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Nordling's Top 20 Films Of 2012! Updated with FATHERGEEK'S list...

Published at: Dec. 21, 2012, 7:30 p.m. CST Share On Facebook Twitter

Nordling here.

We're still here!  For now, anyway...

Why 20 instead of 10? Because it's my fucking list, that's why.  But 2012 was a great year for movies, and honestly there are a few on this list that didn't make it.  Movies like THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, or SKYFALL, or THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, or LES MISERABLES.  Other movies, like THE DARK KNIGHT RISES and PROMETHEUS, didn't make the list because... they didn't.

You also may notice there's no Worst Movie of the Year this year.  That because I've decided that Worst Lists are counterproductive.  Why steer people to bad movies at all?  Better to not acknowledge them and move on to the great stuff.  That's not to say if a movie's bad you shouldn't be told about it... but again, this was a fantastic year for good movies and I'd rather just forget about the movies I didn't enjoy or outright hated.  If you corner me in the street and demand to know, I'll happily divulge.  But otherwise, I'd rather talk about the movies that brought me happiness this year.  So, without further ado...

 

 

20. FAT KID RULES THE WORLD

 

Matthew Lillard has made a coming-of-age movie that would do John Hughes proud.  It’s sweet but not treacle, and Lillard avoids afterschool special clichés by staying true to the characters and to the story.  Jacob Wysocki and Matt O’Leary are terrific as the two boys who form the unlikeliest friendship in the world, but Billy Campbell as the father does tremendous work here – he too avoids the clichés of the part and finds something honest and heartfelt in his performance.

 

 

19. KILLER JOE

 

This is deep fried black comedy, served with a slice of wicked pie.  Matthew McConaghey may have found the role of his career as Joe, a corrupt police officer who enters the orbit of a truly sick family.  But the family discovers that Joe may even be sicker still.  William Friedkin pulls no punches with this movie, and this is one of his best films in years.  Hell, it’s one of his best films, period.  It’s a shame the NC-17 didn’t get the film a wider opening – KILLER JOE is a movie for grownups and a very bitter pill to swallow.

 

 

18. ANTIVIRAL

 

Brandon Cronenberg’s debut feature film may seem straight out of his father David Cronenberg’s wheelhouse, but be assured that Brandon’s voice is just as vital.  Set in a world where celebrity has truly become everything – to a point that people will eat slabs of DNA steak made straight from the latest tabloid obsession – ANTIVIRAL examines just how much of ourselves is lost.  This isn’t so much science fiction as speculative fiction, and to be honest, ANTIVIRAL feels like it’s just around the corner.  I’m wildly curious to see what younger Cronenberg has coming next, but ANTIVIRAL is a kicking-down-the-door kind of movie.

 

 

17. THE GREY

 

I feel that Joe Carnahan’s tone poem on loss and spirituality was misinterpreted on release.  That was mostly due to the ad campaign, and I’ll admit that I even thought this film was going to be something other than it was.  But what Carnahan and Liam Neeson have done is make a very personal film about faith, and even my shriveled atheist heart could not helped but be moved by Neeson’s last stand as he and Carnahan rage against the dying of the light.  There are moments in THE GREY that feel almost too personal, and Neeson gives one of the finest performances of his amazing career.

 

 

16. THE RAID: REDEMPTION

 

This was a shot of adrenaline for me – Gareth Evans' MERENTAU was a nice, fun martial arts movie, but THE RAID: REDEMPTION pushes him to a whole other level.  I still can’t believe the movie was made for less than half a million dollars.  Iko Uwais has it in him to be the next big martial arts star, and considering what Evans did with a small budget, he created a master display of tension and action.  The final fight with Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian) is a Final Boss fight for the ages. DREDD has a similar story structure, and while I dig DREDD a lot (almost made the list in fact), THE RAID: REDEMPTION will be the one I put in the player more frequently.

 

 

15. THE MASTER

 

Paul Thomas Anderson follows up his epic THERE WILL BE BLOOD with a more intimate movie, but the characterization and acting are just as rich and deep.  Joaquin Phoenix gives the best performance of his career as Freddie Quell, an open wound of a man who may have found the one person who could heal him in Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is brilliant).  Their relationship is tested by time and circumstance, and Amy Adams as Peggy Dodd is also great as the wife who may be quiet in public, but in private steers the ship that is Lancaster’s new religion.  Not as much a statement on Scientology so much as a movie about our need to find meaning in a meaningless world, THE MASTER continues PTA’s amazing career, and I hope he’s allowed to keep doing what he does for as long as he wants.

 

 

14. THE IMPOSTER

 

Real truth is mercurial, elusive.  Bart Layton’s fantastic documentary proves that certainty is a myth.  A young boy in San Antonio goes missing, only to be found in Europe three years later.  When his family brings him home, the lies begin, and the story takes as many turns as a Coen Brothers fiction.  Frédéric Bourdin may be the strangest character, real or fiction, in cinemas this year.  He lies like he breathes, and the more he lies, the more natural he seems.  For some, THE IMPOSTER may be frustrating; it answers nothing and makes us question everything.  

 

 

13. LOOPER

 

Time travel movies are really hard to get right – too many of them worry about the mechanics of the whole endeavor, almost as if the screenwriter can make the impossible possible.  Johnson’s script is a firecracker – Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis in dual – or is it duel? – roles) is fascinating, both in his younger and older iterations.  But it’s when the second act takes off that LOOPER really finds its voice.  I’ll just say this – someday, I hope Johnson gets the rights to Katsuhiro Otomo’s DOMU, because I think he’d crush the shit out of it.  As for LOOPER, it’s Bradbury science fiction at its finest.  Ray Bradbury was always more interested in the who than the why, and LOOPER feels like a story he would have been proud to have told.

 

 

12. ARGO

 

Ben Affleck proves himself to be no fluke with ARGO, the story of the rescue of six American hostages from Iran in 1980, and the seemingly insane plan that it took to pull it off.  Affleck directs with a confidence and a skill than more seasoned directors would kill to have, and he’s even terrific in the movie as the CIA agent who pulls off this crazy scheme.  Affleck tells his story with economy, humor and just the right amount of tension.  The actual rescue may not have been as dramatic, but who cares – ARGO is a master class in directing, and Ben Affleck is filmmaker to be reckoned with.  I hope he doesn’t go into politics like he’s been threatening to do – there are already enough politicians in the world, and so few great filmmakers.

 

 

11. THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

 

This was Joss Whedon’s year, without a doubt.  It’s difficult to understand now why THE CABIN IN THE WOODS waited so long on the shelf, and even though it didn’t burn box offices down on release, it is undeniably the most original horror film of the year.  Drew Goddard directs his and Whedon’s script with confidence, and even more so than THE AVENGERS, we can hear Whedon’s voice all over the movie.  It puts the whole horror genre in perspective, and gives me hope that originality will always endure.  THE CABIN IN THE WOODS is both a celebration and a rallying cry, and I can’t wait to see what it inspires in the coming years.

 

 

10. GOON

 

That’s right.  Deal.  Michael Dowse’s hockey comedy was one of the most enjoyable and fun movies of the year and it’s got tons of terrific dialogue from Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg (“Two rules, man.   Stay away from my fucking Percocets, and do you have any fucking Percocets, man?”).  Seann William Scott plays Doug, a goofy bouncer who happens to be good at beating the shit out of people, and when he’s not doing that he’s the nicest guy you’d ever meet.  His talent brings him fist-first into the world of minor-league hockey, and in particular into the path of Ross Rhea (Live Schreiber), the best goon in the game.  Hilarious and full of heart, GOON was one of those least expected surprises that just knocked me out when I saw it.  As I said in my review, GOON’s a Great Fuckin’ Movie. 

 

 

9. I DECLARE WAR

 

I worry about this movie now, especially after the events in Connecticut and elsewhere, because I know for a fact that idiots with agendas will feel the need to attack this movie with full blinders on, not understanding what they are seeing (if they deem to see it at all).  I DECLARE WAR, hopefully released next year, is about childhood – the fantasy versus the reality, and all the complex emotions within.  It’s probably the best movie of its kind since STAND BY ME, and it is fertile with the power of a child’s imagination.  This movie feels like what it was like to be a kid, playing war with your friends, and figuring out your world and your place in it.  The magic of childhood, as well as the unpleasant realities of life, come together in Jason Lapeyre’s and Robert Wilson’s fantastic movie, and its meanings and messages feel genuine and true.

 

 

8. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

 

Quvenzhané Wallis gives such a good performance in Benh Zeitlin’s BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD that I’m not sure it counts, so real does it feel.  Everything Hushpuppy knows in her world, the Bathtub, is coming to an end, and she and her father Wink (Dwight Henry) must adapt.  But for Wink, this is the only life he knows, and he will not give it up.  Hushpuppy must choose between the Bathtub and outside, and her triumphs and tragedies become ours as well.  Benh Zeitlin is an extraordinary new voice in cinema, and his and Dan Romer’s score is easily one of the best of the year.  There are moments of such beauty and heartbreak in BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD that it almost hurts to think upon them.  It is a wondrous world that Zeitlin shows us, a world still full of the last bits of magic we can find.  There is harshness and danger as well, and as we look through Hushpuppy’s eyes, we see it all in this remarkable, wonderful film.  

 

 

7. ZERO DARK THIRTY

 

Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal’s script does what every great piece of journalism does – it seeks the truth, no matter how painful it might be.  The controversy surrounding ZERO DARK THIRTY may threaten to overshadow the movie itself, but Bigelow and Boal navigate their way through those treacherous waters to tell the story of how Osama Bin Laden was killed.  CIA agent Maya (Jessica Chastain) is obsessed with finding him, and Chastain is simply amazing in this role.  The cracks in the façade are small but slowly become apparent, and she fills Maya with an inner purpose and passion.  Whether or not you believe the story is irrelevant – ZERO DARK THIRTY is a movie, like ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN and ZODIAC before it, that isn’t about the end results but about the journey getting there.  It doesn’t take sides – it simply shows us what happened and how we deal with that knowledge is up to us.  It’s a great movie that trusts us enough to do that.

 

 

6. MOONRISE KINGDOM

 

Somehow, Wes Anderson knew me growing up.  That’s the only explanation, because movies like RUSHMORE, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, and now MOONRISE KINGDOM feel straight out of the stories of my life and childhood.  He lived in Houston for a while, so it’s entirely possible, or maybe that loosely shared experience living here rubbed off on the man.  Either way, MOONRISE KINGDOM is a movie that tells cynicism to rightly go fuck itself.  This is a movie for dreamers, and those dreams we make take solidity and bring us to rapture.  It’s about young love, and how nothing in the world ever feels quite like it, like seeing Technicolor for the first time after seeing all your movies on a black and white television.  Because the movie lacks the smallest crumbs of pessimism, MOONRISE KINGDOM may feel too precious for some, but that’s their loss.  If I could, I’d live in Anderson’s world any day of the week and twice on Sundays.  And I’ll happily revisit New Penzance and its residents over and over again.

 

 

5. THE AVENGERS

 

Pound for glorious pound, this may be the most entertaining movie of the year.  When Marvel started this crazy thing with IRON MAN, no one had any idea this would work, bringing all these characters together for one movie.  But if there’s anyone who can orchestrate the whirlwind of the Marvel Universe, it’s Joss Whedon, and what he does with THE AVENGERS is practically a miracle.  Every character retains their unique voice, every actor brings their all to their performance, and best of all, THE AVENGERS manages to walk that fine line of being truthful to the Marvel Universe without taking itself too seriously.  There are too many moments to mention that brought such geek joy, but the fact that Whedon and Mark Ruffalo at last got the Hulk so damn right is alone cause for rejoicing.  Joss Whedon has had a hell of a year, and more than any other director (except perhaps Brad Bird) he knows what makes this genre work.  THE AVENGERS raises the bar for superhero movies, and at this point, everything looks great from here.  Make Mine Marvel!

 

 

4. DJANGO UNCHAINED

 

DJANGO UNCHAINED is explosively violent, and uproariously funny.  And yet, in the quieter moments you can tell that filmmaking has never felt so urgent to Quentin Tarantino until now.  Tarantino makes movies like the entire artform is dying. He knows that he’s fighting against the tides, in regards to film vs. digital, and I was worried that the death of Sally Menke may have put him off of filmmaking for good.  UNCHAINED lacks the elegance of her editing style, but other than that Tarantino feels just as vital as ever.  There’s a ton of influences in DJANGO UNCHAINED – from Italian westerns, to exploitation cinema, to even obscene movies like ADDIO ZIO TOM to, yeah, even STAR WARS.  Tarantino makes slavery into the disgusting, soul-destroying endeavor that it is.  Jamie Foxx is terrific as the taciturn hero, but Christoph Waltz is the real heart of DJANGO UNCHAINED, and it’s hard not to see Tarantino inside the character.  Samuel Jackson plays what is probably his greatest part yet, and that’s saying something – his Stephen is a conniving, evil man who tries to twist every situation to his advantage.  Leonardo DiCaprio is an unredeemable worm, and you want to delouse after his scenes.  DJANGO UNCHAINED, like INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS before it, looks at history through the prism of cinema, and if this isn’t quite how it happened, well dammit, it should have been.

 

 

3. LINCOLN

 

It’s not Steven Spielberg’s direction that makes it a great movie, although he does fantastic work.  No, Spielberg has sense enough to get out of the way of Tony Kushner’s script, where every word is like butter dripped in the ear.  The cadence and rich language of LINCOLN turns the movie into more of a joy to listen to than any of Spielberg’s other movies, and Daniel Day-Lewis plays Abraham Lincoln with such empathy and warmth that again, if this wasn’t reality, it damn well ought to have been.  LINCOLN shows us that when it comes to politics, it’s same as it ever was – people get dirty, backdoor deals are made, and through all the yelling, the insults, and the derision, somehow democracy pushes through.  LINCOLN is a love letter to democracy in all its messiness, and although we may think we have it rough now, I wouldn’t trade our tumultuous times for theirs in a second.  Every actor Spielberg finds does great work – Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, James Spader, and the rest bring this script to life.  This has been a passion project for Steven Spielberg for many years, and his passion and Kushner’s words bring this movie to living, breathing life.

 

 

2. HOLY MOTORS

 

Leos Carax’s masterpiece is about so many things, and the reason many critics are finding it difficult to sum up is because HOLY MOTORS plays different for everyone.  For me, the movie didn’t even register properly in my mind until days later, when I heard the wonderful “Let My Baby Ride” accordion scene and everything just clicked into place.  Oscar (the triumphant Denis Lavant, giving the best performance of any actor this year) slips into identities and personas throughout one particular day in Paris, and as we follow him on his journey we realize that he is playing for us, the audience, the gods that demand so much and give Oscar so little.  It is both a celebration of art and an acknowledgment of the pain that it can sometimes bring to create.  HOLY MOTORS is a movie about loss, losing oneself in the transformative power of art, and the simple joys of cinema.  No matter the heartache and the hardship, artists must create, and who they create for does not matter.  HOLY MOTORS is one of those movies that come along and remind me why I am so insane in love with cinema – that sometimes, the heavens open up and show me the infinite. 

 

 

1.  CLOUD ATLAS

 

First, know that I’m not putting CLOUD ATLAS here in some kind of rebellion against Time Magazine or the Village Voice, both who named CLOUD ATLAS as the Worst Film of the Year (have they even SEEN RED DAWN?).  I’m putting it here because I believe that CLOUD ATLAS is the best film of the year.  There are moments in CLOUD ATLAS so triumphant, so affirming to my worldview, that the few moments where CLOUD ATLAS doesn’t work mean nothing to me because the heights that this film has achieved are so damn high.  This film is a shot across the bow of cynicism and despair; CLOUD ATLAS assures me as a lover of film and as a human being that everything is worth fighting for.  I am not a cynical man, and to see a movie that expresses everything I’ve always believed about my place in this world has to be recognized.  It is a celebration of storytelling, and I can’t understand why so many people had difficulty following the six story strands that intertwine themselves with each other.  This is about as linear as storytelling gets – it’s just that there are six lines instead of one.  Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer have adapted David Mitchell’s sprawling novel and give it a heartbeat, and the brave performances by Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Ben Whishaw, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, and others give it life.  There is so much hope in CLOUD ATLAS that even now I tear up, thinking of certain scenes, certain possibilities.  Even a simple child, asking her Grandpee where a certain planet is in the sky affirms to me that our journey through this universe has just begun, and where it takes us is worth waiting for.  No film gave me as much pleasure, as much joy, and as much hope as CLOUD ATLAS did this year, and that’s why I think it’s the best film of 2012.

