Best Movies of 2012

Best Movies of 2012

It's the time of year when critics like to dwell on what was great and not so great about 2012 as a cinematic year.

And being too scared to be different from the crowd, that's what I've decided to do as well. It's been a good year for films at times - sure, there have been the stinkers of 2012, but you'll have to wait for that list - for now though let's concentrate on the best of the year. (And as ever, they are in no particular order)

Safety Not Guaranteed - a brilliant little film which made the most of its stars Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass. It became a wonderfully poignant character piece and had one of the best endings of the year as a writing team investigated an ad which promised time travel to a prospective employee but could not guarantee their safety.

Looper - talking of time travel, this Rian Johnson flick, starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt with Emily Blunt was a cool mix of premise and substance. It also had one of the best tonal shifts and a story which none of the trailers hinted at. A rare surprise these days in the movies.

The Dark Knight Rises / The Avengers - a tremendous year for superhero films saw the fun in the Marvel team up from Joss Whedon which reinvented the Hulk and gave the series a shot in the arm with The Avengers. The Dark Knight Rises capped off a stellar trilogy for the Batman series and showed dark and broody is seriously entertaining.

Skyfall - Bond was back and while he didn't reach the heights of Casino Royale, he certainly did better than Quantum of Solace. Capping off a jingoistic year for the Brits, this was Bond at its best - though I'm unlikely to beat this comment on the internet to explain how good it was at putting the cool back into cool Britannia... "Skyfall is the best instalment of Home Alone yet."

The Hunt - Mads Mikkelsen's turn as a kindergarten teacher hounded after a wrongful accusation of sexual abuse was a searing entry in the film festival and had a lingering impression long after its powerful denouement. It's due out on general release next year - so don't miss it.

West of Memphis - Talking of film festival, this doco about the West Memphis Three was as powerful a piece of soul searching film that you'll ever see. Uplifting and terrifying in equal measures, the fight ofr justice - and Damien Echols' visit to New Zealand - offered up more hope than anything else released.

Your Sister's Sister - Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass teamed up for this mumblecore three hander about a one night stand gone wrong. A brilliantly funny and dry relationship piece, this one hits the small screen next year. Make sure you catch it.

Dredd / The Raid - as a long term fan of the Judge Dredd comics, there was much anticipation around this given how Stallone had messed up the franchise. Its biggest thrill was seeing Joe Dredd fanboy and Kiwi Karl Urban take the role and do something incredible with it - as well as a great use of 3D within. Likewise, The Raid, which had a similar premise, offered up much action and ass-kicking from the tower block under seige story.

Argo - Ben Affleck gave good story in front and behind of the camera in this story about the CIA mission to pull out American diplomats from Tehran in the 80s. But it was the side story of a Hollywood fake film which was riotous thanks to Alan Arkin's studio hack.

Brother Number One - the NZ doco looking into the Khmer Rouge through the eyes of Rob Hamill whose brother was caught up within the horror was never anything but emotionally gut wrenching and achingly honest. But it had hope in a place where you wouldn't expect some - and to be honest, it was one of the best docos of the year.

The Cabin in the Woods - Joss Whedon produced this brilliantly meta horror about horrors which was a riotously great time in the cinema as it revelled in the horror cliches but provided commentary on why we watch horror films in the first place.

Ted - who knew that a film about a pot smoking CGI animated teddy bear from Family Guy Seth MacFarlane would be such foul mouthed fun?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Peter Jackson's first part may be a little padded at the start but for its 48FPS CGI wizardry which redefined the look of the fantasy genre, the Hobbit was a startling cinematic tour de force. And not just for the FX, Martin Freeman made an immediate impression as Bilbo - and I can't wait to see how the final two films pan out.

The Sessions - Humorous, heartfelt, life affirming were just a few of the words which spring to mind for this John Hawkes film which starred Helen Hunt as well as a sex surrogate, out to help Hawkes' disabled by polio Mark O'Brien lose his virginity. An engaging piece, it managed to touch me a little more than The Intouchables did.

Bubbling under the list and just missing a place  - but still worthy of a commendation and your time... The Intouchables, Madagascar 3, The Way, The Hunger Games, The Artist, Amour, Moonrise Kingdom, This Must Be the Place, The Descendants, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Not seen - but heard great things about - Searching for Sugarman

Have a Merry Christmas to you all - and stand by for the cinematic stinkers which fouled up the auditorium...