Lincoln (2012)

Honest Abe is back. And not as a vampire hunter.

This movie blew my mind. Not because it was extremely exciting or action packed, but rather the depth of the film spoke to me. Within the first 2 minutes of the film, my heart already sunk and I knew that this film would be nothing short of brilliant. Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of Lincoln was beyond anything I could have imagined. Spielberg really hit a home run with this one.

The plot itself was rather straight forward. Essentially, it follows the journey of Lincoln as he starts his second term as president and how he managed to abolish slavery and end the Civil War. In fact, since it is a historical film we all know how things unfold in the end. What made me love this film was the all-star cast and their individual portrayals of their characters. And when I say all-star, I mean above and beyond the stars. Almost every actor in this film has been Oscar nominated. Day-Lewis, known for being extremely picky with his roles, did an outstanding job. Remarkable. I found myself leaning forward during all of his monologues to as if I was right beside him, wanting to hear more, wanting to feel the same emotions that he felt.

Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln. Source: wegotthiscovered

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Based on the namesake book by Matthew Quick, Silver Linings Playbook is a flick that is sure to make you smile. Just reading the plot you might not think much about it, but it deserves all the accolades and more.  Pat (Bradley Cooper) is released from a mental health facility and is finally starting to turn his life around. He was sent there in the first place because he walked in on his wife cheating on him, and beat the guy into a pulp. His wife Nikki told him to lose some weight, filed a restraining order on him, and has had no contact with him in the 8 months he's been in the hospital. Now that he's out, he's doing everything in his power to try and win her back.

In an effort to contact Nikki without violating his patrole, he makes a deal with one of her friends, Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), who's fighting a similar battle with her inner demons, and enters into a dance competition with her. In exchange, she acts as a messenger between Pat and Nikki and delivers messages between the two.

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. Source: TIFF

Stuck in Love (Writers) (2012)

When Stuck in Love first premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, it was under the working name Writers. Written and directed by Josh Boone, who drew inspiration from his own life, especially when it came to his parents' divorce, it was recently picked up Millennium Entertainment.

Let it be known that this film was a complete shock to me. I walked in not knowing much about it except for the blurb I read on TIFF's website. When I say I was shocked, I mean it in a positive manner. The story line was delivered so well by the actors and for his first film, Boone did an excellent job of directing. 

Lily Collins and Logan Lerman. Source: TIFF.net

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Disney, you've done it again. 

Wreck-It Ralph is a heartwarming tale about being true to who you are and not letting others tell you otherwise. This film was such a smart concept, but I cannot imagine how difficult it was to produce it. When the arcade closes, the games come to life. Who would have thought of game characters as being "real" and "living". Travelling between games through the wires and having characters from one game interacting with a completed unrelated character from another game. Brilliant. 

The movie centers around the main character Ralph, who is tired of being the bad guy and never getting the praise and accolade he deserves for the work he does. He goes on a journey to try and get himself a gold medal to prove to his neighbours that he is worthy of the same glory that his colleague, Fix-It Felix Jr, gets. Along the way he meets a  Vanellope von Schweetz  a young girl who aspires to be a racer in the game Sugar Rush, but is shunned by the everyone in the kingdom. Ralph tries to help Vanellope win the race she's always dreamed of winning all while trying to save the game from being destroyed by cybugs. Enter the most bad ass animated character of all time, Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun who, alongside Fix-It Felix Jr, helps to save the game.

Ralph and other "Bad Guys". Source: Joblo

Skyfall (2012)

Shootout, car chase, fruit stand being destroyed in the first 10 minutes of the film? This could only be a Bond film. And a great one at that. Daniel Craig returns as Bond, James Bond in the newest in the series and does a superb job. Skyfall follows Bond on his journey of what I like to call redemption. It's hard to talk about this without giving away some spoilers, but it revolves around him trying to prove his role in MI6 when everyone starts to doubt him.

For a 2.5 hour movie, it certainly did not feel that long. The time just flew by. It seems as though there was both too much plot and not enough plot at the same time. There was so much to put into this film that it almost seems like the plot was not developed thoroughly enough. Accolades must be given to Javier Bardem who plays the villain. He was creepy, yet at times you almost pity him. But mostly, like in any Bond film, you just want him to die.

Daniel Craig as James Bond. Source: Telegraph UK