Two Oh Six: Best of 2012 - Movies and Actors

For me, 2012 was the first full year of writing movie reviews and it was also a year where I was able to watch more movies than I ever have before. From midnight premiers at the Cinerama to film festival screenings in theaters all over Seattle, I took in as many as I possibly could and wrote a review for almost every single one.

Of course, there are always movies that stand out as exceptional experiences and acting performances that shine through as remarkable achievements and this is where you will find my list of the ones that stood out above all the others throughout the past year.

2013 Academy Awards - Prediction Special

Welcome to the TwoOhSix.com second annual

Academy Awards Prediction Special!

This is my second attempt at picking the winners of those famous gold "Oscar" trophies and I look forward to seeing who actually walks away with them. I  have only included categories where I feel I can make a good decision while leaving out ones where I would only be guessing.

You will see the nominees for each category along with who I feel will ultimately win although you will not see who I feel is the most deserving of the awards. Those announcements will be saved for another post.

The Chef aka Comme un Chef (SIFF 2012) - Movie Review

Daniel Cohen's The Chef is a lighthearted romp through the world of French cuisine and stars Michaël Youn alongside the one and only Jean Reno. The accomplished director has cooked up a dish of a movie that has had audiences asking for seconds by serving them equally healthy portions of belly laugh inducing comedy and heart warming drama.

Reader Poll: 2012 Favorite Movies

2012 is officially in the books and it was yet another a great year for movies of shapes and sizes. Soon, I will be posting my "Best of 2012" lists, but for now its your turn to voice your opinion on exactly which movies you enjoyed most over the last year. Click the button below and you will be magically whisked away to our Facebook poll question!

In the past, I have created a Facebook "Question" and sent invites to all of our followers to submit their answers. Facebook recently took away the invite feature in favor of giving Page owners the option to pay cash money to promote these types of posts to the people who have already said they want to see these posts by liking the page. Thanks, Facebook!

Django Unchained - Movie Review

Following the outrageous success of his revenge fantasy, Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino now gives us another tale of redemption starring Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained. I will admit, I was a late comer to the Tarantino bandwagon compared to most other people that follow his work. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed Pulp Fiction the first time I saw it, but it wasn't until Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 that I really became a fan of his unique way of creating movies that simultaneously honor cinema's rich history while pushing the boundaries of what is creatively possible.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Movie Review

So, there's this little movie that you may have heard of called The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It is set to arrive in theaters with modest expectations built off of director Peter Jackson's previous works, all of which involve adaptations of some author named Tolkien. Whatever your expectations are of this movie, I would honestly encourage you to check them at the theater door and just be prepared to let Mr. Jackson and company take you along on their little adventure.

Life of Pi - Movie Review

If you have read the book this movie is based on, you are well aware of just how good a theatrical version can be and I'm sure you are desperately hoping they don't mess it up. If you have not read the book, then you are like me and have no idea what this story is about. Everyone knows how good of a director Ang Lee is based on a diverse resume that includes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain, and Sense and Sensibility (We're all trying to forget his Hulk movie, right?) so Life of Pi should be in more than capable hands.

Skyfall - Movie Review

After too long of a wait (MGM bankruptcy issues), Bond is back and quite possibly better than ever! With Skyfall, Daniel Craig continues his successful run as 007 along with Judy Dench as MI6 leader "M" in a movie that turns the spy game inside out. Lots of new characters are introduced, both good and bad, and Sam Mendes has now taken over the directing duties for the longest running franchise in movie history.

Far - Short Film Spotlight

FAR is short film directed by Brian Crewe and was written by Marion Kerr who also stars in the movie alongside Andre Hall. The movie was an official selection of the Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival and has won many awards at film festivals around the country.

Argo - Movie Review

To this point, Ben Affleck has had quite an illustrious career not only as an actor, but as a director and writer of movies going all the way back to his original collaboration with Matt Damon with the Oscar winning "Good Will Hunting". "Argo" is a movie that will be considered a cornerstone piece to the overall body of work he has produced to this point.

The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Review

From the first few moments of "Batman Begins", it was very clear that writer/director Christopher Nolan was setting up his vision of the caped crusader to become a spectacular odyssey that would completely change how the world looks at super heroes. "The Dark Knight" expanded on that overall theme while showing how evil and chaos could bring ruin to what was thought to be a city's greatest hope. To complete the trilogy properly, Nolan would need to bring the hero back from the depths while showing him what it means to truly become a legend.

Prometheus - Movie Review

A while back, it was announced that Ridley Scott would be directing a two movie prequel to his classic "Alien" film and it would also be filmed in 3D. At the time, the general movie going population was both thrilled and nervous about this news as people have been wanting Scott to make a return to the popular franchise although many were still not totally accepting the reemergence of 3D technology in cinema.

The Avengers - Movie Review

People have been waiting for this movie for years...decades even. The anticipation has been building ever since the first Iron Man movie came out and we first heard Samuel L Jackson as Sgt. Nick Fury say the words, "I'm here to talk to you about the Avenger initiative".

He wasn't just talking to Tony Stark in that post credits scene, he was talking to all of us. Now, after five movies featuring Earth's Mightiest Heroes on their own, Marvel Comics, Paramount Pictures, and writer/director Joss Whedon has given us...The Avengers.

The Raid: Redemption - Movie Review

On the poster above it says "The Best Action Movie in Decades". While that is extremely high praise, I would also personally have to rank "The Raid: Redemption" as one of the most entertaining martial arts movies I have ever seen.

Yes, I said ever. Deal with it.

The Cabin in the Woods - Movie Review

Unfortunately, "The Cabin in the Woods" had been stuck sitting on a proverbial shelf for a couple years while Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was dealing with bankruptcy issues and other financial woes. The film eventually ended up in the good hands of Lionsgate Studios which allowed co-creators Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon to finally release their love letter to the horror movie genre and wow, was it worth the wait!