MGamesCook, it's a shame you didn't enjoy it as much as many of us did. It always bothers me when I don't have a positive reaction to an incredibly popular movie. And it leaves me kinda feeling out of the loop. I hated The Hangover for instance, and received a lot of flak from friends for my disappoint with District 9. It's like being at a party where everyone else is having fun except for you. I envy those who feel something profound when I feel nothing...

You shouldn't feel weird at all for not liking a popular film, I always get strange reactions when I tell people I don't like the LOTR films at all, but I don't care one bit.

I don't feel bad about it, but it's interesting. How two people can witness the exact same thing and have a completely different reaction. I love to see a film and truly feel affected by it. Whether it be elation and joy, or shaken and unsettled, or profoundly moved, I love it when a film makes me feel something. And I kind of find it disappointing when others have such an experience about something that I did not. It doesn't mean that there's something wrong with me or them, or that one of us is not as smart. It's just that the experiences we've had up until the point of watching has resulted in us feeling different things.

But I do envy those who feel something, when I don't. I wish I could share your enthusiasm for the Transformers films and Bad Boys II. Because you have a positive reaction, they make you happy.

Believe me, I know the feeling. But not perspective is unique, and in the age of the internet, it's easy to find people who agree with you on any subject if you look around a little.

Having said that though, I don't think great movies are really meant to appeal to absolutely everyone. I'm a strong believer in target audience, and find that the movies with broadest appeal are just appealing to a low common denominator.

Movies with the broadest appeal just appeal to the lowest common denominator? I don't think that is true. What about Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Jaws, Alien? Go back further and look at classics such as the Godfather and Rear Window. What about animation such as beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, and the Incredibles?

( and while I just threw out a few examples, there are many, many more). All of those films are different genres, different styles, and from different time periods but they are universally revered by critics, movie nerds and pretty much everyone else alike. They are considered great movies and still appeal to everyone. Sure there are a few people like Vexer out there that might not like one of those, but that is the exception.

Things were better back then, I think, when movies had to go outside the box to appeal to people. Though I must say, I think Raiders is way overrated. I never understood, even at age 10, why it was ranked higher than some of the better Bond movies, and I still don't. To be honest, I consider Tintin more satisfying as a thrill ride.

The Avengers, to me, was the bare minimum of what it could have been with 4 years of hype and 200 mil. And again, you can't really compare a 4 year hype to any of those movies; it's practically unprecedented.

Another thing you have to consider now is the international market. Blockbusters from the 70s and 80s may have been appealing to the lowest common denominator in the US, but now they have to think globally. The target audience has increased in sheer size by a very large factor, which makes the appeal that much broader by necessity. I think that makes it easier to lower standards on big movies, because it guarantees many more tickets sold than have ever been guaranteed before.

Still, I don't think movies like Avengers, Dark Knight, and Avatar are dull just so they will appeal to more people. I think it's just that because they're such sure things, guaranteed to make billions years in advance, the studios can get away with being lazy in certain areas.

Just saw Moonrise Kingdom, easily the best movie of the year so far, from what I've seen. Of the three Andersons with big releases this year, Wes may likely come out on top.

I guess I'm the only one who thought Prometheus was absolutely frickin' amazing. It's a flawed film, especially w/r/t Logan Marshall-Green's performance, but it's still my choice for best of the year so far.

The Hunger Games was a good adaptation of the book, and The Avengers and Dark Shadows were okay. John Carter and Men in Black III were lame. And those are the 2012 films I've seen so far.

My top 10 of 2012 so far:

1. The Grey
2. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
3. Snow White and the Huntsman
4. John Carter
5. American Reunion
6. Man on a Ledge
7. The Raid
8. The Avengers
9. The Woman in Black
10. Seeking Justice


Bottom 5:

1. The Pirates! Band of Misfits
2. Silent House
3. Red Tails
4. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
5. What to Expect When You're Expecting

I've only seen 13 movies so far this year (way ahead of my usual pace, though).

Of those, three would have made my top 10 last year: Avengers, The Intouchables, and The Grey. The only other one I didn't have some pretty big reservations about was Safety Not Guaranteed.

Most surprisingly good movie so far: Big Miracle. I was bracing for something more like Dolphin Tale, which wasn't as good as it could have been, with my expectations topping out at Soul Surfer (a "good for what it was" kind of movie). But Big Miracle itself is more nuanced than its title or trailer would ever lead you to believe. It's not exactly a hard-edged look at conflicts and political turmoils in northern Alaska or anything, but it lets its characters be more-or-less real people, from the Greenpeace lady all the way to the money-loving CEO guy.

Biggest disappointment was probably Brave. I liked it, but I wanted so badly to love it--and just couldn't. And along with Brave, the lowest on my list so far are Cabin in the Woods and The Lorax. The Lorax is probably the only movie I outright disliked so far this year, and even that one was a harmless enough diversion. As for Cabin in the Woods, well, I had a blast for the first hour, and even enjoyed the hell out of the third act (as the wheels came flying off), but overall I thought it wasn't half as clever as it thought it was, and really failed to make any semblance of sense out of the awesome premise. Very similar to how I felt about Prometheus, really: enjoyed it well enough while I was watching it, but liked it less the more I thought about it.

Other 2012 movies I've seen, in order from Pretty Darn Good to Still Pretty Good, Really: Prometheus, Moonrise Kingdom, Big Miracle, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Hunger Games, Chimpanzee

Most anticipated, in order: Dark Knight Rises, The Looper, Beasts of the Soutern Wild, The Hobbit.