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The Best Trailers Of 2012

THEATRICAL TRAILER: the official theatrical piece, usually cut from the first (very long) cut of the picture or sometimes (if there is no first cut yet) from dailies (all the shot footage, including all the different takes and angles), maximum length of a trailer is two and a half minutes.

TEASER TRAILER: A first, short theatrical preview piece (usually not longer than a minute and a half), cut from a few selected takes and scenes while the picture is still being shot.

For those of you who think it’s okay to show up to a film after the coming attractions – move along. No self-respecting movie geek would dare miss the previews. And don’t get us started on the individuals who arrive during the trailer you’ve been dying to see only to move through your line of sight during the all-important money shot.

In most cases, trailers are the first thing the casual moviegoer sees of an upcoming release – be it next month or next year. But sometimes that’s all it takes to plant the enthusiastic seed of “I have to see that!” There’s no denying it. Trailers are visual forces of nature. They are emotional magnets. They are harbingers of things to come and herald what might be.

While not all of them turned out to be everyone’s cup of tea, the unsung heroes in the editing room behind these previews are what had us going to the theaters in 2012 in record numbers. Along with the official synopsis of each movie, below is a compilation of some of the best trailers from this past year. So get your drink & munchies, have the volume up & the lights down low and find your favorite seat – the coming attractions are about to start.

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphanhood. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural world is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality. Desperate to repair the structure of her world in order to save her ailing father and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive unstoppable catastrophes of epic proportions. “Welcome to the Bathtub!”

THE RAID: REDEMPTION

Deep in the heart of Jakarta’s slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world’s most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the rundown apartment block has been considered untouchable. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite swat team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord, they find themselves stranded on the 6th floor with no way out. The unit must fight their way through the city’s worst to survive their mission

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS

When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgard and Samuel L. Jackson, and written and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel Avengers Assemble” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS

We were doing fine until Alec Baldwin, along with his Russian accent, proclaimed “it is our job to protect the children of the world – for as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives.” Waterworks were pouring out. RISE OF THE GUARDIANS is an epic adventure that tells the story of a group of heroes – each with extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world.

LES MISÉRABLES

Les Misérables is the motion-picture adaptation of the beloved global stage sensation seen by more than 60 million people in 42 countries and in 21 languages around the globe and still breaking box-office records everywhere in its 27th year. Helmed by The King’s Speech’s Academy Award®-winning director, Tom Hooper, the Working Title/Cameron Mackintosh production stars Hugh Jackman, Oscar® winner Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Samantha Barks, with Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Jackman plays ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever. Les Misérables, the show of shows, was reborn as the cinematic musical experience of a lifetime.

CLOUD ATLAS

CLOUD ATLAS explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future. A lofty, gorgeous, trailer that boldly tugged at the heart-strings.

MEN IN BLACK 3

Agent Jay traveled back in time to 1969, where he teams up with a younger version of Agent Kay to stop an evil alien from destroying the future. The time-traveling, third installment of the Men in Black franchise reunited Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The trailer was jam-packed with car chases and monocycle pursuits, as the famous, black-suited duo employed a brand-new collection of galactic gadgets to fight off retro aliens. Proves a successful and fun 3rd chapter to a franchise can be accomplished.

THE MASTER

Paul Thomas Anderson’s sixth feature film, THE MASTER, unfolds a vibrantly human story inside this atmosphere of spiritual yearning on the cusp of 1950. The film follows the shifting fortunes of Freddie, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, a volatile former Naval seaman unable to settle down into everyday life, and the unpredictable journey he takes when he stumbles upon a fledgling movement known as The Cause. Coming to The Cause as an itinerant and outsider, Freddie will ultimately become a surrogate heir to its flamboyant leader: Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Lancaster Dodd. And yet, even as The Cause probes the mastery of human emotions, the camaraderie between Freddie and Dodd will mount into a fierce and intimate struggle of wills. The first feature film shot using 65mm film stock in several decades, THE MASTER is brought to life by a devoted cast and crew who have crafted a visually alluring and emotionally provocative portrait of three people pursuing a vision of betterment.

PROMETHEUS

Director Ridley Scott takes fans on a gripping sci-fi adventure that “kicks ass so hard and often that it’s impossible not to be thrilled by it.” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone).Archeologist couple Elizabeth Shaw (Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Marshall-Green) discover a star map that they interpret as an invitation from humanity’s forerunners, the “Engineers.” Determined to find out more about them, the couple boards the scientific vessel Prometheus, created and funded by Peter Weyland (Pearce), CEO of Weyland Corporation. Lead by mission director Meredith Vickers (Theron) and monitored by Weyland’s android David (Fassbender), the team of explorers find a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth and embark on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe where they fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

A LOOPER GLOSSARY

Looper: A low level assassin who works for a mob in the future, killing targets they send back and disposing of the bodies.

Gat Man: A higher level gangster, the Gat men work locally with more typical thug responsibilities. They tend to look down on Loopers as a lot of untrained dandies.

Blunderbuss: A short stout hand cannon used by Loopers. Powerful but with a wide spread – impossible to hit anything more than 10 yards away, impossible to miss anything closer.

Gat: Generic term for a gun, but colloquial name for the Gat Men’s high caliber revolver. Powerful, accurate and reliable.

TK: Short for “telekinetic.” By 2040 a very low grade telekenetic power has developed in about 15% of the general population. Far from being a superpower, it’s weak and short range, and mostly used for bar tricks.

Closing Your Loop: A stipulation in every Looper’s contract that he may some day be required to kill his future self, thus closing his contract, getting a huge pay-off and erasing any trace of the very illegal arrangement with his future employer.

THE EXPENDABLES 2

The Expendables are back and this time it’s personal… Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) — with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard — are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time - five tons of weapons-grade plutonium, far more than enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way..

THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS

Quentin Tarantino presents THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS, an action-adventure inspired by kung-fu classics as interpreted by his longtime collaborators RZA and Eli Roth. Making his debut as a big-screen director, co-writer and leading man, RZA – alongside an exciting international cast led by Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu – tells the epic story of warriors, assassins and a lone outsider hero who all descend on one fabled village in China for a winner-takes-all battle for a fortune in gold. Blending astonishing martial-arts sequences from some of the masters of this world with the signature vision he brings as the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan and as one of hip-hop’s most dominant figures of the past two decades, RZA embarks upon his most ambitious, stylized and thrilling project to date.

Joining Crowe, RZA and Liu in the cast are Rick Yune, Jamie Chung, Cung Le, Dave Bautista, Byron Mann, Daniel Wu and Pam Grier.

THE GREY

Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List, Taken, Taken 2) stars as the unlikely hero Ottway in this undeniably suspenseful and powerful survival adventure. After their plane crashes into the remote Alaskan wilderness, a roughneck group of oil drillers are forced to find a way back to civilization. As Ottway leads the injured survivors through the brutal snow and ice, they are relentlessly tracked by a vicious pack of rogue wolves that will do anything to defend their territory. Adrenaline-fueled, action-packed and loaded with some of the most intense and brutally realistic attack scenes ever filmed, The Grey is being hailed as “a thriller you can sink your teeth into!” (The Washington Post)

SKYFALL

Stunts always play a large role in Bond films and SKYFALL is no exception. Director Sam Mendes, Second Unit Director Alexander Witt and Stunt Coordinator Gary Powell worked closely together to create a physical and believable journey for Bond. It was important for both Mendes and Powell to approach the film from a more realistic point of view. The action started on the pages. “Writing action sequences is one of the great challenges and the great joys of being a screenwriter,” says screenwriter John Logan. “The challenge as a writer on Skyfall was to find ways to make the action as ‘Bondian’ as possible – which to me means it’s tough, it’s real and it’s heightened.”

As you can see in this trailer, no actor had more stunts than Craig. Javier Bardem describes watching Craig take on the role: “There is some physicality to the role that you have to be prepared to do, but of course mine compared to Daniel’s was nothing. And he does the action scenes so easily “From the outside, watching him, I was thinking, If I were you, I wouldn’t be doing that!” Bardem laughs. “I mean, I did a little bit, but nothing in comparison to with what Daniel did.”

