TWIST's Top 10 favorite foreign films of 2012

There were several huge superhero movies that kept us coming back to the theaters again and again in the past year. While I'm not the biggest fan of these kind of films, there were a couple of inescapable ones that truly deserve the attention.

At the risk of sounding generic and predictable, TWIST nonetheless awards the top spot to "Marvel's The Avengers" in the list of our favorite foreign films of 2012. However, another superhero film--and one of the most talked about films of last year--"The Amazing Spiderman" didn't make the cut. It was just too similar with the first Tobey Maguire-starring film.

As I've mentioned in the past, I love horror films ("Insidious" was our top choice for 2011). But while the scary films don't appear until the lower half of the list, there are three of them in this year's list.

Unlike the list that we posted two weeks ago, which counted down TWIST's favorite "old films" (those released in 2011 or earlier), the movies that are included in this list had their respective commercial runs in 2012.

Admittedly, there were hundred others of great films that were released in 2012. So if they are not on this list, it's probably because I didn't get the chance to see them, which would have been a shame. But that is why we have a separate "best old movie" list, right? :)

With no further ado, here is TWIST's fave foreign (non-Filipino) films of 2012:

10. Sinister
          Admittedly, the one thing that got me to watch this film is the caption in its trailer that says it came from the makers of "Insidious" and "Paranormal Activity"--two of my favorite horror films of all time. But while I've seen scarier films than this, I commend how original the story was--and how creepy it would have been if it were real. Watch the trailer here!

9.  Paranormal Activity 4
          I have a love-hate relationship with the "Paranormal Activity" franchise. The first one for me was horrible; the second one was the best, in my humble opinion; the third one was okay; and this fourth installment was better than average. I think it was fantastic how they incorporated video chatting in the story. All in all, this horror flick gave me enough scare for it to be included in this list. And yes, I am looking forward to the fifth one. Watch the trailer here!

8. The Possession
          I was a bit skeptical watching this movie as it appears to have a generic premise--a girl being possessed by the demon. But, hey, it's a horror flick so I gave it a chance. I'm glad I did. Because there are thousand of possession-inspired films out there, I have to commend this one for at least trying to make it look creepy, believable, and relateable. Watch the trailer here!

7. The Hunger Games
           Despite several cheesy moments in the film, I still find this film good enough to be included in this list. It's highly entertaining and has lots of memorable characters in it that can--and will--be explored later on in the sequels. I have not read the book (on which it was based) so I wouldn't know how it compares to the print version. But, yes, the film's a crowd pleaser. Watch the trailer here!

6. The Dark Knight Rises
          I know this is a Batman movie but it was Anne Hathaway (and her character as Catwoman) that really made this film extra special to me. She was sassy, cool, gorgeous, and very feline-y in that body-hugging dress. Yes, the villains in this film were able to put fear in me while watching the film. The twists and turns in the story was noteworthy. Watch the trailer here!

5. Skyfall
          A tweet once joked about how James Bond has unbelievably survived lots of battles that he was so ready to join The Avengers. Yes, many of his ventures border on too much, but the action scenes remain first rate. More importantly, I like the sexiness and aggressiveness of his character. I am a new fan of the franchise so I look forward to more Bond films soon. Watch the trailer here!

4. The Bourne Legacy
          In preparation to watching this film, I watched the first three in the franchise. I loved the first three installments with Jason Bourne in it but I think this latest one with Aaron Cross has more spunk. Yeah, yeah, of course I'm a little biased because a better third of the film was shot in the Philippines. And, how can we not mention the sexiness that is Jeremy Renner as a major plus in the overall likability of this film? Come on! Watch the trailer here!

3. Taken 2
          I'm a huge fan of both Liam Neeson, who star in this film, and the movie franchise. I've seen the first one for at least four times because of its engaging plot. This one's equally entertaining, full of hold-your-breath moments and just-in-time saves. A third installment is in order--though I reckon it would be much harder to think of a plot that wouldn't spread the characters in the film too thin. Watch the trailer here!

 

2. Mientras Duermes (Sleep Tight)
          When I saw this during the Spanish Film Fest in Greenbelt a couple of months ago, I tweeted: "This film was creepy, original, made me scream like crazy!! 10/10 stars!" I stand by that statement. I usually hate watching films with subtitles but it was so worth it with this one. I think a Hollywood remake of this one would be a great idea! Watch the trailer here!

 

1. Marvel's The Avengers
          We don't always get a film hailed by the critics and loved by the fans alike but we got that one with "The Avengers." Rightly so. I like how each character got their own moments in the film. There were some dragging moments in the beginning (when the characters were just being pulled together) but the second half was pure action thriller magic. I'd have to thank The Hulk for making me laugh several times during the film. Like millions of fans of the movie, I am salivating for the sequel. Watch the trailer here!




Runners-up: "Gone" starring Amanda Seyfried; "Prometheus" starring Michael Fassbender; "Men in Black 3" starring Will Smith; "The Amazing Spiderman" starring Andrew Garfield; "The Devil Inside"; and "The Woman in Black" starring Daniel Radcliffe.

*** What do you think we missed? Which ones were your favorite for 2012? Let us know in the comments section below! Thanks! :) ***

RELATED BLOG POSTS:
- TWIST's Top 10 "Best Old Movies" of 2012
- TWIST's 10 Fave Local Films of 2011
- TWIST's 10 fave foreign films of 2011