Best Movies (I saw) 2012
A collection of movies that scored 8 or higher on a scale to 10, amongst the movies I've seen so far this year. The movies are ordered best to "worst".
List activity
1.4K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
100 titles
- DirectorBéla TarrStarsMihály VigPutyi HorváthLászló feLugossyOn the eve of a large payment, residents of a collapsing collective farm see their plans turn into desolation when they discover that Irimiás, a former co-worker who they thought was dead, is returning to the community.
- DirectorMaïwennStarsKarin ViardJoeyStarrMarina FoïsA journalist covering police assigned to a juvenile division enters into an affair with one of her subjects.
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsJean-Louis TrintignantEmmanuelle RivaIsabelle HuppertGeorges and Anne are an octogenarian couple. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, also a musician, lives in Britain with her family. One day, Anne has a stroke, and the couple's bond of love is severely tested.
- DirectorLucifer ValentineStarsA. BelleThe Black Angels of HellHoneyA girl with disturbing hallucinations continues her downward spiral into hell. Not for the faint of heart.
- DirectorLeos CaraxStarsDenis LavantEdith ScobEva MendesA man boards a limousine to be driven to his day's work: nine mysterious "appointments."
- DirectorTom SixStarsLaurence R. HarveyAshlynn YennieMaddi BlackInspired by the fictional Dr. Heiter, disturbed loner Martin dreams of creating a 12-person centipede and sets out to realize his sick fantasy.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsPayman MaadiLeila HatamiSareh BayatA married couple are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.
- DirectorBertrand BonelloStarsNoémie LvovskyHafsia HerziCéline SalletteAt an elegant Parisian bordello at the dawn of the 20th century exists a cloistered world of pleasure, pain, hope, rivalries--and, most of all, slavery.
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsAnders Danielsen LieEspen Klouman HøinerViktoria WingeFueled by literary aspirations and youthful exuberance, two competitive friends endure the pangs of love, depression, and burgeoning careers.
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsAnders Danielsen LieHans Olav BrennerIngrid OlavaOne day in the life of Anders, a young recovering drug addict, who takes a brief leave from his treatment center to interview for a job and catch up with old friends in Oslo.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsLubna AzabalMélissa Désormeaux-PoulinMaxim GaudetteTwins journey to the Middle East to discover their family history and fulfill their mother's last wishes.
- DirectorSimon RumleyStarsAmanda FullerMarc SenterJon Michael DavisA woman attracts the attention of a psychopathic former Army interrogator and an emotionally fragile young man caring for his depressed mother.
- DirectorMikkel NørgaardStarsFrank HvamCasper ChristensenMarcuz Jess PetersenIn order to prove his fatherhood potential to his pregnant girlfriend, Frank 'kidnaps' her 12-year-old nephew and tags along on his best friend Casper's debauched weekend canoe trip.
- DirectorThomas VinterbergStarsGustav Fischer KjærulffSebastian BullMads Broe AndersenTwo brothers meet at their mother's funeral, each in his way on a path of self-destruction, both haunted by a tragedy in their youth.
- DirectorAleksey FedorchenkoStarsIgor SergeevYuriy TsuriloYuliya AugPresent days. A man and his companion go on a journey to cremate the dead body of the former beloved wife, on a riverbank in the area where they spent their honeymoon.
- DirectorFeo AladagStarsSibel KekilliNizam SchillerDerya AlaboraUmay is a young woman of Turkish descent, fighting for an independent and self-determined life in Germany against her family's resistance. Her struggle initiates a dynamic that results in a life-threatening situation.
- DirectorChris MarkerStarsAmilcar CabralFlorence DelayArielle DombasleA woman narrates the contemplative writings of a seasoned world traveler, focusing on contemporary Japan.
- DirectorOmar Rodriguez-LopezStarsMaría de Jesús Canales RamírezKim StodelMaimuna Achleitner JiménezThe Gonzales family try hard to hold on to our beautiful Latino traditions of misogyny and homophobia when a tall, white, industrialist stranger appears, challenging their place in the exploitative food chain.
