The Raid: Redemption

The Raid: Redemption (Indonesian: Serbuan maut; also known as The Raid) is a 2011 Indonesian martial arts action film written and directed by Gareth Evans and starring Iko Uwais. This is the second collaboration of Evans and Uwais after their first action film, Merantau released in 2009. Both films showcase the traditional Indonesian martial art pencak silat. The fight choreographers of The Raid are Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian who also worked on Merantau. The U.S. release of the film features music by Mike Shinoda and Joseph Trapanese.

After its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), The Raid received positive reviews from critics. The name of the film was changed to The Raid: Redemption in the United States because the production company Sony Pictures Classics could not secure the rights to the title; this also allowed Evans to plan out future titles in the series. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on August 14, 2012 in the US.

The Deep Blue Sea

The Deep Blue Sea is a British drama film directed by Terence Davies and starring Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale. It is an adaptation of the 1952 Terence Rattigan play The Deep Blue Sea about the wife of a Judge who engages in an affair with a former RAF pilot. This film version is funded by the UK Film Council and Film4, produced by Sean O'Connor and Kate Ogborn. Filming began in late 2010 and it was released in the UK in 2011, the year of Terence Rattigan's centenary. It was released in the United States in 2012 by distributor Music Box Films.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a 2012 American science fiction film directed by Gary Ross and based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The film was produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik, with a screenplay by Ross, Collins, and Billy Ray. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland.

The story takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future in the nation of Panem, where boys and girls aged 12–18 must participate in the Hunger Games, a televised annual event in which the "tributes" are required to fight to the death until there is one remaining victor. The protagonist, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence), volunteers to take her younger sister's place in the games. Joined by her district's male tribute Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson), Katniss travels to the Capitol to train for the Hunger Games under the guidance of former victor Haymitch Abernathy (Harrelson).

The film was released on March 21, 2012, in France[6] and in the US on March 23, 2012, in both conventional theaters and digital IMAX theaters. Japan received it last, on September 28. When the film released, it set records for opening day ($67.3 million) and opening weekend for a non-sequel. At the time of its release, the film's opening weekend gross ($152.5 million) was the third-largest of any movie in North America. It is the first film since Avatar to remain in first place at the North American box office for four consecutive weekends.The movie was a massive box-office success by grossing $685 million worldwide against its budget of $78 million.[4] It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 18, 2012.

The Hunger Games received positive reviews, with praise for its themes and messages, as well as Lawrence's performance as Katniss. Like the novel, the film has attracted criticism for its similarities to other works, such as the Japanese novel Battle Royale, its film adaptation, and the Shirley Jackson short story "The Lottery". Collins' novel and screenplay draw on sources of inspiration such as the myth of Theseus, Roman gladiatorial games, reality television, and the desensitization of viewers to media coverage of real-life tragedy and war, not to think as just an audience member, "Because those are real people on the screen, and they’re not going away when the commercials start to roll.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Jeff, Who Lives at Home is a comedy film starring Jason Segel and Ed Helms, directed and written by Jay and Mark Duplass and co-starring Judy Greer and Susan Sarandon. The film premiered on September 14, 2011 at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and then saw a limited release in USA and Canada on March 16, 2012, after having been pushed back from the original date of March 2.

Casa de Mi Padre

Casa de Mi Padre (English: House of My Father or simply My Father's House) is a 2012 Spanish-language American comedy film. The film stars Will Ferrell, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Génesis Rodríguez with Matt Piedmont directing a screenplay written by Andrew Steele. The film has been described to be in the style of an "overly dramatic telenovela" and tells the story of Armando Álvarez, who must save his father's ranch from a powerful drug lord. Casa de Mi Padre was released on March 16, 2012.

21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street is a 2012 American action comedy film starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, scripted Michael Bacall (from a story by both Hill and Bacall), and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Based on the 1987 television series of the same name by Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh, the film follows two police officers who are forced to relive high school when they are assigned to go undercover as high school students to prevent the outbreak of a new synthetic drug and arrest its supplier. It was released theatrically on March 16, 2012, and garnered both critical and commercial success. A sequel entered development shortly before its release.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a 2011 British inspirational romantic drama film directed by Lasse Hallström and starring Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas and Amr Waked. The screenplay is by Simon Beaufoy, based on the novel of the same name by Paul Torday. Principal photography began on 6 August 2010 and was shot on location for nine weeks in London, Scotland and Morocco. The film premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a 2011 Japanese documentary film directed by David Gelb. The film follows Jiro Ono, an 85 year-old sushi master and owner of Michelin 3-Star restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro, on his continuing quest to perfect the art of sushi. The film also profiles Jiro's two sons, both of whom are also sushi chefs. The younger son, Takashi, having no opportunity to succeed his father, left to open a restaurant in Roppongi Hills, essentially identical to the one Jiro built. The elder son, Yoshikazu, still works for Jiro and is faced with the prospect of one day taking over the flagship restaurant.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi debuted in the US in 2011 at the Provincetown International Film Festival and was an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival in the same year. The documentary was made available on Netflix streaming on August 28, 2012.

Friends with Kids

Friends with Kids is an independent American ensemble comedy that is written, produced, directed by and also starring Jennifer Westfeldt. Her partner Jon Hamm also stars in the movie, along with Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Maya Rudolph, Chris O'Dowd, Edward Burns and Megan Fox.

