As much as I love me some lists, especially as they relate to all things film, I also kind of despise lists—well, making lists that is. It may sound strange, but the process can be pretty frustrating and stressful. Plus, by the end of the year, there are usually 15-20 films that I have to catch up on within like a two-week window.
So, yeah, I’ve only been ranking my top films of the year for three years now, but 2012 proved a challenge. While I was sure about a few picks, particularly 1-4 (like The Tree of Life last year, Moonrise Kingdom stood highly above everything else), the rest were a nightmare to rank, and I thus probably changed my picks 20 times before settling on something.
I didn’t write reviews for all these films, and I don’t have time now to write capsules for the several I missed. So for the few I don’t have personal takes on, I’ve linked to reviews, by trusted critics, with which I most agree.
Here is the list:
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Holy Motors
- Lincoln
- The Kid With a Bike
- Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
- Zero Dark Thirty
- Anna Karenina
- The Deep Blue Sea
- Damsels in Distress
- Jeff Who Lives at Home
- Bernie
- Looper
- This Is 40
- The Loneliest Planet
- The Imposter
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Safety Not Guaranteed
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Les Miserables
- Cabin in the Woods
Honorable mentions: End of Watch, The Grey, The Do-Deca Pentathlon, Skyfall, Argo, Alps, Sinister, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Hunter
Most overrated films of the year: The Master, Compliance and Django Unchained
Important films I still haven’t seen: This Is Not a Film, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Tabu, The Hobbit, Flight and The Turin Horse.