 

Thanks for reading, and keep reading in 2013.  If the world doesn't end before then.

 

Nordling, out.  Follow me on Twitter!

 

 

 

Well my filmfan friends, its THAT time of the year again when I LIST my favorite (not necessarily the best made) motion pictures that I have seen theatrically THIS calendar year. For those NOT familiar with what this means exactly I'll explain... These are the movies out of over 300 viewed in theaters with audiences at my local multiplex, festivals, premieres, etc... NOT on my phone, laptop, or TV. They are NEW films, NOT vintage, or ones I saw late in 2011. These are the mixed bag of cinema I MOST enjoyed from the year 2012 though they may not have been officially released as of yet. I see many films each year that may not be released in the USA sometimes for a couple of years. There's a couple of weeks of movie watch'n still this year sooo it is entirely possible this list will change a little...

ALPHABETICALLY HERE ARE MY 21 FAVORITE FEATURE FILMS SEEN IN 2012:

"Antiviral", "Argo", "The Avengers", "Beware of Mr. Baker", "Cloud Atlas", "Django Unchained", "Dredd 3D", "Frankenweenie", "Get the Gringo", "The Hobbit", "Holy Motors", "The Hunter", "Les Miserables", "Life of Pi", "Lincoln", "Looper", "The Master", "Moon Rise Kingdom", "No Rest For The Wicked", "Savages", "Skyfall."

There were 5 others that I had a hard time cutting from this list: "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter", "Killer Joe", "Lawless", "Ma Ma", "Sinister." I've seen nearly all of these 26 movies multiple times already annnd still get a kick from them ALL.

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Readers Talkback

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• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:34 p.m. CST

  Surprised there's no Dark Knight Rises or Skyfall

  by Redhead_Redemption

  other then that this is a list i can get behind

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:36 p.m. CST

  by ozliiifter

  Lincoln bored me

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:43 p.m. CST

  Zero Dark Thirty is a dramatization

  by eveelcapitalist

  You know the difference between fact and fiction, Nordling? Movies are PRETEND even when based on real events. They're not the gospel fucking truth. Fucking journalism...Jesus Christ...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:43 p.m. CST

  No Hobbit

  by joe B

  Yet we have The Grey, The Raid, Zero Dark Thrity, and Goon I'm not saying anything. I'm just pointing this out. Once again, I don't have a con word to say against the list.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:44 p.m. CST

  Lincoln was very boring.

  by MainMan2001

  and Goon was an awful movie. Couldn't even watch it.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:48 p.m. CST

  Kudos to Nordling for not going all mainstream on this one, short of zero dark thirty which is garbage, your list is very thought provoking and insightful, thanks buddy....

  by wannabedirector

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:53 p.m. CST

  I also would have moved the Grey up on the list

  by Redhead_Redemption

  Really should be in the top 10. I hope Neeson gets some attention come awards season, his performance was one of the best this year

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:54 p.m. CST

  The Raid was awesome.

  by th3480

  Should be in the top 10. It is what every action movie wants to be.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:54 p.m. CST

  Lets be honest, Hobbit was better than half your list hipster.

  by kindofabigdeal

  And fuck Zero Dark Thirty.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:55 p.m. CST

  Also...

  by th3480

  ...Beyond the Black Rainbow. I have no idea what the fuck it was about, but it has lead to more conversations between friends than ANY film I saw in 2012.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 7:55 p.m. CST

  Surprised no Magic Mike or 21 Jump Street.

  by DougMcKenzie

  I've seen the future and it is ruled by Channing Tatum. Also Goon is a good fucking movie because Michael Dowse is a good fucking director. He's like the white trash Wes Anderson.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:05 p.m. CST

  Why not make a Top 30 list, that way you can fit in Skyfall & Hobbit?

  by Joey Stars

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:09 p.m. CST

  I actually laughed my ass off of this "top" list, thanks!

  by Flutchy

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:13 p.m. CST

  Zero Dark Thirty is a 2013 Release

  by spmahn

  I don't care about any limited release bullshit, it shouldn't count. I agree with most of this list, but I'm tired of people jerking off to artsy fartsy shit that on one has heard of and no one will ever see. If this art house crap were worth watching, it would have gotten wider distribution.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:20 p.m. CST

  Hobbit should be on there

  by Pipple

  And chronicle. Cloud atlas as number 1, that's tough to take. It's a messy movie, good but messy. I'd compare it to Bicentennial man. I went to that movie as a kid, was so excited because I loved robin williams movies. He raped me that day, he did.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:24 p.m. CST

  i couldn't agree more about CLOUD ATLAS!

  by brightgeist

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:28 p.m. CST

  Best film of the year was far and away Tom Fontana's "Borgia"

  by Ryan Dawson

  This is a masterpiece of towering proportions, but few know about it because a) it's produced in Europe, b) it's on "television" c) the shitty American "Borgias" gets all the press. But I submit to you that Borgia was the best written, most intriguing piece of film making done last year, and will become a cult classic as people find out about it. Borgia is an epic 12 hour film of family, ambition, power, and morality, and is as entertaining a historical recreation as it gets. It stars "The Wire"'s John Doman and is written by Tom Fontana, the creator of Oz. I'm telling you, seek out Borgia and watch the first season as a single, long movie. If you like historical fiction, you will not have a better experience. The whole thing can be found on Netflix streaming, so check it out holmes!!!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:32 p.m. CST

  kingofabigdeal - besides moonrise kingdom, not 1 fucking movie on that list can be used to call Nordling a hipster, and the HOBBIT SUCKED ASS YOU DICKSLAP

  by wannabedirector

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:43 p.m. CST

  the most overrated movies 2012

  by Nobody26

  - cloud atlas: bad make up, too long, boring...like "wetten das", mr. hanks. - the cabin in the woods: you can hear "lost" all over the movie, way overhyped & predictable. - looper: logic? not in this one. - prometheus: looks fantastic, but at the end...what a mess.no one cares about boring and needless questions, ya know. - tdkr: nolan hates batman, i guess & warner is playing safe here.harry was right. - dredd: ok, not bad at all, but after "the raid"...meh. just my 2 cent´s

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:52 p.m. CST

  Still haven't seen some of the movies on this list...but glad that -

  by kenchun24

  - The Raid,Holy Motors,Avengers,Cabin In The Woods,Argo,Looper,The Grey,The Master made it.I liked those movies. And will definitely check out the ones I did not see that Nord recommends in Killer Joe,Lincoln,Cloud Atlas and especially Antiviral (premise sounds creepy). Guess I'll check out Goon right now for shits and giggles since it's on Netflix instant.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:55 p.m. CST

  20** was a great year for movies

  by Amy Chasing

  can anyone remember the last time a reviewer on this site said the year _wasn't_ a great year for movies? <P> I enjoyed plenty of movies this year, but I have to say I had the most fun with John Carter. Wouldn't say it was a great movie though.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:56 p.m. CST

  You put the Liam Neeson fistfights wolves movie on your top twenty list and expect to be taken seriously?

  by Fries Against

  Whatever, Tardling.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 8:58 p.m. CST

  Cloud Atlas at number 1

  by Robert Hand

  all credibility lost

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9 p.m. CST

  Worst Movie of the Year list are good cuzz...

  by Art

  We know what to avoid, and have a better idea of u taste in movies (excuse my english)

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:01 p.m. CST

  No Hobbit?

  by ghost_matt

  Hobbit was the best moviegoing experience I've had all year. To have a Top 20 and to not have The Hobbit even anywhere on there makes me not think too much of this list.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:04 p.m. CST

  i gotta say you should do a shit list.......

  by paul lester

  and my first up there would be the dark knight rises............utter horse shit.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:14 p.m. CST

  I am glad I am not the only one who liked Avengers better than Dark knight...

  by KevinMuller

  Good Call, bro

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:17 p.m. CST

  The Perks of Being a Wallflower

  by Jaka

  That's the one movie I saw this year and loved that I think is going to be left off all of these lists. Absolutely loved it. <p> As far as this list goes, it seems solid enough. I haven't seen a couple of them yet, but I'm definitely surprised (pleasantly) by a some of the films that didn't make it. <p> I'll be back to this later (because these are some of my favorite AICN talkbacks each year) but for the record, I don't think there can be any 'wrong' films on these lists. It's 'Nordling's List', not 'Nordling Telling You That These Are The 20 Best Films Of The Year'. These are just his personal 20 favorites. And everybody else had better get their lists ready!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:18 p.m. CST

  fyi, Entertainment Weekly named HITCHCOCK as their worst film of the year

  by TheSeeker7

  WTF? Granted, I've still not yet seen it myself, but I have a great bit of difficulty imagining it could've been THAT bad. They also named Hyde Park On Hudson as #3 worst.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:22 p.m. CST

  Flight was Amazing

  by TheJudger

  Shocked to see Roberts name at the end titles. I had a drinking problem. Others in my family have had or continue to have drug problems. The scene with the other fridge, Comeone now everyone thought, he's gonna give it up. Then boom.... Damn... But in the end he made peace got clean got free. And i love how John Goodmans character is always rocking the stones in his ears. The song in the elevator was perfect as well.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:28 p.m. CST

  thejudger, Flight was great.

  by P

  But ya kind of gave the movie away there, no?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:31 p.m. CST

  THE RAID is the best of 2012 on my list

  by zillabeast

  Granted, have yet to see Django. Cloud Atlas would fall someplace between 20-15 for me. Batman and Bond both top 5.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:35 p.m. CST

  Totally agree that the grossly misleading advertising for The Grey has blinded people from how good it is

  by Nasty In The Pasty

  I, thankfully, saw not so much as a TV spot before seeing it last January, just knowing it had Liam Neeson, a plane crash, and wolves, and was pretty much blown away. Then I went online to join discussions about it, and heard everyone bitching about the lack of "wolf-punching", and I was like, WTF? Then I watched the trailer on YouTube and winced. For me, The Grey was like a Jack London story brought to life...brawny, engrossing and ultimately moving. It's gonna be one of those word-of-mouth rental perennials in the years to come.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:38 p.m. CST

  HOLY MOTORS

  by Logan_1973

  What a piece of shit film. You can't have an ambiguous story without some sort of solid ending/explanation for the weirdness. The only person in the world who understands it is the director; it's like an inside joke that only he gets. Anyone who says that they get it is full of shit. Top 3 of the year for me 3. AVENGERS 2. MOONRISE KINGDOM 1. ARGO

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:40 p.m. CST

  brightgeist = the dogs bollocks

  by DrMorbius

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:40 p.m. CST

  OK, I'll be lucky if I can fit in one theatrical film next week. So which should I see, Django or the Hobbit?

  by P

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:41 p.m. CST

  spmahn

  by Logan_1973

  That's a naive attitude. Some of the best films every year are limited releases.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:42 p.m. CST

  Watch BORGIA on Netflix Streaming!! Best film of the year by far!! Not the Jeremy Irons Showtime one. The European version that is on Netflix. Do it! Get er done!

  by Ryan Dawson

  I'm willing to bet nobody on this entire board has seen it! I'm telling you the story it tells is better than all this assorted dreck. Yes it was technically on television but I really don't see how its quality differs from a theatrically released film. In fact, because it has 12 hours to tell a story instead of only 2, it is much more dense and novelistic. Borgia is one of the best films ever created illuminating history and politics, amongst other potent themes. It brings the vivid corruption of the Renaissance into masterful focus. Remember, don't watch the awful Showtime version with Jeremy Irons; watch the Euro version produced in English by Tom Fontana. Watch it and tell me that it doesn't deserve a place on best film of the year lists!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 9:47 p.m. CST

  HOLY MOTORS??

  by catfishdave

  I agree with many of your choices, but HOLY MOTORS? Holy shit, I'm not sure I despised a movie more during 2012 than that one... I know that I'm in the minority here, but wow, sometimes I can despise a movie but still I'm able to see what people like about it...not so for this piece of pretentious nonsense!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 10 p.m. CST

  Zero Dark Thirty garbage? Fist fighting wolves?

  by Junior Frenger

  Nothing brings out sub-moronic douchebags out of the wood work like an AICN talkback. It really is astonishing the level of idiots these threads attract.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 10:11 p.m. CST

  Lost me at CLOUD ATLAS

  by Stifler's Mom

  The most ambitious movie of the year, no doubt. But the ambition fails short. Time Magazine nailed it when they said that some of the storylines just wouldn't be that interesting if they were laid out chronologically. The 1970's Halle Berry as journalist detective storyline for example, was cheesy and unnecessary. Other storylines seem truncated and rushed- even for a three movie movie. Upon first viewing, I was impressed and a little overwhelmed, but the movie falls apart on closer examination.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 10:13 p.m. CST

  Goon -- very good flick!

  by dp4m

  I travelled a lot -- a LOT -- between late-July and early-October and my last leg was a trip to Hong Kong via Seoul. The return flight was leaving HK at 0045 and landing at Seoul around 4:30 - 5 am and I fully intended to sleep that leg, except I put on Goon as filler before we were taxiing -- couldn't stop watching. All of the performances in the film were amazing.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 10:14 p.m. CST

  Treacle? trying way too hard to use grown up words!

  by Matt Schlotman

  Give me a break already

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 10:22 p.m. CST

  [sweet but not treacle] is a perfectly sensible phrase, and frankly only a complete and utter embarrassment of an idiot would try and criticize that at all, let alone amidst the miasma of poor writing that is AICN

  by golden tribw

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 10:23 p.m. CST

  Nordling...WORST of Lists are needed

  by The Angriest Planet

  Frankly "Worst of" Lists are more interesting to read. And as the creatives and execs read all this stuff...they deserve to get a year end reminder of what they should try to avoid doing in the future.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 10:29 p.m. CST

  Perks of Being a Wallflower

  by maelstrom_ZERO

  I'm not qualified to judge how good this movie is comparatively, since I don't watch many movies to begin with. But for what it's worth, no movie has ever moved me emotionally as much as Perks did. It's probably just a personal thing, but IMO it managed to capture the desperation, angst, and awkwardness of growing up almost perfectly.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 10:41 p.m. CST

  The Grey

  by werewolfbynight

  I found The Grey to be an enjoyable film. With one serious flaw. Wolves do not attack people. Thats why I have to write this film off as pure hyperbole. Wolves dont kill people, werewolves do. If this had been a werewolf film, it would be one of my favorite films. Ever. Maybe a little too similar to Dog Soldiers but at least it would have been honest.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 10:51 p.m. CST

  You lost me at AVENGERS. Not saying I hated it, but best films of the year good? Really??

  by RedJester

  This is one of those, "You know you are on a comic book nerd site if" type of things. In this case being, "if the Avengers made the sites Top Ten List."