Footnote

Footnote (Hebrew: הערת שוליים‎, translit. He'arat Shulayim) is a 2011 Israeli drama film written and directed by Joseph Cedar, starring Shlomo Bar'aba and Lior Ashkenazi. The plot revolves around the troubled relationship between a father and son who teach at the Talmud department of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The film won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Footnote won nine prizes at the 2011 Ophir Awards, becoming Israel's entry for the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. On January 18, 2012, the film was named as one of the nine shortlisted entries for the Oscars. On January 24, 2012, the film was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Foreign Film, but lost to A Separation from Iran.

Attenberg

Attenberg is a Greek drama film, written and directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 67th Venice International Film Festival and Ariane Labed won the Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress. It was filmed in the town of Aspra Spitia, in the Greek region of Boeotia. The film was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist.

Silent House

Silent House is a 2011 American independent film of the horror genre; the film was directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau (the pair also created the 2003 horror film, Open Water). The plot focuses on a young woman who is terrorized in her family vacation home while cleaning up the property with her father and uncle. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011 and was released in United States (US) theaters on March 9, 2012.

The film is a remake of the 2010 Uruguayan film, La casa muda (The Silent House), which was allegedly based on an actual incident that occurred in a village in Uruguay in the 1940s. The film is notable for its use of "real time" footage and the manufactured appearance of a single continuous shot, similar to Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948).

John Carter

John Carter is a 2012 American science fantasy film directed by Andrew Stanton; adapted from the first book in the fictional Barsoom series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs entitled, A Princess of Mars. The film chronicles the first interplanetary adventure of John Carter, portrayed by actor Taylor Kitsch. The motion picture marks the centennial of the character's first appearance. The film is the live-action debut for writer and director Stanton; his previous directorial work includes the Pixar animated films Finding Nemo (2003) and WALL-E (2008). Co-written by Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon, it was produced by Jim Morris, Colin Wilson, and Lindsey Collins. The film score was orchestrated by musician Michael Giacchino and released by Walt Disney Records on March 6, 2012. The ensemble cast also features actress Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, and Willem Dafoe.

Filming began in November 2009 with principal photography underway in January 2010, wrapping seven months later in July 2010. The film was a production of the motion picture studio Walt Disney Pictures. Theatrically, it was commercially distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, while the Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment division released the film in the home media market. John Carter explores extraterrestrial life, science fiction and civil war. Following its wide release in theaters, the film failed to garner any award nominations for its acting or production merits from accredited film organizations. With its initial foray into the home media marketplace; the widescreen DVD and Blu-ray editions of the film featuring deleted scenes, the filmmaking process, and director's commentary among other highlights was released in the United States on June 5, 2012.

Walt Disney Pictures released John Carter in the United States on March 9, 2012; the film was shown in regular 2D and in the Disney Digital 3D as well as IMAX 3D formats. Upon release, John Carter received a mixed critical reception and performed poorly at the domestic box office, although it did show strength overseas, particularly in Russia where it set box office records. Disney attributed the $160 million swing from profit to loss in its Studio Entertainment division in the quarter ending March 2012 "primarily" to the performance of John Carter. Given its marketing and production costs, the film was largely considered a box office bomb. Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com noted, "John Carter’s bloated budget would have required it to generate worldwide tickets sales of more than US$600-million to break even, ... a height reached by only 63 films in the history of moviemaking.

A Thousand Words

A Thousand Words is a 2012 comedy-drama film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by Brian Robbins. It was released in theaters on March 9, 2012, four years after it was filmed in 2008.

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie

Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (shorthand B$M) is a 2012 comedy film written and directed by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, creators of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. The film stars both Heidecker and Wareheim. Supporting actors include Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell, Jeff Goldblum, John C. Reilly, Erica Durance, and Will Forte, many of whom guest-starred on Awesome Show. It was released in theaters on March 2, 2012, and was released to iTunes and on-demand January 27, 2012. This is the second movie based on an Adult Swim show, after Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters.

Project X

Project X is a 2012 comedy film directed by Nima Nourizadeh in his feature film debut, written by Michael Bacall and Matt Drake based on a story by Bacall, and produced by The Hangover director Todd Phillips. The plot follows Thomas (Thomas Mann), Costa (Oliver Cooper) and J.B. (Jonathan Daniel Brown), three friends who plan to gain popularity by throwing a party, a plan which quickly escalates out of their control.

The title Project X was initially a placeholder for a final title, but interest generated by the secretive title kept it in place. A nationwide open casting call was employed to find fresh faces. The majority of the cast were sourced from this casting call, but a few with prior acting credits, such as Mann, were accepted after multiple auditions. Filming took place on sets in Los Angeles, California over five weeks on a $12 million budget. The film was presented as a home video from the perspective of an attendee using a camera to document the night's events.

Project X was released in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom on March 2, 2012, and grossed over $100 million worldwide during its theatrical run. The film received a mixed-to-negative critical response on release. Criticism focused on the perceived misogyny, mean-spirit, and "loathsome"[4] behavior of the lead characters, and disregard for the effects of drug use. Following release, incidents of large scale parties referenced or blamed the film as an inspiration.

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

The Lorax is a 2012 American computer-animated 3D musical comedy film based on Dr. Seuss' children's book of the same name. It was produced by Illumination Entertainment and was released by Universal Pictures on March 2, 2012, the 108th birthday of Dr. Seuss, and was the first universal movie to have the 100th Anniversary Logo.

It is the second adaptation of the book, after the 1972 animated musical television special. It builds on the book by expanding the story of Ted, the boy who visits the Once-ler and was unnamed in the book and television special. The main cast includes Danny DeVito as the Lorax, Zac Efron as Ted, and Ed Helms as the Once-ler. New characters introduced in the film are Audrey, who is voiced by Taylor Swift, Aloysius O'Hare, voiced by Rob Riggle, and Grammy Norma, voiced by Betty White.