8 Underrated Performances of 2012

It's awards season so be prepared to witness possible award snubs. Some performances, like films, just dont get enough, or any love at all. While some films aren't mainstream enough for the stars to get the exposure they deserve, they are others which are just ridiculously overlooked. These are eight movie performances of 2012 which I adored and believe were overlooked and not getting the attention they deserve. You can basically say that these are SOME of my favorite performances of the past year.

8. Pierce Gagnon - Cid,  Looper

I was already enjoying Rian Johnson's Looper and then there came seven year old Cid who just downright blew me away. When it comes to child performances of 2012, Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts Of The Southern Wild) seems to be on everyone mind but Pierce Gagnon stole the show for me, he was surprisingly outspoken and impressive.

7. Matthew McConaughey - Dallas, Magic Mike

Otherwise from the film's enjoyable choreography, Matthew McConaughey is perhaps the only other reason why I enjoyed Magic Mike as much as I did. He was rowdy, slick and gave us a "sexy performance" in also what I consider an underrated film.

6. Zoe Kazan - Ruby Sparks, Ruby Sparks

I totally adored Zoe Kazan in Ruby Sparks. She was innocent, charming, fun and her onscreen chemistry with Paul Dano was just too adorable.

5. Jared Gilman - Sam, Moonrise Kingdom

Another child performance which I found to be rather impressive was that of Jared Gilman in one of my favorite films this year, Moonrise Kingdom. He was like a man trapped in a little boy's body and he really carried this film, along with his co-star Kara Hayward.

4. Garrett Hedlund - Dean Moriarty, On the Road

Garrett Hedlund was the spark in this dull and uninteresting movie. Kudos to Kristen Stewart for not being herself but Garett's antics and dialogue was simply refreshing to watch. 

3. Mark Duplass - Kenneth, Safety Not Guaranteed

Mark Duplass was paranoid, crazy and rather funny as he sets out to prove everyone wrong in Safety Not Guaranteed. I enjoyed watching Mark in this film, mostly because we get drawn into his somewhat psychotic behavior as we are all unsure if he's sane or not.

2. Bradley Cooper - Pat Solitano, Silver Linings Playbook

Jennifer Lawrence seems to be getting most of the attention regarding her solid perfromance in Silver Linings Playbook,  but to me Bradley Cooper set the bar of craziness in this film. He was funny, he was mental and he made this movie better than I expected.

1. Jack Black - Bernie Tiede, Bernie

This is perhaps Jack Black's most impressive performance to date. Based on a true story, Jack portrayed this character so well that no matter what you cant help but fall inlove with Bernie just like everyone else did in his town. He was adorable, fun-loving and really blew me away.