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 10:55 p.m. CST

  Great list

  by proevad

  God bless you for not putting The Hobbit on it. I haven't seen Cloud Atlas--and I would have moved up Zero Dark Thirty, Argo, and The Master nearer to the top but I can't bitch about that list. Props for putting Cabin on it. People forget how well made that thing was.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 11 p.m. CST

  AVENGERS

  by Logan_1973

  I've seen close to 50 movies in the theatre this year, and AVENGERS was the only one where the entire audience was leaping out of their seats in joy and excitment; it was like being at the Super Bowl for chrissakes. That's a rare experience at the theatre. A movie that has that type of effect on people deserves a top 10 position.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 11:05 p.m. CST

  No Dredd, no cred.

  by BiggusDickus

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 11:15 p.m. CST

  Thoughts

  by Miyamoto_Musashi

  Sadly a lot of them I have yet to see as not yet released in Japan. Still to see; Looper, Cloud Atlas, The Master, Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty, Killing them Softly, Life of Pi and Lincoln and yet to see the Hobbit. From what I have seen The Dark Knight Rises Argo Skyfall The Avengers Prometheus The Impossible The Raid Redemption Headhunters Cabin in the Woods Margin Call The first two for me were clearly my favourites for the year and either of them could be my favourite.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 11:24 p.m. CST

  The Curse of Prometheus and TDKR

  by ScaryJim

  Before these two movies came out i hadn't been so jazzed about big budget film making since Alien 4 (I was 16 and hadn't yet seen it). I'd been so hyped, even though for a good few years I've not been that interested in big films- but with The Dark Knight paving the way for TDKR being amazing and Prometheus - an idea i just thought would be IMPOSSIBLE to fail on, I was very hyped. Also this year I had a plan to emigrate to NZ which hinged on selling my house in the UK to tie up loose ends - two days before I was due to complete on the house sale I went to see Prometheus as a mini celebration - I've never been so disappointed in my life, I bitched on here like a whiny bitch, i fought tooth and nail with people and i hadn't done that for 10 years. I wrote shitty reviews, I told my friends on facebook how shitty it was and the taste of shit filled my brain with negativity. Then my house sale fell through and somehow I blamed Prometheus for being shit, it had permeated my actual life with it's shitness- I convinced myself. After a month of sitting waiting for my house to sell it did again in august - I had to complete by the end of August to get my flight on sept 1st - I'd given my notice at work, my girlfriend had already started her job in NZ, my dog was booked for quarantine and her jabs etc had been scheduled over the months , everything had to line up for Sept 1st. So in August Batman comes out 'I should see that' i think to myself , then I think, hang on- this is the same situation I was in when i saw Prometheus and I'll start shitting myself if Batmans rubbish because I'd convinced myself. So I didn't. The house completed the week before September, and a couple of weeks ago I saw Batman . It was shit.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 11:33 p.m. CST

  My top ten list:

  by RedJester

  1. Beasts of the Southern Wild 2. The Master 3. Amour 4. Lincoln 5. Killing Them Softly 6. Argo 7. Rust and Bone 8. The Imposter 9. Skyfall 10. Moonrise Kingdom Movies that almost made the list: Arbitrage Dark Knight The Grey Movies that might make my list once I see them: Deep Blue Sea Django Unchained The Hobbit Zero Dark Thirty Life of Pi Silver Lining Playbook To The Wonder My "I want to see more movies like yours because it was unique and brilliant, but it also is too deeply flawed to make my top ten list" list: Holy Motors Cloud Atlas Cosmopolis Prometheus

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 11:43 p.m. CST

  where

  by godhelpus

  is life of pi

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 21, 2012, 11:47 p.m. CST

  it was almost awe inspiring how bad Prometheus was

  by Simpsonian

  I kept trying to switch gears and enjoy it on a "b-movie", so-bad-it's-good way, but that didn't work either....

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, midnight CST

  People on this site seem to confuse, "Didn't meet my lofty expectations" with "The worst thing I have ever seen" a lot.

  by RedJester

  It's like hyperbole, the flock mentality, and the game of telephone all mixed into one big exaggeration fest.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:16 a.m. CST

  Hobbit was the best BBC TV Movie of 2012

  by schlockthemonkey

  Or at least the 48fps version of it.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:18 a.m. CST

  **********Grey sucked ass.

  by Punisherthunder

  We all wanted to see him wrestle that fucking wolf. Who gives a shit about his spirituality?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:21 a.m. CST

  Disappointing year IMO

  by TBYITBSITBH

  granted I haven't seen a few of those yet, notably The Master and Moonrise Kingdom - both of which I hope to enjoy - but as good as Argo, Killer Joe, Looper, and The Cabin In The Woods were, they all kinda disappointed me to some degree. I guess I was set up for disappointment with Cabin cos it was so hyped for so long, plus I know I'm in the minority for thinking it fairly lightweight and average anyway, but yep. IMO it didn't explore or deconstruct the tropes of horror movies much more than the original poster's taglines did, so that sucked. And it almost could've been a TV pilot, it felt so slight and just...THERE. **SPOILERS*** why did they kill off so many of the main characters so fast? it felt like the movie had no middle, just a setup and last act...that's how it felt to me, anyway. Killer Joe was fine I guess as a character piece and as a canvass for Matthew Mcconaughey to do his thing, which was nasty fun, but there wasn't much of a story there, no character to really root for, and ultimately we've seen that sort of stuff done as well or better in various episodes of cable tv shows. Looper contradicts it's own internal logic (and no I don't wanna argue about it haha), but that basically ruins a time-travel movie for me Argo...fine, but nothing spectacular, and what WAS exciting was as big a departure from the real life events as you could imagine None of them were bad - don't wanna commit the fallacy redjester refers to above - they were all decent movies, but none of them stood out to me as great TDKR also was a bit of a disappointment, if also v good and obviously had too much to live up to, Prometheus is the only movie I've ever seen with that sheer level of craft and care that made you wanna like it so badly but with a plot that 99% of straight-to-dvd movies would be embarrassed by. I mean it was like someone gave Scott all the money he wanted and an Asylum movie script to direct The Avengers was fucking awesome and was the anti-disappointment, cos I was hopeful but so worried it'd be a fuckup - probably cos of studio interference; they NEVER let whedon just do his thing, why would they this time? But they did, and it worked, and is probly best movie of the year for me, from what I've so far seen... Oh and The Grey was above average and would make my top 10 too, but saying that, I think it says something about this year that The Grey would make my top 10, solid as it is...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:24 a.m. CST

  p.s. greek flick Alps

  by TBYITBSITBH

  also disappointed me :( was really keen to see that flick after loving Dogtooth. Really, this year was set up IMO as being one of the best years for film ever, from independents to blockbusters, but it doesn't feel that way now

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:28 a.m. CST

  oh miyamoto_musashi thanks for mentiong Headhunters

  by TBYITBSITBH

  yeah that's way up on my best of for this year too, that was really good. Ok i'll stop posting now

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:53 a.m. CST

  way to suck Zero Dark Thirty's dick

  by georgecauldron

  Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal’s script does what every great piece of journalism does – it seeks the truth, no matter how painful it might be.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:30 a.m. CST

  Avengers definitely most entertaining movie this year

  by Troy

  Cloud Atlas was transcendent, risky and great. Felt valedictory from the Wachowski's and Twyker in terms of their careers to date too. So many I still need to see to judge the whole year. Moonlight Kingdom is definitely top-5, Django was both entertaining and great filmmaking, Quentin's directing might edge him over Joss's script (best this year. It's harder to write a good superhero movie than a weeper. That's why there are so few good ones), but hard to say which is THE best. I know I need to see Holy Motors to decide...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:51 a.m. CST

  Goon and Cloud Atlas will make my worst-of list.

  by cinemixtape.com

  Most of the people that didn't like Cloud Atlas understood it just fine. It's just pretentious garbage. Also, Zero Dark Thirty is mediocre. Movies that will likely make my top 10 - Flight, Magic Mike, Amour, Life Of Pi. Also, I still can't believe how many people loved The Avengers. I was as disappointed in it as I've been by anything in years.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:58 a.m. CST

  Argo is just a TV Movie. Think about it.

  by alex

  How can someone put it in a best movies of the year list is beyond me.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:03 a.m. CST

  Good list with the exception of cloud atlas, which was complete crap in my opinion

  by theblackvegtable

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:09 a.m. CST

  The Raid is my no 1 film of the year.

  by Sean

  I agree with about 40% of that list. Some I haven't seen. If it were my list, Chronicle and God Bless America would be on it. Finally...it says a lot that EVEN as a MASSIVE Batman, Spidey and Alien saga fan, I STILL DO NOT KNOW what I think of The Dark Knight Rises, Amazing Spider-Man and Prometheus.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:17 a.m. CST

  Safety Not Guaranteed

  by UP_UP_AND_AWAY

  Definitely my favorite. Can't believe it hasn't been mentioned once.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:19 a.m. CST

  The only reason TIME declared Cloud Atlas to be the worst film of the year was to desperately try and gain attention.

  by brokentusk

  Cloud Atlas was worse than Jack and Jill or Battleship, to give two random examples? Give me a break. It's a travesty that a magazine as popular and intelligent as TIME can take down a film that at least TRIED to be different, regardless of whether or not you believe it failed or achieved its goals.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:21 a.m. CST

  I see Jack and Jill was released last year, replace it with That's My Boy and my point still stands.

  by brokentusk

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:24 a.m. CST

  Safety Not Guaranteed

  by Dataset

  Has to be in my top ten.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:25 a.m. CST

  the major problem with THE GREY...

  by Still_A_Lostie

  is that it attacks the concept of God and faith as mere fancy WHILE ALSO asking us to completely accept the fancy of wolves acting like monsters and hunting down people one by one. So in other words the filmmakers are saying, "Don't accept anything unless you can empirically validate it exists, but ignore the fact that our wolves act like werewolves because it's only a movie." Big pill to swallow. Sorry Mr. Carnahan, but you didn't really think through what you were trying to say.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:27 a.m. CST

  WOLFPUNCHER was Neeson's best acting, though.

  by Still_A_Lostie

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:28 a.m. CST

  Regarding The Grey:

  by brokentusk

  I see the "wolves don't attack people therefore the entire movie is worthless" contingent have arrived. A movie is more than the details and if you can't get past certain choices that are made purely so the story could work, well, it's your loss. You're the type of people who love to hold court with friends explaining how The Shawshank Redemption is a terrible movie because prisoners in the 1940s wore different shoes than the ones shown in the movie.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:30 a.m. CST

  Good list

  by Industrious Angel

  some of them I haven't yet seen because they got no release here (this week BeastsotSW finally opens) but from those I saw, good choices. I completely share the love for "Cloud Atlas", such an anti-cynical story and not ashamed of it! 20 is a small list, so TDKR or Skyfall would porobably deserve a place on a "30 best"-list - can't have everything. Actually, "Avengers" was forgettable but really entertaining in an easy bubblegum way, maybe the best superhero-movie to date in that it catches the spirit of the sh-comics. Whoever thinks "The Hobbit 1" deserves a place here is not thinking straight, this is just the opening act of a much longer story that cannot be judged until it's told - this part places us exactly in the middle of nowhere, story-wise, but in an agreeable way (I really liked it).

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:42 a.m. CST

  No Dredd?

  by mark howard

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:46 a.m. CST

  brokentusk

  by Still_A_Lostie

  Nah. I like scary stories with wolves attacking people. You completely missed the point of what I said. Go back and read it again. And SHAWSHANK is a fucking awesome movie I live in awe of.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:56 a.m. CST

  The Avengers is this generation's Raiders.

  by Volllllume3

  It really is THAT good. You can replace The Raid by Dredd too.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 3:14 a.m. CST

  Cloud Atlas gave new meaning to the word "boredom". So, yes, a well-deserved first place.

  by The Comrade

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 3:14 a.m. CST

  Goon

  by peter_dickinson

  Nice to see Goon get some love. Watched this on a recommendation from a friend, expected absolutely nothing, and was really entertained. I normally don't like sports flicks, but damn if I just didn't want to TEAR IT UP after watching Doug the Thug bring the pain.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 3:40 a.m. CST

  The avengers overhype continues...

  by niven

  ...i find it quite hypocritical that people trash on bayformers, but they jizz all over the avengers, where they are practically the same thing, over cgi-ed light popcorn flicks, of course one has a stigma of being directed by a director that many consider one of the worst (he is far from that, im sure most people could list 20 directors they'd rather not see over him) and the other is directed by a geek tv darling, adapting a comic book almost to a t, because you know, who cares about plot, or depth or good action scenes as long as everything is exactly the same as the comic books...then it should be great. And people complain that big bang theory looks down upon geek culture...probably because most of us deserve to get looked down upon.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 3:42 a.m. CST

  oh and cloud atlas...

  by niven

  ...bored me to tears, the book had the stream of consciousness on the page, you could get into their head and see what they were thinking, it made you care about these people. The film forgot to make up for that (as all good adaptations should) so you just get a bunch of lifeless puppets blaring out lines in the most dense, overlong and plodding film ever. Completely done without any sort of skill whatsoever.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 3:46 a.m. CST

  johnblake

  by theblackvegtable

  If I could 'like' your posts I would. Well said sir.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 3:48 a.m. CST

  Yeah! Joining the love for GOON.

  by Walterego

  It's a lot more than a sports film, though it's the best sports film I've seen in a long time, it's a romantic film too, much like the way the first Rocky was. It's also really funny too, though I really liked how Sean William Scott played the role straight, as one of the most sincere characters I've seen in quite a while. It's like if Forrest Gump's talent was taking a punch instead of running. Really a heartfelt performance which works well instead of coming off corny because the characters he's surrounded by are so cynical and jaded. Another comparison would be James Gunn's SUPER, but not as dark. I really think anyone could love this film, especially women, except the unfamiliarity of hockey in the States inhibits them. This is a great date film, except with somewhat more bloody fistfights than date movies usually have..

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 4:11 a.m. CST

  No Dredd?

  by RocketFuckingMan

  criminal.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 4:59 a.m. CST

  Jon Favreau's Twitter picture is very Star Wars. ;)

  by Hardboiled Wonderland

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 5:40 a.m. CST

  Best of lists

  by hspahr

  I love best of lists - I've refilled my Netflix queue which was getting pretty short. Thanks!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 6:15 a.m. CST

  Avengers is awful

  by johnnyg korrupt

  Still at a loss to explain why so many morons like the Avengers? Was it the fact it had no story at all and was a cgi crapfest? The lowest common demominator of filmaking. Dark Knight at least had a story and a message. Sorry for you all it had 10 minute blocks with no cgi. Pay your 10 bucks to go see the same marvel movie over and over again. Talk/cgi/lame joke/cgi/lame joke. If thats the best you can offer...they sure don't make movies like they used too. Sigh.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 6:29 a.m. CST

  Hobbit and Skyfall are both better than any movie on this list

  by HornOrSilk

  Even Safety Not Guaranteed is better than a lot on this list. Some of this list are really, really bad. Starting with #1, Cloud Atlas. Blah. Bleh. Crapola. Moonrise Kingdom? Another craptastic movie. I don't get why anyone likes a movie which basically is kiddy porn - and yes, you can say "well kids are like that" but they are not told to play it on film. And yes, when they act it out, it's kiddy porn. "Touch her breast." Sorry. Crap and people involved with this film should be punished for it.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 6:33 a.m. CST

  Not saying Cloud Atlas was horrible but #1 really?!?!

  by TallScott

  Props for giving some indi picts some love but putting Cloud Atlas as number one seems kinda trollish to me. But hey everyone has a opnion

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:02 a.m. CST

  ....er!

  by Mr Underhill

  Perks of being a Wallflower is a great movie. Looper doesn't work. Hobbit may be a bit long winded for those who don't love the material, but should still be in the top 20. Cloud Atlas - still hasn't been released in the UK as far as I know, which I regret.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:11 a.m. CST

  Including the Raid in any best of list shows how stupid you are. I just saw it yesterday and MY GOD, what a horrible movie!!! It was boring as fuck.

