From Here To Eternity (1953) - ★★★★

Director: Fred Zinnemann
Writers: Daniel Taradash (screenplay), James Jones (novel)
Stars: Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed, Ernest Borgnine

Now this is an iconic movie! From Here To Eternity is a wonderful film and winner of Best Picture in 1953. The central themes to this movie from what I gathered was fear and love. It is full of masterful cinematography and brilliant acting, making it one of the most memorable films of all time.

Django Unchained (2012) - ★★★★½

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Writer: Quentin Tarantino

Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington

I don't know how Tarantino does it, but the more films he makes, the more entertaining they get. Django Unchained is a brilliant film. It has a strange mix of western, classical and hip-hop music, which generally describes the film itself. Sometimes it feels like a spaghetti-western, sometimes it feels like an old classic, and amazingly it has some ghetto elements incorporated too. Somehow, it all worked so fantasticly well.

Death on the Nile (1978) - ★★★★½

Director: John Guillermin

Writers: Anthony Shaffer (screenplay), Agatha Christie (novel)

Stars: Peter Ustinov, Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury, Maggie Smith, David Niven, Mia Farrow, Jane Birkin, George Kennedy

What a cast! Murder on the Orient Express was my favorite Agatha Christie film adaptation, until I saw John Guillermin's 'Death on the Nile.' The acting, the story, the twist, the suspense! Everything about this film is spectacular.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - ★★★★

Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
Stars: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand

This is one of the nicest, most interesting films I've seen from 2012. It's an absurd movie, with a beautiful story and great acting. It's one of those films where you start watching it, and when it's finished you ask "where did the time go." It's not a really short movie, which is what makes it so incredible.

Intouchables (2011) - ★

Director: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano

Writers: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano

Stars: Francois Cluzet, Omar Sy

What do you get when you mix a done-to-death storyline, cheesy dialogue, irritating characters, and no originality? You get Intouchables. I hate this movie. I can't remember the last time I felt so mad while watching a film. I don't know what is more annoying, the fact that I had to sit through this colossal waste of time, or the fact that it is one of the highest rated films on the IMDB.

Life of Pi (2012) - ★★★★★

Director: Ang Lee
Writers: David Magee (screenplay), Yann Martel (novel)
Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Kahn

Not only is this the most visually beautiful film I've ever seen, it also has an incredible story to match it. Life of Pi has used CGI better than any other film before it, and 3D technology that actually made the film better. I hadn't seen a film where 3D enhanced it, until I saw this movie. It's thrilling, it's emotional, and by far the most beautiful movie of all time.

Les Misérables (2012) - ★★★★★

Director: Tom Hooper
Writers: William Nicholson (screenplay), Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil (book), Victor Hugo (novel), Herbert Kretzmer (lyrics)
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Samantha Barks, Aaron Tveit

Les Misérables is one of the greatest musicals of all time, and Tom Hooper's screen adaptation has just made it one of the greatest musicals in cinematic history. The acting is among the best I've ever seen. The music is uplifting, depressing, and beautiful. The story is both grand and interesting and the cinematography is fantastic. I've been acquainted with this story and its music for a long time, but I never really visualised the feelings behind the songs until I saw this movie. The actors breathe life and soul into the music, making it one of the best films of 2012.

Arbitrage (2012) - ★★★★

Director: Nicholas Jarecki
Writer: Nicholas Jarecki
Stars: Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth, Brit Marling, Nate Parker

Arbitrage is a strange film, as well as a great one. Somehow it can make you root for the main character, even if you wouldn't in real life. In the past there have been cases where rich and powerful men were arrested and found guilty for various crimes, where people's automatic assumption is that they deserve it. In Arbitrage, we have the same situation, except we've gotten to know this character, causing us to question whether we want him to get caught or not. It's a film that makes you think, which is why there is some genius behind it.

Lincoln (2012) - ★★

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Tony Kushner (screenplay), Doris Kearns Goodwin (book, in part)
Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

This is a film that was made by one of the greatest film-makers of all time, stars arguably the greatest actor of all time, with a supporting role from one of the greatest actresses of all time. I can hardly believe it was as boring as it was. It's dull, and lacks with the portrayal of who Lincoln was as a person. Although it is far from a bad movie, it could have been captivating. Spielberg had all the resources a film-maker could possibly want, but took a safe chance.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) - ★★★★★

Director: Benh Zeitlin
Writers: Lucy Alibar (screenplay), Benh Zeitlin (screenplay), Based on the stage play 'Juicy and Delicious' by Lucy Alibar
Stars: Quvenzhane Wallis, Dwight Henry, Gina Montana

This is the best film of 2012. It is the most interesting and beautiful movie I've seen in a long time, with some real class acting and cinematography. The use of symbolism is both clever and extraordinary. Dan Romer's musical score was brilliant, the story was heart-warming, and it brings you right into the world of 'The Southern Wild.' I cannot praise this film enough.

Argo (2012) - ★★★★

Director: Ben Affleck

Writers: Chris Terrio (screenplay), Joshuah Bearman (article)

Stars: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman

This was the first truly magnificent film I saw in 2012. Argo blew me away. It may not be a masterpiece, but it is undoubtedly one of the most thrilling, entertaining and engaging movies I've seen in a long time. However, I find it a tiny bit too simple and cheesy. It's one of those "America... F*ck Yeah!" films that begs the US audience to pat themselves on the back for their history.