JR Late Night Top 20 Movies of the Year 2012

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JR Late Night Blogs publishes a yearly list on the 20 Best Films for the Year. As the year 2012 comes to a close, it is a great time for JR to present his latest list of the Top 20 Movies that rocked the entire year. Movies which premiered from 01 January 2012 to 24 December 2012 that earned a huge box office and a huge internet fan base were the ones chosen by JR in this year's list. Movies with big names entered the list like The Hunger Games, The Avengers, Spider-Man, and Twilight. Some movies which may have not earned a lot in the box office but earned a lot of praises from the internet community like Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained, and Les Miserables entered the list. Abraham Lincoln did good this year as his movie Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln: The Vampire Hunter stays in the top 10. Tim Burton enters two movies in the list - Dark Shadows and Frankenweenie. Which leads us to action being the genre of the year with 11 entries this year. Animation is not that good this year with only two of them in this year's list - Brave and Frankenweenie. This year belongs to James Bond as his movie Skyfall is listed at #1 in this year's edition of the Top 20 Movies. JR now unveils the Top 20 Movies of 2012.

Summary of the List:
1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16  |  17  |  18  |  19  |  20
Intro  |  Honorable Mentions  |  Records  |  Data Sources  |  Photo Credits

JR's Movies of the Year (2012 Edition)

Rank	Movies of the Year	Movie Genre	Month of Release
1	Skyfall	Action	October 2012
2	The Hunger Games	Action  |  Adventure	March 2012
3	The Avengers	Action  |  Adventure	May 2012
4	Zero Dark Thirty	Action  |  Thriller	December 2012
5	Argo	Drama  |  Thriller	October 2012
6	The Dark Knight Rises	Action  |  Thriller	July 2012
7	Lincoln	Historical Drama	November 2012
8	The Bourne Legacy	Action	August 2012
9	Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter	Action  |  Horror	June 2012
10	The Amazing Spider-Man	Action  |  Adventure	July 2012
11	Brave	Action  |  Animation	June 2012
12	The Perks of Being A Wallflower	Drama  |  Romance	September 2012
13	Looper	Action  |  Sci-Fi	September 2012
14	Frankenweenie	Animation	October 2012
15	Les Miserables	Musical	December 2012
16	Django Unchained	Action  |  Western	December 2012
17	Dark Shadows	Horror  |  Comedy	May 2012
18	Magic Mike	Comedy  |  Drama	June 2012
19	The Dictator	Comedy	May 2012
20	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 2)	Romance	November 2012

Get back to previous JR Late Night Blogs' Movies of the Year lists:

Movies of 2011     |     Movies of 2010

***Note: All data sources are placed under the External Links of each movies.

#1	SKYFALL (2012)

Worldwide Box Office:	$980,850,000
Movie Genre:	Action   |   Adventure   |   Crime
Director/s:	Sam Mendes
Distributor:	Sony / Columbia
MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for intense violence, some sexuality, language, and smoking
Total Running Time:	143 Minutes (2 hours, 23 minutes)
Production Budget:	$200 million
Official Movie Website:	http://www.skyfall-movie.com/
Cast Overview:	Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Judi Dench
Plot Synopsis (from IMDb)	When Bond's latest assignment goes gravely wrong and agents around the world are exposed, MI6 is attacked forcing M to relocate the agency. These events cause her authority and position to be challenged by Gareth Mallory, the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. With MI6 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust: Bond. 007 takes to the shadows - aided only by field agent, Eve - following a trail to the mysterious Silva, whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.
External Links: (Data Sources)	>>> Skyfall - Wikipedia >>> Skyfall - Internet Movie Database >>> Skyfall - Box Office Mojo

JR Late Night Top 20 Movies of the Year 2011

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Check out previous JR's Top 20 Movies of the Year lists:

2010 Edition

As the year 2011 closes, JR presents his latest list of the Top 20 Movies that rocked the entire year. Movies which premiered from 01 January 2011 to 23 December 2011 that earned a huge box office and a huge internet fan base were the ones chosen by JR in this year's list.

The list is dominated by sequels of movies with big names. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2), Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 1) lead this year's list. While comedy dominated last year's list, this year was dominated by Action (with 12 films) and Adventure (with 13 films) films. This year, we also have three animated films in the list (such as Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, and The Adventures of Tintin). A lot of superheroes also entered this year's list; we have Captain America, Magneto, Dr. Charles Xavier, and Thor. Unfortunately, some films like The Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Puss in Boots and Battle Los Angeles did not make this year's cut.

Note: All data in the list (such as Worldwide Box Office) were as of blog close: 23 December 2011.

