THE SESSIONS (2012)

Director:

Ben Lewin

Writer:

Ben Lewin

Starring:

John Hawkes
Helen Hunt
William H. Macy and others

The Sessions is definitely a movie worthy of recognition. According to me the best movie should have consisted of this and Moonrise Kingdom instead of Les Miserables and Beasts Of Southern Wild. Helen Hunt truly deserves her nomination as she plays a potentially tricky character, that of a sex surrogate with a sense of uncluttered ease. But according to me the movie belongs to John Hawkes who is simply sensational as a man who is paralyzed due to polio and has to live in an iron lung. It is truly puzzling as to how he didn't get an Oscar nomination for his performance.

The script by Lewin is also brilliant and should have been nominated for adapted screenplay. The dialogues are also memorable my favourite being when Hawkes meets a stranger in the hospital and tells her that he is Catholic because he would find it intolerable not to blame his condition on anyone. This movie is a triumph in all aspects and uses raw emotionalism to captivate the audience. The final scene of the movie and the dialogue with it is potentially one of the best I have seen in terms of the invoking relentless barrage of emotions in viewers. Do watch this movie. 

Pranit’s Rating: 8/10

LES MISERABLES (2012)

Director:

Tom Hooper

Writer:

William Nicholson and others

Starring:

Hugh Jackman
Anne Hathaway
Russell Crowe and others

Les Miserables is the worst of the Oscar nominated movies. Okay I may not be a fair judge of a musical but this movie is made to test the patience of the viewers. I liked The Sound Of Music because it had amazing songs and also consisted of dialogues. Les Miserables consists of two and a half hours of very forgettable music and the lack of dialogue soured my mood.

Leaving the faults behind (which is quintessentially the whole movie) Hugh Jackman is a revelation. He makes the movie endurable with his stunning performance. I would have handed the Oscar to him myself had it not been for Joaquin Phoenix. Anne Hathaway according to me should easily walk away with an Oscar for her performance as she steals the show with her short but extremely powerful performance. Russell Crowe delivers his worst performance to date and Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter got onto my nerves. Now I wouldn't recommend this movie, but the final decision is in your hands.  

Pranit’s Rating: 4.5/10

ARGO (2012)

Director:

Ben Affleck

Writer:

Chris Terrio

Starring:

Ben Affleck

Alan Arkin

Bryan Cranson and others

Argo is a triumph of film-making, the Oscar jury is blind because thats the only excuse that would hold some ground for denying this movie and Ben Affleck the nod for best director. A thriller in all aspects, this movie grips one from its very first screen. Alan Arkin is exceptional though I am not really sure whether his performance is Oscar worthy.  Affleck's acting is also brilliant but the main hero of this movie is its stunning script by Chris Terrio. The script is fast paced and layered with memorable scenes. The fact that humour is infused into the movie gives it an added punch. If you miss this movie you have only yourself to blame.

Pranit’s Rating: 9/10

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS (2012)

Director:

Martin McDonagh

Writer:

Martin McDonagh

Starring:

Colin Firth
Sam Rockwell
Woody Harrelson and others

    

Seven Psychopaths is a decent movie. The plot is imaginative and the writing is good but somehow the well written characters do not transform into well enacted characters. Sam Rockwell is good but the other actors don't add the extra zing to their role. The movie has some laugh out loud moments but the overall impact of the movie is not very impressive.

Pranit’s Rating: 6/10

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012)

Director:

David O. Russell

Writer:

David O. Russell

Starring:

Bradley Cooper
Jennifer Lawerence
Robert De Niro and others

    

Silver Linings Playbook is a amazing movie. David O. Russell is in inspired form in this movie, which is exceptionally well conceived. His direction is brilliant and he surpasses his personal benchmark (The Fighter, i didn't like it though) by a huge margin. This movie has been nominated for all the acting awards, which is an achievement, making it the fourteenth movie and the first after Red in 1981 to have achieved this.

Needless to say this achievement is well deserved even though I do not really approve of Jacki Weaver and Robert De Niro (because there have been better performances). I would have liked Tom Holland (The Impossible) to be nominated because he certainly deserved it. Bradley Cooper is sensational in this movie, though it is highly unlikely that he will receive an Oscar for this but this nomination is a sign of his vastly improved performances. Jennifer Lawrence according to me is the most encouraging prospect when it comes to receiving an Oscar, even though I expect her to lose to Jessica Chastlain (Zero Dark Thirty ). The best scene of the movie is the banter between Cooper and Lawrence at a diner. A beautiful movie, highlighting the fact that love is not perfect but clumsy and psychotic and can be found in the most unlikely of places because it is not the person who is perfect but the moment one shares with them.      

Pranit’s Rating: 8.5/10

A ROYAL AFFAIR (2012)

Director:

Nicolaj Arcel

Writer:

Rasmus Histerberg

Nicolaj Arcel

Starring:

Alicia Vikander

Mads Mikkelson

Mikkel Boe Folsgaard and others

    

A Royal Affair is a very good movie. Yes agreed that it has a lot of cliches but based on true historical facts, this movie makes for an engaging watch. The direction is very good and the director's attention to detail is marvelous. This movie marks the making of a future superstar in the form of Alicia Vikander, being only 24 years old, she infuses naivety, complexity and raw lust into the character of Caroline Mathlide.

The movie yet again proves that Mads Mikkelson is highly under-rated and requires a good director to just pick him up and give him a performance oriented role and he would do wonders with it. Mikkel Boe Folsgaard also adds an extra dosage of crazy to his character, which lends weight to his credentials as an accomplished actor (even though this is his first movie!). Do watch this intriguing affair of lies, deceit and raw passion.

Pranit’s Rating: 7.5/10 

KON-TIKI (2012)

Director:

Joachim Ronning

Espen Sandberg

Writer:

Petter Skavlan 

Allan Scott

Starring:

Pal Sverre Valheim Hagen

Andres Baasamo Christiansen

Gustaf Skarsgard and others

    

Kon-Tiki is a testament to legendary explorer, Thor Heyerdal's willpower and faith. Set predominantly in 1947, this story of one man's pursuit to prove his detractors wrong is a showcase of solid film-making and acting. Many a scene evokes strong emotions and the cinematography is simply stunning. The CGI effects are used very well and do elicit comparisons to Life Of Pi in this aspect. There is this one particular scene in which they see birds for the first time in hundred days and the emotions displayed by the actors moves one into contemplating about the minute things in life, the thing we take for granted in life. 

Pal Sverre Valheim Hagen (easily the longest name for an actor) gets into the character of Thor Heyerdal with uncluttered ease. Thor's passion and ambition driven nature is portrayed in a subtle manner which leaves the audience mesmerized. The script is not perfect, considering the nature of their journey, the script barely gives enough attention to the trials and tribulations faced at sea. Leaving the script aside this movie is definitely worth a watch and is considerably better than Amour, which is the movie the Oscar jury is going to go with. 

Pranit’s Rating: 7/10