HYDE PARK ON HUDSON

Not quite the lofty follow up to THE KING”S SPEECH as we had hoped, this preview had all the makings of finally giving Bill Murray that long-awaited Oscar. The end result was a stark look into the all-too-human side of one of history’s iconic leaders.

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

“Hotel Transylvania is a story about a father and a daughter… it’s just that the father happens to be Dracula,” says Genndy Tartakovsky, director of the Sony Pictures Animation film, Hotel Transylvania. “Like all fathers, he’s an overprotective, psychotic, and endearing guy who’d do anything for his daughter, but unlike other fathers, he’s the Prince of Darkness.”

In Hotel Transylvania, it turns out that the world’s most famous monsters (including Dracula, Frankenstein, the Werewolf, the Invisible Man, and the Mummy) are just like regular people, with families and problems and a need to get away from it all – but unlike humans, they have to live in hiding from a world that thinks they’re, well, monsters. What better place to hide than Hotel Transylvania, which Dracula himself operates as a sanctuary from the rest of the world and has been human-free since 1898? But Dracula has issues of his own – his daughter, Mavis, is a teenager – in fact, she’s about to turn 118 – and as she becomes a woman, the vampire’s greatest fear is losing his relationship with her. Well, his two greatest fears are losing his relationship with his daughter and garlic, but that’s another story.

DJANGO UNCHAINED

We were ready to go on another wild and wily trek with Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece DJANGO UNCHAINED. The trailer had us hooked right from the start – almost made us forget Franco Nero in Corbucci’s DJANGO (1966). “I like evoking the Django title for what it means to Spaghetti Westerns and that mythology,” Tarantino says. “At the same time, there’s a 40-film series of nonrelated DJANGO rip-off sequels that are their own spot of Spaghetti Western history. I’m proud to say that we are a new edition to the unrelated DJANGO rip-off sequels.”

THE RAVEN

The macabre and lurid tales of Edgar Allan Poe are vividly brought to life – and death — in this stylish, gothic thriller starring John Cusack as the infamous author. Boy were they ever. When a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Poe’s darkest works, a young Baltimore detective (Luke Evans) joins forces with Poe in a quest to get inside the killer’s mind in order to stop him from making every one of Poe’s brutal stories a blood chilling reality. A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, which escalates when Poe’s love (Alice Eve, She’s Out of My League) becomes the next target. Intrepid Pictures’ The Raven also stars Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Faster).

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

Boy we couldn’t wait to return to the Shire. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD stars Golden Globe Award winner Steve Carell and Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley. Set in a too-near future, the movie explores what people will do when humanity’s last days are at hand. As the respective journeys of Dodge (Carell) and Penny (Knightley) converge, the two spark to each other and their outlooks – if not the world’s – brighten. Director Lorene Scafaria had us in tears when the end finally came.

PARANORMAN

This is how you do a teaser! In August Laika, the makers of Coraline, brought us PARANORMAN, a stop motion, ghost-filled zombie comedy in 3D. The delightful movie starred the voices of Kodi Smit-McPhee, John Goodman, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Elaine Stritch, Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Jeff Garlin. “You don’t become a hero by being normal.” Amen to that brother!

TED

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane (as well as this year’s Oscar host) brings his boundary-pushing brand of humor to the big screen for the first time as writer, director and voice star of TED. In the live action/CG-animated comedy, he tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish…and has refused to leave his side ever since. The trailer has us skeptical until we saw the hilarious final product!

HITCHCOCK

HITCHCOCK is a love story about one of the most influential filmmakers of the last century, Alfred (Anthony Hopkins) Hitchcock and his wife and partner Alma Reville (Helen Mirren). The film takes place during the making of Hitchcock’s seminal movie PSYCHO. The trailer had us fascinated and left us wanting to see more once the film finally arrived in November.

MOONRISE KINGDOM

In a return to the world of Wes Anderson, MOONRISE KINGDOM was thought by some to be one of the best films this year. Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the boy and girl.

MAGIC MIKE

A dramatic comedy set in the world of male strippers, “Magic Mike” is directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic”) and stars Channing Tatum in the title role. The film follows Mike as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money. Also starring Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer, Joe Mangianello, Olivia Munn, Riley Keough, Cody Horn and Adam Rodriguez.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

Not to be confused with the Spielberg-ized version of the 16th President, filmmakers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Director of Wanted) brought audiences this edgy thriller about the untold story that shaped our nation. Abraham Lincoln, history’s greatest hunter of the undead, must risk the presidency, his family and his life to protect America from bloodthirsty vampires. Thrust into an epic fight against the ruthless killers, Lincoln must rely on those around him. But it’s unclear who he can trust in this intense and violent thriller that’s ablaze with plot twists, blood-pumping action and spectacular special effects!

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PT. 2

Okay so maybe it wasn’t anything you’d ever venture out to see – even on a dare – but you knew we had to show the trailer for the final TWILIGHT movie. The conclusion to the series, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN — PART 2, illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions of teenage girls – and sometimes their Moms.

KILLING THEM SOFTLY

This wicked trailer was one of the best of 2012. Three dumb guys who think they’re smart rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse. Brad Pitt plays the enforcer hired to track them down and restore order. KILLING THEM SOFTLY also features Richard Jenkins (THE VISITOR), James Gandolfini (“The Sopranos”), Ray Liotta (NARC), Scoot McNairy (MONSTERS), Ben Mendelsohn (ANIMAL KINGDOM), and Vincent Curatola (“The Sopranos”). Max Casella, Trevor Long, Slaine and Sam Shepard also make appearances.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

The Amazing Spider-Man focused on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story and starred Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

THE SAPPHIRES

Inspired by a true story, THE SAPPHIRES follows four vivacious, young and talented Australian Aboriginal girls from a remote mission as they learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group The Sapphires entertains the U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1968. Cynthia (Tapsell), Gail (Mailman), Julie (Mauboy) and Kay (Sebbens) are discovered by Dave (O’Dowd), a good-humored talent scout with a kind heart, very little rhythm but a great knowledge of soul music. As their manager, Dave books the sisters their first true gig giving them their first taste of stardom, and travels them to Vietnam to sing for the American troops. The film was shown at the St. Louis International Film Festival in November and was met by a cheering audience as the credits rolled. See this charming film!

MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE’S MOST WANTED

Finally we leave you with Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe. Over the summer this fearless foursome were fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple and of course, King Julien, Maurice and the Penguins were all along for the comedic adventure. Their journey took them through Europe where they found the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvented – Madagascar style.

Contributors: Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

Top 10 Films of 2012

From great documentaries to sweet indies to big studio movies, 2012 was one of the biggest years ever. It will be remembered for the reinvention of musicals with Tom Hooper’s LES MISERABLES, the meet-and-greet of horrifying engineers in Ridley Scott’s PROMETHEUS and the toppling of an empire in Lauren Greenfield’s QUEEN OF VERSAILLES.

There was no shortage from which to choose from at your local cinemas where superheroes reigned supreme at the box office, animated adventures were welcomed by young and old alike, and favorite characters from the various prequels and sequels were embraced like old friends.

As we head into the new year, some of the most anticipated films of 2013 are Zack Snyder’s MAN OF STEEL, J.J. Abrams’ STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, Shane Black’s IRON MAN 3, Marc Forster’s WORLD WAR Z, Dan Scanlon’s MONSTERS UNIVERSITY, Gore Verbinski’s THE LONE RANGER, Joseph Kosinski’s OBLIVION, M. Night Shyamalan’s AFTER EARTH, Guillermo del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM, James Mangold’s THE WOLVERINE, Neill Blomkamp’s ELYSIUM, Sam Raimi’s OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, Baz Luhrmann’s THE GREAT GATSBY, Kenneth Branagh’s JACK RYAN, Alfonso Cuarón’s GRAVITY and George Clooney’s THE MONUMENTS MEN.

