Top 10 Films of 2012

As I type this, we're about 2 hours away from the Academy Awards. I thought I would post my own personal top 10 films of 2012. It's a bit late, but, since the biggest awards show of the year hasn't happened just yet, I figured I would get in under the wire. It's been awhile since I even did an official top 10 list, but the other day, I casually mentioned to my son that the documentary SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN was not only my favorite of the five Oscar-nominated documentaries, but it would make my top 10 of the year. Max said, "Wow! Really? I'd like to see that list then, because what would you leave off?" So, I reviewed the entire year and came up with my top ten! So, here you go son:

MY TOP 10 FAVORITE FILMS OF 2012

10. THE IMPOSSIBLE - Juan Antonio Bayona
9. SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN - Malik Bendjelloul
8. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED - Colin Trevorrow
7. DJANGO UNCHAINED - Quentin Tarantino
6. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK - David O. Russell
5. THE INTOUCHABLES - Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano
4. ARGO - Ben Affleck
3. THE SESSIONS - Ben Lewin
2. THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER - Stephen Chbosky
1. MOONRISE KINGDOM - Wes Anderson

I know you can easily argue with this list. As just one example, my mind knows that Kathryn Bigelow's ZERO DARK THIRTY might be technically a better film than THE IMPOSSIBLE.  However, the emotional reaction I had while watching THE IMPOSSIBLE really pushes it into the top ten for me. Often, not always, but often, the emotion I feel during the film is what makes me love it. In the end, I gotta go with my heart! So, even though Michael Haneke's AMOUR is a profound film, I simply did not sit there weeping through the credits the way I did when THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER ended. Another example would be Steven Spielberg's LINCOLN. It's such a masterpiece, but in the end, it didn't move me like my favorite film of the year, MOONRISE KINGDOM.

Some of you might not be shocked to see that Wes Anderson had my number one favorite film of the year. But, even though I have a predictable love for Anderson, I try to be unbiased. For instance, two of my favorite directors didn't deliver films I truly loved. I tried to love Paul Thomas Anderson's THE MASTER. I saw it twice, and couldn't put in in my top ten. Another one was Oliver Stone. I wanted to love SAVAGES more, but it was just okay.

Overall last year was a fantastic year for films. There are some really good films that did not make my top 10. Some honorable mentions were THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, END OF WATCH, PROMETHEUS, STARLET, THIS IS 40, LES MISERABLES, and LIFE OF PI. I hope you enjoy reading about my top ten. I sure would love to hear about the 2012 releases that you loved! Let me know.