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Movies

12 summer movie bests

Pixar Animation Studios/Walt Disney Pictures/Fox Searchlight Pictures

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 Hair (tie): Merida, “Brave”; Hush­puppy, “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” Pre-Raphaelite avalanche or natural gone kudzu? You be the judge. (Runner-up: Stacee Jaxx, “Rock of
Ages.”
)

 Car: “Hit & Run.” Dax Shepard’s black ’67 Lincoln (with 700-horsepower) has vroom to move. (Runner-up: Robert Pattinson’s stretch limo, “Cosmopolis.”)

 Use of a Belgian punk rock song: Plastic Bertrand’s “Ca Plane Pour Moi,” “Ruby Sparks.” Granted, there’s not much competition, but still. . .

 Value for members of the Benjamin Britten Appreciation Society: “Moonrise Kingdom.” Granted, there’s not much competition, but still. . .

Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway.

Ron Phillips/Warner Brothers Pictures via AP

■ Onscreen couple chemistry: Elizabeth II and Daniel Craig, London Olympics opening ceremonies. (Runners-up: Anne Hathaway and Christian Bale, above, “The Dark Knight Rises”; Mark Wahlberg and his damned teddy bear, “Ted.” Not qualifying: Denise Richards and Eugene Levy, “Madea’s Witness Protection.”)

 Inclusion of clip from older movie: “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Prometheus.” Is Michael Fassbender the new Peter O’Toole?

 Cameo by a US senator: Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), “The Dark Knight Rises.”

 Argument for pharmaceutical-free living: “The Bourne Legacy.”

Aubrey Plaza.

FilmDistrict and Big Beach

Aubrey Plaza.

 Tommy Lee Jones imitation (tie): Josh Brolin, “Men in Black III”; Tommy Lee Jones, “Hope Springs.”

 Demonstration that Aubrey Plaza is wasted on television: “Safety Not Guaranteed.”

 Reasons to go heavy on the garlic: “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and “Dark Shadows.”

 Might-have-been GOP political tie-in: “Snow White and the [Jon] Huntsman.”

 Non-bar pickup: Idris Elba/Charlize Theron, “Prometheus.’’

Mark Feeney can be reached at mfeeney@globe.com.