Never Mind Pop Film

As we draw nearer to the end of June and consequently the halfway point of the year, what better time to reflect upon some of the highlights of 2012 so far? The list is fairly commercial at this point, curse moving out of the city for summer! Not all of us were able to attend film festivals in Cannes or Sundance, so I cannot speak to what will deliver Oscars, but for moviegoer enjoyment you cannot look past these select films.

Prometheus(You say tomato, I saw good sci-fi/horror)
The Avengers(The Comic Books Gods delivered)
The Grey (A film that captures emotion, visual flourishes and an ace performance from Mr. Neeson)
John Carter(It may not have made a lot of money, but Andrew Stanton created the only real fantasy story of the year)
Haywire(A genre exercise filled with capable actors)
Cabin in the Woods(Horror with a genuine surprise and comic wit. Thanks again, Whedon!)
Hunger Games (Jennifer Lawrence shines again in the woods)
Seeking A Friend for the End of the World(Is its tone a little…

Second chances are a given in this modern age. If you don't like who you are, change. Looking at Charlie Sheen, that number of chances could easily be closer to thirty. The basis of some of the most popular series on television are all about second chances (Breaking Bad and Mad Men). It is never too late to start over. Well, in Dodge's case, not really. In less than three weeks the world will end when an asteroid collides with the Earth. Second chances are now our only chances.

Life has not treated Dodge (Steve Carell) terribly well: his wife couldn't run out on him fast enough when Asteroid Mathilda set sights on Earth, his father left him as a child, and now there is no time to reconcile what he has with what he wanted. Penny (Keira Knightley) has had a similar experience. Her family views her as a "flake" and she has wasted most of her days with boyfriends on a lower spectrum. By sheer luck, she has the letter Dodge has been waiting for his entire life.

With th…