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

Nominations are in

Earlier this morning the 85th Academy Awards nominations were announced by host Seth MacFarlane and the lovely Emma Stone. Being a great amateur film critic I got up literally at the crack of dawn  to catch the nominees. There were quite a few surprises this morning.

• Best Director

One of the biggest snubs was in the Best Director category  As you are aware I predicted that both Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow were shoo-ins for this category. These two directors have been the frontrunners along with Steven Spielberg. I was completely floored that they did not pick up a nomination. The two directors that were nominated instead were Michael Haneke for Amour and Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild. I am pleasantly pleased that Mr. Zeitlin was nominated. I always knew that Quentin Tarantino was a bit of a wild card but I was hopeful he would get a nod. David O.Russel got a well deserved nomination in this category for the darling Silver Linings Playbook.

• Best Supporting Actress

One of the biggest surprises in this category was Jacki Weaver picking up nomination for her part in Silver Linings Playbook. I did not even predict her for a wild card but I am extremely pleased that she picked up this nomination. I believe that this award really is between Sally Field and Anne Hathaway. The only reason that none of them would pick up this award is if Silver Linings Playbook does a sweep. It could happen.

• Best Supporting Actor

Leonardo Dicaprio was once again overlooked by the Academy. Which I find to be a complete shame because he was absolutely brilliant in Django Unchained. I am happy that Christoph Waltz got a nomination because he was my wild card.

• Best Actress

I did a great job at predicting the nominees in this category. My wild card pick Quvenzhane Wallis is the youngest nominee in this category. As of right now Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence are the frontrunners in this category. I would not count out Emmanuelle Riva either.

• Best Actor

The only category I had 100% accuracy.  Daniel Day-Lewis is the favorite in this category but I would not count out Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper.

• Best Picture

I was happy to see the majority of my picks getting nominated this morning. The only one that failed to pick up a nomination was Moonrise Kingdom. The Best Foreign Film favorite Amour picked up the final nomination in this category. Sources are suggesting that it will be hard for Argo and Zero Dark Thirty to win in this category because they failed to pick up Best Director nods. If that is the case Lincoln is looking as the shoo-in but I wouldn't be surprised if Silver Linings Playbook wins instead.

• Overall

Besides the snubs in Best Director and Best Supporting Actor category I am pleased with the nominees this year. Lincoln leads the list of with 12 nominations followed by the beautiful Life of Pi with 11 nominations. 

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

Silver Linings Playbook

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker, Julia Stiles, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham and Anupam Kher
Directed and Written by: David O. Russell
Rating: 5/5 Unicorns

After seeing his wife in the shower with another man Pat Solatano( Bradley Cooper) has a mental breakdown. It turns out that he has been suffering from bipolar disorder. As part of a plea bargain he spends eight months in a Baltimore mental institution and his wife receives a restraining order against him. He returns home to live with his Eagles loving father(Robert De Niro) and his devoted mother( Jackie Weaver). Pat is convinced that if he rebuilds his life that his wife will come back to him. He meets Tiffany( Jennifer Lawrence), a recent young widow who gives him much needed direction.

Silver Linings Playbook was spectacular. I absolutely loved this movie from start to finish. The entire cast gives tremendous performances. I have to say I was thoroughly impressed by Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Pat Solatano. It shows what can happen when an actor is given great material to work with. I have no doubt in my mind that he will be recognized for this groundbreaking performance. His chemistry with Jennifer Lawrence was explosive which was quite fitting for their characters. Jennifer Lawrence once again delivers a strong performance. She commands the screen, you can't keep your eyes off her. This girl will be going places, sometimes I forget she is 22 years old. She holds her own against the fabulous Robert De Niro and Jackie Weaver, which is difficult to do because both of them are so incredible in this film. Robert De Niro is on top of his game in his portrayal of a father who is struggling to form a connection with his son. You see the levels of guilt, hope and frustration he has with his son's situation.  The scene when he opens up to Pat was just beautiful. It was brilliant seeing Chris Tucker on the screen again. Overall one of the best acting ensembles this year.

What I love so much about this movie is one second you are laughing your butt off and the next you are wiping tears from your eyes. The change of emotion that can occur in one single scene is unprecedented  Somehow David O. Russel makes it work. It is a smart, funny, extremely well written  and charming film. Make sure you check out this film, I thoroughly recommend that you do.

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