Top 20 Best Picture Oscar Contenders for 2012
by Chomper66 | created - 25 Nov 2011 | updated - 19 Dec 2011 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Larry Crowne (2011)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After losing his job, a middle-aged man reinvents himself by going back to college.
Director: Tom Hanks | Stars: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Sarah Mahoney, Roxana Ortega
Votes: 70,823 | Gross: $35.61M
By putting the two most washed-up stars in Hollywood into the same movie, Universal was just looking for disaster. It's a strong contender.
2. J. Edgar (2011)
R | 137 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
J. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the F.B.I. for nearly fifty years, looks back on his professional and personal life.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Josh Hamilton
Votes: 133,616 | Gross: $37.31M
DiCaprio's confused portrayal of Hoover can be off-putting, but the ever diligent Scorsese still manages to turn this film into the most artistic and controversial movie of the decade.
3. We Bought a Zoo (2011)
PG | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Elle Fanning
Votes: 151,720 | Gross: $75.62M
It's great, brainless family fun!
4. Jack and Jill (I) (2011)
PG | 91 min | Comedy
Family guy, Jack Sadelstein, prepares for the annual event he always dreads--the Thanksgiving visit of his fraternal twin sister, the needy, and passive-aggressive Jill, who then refuses to leave.
Director: Dennis Dugan | Stars: Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes, Al Pacino, Elodie Tougne
Votes: 90,418 | Gross: $74.16M
Sandler manages to blow us away with two powerhouse performances in one movie, not only locking the film for best picture, but making Sandler the top contender for both Best Actor and Best Actress.
5. The Help (2011)
PG-13 | 146 min | Drama
An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.
Director: Tate Taylor | Stars: Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard
Votes: 492,713 | Gross: $169.71M
Anything dealing with racism is intelligent and worthy of Oscars.
6. Friends with Benefits (2011)
R | 109 min | Comedy, Romance
A young man and woman decide to take their friendship to the next level without becoming a couple, but soon discover that adding sex only leads to complications.
Director: Will Gluck | Stars: Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman
Votes: 394,478 | Gross: $55.80M
Chad Michael Murray really gets into the skin of his character, and manages to turn an otherwise shallow film into an in-depth psychoanalytic study.
7. Carnage (2011)
R | 80 min | Comedy, Drama
Two pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as their time together progresses, increasingly childish behavior throws the discussion into chaos.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly
Votes: 133,007 | Gross: $2.55M
Why would you put Rose from Titanic, the Jew-hunter from Basterds, the retard from Step Brothers, and the bitch from Trading Places into the same film? Because you want the Best Picture Oscar, that's why.
8. Johnny English Reborn (2011)
PG | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Johnny English goes up against international assassins hunting down Chinese Premier Xiang Ping.
Director: Oliver Parker | Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Rosamund Pike, Dominic West, Roger Barclay
Votes: 140,831 | Gross: $8.31M
Idiots would call it a comedy, but this is actually an extraordinarily insightful satire on the state of the human condition. Plus, when a movie's poster features Roman Polanski running from an explosion, it's an automatic contender.
9. The Descendants (2011)
R | 115 min | Comedy, Drama
A land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.
Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause
Votes: 251,776 | Gross: $82.58M
Although a major blow to Hawaii's tourist industry, Jason Reitman manages to weave this thin story into a poignant, overly-sentimental melodrama worthy of Oscar recognition.
10. Drive Angry (2011)
R | 104 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
A vengeful father escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.
Director: Patrick Lussier | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner, Billy Burke
Votes: 103,401 | Gross: $10.71M
Nicholas Cage's action movies are always great.
11. Courageous (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 129 min | Drama
When a tragedy strikes close to home, four police officers struggle with their faith and their roles as husbands and fathers. Together they make a decision that will change all of their lives.
Director: Alex Kendrick | Stars: Alex Kendrick, Ken Bevel, Kevin Downes, Renee Jewell
Votes: 21,578 | Gross: $34.52M
Featuring an all-star cast, Courageous delivers a universal message - that faith in the Christian God is the only path to happiness...and salvation.
12. Rocky (1976)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Sport
A small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 628,313 | Gross: $117.24M
Despite its early release date, Rocky punches its way to contender status. Nothing and no one can beat the Italian Stallion.
13. The Artist (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When George, a silent movie superstar, meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, sparks fly between the two. However, after the introduction of talking pictures, their fortunes change, affecting their dynamic.
Director: Michel Hazanavicius | Stars: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell
Votes: 248,584 | Gross: $44.67M
Despite its eerie resemblance to those crappy Chaplin flicks of the 1920s, The Artist transcends its lack of originality with powerful dialogue and an enthralling soundtrack.
14. Dolphin Tale (2011)
PG | 113 min | Drama, Family
A boy finds a dolphin that was injured in a trap. They become friends, but the dolphin needs to have its tail amputated to survive. With the help of a biologist and a prosthetics specialist, the boy tries to save the animal.
Director: Charles Martin Smith | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr., Nathan Gamble
Votes: 25,700 | Gross: $72.29M
Average family film + Morgan Freeman = best family film ever made. It's the number one contender for sure.
15. Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)
Not Rated | 86 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A homeless vigilante blows away crooked cops, pedophile Santas, and other scumbags with his trusty pump-action shotgun.
Director: Jason Eisener | Stars: Rutger Hauer, Pasha Ebrahimi, Robb Wells, Brian Downey
Votes: 48,635 | Gross: $0.70M
With a title more ambiguous than Snakes on a Plane, Hobo with a Shotgun easily blasts its way into Oscar territory.
16. Melancholia (2011)
R | 135 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with Earth.
Director: Lars von Trier | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård
Votes: 195,854 | Gross: $3.03M
Touching on some very important truths, such as the fact that we're all doomed, Melancholia is boosted by a strong performance from Rachel McAdams and inexplicably powerful direction by Terrence Malick.
17. We Have a Pope (2011)
Not Rated | 102 min | Comedy, Drama
A story centered on the relationship between the newly elected Pope and his therapist.
Director: Nanni Moretti | Stars: Michel Piccoli, Nanni Moretti, Jerzy Stuhr, Renato Scarpa
Votes: 14,297 | Gross: $0.48M
In its title alone, We Have a Pope exposes revelatory truths; but it is within the actual content of the film that we discover secrets too great and terrible to imagine.
18. Moneyball (2011)
PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Director: Bennett Miller | Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 464,465 | Gross: $75.61M
Football would have been cooler, but baseball gets the job done, especially with sex god Brad Pitt at the helm.
19. The Rum Diary (2011)
R | 119 min | Comedy, Drama
American journalist Paul Kemp takes on a freelance job in Puerto Rico for a local newspaper during the 1960s and struggles to find a balance between island culture and the expatriates who live there.
Director: Bruce Robinson | Stars: Johnny Depp, Giovanni Ribisi, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli
Votes: 108,013 | Gross: $13.10M
Despite its Jamaican backdrop, the Rum Diary is a deep, complex film that explores the very nature of our existence. Johnny Depp continues to transform himself, giving us a performance completely unlike anything we've ever seen.
20. Season of the Witch (2011)
PG-13 | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce that her powers could be the source of the Black Plague.
Director: Dominic Sena | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy, Stephen Campbell Moore
Votes: 98,256 | Gross: $24.83M
Another Nicholas Cage action movie.
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