Letterboxd — Your life in film

Joss Whedon is the MAN! He took everything I love about his works - the witty dialogue, the character development, the self-referential jokes - and applied it to the superhero genre - with tremendous success! "The Avengers" is one of the best superhero flicks of all time and already a strong contender for the best movie of 2012.

I finally saw it on the big screen last night and although I knew exactly what was going to happen in every scene, it was an even more impressive experience than my first two viewings. If I could give it six stars, I would!

Sam Mendes delivers the first 007 movie with Daniel Craig as the British spy that isn't ruined by a lame-ass poker scene (Casino Royale) or simply complete and utter crap (Quantum of Solace). It might be too less of a "James Bond flick" for some (what does that even mean?), but I thought there were quite a few nice nods to the Franchise in there plus I'll take it as a more than decent action flick any day. Oh, and Javier Bardem, once again, proves that he's distressingly comfortable in the role of the twisted, psychopathic villain.

The first movie I watched in 2013 is probably one of the best that came out in 2012. An almost flawlessly directed old school political thriller that balances elements of thriller, drama and comedy with ease. Ben Affleck is on the way to becoming the next Clint Eastwood (there, I said it).

After what will forever be known as the "TDKR disaster", I tried to lower my expectations for the first film of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" trilogy as much as I could. This turned out to be a wise decision, considering the movie is mildly and entertaining yet highly forgettable. It's basically "The Lord of the Rings" minus most of the distinct and lovable characters as well as the epic story.

I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan so I was 100% sure that I would enjoy his latest film as well, and oh boy, did I enjoy it! "Moonrise Kingdom" swept me off my feet right away and it might just be the greatest coming-of-age love story ever told on screen.

Spoilert alert: Osama Bin Laden dies at the end.

While the movie certainly was visually stunning, I was a little disappointed storywise, considering the book (which I have yet to read) was recommended to me with such high praise multiple times in the past.

EDIT: I felt the need to add a few more words, but I can't do that without going into detail, which is why you shouldn't read the comment section unless you've already seen the movie!

I went into the movie without any knowledge of the book (which I started reading immediately afterwards for comparison purposes) and although I have to admit that it was quite entertaining, it was also rather forgettable. There is some solid acting (especially from Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson and - surprisingly - Lenny Kravitz) but it's ultimately still a story that's clearly aimed at teenagers and young adults. Therefore, the focus remains mostly on the emotional conflict while it only scratches the surface in terms of social and media criticism.