2012 Was a pretty good year for movies, I had to make it a top 20. What were yours?

1 - Argo
2 - Django Unchained
3 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
4 - Skyfall
5 - Cloud Atlas
6 - Prometheus
7 - Lincoln
8 - The Dark Knight Rises
9 - Chronicle
10 - Flight

Runners up

11 - The Grey
12 - Killer Joe
13 - The Raid: Redemption
14 - End Of Watch
15 - The Avengers
16 - Looper
17 - The Hobbit
18 - Lawless
19 - Sinister
20 - Paradise Lost 3

Really tough call between number 1 and 2, with the order of them probably changing depending on how I'm feeling on that given day (Django Unchained still hasn't been released in the UK yet, but I'm certain that would have made an appearance had I seen it).

1. Argo
2. Oslo, August 31
3. Headhunters
4. Wild Bill
5. Moonrise Kingdom
6. Silver Linings Playbook
7. End of Watch
8. Seven Psychopaths
9. Skyfall
10. 21 Jump Street

1-Moonrise Kingdom
2-Les Miserables
3-Beasts of the Southern Wild

The Dark Knight Rises

By far and away my favorite movie of the year... possibly my favorite movie of the last 5 years. im not joking.

Django Unchained is next up....

i still need to catch up on quite a few other movies though before i can post a full list.

Hmm, my list is unusually Canadian this year! Relatively speaking. In no order:

Coriolanus
Detachment
Goon
Sleeping Beauty (if I were numbering, this would probably be first)
God Bless America (bit of a disappointment after World's Greatest Dad, but still audacious, at least)
Headhunters
Beyond the Black Rainbow
The Tall Man (single-handedly 180-ed my opinion of Jessica Biel as an actor)
Silver Linings Playbook (my second favourite romance film of the century, after Brokeback Mountain. And Jennifer Lawrence is sooooo sexy)
The Raid: Redemption

Honourable mentions for the increasingly rare fairly-well-designed Hollywood blockbuster:

Men in Black 3
Looper
Skyfall

Didn't see yet:

Django Unchained
Tai Chi 0
Argo
Killer Joe

Biggest disappointment goes to Prometheus.

Worst film goes to The Amazing Spider-Man.

INITIATE THE HATE!

1. Looper
2. Killing Them Softly
3. Django Unchained
4. Cabin in the Woods
5. Prometheus
6. Bernie
7. Moonrise Kingrom
8. Chronicle
9. The Grey
10. Hitchcock

I missed out on a lot of movies, so I'm sure there are some great ones that I didn't include.

Can't build a top 10 until I've seen Django, Les Mis, Beasts, Cloud Atlas and Zero, but having seen pretty much all the Oscar contenders, the Oscar bait and a whole load in between, here is where I'm at:

The standouts:

- The Hunt
- Headhunters
- The Raid
- The Dark Knight Rises
- Cabin in the Woods
- Wild Bill
- Killer Joe

Best of the rest:

- The Imposter
- Amour
- End of Watch
- Sinister
- Silent House
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Argo
- Ill Manors
- Perks of Being a Wallflower
- How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I won't post a list that merely mimics most of the above choices.

But I would ask where is the love for Wreck-It Ralph?

Am I the only one who loved that one? A total success at what it set out to accomplish (and I am looking at you, Prometheus...)

01. Django Unchained
02. The Master
03. Argo
04. Lincoln
05. The Cabin in the Woods
06. The Avengers & The Dark Knight Rises (tie)
07. Looper
08. Paradise Lost 3
09. Zero Dark Thirty
10. ParaNorman
11. Moonrise Kingdom
12. Safety Not Guaranteed
13. Skyfall
14. Goon
15. Wreck-It Ralph
16. 21 Jump Street
17. Sinister
18. Chronicle
19. Dredd
20. The Raid: Redemption

Worst Movie: The Devil Inside

Most Disappointing:  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Not a bad movie by any means, it just felt like too much padding and filler content to expand the run time.

Most slept on film of the year:

Dredd.

Great adaption of one of the greatest comic book heroes.

Shame no-one went to see it....

I saw Dredd. Thought it was fun but a bit redundant. The cgi blood kind of ruined it for me. I was hoping the kills would be a bit more creative. Then again, after seeing the Raid there was no way it could have stacked up.

My top 10...

1 ParaNorman
2 Django/The Raid Redemption
3 Killer Joe/Silver Lining Playbooks
4 Wreck it Ralph
5 Argo
6 Bernie
7 Moonrise Kingdom
8 Skyfall
9 The Hobbit
10 Prometheus/Looper

Honorable Mentions: the grey, headhunters, seven psychopaths, avengers

Worst film of the year: The Amazing Spiderman/Dark Knight Rises

Okay DKR wasn't AS bad as Spidey, but it still sucked ass.