  by MariusXe

  Not even the action was good. It was some heavily choreographed stuff, that I have seen done better in a lot of other movies. The shootouts were fucking laughable! Watch Hard Boiled, if you want to see eastern action cinema done right. And yes, I don't commetn on the story or the acting because there was none of both. What a fucking overrated piece of shit. Honestly, one of the most dissapointing movies I have watched in my life.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:11 a.m. CST

  my $0.02 about Cloud Atlas

  by Chariowalda_Barbarossa

  As a German movie geek I'm quite fond of Tom Tykwer and maybe consider him the best of "our" directors. If you watch his international productions PERFUME, THE INTERNATIONAL and the awesome HEAVEN you'll find there's a consistnet quality and elegance to his filmmaking. <br /><br /> So I was looking forward to his next film quite a bit. Found it a bit annoying that the media focus was mainly on the Matrix siblings with Tykwer being the third wheel and the director of RUN LOLA,Run only. Then, when that long trailer hit, I was completely hyped up. <br /><br /> Thought the novel might well be worth reading before the movie hits, so I read it. I do that sometimes when I think a possible good read might be lost forever or severely diminished by an upcoming movie. And it was a damned fine book. Other than the film it has a "shell within a shell within.." structure, starting with half the Pacific Journal story, the post-apocalypse in the middle, then going all the way back to the Pacific. Maybe at the beginning the Pacific one drags a little, but it gets much better. The composer, future and post-apocalypse are especially memorable. Actually, if you at least somewhat liked the film, I think you might still enjoy the novel because it has so much more to give. <br /><br /> In the film all stories are much shortened and simplified. Obviously, as even close to the three hour mark you got less than half an hour per story. The stories that imho suffer most from this are the ones of Frobisher, the young composer and Sonmi, the clone waitress. The film Frobisher is comparatively two dimensional and his gay advance towards to old composer for me was the single biggest WTF?! of the movie. the Somni story was somewhat dumbed down and immensely actioned up. All those chases and 'splosions. Lesser flaws were the occasional bad make-up job, the over emphasis of the reincarnation idea and the somewhat happyfied endings. <br /><br /> Thats not to say I didn't like the film, quite the contrary. I was amazed at how elegantly the intercutting of the many stories worked. Although I may not be the best judge for that; having just read the book I couldn't have problems following the different stories. Generally the characters were quite well protrayed, the right emotional chords struck, production design, photography and music were beautiful. <br /><br /> In conclusion Cloud Atlas was one big highlight of my movie year, though it's definitely not flawless. It benefitted much from David Mitchell's novel leaving me hungry for all the good stuff the film delivered. Probably wouldn't award it the number one spot though. <br /><br /> On a sidenote, TDKR and Prometheus only really grew on me when I revisited them on BluRay. Giving them a second chance with your former preconceptions and expectations savely stored away may not be a waste of time.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:13 a.m. CST

  And Avengers was good, but doesn't hold up on repeated viewings. Loved it in the cinema, but was pretty bored by it on Blu.

  by MariusXe

  It looks like a TV pilot, just with muuuuuuuuch more money on the screen. Again, I like it, but MY GOD, does it get overhyped to DEATH.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:16 a.m. CST

  Loved Cloud Atlas, At Least Someone is Attempting Transcendence.

  by Crow3711

  The middle segment, where the two young men meet in a dream and smash delicate China, talking about the destruction of convention.....holy shit. Good on you Nordling.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:41 a.m. CST

  Now THAT'S a fucking list!

  by Robert Evans

  Though I would definitely have TDKR on there.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:42 a.m. CST

  Cloud Atlas truly is the best film this year

  by Robert Evans

  One of those films that wil be appreciated more and more in years to come.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:48 a.m. CST

  Who's the mongoloid who said that Cloud Atlas wouldn't be interesting if told chronologically?

  by Robert Evans

  That's (part of) the brilliance of it! It dives into six timelines and juggles them effortlessly. It truly is an editing masterpiece. you know another film that is shitty when told chronologically? The Godfather Part II. Filmmakers shouldn't have to make it easy for the audience. And telling a story in the most generic way is not what Tykver and the Wachowskis are about with Cloud Atlas.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:49 a.m. CST

  Avengers is a generic summer blockbuster.

  by Gary Makin

  I can't imagine rewatching it very often.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:50 a.m. CST

  My Favorite 22 films of 2012 - hint, lots of The...

  by AntonStark

  The Hobbit The Avengers The Raid The Grey The Boune Legacy (despite ending) The Dictator The Amazing Spiderman The Dark Knight Rises (loved ending) Safe House John Carter Cabin In The Woods Prometheus Brave Ted Moonrise Kingdom Dredd Looper Seven Psychopaths (despite epilogue) Cloud Atlas Sky fall Rise of the Guardians Jack Reacher I expect djando to be 23.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:57 a.m. CST

  Spahm

  by Robert Evans

  Many many films (vying for oscar attention) for many many years do a limited release in NY and LA for consideration and then expand. That's how it's worked for a while now and with VOD it might become easier for you to see arty films in your future.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 8 a.m. CST

  I liked Cabin in the Woods, but it's basically one of those Star Trek episodes where the holodeck malfunctions.

  by Gary Makin

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 8:37 a.m. CST

  Hobbit & Dark Knight Rises missing in top 10

  by Rtobert

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 8:41 a.m. CST

  No Hobbit. No Dredd.

  by elsewhere

  Shame on you!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 8:41 a.m. CST

  About Hobbit

  by Jeespox

  Anyone who thinks Hobbit was one of the years best films, should watch more movies. Mediocrity come to life, that's what the Hobbit was.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9 a.m. CST

  AVENGERS good, not great.

  by Frat Boy

  The second act was painfully boring.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:04 a.m. CST

  The reason Cloud Atlas is the worst film of the year

  by Bobo_Vision

  It fails on a grander and more epic scale than other bad films like Jack and Jill or Battleship. Also, when you go to an Adam Sandler movie, you know what to expect and it doesn't pretend to be anything other than stupid shit. Cloud Atlas pretends to be a sophisticated film about intertwining lives with a transcendent message about life, karma, and reincarnation....but it is does not deliver. The films many stories are not related whatsoever apart from the fact that the same actors are playing different characters. The last 3/4's of the film are shown with a backdrop of music that sounds like the scene, and the film, is about to climax and finish....but the movie just keeps going on and on and on and on. The films many supposed elements are nothing more than gimmicks, and sex, violence and some explosions are thrown in to make the film more palatable to American audiences, yet the film still manages to be stale and dull. Then there is the odd use of yellow-face and mongoloid eyes. Yeeesh. Al Jolson rolls over in his grave. If you want a film that delivers these elements successfully (sans the artificial yellowface)...watch the Japanese film, Accuracy of Death.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:19 a.m. CST

  Dark Knight Rises Is Not EVen Close to Top Ten This Year

  by Crow3711

  It was a great flick. But there are WAY more than ten better films this year. More than 20 even. It was a good year.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:21 a.m. CST

  Avengers was a live action comic film, point blank

  by terry1978

  That is what Joss gave us, and that alone warrants the acclaim it got. Every other movie tried to do the whole "grounded in reality" shtick.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:24 a.m. CST

  Dark Knight Rises was a tedious mess

  by mooli_mooli

  Incoherent, illogical, occasionally beautifully shot, totally overwrought, overlong. A dull misfire.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:27 a.m. CST

  Thoughts on: The Raid, Looper, Argo, Avengers, and Cloud Atlas

  by KevinMuller

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:33 a.m. CST

  Cloud Atlas...

  by pr0g2west

  Is a perfect example of a movie that divides people. Those that love it, and those that hate it. Those that hate it can't understand why people could love it, and vice verca. What a sad society we live in, where people can't understand and appreciate another's point of view. You are all sheep!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:33 a.m. CST

  Hit enter before I could type something...

  by KevinMuller

  The Raid: really enjoyed this film. It reminded me of something from the hay day of 80's action. Looper: Johnson's best film because it did something so unique. It made you decide who the hero or villain was. Both Levitt's and Willis's goals were understandable and reasonable. Argo: Don't get me wrong, I liked it a lot, but just not as much as everyone else did. I still think "Gone Baby Gone" is Affleck's best film as a director. That said, I think this is going to be one of those years at the Oscars where the best director and best film winners will not match. I definitely think he is getting it this year. Avengers: The definition of a summer blockbuster done right. Sure, it isn't Shakespeare, but it is genuine and has a ton of heart. Cloud Atlas: Personally, it is between this film and "The Master" for my personal choice. I still have to see everything coming out Christmas Day and "Zero Dark Thirty". "Cloud Atlas" is so ambitious and reminds me of when films used to take risks. It is such a ballsy film that I knew would flop and divide people. It is also beautifully made and really hits you hard when it is done.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:40 a.m. CST

  Believing in transcendence is not the same as attempting to project it

  by Batmanster

  which is why Tree of Life is greater than Cloud Atlas. Not that atheism isn't still cool/stylish.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:41 a.m. CST

  my favorites

  by ghost_matt

  I don't feel like I can make a complete list yet, since I haven't seen Les Mis or Lincoln, or many of the others. But currently these are my favorites: The Hobbit The Avengers Cabin in the Woods The Dark Knight Rises Les Mis will probably end up taking the #2 spot after I see it. And Lincoln and Django Unchained will probably end up somewhere in there too when I see them.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:52 a.m. CST

  Les Mis will probably end up taking the #2 spot after I see it.

  by proevad

  Not trying to be a dick--but wtf does that even mean? How does that work exactly? You psychic AND gay?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 9:55 a.m. CST

  Avengers and Batman

  by MJAYACE

  I am just happy to have both. How about the fact that people take the time, spend the money to put this on the screen at all? Kind of like the fact I am happy to get more Star Wars on the screen again, regardless if its not "perfect" in my mind. Its about the joy of the experience, seeing it with your kids, or someone who hasn't experienced it before. Didn't any of you guys read The Outsiders for christ sakes in high school? "Stay Golden Ponyboy" look it up if you don't know what it means. Thanks for the list Nordling. My only pisser is I am too fricking busy to see 3/4 of this stuff...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 10:20 a.m. CST

  Nordling, could you start a thread about the X-Files? In the last episode, Agent Mulder discovers the date of ALIEN COLONIZATION on 12/22/2012! That's today!

  by Stereotypical Evil Archer

  I just thought it would be nice to have a little X-Files thread in remembrance of of the series and movies, although I don't really want to remember that last movie.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 10:25 a.m. CST

  Stop worshipping the Tywker of now. LOLA RENNT, DER KRIEGER UND DIE KAISERIN, DIE TÖDLICHE MARIA, WINTERSCHLÄFER ... those are good films. But his international output sucks.

  by The Comrade

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 10:28 a.m. CST

  AVENGERS is nice. And that's it. It has made much money, sure, but it's neither as visually exhilarating as AVATAR nor as deep as TDKR. I won't watch it again, like most of the Marvel fodder.

  by The Comrade

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 10:31 a.m. CST

  Besides, JOSS WHEDON is not important for AVENGERS. With another director/screenwriter who can write one-liners it would still have come out on top.

  by The Comrade

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 10:37 a.m. CST

  My Top Eight

  by SifoDyasJr

  1. Silver Linings Playbook 2. Lincoln 3. Robot & Frank 4. The Avengers 5. Cabin in the Woods 6. Skyfall 7. Blue Like Jazz 8. Moonrise Kingdom It's a good bet that Argo, Les Miserables, and Django Unchained will join this list when I get to see them and possibly a couple of other releases that will cross over into 2013 for Oscar purposes. Even though The Master had awesome performances, I just didn't like the overall film, so for the first time a PTA film doesn't make the cut. Also a rare Pixar-less year--Brave was good, but not great. The Hobbit, DKR, Wreck-it Ralph, Amazing Spider-man, and Cloud Atlas were all disappointing, imo.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 11:01 a.m. CST

  The mentality of a teenager

  by 9000rpm

  Anyone who begins their column with "it's my fucking list" is someone who's opinion is irrelevant to me. Nordling is someone who shits with the bathroom door open, picks his nose at the dinner table, swears in front of his grandparents, and sends pictures of himself masturbating to his special friends, in other words, someone with the mentality of a teenager.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 11:12 a.m. CST

  Bobo

  by Robert Evans

  If you didn't see how the timelines in Cloud Atlas intertwined, I really can't help you. And the yellow face argument is moot. Having the same company play the principals is a reflection of the themes of the film (which you missed apparently) as well as the meta-aspect of an olde theater troupe playing a variety of characters. Stories shape us and can have the power to change who we are and potential can be. If that's too powerful a notion for you to comprehend, I hear Al Pacino is slumming it in a Sandler film filled with sick and fart jokes. I'll take a film that strives for greatness and falters ( and Cloud Atlas did not falter one iota) over a film that barely musters an ounce of originality and is so generic yet fails any day.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 11:26 a.m. CST

  I don't get the GOON love

  by Cpt. Arnoldo

  Even as a huge hockey fan I just don't see what sets that movie apart from other STRAIGHT TO VIDEO dreck

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 11:35 a.m. CST

  The Raid heavily choreographed????

  by Andrew Quinsatt

  Uh Yeah???? It's a movie after all???? That's what a martial arts film consist of is heavily choreographed fights.. Now does the fights look crisp and fluid on screen, and a joy to watch??? The answer would be yes, and did you know the raid is a low budget film that consist of half a million dollars???

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 11:40 a.m. CST

  My best list of 2012

  by Andrew Quinsatt

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 11:46 a.m. CST

  Dercomrade

  by Chariowalda_Barbarossa

  I do like Tykwers german films very much, though I think Lola is somewhat overrated. I just didn't advocate those films because hardly anyone around here would know them or be willing to get to know them. However I do fail to see where Tykwers international output sucks. <br /><br /> Heaven? I honestly don't know what's not to like about that film. Perhaps the ending wasn't in-your-face enough for some folks? <br /><br /> Perfume. My only gripe with that one would be that maybe it followed the novel a little too slavishly. But then that was one of those cases where I grabbed the book just before the movie came out. In that case not for the benefit of the film. <br /><br /> The International. I think what seemed to be this films good luck was in fact its misfortune. By the time it came out, shortly after the sh*t hitting the fan at Lehman Brothers, everybody in the western hemisphere was well aware that banks are evil. Just a very different kind of evil than the bank in the film. Maybe not a huge event movie or one with an impact to change anything in the real world. But imho a very well crafted thriller.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 11:48 a.m. CST

  People claiming Cloud Atlas ripped off The Fountain better check their sources

  by Robert Evans

  The novel came out well before The Fountain. That's like blasting John Carter for ripping Avatar.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:02 p.m. CST

  ahem

  by smylexx

  i also did a top ten list for 2012 which can be found here. feel free to point and laugh. http://www.themusicguruonline.net/

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:09 p.m. CST

  johnnyg korrupt

  by DrMorbius

  Boo Hoo!!! Avengers made Nordlings list, and TDKR sucked hind tit! More's the pity that your arguement reads like ... 'My dad can beat up your dad.' Still at a loss? Probably because you're the moron!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:14 p.m. CST

  Didnt like LOOPER

  by James

  I wanted to, but no. I hated JGL's Bruce Willis make up, and the whole thing on the farm was fucking dull. Just like the whole thing on the farm in THE WALKING DEAD. Filmmakers and showrunners, STOP SPENDING LONG STRETCHES ON FARMS!!! Farms are fucking boring, do you really need me to tell you this shit?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:19 p.m. CST

  @ johnblake RE: Avengers overhype

  by tomquartz

  I agree with you on many things. But where in the flaming blazes is Avengers like ANY comicbook in the world? None of the parts match their comic counterpart, neither in look nor in character. This movie ranks high on my personal "worst comic adaptations" list. Please don't blame the comics for the underwhelmingness of this mess of a movie.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:21 p.m. CST

  "I was worried that the death of Sally Menke may have put him off of filmmaking for good"?!?!!?

  by dryjism

  you've got to be an asshole if you really think so. Quent's gotta eat, shit, he'd let Spongebob's editor work on Django ,puhleez!! Has not done good work since Pulp, fucking face it!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:22 p.m. CST

  choppah, that's the argument I repeatedly hear in support of Cloud Atlas

  by Bobo_Vision

  That Cloud Atlas should be applauded because it aspired to do something different, original, and that the central themes were of a positive nature. Trying and failing deserves no accolades. Do or do not. There is no try. As for the themes in the film being beyond me, that is precisely what I find annoying about the people who adore this film. They believe the themes are very profound and complex and that those who do not like the film could not grasp them. The truth, for me, is the opposite. The themes in this film, much like the themes from an Oprah Winfrey show on spirituality, are borrowed from an Eastern culture I originate from, yet the themes have been dumbed down and white faces have been added so that people who live in the South can enjoy it and not feel threatened by the brown faces who created the terms karma and reincarnation. Want a good example? Nordling did an in-depth essay on another Wachowski brothers (siblings) film....the Matrix and its sequels. He said that the Wachowskis were making a statement on 9/11 with the sequels because of the inclusion of Indian actors. All I can do is shake my head at that, but it's a reality in America, especially in the south. When they see brown faces, they think terrorists. So they cannot accept the notions of karma and reincarnation unless they are simplified and repackaged, and then delivered by the WASP-friendly Tom Hanks....instead of those scary brown faces who remind some people of terrorism. For those who aren't comfortable learning yoga from Indian yogis, there are yoga classes taught by ditzy blondes now....and for those still uncomfortable with the Hindi words used during yoga....there is Christ yoga with Janine Turner. And for those who are uncomfortable (or unfamiliar) with Eastern culture and philosophies because of xenophobia.....there is Cloud Atlas.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:23 p.m. CST

