The Top 10 Movie Moments Of 2012 So Far

Here we are, at the halfway mark of 2012. Six months have gone and we still have six months ahead of us. So, where does that leave us in terms of movies? Well, admittedly, the first half of the year is always pretty slow. We've seen quite a variety of films over the past six months and while not all of them brought something exciting and unique to the table, a fair amount of them definitely had their moments, moments that made the price of admission worth it and moments that make you happy to be a moviegoer. On that note, I present to you our Top Ten Movie Moments of 2012 So Far! They are arranged in no particular order, but before we begin, remember that these are the top movie moments, not movies. We are judging these choices on the scenes described, not on the whole film. Please note that there are spoilers for each particular film in this article. Click below to continue reading. The Monster Extravaganza In The Cabin In The Woods There's a lot to like and appreciate about Drew Goddard's new horror film The Cabin In The Woods. From its tongue in cheek humor to its over the top madness, the film is entertaining on many counts. Hands down though, the best scene in the film, and one of the best movie scenes of 2012, has to be what I call the "monster extravanganza." There's a point in the film where Marty and Dana are riding down an elevator into an underground facility. On the way down, they pass by hundreds of glass cases all housing different types of monsters. In fact, they pass by just about every type of horror icon/monster imaginable. Once they exit the elevator, they are cornered by a security team and to escape, they decide to release all of the creatures from their glass cases. What ensues is absolute mayhem, as vampires, witches, demons, mutants, werewolves, unicorns, mermen, goblins, giant snakes, mummies and more descend upon the facility, decimating anything in sight. It's as hilarious as it is horrific and it is simply a blast to watch. The scene is so wildly imaginative, audacious and over the top fun that, in my theatre at least, it had audience members howling with laughter and standing in their seats cheering. There's no doubt that Goddard and writer Joss Whedon went boldly where no filmmaker has gone before with their insane third act, but it paid off in spades and proved to be one of the best scenes committed to celluloid this year. The Engineer Awakens In Prometheus Prometheus had a number of awe-inspiring moments. Visually, it was magnificent and on a storytelling level, it completely captivated me. Though there were many contenders for best moment of the film, the one I settled on was when the Engineer awakens near the end. For one, the amount of build up and anticipation to this moment is almost unbearable, so when the towering behemoth finally stands up and comes to life, we're pinned to our seats. The fact that he proceeds to absolutely shred David and the rest of the crew to pieces only makes this moment that much more electrifying, shocking and terrifying. We truly feel the Engineer's fury and anger as he decapitates David and goes on to take care of the rest of Weyland's gang. To see this creature in action, ripping through Weyland's crew with ease, is truly a sight to behold. Earth's Mightiest Heroes Assemble In The Avengers Admittedly, most of Joss Whedon's The Avengers can be classified as spectacle. The film had a ton of "wow" moments and there was a lot to marvel at (sorry, I had to). That being said, one of the standouts, for me at least, was at the very end, when our mightiest heroes come together, or assemble, if you will, to make one last stand in hopes of saving New York. The final assault, when played out in 3D on an IMAX screen, is nothing shot of awe inspiring. Though it could have used a couple more edits as it does run a bit long, from beginning to end it's a non stop rollercoaster ride that shoves us right into the middle of the mayhem. Featuring some of the best effects and destruction...well, ever, the battle for New York City is truly a triumphant sequence and one that really defines the term "Hollywood blockbuster." When you couple all that with the fact that we get to see our favorite heroes all assembled in unity fighting a common enemy, you get a truly "great" movie moment. One that makes you want to stand up and cheer. Click below to continue reading. The Ship Splits In Half In Titanic 3D Watching that ship split in half was breathtaking the first time around, but in 3D? Well, that's a whole different story. Honestly, Titanic is just as effective as it was back in 1997. The sinking of the behemoth that is the Titanic is a harrowing scene and it's brought to life in a whole new way with the use of that third dimension, which Mr. Cameron so effortlessly inserts into his 90's classic. Though many are probably overly-familiar with the above mentioned scene, it had been some time since I'd seen it. Watching it in the theatre, and in 3D, all these years later, was really something special. To know that Cameron crafted such a large scale, complex and effects laden sequence almost 15 years ago, really puts things into perspective. For a film scene from 1997, this is some really impressive stuff. But then again, it's James Cameron; did you expect anything less than impressive? Whether you watched it 15 years ago or mere months ago in theatres, the sinking of the Titanic, especially the moment where it splits in half and the events that immediately precede, make for some incredibly entertaining, powerful and epic movie moments. White Apes Meet Their Match In John Carter Don't get me wrong, I'll be the first one to admit that John Carter had its fair share of problems, many problems actually. But that doesn't mean that there weren't a few triumphant moments sprinkled throughout. One scene in particular that I enjoyed quite a bit, especially in 3D, was the scene of John vs. the white apes. Both the effects and use of 3D upped the ante in this scene and provided for a very thrilling