JR LATE NIGHT BLOGS:

TOP 20 MOVIES OF THE YEAR 2011

Summary of the Top 20:

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16

17  |  18  |  19  |  20  |  Honorable Mentions  |  Records  |  Data Sources  |  Photo Credits

Table of Top 20 Movies of 2011:

1 - H.P. and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2)	11 - Thor
2 - Transformers: Dark of the Moon	12 - Immortals
3 - Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part 1)	13 - Cars 2
4 - Pirates of Caribbean: On Stranger Tides	14 - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
5 - Captain America: The First Avenger	15 - Just Go With It
6 - I Am Number Four	16 - Super 8
7 - Mission: Impossible (Ghost Protocol)	17 - Scream 4
8 - Rise of the Planet of the Apes	18 - Kung Fu Panda 2
9 - Fast Five	19 - Beastly
10 - X-Men: First Class	20 - The Adventures of Tintin

View this list in the Internet Movie Database :

http://www.imdb.com/list/XXBFWSv_drs/

#1

HARRY POTTER AND THE 
DEATHLY HALLOWS (PART 2)
(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Worldwide Box Office: $1,328,119,219

Movie Release Date: 14 July 2011

Genre: Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

Director: David Yates
Writers: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Movie Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Production Budget: $250 million (shared with Part 1)

Movie Tagline:  "It All Ends"

Official Movie Website: 
http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthedeathlyhallows/mainsite/index.html

PLOT OVERVIEW:

"Harry, Ron and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord."

CAST OVERVIEW:

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort, Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore, Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape

#2

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
(Paramount Pictures)

Worldwide Box Office: $1,123,196,189

Movie Release Date: 29 June 2011

Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director: Michael Bay
Writer: Ehren Kruger

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Movie Running Time: 2 hours 34 minutes

Production Budget: $195 million

Movie Tagline:  "Earth's Last Stand"

Official Movie Website: 
http://www.transformersmovie.com/

PLOT OVERVIEW:

"The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets."

CAST OVERVIEW:

Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as Carly Spencer, Josh Duhamel as Lennox, Tyrese Gibson as Epps, Frances McDormand as Mearing, Patrick Dempsey as Dylan, John Malkovich as Bruce Brazos, Alan Tudyk as Dutch, Ken Jeong as Jerry Wang, John Turturro as Simmons

#3

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: 
BREAKING DAWN (PART 1)
(Summit Entertainment)

Worldwide Box Office: $653,684,000

Movie Release Date: 18 November 2011

Genre: Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

Director: Bill Condon
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg (screenplay), Stephanie Meyer (novel)

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Movie Running Time: 1 hour 57 minutes

Production Budget: $110 million

Movie Tagline:  "Forever is only the beginning"

Official Movie Website: 
http://www.breakingdawn-themovie.com/

PLOT OVERVIEW:

"The Quileutes close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses a threat to the Wolf Pack and the towns people of Forks."

CAST OVERVIEW:
Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan, Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black, Ashley Greene as Alice Cullen, Billy Burke as Charlie Swan, Peter Facinelli as Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Elizabeth Reaser as Esme Cullen, Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale, Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen, Jackson Rathbone as Jasper Hale

JR's Top 15 Favorite Saw Traps

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After almost a year of blog presence in JR Late Night Blogs, JR's Top 15 Favorite Saw Traps get a huge remake as this historic blog is the first ever blog in JR Late Night Blogs to peak at #1.

This month, being JR Late Night Saw Halloween, is a great time to look back at some of the most memorable, most gruesome, and deadliest traps from the Saw franchise, the Most Successful Horror Series in History. JR presents to you a list that defines his Most Favorite Saw Traps of All Time. After all, JR's Most Favorite Movie Series is no other than the Saw film series. All Saw Traps included in Saw I, Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Saw V, Saw VI, and Saw 3D are those chosen by JR in the list (other traps coming from the Saw video games were not included).

Blog Viewers, Warning:

JR's TOP 15 FAVORITE SAW TRAPS

Summary of the Top 15:

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15

Data Sources  |  Photo Credits

Table of Contents:

1 - The Venus Fly Trap	9 - The Needle Pit
2 - The Pendulum Trap	10 - The Razor Wire Maze
3 - The Public Execution Trap	11 - The Rack
4 - The Reverse Bear Trap	12 - The Carousel Trap
5 - The Angel Trap	13 - The Razor Box
6 - The Cube	14 - The Oxygen Crusher
7 - Pound of Flesh	15 - The Shotgun Collar
8 - The Horsepower Trap

1

THE VENUS FLY TRAP

(SAW II)

TRAP DESCRIPTION:

This trap was similar to an iron maiden device, but on a much smaller scale. The trap consisted of a harness, attached to the victim's chest, which was only removable if the key to the padlock was obtained. Attached to the harness was a contraption which consisted of two metal masks, opposite from each other and angled down from the victim's head.Each mask had several nails protruding inwards from the interior. The device was connected to a spring timer, and if it wasn't removed in time, the two masks would clamp together on the victim's head, in a similar fashion to that of a Venus Flytrap, and drive the nails through his skull. The victim of this trap was Michael Marks, a police informant. He woke up in an empty room, and found himself in the helmet. In order to remove the device, Michael was instructed that he would have to find the key to the harness, which he soon learned, from a video tape and some X-rays of his own skull, was hidden behind his right eye. Supplied with a scalpel, he attempted to surgically remove his eye, but found that he couldn't himself to do it, and threw the scalpel across the room in anger. The timer expired, and the masks snapped shut on his head, killing him.

