Call it a curse, perhaps even laziness on the part of Hollywood creatives, but second sequels have an unfortunate tendency to disappoint. With Iron Man 3 finally in the books, audience opinions remain divided ranging anywhere from the best film of the trilogy to an atrocious bait-and-switch.
For the fanboys out there treating Iron Man 3 like it's one of the worst botches ever, it's nowhere among the worst. In fact, Iron Man 3 ranks on the better side of impressive third chapters in a series.
While Iron Man 3 comes up short in making this list, there are still sequels out there with enough fuel in the tank to keep the cinematic momentum going. There are only a handful that can boast this claim and even fewer that can be called the crowning achievement in a series.
The five films below certainly stand out from the countless missed opportunities found in second sequels.
Hollywood has its work cut out in 2013. 2012. For starters, where do superhero movies go from here after competitors Marvel and DC exponentially raised the genre's bar with The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises? How about smaller films? Lincoln, Argo and Silver Linings Playbook all transformed into critical darlings overnight and that magic is only duplicated for the rare few.
Even with audience expectations set at a higher level than before, there are still ten movies that must be experienced in theaters as early as possible. Below are my choices for my most anticipated movies released in 2013.
For any film critic, myself included, compiling together a "best-of" list spanning an entire year is unquestionably one of the most difficult tasks out there. How can you craft a definitive list if you haven't seen every single release out there (or at the very minimum, every wide release)? And how do you weigh a popcorn superhero juggernaut like The Avengers against a slew of thought-provoking art-house films?
I admit, I've missed out on some key awards contenders - Lincoln, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty for starters. So don't expect them to make the list. I do however, plan on seeing several more films from 2012, including the ones mentioned, so there is a possibility this list could be adjusted.
However, for the hundred or so movies I have been privileged to see in 2012, it's fair to say that the fifteen films selected for my "best-of" list left an impression on me that won't leave me anytime soon. These are the films that defined 2012 for me as a critic, a moviegoer and a cinemaphile.
