So Jared says that 2012 wasn’t a great year for movies, eh? I’ll have to respectfully disagree there, Mr. Munson. My name is Nick, by the way. Jared very kindly asked me to contribute to this site, so as often as I can, I will be imparting my somewhat biased opinions on whoever happens to stop by and read this site. So let’s get started…

#5: Safety Not Guaranteed

If there was one movie that jumped up and bit me, it’d definitely be this one. I’m not a huge fan of the mumblecore films associated with the Duplass brothers, so I was a bit hesitant in watching this film. However, if you love the basic rules of time/dimensions/DeLoreans presented in the Back to the Future franchise, there’s a good chance you’ll love this movie, too. Mark Duplass is ridiculously good in this, as are Aubrey Plaza and the New Girl‘s Jake Johnson. Word is director Colin Trevorrow is developing a remake of Flight of the Navigator for Disney at the moment. Yes.

#4: Killing Them Softly

Vicious. Beautiful. Political. Wordy. I’ve heard people use a lot of words to describe Andrew Dominik‘s third feature. Anyone who saw the excellent The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, may know what to expect. This is a whole new beast, though. Brad Pitt slices through his dialogue and James Gandolfini returns to form as a booze-soaked hit man. Ray Liotta hasn’t been this good since Goodfellas. For best effect, allow Pitt‘s final lines to sink deep into your head.

#3: Moonrise Kingdom

Oh, Wes Anderson. Words cannot express how much I love your slightly surrealistic universes. I was a bit worried when I heard the story was about two children and would only be PG-13, since Anderson uses the F-dash-dash-dash word better than anyone. Fear not, though, my friends. Wes is in full effect here. His usual cast of weirdos is back, including Jason Schwartzman and the bitingly funny and shirtless Bill Murray. Anderson newcomers Harvey Keitel, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton as Social Services, don’t disappoint. Don’t miss this one.

#2: Seven Psychopaths

Here we go. This is how to make a movie. If you saw the deliciously good In Bruges, then you probably already saw this one. If not, get off your butt and do it. Colin Farrell is astounding as a neurotic screenwriter and Sam Rockwell redefines the word psychopath. Christopher Walken is incredibly funny and Tom Waits lives it up as a bunny-loving weirdo that will probably make you cringe. Only one film was more fun than this one…

#1: Looper

…and it was this monster. I don’t really ever see a movie more than once in the theater, but I couldn’t wait to buy my second round of tickets for this one. Joseph Gordon-Levitt did his John McClane research as did Willis with his JGL. Jumping through time has never been this fun, or violent. Newcomer Pierce Gagnon is shiveringly creepy as Cid and the climax is horribly satisfying. Do yourself a huge favor and buy this when it comes out on Blu-Ray tomorrow. Buy Rian Johnson‘s great Brick and Brothers Bloom, as well.

Honorable Mentions:

The Dark Knight Rises – Barely missed the cut. Good, but nothing compared to its huge predecessor.

Silver Linings Playbook – Funny, but brutally uncomfortable look at love and mental instability in the 21st century. DeNiro fans rejoice at a return to classic form.

Cabin in the Woods – Very funny punch at slasher/horror films of days gone by. Celebrates The Evil Dead series better than any film ever could. Incredible climax, by the way.

Biggest Turds of the Year:

Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, Trouble With the Curve, Total Recall, The Campaign, John Carter

Still Want to See:

Lincoln, Django Unchained, Argo, To Rome With Love, Cosmopolis, The Master