The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises

Directed by Christopher Nolan

The third, and by far the darkest in Nolan's Batman trilogy. Being the follow-up to The Dark Knight is an unfair task to be assigned a movie, which stands as one of the greatest action movies of our time. It's about as big as a movie could reasonably be, so it comes as no surprise that to conclude his Batman trilogy, Christopher Nolan would try to one-up himself. It makes too many attempts at being bigger and more epic, but doesn't ever seem to pull it off. But although it doesn't live up to its predecessor, The Dark Knight Rises is still a fantastic superhero movie of exaggerated proportions.

Top 5 Musical Scores in Movies of the 2000s

I know for a fact this list isn't going to be one a lot of people will agree with. Most of the choices are "mainstream", but I don't care. I've been around myself enough to feel like I have at least a decent grasp of what music I like. Not totally sure, but I think so.

So here is my list, in all of its splendor:

Early Oscar Predictions: 2012-2013

I love trying to predict the Oscars, because it reminds me of how ridiculous the entire award system is. So, before many of these movies are even released, I have decided to start guessing which ones will get awards, and in what categories. This original list will stay intact, so by the time awards season arrives, we'll be able to see how much it has changed. Sound good? Goooood.

Jeff, Who Lives At Home

Jeff, Who Lives At Home

Directed by Jay & Mark Duplass

A somewhat dark, yet uplifting indie comedy/drama with good performances and an adequate script, Jeff, Who Lives At Home is nothing particularly memorable, but certainly worth watching.

Top 10 Best Movies of 2012 (so far)

It seems like every year a majority of the movies that I find myself liking the most come out in the latter half of the year. Maybe I just forget how well I like movies released earlier in the year, but maybe I'm just a sucker for Oscar season movies. Either way, before that kind of movie starts being released, I want to make a list. Because I really do love lists, all of these movies are deserving of some additional praise, and I don't want to wait another 5 months to make another countdown. Waiting for stuff sucks.

#10 - The Intouchables

The Intouchables

The Intouchables

Directed by Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano

Part comedy and part drama, The Intouchables is one of the most successful French films of all-time. And I can see why.

The Raid: Redemption

The Raid: Redemption

Directed by Gareth Evans

As far as action movies go, The Raid: Redemption is one of the best ones you'll find. To view it as anything else would be a massive mistake.

Moonrise Kingdom

Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson

Featuring an excellent cast and a delightful script, Moonrise Kingdom is one of the most entertaining and endearing movies of the year.

Beyond The Black Rainbow

Beyond The Black Rainbow

Directed by Panos Cosmatos

Interesting visuals, compellingly catatonic performances, and a dark, brooding musical score blend together brilliantly to make Beyond The Black Rainbow one of the most intriguing and hypnotic movies of the year.

Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows

Directed by Tim Burton

Once again proving that in Tim Burton's world, style greatly outweighs substance in order of importance, Dark Shadows is an over-crowded, uneven, stylistic wreck of a movie with few redeeming factors.

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man

Directed by Marc Webb

As enjoyable as the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies may have been, they never quite seemed to meet the full potential of what a Spider-Man movie was capable of. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst very poor casting choices, and Sam Raimi's added goofiness was at times entertaining, but often distracting. Spider-Man, being one of (if not) the most popular superheroes ever, deserves more. The Amazing Spider-Man is the one I've been waiting for.

The Pirates! Band Of Misfits

The Pirates! Band Of Misfits

Directed by Peter Lord & Jeff Newitt

Despite having strong animation and a great voice cast, The Pirates! Band Of Misfits has nothing more to offer than light, sporadic entertainment.

Brave

Brave

Directed by Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman

This is the least like Pixar that I have ever seen one of their movies. A massive improvement over last year's Cars 2 (which was something of an abomination that I found impossible to sit all the way through), Brave still doesn't quite stand up to the rest of their catalog -- with the additional notable exception of A Bug's Life. Fans of Disney, especially, should be pleased, as both in tone and content this movie seems far more like their work than Pixar. I don't believe this to be a particularly bad thing, but I feel it's worth noting.

Snow White And The Huntsman

Snow White And The Huntsman

Directed by Rupert Sanders

Snow White is a story that has been told in hundreds of ways over the past 200 years, many of which straying from the original story. Therefore, it was to be expected that Snow White And The Huntsman would be a decidedly different take on the fable. Sadly, despite being a slightly different variation of existing retellings of the story, there is little else to set this movie apart. The flaws greatly outweigh the perks.