Most over-rated movies of the year

As we prepare for awards season just after New Year, I thought we'd look at the buzz surrounding some films that really don't deserve to be included in the shortlists. In no particular order:

Beasts of the Southern Wild: A cute little girl and an incredibly boring yet wacky plot seems to be a hit with critics just because it clearly represents Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, the message behind the story is more rammed down your throat than subtly conveyed. Quvenzhané Wallis does a decent job but Hollywood always hypes up the performance of child actors in films and she really wasn't that impressive. Certainly one to avoid catching up on.

Skyfall: Probably the choice that will get me the most flak, I'm not saying it wasn't a good movie but being honest it really wasn't as good as Casino Royale and had some plot similarities to The Dark Knight Rises in overall structure. The film also went on for far too long at the end but hero action movies like this rarely get much recognition at the awards anyways.

Arbitrage: A film not yet released in the UK but is garnering some praise for Richard Gere who pretty much plays himself as a billionaire hedge fund manager with a huge risk and debt problem. The film itself entwines two stories but places far more emphasis on the hit and run story than the actual financial mismanagement which is a mistake and nobody gets out of second gear in acting terms.

Ted: A frankly unfunny and entirely predictable film with Mark Wahlberg playing a slightly whiney character that he seems to default to when acting. The bear is apparently funny because he is loud, foul-mouted and constantly makes pop references. It is constantly appearing in top 10 lists for 2012 despite being one of my least favourite.