Top 10 of 2012

Top 10 of 2012: As we approach the most unpredictable Oscars in years, I find it a perfect time to name my top 10 films of the year. For those of you that listen to my podcast  CinemaJaw, I gave my list out weeks ago in episode # 136. However there is something about "putting it on paper" that makes it seem official. As always I have also included a second opinion (Jen's list is listed below). I have also included a third opinion (MattK, co-host of  CinemaJaw). Many of these films are out on DVD and VOD. Enjoy.

Ry's Top 10
10) Looper
 9) The Impossible
 8) The Life of Pi
 7) Django Unchained
 6) Silver Linings Playbook
 5) The Perks of Being a Wallflower
 4) Argo
 3) Searching for Sugar Man
 2) Moonrise Kingdom
 1) Zero Dark Thirty

Jen's Top 10
10) 5 Broken Cameras
 9) Life of Pi
 8) The Impossible
 7) Argo
 6) Your Sister's Sister
 5) The Perks of Being a Wallflower
 4) Cloud Atlas
 3) Silver Linings Playbook
 2) Zero Dark Thirty
 1) Searching for Sugar Man

MattK's Top 10
10) Jiro Dreams of Sushi
 9) Prometheus
 8) Lawless
 7) Skyfall
 6) Dark Knight Rises
 5) Amazing Spiderman
 4) Wreck-it Ralph
 3) Ted
 2) Django Unchained
 1) The Avengers

Side Effects Movie Review

Side Effects: Take two pills and call me in the morning. Steven Soderbergh’s latest prescription drug thriller stars Rooney Mara, Jude, Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Channing Tatum. Mara plays Emily Taylor, a young woman suffering from depression while her husband (Tatum) is in prison for insider trading. Upon his release she tries to get healthy by seeking out help from a psychiatrist (Law). This is a “thriller” not a “drama” so not everything is what it seems. Soderbergh opens up the twist early, which I found refreshing. This allowed the last 40 minutes of the movie to play out like a good detective story. In fact, I have not seen such good detective work done by a doctor since Harrison Ford in The Fugitive. While I did enjoy some of the twists, I unfortunately found the story implausible near the end. I am not sure the courts would allow Law’s character to keep treating a patient as the case was building against them. Jude Law gave worthy performance as did Rooney Mara (although I found her hair to be distractingly bad).  The more leeway you give the script the more you will enjoy, for me it was not the perfect dose.

RyTheMovieGuy’s grade: 2.5 Jaws    

If Side Effects had Parents, they would be: The Fugitive and Primal Fear