Worth Every Penny (and then some):
- The Dark Knight Rises
- The Grey
- The Hunt
- Take Shelter
- A Hijacking
- Django Unchained

Not Bad:
- Killing Them Softly
- End of Watch
- Headhunters
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Zero Dark Thirty
- Avengers
- Argo
- Flight

Really?:
- Skyfall
- Looper
- The Hobbit
- Total Recall
- Cloud Atlas

Train Wrecks:
- Prometheus
- Taken 2
- Battleship
- The Amazing Spiderman

Haven't seen Django yet, I'm sure it will be somewhere on the list.

Edit: Have seen Django now.

Quoted from Andrew Best of the rest: - Amour

You wouldn't mind giving me a brief skinny on this one, would you? Amour and Zero Dark Thirty are essentially the last two flicks I'm waiting on seeing for 2012 but seems I might be in for something of a wait on the former. I don't know anybody who's seen it at this point and would be down to hear a few good words.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films Most slept on film of the year: Dredd. Great adaption of one of the greatest comic book heroes. Shame no-one went to see it....

It lost me at Karl Urban.

Dredd was FANTASTIC. It's crazy how few people saw it.

~Zack~

Quoted from James McClung You wouldn't mind giving me a brief skinny on this one, would you? Amour and Zero Dark Thirty are essentially the last two flicks I'm waiting on seeing for 2012 but seems I might be in for something of a wait on the former. I don't know anybody who's seen it at this point and would be down to hear a few good words.

Same re: Zero. Not out here for a couple of weeks. Amour was out a few weeks ago in UK. Slow, but rewarding is what I'd say in a few good words! It's not winning awards for nothing. But The Hunt is Euro flick of the year.

Is it me or was 2012 one of the years for movies in a long time?

Technically, Zero Dark Thirty is a 2012 movie, but I'm counting it in 2013 since it opens in MY city that year...and I can't wait to see it! With my schedule, it probably won't be until March when it's playing at second-run discount theater, but I'm there!

The wheels are still turning in my head on how to rank them...since I liked so much stuff, I've got an upper tier and a lower tier.

Top teir: The Hobbit, Skyfall, Hunger Games, Lincoln.

Second teir: Wreck-It-Ralph, The Avengers, Brave, The Amazing Spider-Man, Dark Knight Rises, Goon.

Haven't seen, but read the scripts and they were impressive: Django Unchained and Flight.

Have not seen but need to track down the DVD for Ballplayer: Poletero.  

After viewing it again last night, Oslo, August 31st is my favourite film of the year. Hell, it's in my top 3 of all time.

It's one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking films I have seen in a long time. I cannot recommend it highly enough. 2012 was a great year for Norwegian films.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo,_August_31st

Quoted from Andrew Same re: Zero. Not out here for a couple of weeks. Amour was out a few weeks ago in UK. Slow, but rewarding is what I'd say in a few good words! It's not winning awards for nothing. But The Hunt is Euro flick of the year.

Thanks, man. As it happens, I just found out Amour will be coming to both of the Landmark theaters in the DC area this weekend. I thought for sure I'd had to wait for a DVD release as the film was supposed to come out in theaters December 19 (usually DC will get a foreign release the week after the initial US distribution starts). Needless to say, I'm looking forward to some new Haneke in the near future.

I've heard nothing but good things about The Hunt. Mads Mikkelsen is great and I've been meaning to check out some Vinterberg for a while now. This one, I'd expect a wait for as well but what with Amour's surprise release, maybe not.

I can't sleep so I'll go a little in-depth in why I liked my top 10.  I haven't seen Zero Dark Thirty, Silver Linings Playbook, Beasts of a Southern Wild, The Impossible, or Hitchcock, and I'm sure I'll like those.

Argo - A well done, engaging film.  It was a great blend of humor and tension.  I liked all the characters and how the actors portrayed them, the dialogue, everything.  I left satisfied.  A fine film.

The Dark Knight Rises - Big fan of Nolan's trilogy.  This film definitely delivered and everyone involved brought their A-game.  Not just a good Batman movie, but a great action film.

Frankenweenie - Adorable film.  I loved all the quirky characters and fast pace. I prefer this over 'Paranorman' which everyone seems to love.

Moonrise Kingdom - Oddball characters, funny dialogue, impressive young actors, and a charming story.  

Django Unchained - Not my favorite QT film but still a well made film nonetheless.  All the actors simply amazed me.