In our look back at the year that was, WAMG has compiled our list of the ten best films of 2012.

Honorable Mention – SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS is the second feature film from writer/director Martin McDonogh and the second to show his prowess with smart, dark comedic material. Once again enlisting Colin Farrell, McDonogh throws Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken into his alchemy and creates an unexpected yet very satisfying reaction. Much like Charlie Kaufman’s ADAPTATION, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS blurs the lines of reality and fiction, art as life and vice-versa. The main character, a screenwriter suffering a creative block embarks on a dangerous journey into the mind of psychotic killers to research ideas, unaware that he’s living his next film.

10. SKYFALL

It turns out that it’s always possible to reinvigorate a movie series, even after fifty years and twenty-three installments. Sam Mendes, seemingly the most ill-fitting director for the job, ended up making the newest James Bond the best in years, even decades. With a smart script, terrific cast, and astonishing cinematography from Roger Deakins, SKYFALL mixes the best of traditional Bond elements with a fresh sensibility to make a great statement on what James Bond is, and what he could be moving forward.

9. PARANORMAN

PARANORMAN paid homage to some of the best known horror movies. The creative filmmakers behind the lovable CORALINE brought audiences their second stop-motion animated feature. Nominated for 8 Annie Awards, all the films’ tiny food, sets and characters were given great care down to the minutest detail. Directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, PARANORMAN is the story of an outcast boy who can see dead people and talk to zombies – all the while being bullied by the kids at school. We loved that Norman found a loyal pal in the energetic Neil. The movie grabbed us emotionally and we cheered Norman on as he became the hero of the town. A pleasant mix of scares for both the kiddos and their parents, PARANORMAN easily found a place in our hearts and on WAMG’s best of the year list.

8. MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS

2012’s biggest box office earner may also be the most fun popcorn flick of the year. After laying the ground work for this team-up flick since IRON MAN in 2008, Marvel Studios did the unexpected. They handed the reins of this new potential franchise (combining four film franchises) over to relative movie director newcomer and TV wunderkind (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) Joss Whedon (who also had a hand in this year’s delightful fright flick CABIN IN THE WOODS). And did he deliver! Of course there are the big action set pieces (like in the classic comics, the Marvel Superheroes battle when they first meet), but the biggest surprise may be the witty, multi-layered screenplay. Unlike many films that feature a large core cast (X-MEN, STAR TREK), each character truly got a chance to shine, even screen newbie Hawkeye. Perhaps Joss’s biggest coup was finally turning the Hulk into a real movie star after two solo features. Let’s hope we hear the rallying cry of “Avengers Assemble” again at the multiplexes very soon!

7. LIFE OF PI

Based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martel, Ang Lee’s fantastic adventure film centers on a young Indian boy named Pi, who survives a disaster at sea and has to fight for survival aboard a lifeboat for weeks on end with another survivor – a Bengal tiger. This is not the story of a boy and his tiger becoming buddies. This is about a boy fighting to stay alive without starving, becoming dehydrated, and most importantly – being EATEN BY A TIGER. Ultimately, LIFE OF PI also the story of a boy finding faith in God. It is a rousing adventure film with breathtaking visuals and spectacular 3D imagery.

6. ZERO DARK THIRTY

ZERO DARK THIRTY tackles one of the biggest man-hunts in history as its subject… The search for Osama bin Laden. The film follows the search following the unspeakable events of September 11th, 2001 and gives Americans a glimpse into how Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 ultimately found, and killed the most wanted man in the world. Although graphic at times, the film offers suspense, intensity, and fantastic writing. It’s a must see for 2012.

5. DJANGO UNCHAINED

Quentin Tarantino often talks of quitting as a filmmaker, but when he continues to turn out work as vital and alive as DJANGO UNCHAINED, I hope that remains the idle chatter between each recharge of his battery, because his voice is one of the true treasures of modern movies, with this newest, the melding of Blaxploitation and classic Westerns, simply the latest entry in one of the most interesting filmographies today.

4. AMOUR

AMOUR is, as promised by its title, a movie about love. It’s hard to watch, not least because Austrian director Michael Haneke does not intend for the audience to be passive spectators. Rather, he wants us to feel uncomfortable as uninvited guests to the private intimacy shared by long-married couple Georges and Anne. Before we have a chance to feel familiar with them, Anne suffers a stroke that begins the unraveling of her mortal coil. Haneke shows her and Georges’ loss of dignity with dignity. This movie is not an auteur’s opinion of love; it is the offering of an artist who asks us to contemplate what love means to us so that our lives may be enriched.

3. LOOPER

LOOPER is an entertaining science fiction thriller that neatly blurs the line between suicide and murder, it’s a narrowly conceived yarn about victims sent back in time to be bumped off by assassins called loopers. Rian Johnson, in his third feature, keeps the action going while trying to maintain interest in the long arc of a story about Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a man assigned to kill his 30-years-older self (Bruce Willis). LOOPER is mostly set in a seedy metropolis that doesn’t look all that different from sketchy neighborhoods in some big cities today; there are derelicts, bombed-out buildings, ruined cars and enough other signs of urban ills to suggest that, in Johnson’s view, things will just gradually decline over the next three decades. There really is no sense in the time-travel in LOOPER, but no less sense than in any other film in this genre. Johnson makes up for it with narrative force, mesmeric fascination and a sense of a profound taboo being broken.

2. LINCOLN

LINCOLN is a stupendous film. It will later be considered an important film in Spielberg’s career. As a film about a beloved president, it is subtle and power. After reading many books on Lincoln, including ‘Team of Rivals, which this film is partially based on, I think that there has never been a more authentic and realistic portrayal of the president seen in a motion picture. Steven Spielberg’s direction is first-rate and very restrained here. I love his skill with the camera and cinematic visuals, but here he allows the history to shine through! The screenplay stays true and authentic to the period—the 1860’s. I didn’t catch any dialogue that seemed wrong…or a piece of set design, which was glaringly unreal. Historically, nothing egregious appeared in the film that took me out of the story. Daniel Day Lewis is almost supernatural in his ability to transform into a character. He brings the word ‘Art’ into the realm of acting once again, which is cool in a world in which ‘Stars’ without talent who denigrate the craft. As for the subject of the film: Lincoln was a genius, in my opinion, able to show great compassion, but also leadership powers akin to a tightrope walker, able to contain a ‘Team of Rivals’ within his own cabinet; he was very rational, able to tell a witty story one minute and give a beautifully written speech the next. On all these levels, Daniel Day Lewis is able to bring out the most accurate Lincoln I have ever seen. And, from what I’ve read, the voice Daniel came up with for Abe is spot-on and as accurate as it is possible to be. Whether it was Daniel’s role in the brilliant, ‘There Will Be Blood’ or his early performance in ‘A Room With a View,’ this is one hell of an excellent actor. It isn’t just the performance of Abe, either. All the actors, including Sally Field as Mary Lincoln, are perfect. As far as history goes, no piece of dialogue, no part of a set, no performance seemed to betray the 21st Century. This film is almost a time capsule of one of the most glorious, terrible and revolutionary times (The Civil War and the final eradication of slavery) in our country. As a motion picture, I cannot think of a more worthy film deserving of the ‘Best Picture.’ It is super that there are films out there that break the limits of censorship, that entertain us with often-entertaining, weird and offensive subject matter, BUT I also demand that there be ART in motion pictures. I want to know that my interest isn’t just made up of bilious, though fun, garbage. It is wonderful that a serious movie was made so skillfully about a man and subject so important, poignant, brave and vital.

And our number one film of the year…

1. ARGO

ARGO tells the recently-declassified true story of a CIA agent named Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) who concocted and led a scheme involving a fake movie production to get six U.S. embassy workers out of Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the resulting hostage crisis. Mendez is brought on as an advisor and when he learns how bad the CIA’s plan is to extract them, he comes up with an outlandish plan: pass the workers off as members of a Canadian film crew on a location scout for a sci-fi Star Wars ripoff called Argo. Look for solid, funny performances by Alan Arkin and John Goodman. Also directed by Affleck, ARGO is intense with it’s nailbiting ending and hilarious as it pokes fun at Hollywood.