couple of minutes. Though most of the film is marred with severe issues, it does have several entertaining moments and this is definitely one of them. Seeing our protagonist go up against these mammoth creatures, and then swiftly deal out death to them, is another great example of what it means to watch a true, big budget, Hollywood blockbuster. Miss out on the white apes in theatres? Check out the clip below. Click below to continue reading. Any Fight From The Raid: Redemption The action genre has gone down the route of generic and stale as of late, which is why it's so gosh darn refreshing to see a film like The Raid: Redemption. The Indonesian film that took the film world by storm was director Gareth Evans' showcase of the traditional martial art Pencak Silat and is both exhilarating and thrilling. It's truly hard to pick just one kill or fight from this film, as almost all of them can best anything seen from Hollywood from at least the past five or ten years. The fighting here is so well choreographed and so expertly executed that it's literally impossible to take your eyes off the screen for even a second. The fight pictured above, between Rama, Andi and Mad Dog, is probably the highlight of the film but like I said, the furious, fast-paced fighting is a marvel to behold in a film that truly feels refreshing and dare I say it, re-defining? Finding Out Tom Cruise Can Sing In Rock Of Ages Though he may be "wanted dead or alive" by Katie Holmes' lawyers, Mr. Tom Cruise is most certainly singing those words to a different tune in Adam Shankman's Rock Of Ages. The usual action star, sometimes dramatic actor, showed that he actually has the pipes to pull off rock star, as he fully embodies the personality of Stacee Jaxx. Though skeptical at first, I thought Cruise absolutely nailed the role. His pipes were pleasing on the ear and his rock star persona could easily have many an audience member fooled that he actually fronted a band at some point in his life. While stunts and lavish set pieces may be his forte, Cruise reached new heights with Stacee Jaxx, giving us not only the best part of an otherwise crummy film, but a wildly entertaining and enjoyable performance. Each time he belted out a tune, it was music to my ears. His rendition of Dead or Alive is easily the highlight and watching one of Hollywood's biggest stars take on such a role, and succeed like he did, makes for another, immensely satisfying movie moment. Still not convinced that Cruise can sing? Check out the clip below. Click below to continue reading. Channing Tatum Adds Stripping To His Resume In Magic Mike Just as audiences were getting over the fact that Channing Tatum was capable of doing comedy, director Steven Soderbergh gave us Magic Mike, which showed us that the multi-talented actor can also dance and strip, and surprisingly well. Of course, anyone who saw Tatum in Step Up knows that he can dance and anyone who knows about the actor's past knows that he used to strip. But in Magic Mike he brings the two worlds together and man does he kill it up on stage. While Magic Mike may not be the best film of the year, or even close to it, Tatum is impeccable in the lead role and easily steals the show. He's completely at home on stage and his charisma, charm and performance skills are superb. If you haven't had the chance yet to catch Tatum busting out his moves, check out the clip below. Is That Johnny Depp In 21 Jump Street? Sure, we all knew Johnny Depp would have a cameo in 21 Jump Street, but did anyone know which character he was until it was revealed at the end? Going into the film I knew that Depp had a small role, but right up until the end I was puzzled and confused, I couldn't figure out when, where, or how he would show up. When the reveal finally came, it was a shock not only to me, but to most of the audience members in my theatre. 21 Jump Street was throughly enjoyable and still stands as my favorite comedy of the year, hands down. There were truly a ton of very funny and laugh out loud moments, but for me, the highlight was the reveal of Johnny Depp, who I had been searching for the whole film. Little did I realize, we had already seen him multiple times in earlier scenes, we just didn't realize it. Or at least I didn't. Depp isn't the only surprise happening here though, we also realize that two of the bikers are actually undercover cops. It's a scene full of surprises and the fact that Depp plays the part to perfection, before going down in a blaze of glory, makes it even more enjoyable. "You're an amazing actor man," says Jonah Hill to Depp. We agree Mr. Hill, we agree. Click below to continue reading. Man vs. Wolf In The Grey There's something incredibly enticing about watching Liam Neeson kick ass. I'm not sure what it is, but the actor, even in his old age, seems to be very adept at it. So adept in fact that this year, he decided to take on one of mother nature's most ferocious creatures: wolves. While watching Neeson take on cardboard cut-out baddies is a ton of fun, watching the man take on a wolf is something else entirely. Though the scene that I'm referring to, the one near the end, fades to black before we see the outcome, it's deeply chilling and immensely satisfying. It's almost poetic in the way director Joe Carnahan frames it. The chills running through our spine as the wolf pack surrounds Neeson feel just as cold as the snow on the actor's forehead. As he prepares to say goodbye to the world, and he accepts his fate, the haunting piano chords playing in the background envelop us in the scene, causing total immersion. Man stares at the wolf, wolf stares back at man. "Once more into the fray, into the last good fight I'll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day," whispers Neeson, before charging head on into battle. Now if that's not a great movie moment, I don't know what is. Don't believe me? Check out the scene for yourself below. Now it's your turn. Sound off in the comments below and let us know what your favorite movie moments from 2012 are!