  Anderson movies are your childhood?

  by dryjism

  You must have known a ton of annoying shitheads. Yourself included.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:35 p.m. CST

  Bobo

  by Robert Evans

  But you are applauding DO NOT films over ones that simply TRY. I for one feel that it succeeded in its attempt. And the themes you mention could be considered simple. I'll give you that but the films approach on how it delivered it was anything but. Does every message have to be so strenuously hammered home and/or complex to be understood or cathartic?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:36 p.m. CST

  aremisslake, I wasn't big on it either

  by Mattman

  The midsection was long and uninteresting, imo. I also thought they resorted to the sillier version of time travel that is better left to comedies (person loses arm in the past, notices it vanishing in the 'present'). It had moments, specifically the flash forward through the character's life, but other than that I wasn't impressed.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:37 p.m. CST

  Don't have a problem with most of the choices..

  by Knightvalin

  ...Haven't seen Lincoln or The Raid, yet, am not sure if I'll see Django , simply because I think Mr. Tarantino is one of the most overrated film directors out there... the last movie of his I had any real interest in was Jackie Brown. Basterds bored the hell out of me, and Christoph Waltz was the only reason for sticking it out. I agree that The Avengers should be on this list. its a prime example of a summer popcorn blockbuster with a director at the helm who finally, finally got the keys to the grownups toybox and showed what he could really do. There's been a movement of late to dump all over TDKR....like its now fashionable to do so. The Avengers entertained me; TDKR did that but had so much more on its mind. Think about it. What Chris Nolan got away with in this trilogy was tell a pretty bleak story ( and I count all 3 films as part of one larger story) and made the studio billions of dollars . You want uncompromising artistic vision? its in these films in spades. You get the same thing from Cloud Atlas. I understood the film fine, it just did nothing for me. However, I do agree that we need to have films like this and others on the list to make up for the Spamfilm that Hollywood squeezes out. My personal fave this year? The Grey. By far, a great, raw , unpromising story. I really hope Joe Carnahan can continue making films. Added this one to my other fave of his ( NARC) and it has a performance by Liam Neeson I didn't think he could do anymore, considering the way he's been phoning them in lately. Anyway, as always , interesting to kick around the end of lists...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:38 p.m. CST

  choppah

  by DrMorbius

  Except people were blasting John Carter for ripping Star Wars!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:39 p.m. CST

  "Because it's my fucking list, that's why." Oh brother

  by D.Vader

  Why is Nordling so mad right off the bat?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 12:41 p.m. CST

  "That's right. Deal." Oh brother.

  by D.Vader

  You can tell how much Nordling hates his readers.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:04 p.m. CST

  The Avengers

  by Baryonyx

  Yeah!!!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:07 p.m. CST

  Fuck Time Magazine

  by Steve Lamarre

  The only time I've ever read that crappy rag was in the dentist office waiting room. Great list Nordling!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:07 p.m. CST

  Interesting list, Nordling.

  by Andrew

  I would've moved The Grey up a lot higher. That one really hit home for me. I'm interested in Cloud Atlas, but I don't know if I can sit through a three hour movie that doesn't go anywhere. My tolerance for those kind of films/books is really low. The reviews for it are polarized, so I'm probably gonna wait til video. Cabin in the Woods was also really good. I think it sat on the shelf because the studio didn't know how to market it. Whedon generally does those kind of off-the-wall projects, and seems to run into this all the time. EG- Firefly, Dollhouse.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:09 p.m. CST

  redjester

  by Baryonyx

  The Avengers was a supremely well made film. It's my favorite film of the year. You weren't so impressed? That's okay, we all have our different views.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:21 p.m. CST

  Seeing CABIN IN THE WOODS on this list is funny as hell because, if you take its subtext seriously, it seems like a biting critique of THE AVENGERS. The same ol' rehash of the superhero formula, and the audience bites.

  by The Comrade

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:25 p.m. CST

  Which makes Whedon what? Right, a hypocrite. Telling audiences how gullible they are with CABIN, then ripping them off with THE AVENGERS thanks to their gullibility.

  by The Comrade

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:27 p.m. CST

  Cloud Atlas was the best and worst movie of the year simultaneously.

  by blackmantis

  It's actually pretty astonishing how the movie vacillates between the horrid and the sublime.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:32 p.m. CST

  I'd suspect that Nordling is not a highly intelligent person based on that list

  by Mel

  Holy Motors at #2? Oh, please. That movie stunk. It thought it was clever, but it was really just boring scene after scene of pointless vignettes. It wasn't a movie, it was a music video. People like Nordling think movies are smarter than they are - and in this case, a dumb movie like Holy Motors probaby was enough to trick him into thinking it's brilliant. What does it mean? Cars took over the world and made robots to make the last living people believe that it's business as usual. Yes, that's what this movie is about lol. It's like The Matrix, except not. I haven't seen Cloud Atlas yet, but judging from some other entrees (lol at the avengers being so high) I can only assume it sucks. Also, The Imposter was a very entertaining movie, but if you think there's any TRUTH to the "twist" then you're insane. It was clearly done to rile people up.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:44 p.m. CST

  i love nolanbots

  by john

  waaaaa....how the fuck is the avengers more successful and more fun to watch than our great leader's batshit? waaaaaaaaaaaa maybe its cuz nolan doesnt respect the source material and joss does

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:50 p.m. CST

  *because it's my fucking list, that's why*

  by James

  It's my fucking list, mlehhh! Not yours, mine, mleehh! You against the world, Nordling. You'll show them all.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 1:52 p.m. CST

  my nominees for the two worst docs of 2012

  by john

  obama 2016....a paranoid crapfest made only for fox zombies the road to apartheid. while i understand that docs are made based upon the pov of the director, this movie so subverts history and reality in order to compare israel to apartheid south africa, that it is laughable both of the above are presentations of the psychosis of the far right and far left

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:14 p.m. CST

  Random Thoughts

  by Baron Von Hugenpannts

  Think Argo was a good film but not "best of the year" material. Affleck should not have cast himself since he was really bland in the role. His family sub-plot was really cliche. He tries way too hard to ramp up the suspense in the last half hour that it feels ridiculous (vehicles chasing the plane, urgh)! Nice to nice Goon on the list, thought it was one of the funniest movies in the last 3 years or so. Glad to see some love from a couple of folks about Safety Not Guaranteed. That and Take This Waltz were two indie movies really liked this year.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:28 p.m. CST

  dry_jism... Jackie Brown, Kill Bill or Inglourious Basterds weren't worth a trip to the flicks..?

  by workshed

  Really? Django will be getting my money next week.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:33 p.m. CST

  The Fountain predates Cloud Atlas

  by HornOrSilk

  Study its history

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:33 p.m. CST

  Like Avengers well enough...

  by Bubba Gillman

  ...but am I the only one who thought the last half hour was as generic as action/fantasy movies get? With faceless, ineffectual bad guys who make the storm troopers look like the Red Baron? With at least two incidents of characters jumping off a building in the hopes that something is flying by that they can grab onto, totally dissipating any tension? And before someone hits me with suspension of disbelief, I reserve that for big green guys and nordic gods, not for simple logic and physics. Fun movie, not a 10 best.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:41 p.m. CST

  No Hobbit in there

  by DarthJedi

  Makes me have much respect for Nordling. What a disappointment.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 2:58 p.m. CST

  top 20

  by Lee harmon

  I am fucking flubbergasted that DNR, skyfall or the hobbit did not make your list.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 3:20 p.m. CST

  Baryonx, Fair enough.

  by RedJester

  I actually quite liked The Avengers, I just wouldn't have put it in my top 10 or 20, although it might have made it into my 25. Again I thoroughly enjoyed it, just not enough to place it in my top 10 or 20.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 3:28 p.m. CST

  Good pick for#1. The rest didn't even make my top 5.

  by Stuntcock Mike

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 3:39 p.m. CST

  IndianaPeach

  by IndianaPeach

  no hobbit but argo is on the list and cloud atlas number one? pretentious much?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 3:41 p.m. CST

  to clarify

  by IndianaPeach

  i'm not saying argo was bad it just put me to sleep...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 4:01 p.m. CST

  Any best of list for 2012 that includes The Master, Cloud Atlas and/or Looper is just plain wrong

  by gruntybear

  Over-hyped films that under-delivered. Only the small incestuous cadre of film nerds who flit from one free publicity screening to another find any of these 3 films worth any amount of attention whatsoever. And they're just plain wrong.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 4:07 p.m. CST

  Great list, but no Dredd 3D?!?

  by Flip63Hole

  That was a surprising work of in-your-face, kinetic film-making. I had no idea what I was in for. Glad you didn't put The Hobbit or Dark Knight Rises on the list. Two big-budgets wastes of time and energy. Also, count me in as somebody who found Argo a fairly by-the-numbers bore. I love Affleck as both an actor and director, but I never felt compelled or intrigued by Argo.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 4:23 p.m. CST

  d.vader Who says Nordling hates his readership?

  by Deceased Fan

  It's hilarious when a Talkbacker says I've lost credibility. You're a Talkbacker. You're way in the negative in credibility already. -Nordling via twitter

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 4:46 p.m. CST

  waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah his list's different to mine!!

  by Miss Moneypennys Pishflapsh

  WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH Seriously, fucking kill yourselves already!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 5:03 p.m. CST

  What the fuck's a Nordling?

  by Kev

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 5:15 p.m. CST

  Please stop calling DARK KNIGHT RISES "deep."

  by Stifler's Mom

  See THE MASTER, seriously. Somebody above called TDKR a tedious mess, and that's the nail on the head.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 5:28 p.m. CST

  Skyfall was the most overrated film of the year

  by peter skellen

  Glad it didn't make your list.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 5:32 p.m. CST

  Hypocrisy does not exist in this dojo

  by Cobra--Kai

  *Thanks for reading, and keep reading in 2013* Nordling to the aicn talkbackers *It's hilarious when a Talkbacker says I've lost credibility. You're a Talkbacker. You're way in the negative in credibility already.* Nordling to his private twitter followers

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 5:50 p.m. CST

  No squabble at all with Cloud Atlas as no. 1, although I would have put Lincoln there. Avengers should not have made this list.

  by Clio

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 5:59 p.m. CST

  Interesting list

  by Manatee

  I really liked "Life of Pi" and "Safety Not Guaranteed", also. After about 5 years of absolute horror at the theater, 2012 actually produced a solid lineup of films. It's not 1999 good, but I think it's the strongest year since then.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 6:11 p.m. CST

  Sally's death

  by proevad

  Everyone I know at least always suspected that she might have been the real talent behind crafting a great scene and a great movie. Django proves she wasn't as important as we all thought she might have been. A lot of people on this board owe Tarantino an apology. I'm sorry man, I was wrong.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 6:35 p.m. CST

  John Carter

  by DocPazuzu

  One of my favorites of the year. That's right. I fucking said it. Come at me, bro.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:01 p.m. CST

  AVENGERS is one of the best-reviewed movies of the year. FACT.

  by Logan_1973

  If it's not your cup of tea, I get it. But the hate coming from you guys has no substance considering its universal acclaim. Either the minority knows something the rest of the world doesn't or they're just too proud to admit Joss nailed it.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:14 p.m. CST

  ok agree with logan-best reviewed=69 metacritic

  by johnnyg korrupt

  69 on metacritic is correct thats what it deserves. Have no idea how you reckon 69 is "one of the best reviewed movies" though. Would you be happy with 69/100 for anything? i wouldn't even screw a chick that was a 69/100. Awful movie thats overrated due to kids under the age of 16 thinking its how good movies today can get, and by over 25 yr old virgins who never got to see proper action flicks like Die Hard 1, Raiders, Speed, Mad max 2, etc. This years "The Raid" shit all over Avengers. I had to force myself to watch Avengers over 3 days due to the boredom. Hey by the way Dark Knight Rises has 79 on metacritic.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:29 p.m. CST

  Yeah FACT. it got 69 on metacritic.

  by johnnyg korrupt

  I wouldn't even screw a chick thats 69/100. Raid crapped all over it. Dark Knight got 79. Get your facts right.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:41 p.m. CST

  AVENGERS is 92 percent on rottentomatoes. FACT.

  by Logan_1973

  Metacritic's numbers always seem lower on everything. DJANGO is at 80 on MC and 92 on RT.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 7:43 p.m. CST

  Skyfall is boring...and Dredd should be #1

  by SQUIDDLY

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 8:01 p.m. CST

  This was a bad year for movies, including Avengers and Hobbit. All these genre movies done poorly

  by Larry_Sanders

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 8:14 p.m. CST

  No Dredd but Avengers? lol No credibility.

  by Quake II

  I was scrolling down wondering how high Dredd would be. I certainly thought it would be above The Raid and The Avengers, but alas one of the coolest movies in the past 10 years isn't on Nordling's list for THIS year. I agree with a few of his choices but several of these movies are seriously average at best.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 8:26 p.m. CST

  Wow! I just noticed Cabin In The Woods on the list. Are you serious? I almost walked out that movie.

  by Quake II

  Cabin was as so up its own ass I could barely watch it. It was winking at the audience the whole time. They should have had a character look at the screen and make comments after each killing. And with a facility full of every scary creature ever seen, we as the audience get ZOMBIES....Wow, that's not played out at all. The big "reveal" was just stupid. This is probably the most pretentious list I've seen yet. A smattering of small films no one has seen, several critical darlings and a couple of fanboy jerk-off films for good measure.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 11:15 p.m. CST

  Important Cinema

  by James

  Goofballs like you just watch movies like Dredd, but Nordling? Important Cinema, that's what he watches. Look at this list... Cabin in the Woods. Fine, masterful horror with a Whedonesque twist. It's Whedonesque. Looper. A powerhouse performance by JGL on the farm with shit on his face to make him look like Bruce Willis because he's young Bruce Willis. Mesmerizing. Cloud Atlas. Does Wachowski still have his cock or not?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 11:25 p.m. CST

  shit! i forgot Lincoln! how the fuck did i do that? that was my favorite film of the year!

  by AntonStark

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 22, 2012, 11:28 p.m. CST

  just barely watched Dredd

  by James

  It was wicked good.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, midnight CST

  Great on Lincoln....but…

  by 900LBGorilla

  We do not, thank goodness, live in a Democracy. We live in a Constitutional Republic because our founders despised Democracies (and for good reason). We used to also be a Federalist Constitutional Republic, but unfortunately, intellectually moronic Supreme court decisions have all but obliterated that part of said Constitution.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 12:01 a.m. CST

  John Carter?

  by Mr. Nice Gaius

  Oh, no. Say it ain't so, DocPaz!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 12:06 a.m. CST

  dayum - hafta agree with nordling. avengers kicked royal heinie tdkr - while it did not suck, it was just a whole lotta nuthin and sum fool said it was 'deep' ? fucking deep throat maybe

  by Hey_Kobe_Tell_Me_How_My_Ass_Tastes

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 12:29 a.m. CST

  The wife and I JUST watched TDKR for the first time

  by BIG_BAD_WOLF_IN_CAPS

  and neither of us understand what all the hate is about? It's not as fun as Avengers, but shit, it's not a convoluted mess like TDK. Take away the Ledger performance (his scenes in particular), and that movie is unwatchable. I actually thing TDKR is better than TDK which is the weakest of the trio.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 12:39 a.m. CST

  TDKR

  by 900LBGorilla

  I agree Rises was LAME....If I wanted to spend that much time watching a movie about a guy NOT being Batman….and being a wuss when he “was” Batman…. …. I would have gone to a movie about something other than “Batman” …And no the movie was some deep piece of brilliance that warranted the lame-ness.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 1:03 a.m. CST

  Thanks for the wide array of this list, Nordling. For one, I've heard very little about "Fat Kid Rules the World," and I certainly didn't know Jacob Wysocki was in it. (More inside.)

