THE LISTS: Best performances of 2012 thus far

At this point I have a tendency of wondering if we're really at the halfway point of this year already. It's true that often times this period of the year is marked by a stunt of intellectual cinematic properties and an abundance of blockbuster diversions. This year, however, it seems like things are just heating up exponentially with a rush of quality cinema. The past two weeks alone have offered not just one, but two films that may qualify the best of the year. But if I'm to be perfectly honest, the last thing I feel like doing at this point is putting the films to task in an effort to rank them. I leave the placing of favorites as a year end routine.

What's more, we're still waiting on plenty of films that seem ever so slightly outside our reach and prove to dramatically change the order of anyone's lists at this time. In just two weeks time we'll finally be able to take in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises", putting an end to suffocating fanboy hype and finally giving us a chance to judge it on its own humble merits. I'm waiting in eager anticipation to see how Yorgos Lanthimos' "Alps" turns out, since that's the real ticket premiere of this month, at least from where I'm looking. And we know that Venice, Telluride, and Toronto are just around the corner with more to bring to the table.

For Your Anticipation: Nowhere Left to Go

I feel really bad for Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston. I think we're all of similar opinions that these actors really deserve much better than either of them are liable to get anytime soon. It's kind of ironic for both of them to be in a film like "Wanderlust", because they are in the exact same position. They are stuck in a routine of tedium, playing up these senselessly raunchy comedies as best they can until something better comes along. Paul Rudd at least has a better comedic outlet coming along later this year in "This is 40". Jennifer Aniston, in the meantime, is still on the waiting list for something to come along and snatch her up from tedium. I hope it happens. I am of the opinion of not wanting her to spend the rest of her career in freefall.

For Your Anticipation: Doing All the Extra Work

Can somebody explain to me how Kevin Spacey ended up working on a film like Horrible Bosses? I understand Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, and even Colin Farrell, but you can tell that Spacey is the main antagonist. Apparently Tom Cruise, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Jeff Bridges were all considered for the role, and while I feel like Cruise may have been a better fit, I'm glad they chose Spacey. I understand that none of this weighs on the quality of the film, but I really couldn't care that much. I suppose it could've been a lot worse, but it's still just lower tier fare.

For Your Anticipation: That's A Spicy Meatball

I didn't have the heart to ever even consider seeing Just Go With It. There are a few actors that I consider omens of death for a picture, and among them are Vince Vaughn, Keanu Reeves, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, and Adam Sandler. The only Adam Sandler film I've ever truly enjoyed, and in fact loved, was Funny People, and that was spearheaded by Judd Apatow. I don't care for anything else he has ever done, because he's not the slightest bit interesting. I make a notion of avoiding him. As for Jennifer Aniston, I never saw what people saw in her. She is the second weakest of the Friends crew, in my humble opinion, right below Ross. The only reason I would ever see Just Go With It is the mysterious appearance of Nicole Kidman. Nobody knows what she's playing in the film, but it's the main and only draw for critically minded cinephiles.