The Cabin in the Woods - An insane idea that feels like it technically shouldn't work but yet, it does.  Very original.  I loved all the characters and how unpredictable it all was.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - TV spots promoted this as "Breakfast Club for Today's Generation" - that it's not but it's still a great film with interesting characters and a satisfying conclusion.

Prometheus - Yes, it didn't live up to the hype but I thought this was still a really good science fiction film with an interesting mystery inserted.  Good performance by Noomi.

Detention - Holy effing hell.  How did nobody see this?  Trailer sucks but this film rocks.  Filled with pop culture references (which I love), zany characters and hilarious dialogue.  It's a slasher/science fiction film with a time traveling bear/parody comedy film.  Took two viewings for me to understand/catch everything but I did.  Gnarly film.  Give it 10 years and this will be a cult classic.

Smashed - Odds are you haven't seen this indie film.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead gives a heartbreakingly realistic performance of a recovering alcoholic.  Great dialogue.

Honorable mentions:

Bachelorette - I don't know why this gets so much hate.  Hilarious!  Much funnier imo than anything Judd Apatow has brought of late.  Hilarious mean, spirited characters.  Kirsten Dunst owns it.

Pitch Perfect - I didn't have any interest in seeing this.  Not really my thing but this is surprisingly smart and funny.

Celeste and Jesse Forever - I love Rashida Jones and I appreciate her effort in the screenplay.  I can relate to the characters trying to remain friends after a breakup.  The unlikely cast actually delivered.  Good film.

ONEY

Best (no order)
The Dark Knight Rises
Argo
Skyfall
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
John Carter
The Avengers
Bully
Ted
Lincoln

Honorable Mentions (no order)
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
End Of Watch
The Hobbit
Snow White and The Huntsman
Pitch Perfect
The Grey

Die and never come back!
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Wonderlust
Resident Evil : Retribution
Underworld Awakening
The Raid : Redemption
This Means War
Ghost Rider : Spirit Of Vengeance
Wrath Of The Titans
Battleshit. I mean, Battleship.

and the film that lives in special infamy
The Devil Inside*

* Last week I put Expendables 2 in the ten because I thought it was worse than the first film, in spite of Van Damme. But yesterday I was flippin' cable channels and I was reminded that YES there WAS something in 2012 that was worse...a lot worse.

Quoted from DarrenJamesSeeley Best (no order) The Dark Knight Rises Argo Skyfall Moonrise Kingdom Salmon Fishing In The Yemen John Carter The Avengers Bully Ted Lincoln Honorable Mentions (no order) Best Exotic Marigold Hotel End Of Watch The Hobbit Snow White and The Huntsman Pitch Perfect The Grey Die and never come back! Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Wonderlust Resident Evil : Retribution Underworld Awakening The Raid : Redemption This Means War Ghost Rider : Spirit Of Vengeance Wrath Of The Titans Battleshit. I mean, Battleship. and the film that lives in special infamy The Devil Inside* * Last week I put Expendables 2 in the ten because I thought it was worse than the first film, in spite of Van Damme. But yesterday I was flippin' cable channels and I was reminded that YES there WAS something in 2012 that was worse...a lot worse.

Best Exoctic Marigold Hotel was a lovely little film. Full of heart and very entertaining.

Finally saw Zero Dark Thirty. The subject matter never particularly grabbed me but still a more or less solid film with a stellar climax.

And with that, I've effectively seen everything I felt I needed to see in 2012, save for a slight trickle of foreign films that won't be released in the U.S. for some time. I think this was a phenomenal year for film. This fall, in particular, felt like one great film after another. Far too many to be represented in a top 10.

Thus, I've opted for a top 20 of 2012...

Best (in order):

1. Amour
2. Killer Joe
3. Django Unchained
4. The Master
5. Argo
6. Cosmopolis
7. Life of Pi
8. Killing Them Softly
9. The Raid
10. Silver Linings Playbook

Honorable mention (alphabetical):

11. Beyond the Black Rainbow
12. Dark Horse
13. Detachment
14. Excision
15. John Dies at the End
16. Looper
17. Seven Psychopaths
18. Skyfall
19. Smashed
20. Zero Dark Thirty

Quoted from James McClung 14. Excision 19. Smashed

Hey!  Props to you buddy for including these.  I completely forgot to include Excision in my honorable mention portion (I meant to damnit!).  I loved it - great performances all around.  Great humor and an unsettling ending.

And I loved Smashed - saw it twice in theatres.  I was hoping it would've been a bigger hit because I'm sure if it have been MEW definitely would've gotten her Golden Globe or Oscar nomination for this.

