[6.50/10] Big Miracle (2012)

Big Miracle (2012)

QuickRating: Inspired by actual events, "Big Miracle" is inspirational indeed. While its execution is far from 'miraculous', the wonderful storytelling keeps you engaged the entire time and makes you care about those trapped whales as well as the likable main characters. All political cynicism aside, this is a deeply moving family drama with a nice old-fashioned feel to it, that will certainly appeal to all ages. Hands down, one of the better 'feel good' movies of the year so far.

[5.50/10] Safe (2012)

Safe (2012)

QuickRating: UK's Jason Statham proves himself a capable action star yet again, Catherine Chan is just as captivating as she is cute, the on-screen chemistry between them both is unexpectedly great, and most of the action sequence are handled quite well, but the cliche-ridden script and slightly overdone execution sadly let this movie down. Having said that, "Safe" is by no means a terrible movie. It's just a mediocre, forgettable one, that has nothing original to boast with.

[2.50/10] The Three Stooges (2012)

The Three Stooges (2012)

QuickRating: American film industry really hit the bottom of the barrel with this moronic 'tribute' to the mid-20th century shorts of the same name. There's a lot of slapstick going on in "The Three Stooges", but none of it is even close to funny, and all the jokes fall flat. Moreover, not only the whole story is silly and ludicrous, and the humor doesn't work, but also the entire cast involved either overacts or can't act at all. At least this total misfire has a little bit of heart.

[5.50/10] Lockout (2012)

Lockout (2012)

QuickRating: Guy Pearce's super cool character and his fantastically amusing performance make the movie perfectly watchable and at times even satisfyingly entertaining, and the futuristic visuals, while far from spectacular, work for the most part, but "Lockout" lacks originality big time and often feels like a hybrid of dozen other (and better) sci-fi flicks, and that really brings this otherwise well-crafted and decently action-packed movie down.

[4.50/10] Piggy (2012)

Piggy (2012)

QuickRating: One thing is for sure - Kieron Hawkes' debut UK revenge thriller is nasty, brutally violent and disturbingly realistic, but sadly, it's also boring, tedious, thoroughly predictable, as moody as its washed out cinematography and just as oppressive as its melancholic music score. That being said, "Piggy" is far from terrible and its graphicness is cover-your-eyes shocking, but the weak writing and familiar story leave a lot to be desired.

[3.50/10] Area 407 (2012)

Area 407 a.k.a.
Tape 407 (2012)

QuickRating: Although it sounds somewhat promising on paper, the one dimensional characters, poor production values, clumsy camera work, cheesy special effects and truly unimaginative script quickly put Dale Fabrigar and Everette Wallin's lazy, lackluster effort into the 'found footage at its very worst' category. There's a lot of screaming, shouting and chaos in "Area 407", but barely any scares and suspense.

[6.50/10] The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

QuickRating: Slow-moving and at times unnecessarily dragged-out, yet honest, heartfelt and beautifully filmed, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" not only captures perfectly the unique feel of incredible India and successfully showcases its true colors, but also features a witty script, sweet and deeply touching story, endearing characters and wonderful performances from its amazingly special, super-talented cast of iconic veteran actors.

[5.00/10] Wanderlust (2012)

Wanderlust (2012)

QuickRating: It's easy to watch and completely free-spirited just like the majority of its hippie characters, and both Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd are fantastic in their roles, but "Wanderlust" is less funny than it's supposed to be and even though its director boldly tries something new and different to refresh the genre, the end result is an original, yet rather disappointing comedy with weird mood and lots of unexpected and mostly unpleasant nudity.

[5.00/10] Goon (2012)

Goon (2012)

QuickRating: More violent than funny and more nasty than harsh, "Goon" is a crude sports comedy that may have a big heart, but the sincerity of its human (not humane) characters and Sean William Scott's surprisingly engaging performance can't save this movie from being a so-so slapstick comedy with lots of blood, but very few laughs, made strictly for hockey fans, who will be the only one to fully enjoy the mess that's happening on screen.

[5.25/10] Extraterrestrial (2012)

Extraterrestrial (2012)

QuickRating: An odd, yet original combination of sci-fi, comedy and romance, the Spanish hybrid of a film is possibly the first-ever alien invasion movie, that is all about the characters and their relationships and not about the aliens at all. The characters themselves are flawed, yet charming and likable, and the movie is filled with tons of amusing situations, but sadly, in its second half, "Extraterrestrial" gets totally lost in its own quirkiness.

