DONLOE'S LOWDOWN'S TOP 10 FILMS OF 2012

2012 turned out to be a great year for films.  Here is Donloes Lowdown’s pick for best pix of 2012. 

1.     ZERO DARK THIRTY – A drama about the hunt for Bin Laden. Jessica Chastain stars as Amy, the woman behind the hunt for the most hated man in the world.

2.     FLIGHT – Denzel Washington stars as an alcoholic, junkie pilot who pulls off an impossible maneuver that saves the majority of the people on a doomed flight.

3.     DJANGO UNCHAINED – Quentin Tarantino flexes his muscle again in a movie about a slave turned bounty hunter.  The film stars Jamie Foxx in the title role. He is joined by an all-star cast that includes Samuel L Jackson, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz and Don Johnson.

JOHN GOODMAN, ALAN ARKIN and BEN AFFLECK
in ARGO

4.     ARGO – Ben Affleck is really making his mark on the film industry as a really good director.  This is a fabulous movie full of suspense, intrigue and history

5.     BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD – Benh Zeitlin proves to be an extraordinary director, while Quvenzhane Wallis proves to be a capable little actress.  Excellent debut effort by Zeitlin.

DANIEL DAY LEWIS is LINCOLN

6.     LINCOLN – Daniel Day Lewis will prove to be Denzel Washington’s competition in this year’s best actor race. Lewis is incredible as Lincoln.  Steven Spielberg does it once again. Kudos to James Spader and Sally Field.

7.     LES MISERABLES – This is a classic. Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway will be the recipients of many acting awards. Kudos to Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech)

8.     SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK – This is a quirky, thought-provoking film. Bradley Cooper, who plays a bipolar man who was recently released, does some of his best work, as does Robert Dinero and Chris Tucker.

9.     MIDDLE OF NOWHERE – Ava Duvernay’s second feature film about a woman trying to figure out her life proves to be a winner.  Duvernay was the first African American woman to win the Sundance Film Festival.

10.   SKYFALL and THINK LIKE A MAN – These two films tied for tenth place.  Skyfall is James Bond’s latest flick, directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem. It feels real and authentic. The best James Bond movie to date.   Steve Harvey’s Think Like a Man is a drop-dead funny look at male/female relationships.  The result is HIGH-LARIOUS!!!!

“RISE OF THE GUARDIANS” wins for best-animated feature. 

Honorable Mentions

LIFE OF PI

THE MASTER