- DirectorQuentin DupieuxStarsJack PlotnickTodd GiebenhainEric JudorDolph Springer wakes up one morning to realize he has lost the love of his life, his dog, Paul. During his quest to get Paul (and his life) back, Dolph radically changes the lives of others -- risking his sanity all the while.
- DirectorSergey LobanStarsPyotr MamonovVera StrokovaAleksey PodolskiyA Cyberwanderer, a deaf baker, hipsters and Crimea is the first part of Sergei Loban's absurdist dilogy.
- DirectorRainer Werner FassbinderStarsAnna KarinaMargit CarstensenBrigitte MiraBoth parents of a young teen who walks with crutches secretly meet their lovers, who both surprise each other at the family's country home. The daughter arrives and initiates a guessing game of "Chinese roulette."
- DirectorRuben ÖstlundStarsAnas AbdirahmanSebastian BlyckertYannick DiakitéAn astute observation based on real cases of bullying. In central Gothenburg, Sweden, a group of boys, aged 12-14, robbed other children on about 40 occasions between 2006 and 2008. The thieves used an elaborate scheme called the 'little brother number' or 'brother trick', involving advanced role-play and gang rhetoric rather than physical violence.
- DirectorRyszard BugajskiStarsKrystyna JandaAdam FerencyJanusz GajosTonia goes out drinking. She wakes up in prison, not having a clue why she's there. She is tortured to encourage her to confess to a crime she is not aware of.
- DirectorLucifer ValentineStarsShari CarusoAmeara LaveyHope LikensThe final in the trilogy. A bulimic prostitute talks about her deranged childhood while being sexually tortured.
- DirectorJimmy ScreamerClauzStarsRuby LaroccaBrandon SlagleJoey SmackA troubled group of children living on the same block are haunted by a talking dog named Labby who brings them on surreal hell-rides between different dimensions and time periods.
- DirectorThomas VinterbergStarsUlrich ThomsenHenning MoritzenThomas Bo LarsenAt Helge's 60th birthday party, some unpleasant family truths are revealed.
- DirectorStefan JarlStarsKenneth 'Kenta' GustafssonGustav 'Stoffe' SvenssonEva BlondinAbout a couple of friends in Stockholms drug world.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsBibi AnderssonHarriet AnderssonEva DahlbeckA critic blackmails a famous musician with his biography filled with the revelations of many of his women.
- DirectorLucifer ValentineStarsAmeara LaveyPig LizzyMaja LeeThe gruesome tapestry of psychological manifestations of a nineteen year old bulimic runaway stripper-turned prostitute as she descends into a hellish pit of satanic nightmares and hallucinations.
- DirectorJay LeeStarsJade DornfeldAmara ZaragozaJames DuvalAfter accidentally knocking her best friend off a roof, Alyce is haunted by guilt and delves into a brutal nightmare wonderland of sex, drugs and violence, her mind tearing itself apart along with anyone else who gets in her way.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsKim Ki-dukOh Yeong-suJong-ho KimA boy is raised by a Buddhist monk in an isolated floating temple where the years pass like the seasons.
- DirectorPieter Van HeesStarsEline KuppensMatthias SchoenaertsSien EggersWhen Marie moves into her boyfriend's apartment, she uncovers a disturbing mystery.
- DirectorJohn Michael McDonaghStarsBrendan GleesonDon CheadleMark StrongAn unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality is partnered with an uptight F.B.I. agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring.
- DirectorFrançois TruffautStarsJeanne MoreauOskar WernerHenri SerreDecades of a love triangle concerning two friends and an impulsive woman.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAnatoliy SolonitsynIvan LapikovNikolay GrinkoThe life, times and afflictions of the fifteenth-century Russian iconographer St. Andrei Rublev.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira TeraoJinpachi NezuIn Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
- DirectorTom SixStarsDieter LaserWinter WilliamsAshlynn YennieA mad scientist kidnaps and mutilates a trio of tourists in order to reassemble them into a human centipede, created by stitching their mouths to each others' rectums.