ONEY

Thanks man!

Smashed was one of my favorite movies this year. I loved pretty much everything about it and really appreciated its exploration of alcoholism in a non-perjorative light. MEW most definitely gave an Oscar worthy performance but alas, there's only so many slots in the actor categories. I would've loved for Killer Joe and The Master to get some (more) Oscar nods but with so many great films out there, you can't expect everyone to make the cut.

Nevertheless, a top 10 film for me.

Excision, I didn't like so much upon first viewing but it did grow on me. I always loved the performances and the imagery but the rest took a moment to catch up with me. I've since seen it two more times and I really gotta tip my hat to it. It's a really unique film in the way it mixes genres and influences together and the characters are surprisingly nuanced. I also watched the DVD commentary and the director has almost the exact same taste in movies as I do so I consider this the work of a kindred spirit.

Quoted from Andrew Can't build a top 10 until I've seen Django, Les Mis, Beasts, Cloud Atlas and Zero, but having seen pretty much all the Oscar contenders, the Oscar bait and a whole load in between, here is where I'm at: The standouts: - The Hunt - Headhunters - The Raid - The Dark Knight Rises - Cabin in the Woods - Wild Bill - Killer Joe Best of the rest: - The Imposter - Amour - End of Watch - Sinister - Silent House - Silver Linings Playbook - Argo - Ill Manors - Perks of Being a Wallflower - How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Having now seen all the big hitters, I will add Life of Pi and Cloud Atlas to this list, with Cloud Atlas being my personal favourite of 2012.

Good year all in all.

Just saw Perks of Being a Wallflower. Honestly shocked at how good it was, even considering the word of mouth. I expect I'll have to amend my top 10 to include this (where, I'm not sure).

For its entire duration, I felt like it was teetering on the edge of being a really tawdry film. The plot and character archetypes are all very familiar and hipster iconography is aplenty. I wouldn't say that's the film's fault as the book was published in 1999 when I expect this particular brand of coming-of-age fiction wasn't so played out but that doesn't change the fact that we've all seen this story before. But ultimately, I felt like the film counteracted that with complex characters with genuine exuberance and love of life but also genuine pain and darkness and a general no-bullshit approach to the subject matter. The writing's also solid (the book's author serves as writer/director) and every single performance is top notch (I think Ezra Miller in particular might be the best actor of his generation). No matter how close the film comes to dropping the ball, it never does and follows through to the very end.

Loved it.

Saw Dredd the other day and was pleasantly surprised. It's not good in any way but it didn't suck as much as I thought it would. Stupid but fairly entertaining.

Ah, it's that time again. Not enough great films this year IMO. From what I've watched, my list goes like this -- with some extra detail.

1. Flight - Denzel Washington really impressed me here, incredibly acting.
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Very surprised at how much I enjoyed this, I think this would've been my number 1 if it wasn't for the marketing campaign. Honestly, I thought the film was some teen romance about Emma Watson being the main character. I should've done a little more research about who the movie is actually about... Ezra Miller is now on my 'watch' list.
3. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - Again, surprised at how much I enjoyed this, not into rom-coms since most of them suck but I thought this had a good angle.
4. The Master - This grew on me, some great human acting throughout.
5. Silver Linings Playbook - Wasn't enjoying the first twenty minutes but after the fight between De Niro and Cooper, this had me hooked.
6. Cloud Atlas - Props for originality and trying something new.
7. Looper - Fun, fun, fun.
8. Django Unchained - Even more fun.
9. Prometheus - Enjoyable movie if you take it for what it is.
10. Argo - Surprisingly tense even with all the tonal shifts.

Honorable Mentions:
21 Jump Street
The Dark Knight Rises
Moonrise Kingdom
John Dies at the End
Life of Pi
Wreck It Ralph
Amour
The Dictator

Most Overrated film of the year - Brave

Films I haven't watched with good reviews:
Lincoln
Skyfall
Beasts of the Southern Wild
The Hunt

I'm probably missing a few that I liked but this is my current list.

Hey Mo,

As a fan of dramas, you really need to check out a brilliant Norwegian film called Oslo, August 31st.

IMO the best film of 2012, and one of my favourite dramas of all time.

Quoted from Toby_E Hey Mo, As a fan of dramas, you really need to check out a brilliant Norwegian film called Oslo, August 31st. IMO the best film of 2012, and one of my favourite dramas of all time.

When you mentioned it the first time in this thread, I actually tried to find it somewhere -- but it was hard to get a hold of. I like to watch films in Blu Ray but it wasn't released on it back then. But I'll definitely watch it now, sounds like a good movie. :)