one of the great superhero movies of all time.
3. Skyfall
This year is the 50th anniversary of Bond. So that already creates enough pressure for the 23rd Bond film to deliver. I knew as soon as Sam Mendes was hired to direct the next bond movie, that it was going to be great. Mendes directed some great films like American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and Jarhead. His filmography is eclectic and shows the kind of range he has. He knew this movie was going to be highly anticipated. So he got a great group of writers and selected a terrific cast and began a great journey to create a worthy Bond film. Once the movie was viewed by critics, word was spreading that this was one of the best Bond films of all time. The critics were bragging that this the Bond film that we've been waiting for so long. I had high expectations coming into this movie. And just like with the Avengers and Dark Knight Rises, I walked out of the theater completely satisfied and wanting to see it again. Everything about this film was incredible. It begins with an intense chase and doesn't let up. The chemistry between Daniel Craig and Judi Dench is just outstanding and provides some good laughs and superb wit. Javier Bardem steals the show as the villain. He delivers a performance that is chilling and will go down as one of the greatest villains in the entire franchise. But the movie once again works thanks to Craig. He is just cool. He owns the role and makes it seem effortless. Like Casino Royale, Skyfall has a great story that entertains and challenges the audience and wows them in every scene with breathtaking locations and terrific action sequences. Skyfall is not only a great Bond film, but a great action film that will become an instant classic.