- DirectorXiaogang FengStarsDaoming ChenChen LiYi LuThe epic story of a family separated as a result of the Great Tangshan Earthquake of 1976.
- DirectorJesse Thomas CookStarsDavid FoleyArt HindleRobert MailletEight classic monsters fight to the death in an explosive wrestling tournament set inside an abandoned and cursed graveyard.
- DirectorUrszula AntoniakStarsLotte VerbeekStephen ReaTom CharlfaAlone in her empty flat, from her window Anne observes the people passing by who nervously snatch up the personal belongings and pieces of furniture she has put out on the pavement. Her final gesture of taking a ring off her finger signals she is leaving her previous life in Holland behind. She goes to Ireland, where she chooses to lead a solitary, wandering existence, striding through the austere landscapes of Connemara. During her travels, she discovers a house that is home to a hermit, Martin.
- DirectorJuraj JakubiskoStarsAnna FrielKarel RodenVincent ReganWith an unquenchable thirst for blood, Countess Elizabeth Bathory was one of the most prolific serial killers in history.
- DirectorLucky McKeeStarsPollyanna McIntoshBrandon Gerald FullerLauren Ashley CarterWhen a successful country lawyer captures and attempts to "civilize" the last remaining member of a violent clan that has roamed the Northeast coast for decades, he puts the lives of his family in jeopardy.
- DirectorAlex ChandonStarsJo HartleyJames DohertySeamus O'NeillFour young offenders and their care workers visit the remote Yorkshire village of Mortlake, which prides on keeping itself to itself. A minor incident with locals rapidly escalates into a blood-soaked, deliriously warped nightmare.
- DirectorOlivier AssayasStarsMaggie CheungJean-Pierre LéaudNathalie RichardA Hong Kong actress, Maggie Cheung playing a fictional version of herself, is cast in France to star in a remake of Les vampires (1915), but petty intrigues and clashing egos plague the production.
- DirectorHarmony KorineStarsEwen BremnerBrian FiskChloë SevignyA portrait of the effects of schizophrenia on family life is the central focus.
- DirectorPeter GreenawayStarsBernard HillJoan PlowrightJuliet StevensonThree generations of women share the same problem--marriage woes--and want to put an end to it.
- DirectorStefan JarlJan LindqvistStarsStefan JarlKenneth 'Kenta' GustafssonGustav 'Stoffe' SvenssonThe first entry in a series of films about the lives of social misfits Kenneth 'Kenta' Gustafsson and Gustav 'Stoffe' Svensson.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsLiv UllmannErland JosephsonBörje AhlstedtMarianne, some thirty years after divorcing Johan, decides to visit her ex-husband at his summer home. She arrives in the middle of a family drama between Johan's son from another marriage and his granddaughter.
- DirectorPhilippe GarrelStarsLouis GarrelClotilde HesmeJulien Lucas1968 and 1969 in Paris during and after the student and trade-union revolt. 20-year-old François is a poet dodging military service. He takes to the barricades, but won't throw a Molotov cocktail at the police. He smokes opium and talks about revolution with his friend Antoine, who has an inheritance and a flat where François can stay. François meets Lilie, a sculptor who works at a foundry to support herself, and they fall in love. A year passes; François continues to write, talk, smoke, and be with Lilie. Opportunities come to Lilie: what will she and François do?
- DirectorIstván SzabóStarsKlaus Maria BrandauerIldikó BánságiKrystyna JandaIn early-1930s Germany, a passionate stage actor faces a dilemma: renounce his apolitical stance and comply with the Reich's doctrine, or face oblivion. But, Faustian bargains never end well. What is the price of success?
- DirectorSean DurkinStarsElizabeth OlsenSarah PaulsonJohn HawkesHaunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.
- DirectorSimon StahoStarsMikael PersbrandtLena OlinTuva NovotnyAn overworked and stressed out man in the middle of his career causes the worst tragedy that can happen to a family...