15 Top Horror Films of 2012

Article by Charlie Dunlap

Cheers, my dark and demented kiddies… Looks like we’ve survived another apocalyptic year in no small thanks to a fresh batch of impressively morbid goodies, many of which would have collectively stained your silver screens black and red if theaters could even find the testicular fortitude to show them!

Although most film critics don’t have the balls required to plumb these newfound depths of depravity, those with enough courage will emerge on the other side (albeit after many hot and soapy baths), triumphantly hearkening 2012 as a banner year for the horror genre. While other media publications swamp you with pretentious, so-called “best of 2012” lists destined to put you into a permanent slumber, your loyal media daemon and macabre sin eater has collected the delectably worst offenders spawned by the film industry’s – very alive and kicking – bastard children.

Rip apart your deceitful newspapers, spit in the face of your hegemonic media transmissions, turn off your whitewashed crap and surrender to the glorious exorcism of your restless demons. These cathartic fiends will disturb your comfortable perspective on reality, fuel your wimpy nightmares and permanently traumatize any unwitting observers you can sucker into your living rooms…

This year’s dark crop was too abundant to squeeze into some puny top ten list; it contains both wide releases, as well as more hidden underground gems, and features a wide-ranging, international cast of both veteran and promising neophyte directors. It includes the first official Israeli horror film of all time (Rabies), two of the best features (Mother’s Day, The Barrens) from one of the field’s greatest emerging contemporary directors (Darren Lynn Bousman, continually improving auteur of the Saw films, Repo, the Genetic Opera and 11-11-11), flicks banned in their native country (A Serbian Film), the new film from Pascal Laugier (director of Martyrs, possibly the most disturbing film of all time), the first true horror offering (Cabin in the Woods) from the producer of our summer’s biggest blockbuster, The Avengers. Other undiscovered treats include several of the best found-footage scenes ever committed to film (Apartment 143, V/H/S), top Asian imports (Guilty by Romance, Bedevilled), impressive sequels (The Collection), stylistic diversity that ranges from postmodern zaniness (Detention) to old fashioned, vomit-worthy grindhouse (Rogue River), and many other wicked surprises waiting to sear themselves into your visual cortex. Enjoy, devour and maintain for your fortuitous reference the most comprehensive, diverse and thorough “best horror of 2012” list you will find…ANYWHERE.

Just remember kiddies – when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you…

The Best Horror Films of 2012: (in no particular order)

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS – Directed by Drew Goddard

THE DIVIDE – Directed by Xavier Gens

APARTMENT 143 – Directed by Carles Torrens

ROGUE RIVER – Directed by Jourdan McClure

V/H/S – Directed by Adam Wingard, Ti West, et al.

THE BARRENS – Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman

BEDEVILLED – Directed by Chul-soo Jang

THE TALL MAN – Directed by Pascal Laugier

RED LIGHTS – Directed by Rodrigo Cortes

THE COLLECTION – Directed by Marcus Dunstan

KILL LIST – Directed by Ben Wheatley

DETENTION – Directed by Joseph Kahn

THE AGGRESSION SCALE – Directed by Steven C. Miller

MOTHER’S DAY (remake) – Directed by Darren Lyn Bousman

RABIES -Directed by Sebastian Cordero

Honorable Mentions: A Serbian Film, Julia’s Eyes, The Caller, The Theatre Bizarre, The Tortured, Woman in Black, 388 Arletta Ave., Entrance, Guilty of Romance, Sinister

Charlie Dunlap is a passionate, life-long writer and student of film, who recently returned to Denver, CO after obtaining his masters degree in communication at Saint Louis University.

WAMG Talks PROMISED LAND With JOHN KRASINSKI

PROMISED LAND, the new film directed by Gus Van Sant, takes a hard, unbiased look at hydraulic fracking, and the effects it has on a small community. Written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski, the film sets out to unite communities, and show a real glimpse of life in a rural setting. WAMG recently got the chance to sit down with John Krasinski (in a round table) to discuss his experience writing his first screenplay, collaborating with Matt Damon, and his karaoke go-to jam!

Steve has been dispatched to the rural town of McKinley with his sales partner, Sue Thomason (Academy Award winner Frances McDormand). The town has been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, and the two consummate sales executives see McKinley’s citizens as likely to accept their company’s offer – for drilling rights to their properties – as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job and a short stay for the duo becomes complicated – professionally by calls for community-wide consideration of the offer by respected schoolteacher Frank Yates (Academy Award nominee Hal Holbrook) and personally by Steve’s encounter with Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt). When Dustin Noble (John Krasinski), a slick environmental activist, arrives, suddenly the stakes, both personal and professional, rise to the boiling point.

Check out the round table discussion below:

Does Fracking keep you up at night?

JK: Does Fracking keep me up at night? You know, what’s funny is I really started out the idea… I had the idea for the script about two years ago, and my dad grew up in a small town outside of Pittsburg, in Natrona Heights which was a steel mill town, and his dad worked three jobs, and they didn’t have very much. I remember when he was telling us when I was a little kid… I was an ignorant eight year old… and I said “So, was your childhood awful?” (Laughs) and he said “No, it was amazing! We had friends and family, and there was this sense of community, and the faith that tomorrow would be a better day.” That really stuck with me my whole life, and then I think the older I got, the more I realized the country was moving away from that sort of pure ideal of community. So, that’s where the idea came from, and that’s where I really started.

Natural gas came in as an issue later on in the project. Once we had started coming up with these characters, and this town, and these groups of people who were going to interact, it turned out to be the best backdrop for the story because it was basically, you know, like high stakes poker. There was so much to potentially gain, and so much potentially to lose. The really moving part was when we actually went to shoot in the town, they were so generous, and so open to have us… but at the same time people weren’t against coming up and telling you how they really felt, and there were people who came up and said “You know, you really shouldn’t be making this movie. This is really good for us.” and then five minutes later someone would come up and say “Thank you for making this movie!”. We never expected it to be the movie that deals with this issue. Our whole thing was, at the end, to start a conversation. Whether it’s fracking, or something else, these issues are something that should bring communities together, and (they should be) making decisions for themselves. Being together on this stuff is really the most important thing. Especially this day and age. Otherwise, our idea’s that if you don’t step up to it someone will step up and make the decision for you, as was evidence by this last election. We made so much noise about who was getting elected, and I feel like we really forgot about the people who were actually being affected by all of this. That was our idea, so we never set out to be like “This is it! We wanna do the biggest political movie of the year.”

How connected to that “small town” world were you guys, and how much did you discover as a part of making this movie? Coming from that kind of background, I found it to be very authentic.

JK: That’s awesome, by the way, and that’s a huge compliment. When we were writing it, the big things that we wanted to do, a couple of things… One is we needed humor, because I think anything that’s just dramatic is really boring. The other thing is that we wanted depth from the characters, and we wanted them to be multifaceted because any character, any one story, or one side of an issue was really, really boring. So, for us, the whole thing was to make these people , like when my dad spoke about his upbringing, to make them really intelligent people… really proud people who have opinions about things rather than, I think sometimes in movies just do this “small town America” as the people who just get bowled over by anyone who has an idea and then in comes innovators and creators who just push these people aside. That’s not the truth, at all. These people are very dedicated to their opinions, and very proud of where they’re from. That was the thing about getting there, and first of all seeing how gorgeous it was. I mean, it was beautiful. Weirdly, we shot ten miles away from where my dad grew up so, when he came to visit I had this existential moment where he was like “Oh, we use to apple pick over there.” and “I knew this area. You know, we came up here…” and I was like “Oh my god!” so I was having a father-son moment, this big moment, and I think everyone on the crew that day was like “What’s up with Krasinski?” because it felt like I was ready to cry at any moment, because I was going through something.