JIGSAW'S TAPE INSTRUCTIONS:

"Hello, Michael. I want to play a game. So far in what could loosely be called your life, you've made a living watching others. Society would call you an informant, a rat, a snitch. I call you unworthy of the body you possess, of the life you've been given. Now we will see if you are willing to look inward, rather than outward, to give up on the one thing you rely on in order to go on living. The device around your neck is a death mask. The mask is on a spring timer. If you do not locate the key in time, the mask will close. Think of it like a Venus Flytrap. What you are looking at right now is your own body, not more than two hours ago. Don't worry, you're sound asleep and can't feel a thing. Taking into account that you are at a great disadvantage here, I am going to give you a hint as to where I've hidden the key. So listen carefully, the hint is this: it's right before your eyes. How much blood will you shed to stay alive, Michael? Live or die, make your choice." 

JR's Top 10 Favorite Harry Potter Fictional Creatures

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As the eighth and final installment of the Most Successful Movie Series in History premiered this month and before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2) becomes a billion dollar hit, JR presents to you a list that defines JR's Top 10 Favorite Fictional Creatures in the Harry Potter movie series. All Fictional Creatures from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2) are qualified to be in JR's Favorites list.

JR's TOP 10 FAVORITE

HARRY POTTER FICTIONAL CREATURES

Summary of the Top 10:

1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10

Data Sources  |  Photo Credits

Table of Contents:

1 - Dobby the House Elf

2 - Fawkes the Phoenix

3 - Deadly Dementors

4 - Ukrainian Ironbelly Dragon

5 - Buckbeak the Hippogriff

6 - Venomous Basilisk

7 - Fluffy the Three Headed Dog

8 - Nagini The Snake

9 - Firenze the Centaur

10 - Moaning Myrtle

#1

DOBBY THE HOUSE ELF

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Birth: 27 June, unknown year
Death: Late March, 1998
Height: 3 feet
Eye-Color: Tennis Ball Green

Occupations: Malfoy's Family House-Elf; Hogwarts Kitchen Worker 

Loyalty: Malfoy Family, Hogwarts School, Harry Potter, Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare

About Dobby The House Elf

Dobby was a house-elf who served the Malfoy family. His masters were Dark Wizards who treated him cruelly. In 1992, he tried to warn Harry Potter of the plot to have the Chamber of Secrets reopened which he came to know via the contact between his masters and Lord Voldemort. Dobby had to keep punishing himself because he felt he was disobeying his masters. At the end of that school year, after Harry had vanquished the memory of Tom Riddle and the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, he tricked Lucius Malfoy into freeing Dobby by placing his own black sock into the diary of Tom Riddle; this was rudely handed to Dobby.

JR's Most Noteworthy Dobby The House Elf Moment:

Dobby saying his last words to Harry Potter: "Such a beautiful place it is, to be with friends. Dobby is happy to be with his friend, Harry Potter."

#2

FAWKES THE PHOENIX

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Ministry of Magic Classification: XXXX (Dangerous)

Birth/Death: Immortal
Height: "Swan-sized" (up to sixty inches)
Eye Color: Black
Skin Color: Pink

Loyalty: Albus Dumbledore

About Fawkes The Phoenix

Fawkes was a highly intelligent phoenix and Albus Dumbledore's magical familiar and defender. Fawkes was instrumental in helping Harry Potter defeat Salazar Slytherin's basilisk in 1993, and he came to Dumbledore's aid in fighting Lord Voldemort during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Following Dumbledore's death, Fawkes sang his Lament over the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and then left, never to be seen again. His tail feathers were the cores of the two twin wands which were held by Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter. Fawkes has crimson feathers on his body and a golden tail as long as a peacock's. His claws and beak are gleaming gold and his eyes are black. The scarlet body feathers glow faintly in darkness, while the golden tail feathers are hot to the touch.

JR's Most Noteworthy Fawkes The Phoenix Moment:

Fawkes fighting the Venomous Basilisk and sheding healing tears upon Harry's wounds which was inflicted by the Basilisk before its death.

JR's Top 15 All-Time Favorite Animated Movies

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This month of the hearts, since most likely all of us loves animated movies and cartoons, JR publishes something new and special on JR Late Night Blogs Top 10 Lists... After JR releases his All-Time Favorite Horror and Thriller Movies last Halloween 2010,  JR presents to you his All Time Favorite Animated Movies this February 2011.

