Hey everyone!

For the record, I know I am way overdue. I blame this on a mix of procrastination, waiting for movies to come out in Singapore, then waiting for movies to come out on Netflix, then just more procrastionating. In any case,

Welcome To TMD's Fourth Annual Movie Awards Part One

As usual I'm listing every movie I saw this year. You get the idea. Naturally these are all subjective and it has been a while since I've seen some of them.

Enough of an opening, here it is:

Legend:

º means did not see it in cinemas

Multiple * denotes number of times saw in cinema

- — Eh. More or less sucked.

-/+ — Meh. See it if you want.

+ — Fairly good film, worth a watch.

++ — One of the better films of the year. Definitely go see this.

+++ — Amazing is not description enough. Go watch it.

-The Green Hornet, -/+, it's... whatever

-No Strings Attached, +, enjoyable enough, due in no small part to the leads. Also should be required watching after Black Swan.

-The Mechanic, -/+, leaves no impression at the end.

-Just Go With It, -, some humor but, well,

-I Am Number Four, -, poor pacing and a plain shoddy plot,

-Unknown, -/+, it had potential but never quite lives up to it

-The Adjustment Bureau, ++, an engaging thriller that takes full advantage of its premise and succeeds

-Rango, ++, a wonderfully dark film whose animation and dialogue help it stand out

-Battle: Los Angeles, +, it was a monster movie from the pov of a squad, not unlike Cloverfield.

-Limitless, +, Bradley Cooper helps the somewhat hollow plot stay interesting

-Paul, +

-Sucker Punch, +, beautifully shot and wonderfully edited, though the plot takes a while to settle in to your head

-Source Code, ++, It's like Groundhog Day meets Assassin's Creed. Engaging and gripping that takes its premise and runs with it.

-Arthur, -/+, Russel Brand's fun but it ends up being just another movie

-Hanna, +, fantastic use of music and sound

-Your Highness, -/+

-Rio, +, Though nothing amazing, it's stellar animation and fun plot makes it a great family film

-Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, +, while nothing amazing it's a fun film (mostly 'cuz of Brandon Routh). Deft storytelling also helps it not suck.

-Fast Five, +, a high octane action heist film and not much more. But then, it doesn't need to be much more

-Thor, ++, captures the humanity of its characters and delivers a fun adventure.

-Bridesmaids, +, amusing, but not much else to say beyond that.

-Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, +, best parts are whenever Jack and Barbossa are on screen together

-Kung Fu Panda 2, +, beautifully animated but doesn't quite manage to that epic drama/comedy balance of the original.

-X-Men: First Class, ++, beautiful cinematography and editing stand out the most, though the story is as good as the technicalities.

-Super 8***, +++, it's a movie about kids making a movie and them growing up, The alien thing is just a plot device. It's well made, well told, and holy koi, I love this movie.

-Green Lantern, -/+, it tried just... didn't land well.

-Cars 2, +, another quality Pixar movie, just not quite in the same vein as the last few years

-Transformers: Dark of the Moon, ++, best Transformers movie 'cuz it, well, focuses on giant robots beating the ever-loving everything out of other giant robots.

-Horrible Bosses, +/-, funny, but doesn't stand out.

-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, +, books are still better, but, hey, it's a fitting end.

-Captain America: The First Avenger**, ++, it's an earnest movie about a (super)hero in WWI. It works, and it's fantastic.

-Friends with Benefits, +, fun enough, I suppose

-Another Earthº, +/-

-Cowboys & Aliens, +, fun, but could have been better.

-Crazy, Stupid, Love, +

-The Change-Upº, -, an absolute waste of your time. Such a shame.

-The Help**, ++, a faithful adaption of an excellent book

-30 Minutes or Lessº, +/-, it's fun, just, well, doesn't stick the landing

-Colombiana, +

-Drive, ++, it's an action movie done art house style.

-Restless, ++, cute, fun, quirky, indie romance.

-Killer Elite, +, a good enough action movie that just is

-50/50, +/-, an inability to connect with the main character until the end hampers its potential

-What's Your Number, -

-The Ides of March, +, intriguing political drama that feels a little empty at the end

-Real Steel, ++

-In Time, +

-Like Crazyº, +/-, an almost-decent deconstruction of long-distance relationships

-Tower Heist, +

-Arthur Christmas, +/-

-The Muppets, ++, typical Muppety humor. Nothing wrong with that, at all.

-New Year's Eve, +/-

-Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, ++

-Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, ++, excellent sequel with fantastic action sequences

-The Adventures of Tintin, ++, wonderfully animated adaption that feels just like the comics

-We Bought a Zoo, ++, I watched it for Scarlett Johansson and was presently surprised by the heartwarming story in it too.

-War Horse, +, it's a good movie just, well, you'd expect more.

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Disclaimer: Many of the movies on the list are rated 'R' and the majority are 'PG-13". I accept no responsibility for the content of the movies you watch at my recommendation.