:

Tom Hardy throws a kid over a paintball obstacle as the kid screams, “it’s just a game, mister!” in This Means War.

The countdown to the Hunger Games sounds as Katniss decides whether or not to go for the arrows.

Zac Efron stars in The Lucky One.

The Hulk smashes Thor in his handsome Norwegian face after they take down a huge alien together.

David’s disembodied head continues to talk calmly to Dr. Shaw as they escape in Prometheus.

All the 80’s music and hair in Rock of Ages.

Any given “good guys continue to fight against all odds” moments in The Dark Knight Rises.

A young cast moves you and Emma Watson is not at all Hermione in The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Thinking OMG I have no idea how this will or even should end in Looper.

Beautiful lighting and cinematography in Skyfall.

Crying hysterically to Anne Hathaway’s I Dreamed a Dream.

Chick 1 says:

It’s that time of year again; a time to revisit the year’s highlights in filmmaking.  SPOILERS follow so I would recommend reading the tags to make sure you’ve seen all the movies listed here.

And without any further ado:

District 11 riots after the death of Rue.  (The Hunger Games)

John Blake’s middle name!!!  OMG!  Oh, JGL, how I crush on you.  (The Dark Knight Rises)

Agent Coulson becomes a fanboy… and then makes the ultimate sacrifice.  (The Avengers)

What are all these quirky characters doing in my childhood?  (Moonrise Kingdom)

What can make Daniel Craig even better?  More Judi Dench.  (Skyfall)

Pixar once again manages to distill storytelling down to its essence.  (La Luna)

Bilbo Baggins discovers the value of home, finds his courage, and makes a promise.  (The Hobbit)

Anne Hathaway breaks, no, shatters my heart. (Les Miserables)

Chick 1 says:

(I know everyone else is done with “year in review” articles but it is still January…just barely.)

Following a canon-destroying scene, the title card comes up with Michael Giacchino’s magnificent score underneath it. I am about to watch one of the best scifi movies in a long time. (Star Trek)

Pixar creates a perfect 10 minute film with a delightful 86 minute sequel attached. (Up)

The screenwriter takes a moment to call someone a bitch and the romantic comedy is about to be revived. ((500) Days of Summer)

I discover that bad movies are still a blast to watch…and review. (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra)

Meryl Streep wins my undying affection. (Julie & Julia)

After an enjoyable 90 minutes I go home inspired in unexpected ways. (The September Issue)

RDJ and Jude Law for 2 hours… I am happy. (Sherlock Holmes)

Chick 2 says:

Top Ten (of the 40 movies I saw)

            27 Dresses

            Iron Man

            What Happens in Vegas

            Sex and the City

            Hancock

            The Dark Knight

            Tropic Thunder

            Quantum of Solace

            Australia

            Valkyrie

(listed by release date)

Bottom Ten (again, of the 40 movies I saw)

            Wall-E

            Jumper

            The Happening

            The Incredible Hulk

            21

            Nights in Rodanthe

            Beer For My Horses

            Vantage Point

            The Women

            Fool’s Gold

(here I have to clarify – I don’t think these were the 10 worst movies of the year, they were simply the bottom 10 of the movies I saw.  Since I don’t get paid to do this, I only see movies I think will be good.)

Movies I Wanted to See But Didn’t

            Charlie Bartlett

            Run, Fat Boy, Run

            Young @ Heart

            Smart People

            Bottle Shock

            Traitor

            Eagle Eye

            RocknRolla

            The Secret Life of Bees

            Frost/Nixon

            (plus 20 others)

Movies I Really Regret Not Seeing on the Big Screen

            Brideshead Revisited

            In Bruges

            Cloverfield

            The Day the Earth Stood Still

            Blindness

Movies I Really Regret Seeing

            The Incredible Hulk

            Nights in Rodanthe

Biggest Surprise of the Year

            Yes Man (in a good way)

            The Happening (not in a good way)

Chick 2 says:

 ***Spoilers follow***

            The moment Lee gets to watch his movie on the big screen.  (Son of Rambow)

            The moment Cameron Diaz’s best friend punches her ex-boyfriend in the privates and yells, “You know why!”  (What Happens in Vegas)

            The moment Carrie models all her dresses from days gone by to Walk This Way.  (Sex and the City)

            The moment Batman and the not-so-dead Commissioner Gordon conspire to capture The Joker.  (The Dark Knight)

            Any moment Dominic Cooper had his shirt off.  (Mamma Mia)

            The moment I saw the first trailer for The Half-Blood Prince.  (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor)

            The moment the Democratic party aired a commercial blowing up border crossers.  (Swing Vote)

            The moment Tom Cruise asked the Key Grip to punch the director in the face.  (Tropic Thunder)

            The moment Nullah stands to face the cattle stampede.  (Australia)

            The moment Terence Stamp shoves the microphone in Jim Carrey’s face and the moment Zooey Deschanel takes a picture while driving her scooter.  (Yes Man)

Chick 1 says:

Tony Stark threatens to donate his robot to a community college and I am officially hooked on RDJ. (Iron Man)

For the first time in 19 years, the Raiders theme music plays and there is new Indy action to go along.  Awwwwww, it’s Indy. (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)

Kung Fu Panda makes me cry.  Yeah…I know. (Kung Fu Panda)

Pixar makes me care about a cockroach. (Wall-E)

The Joker flips over a semi then plays chicken with Batman.  “Hit me!” (The Dark Knight)

I can’t decide who my favorite character is.  Too…many…laughs.  Must…breathe…now. (Tropic Thunder)

Every moment J.K. Simmons is on screen. (Burn After Reading)

I manage to not break any bones just watching Quantum of Solace.  Wow! (Quantum of Solace, duh)

I realize that Danny Boyle is a genius. (Slumdog Millionaire)