Top 10 Films of 2012

As the Oscars approach, I thought it would be a good time to do something different. I feel like 2012 was an exceptional year for movies. I saw quite a few outstanding films, and decided that I wanted to do my very own Top 10 list. I would have done this sooner, but I didn't actually see a lot of the late 2012 movies until the past few weeks as they have started to come out. I can STRONGLY recommend each of these to all of you - many of which really surprised me. So without further ado, here are my top films of 2012...

10) The Grey
This movie was completely lost in the shuffle for 2012. It was released January 27, and was all but forgotten when the summer blockbusters rolled around. Had it been a December release, I think Liam Neeson would have been nominated for best actor.

9) Silver Linings Playbook
I hate Bradley Cooper. For me, he will always be the jerk fiancee from Wedding Crashers! However, he turned in a phenomenal performance in this one, as did Jennifer Lawrence. This is THE date movie of 2012.

8) Flight
I saw this expecting to see an amazing movie about a plane crash. Turns out the plane crash was only the setup for the movie, which has nothing to do with said crash. If Denzel doesn't get another Oscar for this one, I'll be pissed (unless it's Joaquin Phoenix, who is the best actor to never win an Oscar).

7) The Dark Knight Rises
Look. The Nolan Batman trilogy redefined superhero movies. These were so damn good, it's unbelievable. While this does not rise to the level of The Dark Knight, few movies do.

• BONUS LIST: The top 5 superhero movies of all-time for my money: 5) Superman 2 4) The Dark Knight Rises 3) The Avengers 2) The Dark Knight 1) Spider-Man 2

6) The Avengers
A completely different approach from Nolan's Batman trilogy. This movie is the perfect summer blockbuster. Marvel carefully created several franchise characters, released their movies, then brought them together for this mega-free-for-all. So much fun, it is just a perfect superhero film. DC's upcoming Justice League has a very tough act to follow.

5) Chronicle
If you haven't seen this yet, I command you to immediately buy, rent or download it! This is one of those "found footage" films, but it completely flips the genre on end. I predict Dane DeHaan will be a Hollywood megastar within a few years.

4) Skyfall
Best. Bond. Ever. Think about all the evil villains in the Bond franchise. They all have awesome, cool lairs/hideouts. In this movie, we see James Bond's back-story, including his own lair of sorts - the eponymous Skyfall. His lair kicks the shit out of that of every single one of those villains'. I don't know how a Bond movie could ever top this one, which does make me a little sad.

3) End of Watch
This movie had zero appeal to me on release. Another cop buddy movie, perhaps the oldest genre in Hollywood. However, it kept popping up on other top 10 lists, so I gave it a shot. Holy hell was it awesome. Hands down the best cop movie I have ever seen. If you don't tear up for this one, you have a heart of stone.

2) Argo
This movie is great. Literally, a perfect movie. It has everything you could want from a film. Another guy who is not my favorite - Ben Affleck stars and directs. However, he is without a doubt one of the best directors in Hollywood. All 3 of his features are just amazing. Argo is without a doubt his best work both as an actor and director. He was absolutely robbed by not being nominated for director.

1) Zero Dark Thirty
I'll just make it simple. This movie literally defines the decade from 9/11 until Bin Laden's death. It is absolutely riveting. It runs 2:37, yet seems to blow by. I was totally engrossed in this one from the opening credits to the finale. You may not even breath for the third act. Kathryn Bigelow won best director and best picture for The Hurt Locker. This movie is 10 times better. It deserves best picture.