I am going to cheat a bit and list 12 because I believe two are interchangeable with two more, which I think I noted in our podcast. They are listed in alphabetical order rather than numerical order because I find ordered lists too arbitrary for words. For a more in depth discussion of all our top movies of the year check out this week’s podcast by clicking here, or view all our best of 2012 lists here.
One caveat before listing my Honorable Mentions. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN deserves to be on either 2011’s best films list or 2012’s; I counted it as a 2011 release and so didn’t include it on my list or in the podcast. It’s an extraordinary film with the best performance by an actress from 2011 — Tilda Swinton — not nominated/recognized by hardly any groups though I would have handed her the Oscar. Then there’s the terrifyingly good turn by Ezra Miller as Kevin; watch him in this and then watch him in THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER and then try to deny that he’s a “one to watch.”
On to my “Honorable Mentions”: In no particular order, I’d include: BULLHEAD, END OF WATCH, THE SESSIONS, CHRONICLE, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS, 360, JESUS HENRY CHRIST, MAGIC MIKE, ARBITRAGE, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED, RUST AND BONE, HOLY MOTORS, PREMIUM RUSH, BERNIE, MONSIEUR LAZHAR, BULLY, and BOY.
I saw Boy, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Bullhead last year, but those three would all be strong contenders for my top ten as well. Boy in particular would probably be near the top of my list and I think Kevin would have it near the top of his as well. In fact, that one was of the first films I reviewed for the site and I gave it a 9/10.