CBC film critic Eli Glasner's reviews of select film award-season contenders.

This film image released by Universal Pictures shows Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, left, and Anne Hathaway as Fantine in a scene from Les Miserables. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe for best musical or comedy on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. The 70th annual Golden Globe Awards will be held on Jan. 13. (Universal Pictures/Associated Press)

Les Misérables

"This is a fascinating mistake. This is like Les Misérables, unplugged."

Daniel Day-Lewis stars as President Abraham Lincoln in this scene from director Steven Spielberg’s drama “Lincoln” (DreamWorks/Twentieth Century Fox)

Lincoln

"Daniel Day Lewis is understated and remarkable as the 16th American president in Steven Spielberg's anticipated drama Lincoln."

Pi in Life of Pi. Life of Pi

"A feast for the eyes."

Christoph Waltz as Schultz and Jamie Foxx as Django in DJANGO UNCHAINED, an (Andrew Cooper/Alliance Films )

Django Unchained

"A movie as audacious as it is eloquent."

This film image released by The Weinstein Company shows Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook. (JoJo Whilden/The Weinstein Company/Associated Press)Silver Linings Playbook

"Unconventional and comedic, its portrait of two people who refuse to be defined by their condition is ultimately moving."

This film publicity image released by Focus Features shows Keira Knightley in a scene from Anna Karenina. (Laurie Sparham/Focus Features/Associated Press)

Anna Karenina

"In an audacious adaptation, director Joe Wright takes no prisoners with Tolstoy's classic novel Anna Karenina, adding a theatrical flourish to the story of love lost and found."

Daniel Craig portrays James Bond in a scene from Skyfall. (AP Photo/ (Francois Duhamel/Sony Pictures/Associated Press)Skyfall

"Bond is back and renewed like never before in a movie that pays tribute to the past while making the case for 007's relevance."

BRYAN CRANSTON as Jack O'Donnell and BEN AFFLECK as Tony Mendez in Warner Bros. Pictures' and GK Films' dramatic thriller ARGO, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (Claire Folger/Warner Bros. )Argo

"A breathless dash for freedom that takes some equally breathless liberties with the facts, Argo is a classic bit of Hollywood entertainment, a great escape set during the Iran Hostage crisis."

FILE - This undated file handout film image released by The Weinstein Company shows Joaquin Phoenix, left, and Philip Seymour Hoffman in a scene from The Master. On Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association announced their picks for movies of 2012. The French old-age drama “Amour” was chosen as the year's best film. The 1950s cult drama “The Master” earned three awards: best director for Paul Thomas Anderson, best actor for Joaquin Phoenix and supporting actress for Amy Adams. “The Master” also was chosen as best-picture runner-up. “Amour” star Emmanuelle Riva shared the best-actress honor in a tie with Jennifer Lawrence for the lost-soul romance “Silver Linings Playbook.” Newcomer Dwight Henry was chosen as supporting actor for the low-budget critical darling “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” (The Weinstein Company/Associated Press)

The Master

"Though undeniably linked to Scientology, Paul Thomas Anderson's masterful drama is ultimately an exploration of the attraction and the physics of the personalities who pull us in."

Newcomers Kara Hayward, left, and Jared Gilman star as Suzy and Sam in Wes Anderson’'s new film Moonrise Kingdom. (eOne Films)Moonrise Kingdom

"In a movie packed with famous faces, it's a pair of young, unknown actors that make Moonrise Kingdom Wes Anderson's finest film."

Merida is a wild-child heroine who outshoots the boys. (Disney/Pixar/Associated Press)Brave

"Brave is many things: a mythic fable, a Scottish comedy as subtle as a Billy Connolly monologue and a movie about princess who needs no rescuing."

This film image released by Warner Bros. shows Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in a scene from the fantasy adventure The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. (James Fisher/Warner Bros./Associated Press)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

"Director Peter Jackson appears to be so devoted to J.R.R. Tolkien's original, he's forgotten he needs to tell a story rather than just fit all those dwarfs on the screen."