The truth is that you see what these people are fighting for… and when I say “what they’re fighting for” I don’t mean either side of the issue. What I am saying is they are fighting for what everybody else is fighting for… Their family, their friends, where they’re from, and where they’re going. It’s a self-protective survival mode, and that’s what’s so admirable about these people really digging in on these issues, and it’s happening all over the country.

One of the really great things that you do visually, and with the story and with the performance is that you simplify. You make it very easy. Especially your classroom sequence. You could lift that out and turn it into a short film for schools to educate kids.

JK: On one side of the issue, you could. (Laughs) The other side wouldn’t be super psyched about that!

That also goes hand in hand with your character of Dustin, and your performance. What did you draw on to create him, because, for me, I felt this really wonderful Elmer Gantry like, environmental evangelism.

JK: Yes! Exactly! You know what’s funny, is my whole idea for it was sort of the snake oil salesman, you know what I mean? I remember watching all of those great movies, or even Looney Tunes kind of cartoons. There’s always the guy who just rolls into town, gets everybody to buy this stuff, and then rolls out in that amazing carriage with the clinking bottles as it goes away. I just thought that that’s sort of what, really, everybody is doing on either side of the issue, or any type of corporation is doing. Everybody is just selling their wares, and trying to get these people to invest, but the thing I love, not just with this issue, but overall, is, I feel like the country is turning, especially with this fiscal eclipse stuff that’s happening. I remember the last time we were anywhere near a fiscal eclipse people were like “What is a fiscal eclipse?” and now you’re hearing people having really strong opinions. People are getting more and more educated, and have an idea of what they want from the situation. I think that’s what our movie is trying to do. That’s where we need to go. The days of just saying “Our elected people are angels.” and “They’re gonna take care of us.” and “Everything is going to be great.”… those days are over. We really need to, sort of, steer the ship with them, and for them. It’s really gotta be that old Lincoln quote of “For the people, by the people.”

How did you end up becoming writing partners with Matt Damon on this particular project?

JK: I met Matt when he was doing a movie with my wife, ADJUSTMENT BUREAU, and we became friendly right away… which is really nice because being from Boston, the guy from GOOD WILL HUNTING is pretty much the mayor of some fictitious town (Laughs), and so that was really awesome to meet him. One day we were on a double date, and he said “I’m actually thinking of directing. Is there anything you have in the works that you’d be willing to share with me?” and I said “Yeah.”. So, I brought him this idea, and he jumped on it right away… and we were writing within a week or two. It worked really, really well. He actually was shooting WE BOUGHT A ZOO in California at the time, and I was shooting my show, so we were kind of moonlighting. During the weekends I would show up around breakfast time on Saturday, and work all the way through dinner, both Saturday and Sunday. I don’t know how we got work done, because he has four beautiful girls. That’s why we always went to his house. He wins by default. Between throwing in THE LITTLE MERMAID seventeen times, lunch, and bath time, I don’t know how we got any work done, but we did.

We worked really well together. We worked really fast. We have similar sensibilities, and similar sense of humors, but, at the end of the day, I think we’re both eternal optimists, so we wanted the same thing. We wanted this to be an uplifting, kind of Frank Capra, kind of Kazan movie. Where we were headed was always the same, so getting there was a lot quicker.

Do you double date a lot?

JK: Yes we do. They are really fun double dating… You know, ironically, one of the things we’ve done a whole lot is karaoke. (Laughs) You wouldn’t know, because I didn’t get any better for the movie, but… That’s the best part about writing the script, or writing the stage directions is like “Dustin is horrible at karaoke.” and I was like “Now that that’s in there, I’m safe! I can do whatever I want”.

What’s your go-to?

JK: My go-to is Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero”. (Laughs) You’re welcome America! Get ready to not be excited!

What about Emily (Blunt) and Matt (Damon)?

JK: Matt hits some Springstein… a lot of the time. Matt and I have also duetted with “The Gambler”. (Laughs) Yeah, Kenny Rogers “The Gambler”. Bet you didn’t know it was a duet? But we made it into a duet, and it was one of those things where it was like “Oh, you’re getting that? Ok, fine. You can have that verse and I’ll have the other one.” It’s like, you’re fighting for the better verse. Again, it’s so exciting because in the moment it’s like ” We sound amazing!”. Thank god those are tiny rooms in the basements of buildings in the East Village, otherwise it would be really embarrassing.

You know, you could take this on the road and make money… and finance your next film with it…

JK: I don’t think we could finance a lunch with it! (Laughs) But hell, I’d give it a shot!

What was Dave Eggers involvement in this?

JK: When I had the idea I brought the basic structure… what I was saying about how I felt about small town life, and sort of that pride. I brought it to Dave because a lot of those issues are obviously big for him too, and really important. I had worked with him on AWAY WE GO, and I had known him through a bunch of 826 events that I had done. He’s one of the smartest guys any of us will ever meet. I just went to him, kind of as a guru in the oracle. He was writing his novel that summer, so he didn’t have so much time, but we had enough time to sit around and kick around ideas, and structure, and sort of the basic outlying ideas of what it would be, and that’s what I took to Matt.

How important is the writing aspect of your career to you? Are you trying to cultivate it further, or are you just going to write when passion hits you on a certain idea?

JK: No, I’m definitely going to cultivate it further. This was an incredible learning experience for me, on every level, but I think if I’m honest… The truth is, this is really a big moment for me. This is a transition from the show that is meaning, to me, more than anyone knows. I think to have this show end is going to be an incredibly emotional moment for me, not only because of the show, and the cast, and the crew, and that family aspect, but it’s an era of my life that’s gonna be gone. It is my twenties, basically. It’s one of the most important decades of my life. It was spent with this show, and I owe it absolutely everything. No one would know my name if it wasn’t for this show, and I wouldn’t have any opportunity if it wasn’t for this show. To sort of grow up, and to have that show support, this is just sort of my… After a while if someone asked me “What would you do if we gave you the keys?” This is the movie that I’d do if you gave me the keys. To me, this is the sort of thing that I’ve always been interested in. These are the characters that I’ve always been interested in watching, or interested in playing. I really want to so it more. To have this team surrounding me… To write with Matt, and to have Gus onboard… it was so surreal, and so inspiring, but it also probably spoiled me because now I’m just like “All I have to do is write some sort of document. Then all of a sudden Matt Damon and Gus Van Sant will sign on! How hard is this folks?”. (Laughs) I don’t know how the next ones are going to turn out, but also at home my wife was hugely supportive. I had always heard that story that a blank white page is a pretty scary thing, and I was like “Come on! There are bigger things to be scared of.” Then you sit down and you realize “Wow! That is pretty scary!” so, she was the one who kept saying “You can do it!” and “Just go up there and give it a couple more hours.” and sure enough, it just clicked, and I really, really loved it. So, I’m going to give it a shot, and hopefully keep going as long as there are stories that I can tell well. Until then, I’ll at least give it a shot.

For More Info:

www.PromisedLandTheFilm.com

www.Facebook.com/PromisedLandMovie

PROMISED LAND opens in select theaters Friday, December 28 and opens everywhere January 4

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of ZERO DARK THIRTY In St. Louis

The hunt for Osama bin Laden preoccupied the world and two American presidential administrations for more than a decade. But in the end, it took a small, dedicated team of CIA operatives to track him down. Every aspect of their mission was shrouded in secrecy. Though some of the details have since been made public, many of the most significant parts of the intelligence operation––including the central role played by that team––are brought to the screen for the first time in a nuanced and gripping new film by the Oscar®-winning creative duo of Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal.

Their account of bin Laden’s pursuit and capture, vivid yet faithful to the facts, takes the viewer inside the hubs of power and to the front lines of this historic mission, culminating in the special operations assault on a mysterious, suburban Pakistani compound.

But it is the lead-up to the raid that truly distinguishes ZERO DARK THIRTY from other accounts. The quest to find bin Laden was fraught with danger from the start, and not every U.S. operative survived. Some intelligence experts came to believe that the assignment was impossible to carry out, but on the ground a determined team of analysts and interrogators defied the odds and proved them wrong. For the first time, their struggle to find Osama bin Laden is told on the screen in electrifying detail. At its core, ZERO DARK THIRTY offers a cinematic rendition into one of the most discussed but least known events of modern times from creative artists challenging themselves to push the limits of their craft. Events are recreated with a fidelity to the facts, including filming in Pakistan itself, embedding the viewer into the center of the action. The result is a film as profound and provocative as it is stunning and real.

