King Guide's Best Ten Films of 2012

Usually at the end of the calendar year film critics release their top ten list of the year's  best films. I would have posted my list but there were some films on to watch list that I had not gotten to. I have to admit 2012 was a great year for films. There were so many gems that came out. Now that the Oscars are about a week away here is my top ten.  

1.     Django Unchained

The highly anticipated Tarantino's revenge flick did not disappoint. It was filled with fantastic performances that were accompanied by a remarkable score. It was hilarious and horrific all at the same time. 

2.     Flight

Robert Zemeckis returns to live-action cinema with the thrilling Flight. Denzel Washington gives his finest performance to date. It is a damn shame that he remarkable performance is a bit of a whisper this award season. This compelling film will haunt you long after you finished watching it.

3.     Beasts of the Southern Wild

This tiny film that premiered at Sundance last year was a diamond in the rough. It was devastatingly beautiful.

4.     The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The second film to stomp all over my heart. Just an incredible coming of age story filled with funny and heartbreaking performances.

5.     The Avengers

Blockbusters usually skip on substance and overload on gimmicks.  The Avengers was one fun and smart hell of a ride. It put all other blockbusters to shame.

6.     21 Jump Street

The funniest film of the year was the biggest surprise for me.

7.     Silver Linings Playbook

It is not often that you find a smart romantic comedy that is well written with riveting performances.

8.     Life of Pi

The most visually striking film of the year is powered by the brilliant performance of Suraj Sharma and the wonderful direction of Ang Lee.

9.     Men in Black 3

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the final saga in the Men in Black series would make my top ten list. This wonderful surprise was hilarious and heartwarming.

10.  The Cabin in the Woods

The most original film that came out last year was a true love song to horror fans worldwide.

Honorable Mention: The Dark Knight Rises, Bernie, and Looper

Movies I have yet to watch but sure I would love: Argo, Lincoln, End of  Watch, Zero Dark Thirty, The Intouchables

Best Picture Frontrunners

Thanks to several critic awards and the announcement of both the Golden Globes and SAG Awards nominations, clear front-runners have emerged for the 2012 Oscar race. Leading the pack is the controversial  Zero Dark Thirty. Following close behind it are the critical acclaimed Lincoln and Argo. I believe that one of these three films will win the Best Picture trophy at this years' Oscars. They are too far ahead of the competition not to have it in the bag. You never know which way the academy will vote, they could go with Les Miserables. I am predicting that this year we will have ten Best Picture nominations because of the caliber of films that came out this year. I have composed a list of clear front-runners, most likely candidates and films that have a longer shot of receiving a nomination. This year the nominations will announced on January 10 before the Golden Globes air. I will make a revised list of my final Best Picture predictions.
Front-runners

• Zero Dark Thirty
• Lincoln
• Argo
• Les Miserables
• Life of Pi
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Django Unchained
• Beasts of the Southern Wild

Most Likely

• Moonrise Kingdom
• The Master
• Amour

Longer shots

• Flight
• Dark Knight Rises
• Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Life of Pi

Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Adil Hussain, Tabu and Gerard Deparadieu

Directed by: Ang Lee

Written by: David Magee

Rating: 5/5 Unicorns

Based on the best selling novel written by Yann Martel, Life of Pi tells the remarkable survival story of Pi Patel( Suraj Sharma). After surviving a fatal shipwreck, Pi finds himself on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with 450 pound Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker. 

The first time I watched the trailer for Life of Pi it immediately was on top of my must see list. Now that we are in Award Season, I have been hearing more praise for the film. It has been picking up nominations left and right. After watching the film over the weekend it lived up to all of my expectations. Life of Pi was the most visually stimulating film I have seen since Avatar. The cinematography in this film was simply out of this world. Its cinematography alone is a great reason to check out this film. Not to mention the visual effects were astounding. I had several awe moments while watching this film. I highly recommend that you catch it in 3D if you can. It is one of the few films that were made for 3D purposes and not converted to 3D better for revenue at the box office. 

Life of Pi is more than its cinematography and visual effects, it is also great story to watch. Ang Lee did a fantastic job bringing this much loved story to life. I was thoroughly impressed with Suraj Sharma who I felt keep the audiences thoroughly engaged with his portrayal as Pi. He is a bright future ahead of him. Not too many actors can do what he did in this film. The score of the film was fantastic as well. It made the significant moments in the film even more powerful. What I loved about the film is that it makes you think about life and yourself. It makes you think about your destiny and how much you can endure. It really boils down to being a  film about faith. You are left wondering what story to believe. Personally I have always believed in the stories that were inconceivable. How they used to say it in the 90's, this movie is deep son. 

Since the majority of the film takes place on a lifeboat its running time feels longer than it actually is. I have seen several movies that were longer than Life of Pi but because there was so much going on I did not feel the duration. The reason I did not deduct points from the rating is because the film was just beautiful. The more I thought about the film, the more I loved it. It leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. In fact I look forward to watching the film for a second time. 

The Race Begins

Now that the Thanksgiving festivities have drawn to a close, the race has officially began for the 2013 Award Season. If you go to any official film website, you will see several For Your Consideration ads. No one is more excited about award season than your own personal amateur film critic.As usual I am a little behind on viewing Oscar contenders but it is my goal to view as many films before the reveal of the  Oscar nominations. Brace yourself for several reviews coming in the next two months.

Several Oscar hopefuls made their way to multiplexes over the long weekend. Giving them plenty of time to be screened for the academy. Life of Pi is performing better than expected and Silver Linings Playbook has been enjoying a good expansion. Both films have received the all important stamped of  approval by critics and it appears that the audiences are warm to them as well. Much to my delight Flight is showing strong legs at the Box office and the Oscar favorite Lincoln is doing spectacular at the box office as well.

 Over the weekend the highly anticipated Les Miserables was screened for the first time in New York City. The response was electric. Audience members gave the film a standing ovation and there were tears all around. The film has officially become a Frontrunner for  Best Picture and Anne Hathaway has officially entered the race as the Frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress. Prior to the screening over the weekend Lincoln, Argo and The Silver Linings Playbook were the Frontrunners. I have a funny feeling that this Award season will be as eventful as ever. Make sure you keep your eyes open for my upcoming posts because there will be tons of Oscar goodies coming your way.

Oscar Watch: Best Picture

Any film enthusiast knows the autumn is the beginning of award season. This is the time when the studios releases Academy Award hopefuls. Coming to a cinema near you are three films that I cannot wait to digest  These films are all early contenders for the Best Picture trophy at this year's Oscars. When the ceremony takes place we will see if these films make the final cut.

1.Life of Pi

2.Silver Linings Playbook




  3.Anna Karenina