My Top 25 Favorite Films of 2012
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- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckBryan CranstonJohn GoodmanActing under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.A+. The best movie of 2012.
Based on the real-life story of the CIA extraction of six American diplomats in war torn Iran. - DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJamie FoxxChristoph WaltzLeonardo DiCaprioWith the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.A+. A Quentin Tarantino gem.
Jamie Foxx as a freed slave turned bounty hunter, seeks revenge for the enslavement and mistreatment of his wife. - DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJessica ChastainJoel EdgertonChris PrattA chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.A+. Intensity, along the lines of The Hurt Locker.
The chronicled story of the greatest manhunt in history. The U.S. governments hunt for Osama Bin Laden. - DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsLogan LermanEmma WatsonEzra MillerCharlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.A. For those who just wanted to belong.
Realistic high-school drama revolving around an incoming freshmen befriended by two upper classmen, and taught the ins-and-out of how to survive in high-school. - DirectorGary RossStarsJennifer LawrenceJosh HutchersonLiam HemsworthKatniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.A. Great because it had the balls to show teens being killed.
Two teenagers from the 12 districts of Panem are chosen to battle in a fight to the death. - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDaniel Day-LewisSally FieldDavid StrathairnAs the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.A. Great performances drive this Steven Spielberg film.
Daniel Day-Lewis as President Lincoln attempting to pass the 13th amendment to abolish slavery near the end of the Civil War. - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsMartin FreemanIan McKellenRichard ArmitageA reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug.A-. Visually stunning.
Peter Jackson's telling of the classic children's novel. - DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsBradley CooperJennifer LawrenceRobert De NiroAfter a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.A-. Intelligently written movie with great performances by JLaw and Bradley Cooper.
- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansScarlett JohanssonEarth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.A-. A fun super-hero movie.
Iconic super heroes join forces to save earth from the evil Loki and invading alien armies. - DirectorBenh ZeitlinStarsQuvenzhané WallisDwight HenryLevy EasterlyFaced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.A-. The most emotional movie of the year, even for the soul-less.
A six year old girl named HushPuppy must survive and overcome melting polar ice caps, the department of youth and family services, and the fading health of her father. - DirectorTom HooperStarsHugh JackmanRussell CroweAnne HathawayIn 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.B+. Captivating music and performances.
A re-telling of the Les Miserables classic told entirely through music. - DirectorSam MendesStarsDaniel CraigJavier BardemNaomie HarrisJames Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.B+. The Daniel Craig bond-era films remain strong with Skyfall.
MI6 is under attack, and Bond and M just may be the last ones standing. - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleTom HardyAnne HathawayEight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.B+. The weakest of the Christopher Nolan films but still a strong entertaining film.
The Dark Knight must search within himself, before resurfacing to save Gotham city which branded him an enemy and has been taken over by Bane. - DirectorChristopher McQuarrieStarsTom CruiseRosamund PikeRichard JenkinsA homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper responsible for a mass shooting.B. Like him or hate him, Tom Cruise is a genuine movie star.
A military homicide investigator is called in to help solve the frame job of a military sniper. - DirectorSacha GervasiStarsAnthony HopkinsHelen MirrenScarlett JohanssonThe relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma Reville during the filming of Psycho (1960) in 1959 is explored.B. Excellent performances by Hopkins and Mirren.
Fun and quirky film which tells the story of the making of the Hitchcock classic Psycho. - DirectorColin TrevorrowStarsAubrey PlazaMark DuplassJake JohnsonThree magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified advertisement seeking a companion for time travel.B. Low-Budget Sci-Fi/Romance starring Aubrey Plaza.
Magazine writers sent out to investigate the story of a man who placed an ad seeking a time travel companion. - DirectorWes AndersonStarsJared GilmanKara HaywardBruce WillisTwo 12-year-olds, who live on an island, fall in love with each other and elope into the wilderness. While people set out on a search mission, a violent storm approaching them catches their attention.B. Another quirky classic from Wes Anderson.
Two children in love run away to seek only the love and companionship of each other. - DirectorPete TravisStarsKarl UrbanOlivia ThirlbyLena HeadeyIn a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.B. Absolutely stunning visual effects.
A new mind-altering drug named SLO-MO is destroying the fabric of a futuristic city. Police must act as judge and executioner to help protect citizens and protect the city. - DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsDenzel WashingtonNadine VelazquezDon CheadleTroubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.B. Powerful performances by Denzel Washington and John Goodman. Also has probably the best plane crash scene in cinematic history.
- DirectorJake SchreierStarsPeter SarsgaardFrank LangellaSusan SarandonIn the near future, an ex-jewel thief receives a gift from his son: a robot butler programmed to look after him. But soon the two companions try their luck as a heist team.B-.
Frank Langella's character is an ageing ex jewel thief who is no longer able to care for himself. Gifted a care taking robot by his son, he begins to get back into his old lifestyle. - DirectorJosh TrankStarsDane DeHaanAlex RussellMichael B. JordanThree high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery underground. Soon they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.B-. Super cool small budget sci-fi film.
A group of teenagers acquire super powers while investigating a hole in the woods. But soon these powers are more than they can control and their lives quickly falter. - DirectorJohn HillcoatStarsTom HardyShia LaBeoufGuy PearceSet in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other authorities angling for a cut of their profits.B-. Action packed film set in the Prohibition era filled with young stars.
Three brothers attempt to allude the law and the laws as bootleggers during Prohibition. - DirectorTom TykwerLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsTom HanksHalle BerryHugh GrantAn exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.C+. Bizarre. Bizarre. Bizarre. But also captivating.
A film exploration of how the human soul can send ripple effects through time with random acts of kindness and decency. - DirectorRian JohnsonStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittBruce WillisEmily BluntIn 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits - someone like Joe - who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by sending back Joe's future self for assassination.C+. Terrific special effects with a star powered cast.
- DirectorRupert SandersStarsKristen StewartChris HemsworthCharlize TheronIn a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.C+. Entertaining film that many people love to hate.