ZERO DARK THIRTY stars Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong, Jennifer Ehle, Kyle Chandler, and Edgar Ramirez. Columbia Pictures unveiled the action-thriller in limited release on December 19, 2012 with a wide release set for January 11, 2013.

Columbia Pictures and WAMG invite you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of ZERO DARK THIRTY on January 10th at 7 pm in St. Louis.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. Name the 2008 film for which Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
3. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

This film has been rated R by the MPAA for STRONG VIOLENCE INCLUDING BRUTAL DISTURBING IMAGES, AND FOR LANGUAGE.

Columbia Pictures presents a Mark Boal production, a First Light production, an Annapurna Pictures production, a Kathryn Bigelow film, Zero Dark Thirty. Starring Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, Kyle Chandler, and Edgar Ramirez. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Written by Mark Boal. Produced by Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, and Megan Ellison. Executive Producers are Colin Wilson, Ted Schipper, and Greg Shapiro. Director of Photography is Greig Fraser ACS. Production Designer is Jeremy Hindle. Edited by Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. and William Goldenberg, A.C.E. Costumes Designed by George L. Little. Music by Alexandre Desplat. Sound Design by Paul N. J. Ottosson. Casting by Mark Bennett, CSA, Richard Hicks, CSA, and Gail Stevens.

http://www.zerodarkthirty-movie.com

https://www.facebook.com/ZeroDarkThirty

https://twitter.com/ZeroDarkThirty

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of NOT FADE AWAY In St. Louis

NOT FADE AWAY, David Chase’s deeply felt love letter to the music of the Sixties, is a film about dreams that come true — and the ones that never do. For Chase, “It’s about anybody who has ever had a dream and about what it takes to actually realize that dream. Rock & roll is at the heart of the movie because for some of the characters, rock music is the gateway to transcendence, but it doesn’t end there.”

Traditionally, most rock & roll movies have focused on the agony and ecstasy of “making it” on a grand scale, usually with thousands of fans screaming in the background. As a rule, we witness some band of brothers’ rise and fall, then their crash and burn, and perhaps the eventual resurrection. As one might expect from a man best known as the creator of the groundbreaking television series The Sopranos, NOT FADE AWAY is not your average rock & roll movie. Instead, this is an intimate, powerful, alternately painful and funny drama about coming of age and the sort of indelible memories — musical and otherwise — that end up making us who we are.

Paramount Vantage, Indian Paintbrush and WAMG invite you to enter to win a pass (good for 2) to the advance screening of NOT FADE AWAY on January 3rd at 7 PM in St. Louis.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. How many Primetime Emmys did David Chase’s “The Sopranos” win?
3. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED. DUPLICATE TICKETS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

This film is rated “R for Pervasive language, some drug use and sexual content“

(Left to right) Will Brill as Wells, Brahm Vaccarella as Joe Patuto, John Magaro as Douglas, and Jack Huston as Eugene in NOT FADE AWAY, from Paramount Vantage and Indian Paintbrush in Association with The Weinstein Company.

The cast includes John Magaro, Jack Huston, Will Brill, Bella Heathcote, Brad Garrett, Christopher McDonald and James Gandolfini. From Paramount Vantage and Indian Paintbrush, in association with The Weinstein Company, NOT FADE AWAY is playing now in select theaters.

Website: http://www.notfadeawaymovie.com

http://www.facebook.com/NotFadeAwayMovie

#NotFadeAway @ParamountPics

Win A PROMISED LAND Prizepack From Focus Features!

PROMISED LAND is the new contemporary drama directed by Gus Van Sant (GOOD WILL HUNTING, MILK). Matt Damon plays Steve Butler, an ace corporate salesman who is sent along with his partner, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), to close a key rural town in his company’s expansion plans. With the town having been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local citizens as likely to accept their company’s offer, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (John Krasinski), as well as the interest of a local woman (Rosemarie DeWitt). PROMISED LAND explores America at the crossroads where big business and the strength of small-town community converge. The film will be in select theaters December 28th and nationwide January 4, 2013.

Enter for a chance to win a PROMISED LAND prizepack from Focus Features and WAMG.

One (1) winner will receive:

$25 Visa for a night out at the movies

Good Will Hunting on Blu-ray

Focus Features 10^th Anniversary: A Collection of Film Score

Prizing provided by Focus Features

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. PRIZE WILL ONLY BE SHIPPED TO US ADDRESSES.

2. SEND YOUR FULL NAME and ANSWER TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com.

3. Gus Van Sant made his feature film directorial debut in 1985. Name this movie that went onto win the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for Best Independent/Experimental Film.

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED.

CONTEST WILL END ON MONDAY, January 7, 2013 at 11:59pm CST.

A Focus Features presentation in association with Participant Media and Image Nation Abu Dhabi of a Sunday Night, Pearl Street, Media Farm production. A Gus Van Sant Film. Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Frances McDormand. Rosemarie DeWitt, Scoot McNairy, Titus Welliver, and Hal Holbrook. Casting by Francine Maisler, CSA. Music Supervisor, Brian Reitzell. Music by Danny Elfman. Costume Designer, Juliet Polcsa. Production Designer, Daniel B. Clancy. Editor, Billy Rich. Director of Photography, Linus Sandgren, FSF. Executive Producers, Gus Van Sant, Ron Schmidt, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King. Produced by Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Chris Moore. Story by Dave Eggers. Screenplay by John Krasinski & Matt Damon. Directed by Gus Van Sant. A Focus Features Release.

What does Focus Features sound like? Find out with the “Focus Features 10th Anniversary: A Collection of Film Score” with music from your favorite films by their best composers.

1. The Wings (from Brokeback Mountain) by Gustavo Santaolalla
2. Theme (from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) by Jon Brion
3. Roadblock I (from The Constant Gardener) by Alberto Iglesias
4. Briony (from Atonement) by Dario Marianelli
5. Wong Chia Chi’s Theme (from Lust, Caution) by Alexandre Desplat
6. Eastern Promises (from Eastern Promises) by Howard Shore
7. Ted and Marion (from The Door in the Floor) by Marcelo Zarvos
8. The Kiss (from Milk) by Danny Elfman
9. La Marche des Bébés (from Babies) by Bruno Coulais
10. Delysia LaFosse (from Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) by Paul Englishby
11. Autumn in Connecticut (from Far From Heaven) by Elmer Bernstein
12. Emily’s Theme (from Brick) by Nathan Johnson
13. George Smiley (from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) by Alberto Iglesias
14. Yes! (from Jane Eyre) by Dario Marianelli
15. Exploration (from Coraline) by Bruno Coulais
16. Ride Into the Storm (from Sin Nombre) by Marcelo Zarvos
17. The Sun Also Rises (from The Kid Stays in the Picture) by Jeff Danna
18. Container Park (from Hanna) by The Chemical Brothers

Link Up!

Visit the official website
Like Promised Land on Facebook
Watch the trailer, clips, featurettes & TV Spots on YouTube
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The Top 15 Non-Traditional Christmas Movies

Now that you’ve had your fill of peppermint, presents, and multiple viewings of AMC’s WHITE CHRISTMAS and MIRACLE ON 34^th STREET, how about a little snark to go along with that special Holiday movie – sans the warm and fuzzy. It’s time for some mistletoe carnage and crafty comedy Geek style. In our gift to you, WAMG presents our list of the 15 best non-traditional films. Lovers of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE can consider yourselves excused cuz Santa Claus is coming to town in these “More Naughty Than Nice” movies.

