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ParaNorman 2012
A refreshingly mature take on how one should respond to bullies that also doubles as a fun variant of the zombie film. Surprisingly jolting in spots, with goofy/endearing characters and impeccable animation. One of the best wide release films of 2012.
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Robot & Frank 2012
Slowly won me over, only for a sudden, awkward and almost offensive collapse into plot mechanics spoiled its listless charm. Langella and robot give good double act, however.
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Twixt 2012
As Marie Dressler said, you're only as good as your last picture, which is why Coppola may identify himself with a "bargain-basement Stephen King" instead of the instant legend of the '70s. Yet this Gothic romance, as stylish on its small, digital scale as his Dracula was on a vast, proudly no-digital-trickery one, shows the director is still capable of beautiful work, and more personal than ever. The cheesiness and self-effacing humor is a welcome change of pace for a…
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The Dark Knight Rises 2012
From just about any critical rubrik, this film falls short. Its grandiose IMAX spectacle cannot cover up the flat banality of most of its compositions, the narrative bloat is immense, and its casual flirtation with fascism is uncomfortable, even if it does jump through hoops to escape that association by the end. Yet if the film indulges the worst of Nolan, it also equally exaggerates his best qualities: his chessmaster plotting, his gift for tension manipulation and his ability to…
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2012
The bit where Garfield is adjusting to his powers is fantastic. Everything else is muddled, poorly shot and contradictory. But it has potential, at least, to not suck.
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Beasts of the Southern Wild 2012
You're doing a heck of a job, Benhie.
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Magic Mike 2012
Who would have guessed a film with a penis pump sight gag would also be the best encapsulation to date of Generation Y and the troubles it faces in pursuing its dreams?
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Stella Days 2012
The occasional moment of honest appraisal of how deep-seated Catholic guilt runs in Ireland is all that saves this white bread, inoffensive take on a knotty subject.
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Extraterrestrial 2012
Amusing, but I feel it eventually dropped the ball on the sci-fi angle, loose as it was to begin with.
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Rock of Ages 2012
It's one thing to be camp. It's another to be abysmal camp.
