The Most Enjoyable Movies I Saw in 2012

I'm a movie fan. Ask people that know me. When the America Artist Film Festival came to Hannibal last year, I had an all-access pass. In my living room I even have a digital projector plugged into my Blu-ray player, and remote-control movie screen that descends from the ceiling. Around this time of year, everyone starts putting out their best/worst lists of the last 12 months. I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on the movies of 2012.

The thing that stands out about this year in movies is the number of them that were good, but not great. There were plenty that were entertaining and fun, but I don't know that I personally saw any that were obvious "instant classics." Of course, I didn't see everything. There have a few releases that look to be "instant classics" candidates that, for one reason or another, I didn't get to watch. 'Argo,' 'Lincoln,' 'Flight,' 'Hitchcock' and 'The Hobbit' are among them.

Of the movies I did have the opportunity to see in 2012, these were the three I enjoyed the most.

Prometheus

I love Ridley Scott's films. I listen to all his director's commentaries (sometimes more than once). No one was quite sure what to expect from 'Prometheus.' It was billed as sort of a prequel to 'Alien,' but not really. After seeing it, it was probably more of an 'Alien' movie than I expected it to be. I had high hopes for greatness with 'Prometheus,' but the story was a little so-so. I didn't get greatness, but I still enjoyed the movie, nonetheless.

Skyfall

The latest James Bond film is sort of the ultimate tribute to the franchise. There's an Aston Martin with passenger seat ejector button, the re-introduction of two major Bond characters that had yet to appear in the Daniel Craig era, villains with exotic animals, and several other tips of the hat to the films that had come before.

The Avengers

Hollywood's biggest money-maker of 2012. The story doesn't always make sense, sometimes the acting is not quite up to par. Even so, the thing to keep in mind about 'The Avengers' is that it is not trying to be brilliant art. It's not trying to be Shakespeare. It's not trying to be anything other than what it is: a Marvel Comic brought to life. The best part of 'The Avengers,' though, was hearing the kids in the theater whispering to one another when they first saw Captain America, or Iron Man, and hearing their reactions to the events in the movie. They obviously were having a great time, and so was I.