  by ChaunceyGardiner

  After his marvel of a performance in "Terri" I was excited to see what other films he might be a part of, what he might bring to them. The doubt I felt though was due to the specificity of his role in "Terri," how well he fit it, and whether there might be other films that could even hope to offer a compliment to it. It was a tender, fragile thing that film. And Wysocki in it as Terri was an act of great vulnerability, createing a characterizing truly rare. So earnest and lovely it was, if John C. Reilly hadn't of been in it you might not have thought it a movie but some terrifyingly intimate documentary.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 1:26 a.m. CST

  easiest way to sum up Avengers

  by johnnyg korrupt

  If your soft, have a hairstyle that resembles One Direction, need to be told reassuring things, can't handle competition you will like Avengers. If your a man, get laid, like Rocky 3, competition brings out the best in you, laugh when people try to insult you, you'll like Batman-its a mans movie. Remember losers whine about doing their best, winners go home and fuck the prom queen

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 1:48 a.m. CST

  Sorry Johnny

  by 900LBGorilla

  Batman SHOULD have been a better movie than Avengers...but sadly was not.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 2:33 a.m. CST

  johnnyg korrupt

  by Still_A_Lostie

  I'm sure that screwing the prom queen was probably the climax of your life (no pun intended), and I think it's great that you probably look back on that every day as a guy who's on the other side of the hill, but that shit you said about "being a man" is something a 15 year old would say. Grow up. And TDKR is a fucking awesome movie.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 3 a.m. CST

  "Please stop calling DARK KNIGHT RISES 'deep.'" Why should I? It is deep compared to Let's-overcome-our-egos-and-kick-alien-butt AVENGERS. TDKR for me suffers from pacing problems and often takes itself too seriously. But I take an intriguing idea with fl

  by The Comrade

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 3:03 a.m. CST

  marvelousd dead-on right about Borgia.

  by gotilk

  Blew my mind how good that was. Deserves much more attention.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 3:08 a.m. CST

  Not sure about the prom queen.

  by gotilk

  But the cheerleader was the worst fuck I've ever had. And she was really attractive. Just dead weight in bed though. Yawn. Hope that reassures you or leads to a better haircut or something. Not like I'm gonna change your mind or anything. That's a lost cause. Enjoy what's left of your life, if you can let yourself.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 3:11 a.m. CST

  "... too proud to admit Joss nailed it." Joss didn't nail anything. AVENGERS was a sure bet, regardless of the director. These films come directly from the Marvel factory, and you can swap one writer/director for the other. It makes no difference.

  by The Comrade

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 4:22 a.m. CST

  @dercomrade...umm then how come the only other one to come kinda close was IM1

  by la te ral us

  makes no difference? that's just dumb.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 4:24 a.m. CST

  cabin in the woods is still tops in my book

  by la te ral us

  also where's "Compliance"?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 5:34 a.m. CST

  @la te ral us: Ahem, IM2 grossed more than IM1. ...

  by The Comrade

  But your theory is easily tested. By your reckoning Shane Black must have a significant impact for IM3, which should then show at the boxoffice. I'd say IM3 could gross 700 M worldwide in the wake of AVENGERS. But I don't think that Black's name will push this any further. For the record: I don't deem the director unimportant when it comes to such event movies. I just don't think that he has an impact as far as the boxoffice is concerned. There was simply no way AVENGERS would've tanked, even if they had hired Paul W.S. Anderson.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 5:59 a.m. CST

  by David Franklin

  I've been saying Cloud Atlas was gonna divide people when I saw the tester screening back in May. I love the fact that this is exactly what has happened. it's way more interesting to have a film that gets people talking and arguing over... it shows that it brought on some sort of emotion other than 'meh'. I loved it and will sing it's praises until I see it again...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 7:02 a.m. CST

  johnnyg korrupt

  by tomquartz

  Well, I found Avengers mildly interesting, and The Dark Knight Rises was the IMO most laughable movie experience I've had last year. This mess of a movie replaced "Dragon Ball Evolution" as the worst executed movie on my personal list. Avengers bored me to sleep, it didn't tell any story, and was full of bad characterization and senseless one-liners. So, I guess I don't actively "like" any of these. What does that make ME, then? And before you think of denying me a "man"-status: I run two companies and have a beautiful, talented young wife and a daughter who couldn't make me more proud. I feel like a "winner", but TDKR sucked my balls off. Bleh! So, go hit on the prom queens of all schools all you want, this movie still was crap. Says this man.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 7:31 a.m. CST

  TDKR is for MEN who GET LAID

  by James

  Do you realize what a fucking idiot you sound like?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 8:47 a.m. CST

  Suprised no TDKR glad, but still suprised

  by Wcwlkr

  That movie was way to hyped and it missed by a MILE. It seriously suffered from following The Dark Knight which was a freaking masterpiece. All I'm saying if I'm seeing a movie about Batman I should see Batman for more than 15 minutes. And damn you don't have to go Shumacher I mean anything but that, but you also do have to go Terrence Malick. That's not a knock on Malick it was just they took that movie WAY to DAMN serious. It was a movie about Batman not the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 8:59 a.m. CST

  I haven't seen Cloud Atlas...

  by Steve Smith

  and now that I see the company it keeps on this list, I won't bother.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 9:31 a.m. CST

  Dredd is my No. 1

  by mrbonefish

  Took me completely by surprise. As for Dark Knight Rises...complete garbage. Cabin in the Woods was good fun. Avengers was great.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 11:41 a.m. CST

  BEST MOVIES, I'VE SEEN SO FAR, OF 2012!!! CABIN IN THE WOODS>IRON SKY>THE RAID>CLOUD ATLAS>THE AVENGERS>COSMOPOLIS>LIFE OF PI!!!FACT!!!

  by creepythinmanrises

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 11:43 a.m. CST

  SERIOUSLY, WHY THE FUCK HASN'T IRON SKY GOT MORE ATTENTION?!? IT'S THE BEST FUCKING COMEDY/SATIRE OF THE FUCKING YEAR!!! STUPID CUNTS!!!FACT!!!

  by creepythinmanrises

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 1:20 p.m. CST

  johnnyg korrupt

  by DrMorbius

  Since when do 'Prom Queens' ride the short bus?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 1:32 p.m. CST

  docP

  by DrMorbius

  No arguement here, an enjoyable film!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 2:40 p.m. CST

  I Like Vodka...

  by MovieDeal

  .....so, I LOVE EVERY MOVIE. Even the ones I pass out to. ;-)

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 3:47 p.m. CST

  Logan 1973

  by Dp

  It doesn't matter that Metacritic scores everything lower. The fact is that it lists about fifty movies ahead of The Avengers. Avengers got a 92% fresh from RT, but the actual score, 8/10, while good is lower than a lot of movies.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 5:49 p.m. CST

  I too loved John Carter, Mr. Nice Gaius

  by D.Vader

  Booyah!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 7:03 p.m. CST

  creepythinmanlives

  by gotilk

  Perfect list, man. Except maybe Stupid Cunts. That one left me a bit dry.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 7:37 p.m. CST

  Cosmopolis?

  by Dp

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 7:37 p.m. CST

  Cosmopolis?

  by Dp

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 7:37 p.m. CST

  Why is Looper on the list?

  by Darth_AUGUSTUS

  Really? The movie was utterly predictable after the 30 minute mark. It was a safe mans time travel story nothing more. And the worst part is the crazy kids still grows up to be the "rain man" If you want good time travel watch primer. Much better and actually surprising. While I haven't seen all the movies on this list I would love to see the movies that get an honorable mention. For me John Carter, Dredd, Iron Sky, and God Bless America would be one it. John Carter is just a fun adventure film. The others are smaller movies that focus on story and are a lot of fun.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 7:37 p.m. CST

  Cosmopolis was a masterpiece...

  by Dp

  In some alternate universe.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 7:43 p.m. CST

  D.Vader & DrMorbius

  by Mr. Nice Gaius

  Ha! OK then...I conceded. ;)

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 7:45 p.m. CST

  Sorry. That's *concede*. Present tense.

  by Mr. Nice Gaius

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 9:36 p.m. CST

  WHAT a list.

  by Nintendarth

  20. FAT KID RULES THE WORLD - avoid this piece of YouTube level dreck. Like watching one of those videos that's 90 minutes long but has 1 minute of material. Also lies to its target audience about how humans behave, the nature of bullying, etc. 19. KILLER JOE - repulsive film. avoid. 18. ANTIVIRAL - an all-plot one-idea no-character film, avoid. 17. THE GREY - starts brilliantly, then surrenders halfway through to drunken mysticism and loses all traction toward an ending that just stops cold. Boring at the midway point. Pointless, avoid. 16. THE RAID: REDEMPTION - insanely violent junk with no plot, no characters, nothing but action stunts. If that's your idea of redemption (what's being redeemed, btw, Nordling?) then by all means. Me, I like movies where characters have motivations and personalities instead of having their faces smashed into a wall to a pulp. Your mileage may vary. 15. THE MASTER - pontificants, the movie. Avoid. 14. THE IMPOSTER - haven't seen it. 13. LOOPER - pointless film obsessed with the tropes of psychic power and time travel and magical speed drugs and not interested at all in human beings or characters being anything but ointless. Avoid at all costs, because it'sa pointless film. Obsessed with tropes of psychic power and time travel and magical speed drugs and not interested at all in human beings or characters because it's pointless. WOW, a LOOP! 12. ARGO - stunning film, very good. 11. THE CABIN IN THE WOODS - a by-the-numbers horror film dedicated to plot which says NOTHING about what horror means, what scaring people means. A movie about making movies and nothing more than that. And everyone knows how exciting meta films are, right? Especially when they tackle the diffiicult and challenging target of the film industry. ... wow. Awful, a must-avoid. 10. GOON - my vote for Worst Acting in a film this year. Just dreadful. 9. I DECLARE WAR - haven't seen it. 8. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD - the main character's name is Hush Puppy. If you want to see the movie anyway, or any movie where the main character is someone named Hush Puppy, I flat-out seriously wouldn't save you from drowning and I don't want to know you. At all. Ever. Go away. Plus, like CLOUD ATLAS below, it's totally obvious about every music cue and every emotion - without a hint of complexity to its structure. Just a dumb cartoon posing as an adult examination. 7. ZERO DARK THIRTY - haven't seen it. 6. MOONRISE KINGDOM - wonderful film, despite the review above that tries to take ownership of what makes it good. No, it's not about you. It's about Wes Anderson's characters. Stop trying to glom onto things that aren't yours. 5. THE AVENGERS - a terrific adventure flick with a few quibbling flaws. Not the greatest comic book movie, not the worst. Very good! 4. DJANGO UNCHAINED - ridiculous camp garbage, overdone and overwrought without a hint of an original thought in its head. Just terrible trash. 3. LINCOLN - ignores the intimate relationships of Lincoln's life that shaped him in favor of a message about gay marriage used in metaphor with slavery. Um, yay? No. 2. HOLY MOTORS - an extraordinarily French piece of crap, so French it's unwatchably bad and should be avoided at all costs. Talking cars, impossible masks, excess without the capacity for creative restraint, etc. Just a mess. 1. CLOUD ATLAS - horrible crap, one of the year's WORST undertakings, HAS no worldview. Just recycles 1970s we-are-all-connected trash. Pointless, derivative and trite. If this is your worldview, your worldview is purest garbage. Anyone else connecting with me on that one? Everyone has to agree with me, because we're all connected, right? Right?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 10:08 p.m. CST

  Searching For Sugar Man was a great documentary

  by Dp

  It was a movie that genuinely earns the phrase "heartwarming."

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 23, 2012, 11:32 p.m. CST

  jjheatseeker -

  by Nintendarth

  Yep - very true. But no, CLOUD ATLAS is more important to Nordling. Yep - more truth in space Barbie Japanese women clone robots than a documentary. Yep, more truth.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 12:53 a.m. CST

  Grandpee?

  by JackDeth

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 5:21 a.m. CST

  you choose Avengers over Dark Knight Rises???

  by dioxholsters_scion

  the guy had to re-embrace a dramatic part of his childhood through the childhood experiences of the villain and that doesnt deserve a top spot of best films of 2012??? you suck! this site doesnt like movies !

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 5:21 a.m. CST

  avengers!!!

  by dioxholsters_scion

  baaaaaaa

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 5:40 a.m. CST

  nintendarth

  by dioxholsters_scion

  thats some good reviews, straight to the point. but i have to disagree with your assessment on avengers, i do believe its a piece of crap I think you took a likening to it because of its lack of pretensions as typical of a movie of this magnatude. That however hasn't stopped the movie from being empty and hollow meaningless in every way. Not even good visually, no cinematic appeal. Might as well have called it Toy Story 4 (superhero toy edition) because thats what it was. I think The Meteor Man held much more meaning than this shit honestly.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 5:58 a.m. CST

  here is a list of my favorite movies of 2012

  by dioxholsters_scion

  The Dark Knight Rises

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 6:06 a.m. CST

  you spoiled miserable fucks

  by dioxholsters_scion

  crawl back to your mothers grotesque vaginas the world doesnt want you losers

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 7:14 a.m. CST

  Nintendarth I liked Cloud Atlas a bit more than you

  by Dp

  It scraped my own top ten. But the fucking makeup ruined it for me.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 7:15 a.m. CST

  Dark Kinght Rises actually resembles Toy Story 3 in a way...

  by Dp

  Bruce Wayne grows up and gives his toys away to another kid. No wonder Harry didn't like it.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 7:20 a.m. CST

  johnnyg korrupt

  by Baryonyx

  Dark Knight at least had a story and a message." Ha! Funniest thing I've read all year. The message must be: "Don't let Nolan write his own movies.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 8:34 a.m. CST

  if you didnt like Dark Knight Rises, you are not human

  by dioxholsters_scion

  you lack emotions, you lack a conscious, you just empty inside why you even living? whats the point loser?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 8:50 a.m. CST

  I suggest everyone take a look at this, this level of detail will be achieved again for what was essentially a movie based on a comic

  by dioxholsters_scion

  http://imgur.com/a/3EpQo no seriously, now tell me what avengers did for you that was so smart... oh but i think i know why you idiots prefer it... its because it did NOTHING smart... somehow that seems like a refreshing change for you, that its refreshing to be STUPID... something to match your sensibilities and your fucked up life choices... you now revel in your filth of ignorance and accept each other for it like the cretins you all are.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:04 a.m. CST

  Wolf scene in BOURNE movie > whole GREY movie

  by LaneMyersClassic

  The Grey was trite CGI SHIT!!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:05 a.m. CST

  Dredd > The RAID by a fucking mile!

  by LaneMyersClassic

  I don't care who made what first!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:14 a.m. CST

  diox ...

  by DrMorbius

  ... still working on that GED?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:24 a.m. CST

  Cloud Atlas by far the best movie of the year...

  by Jt

  fuck all you haters of Cloud Atlas. You bitch and moan about unoriginal movies, and when a unique and wonderful movie is done you hate on it. You're the reason why keep on getting shitty movies from hollywood. You go out and watch bullshit movies, but when a movie that is original and takes chances you hate on it. You can't complain about the movies Hollywood puts out, when you hate on great movies that come out. That being said, Cabin the Woods, while a fun movie, shouldn't be on any top 20 list. It was more funny than it was scary. And as you could tell by the incredibly bad cgi, there was a good reason why its release was delayed so long. Great B movie fun, but not a movie that belongs on any top ten list.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:30 a.m. CST

  if magic mike makes your top of list then you are a queer or a woman

  by Jt

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:38 a.m. CST

  a woman who is forced to confront her sordid past, a man who is compelled to kill his friends, brothers who love/hatred spans dimensions, and a man whose barely controlled rage is all that stands between worldwide destruction vs a dude who kicks his elder

  by Hey_Kobe_Tell_Me_How_My_Ass_Tastes

  yeah deep

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:39 a.m. CST

  vs a dude who kicks his elderly father figure out into the cold because he cant handle the truth - yeah dats deep

  by Hey_Kobe_Tell_Me_How_My_Ass_Tastes

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:42 a.m. CST

  Goon?

  by mojoman69

  hey Im a hockey fan and I thought Goon was mildly entertaining. Lincoln was tedious and the end with TL jones and his black mistress was almost laughable. I agree about the Gray. unrrated film and pitched all wrong by the studio. Cloud atlas was an overproduced mess with soem really crappy makeup, I mean like high drama bad.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:45 a.m. CST

