Top 20 Best Picture Oscar Contenders for 2012
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- DirectorTom HanksStarsTom HanksJulia RobertsSarah MahoneyAfter losing his job, a middle-aged man reinvents himself by going back to college.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.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsLeonardo DiCaprioArmie HammerNaomi WattsJ. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the F.B.I. for nearly fifty years, looks back on his professional and personal life.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.
- DirectorCameron CroweStarsMatt DamonScarlett JohanssonThomas Haden ChurchSet in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.It's great, brainless family fun!
- DirectorDennis DuganStarsAdam SandlerKatie HolmesAl PacinoFamily 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.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.
- DirectorTate TaylorStarsViola DavisEmma StoneOctavia SpencerAn 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.Anything dealing with racism is intelligent and worthy of Oscars.
- DirectorWill GluckStarsMila KunisJustin TimberlakePatricia ClarksonA 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.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.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJodie FosterKate WinsletChristoph WaltzTwo 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.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.
- DirectorOliver ParkerStarsRowan AtkinsonRosamund PikeDominic WestJohnny English goes up against international assassins hunting down Chinese Premier Xiang Ping.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.
- DirectorAlexander PayneStarsGeorge ClooneyShailene WoodleyAmara MillerA land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.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.
- DirectorPatrick LussierStarsNicolas CageAmber HeardWilliam FichtnerA vengeful father escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.Nicholas Cage's action movies are always great.
- DirectorAlex KendrickStarsAlex KendrickKen BevelKevin DownesWhen 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.Featuring an all-star cast, Courageous delivers a universal message - that faith in the Christian God is the only path to happiness...and salvation.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungA 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.Despite its early release date, Rocky punches its way to contender status. Nothing and no one can beat the Italian Stallion.
- DirectorMichel HazanaviciusStarsJean DujardinBérénice BejoJohn GoodmanWhen 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.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.
- DirectorCharles Martin SmithStarsMorgan FreemanAshley JuddHarry Connick Jr.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.Average family film + Morgan Freeman = best family film ever made. It's the number one contender for sure.
- DirectorJason EisenerStarsRutger HauerPasha EbrahimiRobb WellsA homeless vigilante blows away crooked cops, pedophile Santas, and other scumbags with his trusty pump-action shotgun.With a title more ambiguous than Snakes on a Plane, Hobo with a Shotgun easily blasts its way into Oscar territory.
- DirectorLars von TrierStarsKirsten DunstCharlotte GainsbourgKiefer SutherlandTwo sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with Earth.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.
- DirectorNanni MorettiStarsMichel PiccoliNanni MorettiJerzy StuhrA story centered on the relationship between the newly elected Pope and his therapist.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.
- DirectorBennett MillerStarsBrad PittRobin WrightJonah HillOakland 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.Football would have been cooler, but baseball gets the job done, especially with sex god Brad Pitt at the helm.
- DirectorBruce RobinsonStarsJohnny DeppGiovanni RibisiAaron EckhartAmerican 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.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.
- DirectorDominic SenaStarsNicolas CageRon PerlmanClaire Foy14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce that her powers could be the source of the Black Plague.Another Nicholas Cage action movie.