The movies released in 2012 have been notable for many reasons, impacting or reflecting news events both positively and negatively. It’s also seen new innovations, the most notable being the first release of a film in 48 frames per second. However, cinematic historians will also look back on 2012 as being a banner year for facial hair. The entire crew of Film School Rejects relishes glorious facial hair (and yes, that also includes the ladies on staff). We all wish we could have half the style that characters in the movies this year displayed on their lips, chins and cheeks. Now, as the year draws to a close, we reminisce on the many styles we’ve seen on movie screens in 2012, and maybe give some tips on how to grow your own face so glorious.

It’s easy to deride American Reunion for being a needless sequel or cash grab. After all, we’re thirteen years on from the first film and in that time we’ve had bad direct sequels, trips to band camps, and straight to DVD spin-offs (which honestly aren’t as bad as you think they’d be). Fortunately, writers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg are at least somewhat aware of the uphill battles they face in making this movie palatable to both new audiences and those of us who remember MILFs and pie sex from the good old days of ’99. For example, the film takes place in 2012 and their 13 Year Reunion. There’s a joke about missing the tenth, which is just a fun little nod to the absurdity of revisiting this franchise now. Returning in large roles is the entirety of the male cast: Jason Biggs as Jim, Seann William Scott as Stifler, Chris Klein as Oz, Thomas Ian Nichols as Kevin, Eddie Kaye Thomas as Finch, and Eugene Levy as Jim’s dad. Also returning in various capacities are Alyson Hannigan as Michelle, Mina Suvari as Heather, John Cho as MILF Guy #2 and…yYou know what, pretty much everyone is back, okay?

The mockumentary is a relatively recent genre of storytelling whose origins are probably as recent as the last hundred years. And that’s including all stories that could be considered mockumentaries by stretching the definition. The actual term, “mockumentary,” is even newer. By some accounts it first came into use when Rob Reiner used it to describe his 1984 cult classic This is Spinal Tap. Adding a word to the lexicon could be seen as a pretty big accomplishment for a goofy comedy, but, despite its subject matter, the legacy of this film shouldn’t be downplayed. Few movies live on as long and remain as popular as Spinal Tap has. Every few years a new generation of college kids discover this thing, and its legend just keeps growing. Far from being an originator, A Mighty Wind is a later film from the crew of mockumentarians led by Christopher Guest. And despite the fact that it’s full of a lot of good work, it often gets a bad rap. Guest and crew’s previous efforts, Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, were so ridiculously funny that A Mighty Wind gets unfairly judged in comparison. And that’s unfortunate for a couple reasons. For one, those first two Guest-directed mockumentaries were such a high water mark for the genre that it was probably unfair to expect them to keep producing at such a level. And secondly, A Mighty Wind goes for funny a bit less that its predecessors, and plays a bit more in

I know that there’s been a million straight to video abominations with the American Pie name attached to them, but we shouldn’t hold that against American Reunion. This sequel has all of the original cast members of American Pie in place, and this time it seems that enough time might have passed since their senior year of high school for there to be new, worthwhile stories to tell with them. Actually, when the first trailer for this film hit, it felt pretty dang nice to see the whole gang back together again, and I don’t think that I’m the only one who felt that way, because since then I’ve seen numerous people showing it off to friends on smart phones and laptops in public. Nostalgia is a very powerful thing. Now there’s a second trailer for the film out, and call me crazy, but doesn’t it seem like the magic is already wearing off? The first trailer seemed to focus a little more on the fact that the characters were now married, had children, and were struggling with new responsibilities. That looked kind of interesting to me. But this new one seems to be much more focused on raunchy wiener and poo-poo jokes and, from where I’m sitting, watching Seann William Scott wear a Hawaiian shirt and playing the loud-mouthed, prankster hornball while being old enough to be a dad several times over comes off as really…depressing. Maybe even as depressing as your actual real high school reunion.

Apparently Madea owns her own Witness Protection Program now, which is weird because cross-dressing in a fat suit didn’t exactly make Tyler Perry anonymous. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the incredibly successful writer/director/producer is continuing his Madea legacy with Madea’s Witness Protection, and it will inexplicably feature Denise Richards as the wife of Eugene Levy. Levy will co-star as an investment manager who is forced into witness protection after massive wrong-doing at his company. Fish out of water style, the uppity, rich Connecticut dweller will be forced into the sweaty South of Madea’s neighborhood. If it sounds like an episode of Family Guy, that’s because it pretty much is. No doubt, everyone will learn valuable lessons about acceptance and Perry will make valuable amounts of money while screaming at people and waving a gun around. The project, which also features Romeo Miller, will most likely shoot this year for a 2013 release. Fortunately, Perry will be in theaters next month in Good Deeds where he plays a rich guy who falls for a single mom just before he’s supposed to get married, and he’ll take up the mantle as iconic detective Alex Cross in I, Alex Cross which sees theaters in November. Just like any year, it’s going to be a big year for Tyler Perry. Jokes aside, he’s found a niche that works, and he’s used his powers this time around to let a middle-aged Jewish comedian play husband to the girl in the Wild Things threesome. Fiction at

Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, Jennifer Coolidge. That list of names is eerie. The adults have their own long, strange comedy trips, but the rest of it sounds like a Where Are They Now roster. Not one young actor made it out of the American Pie movies alive? Seann William Scott comes the closest to surviving, but everyone else is relegated to middling indie work or complete obscurity. Hell, I’m not even sure tabloids will run topless pictures of Tara Reid anymore. That’s how bad it’s gotten. Context aside, all of those names will most likely come together for another installment in the American Pie franchise – a franchise that seems to have 3 movies in it, but really has 7 counting all the direct-to-video content with the brand’s name on it. All of this to point out the obvious: that bringing these characters back is tired. According to The Hollywood Reporter, American Reunion has got Paul and Chris Weitz in producer jobs, and sees Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay team Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg writing and directing. That’s all solid talent, so it’ll be interesting if they can take meat that’s been sitting out for a week and make a meal out of it. Hopefully it hasn’t turned rancid before it hits the pan. It also might be an oversight, but I can’t help but notice Alyson Hannigan and Shannon Elizabeth’s names missing from the

‘Taking Woodstock’ is an unexpected detour into sunny territory for director Ang Lee but it’s so lightweight it’s almost insubstantial.

USA Today has posted some first look photos from Night at the Museum 2, the family friendly follow-up to the hit 2006 film directed by Shawn Levy.

You have to give Ang Lee credit for being a wily and unpredictable filmmaker. He has jumped from genre to genre throughout his careers. And his next jump will land him in a very strange place.

As the second direct-to-DVD sequel to the theatrical blockbusters, American Pie: Beta House at the very least delivers in the T&A department…