Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" Levels Up on Blu-Ray

Tired of being the bad guy, Ralph (John C. Reilly) tells other arcade baddies his concerns.

If you're one of the millions out there logged into XBOX Live or World of Warcraft hours and hours at a time, or perhaps spent your childhood battling side-scrolling adventures with Mario or Link, Disney's latest animated release, Wreck-It Ralph speaks to gamers regardless of age.

Wreck-It Ralph begins in the 8-bit world of Fix-It Felix Jr., reminiscent of a classic 1980s arcade game that borrows heavily on Mario and Donkey Kong. For 30 years, Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) has been programmed to be the bad guy, whose only job is to demolish a solitary penthouse before his cheery hammer-wielding adversary, Felix fixes the wreckage. For once, Ralph just wants to be adored as the good guy and decides to venture off to other games in the arcade to win a medal. After battling bugs in a sci-fi first-person shooter, Ralph lands himself in a candy-coated go-kart game where everything isn't as sweet as it seems.   

Love Takes a Lethargic, Gloomy Turn in "Amour"

Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is troubled by wife's (Emmanuelle Riva) recent strokes in Amour.      

There's nothing quite like sitting through one of Michael Haneke's films. The Austrian director has a tendency for scrutinizing the world through a bleak, somewhat disturbing lens that challenges even his most optimistic audiences. His latest film, Amour, is no exception and his most rational view on the gloomier moments in life. The title itself, which translates as "Love," immediately throws audiences for a loop, who presume to be uplifted by geriatric romance.

Check all those positive vibes at door, because instead, we're treated to over two hours of a devastating study of decay and dying, solely focused on an elderly Parisian couple. As soon as the opening credits end, the first shot is a fire brigade breaking an apartment door only to reveal a rotting corpse adorned in flowers. Already hitting audiences with a heavy-hearted impression, Amour quickly turns back the clocks to disclose who Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) were and what specific episodes brought about this grim finale.

Bigelow, Chastain Shine in Bin Laden Manhunt

Maya (Jessica Chastain) takes charge of a decade-long manhunt to bring Osama Bin Laden down.

Imagine if Zero Dark Thirty was released two, perhaps three years ago, sticking to its original premise immersed in the crossfire of the 2001 Battle of Tora Bora. While focused on one decisive event in the capture of Osama Bin Laden, award-winning producers Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal would have found themselves boxed in by one of the most nail-biting "to be continued" cliffhangers for the most significant manhunt in American history.

Fortunately, the hunt Bin Laden ended in May 2011 as he was permanently compromised in his Pakistani compound. But that's just the end of the decade-long story. Zero Dark Thirty covers a much larger scope, commencing with audio clips from the September 11th attacks. Heartbreaking to listen to, the 9/11 audio ultimately serves its purpose in establishing the gritty tone for the next 150 minutes as the CIA interrogates every level of Bin Laden's hierarchy.

Latest "Chainsaw" Slasher Forgets Its Terrorizing Past

Leatherface prepares for another round of killing in Texas Chainsaw 3D.

Four decades have been more than plenty to terrorize the citizens of Texas, but after going for an gratuitous seventh slaughter-fest, Leatherface needs to be put out to pasture. Technically, the chainsaw-wielding maniac should have hung up his mask and signature weapon a decade ago, perhaps even two. Texas Chainsaw 3D is proof that there are limits to how far a series can go, and now this cash-grab is by far the laziest tactic for prolonging it.

Texas Chainsaw 3D opens up by recapping the events of the original 1974 film. Executed as nothing more than a vague setup even for those familiar with Leatherface, the first few minutes preface the lack of directorial heart and cliché narrative expected to unravel over the following 90 minutes. This time around, Heather (Alexandra Daddario) and her stereotypical slasher tagalongs have business down in Texas over her inherited estate. For Heather, there's more than just an estate, but also her crazy cousin, Leatherface.

"Les Miserables" Challenges Difficult Broadway to Hollywood Transition

Fantine (Anne Hathaway) is one of many characters who change the life of ex-convict, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman).

At the 83rd Academy Awards, Tom Hooper took home the top prize for directing The King's Speech and in just a short time of two years, he's already managed to surpass his own success with a more confidently directed adaptation of the beloved Boublil Broadway musical, Les Misérables. The musical and this big screen version are based on the classic 19th century Victor Hugo novel of the same name.

Les Misérables spans nearly two decades chronicling the life of ex-convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who stole a loaf of bread to provide for his family. An insignificant crime perhaps, but Valjean constantly finds himself at odds with police inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), whose by-the-books mindset disrupts his gradual reformation in becoming a respectable member of society. In the guise of a well-off factory owner, Valjean's compassion is put to the test when one of his employees (Anne Hathaway) is unjustly dismissed. Regretting his initial ignorance of the situation, Valjean promises to adopt her mistreated daughter child from a couple of exploitive innkeepers.  

Top 10: Most Anticipated Movies of 2013

Hollywood has its work cut out in 2013. 2012. For starters, where do superhero movies go from here after competitors Marvel and DC exponentially raised the genre's bar with The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises? How about smaller films? Lincoln, Argo and Silver Linings Playbook all transformed into critical darlings overnight and that magic is only duplicated for the rare few.

Even with audience expectations set at a higher level than before, there are still ten movies that must be experienced in theaters as early as possible. Below are my choices for my most anticipated movies released in 2013.
   

Top 10: The Best Films of 2012

For any film critic, myself included, compiling together a "best-of" list spanning an entire year is unquestionably one of the most difficult tasks out there. How can you craft a definitive list if you haven't seen every single release out there (or at the very minimum, every wide release)? And how do you weigh a popcorn superhero juggernaut like The Avengers against a slew of thought-provoking art-house films?

I admit, I've missed out on some key awards contenders - Lincoln, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty for starters. So don't expect them to make the list. I do however, plan on seeing several more films from 2012, including the ones mentioned, so there is a possibility this list could be adjusted.

However, for the hundred or so movies I have been privileged to see in 2012, it's fair to say that the fifteen films selected for my "best-of" list left an impression on me that won't leave me anytime soon. These are the films that defined 2012 for me as a critic, a moviegoer and a cinemaphile.