  3 worst movies of the year: John Carter, Wrath of the Titans, Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter

  by Jt

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:49 a.m. CST

  John Carter was one of the worst movies I have ever seen...

  by Jt

  I have sat through a lot of bad movies, but I couldn't even make it through the midway point of that movie. Abraham Lincoln Vampire was extremely terrible, but it looks like a masterpiece compared to John Carter. Taylor Kitsch's acting is so hollow, seriously don't understand why this guy has a career in acting. And while Lynn Collins is decent looking she was a terrible choice for Dejah Thoris. Dejah Thoris needed to be a 10 not a 7. On top of that the cgi was incredibly bad, to go along with the horrendous script. May Andrew Stanton never be allowed to direct a live action movie again.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:51 a.m. CST

  Movie that could have been great but was ruined by terrible acting - Savages...

  by Jt

  Blake Lively was extremely horrible. On top of that she was playing a whore, but we see no nudity of her. We see the two guys naked, but not her. What the fuck is up with that. With a body like hers, she should have no problem doing nudity. And if your that terrible of an actor at least be willing to do some nudity. And once again Taylor Kitsch acting is hollow and wooden.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 9:58 a.m. CST

  Avengers and The Hobbit were just okay..

  by Dp

  But it seems like for some the fact thy were made at all is enough to call them masterpieces. Whatever.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 10:03 a.m. CST

  Dark knight Rises was just okay...

  by Dp

  But it wasn't the greatest travesty to the medium of film.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 10:32 a.m. CST

  Gotta agree with the fact that The Avengers is ridiculously out of place on your list

  by Randy

  Its was a fine "turn off you brain and see the pretty colors" movie. The fact that it made your list cheapens the rest since it seems like an obligatory plug. Stop suckling at the Whedon teat just because he made some cool shit 10 years ago: its pathetic. The only saving grace to that movie was Mark Ruffalo but even he couldn't save the movie from being a 2-hour plus toy commercial.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 11:03 a.m. CST

  I thought Lincoln was the best movie of the year...

  by Dp

  With Argo and Moonrise Kingdom close behind. But you know what? If you disagree that's entirely cool. I just ak that you don't call me an idiot for my opinion.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 11:24 a.m. CST

  The Avengers has little replay value. It's a sugar rush that's only fun the first time.

  by Quake II

  I actually liked Avengers in the theater but when watching it again on Blu I realized it's just not that good. It does a few things right but the huge amount of jokes, overuse of CGI and lack of any real threat ruins the movie for me. The "enemy" in Avengers is so generic and literally faceless that I couldn't care less what was happening in the last 20 minutes. I still think Iron Man 1 is a much more competant and entertaining Marvel film. I could watch Iron Man 1 at any time and still enjoy it. And as much as I disliked Iron Man 2 when it first came out it's grown on me and I prefer it to The Avengers as well.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 12:20 p.m. CST

  Even now I tear up...

  by ahughes8491

  Holy fn douche chills.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 12:21 p.m. CST

  Even a simple child, asking her Grandpee where a certain planet is in the sky affirms to me that our journey through this universe has just begun, and where it takes us is worth waiting for.

  by ahughes8491

  Ughhhh.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 12:22 p.m. CST

  Nordling

  by ahughes8491

  Nordling writes what he thinks sounds smart but really says nothing at all that some high school kid writes on an English paper.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 12:24 p.m. CST

  Cloud Atlas no 1 favorite film of 2012?

  by Stalkeye

  Umm, Okay.... Yet TDKR gets snubbed again. Well at least you put Avengers (my personal favorite film of the year.) near the top 5. Lets see a top 20 worst list pleeaaassse?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 12:37 p.m. CST

  Dredd: One of the better Comic Adaptation remakes.

  by Stalkeye

  Made me forget about the wretched abomination that was "The Stallone Schieder Show". Karl (Urban) played it striaght without the campyness or comedic relief. Just as Stoic as the Comic counterpart i.e. SOURCE MATERIAL..!!! Yes it came off a bit like The Raid another fav of mine, but who gives a shit, both were fun and entertaining actioners as oppossed to being just dumb guilty pleasures. They could have eased a bit on the Slo-Mo, but it didnt take anything away from the film, overall.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 12:45 p.m. CST

  nobody26, how can DREDD be overrated when only ten people saw it?

  by Mattman

  Granted, all ten of us loved it.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 1:37 p.m. CST

  Dix, etc. - AVENGERS

  by Nintendarth

  I legitimately enjoyed AVENGERS, and did all over again when I got the Blu to view it when I wish - which will probably be in a 6-month rotation or so. What I like about it is to me it's sort of like, this might sound weird, but a rock concert movie. It's sort of like -Hey, we're putting a band together- kind of story, where the rock concert is the big fight at the end. Everyone gets their big guitar (or whatever instrument) and then they play the big concert and go their seperate ways. -Wow,- say the people of Earth, -what a kick ass concert. Will you ever play together again?- -Sure.....if there's a need to rock, we'll be there. Because music says we HAVE to be!- Your brain might recoil at what I'm saying, but if you think about it a bit, you'll see I'm right. it really is that, and if you view it on that line, which is how I did the 1st time and ever since, it becomes quite a bit of fun. But ultimately, just one in a list of many pretend-band concert movie and nothing more.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 1:44 p.m. CST

  For me it's gotta be the Hobbit 1st place...

  by Darren

  Being a LOTR fan and recognising the excellence of style and cinematography, followed closely by the Avengers: 'cos i'm an ol' marvel fan! From the age of 5...I'm deligted we're getting quality MARVEL movies these days...Then Dredd, being a 2000AD reader from the very beginning.... those movies, they're so much fun!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 1:45 p.m. CST

  Oddly, AVENGERS makes a -great- double bill with JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS if you can believe it! Same plot.

  by Nintendarth

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 1:48 p.m. CST

  Plus, Alan Cumming is an eeeeeevil fellow ....

  by Nintendarth

  ... and you can pretend he's Loki in disguise.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 1:49 p.m. CST

  Couldn't put DREDD on the list eh?

  by Autodidact

  Fuck!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 2:16 p.m. CST

  As for THE HOBBIT -

  by Nintendarth

  Eat shit, Andy Serkis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLssei0sId0 When you can actually ACT, get back to me. Brother Theodore FTW 4EVER.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 2:35 p.m. CST

  Want to see PROOF of the lie that Serkis does a damn thing creating GOLLUM?

  by Nintendarth

  Watch this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbW-Zv_kR5Q You'll notice that virtually EVERY facial expression is altered by the ANIMATION ARTISTS and Serkis contributes very little to the final characterization beyond voice work. He is a voice actor. Nothing more.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 2:38 p.m. CST

  nintendarth

  by Mattman

  There are plenty of videos showing that his facial expressions are crucial to the characters he plays. Yeah, they enhance stuff... that's part of the benefit of this process. They build off of his performance, without which they would have nothing (watch Final Fantasy Spirits Within if you want to see the utter failure of non-mocap CG faces).

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:22 p.m. CST

  nintendarth - Brother Theodore was THE MAN.

  by Dp

  The fucker knew Einstein. Albert Fucking Einstein. Also, I chuckle every time I see Josie and The Pussycats on TV. The bit with Eugene Levy makes me smile every time.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:25 p.m. CST

  @mattman

  by Nintendarth

  FINAL FANTASY baffles the crap out of me in its conception because of one key issue. It'd literally be IMPOSSIBLE to make that film while intentionally including a SINGLE element from the source material. I don't even mean characters or plots or anything. I mean literally ELEMENTS. They literally took everything CHARACTERISTIC about FINAL FANTASY and -intentionally- excised it. They excised anime haircuts. Humor. Giant swords. Mythical vehicles. chocobos etc I think a lot of it might be because of licensing - they specifically wanted to not have to pay a dollar to any license or creator. And look what they did. I laugh at FINAL FANTASY: TSW because it crippled an entire animation studio. Hilarious. They tried to short-change the audience and got a stick in their ass as a result. Awesome.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:26 p.m. CST

  I sometimes daydream about studio meetings

  by Nintendarth

  where people who tried to utterly DICK the fanbase of a product are dealing with a flop and having to face the rage of their corporate masters. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at the JOHN CARTER meetings. Wow.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:26 p.m. CST

  I want John Peters to live his life in total starvation and poverty, in his own shit.

  by Nintendarth

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:31 p.m. CST

  Nintendarth

  by Dp

  Dick - that was another good movie. A good TBS movie.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:38 p.m. CST

  jjheatseeker - I know, right?

  by Nintendarth

  Brother Theodore is not only hilarious, but his Gollum IMO -destroys- Serkis'. The raw tragedy and agonized carnality of the character - MAN, Theodore got all of that dead-on in those HOBBIT movies. It's tragic he couldn't come back to do it for the modern ones. Wish they'd been made while he was still alive and the technology available then. Can you imagine the madness? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC0DYqQiaWw MASTERFUL!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:44 p.m. CST

  What's saddest there - almost nobody gets half the jokes in his lines.

  by Nintendarth

  The audience ignores SO many brilliant gags in his monologue. That is fucking GOLLUM! Oh, and yes, the Eugene Levy bit, lol. Love that movie.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:48 p.m. CST

  nintendarth

  by Dp

  I saw it when I was five, and at first I laughed because Gollum was a froglike creature and my little mind thought "funny frog!" Then I realized how insane he was and got very, very scared. Of course, at that age Harry was debating the sociopolitical nuances of Mandingo and watching Taxi Driver, so what do I know.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:54 p.m. CST

  People trash the Rankin Bass version, but it's okay

  by Dp

  and it has a great cast. Who can top Ian McKellan as Gandalf? John MFing Huston, that's who.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:57 p.m. CST

  @jjheatseeker

  by Nintendarth

  Have you ever seen the movie WANDERLUST? The deleted scenes? Your statement reminded me of a deleted scene where a kid of about 5 at the commune who's never seen a movie before is talking to Jennifer Anniston's character about movies and the outside world. -I've never seen a movie. I saw a commercial for one in a magazine. It was called THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY. That sounds like a FUNNY MOVIE!- -No, um, surprisingly less funny than you might think.- -What about REQUIEM FOR A DREAM? Is that funny?- -No, no, not really- -What about TRAINSPOTTING?- -What?- -Is TRAINSPOTTING funny?- -Oh, oh, no no dear, TRAINSPOTTING isn't funny at all.- -Is it about trains?-

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 3:58 p.m. CST

  Freeman Lowell

  by Dp

  I love Fuck Time Magazine! Is it still in print? I keed, I keed. Silent Running is a great movie, BTW.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 4:02 p.m. CST

  @jjheatseeker - hit enter sorry

  by Nintendarth

  But yeah, I had a similar reaction to Gollum as a kid, but I mainly felt sad for him living in that crummy hole in the ground and felt like if he was given a warm house to live in he would become nicer. I didn't understand he was supposed to be old and thought he just grew up all alone and needed friends so he became angry because he didn't have any. That was literally my five-year-old brain's reaction to the character. Get him some candy and a puppy and he'll be ok. That was, of course, until he started raging out, and then I was covering my head with a blanket. Even worse, my first exposure to the character was audio-only. I was given a weird 2-lp box set thing of records that was supposed to come with a booklet showing pictures, but I didn't get the booklet with mine for some reason. So all I had was audio to imagine everything going on. The book and record set was strange in that it was the raw dialogue and sound for the HOBBIT movie, with no narration or explanation or anything, just the pure audio UNCUT from the original HOBBIT animated movie. I -loved- it because in my imagination it all was so much cooler than what I actually saw.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 4:03 p.m. CST

  And I used to drive my parents nuts with the one Orc song I loved playing it over and over

  by Nintendarth

  DOWN DOWN THE GOBLINS DOWN DOWN DOWN THE GOBLINS DOWN DOWN DOWN THE GOBLINS DOWN I know it was meant to be a bad guy theme, but I was like BOOYAH! and would jump around my room screaming those words!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 4:03 p.m. CST

  nintendarth

  by Dp

  Sounds like the kid is better off without movies.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 4:04 p.m. CST

  Oh, I just learned right this moment - it's DOWN DOWN to GOBLIN TOWN apparently.

  by Nintendarth

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogTDa-vG2MQ This is what I wanted superhero theme songs to sound like!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 4:14 p.m. CST

  I wonder, did this song have NOTES to it in the original book?

  by Nintendarth

  If not, Jackson stole the whole tune. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUXP8VEXWMs

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 4:18 p.m. CST

  nintendarth

  by Dp

  That sounds pretty cool! The best version of LOTR for me is the BBC radio version. I love radio drama. BTW, Brother Theodore albums are available on itunes. I'm thinking of getting one.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 5:28 p.m. CST

  Silver Linings Playbook was a pretty good movie in 2012...

  by yourstupid

  And Jennifer Lawrence in a tight dance outfit was worth every penny.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 5:50 p.m. CST

  ahughes8491

  by DrMorbius

  *Nordling writes what he thinks sounds smart but really says nothing at all that some high school kid writes on an English paper.* Has Harry been tutoring you?

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 5:58 p.m. CST

  just finished watching cloud atlas...

  by JAMF

  first place?? you must be out of your fucking mind. seriously... i'm glad most critics trashed it, what a waste of time. could've watched magnolia instead.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 6:49 p.m. CST

  Cabin in the Woods?

  by Shoehanger

  Really? It wasn't scary and the story was ridiculous.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 7:01 p.m. CST

  @jjheatseeker - you buy one, I'll buy one - we can mess up itunes' recommendations!

  by Nintendarth

  What Custmers Are Buying Lately Christmas 2012 Brother Theodore ! WOOT!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 7:01 p.m. CST

  Oh, and I like DICK, too JJHeatseeker.

  by Nintendarth

  Um.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 24, 2012, 8:30 p.m. CST

  Silver linings was great

  by Dp

  An actual movie for mature adults.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 25, 2012, 3:44 a.m. CST

  Trusts us enough to buy its fucking bullshit

  by PTSDPete

  That's Zero Dark Thirty.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 25, 2012, 8:04 a.m. CST

  why?

  by Dollar Bird

  Why is Nordling always so defensive? "Because it's my fucking list, that's why... That’s right. Deal." Sweet mother, it’s like he wants people to attack him. He expects and welcomes it. And here I am, fulfilling his wishes.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 25, 2012, 10:54 a.m. CST

  nintendarth, JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS IS A GREAT MOVIE!!!FACT!!!

  by creepythinmanrises

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 25, 2012, 11:59 a.m. CST

  To be honest, I haven't seen all of Josie And The Pussy Cats

  by Dp

  But if it's on I have to watch up to the part with Eugene Levy, Actor.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 25, 2012, 12:07 p.m. CST

  Nintendarth

  by Dp

  Technically it's Howard Shore who wrote the music, but you're right. I have a radio version with a completely different melody. I don't want to be a hipster douche and bash Jackson, but what the hey... I've heard in at least one interview (that has probably been swept under the rug) that JAckson wasn't a huge Tolkien fan growing up, but was first exposed to the story via the Bakshi version. In fact, some Bakshi fanboys (they exist, apparently) claim that Jackson stole from Bakshi's version. Now, that's of course nearly impossible to prove without a strict reading/viewing of Tolkien's books followed by both movies, which I'm not about to do...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 25, 2012, 7:16 p.m. CST

  HA! YES! FUCK the Hobbit!

  by Dan

  Have no desire....not another trilogy dedicated to walking...ugh... Dark Knight Rises is a tad overlong and overrated... a good flick, but not great. The Avengers is my favorite of the year... Prometheus too.... Cabin in the Woods is brilliant!

