Brave definitely takes the cake for the most disappointing film of the year. That being said, it’s not on the level of “complete trash” as some other films are farther down the list. But by no means is Brave a good movie, on the contrary I found it to be shockingly bad. The “least-Pixar” Pixar has ever been, Cars and Cars 2 included. The only saving grace here was the expert animation, which saved the film from being your run-of-the-mill direct-to-DVD Disney flick. Oh yeah, and the $185 million budget.

Man on a Ledge gets the edge above Safe House as it takes its self slightly less seriously. The grit and general tone of this one lends itself more to “popcorn fun,” but that doesn’t really mean much when you have a movie this preposterous and bad.

The truly maddening part here is that Man on a Ledge has flashes of what is actually a decent thriller, but those are so few and far between you’ll be pulling your hair out at the sheer stupidity of this film. When it comes down to it, there aren’t really any redeeming qualities here. [review]

What is it about World War II fighter plane movies that makes it impossible to tell a good story about them? This was the case with James Franco’s Flyboys, and, to a lesser extent, with the George Lucas-produced Red Tails. There is clearly a story here worth telling – the first all African American fighter pilot squadron. Yet, the film opts to feature spectacle over character, drama or really any significant substance. What a pity. [review]

What a complete mess. Safe House is everything an action thriller shouldn’t be. Uninteresting, choppy, excessively unwatchable. Oh yeah, did I mention the “twist” can be seen coming from a mile away? It’s sad, considering Denzel Washington is in a role that should make a film interesting on its own merits.

What Safe House succeeds at is confirming that choppy grit does not mean style, particularly when there is nothing of real substance here. What a disappointment this film was when you take into account the talent involved. [review]

Here’s a movie that could have been fun. A Tim Burton and Johnny Depp take on the tired vampire genre could have been something special, but oh what a mess it was. This felt so much to me like the filmmakers was just being strange because they could, not for any specific reason.

While showing signs of promise early on (like in the first fifteen minutes), and featuring a whole host of capable actors, Dark Shadows was derailed fast and by the time the terrible final act came around, I was completely checked out. What a waste of a movie! [review]

Contraband is essentially akin to Safe House, but without Tobin Frost and the exotic locations, hence the slightly lower rating. It does suffer from the same pitfalls, however. An overly gritty and dark film with a mind-numbingly stupid plot and twists, plus no real characters or intrigue completely ruins this thriller. [review]

I’ll admit, I saw this film at a dark time. It was in the midst of a series of truly terrible movie releases and I was fed up. That being said, my perhaps overly-critical review wasn’t far off. The Vow is a pretty horrendous film.

From the top-down, The Vow fails on basically every narrative level. The characters are unlikable, and uninteresting as they operate in cliches and archetypes. The only saving grace here is that Rachel McAdams seems to always be able to pull the audience onto her side. But even my boy C-Tates can’t save this piece of melodramatic trash. [review]

Now this movie is what I like to call “lousy.” Apart from a tad bit of chemistry between Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, This Means War is an absolute nightmare. Terrible plot, characters, execution, jokes, action…er, everything. [review]

Here we have what is essentially akin to The Vow, but without Rachel McAdams and a plot-line that includes some truly appalling storytelling decisions which raise the stupidity over the top. This is not to say that I’ll automatically hate a chick-flick, because clearly they can be done right. But c’mon, some of the stuff here is just preposterous and actively aggravates me. The Lucky One really is a Terrible, terrible film. [review]

Here we come to the cream of the – er, “scum” of the crop. Act of Valor a movie that is not only terribly executed, but the fact that it exists deserves my wrath. In my review, I likened watching this to watching your friend play Call of Duty, but with a worse story.

I forgot to mention that at least there you’re with your friend, possibly having a good time. Here there are no redeeming qualities. I’m going to finish this sentence and hopefully never think about this movie again. Done. [review]

The Hunger Games is a very solid adaptation. It captures the tone, darkness and world of the books wonderfully. While it lacked that extra push to bring it over the top, the performances, look and feel of the film are so powerful and fully-realized that the aspects that lacked some don’t feel all too important. [review]

While not Wes Anderson’s greatest work, Moonrise Kingdom is absolutely delightful and an excellent vision by an equally excellent visionary. Between the cast, the story, and the sights and sounds of this film, you’d have a hard time not being sucked in to all the film has to offer.

The malice some have for this film still baffles me, as I found John Carter to be an exhilarating pulp epic that deserves high praise. Instead, the film was met with a terrible box-office performance and middling reviews. Yeah, I don’t get it either.

Andrew Stanton has created an excellent adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic novel The Princess of Mars, which, while far from perfect, is extremely enjoyable and accomplished in its own right. [review]

More enjoyable for its themes than its plot or characters, Prometheus is an extremely interesting and exciting return to the Alien canon for Ridley Scott. The visuals here are spectacular, as they match the themes here stride for stride. While the characters and general plot leave some to be desired, it works enough to survice the overall tone of the film. Also, did I mention it works as a discussion starter?

The Grey certainly takes the cake for the most intense film of the year, but as a movie about wolves hunting Liam Neeson, it is also pretty terrific. Director Joe Carnahan has fashioned a terrific, old school man vs. wild thriller that puts its foot on the throttle early on and never relents. [review]

It’s cliche to say, but this movie kicks ass! The Raid: Redemption is the perfect combination of hard-hitting violence and…hard hitting violence. The choreography here is on another level, as there hasn’t really been an actioner like this in years. Brutal throughout, this is a completely visceral experience that works on multiple levels. [review]

Steven Soderbergh continues to impress, as his earlier release of the year Haywire almost made this list as well. But with Magic Mike, Soderbergh has found humanity in the unlikely world of male stripping. Thoroughly entertaining throughout, Channing Tatum continues his ascent from a once subpar actor to a role which deserves the critical attention its getting. [review]

The Cabin in the Woods is the most enjoyable film of the year so far, as co-writer Joss Whedon and writer/director Drew Goddard have created a wholly entertaining, clever and original horror genre bender. The film has laughs, scares and the typical Whedon dialogue to boot. [review]

Here is a film that works even better on repeat viewings. Chronicle is a thriller, intense ride from beginning to end which works as a mortality tale as much as it does as an anti-superhero and coming-of-age tale. The character work here is both unique and strong, as are the visuals from director Josh Trank, who stretches the film’s modest budget to newfound heights. [review]

While there are quite a few very good films to come out of the first half of 2012, Beasts of the Southern Wild is the on another level. Director Benh Zeitlin really has his finger on heart of this movie, which has plenty to spare. Filled with life, magic, and wonder, this original little gem is certainly an experience to cherish. [review]