Hitchcock (2012)

Director: Sacha Gervasi

Rated: PG-13

Length: 98 min.

This biographical tale of infamous director Alfred Hitchcock and the making of his most infamous film, Psycho, is an exemplary depiction of the master of suspense. With a star studded cast that includes the likes of the great Anthony Hopkins (Alfred Hitchcock) and the timeless Helen Mirren (Alma Reville), to the lovely leading ladies of Scarlett Johansonn (Janet Leigh) and Jessica Biel (Vera Miles); this film has all the ingredients for an instant classic. Delving much deeper into the life of 'Hitch', this film portrays his problems with alcoholism, obseity and leading lady obessions to a very tee. The nostalgia brought forth by the scenes depicted in Psycho make this film something of historical value. And fortunately, the underlying love story bewteen Hitch and Alma doesn't get in the way of portraying how Alfred changed the way we look at horror films forever. This is a must-see for any Hitchcock fans, and might even be worth a gander for those who wanna take a peek into the life of the man who laid down the blueprint for all suspenseful thrillers for years to come. Hitchcock.

Life of Pi (2012)

Director-Ang Lee

Rated-PG-13

Length-127 min.

This is the exhilarating tale of the tumultuous relationship between a boy and a tiger who are forced into each other's lives by cause of ship wreck. In their time spent together, the young boy named Pi conquers his fear of the tiger and develops a better understanding of himself, and the world around him. This film is aesthetically pleasing on numerous levels, with beautiful depictions of land and sea fully encompassed through the vision of director Ang Lee. However, the drawn out conclusion and continuously outlandish plot sequences make this film hard to distinguish what's real and what's not. I'm not taking anything away from the cinematography and visual effects, for they are some of the best I've seen in quite some time. But Cast Away has already been done before, with better actors and a more audible dialogue; this film is just Slumdog Millionaire at sea. I must admit that I was pulled in for the first hour, but as the film progressed, and the believability deteriorated, it lost its enchantment. This film surprised me with its intriguing narrative, but however surprising, still underachieving. Life of Pi.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

Director-Benh Zeitlin

Rated-PG-13

Length-93 min.

This inspirational tale delves into a multitude of controversial issues ranging from poverty and alcoholism to global warming and the meaning of life. Through all the hardship, Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis) provides audience members with an astonishing sense of strength and hope. This story takes place within the southernmost part of Louisiana, and depicts the poverties that Hushpuppy and her alcoholic father, Wink (Dwight Henry) face on a daily basis. The poverty line is strictly divided by the water levee that disallows ocean water into the coast, where the rest of society resides. When the "Bathtub" or their little slice of heaven floods because of the levee, reality truly sets in. The clash between reality and fiction is hard to distinguish in some cases, for we are often allowed inside the mind of young Hushpuppy and her dreams of enormous hogs making their way down south and memories of her long lost mother are scarcely defined. This distinction could be made more obvious if Director Benh Zeitlin was more definitive with what is real and what is not; for I am still unsure at the film's conclusion. The optimistic outcome of this film is unfortunately overshadowded by the reality of homelessness and abandonment. I think Quvenzhane did a fantastic job for an actress of her age, and was very deserving of her youngest ever nomination for Best Actress; however, it was still not quite enough to lift this film to its full potential. Beasts of the SouthernWild.