Q2 2012 Awards: Top 5 Best Films

What were the best movies of this second quarter of 2012?
It's been a pretty eventful second quarter for 2012, with the Summer Of Film engaging itself in full force through blockbuster movies and sleeper hits. Just which entries were the most memorable and unique for the world of cinema, though? Here are my picks for the Top 5 Best Films of this annual quarter...
5. DARK SHADOWS (4/5): Despite its traditional quirks of having Tim Burton as its director, Dark Shadows proved to be a thoroughly likeable surprise hit for me. Johnny Depp was again at his charasmatic best in the role of Barnabus Collins, relishing the chance to play a character with little depth but plenty of room for great laughs. Watch this if you just want a great way to relax and revel in the glorious madness of Burton's modern fantasy worlds.
4. MEN IN BLACK III (4/5): Again, this one will hardly win any Oscars for narrative depth, and yet Men In Black III pulled an absolute shocker by managing to be perhaps the best entry in the sci-fi comedy franchise so far. Will Smith was back to the top of comedy alongside newcomer Josh Brolin, and their on-screen chemistry was sublime enough to warrant the hope that there might be more sequels in the pipeline!
3. ROCK OF AGES (4.5/5): Rock On! What, you want more reason than that? Okay, then- with Don't Stop Believin' being just the tip of the proverbial iceberg in terms of this fantastic sleeper hit's amazing setlist of rock classics, I couldn't help but fall in love with the innovative twists and plot ploys that this great adaptation of the West End show manages to pull out of its hat.
2. THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (4.5/5): Had it not been for the slight weaknesses present at the movie's end and indeed the strength of this quarter's winner, The Cabin In The Woods could well have stood a chance at winning the top place, which is saying something for a film I hadn't heard of until a few days before I went to see it. That this quarter's winning director Joss Whedon helmed this fantastic, innovative horror piece too is testament to his creative vision and indeed his ability to craft killer movies.
1. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE (5/5): But in all honesty, no movie could go top of this list over Avengers Assemble for me. I've always loved superhero films, but in the past other flicks have been able to top them with relative ease- not this time, though. This time, Joss Whedon and his production team brought to the pain to their Summer Of Film competitors with a deep narrative, stunning setpieces and above all a perfect team chemistry that you could truly believe in as the Avengers went to war. There really wasn't much for me to fault here, and I'm sure each and every comic-book and action movie fan here would agree that no other flick should really go in this place. Congratulations to Disney, who have one heck of a superhero franchise on their hands...and the limelight now falls to The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises to top it!