- DirectorLaurent BouhnikStarsDéborah RévyHélène ZimmerGowan DidiIn a social context deteriorated by a countrywide economic crisis, the life of several people will be turned upside down after they meet Cecile, a character who symbolizes desire.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsAlbert FinneyJacqueline BissetAnthony AndrewsA day in the life of a self-destructive British consul in Mexico on the eve of World War II.
- DirectorAndrey ZvyagintsevStarsNadezhda MarkinaAndrey SmirnovAleksey RozinWhen a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten dutiful housewife Elena's potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan ...
- DirectorLucky McKeeStarsMike McKeeErin BrownAngela BettisA story about an evil bug with the ability to change people's behavior, a commentary on the dangers of moving into a relationship too quickly.
- DirectorTinto BrassStarsHelmut BergerIngrid ThulinTeresa Ann SavoyKitty runs a brothel in Nazi Germany where the soldiers come to "relax". Recording devices have been installed in each room by a power-hungry army official, who plans to use the information to blackmail Hitler and gain power himself.
- DirectorEttore ScolaStarsJean-Louis BarraultMarcello MastroianniHanna SchygullaDuring the French Revolution, a surprising company shares a coach, trying to catch up something - the time itself, perhaps.
- DirectorPavel BardinStarsBenik ArakelyanArchibald ArchibaldovichPyotr BarancheevA gang of skinheads 'Russia 88' are filming propaganda videos in order to place it on the internet. At the same time the camera records the life of the gang, they become accustomed to this and stop paying attention to it. The leader of the gang 'Blade' discovers that his sister is dating a Caucasian guy. This family drama develops into a tragedy.
- DirectorTobias LindholmMichael NoerStarsPilou AsbækDulfi Al-JabouriRoland MøllerThe R of the title stands for the young protagonist, Rune, fearlessly played by Pilou Asbæk. Imprisoned for violent assault, he's a cocky, good-looking young man placed in the hardcore ward, where his survival depends on quickly learning the prison's parallel world of rules, honor, and obligations. R also stands for Rachid, a young Muslim prisoner who becomes Rune's friend and accomplice, defying the rigid racial stratifications among the inmates.
- DirectorYuan ZhangStarsBowen DongYuanyuan NingManyuan ChenA young boy starting school for the first time struggles to fit in to a strictly regimented society in in post-revolutionary China.
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJeremy RennerAnthony MackieBrian GeraghtyDuring the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsHarriet AnderssonLiv UllmannKari SylwanWhen a woman dying of cancer in early twentieth-century Sweden is visited by her two sisters, long-repressed feelings between the siblings rise to the surface.
- DirectorMalgorzata SzumowskaStarsJuliette BinocheAnaïs DemoustierJoanna KuligOn her latest assignment, a journalist for Elle immerses herself in a prostitution ring run by university students.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsJo Min-sooLee Jung-JinWoo Ki-hongA loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.
- DirectorPaprika SteenStarsSofie GråbølMikael BirkkjærSøren PilmarkA young married couple has to deal with their emotional breakdowns after the death of their only daughter.
- DirectorMichael RoweStarsMónica Del CarmenGustavo Sánchez ParraMarco ZapataLaura's personal life consists of one affair after another. She meets Arturo and the pair enter into an intense, violent sexual relationship. As days go by, Laura crosses out the days on a calendar, revealing her secret past to her lover.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsJan VostrcilVladimír PucholtFrantisek ZemanTwo closely related episodes. Youths make problems for two local orchestras about to compete nationally, and in a talent competition a young girl gets stage fright, while another lies to her boss to compete.
- DirectorMaria SpethStarsSabine TimoteoHiroki ManoFlorian Müller-MohrungenLynn (22) lives with her brother in Berlin. There she enjoys the advantages of family life, without really feeling involved in it. She does not have any precise aim in life, but manages to awaken the interest of many people with her direct and spontaneous character. Her boyfriend David is very different: he is entirely engrossed in his very disciplined swimming training for the world championships. David does not intend to allow himself to be distracted by the complicating factors of a relationship with Lynn. When Lynn, working behind the till of restaurant, meets the Japanese student Koji, everything gets more complicated. They can't exchange many words, but it is soon clear that their moments together mean a lot to both of them.