BLACK CHRISTMAS

BLACK CHRISTMAS (the 1974 version of course), generally acknowledged as the forerunner of the ‘slasher’ genre, is so graphic in its imagination that you don’t even need to see any gore or murder. BLACK CHRISTMAS, which holds up spectacularly well after almost 40 years, tells the tale of a group of sorority sisters that are hounded and harassed by a mysterious obscene crank caller. Circumstances take a disturbing turn when one of the poor gals winds up missing (She’s the one up in the attic throughout the movie! With the plastic bag over her head!). Up next is an investigation and the appearance of a few more dead bodies, ultimately leading up to a finale that will forever be etched in your mind when you tuck under the covers and prepare for sleep (which may actually never come). BLACK CHRISTMAS sports a stellar cast that includes Olivia Hussey (ROMEO AND JULIET), Margot Kidder (acting drunk and slutty), John Saxon (acting drunk and studly), Keir Dullea, and Andrea Martin (who would play the house mother in the forgettable 2006 BLACK CHRISTMAS remake). Add to the mix director Bob Clark, one of the most eclectic independent directors ever, and a born storyteller (the man was responsible for A CHRISTMAS STORY, PORKY’S, and CHILDREN SHOULDN’T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS). No doubt, if Bob Clark could’ve copyrighted the slasher movie concepts and cliches that he created, he would’ve been just as famous as John Carpenter or Wes Craven, maybe even more.

SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT

SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT, the poster child for Holiday horror films, caused a huge stink when it was released back in 1984. Influential film critic Gene Siskel especially despised the film, going as far to list, on his syndicated TV show, the film’s producers by name and, wagging his finger like a sweater-vested church lady, wailed “shame, shame, shame” after each name. What got Siskel’s holiday hackles up was the distasteful idea to have a slasher film featuring Saint Nick as its bloodthirsty villain. It wasn’t even the first ‘killer Santa’ movie – CHRISTMAS EVIL from 1980 has that distinction) but SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT is the most notorious because it had the balls to be released during the Christmas season and its holiday television ads attracted the ire of overly-sensitive parents, some of who actually went out and picketed various theaters in protest of it. Outraged moms and dads wrote letters to the film’s producers (“My little Billy is afraid to sit in Santa’s lap because of a TV commercial he saw for your disgusting film”). Consequently, the flick got pulled out of the cinemas and in some markets, including St. Louis, it was never shown theatrically at all. It eventually did find a big audience when it was released to video stores and several increasingly inferior sequels were spawned (though the great Monte Hellman directed part 3!). Lost in the controversy is that SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT was actually a pretty solid and scary horror flick. Of course it was never meant for kids, who would likely have been scarred for life if they had seen the opening sequence where an escaped criminal in a Santa suit rapes and kills off a kids mom while the child looks on. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT has plenty of fun bloody death scenes and some great one-liners.

BAD SANTA

Here’s probably the raunchiest comedy to be set in the holiday season. Thorton’s the most, vile ill-tempered mall Santa ever. He and his “elf” Marcus (Tony Cox) are casing the place for a Christmas Eve robbery for goodness sake! Luckily one of the original “kings of comedy” Bernie Mac as the place’s security chief is on to him. BAD SANTA was the last live action feature film work from John Ritter (who hires the two cons) and the movie’s dedicated to his memory. Also memorable is TV “Gilmore Girl” Lauren Graham as a gal who really, really likes ole’ St. Nick! Really. This was the second fiction feature directed by acclaimed documentarian Terry Zwigoff (CRUMB).

THE GINGERDEAD MAN

Two words… Gary Busey. Need more? How’s this… Gary Busey as a convicted killer named Millard Findlemeyer sent to the electric chair, only to return as a gingerbread man cookie with a vengenace! Something as dreadfully awesome as this could only come from the mind of low-budget, genre-schlock-meister Charles Band. The writer and director also even wrote and performed an original song for this modern cult Christmas classic. Put on your PJs, grab a glass of milk and fill yourself with the holiday spirit as a questionably sane Gary Busey plays an insane homicidal gingerbread man hellbent on killing the woman who had him killed. Merry Christmas!

SUSAN SLEPT HERE

This 1954 holiday set romantic comedy is actually narrated by an Oscar statuette! A struggling veteran screenwriter, played by the former baby-faced tenor of 30’s musicals Dick Powell, is surprised to find a spunky juvenile delinquent under the Christmas tree. It’s Debbie Reynolds, Queen Organa herself (yup, Carrie Fisher’s Mom) just a couple of years after the classic SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. Also in the cast are future TV stars Anne Francis (“Honey West”) and Alvy Moore (Mr. Kimball on “Green Acres”). This is one of the early feature films directed by former Loony Tunes animator/director Frank Tashlin. Later he would guide the movie careers of Jayne Mansfield and Jerry Lewis.

DIE HARD

“All right, listen up guys. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except… the four a**holes coming in the rear in standard two-by-two cover formation.” Warms the holiday heart, doesn’t it? NY cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is invited to his estranged wife’s Christmas Party “by mistake” and goes up against Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman). “Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho.” While not exactly your traditional holiday movie, this 1987 actioner will add a little spike to your glass of eggnog.

BETTER OFF DEAD

Sure, getting dumped for someone “more popular” doesn’t exactly set the mood for the holidays… But Lloyd doesn’t let that, or a crazed paperboy stop him from becoming a winner on the slopes! Well, except for the creative ways that he imagines killing himself… That slows him down a bit. There’s no better time for a dark John Cusack comedy than the holidays!

JACK FROST

A snowman might not be my first choice for reincarnation, but in Jack Frost, but that’s the card Jack, a father who is too occupied with his band than his family, is dealt after his untimely death in a car accident. As a snowman, he now has the opportunity to make things right with his son before returning to the afterlife. This snowman tale is sure to warm your heart this holiday season.

CHRISTMAS EVIL

John Water’s favorite Christmas movie is the 1980 oddity CHRISTMAS EVIL . After suffering a traumatic childhood experience involving his father in Santa Claus outfit, a disturbed toy factory worker fixates on Santa Claus in an unhealthy way. When Christmas cynicism pushes him over the edge, he takes on the role one Christmas eve to reward the good boys and girls – and to murder the cynics. So when he spies a little girl playing with her doll, that’s fine, she’s being nice – when he sees a little boy reading Penthouse, that’s a different matter. CHRISTMAS EVIL is a suitably surreal entry in the Christmas horror sub-genre and John Waters described it best: ”CHRISTMAS EVIL has a grubby look and mucky atmosphere, as if it were shot using the same crap film they used to shoot those 1970s drive-in concession-stand ads where the food came out looking wretched when its intention was to lure patrons to the snack bar!” CHRISTMAS EVIL is like a murky, clumsily violent dream an alcoholic stepfather is having during the holidays while passed out in his recliner, translated to shoddy film stock – and that isn’t an effect commonly or easily achieved by any movie. A masterpiece.

THE ICE HARVEST

THE ICE HARVEST a great example of modern film noir set, naturally, on Christmas Eve in Wichita, KS. Everybody in the film, including the people you’re supposed to be rooting for, shows an unsavory side. Billy Bob Thornton showed his with equal parts of passion and cunning. John Cusack, playing a mob lawyer involved in a plot to swindle his employer and the local mob out of some money, played his role with enough subtlety that he passes for an attorney, and with enough venom to let us know life has treated him wrong (and he has returned the favor). Everyone else runs the gamut from fawning to mischievous to I-can’t-believe-I’ve-gotta-spend-the-holiday- doing-this angry. It’s no spoiler to reveal that the plot had enough twists to keep any mystery lover happy, but THE ICE HARVEST, based on the novel by St. Louisan (and Wichita native) Scott Phillips, carried far more laughs than the usual December comedy and was a dark, dark way to spend Christmas in 2005.

