‘Zero Dark Thirty’ leads Boston film critics' selections; ‘Lincoln’ also strong

For the third time in one week Kathryn Bigelow and her drama “Zero Dark Thirty” have again found themselves coming out on top following today’s Boston Society of Film Critics awards.

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‘Zero Dark Thirty’ tops National Board of Review film awards

For the second time in just three days Kathryn Bigelow’s "Zero Dark Thirty" has come out ahead of the pack, earning top honors at today’s National Board of Review (NBR) awards.

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‘Lincoln’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ big winners at New York Film Critics awards

Today kicks off the official start of the 2013 award season as the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) have just revealed their selections for the best in film from the current year and it has already shaken up the race.

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New In Theaters - November 23, 2012

LIFE OF PI

Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irffan Khan,

Gerard Depardieu, Adil Hussain & Rafe Spall

Directed by Ang Lee for distribution by 20^th Century Fox

The Plot: Following an accident at sea, a teenager and a tiger must depend on each other to survive until helps reaches them.

The Final Word: “Pi” is heavily favored as a lock for a Best Picture nomination, with a corresponding nod for Lee in the Best Director race. After going through numerous directors (including M. Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuarón and Jean-Pierre Jeunet), Lee was the one to right the ship and make this 3D drama a Oscar frontrunner.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS

Starring (voices): Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher & Jude Law

Directed by Peter Ramsey for distribution by DreamWorks Animation

The Plot: Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost team up and disrupt the plans of a evil spirit named Pitch, who’s bent on taking over the world.

The Final Word: If “The Avengers” was an animated film starring some of today’s most renowned legends then this would be it! This 3D holiday film should do well enough to win over audiences during the Christmas season, but DreamWorks is hoping it will do well enough to become its next franchise.

RED DAWN

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson,

Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise & Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Directed by Dan Bradley for distribution by FilmDistrict

The Plot: A group of teenagers fight back when there city comes under siege from a North Korea army.

The Final Word: In 1984, “Red Dawn” made more sense as the Soviet Union was front and center in the news and audiences could buy into the premise. Fast forward to 2012 and the Soviet Union is no more and the Russians have been replaced with North Koreans. While North Korea was the logical choice to act as the film’s villain, it’s still a little illogical why Spokane, Washington would serve as their initial target. However that’s only one of the strings critics will be pulling at when this hit theaters after sitting on the shelf for years.

New In Theaters - November 16, 2012

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 2

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner,

Peter Facinelli, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone,

Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Billy Burke, Rami Malek & Maggie Grace

Directed by Bill Condon for distribution by Summit

The Plot: Edward and Bella put everything on the line to save their daughter and their lineage.

The Final Word: People of all ages have at one time or another attempted to get into the franchise and become a fan.  The saga’s success has even led to Lionsgate paying over $400 million to acquire franchise distributor Summit, in a deal ensuring they’d control the film rights (and residuals) to both “Twilight” and its box office successor “The Hunger Games.”

LINCOLN

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn,

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook & Tommy Lee Jones

Directed by Steven Spielberg for distribution by DreamWorks

The Plot: The final days of America’s 16^th President are recounted as Abraham Lincoln battles to end slavery.

The Final Word: With Spielberg attached to direct and Day-Lewis signed as the star, “Lincoln” became a surefire Oscar contender from day one. Along with Oscar winners Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones, along with the incomparable David Strathairn and rising star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the movie has slowly been gaining buzz in its early limited release. This week’s expansion is set to bring in a whole new audience eager to see the bio-pic inspired by the material of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals” novel.

New In Theaters - November 9, 2012

SKYFALL

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Naomie Harris,

Berenice Marlohe, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney & Ben Whishaw,

Directed by Sam Mendes for distribution by Sony/MGM

The Plot: Following a devastating attack on his own turf, James Bond takes on his most personal mission yet.

The Final Word: After 50 years and (now) 23 films, the 007 series remains one of the most iconic in cinematic history, however it wears its age well and always returns to theaters with a must-see feel. Skyfall” (which incidentally refers to a particular place from Bond’s past), continues to fill in certain holes from the superspy’s past while at the same time delivering a deeply emotional storyline that sends the franchise in a exciting new direction.

New In Theaters - November 2, 2012

WRECK-IT RALPH

Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch,

Ed O’Neill, Mindy Kaling, Adam Carolla, Horatio Sanz & Dennis Haysbert,

 Directed by Rich Moore for distribution by Disney

The Plot: A video-game villain decides he wants to be the good guy for a change and abandons his world in search of others where can be a hero.

The Final Word: “Wreck-It Ralph” will do for videogames what “Toy Story” did for children’s toys. It’s a genius idea and one that should get a warm reception at the box office.

FLIGHT

Starring: Denzel Washington, Kelly Reilly, Don Cheadle,

Bruce Greenwood, Brian Geraghty, John Goodman & Tamara Tunie

 Directed by Robert Zemeckis for distribution by Paramount

The Plot: A pilot sees his life come apart at the seams after initially being called a hero for the way he (crash) landed a flight and saved the lives of nearly everyone on board.

The Final Word: Essentially this is the story of what probably would have happened had Sully Sulleberger not been the selfless and upstanding citizen we all know him to be; in other words its pure Oscar bait. It’s also a movie that relies heavily on the strength of its lead actor and when that actor is Denzel Washington, it should do just fine!