[5.50/10] Penumbra (2012)

Penumbra (2012)

QuickRating: Probably the most accurate way to best describe this otherwise well-crafted Argentinian occult horror is "Funny Games" meets "The House of the Devil", but not necessarily in a good way, as Boglianos' "Penumbra" is neither as realistically disturbing as the first, nor as shockingly terrifying as the latter. It is just a talky slow-burner that wastes to much time on building 'tension', and than throws a twisty climax that doesn't really work.

[3.50/10] Apartment 143 (2012)

Apartment 143 (2012)

QuickRating: Arguably the worst Spanish horror movie in years, as well as one of the weakest horrors presented in a 'found footage' style, "Apartment 143" offers nothing new or even remotely original to set itself apart from the bunch. The viewers may struggle to figure out whether it's about a demonic possession, a paranormal entity or a ghost story, plus, it's dull, boring, cheap-looking, far from frightening, and not nearly as creepy as it thinks it is.

[8.50/10] Wu Xia a.k.a. Dragon (2011)

Wu Xia a.k.a.
Dragon (2011)

QuickRating: Although its story is somewhat similar to 2010's wuxia phenomenon "Reign of Assassins", Peter Chan's "Wu Xia" is still an engrossing, skilfully choreographed, masterfully directed and visually fascinating martial arts drama, that truly captivates the viewer with its compelling characters, gorgeous scenery and strong script, and showcases Donnie Yen in top form, both acting-wise and fighting-wise.

[7.25/10] The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)

The Flying Swords of
Dragon Gate (2011)

QuickRating: It's overstuffed with characters, the pacing is uneven and Jet Li is wildly underused, but "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate" makes up for its lack of coherence with spectacular sandy scenery, amazing costumes, and frenetic, wonderfully-choreographed action sequences, that while a little heavy on CGI and somewhat cartoonish, are exciting and entertaining to watch as is the movie itself.

[7.50/10] The Flowers of War (2011)

The Flowers of War (2011)

QuickRating: Harsh, graphic and truly dramatic, if rather slow and overlong, "The Flowers of War" is just about as visually stunning and beautifully-shot as any of Zhang Yimou's previous movies (which are mostly masterpieces), yet hardly as striking and memorable. However, the director injects enough heart into the sad story to keep it moving and affecting even for Western audiences. Ni Ni is alluring as Yu Mo, but surprisingly, Bale's cocky portrayal lets the film down a bit.

[5.50/10] Intruders (2011)

Intruders (2011)

QuickRating: It starts out strong, with a tense and scary opening scene, than it somehow continues to maintain its vibe of mysterious creepiness right until the end, when it totally falls apart after the twist is revealed. In fact, it has two twists, but sadly none of them works - the first one is predictable, and the second hardly makes any sense at all. However, the always magnificent Clive Owen saves "Intruders" from being just a stinker with bad CGIs.

[6.75/10] The Hidden Face (2011)

La Cara Oculta a.k.a.
The Hidden Face (2011)

QuickRating: Although it suffers from a frustratingly uninteresting first half that feels rather pointless, later on everything falls into place perfectly, and half way through "La Cara Oculta" transforms itslef into a thoughtful, intense and uniquely claustrophobic thriller that quickly falls into the category 'like nothing we've seen before'. Plus, Martina García delivers an anxious and extremely convincing performance.

[5.75/10] Elevator (2011)

Elevator (2011)

QuickRating: Much like 2010's "Devil", "Elevator" mostly takes place in, well, an elevator, hence, those who can't stand such limited settings might get a little bit bored, but for more patient viewers, this surprisingly well-balanced and executed dialogue-driven thriller by Norwegian director Stig Svendsen has a lot more to offer - many thrills, lots of suspense and quite a few unexpected shocks, complemented by a solid amount of humor and some witty dialogues.

[6.00/10] Hell (2011)

Hell (2011)

QuickRating: Ambiguously-titled "Hell" (Hell in German means 'Bright' in English), this German horror has a unique post-apocalyptic scenario where The Earth has turned into a living hell after the sun has burned everything down, and despite its tiny budget and simplistic plot is still effective, compelling and technically well-made - the bright, yellowish cinematography captures the feel of the movie so perfectly, it burns, the barren scenery adds to the bleak visuals and the direction is solid.

[4.00/10] The Darkest Hour (2011)

The Darkest Hour (2011)

QuickRating: It has a decent premise, the special effects are pretty adequate for the most part, and the scenery of Moscow city is absolutely glorious to watch, but "The Darkest Hour" remains an unimaginative and poorly-executed alien invasion flick that feels rushed and contrived from the very beginning and has a paper-thin plot and zero character development. Worst of all, the trailer is more tense, exciting and entertaining to watch than the movie itself.