Film Review Competition: The Winners

14 February 13

We asked you to review our Outstanding British Film nominees in 100 words or less.

Skyfall might have taken home Outstanding British Film at this year's EE British Academy Film Awards, but who has emerged victorious from what has been (arguably) the most nail-bitingly tense face-off this side of the Royal Opera House?

The winners are revealed...

Brochure And Tiddly Baftas

Congratulations to Natasha Fagelman who has bagged herself two signed 2012 and 2011 BAFTA Film Awards brochures and some delicious Hotel Chocolat Tiddly BAFTAs for her review of Anna Karenina.

And well done to our four runners-up, who will each be receiving an (unsigned) Film Awards brochure. No-one goes home empty handed!

Have a peruse of our shortlisted reviews...

Anna Karenina - WINNER

Natasha Fagelman @NatashaSPQR
Cinema appeals both to our sense of show and our desire to experience another reality. No film of 2012 encapsulates this better than Anna Karenina, which takes elegant metatheatre to a new level. Stoppard's script distils the essence of the novel and Wright's direction places the main showpieces of Anna's life deftly into a super-dramatic setting. Marianelli's haunting, Tchaikovsky-an soundtrack complements and heightens the key moments neatly, from the initial waltz scene to Anna's suicidal euphoria. Jude Law is brilliantly grim and bitter to the last; Matthew Mcfadyen gives Oblonsky depth as well as humour. A poignant, mesmerising, immersive experience.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Amy Williams @_amyloula
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, first and foremost, is a film about life. It encapsulates everything about life; from the sights and sounds and tastes to the joys and regrets. The vibrancy and colour of this film are truly stunning; the cinematography captures India's beauty in all its forms, and yet is not only this which draws the audience in, but also the beauty and complexity of the characters. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel proves that you can make mistakes and start again. You don't have to be young to truly live.

Les Miserables

Charlotte Birch @barlotte_chirch
Gathering a gladiator, a princess, little red riding hood and Wolverine onto one screen, anyone could be forgiven for thinking they were about to watch a superhero movie. But no, instead they are about to watch a truly stunning piece of cinema, directed and acted by arguably the best in the business. Les Miserables offers everything one could ask for - from a burgeoning love affair to another's pain and suffering. As for the superhuman element? That comes in the shape of the musicality, with performances recorded live from set. Surely that alone makes it the most deserving to win?

Seven Psychopaths

Sian Brett
I love a good plot twist me. Film-wise there's nothing better. And the layers not only of story but also of comedy in Seven Psychopaths had me gasping, crying and laughing throughout. With outstanding performances from Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell, and Christopher Walken as my new favourite trio, this film made me remember why I love BAFTA season and why I love Martin McDonagh. Better, in my teenage film nerd opinion, than In Bruges purely for the delectable Woody Harrelson as a wide eyed dog loving maniac, this film deserves to win. Because Harrelson might come after us if not.

Skyfall

Charles Elder @Chuck_ElderUK
In the 50 years since James Bond first reached our cinema screens, none of the franchise's incarnations has captured the excitement, intrigue or edgy nature of Ian Fleming's creation like Skyfall. The intensity of the performances alone merit recognition and honours but Skyfall means so much more to the British film-making industry than awards. The film stands as a snapshot of Britain's best film-making talent of the modern era and the very least it deserves is to be selected as the most outstanding British film of this year. And that's coming from someone who doesn't consider himself a Bond 'fan'!