- DirectorRalph FiennesStarsRalph FiennesGerard ButlerBrian CoxA banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.
- DirectorNikolaj ArcelStarsAlicia VikanderMads MikkelsenMikkel Boe FølsgaardA young queen, who is married to an insane king, falls secretly in love with her physician - and together they start a revolution that changes a nation forever.
- DirectorTinto BrassStarsFrank FinlayStefania SandrelliFranco Branciaroli1940s Venice. After twenty years of marriage, a retired art critic and his younger wife feel their passion is waning. To help her shed her inhibitions and rekindle their relationship, the professor records his sexual fantasies in a diary.
- DirectorVictor GinzburgStarsVladimir EpifantsevMikhail EfremovAndrey FominA chronicle of the rise of the advertising industry in Post-Soviet Russia.
- DirectorDusan MakavejevStarsSusan AnspachErland JosephsonPer OscarssonA bored wealthy housewife on the verge of insanity cuts loose with some lively Yugoslavian immigrants who delight in their bohemian lifestyle.
- DirectorVladimir KhotinenkoStarsPyotr KislovMichal ZebrowskiArtur SmolyaninovThe czar of Russia has died and a power vacuum has developed. This period in late 16th and early 17th century has been called "The Time of Troubles.
- DirectorDavide ManuliStarsVincent GalloClaudia GeriniFabrizio GifuniArriving on a deserted beach in the Mediterranean sea, in a time and a place unspecified, Kaspar Hauser is forced to confront the evil of a Grand Duchess who feels threatened by the power she exercises over the community.
- DirectorShin'ya TsukamotoStarsMasahiro MotokiRyôYasutaka TsutsuiA successful doctor, Yukio's picture perfect life is gradually wrecked, and taken over by his avenging twin brother, who bumps off his family members one by one and reclaims his lover who is now Yukio's wife.
- DirectorLeos CaraxStarsDenis LavantMireille PerrierCarroll BrooksParis by night. Alex, 22, wants to become a filmmaker. He is fascinated by first times and his girlfriend, Florence, has just left him for his best friend, Thomas. First break-up, first attempted murder: Alex tries to strangle Thomas, but gives up and wanders the streets. That evening, Mireille, a girl from provincial France who has come up to Paris to make commercials, is left by her boyfriend. Alex witnesses this separation. These two tormented souls run into each other at a party....
- DirectorNobuhiko ÔbayashiStarsKimiko IkegamiMiki JinboKumiko ÔbaA schoolgirl and six of her classmates travel to her aunt's country home, which turns out to be haunted.
- DirectorOren MovermanStarsBen FosterSamantha MortonWoody HarrelsonAn American soldier struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer.
- DirectorJoseph CedarStarsShlomo Bar-AbaLior AshkenaziAliza RosenEliezer and Uriel Shkolnik are father and son as well as rival professors in Talmudic Studies. When both men learn that Eliezer will be lauded for his work, their complicated relationship reaches a new peak.
- DirectorSean HoganAndrew ParkinsonSimon RumleyStarsLuke de LaceyHolly LucasSiubhan HarrisonComposed of three disturbingly sensual and terrifying short narratives, unified by the twin themes of sex and death.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJodie FosterKate WinsletChristoph WaltzTwo pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behavior throws the discussion into chaos.
- DirectorDenys ArcandStarsDominique MichelDorothée BerrymanLouise PortalSexual revelations emerge when a group of academics and their partners spend a weekend at a country retreat.
- DirectorPeter GreenawayStarsJulia OrmondRalph FiennesPhilip StonePlagued with infertility, the inhabitants of Mâcon are naturally involved in the spectacle that is a masque about the miracle child born to a virgin mother.