SANTA CLAUS (1959)

Badly dubbed over in English, the madcap Mexican import SANTA CLAUS from 1959 is a peculiar pinata packed with pagan ritual, Arthurian legend and Western malarkey. SANTA CLAUS was one of those whacked out K. Gordon Murray hybrid specials that the famed showman would purchase from Mexico, redub, and unleash to kiddie matinees. As weird as the original version of this film probably was, what with the wind up reindeer, and Satan (called Pitch), and Merlin, and the Chucky doll wearing the cowboy hat, and the Rolling Stones giant lips on the wall and the radar dish with the human ear in the center…you can just lump that all into the category of ‘cultural differences’. I am pretty sure that the original version was a harmless, if somewhat trippy, kid’s film. But once the “English Version” editors got done with it, the results defied description. SANTA CLAUS is a Mexican fever dream of a kid’s Christmas movie, made by people who obviously hate children,

REINDEER GAMES

Get ready for the jingle bells. After being imprisoned for six years on a grand theft auto charge, Rudy Duncan and his cellmate Nick are finally going to be paroled. After hearing endless stories during his incarceration of Nick’s romantic correspondence to a woman named Ashley he has never met, Rudy is looking forward to returning to his family. When Nick is killed during a prison riot, Rudy decides to assume Nick’s identity and meet up with the unknown woman. Burdened with knowledge of Nick’s Indian casino employment past, Rudy finds himself in too deep with Ashley’s brother Gabriel and is forced to cooperate with a casino robbery that Gabriel and his gang have been planning with Nick in mind. Hold tight to that mug of hot chocolate – it’s going to be a bumpy sleigh ride.

REMEMBER THE NIGHT

This little known 1940 Paramount gem is slowly becoming a Christmas perrenial on the TCM (Turner Classics Movies) cable channel. Four years later stars Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwick would team again for the landmark film noir DOUBLE INDEMNITY for director Billy Wilder. In this Preston Sturges story, Stanwick’s once again is on the wrong side of the law. She’s a shoplifter in the custody of criminal prosecutor MacMurray who ends ups taking her with him to his family home for Christmas. Both actors would have great success in television decades later, Stanwick with the western drama “The Big Valley” and MacMurray with the long-running family sitcom “My Three Sons”.

3 GODFATHERS

This Western take on the Nativity story was filmed previously as a silent in 1916 and an early black and white “talkie” in 1936. This color version directed by movie master John Ford and starring his frequent collaborator John Wayne in 1948 is perhaps the best remembered. Three outlaws on the run come across a woman dying in an abandoned wagon alongside her infant. After she passes they take her baby and vow to travel across the merciless desert and deliver the child to the nearest town (at the risk of being caught by the law). Wayne’s two cohorts are Pedro Armendariz and Harry Carrey,Jr. (Senior starred in the 1916 film). Also in the cast are Ford stalwarts ward Bond, Ben Johnson, and Mildred Natwick.

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

There is no wrong time to watch Edward Scissorhands! Tim Burton’s imagination combined with a score by Danny Elfman sets the tone for magic that is sure to brighten the holidays. Johnny Depp is wonderful as the sensitive, creative character of Edward… Who is just a bit misunderstood. Oh, and try not to smile with delight as Edward makes it snow for the first time in their small town. It’s nothing short of spectacular!

Merry Christmas From The Movie Geeks

Merry Christmas from all of us here at wearemoviegeeks.com. While you’re enjoying the day eating, watching the 24hr run of A Christmas Story and opening up all those presents, we’ll leave you with these warm fuzzy thoughts from NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION.

From all of us at We Are Movie Geeks, have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a fun and safe New Years!

WAMG Top 10 Christmas Movies

Ho, ho, ho! On this Christmas Eve, the Movie Geeks want to make sure we steer you towards the right festive movies this holiday season and came up with these ten. Several honorable mentions didn’t make the cut such as Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, Santa’s Slay, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966), Emmit Otter’s Jug Band Christmas, Jingle All the Way, The Family Stone, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Polar Express, A Christmas Carol (1984), A Muppet Christmas Carol, Babes in Toyland (1961), Holiday Inn, It’s a Wonderful Life, Scrooge (1971), or Home Alone. Not to worry – they were considered but didn’t pass muster with the cinema elves. Come back on Christmas for our not-so traditional holiday movies lineup.

Now, for the list:

10. Love, Actually (2003)

“So if you believe in Father Christmas, children, like your Uncle Billy does, buy my festering turd of a record. And particularly enjoy the incredible crassness of the moment when we try to squeeze an extra syllable into the fourth line.” – Billy Mack (Bill Nighy)

9. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

“Look, Charlie, let’s face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It’s run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.” – Lucy Van Pelt (voiced by Tracy Stratford)

8. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

“Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind… and that’s what’s been changing. That’s why I’m glad I’m here, maybe I can do something about it.” – Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn)

7. White Christmas (1954)

As the final line in the movie goes, “…And may all your Christmases be white. MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

6. Gremlins (1984)

“The worst thing that ever happened to me was on Christmas. Oh, God. It was so horrible. It was Christmas Eve. I was 9 years old. Me and Mom were decorating the tree, waiting for Dad to come home from work. A couple hours went by. Dad wasn’t home. So Mom called the office. No answer. Christmas Day came and went, and still nothing. So the police began a search. Four or five days went by. Neither one of us could eat or sleep. Everything was falling apart. It was snowing outside. The house was freezing, so I went to try to light up the fire. That’s when I noticed the smell. The firemen came and broke through the chimney top. And me and Mom were expecting them to pull out a dead cat or a bird. And instead they pulled out my father. He was dressed in a Santa Claus suit. He’d been climbing down the chimney… his arms loaded with presents. He was gonna surprise us. He slipped and broke his neck. He died instantly. And that’s how I found out there was no Santa Claus.” – Kate (Phoebe Cates)

5. Scrooged (1988)

“It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be.” – Frank Cross (Bill Murray)

4. The Santa Clause (1994)

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! When I get home, I’m getting a CAT scan!” – Tim Allen (Scott Calvin/Santa Claus)

3. Elf (2003)

“First we’ll make snow angels for a two hours, then we’ll go ice skating, then we’ll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse Cookiedough as fast as we can, and then we’ll snuggle.” – Buddy (Will Ferrell)

2. A Christmas Story (1983)

“Next to me in the blackness lay my oiled blue steel beauty. The greatest Christmas gift I had ever received, or would ever receive. Gradually, I drifted off to sleep, pringing ducks on the wing and getting off spectacular hip shots.” – Ralphie as Adult (Jean Shepherd)

1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

“This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We’re gonna press on, and we’re gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny f’ing Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white a’ down that chimney tonight, he’s gonna find the jolliest bunch of a’holes this side of the nuthouse.” – Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase)

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

THE RAID: REDEMPTION

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS

LES MISÉRABLES

CLOUD ATLAS

MEN IN BLACK 3

THE MASTER

PROMETHEUS

THE EXPENDABLES 2

THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS

THE GREY

SKYFALL

HYDE PARK ON HUDSON

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA

DJANGO UNCHAINED

THE RAVEN

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

PARANORMAN

TED

HITCHCOCK

MOONRISE KINGDOM

MAGIC MIKE

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PT. 2

KILLING THEM SOFTLY

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

THE SAPPHIRES

MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE’S MOST WANTED

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Honorable Mention – SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS

10. SKYFALL

9. PARANORMAN

8. MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS

7. LIFE OF PI

6. ZERO DARK THIRTY

5. DJANGO UNCHAINED

4. AMOUR

3. LOOPER

2. LINCOLN

1. ARGO

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The Best Horror Films of 2012: (in no particular order)

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Check out the round table discussion below:

PROMISED LAND opens in select theaters Friday, December 28 and opens everywhere January 4

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BLACK CHRISTMAS

SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT

BAD SANTA

THE GINGERDEAD MAN

SUSAN SLEPT HERE

DIE HARD

BETTER OFF DEAD

JACK FROST

CHRISTMAS EVIL

THE ICE HARVEST

SANTA CLAUS (1959)

REINDEER GAMES

REMEMBER THE NIGHT

3 GODFATHERS

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

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10. Love, Actually (2003)

9. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

8. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

7. White Christmas (1954)

6. Gremlins (1984)

5. Scrooged (1988)

4. The Santa Clause (1994)

3. Elf (2003)

2. A Christmas Story (1983)

1. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

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