JR LATE NIGHT BLOGS:
JR's TOP 15 ALL-TIME FAVORITE ANIMATED MOVIES

Summary of the Top 15:
1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15

Table of Contents:

1 - Toy Story 3

2 - Cars

3 - Finding Nemo

4 - The Spongebob Squarepants Movie

5 - The Nightmare Before Christmas

6 - Ratatouille

7 - The Simpsons Movie
8 - Toy Story 2

9 - Kung Fu Panda

10 - Monsters, Inc.

11 - Meet The Robinsons
12 - The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy To The Rescue
13 - Up
14 - Toy Story
15 - The Princess and The Frog

1

TOY STORY 3

Tagline: "The Breakout Comedy of the Summer"

MOVIE DETAILS

Release Date: 12 June 2010

Director: Lee Unkrich

Writers: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, Michael Arndt

Genre: Animation  |  Adventure  |  Comedy

Worldwide Box Office: $1,063,161,943

Voice Actors: 

Tom Hanks (voiced Woody), Tim Allen (voiced Buzz Lightyear), Michael Keaton (voiced Ken), Whoopi Goldberg (voiced Stretch), Timothy Dalton (voiced Mr. Pricklepants), Jeff Garlin (voiced Buttercup), Bonnie Hunt (voiced Dolly), Kristen Schaal (voiced Trixie), Wallace Shawn (voiced Rex), Joan Cusack (voiced Jessie), John Ratzenberger (voiced Hamm), Don Rickles (voiced Mr. Potato Head)

SUMMARY:

Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it's all for one and one for all as they join Barbie's counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear to plan their great escape.

Source: The Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/)

2

CARS
Tagline: "Boys In The Hood"

MOVIE DETAILS

Release Date: 9 June 2006

Director: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft

Writers: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Jorgen Klubein

Genre: Animation  |  Adventure  |  Comedy

Worldwide Box Office: $461,983,149

Voice Actors: 

Owen Wilson (voiced Lightning McQueen), Larry the Cable Guy (voiced Mater), Paul Newman (voiced Doc Hudson), Bonnie Hunt (voiced Sally Carrera), Tony Shalhoub (voiced Luigi), Cheech Marin (voiced Ramone), Michael Wallis (voiced Sheriff), George Carlin (voiced Fillmore), Paul Dooley (voiced Sarge), Jenifer Lewis (voiced Flo), Guido Quaroni (voiced Guido), Richard Petty (voiced Strip "The King" Weathers), Michael Keaton (voiced Chick Hicks), Katherine Helmond (voiced Lizzie), John Ratzenberger (voiced Mack), Joe Ranft (voiced Red)

SUMMARY:

While traveling to California for the dispute of the final race of the Piston Cup against The King and Chick Hicks, the famous Lightning McQueen accidentally damages the road of the small town Radiator Springs and is sentenced to repair it. Lightning McQueen has to work hard and finds friendship and love in the simple locals, changing its values during his stay in the small town and becoming a true winner.

Source: The Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317219/)

3

FINDING NEMO
Tagline: "71% of the Earth's surface is covered by water. That's a lot of space to find one fish."

MOVIE DETAILS

Release Date: 30 May 2003

Director: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich

Writers: Andrew Stanton

Genre: Animation  |  Adventure  |  Comedy

Worldwide Box Office: $867,893,978

Voice Actors: 

Albert Brooks (voiced Marlin), Ellen DeGeneres (voiced Dory), Alexander Gould (voiced Nemo), Willem Dafoe (voiced Gil), Brad Garrett (voiced Bloat), Allison Janney (voiced Peach), Austin Pendleton (voiced Gurgle), Stephen Root (voiced Bubbles), Vicki Lewis (voiced Deb), Joe Ranft (voiced Jacques), Geoffrey Rush (voiced Nigel), Andrew Stanton (voiced Crush), Elizabeth Perkins (voiced Coral), Nicholas Bird (voiced Squirt), Bob Peterson (voiced Mr. Ray), Barry Humphries (voiced Bruce)

SUMMARY:

A clown fish named Marlin living in the Great Barrier Reef loses his son, Nemo, after he ventures into the open sea, despite his father's constant warnings about many of the ocean's dangers. Nemo is abducted by a boat and netted up and sent to a dentist's office in Sydney. So, while Marlin ventures off to try to retrieve Nemo, Marlin meets a fish named Dory, a blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss. The companions travel a great distance, encountering various dangerous sea creatures such as sharks, anglerfish and jellyfish, in order to rescue Nemo from the dentist's office, which is situated by Sydney Harbor. While the two are doing this, Nemo and the other sea animals in the dentist's fish tank plot a way to return to Sydney Harbor to live their lives free again.

Source: The Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/)