- DirectorWim WendersStarsRüdiger VoglerHanna SchygullaHans Christian BlechA writer goes on a road trip across West Germany with a group of eclectic people he meets along the way.
- DirectorMichel DevilleStarsAnémoneRichard BohringerNicole GarciaA magnate and his younger wife hire David to teach guitar to their teenage daughter. The wife quickly seduces David, and simultaneously he strikes up an acquaintance with the family's inquisitive neighbor. One night, David is mugged but rescued from injury by a stranger, Daniel, who also becomes David's friend and admits to being a hit man. Video tapes of their activities appear in the lovers' mail; David thinks they're from the neighbor, Daniel is sure the husband is onto the affair and hired the mugger. After Daniel tells David that he's been hired to kill the husband, an elaborate manipulation plays out, with murder, suicide, a payoff, more videos, and a surprise pairing.
- DirectorAdrian Garcia BoglianoStarsGimena BlesaMarisol TurMagdalena De SantoFour young women ride together in the remote countryside of La Plata. On the way, they witness a crime. A local gang of trash shot a girl and left her for dead. The friends drag the victim into their car and rush to the nearest police station. When they reach a village, the girl has bled to death and they want to make a statement. When the leader of the gang walks in, they discover to their dismay that he is the boss of the local police. With the foot on the accelerator, the girls drive away as quickly as possible. However, the gang manages to overtake them and get stuck. What follows is a terrible ordeal and a merciless, violent circle of bloody revenge and revenge.
- DirectorBrian M. CassidyMelanie ShatzkyStarsMelissa LeoVictoria CharkutDave ClarkEx-con Francine has difficulty adjusting to life in a small lakeside town until she begins working with animals, though she finds herself growing increasingly isolated from the community and embracing forms of anti-social behavior.
- DirectorIn-ho HwangStarsSon Ye-jinLee Min-kiPark Chul-minA magician meets an eccentric girl and offers her to work together in his magic show. It is only until a year later that he starts to know her personally and develops a feeling towards her despite her own problems.
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- DirectorJean-Jacques AnnaudStarsEverett McGillRon PerlmanNicholas KadiThis story takes place in prehistoric time when three tribesmen search for a new fire source.
- DirectorBaltasar KormákurStarsHilmir Snær GuðnasonVictoria AbrilHanna María KarlsdóttirWill the 30 y.o. Hlynur ever move out of his mother's apartment in Reykjavík? Social welfare keeps him passive but things change when his mother's Spanish friend, Lola, arrives and stays through Xmas and New Year's Eve.
- DirectorJonathan HensleighStarsSandi RobertsVeronica SywakCallard HarrisTwo young couples head into the New Guinea wilderness in an effort to find Michael Rockefeller, the heir to the Rockefeller fortune who disappeared in 1961.
- DirectorRyan NicholsonStarsDebbie RochonDan EllisNathan DashwoodA pregnant prostitute is forced to have a brutal abortion in a dark back alley, an act of sheer violence that will eventually lead to a bloody revenge.
- DirectorAdam RehmeierStarsRodleen GetsicJeff F. RenfroDrettie PageA prostitute looking for her next meal hitches a ride with a trucker that leaves her praying for her next breath.
- DirectorAndrea ArnoldStarsKaya ScodelarioJames HowsonSolomon GlaveA poor boy of unknown origins is rescued from poverty and taken in by the Earnshaw family where he develops an intense relationship with his young foster sister, Cathy.
- DirectorSteven SheilStarsPerry BensonDido MilesOlga FedoriLena, a young Polish immigrant working as a cleaner at an airport, is invited to the family home of a co-worker, which turns sinister quickly as the family intend to 'adopt' her.
- DirectorDaniel StammStarsPatrick FabianAshley BellIris BahrA troubled evangelical minister agrees to let his last exorcism be filmed by a documentary crew.
- DirectorUwe BollStarsLindsay HollisterBrendan FletcherMichael ParéAn action comedy centered on an overweight woman whose footsteps cause explosions and whose dual swords are used against anyone who makes fun of her.