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 25, 2012, 7:23 p.m. CST

  TED is a fucking masterpiece!

  by Dan

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 25, 2012, 11:47 p.m. CST

  Great, another Avengers vs TDKR TB...

  by Blanket-Man

  It's a little sad how fans of each movie insist on pigeonholing the other's fans. I enjoyed both flicks, albeit the Avengers MUCH more. And the public voted with their $$$, overwhelmingly, for The Avengers. And I think that's the fact that still has Bat-fans in a tizzy. After TDK became the first comic-flick to break $500 mil, combined with the fair-to-middling BO of the non-Iron-Man Marvel flicks, Nolanites no doubt assumed TDKR would win the year comfortably over Avengers. When that didn't happen, Bat-fans kinda lost it. The reality is that both flicks did really well. But because the Avengers took that box-office title that TDK fans presumed was a foregone conclusion... well, they're still a little defensive.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 2:28 a.m. CST

  Really? AVENGERS vs TDKR because of boxoffice?

  by The Comrade

  There may be fanboys who reduce all to boxoffice, but IMO it's really about something else: everyone in his or her right mind knew that TDKR would never be able to top the boxoffice of AVENGERS. TDKR is an (over)ambitious film which sometimes stumbles and falls, but its ideas are intriguing. Much more intriguing than the totally by-the-numbers AVENGERS. AVENGERS is not a bad film, it did what it set out to do. But for me there's simply not enough substance to warrant rewatching it only one more time. I've seen all Marvel Studios movies in the cinema so far, but I'm absolutely not tempted to rewatch any of them again. The earlier Marvel stuff, before they decided to become this assembly line movie studio, was much better. Something like Singer's X2 and Ang Lee's terribly underrated HULK hinted at what comic book movies could be. But this promise wasn't fulfilled by Marvel's assembly line movies. It was chiefly fulfilled by Nolan's BATMAN series. I sincerely hope Whedon has some new tricks up his sleeve for AVENGERS 2. Marvel giving him free reign would be a good start.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 6:37 a.m. CST

  Dercomrade, agreed

  by Dp

  It never ceases to amaze me that Avengers' box office is used as proof of its superiority, whereas the box office success of, say, Transformers or Twilight is a sign of the idiocy of audiences. TDKR was not as good as TDK, but it was still a solid movie and IMHO one of the best of the year. And I love the turning on Looper. Geeks are becoming worse than hipsters.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 6:38 a.m. CST

  Dercomrade pt 2

  by Dp

  Also, the Marvel movies have never seemed like anything more than product to me.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 8:08 a.m. CST

  I would like to jump in the hate here and say Cloud Atlas made this list lose credibility, but I missed it so now I am really curious to see it and feeling bad that I missed it on the big screen.

  by Dogmatic

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 8:14 a.m. CST

  Cloud Atlas - pretentious garbage collected

  by quintana007

  from all stupid moral tales and cliches ever thrown at mankind. If it gets the Oscar for best movie i wouldn't be suprised

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 8:50 a.m. CST

  Points off for no SKYFALL. Best Bond in years and just great flick!

  by Dan

  Genre flick or not, a great flick needs a shout out. can't wait to see Django this weekend...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 9:03 a.m. CST

  The Avengers unlike most of those flicks on these lists...

  by Dan

  has what is most important.. RE-WATCHABILITY. To be able to throw it on and watch it and love it every time... Cloud Atlas may be good ONE time, but for repeats? Nahh... SKYFALL has it.... ALL of the 007's have it! Ted - to catch some missed jokes... Prometheus- severly maligned and misunderstood...has tons of stuff you don't see the first or even third time... Cabin in the Woods- Yes, to see the mechanics at work. The Hobbit- Not now nor ever for me, but for some it does... The Dark Knight Rises- Parts of it...but the film is too long and disjointed to be fully enjoyed. The problem with most films today is that they don't have repeat value. Seeing them once is not even needed... think of how many action/adventures film we get today that lack the iconic imagery we all love from Star Wars, Trek, Indiana Jones... I'm sure Django will be on my list, as will Lincoln.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 9:08 a.m. CST

  It's also funny how Prometheus....

  by Dan

  is being misunderstood simply because peolpe are either texting during the movie or are just dumb... It's very explainable...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 9:10 a.m. CST

  First off, if you don't like/read comics- stay away from The Avengers...

  by Dan

  Of course you won't like it, it's not meant for your boring asses....

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 9:13 a.m. CST

  Killer Joe was enormously creepy...

  by Dan

  The minor-rape vibe killed it... ugh...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 10:36 a.m. CST

  I just love it...

  by Blu Gilliand

  ...when people tell someone else their list of favorite movies is "wrong." It's one thing to debate the merits of movies, to discuss why "The Hobbit" works for you or doesn't work for you, but to tell someone else they are wrong about the movies that they liked the most is laughable.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 3:39 p.m. CST

  Goon = Great if you like spoofs that are not meant to be spoofs.

  by Josh

  How can anyone think this movie is great? It is cliche after cliche. The only thing that makes it original is its non-stop commitment to the f-bomb and sexual references. And to the guy that thinks this is a good date movie... have you ever been on a date? Unrealistic bloody one-punch fist fights? Check. F-bombs spoken by every character in every scene multiple times? Check. Main character gets the girl to cheat on her out-of-town boyfriend with him? Check. Terrible sports team becomes great because of the main character? Check. Characters with no arc? Check. Lack of any plot? Check. Lack of any reason to watch this other than to get off on hearing the f-word and waiting for spontaneous nudity? ("Look, that character is holding a porno mag!") Check. 2 hours of my life I won't get back? Check. I only watched this movie after seeing it on this list. Thanks Nordling. You suck.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 3:53 p.m. CST

  After seeing Django Unchained I now know Nordling smokes bad crack

  by Mel

  Cloud Shitlas better than Django? AHAHAHAH

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 3:54 p.m. CST

  Nordling is dumb. Sorry, but Holy Motors and Cloud Atlas are stupid movies for stupid people

  by Mel

  It's true...Nordling proves he's an intelligent lightweight. He got tricked into thinking these movies are deep. They're not.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 4:54 p.m. CST

  I saw 20 movies in 2012.

  by Josh

  By that I mean, 20 movies that were released in 2012. For various reasons, these are the ones I ponied up money to see. I would have seen more, but time and money are limited resources. Also, I may have seen more but am forgetting some. It goes without saying that this is all IMO. My top 3: Hobbit, Avengers, Hunger Games. I give them each an A or A-. Each had lots of hype, but lived up to or exceeded expectations. My bottom 3: Goon, Haywire, and The Vow. For different reasons. Goon was terrible. No plot. No point. No redeeming qualities. The Vow had horrible acting and was supposed to be a feel good movie with a great story of commitment (i.e. "the vow"), but the changes made from the actual story turned it into a drivel-filled story that was more about hopelessness and chance rather than commitment and love. Lastly, Haywire had so many plot holes that it was laughable. And the acting and fight scenes weren't much better. All 3 movies were unintentional spoofs. All these movies were Fs. Other bad movies: I gave these movies a D (+ or -) October baby - terrible acting, especially from John Schneider, who was the only actor with name-recognition. Lawless - no reason to care about any of the characters, or what happens to them. Stuff happens, but nothing that really matters. Ice Age (3? 4? It doesn't matter) - went with family to see this one, with hopes it would make me laugh like the first one. Nope. Act of Valor -some cool stuff, but who can get past the terrible acting? I feel a little bad putting this movie with the others though. The Cs: Taken 2, Expendables 2, and Red Dawn all were basically what they were supposed to be, but didn't re-capture the original, uh, "magic"? The other Cs were: Bourne, Skyfall, and the Grey. All these movies felt like false advertising and were disappointing, but could have been a decent movie if not for expectations. They just felt wrong. The other movies got some form of B. Three of them are: Batman, Spiderman, and Prometheus. All three movies came with tons of hype, and were kind of disappointing. Spiderman just failed to create excitement. Perhaps it was the casting or the directing. I'm not sure, but it didn't create the magic of Raimi's version of the original. Prometheus was what it was supposed to be, but wasn't what the fans wanted. Batman was surprising, and was okay, but not great. Some plot holes were too much, even for a comic book movie. And the last movie to get a B from me was Timothy Green. A feel good movie, with good acting, and not a lot of flaws. It just wasn't good or exciting enough for an A. Jennifer Garner is the weak link.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 9:48 p.m. CST

  Cloud Atlas is a movie about which i can't really make up my mind

  by Dp

  It's a throwback o 70s era "heady" sci fi. I can't decide if it's the 2001 or the Zardoz of the 2010s

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 26, 2012, 11:04 p.m. CST

  I can't imagine watching Avengers twice

  by Dp

  It was a decent blockbuster, but it doesn't deserve to be mentioned alongside Raiders.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 1:21 a.m. CST

  TDKR gets better with viewings

  by the_scream

  The Avengers gets a lot worse. Once you get past the fun one liners and great action, it's a hollow, self-aware movie. That said, I still enjoy it a lot. Just not as much as when I first saw Hulk and Thor fighting side by side. TDKR needs a lot more love. I can't fathom why people can't appreciate a movie that manages to give us three Batman stories (TDKR, Knightfall and No Mans Land), updates and improves the villain Bane, giving one of the best performances of the year IMHO, gives us a film with mostly practical stunts and effects, large scale war scenes with actual extras, decent characters who you care about, a terrific score, and great cinematography. This is the Batman film I could only dream about when I was a kid. Hell, I couldn't even dream this up. It's a tremendous achievement. It's only let down by the fact it's weaker than TDK and that it tries to be too much. It's probably one of the better films of the year and Nolan actually has the balls to make big decisions, like have Batman retire and get taken out of commission for the second act. I respect a risk taker more than someone who's just trying to make a few quick easy bucks. This is no X3 or Spidey 3. I don't know what more people want from films sometimes.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 1:40 a.m. CST

  The scream

  by Dp

  You're absolutely right about TDKR. I can't believe all the people bitching that Nolan didnt know Batman when he managed to introduce elements from several Batman stories.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 1:55 a.m. CST

  I bet Nordling will rewatch TDKR

  by the_scream

  But not most of those films on his list. Most of you will. But on the Internet, to make a point, you have to exaggerate everything. Didn't really like TDKR? Why it's not just disappointing. It's a DISASTER! Meanwhile, the film had solid reviews, made a fortune and everyone seems to be buying the DVD now too. Weird.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 4:29 a.m. CST

  Cabin In The Woods never even got a chance

  by Hamish

  International box could have been decent, but they didn't even open it in NZ outside of festivals, and I wonder how many other territories got the same treatment. Maybe now that Avengers made the box office its bitch the powers that be will finally get it through their thick skulls that you can bank Whedon if you actually try and sell him.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 8:48 a.m. CST

  How is The Avengers better than The Hobbit???

  by BilboRing

  The Avengers was meh. It was a buddy cop movie. A good movie but nowhere near as good as The Hobbit. Certainly not top 20 worthy at all.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 8:48 a.m. CST

  Also, The Grey was decent. Nothing great IMO. I don't get the love.

  by BilboRing

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 8:50 a.m. CST

  Bilboring

  by Dp

  Joe Carnahan must be one of the Site's buddies.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 8:52 a.m. CST

  The scream

  by Dp

  That's part of the mechanics of the Internet. A loud Positive or negative will always drown out a mild approval or disapproval.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 11:27 a.m. CST

  It's official, Fathergeek has the best taste in this site.

  by Quake II

  So far his list is the closest to my own with the exception of The Avengers (gets worse with every viewing), Les Miserables (which I will never see) and a few others I have yet to see. Django, Dredd 3-D, Skyfall, Argo, The Master all great films and I would add Prometheus, TDKR and Expendables 2 to the list.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 1:12 p.m. CST

  Just watched Monsters vs. Aliens...and noticed the similarity Avengers has with it.

  by Gary Makin

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 2:48 p.m. CST

  I feel like sneaking off with the kids to watch John Carter again while the adults all stand around and discuss Zero Dark Thirty.

  by lagomorph

  It takes a lot for me to overlook gibberish words like Barsoom and Jasoom ad naseum but damn, if John Carter didn't deliver the goods. The aliens were way more nuanced and interesting than previews would have me believe. What a brutal "kill or be killed" Darwinian bunch of assholes they are in the beginning. I think I was more moved by Sola's story than any other I saw on screen this year and I thought the character of Carter himself was a complete badass. I am predisposed to dislike loincloth sci-fi but this was fantastic stuff. I also really liked Paranorman.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 4:48 p.m. CST

  Serious dissing of 'The Hobbit'-

  by Hyphin

  Is utterly hilarious.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 7:52 p.m. CST

  not a bad list

  by Kakii

  Some I haven't seen, to be honest some I'm not interested in seeing like Argo, The Impostor and Lincoln. I'm in 2 minds with Zero Dark Thirty as it just seems like another America Fuck Yeah kinda thing which puts me off. I disagree with Killer Joe, The Grey and Cabin in the Woods (it was average until the ending so I enjoyed it but wouldn't make top 20). I agree with Cloud Atlas, Looper, The Raid and of Course The Avengers. I loved the shit out of the fact you included the Goon which was a damn good hockey comedy film. I would put The Muppets in my top 20 as it only came out in the UK this year.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 27, 2012, 9:33 p.m. CST

  Nordling you were doing fine until the end. In no way shape or form is Cloud Atlas the best anything of anything. Call it a guilty pleasure and leave it at that.

  by dahveed1972

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 28, 2012, 7:48 a.m. CST

  Hyphen

  by Dp

  It wasn't terrible but nowhere near as great as people sy.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 28, 2012, 2:02 p.m. CST

  The Avengers was- and is- FUCKIN A!

  by Darren

  Being a MARVEL fan from age 5, it is just so much fuckin' fun! I'm lookin forward to an even better sequel, startin with Iron Man III...

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 28, 2012, 2:36 p.m. CST

  It's hilarious how Fathergeek comes along and straight up hijacks the post. haha

  by ColonelFatheart

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 28, 2012, 4:32 p.m. CST

  With complete awareness that nobody really cares, here are my lists...

  by Jaka

  For many years now I've said I would do this, but I never have. So this year, I did it. I saw a couple hundred movies this year. In alphabetical order, here are the movies that affected me most in one way or another, as an alphabetical list. Not "the best", just the ones I enjoyed the most. <p> 21 Jump Street, Argo, The Avengers, Brave, Chronicle, Coriolanus, Django Unchained, The Dark Knight Rises, Goon, The Hobbit, Hyde Park On The Hudson, Jeff Who Lives At Home, Killer Joe, Lawless, Liberal Arts, Marley, The Master, Moonrise Kingdom, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Premium Rush, The Queen of Versailles, Samsara, Safety Not Guaranteed, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, Savages, Skyfall <p> Of those, my top ten (I think)...<p> 1. Django Unchained<p> 2. Perks of Being a Wallflower<p> 3. Argo<p> 4. Moonrise Kingdom<p> 5. The Hobbit<p> 6. The Queen of Versailles<p> 7. Skyfall<p> 8. Safety Not Guaranteed<p> 9. Lawless<p> 10. The Master/Coriolanus (I couldn't decide)<p> <p> Movies I have not seen, want to see, and may become top tenners after seeing them: Amour, Anna Karenina, Any Day Now, Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away, Life Of Pi, Lincoln, On The Road, Rust and Bone, The Silver Linings Playbook, Tabu, Zero Dark Thirty <p> Movie I most wanted to be better than it was: Killing Them Softly <p> Movies I would have thought (even) better of if their endings hadn’t felt wrong or unearned: Lawless and Savages <p> Movie I most wanted to know more about after it ended: Queen of Versailles (I immediately wanted to know what happened when the cameras stopped rolling) <p> Movie I most regret wasting an hour and forty minutes on: Alex Cross

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 29, 2012, 1:40 a.m. CST

  @lagomorph

  by Nintendarth

  I want to hand you a special hat, man. You really, really went there. I've never seen such brazen idiocy as yours. i mean, it takes a lot of idiot courage to write how a group of aliens in a movie are really nuanced, and then sum them up in a half a sentence, and then to put those two sentences right next to each other in your post. Wow, you are ONE serious fuckwit. I bow to you.

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 29, 2012, 7:21 a.m. CST

  It begins

  by Darkstar12

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stdfGvii3j4

  Reply to Talkback

• Dec. 30, 2012, 9:20 a.m. CST

  My Top Ten List '12

  by Michael Thompson

  Great year for cinema! I had to change this list around after seeing Django Unchained. A lot of good films didn't make the cut, which is a good thing since there were so many strong films out this year. Here goes... 1. Django Unchained 2. The Avengers 3. Skyfall 4. Moonrise Kingdom 5. The Dark Knight Rises 6. Argo 7. The Cabin in the Woods 8. Marley 9. Lincoln 10. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

  Reply to Talkback