seanc Yearly Top 10's

A few months ago I started writing down my top 10 films by year. Have not seen a lot of list threads around here but I figured I would start one anyhow. I'll start with 2012 and work back. May need to trim it down or re-watch some films after the 2000's, we will see.

2012: There may not have been any films I will consider all time greats in 20 years but there were a ton of solid re-watchable films in 2012. This may end up being my favorite year since 1994. Honorable mentions: Django Unchained, Oslo:August 31, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, The Hobbit, and Cloud Atlas.

10) The Avengers



The perfect popcorn movie. Not life changing, just fun. The kind of movie I can't wait to watch with my two boys.

9) The Master



Amazing visuals, great dialogue, and 3 unbelievable performances. Just another run of the mill PTA production.

8) Moonrise Kingdom



Never really enjoyed a Wes Anderson movie till this one. Absolutely delightful. Will definitely cause me to re-watch Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums this year to see if my tastes have changed, or if Moonrise is just that much different then the others.

7) Zero Dark Thirty



A very entertaining procedural, with the best last half hour of any movie in the last two years. Bigelow is the Queen of this genre right now.

6) The Dark Knight Rises



A great ending to a near perfect trilogy.

5) Silver Linings Playbook



What romantic comedies should strive to be. Maybe then we would watch.

4)Take This Waltz



A poignant picture of marriage in the self centered, entitled culture we live in.

3)Once Upon A Time In Anatolia



Beautiful to look at, beautiful characters, beautifully ambiguous.

2)Looper



Time travel done right. Smart without trying to trick you, and keeps the characters more important than the device.

Thumbs up for The Dark Knight Rises and The Master but i personally thought ZDT and SLP were quite average.

I can see that Camo. ZDT was so good in the last third for me it trumped any problems I had with the pacing at the beginning. I really loved the characters in SLP, it fell into a couple of rom-com tropes at the very end but still was stellar I thought.

My Top 3 Male and Female performances of 2012:

Female:

3) Jennifer Lawrence-Silver Linings Playbook



2) Amy Adams- The Master



1) Michelle Williams- Take This Waltz



Male:

3) Phillip Seymour Hoffman- The Master



2) Denis Lavant- Holy Motors



1) Daniel Day-Lewis- Lincoln

#1 Movie Of 2012:

Lincoln:



To be honest I was expecting this film to be a disaster. One of the greatest actors of all time working with one of the greatest directors of all time on a movie about one of the most iconic figures in American history. Seemed like a perfect storm of over hype, but it turned out to live up to every bit of the hype and my anticipation. Except for maybe two scenes, I wouldn't change a thing. Perfectly shot, perfectly cast, and the most under rated screenplay of the year. Lincoln is the best of 2012, and in my opinion it wasn't even close.

2011: A top heavy year in my opinion. There are only 4 or 5 movies that I love, and a handful of others that I enjoyed. No honorable mentions as this would be a year that I would probably only consider 5 or 6 "favorites".

10) Hugo



I am not usually a fan of children's live action films but found Hugo enjoyable. The visuals and Kingsley's performance the key components in my enjoyment.

9) Win Win



A fairly average drama, elevated by Giamatti.

8) The Artist



Certainly a novelty film. But one that came along at the right time and has really good performances. Magic in a bottle.

7) Rise Of The Planet of The Apes



A reboot worth making, and one I'll look forward to a sequel for. My most pleasant surprise of 2011.

6) The Tree Of Life




Visually stunning and thought provoking.

5)Margaret



Intriguing story with great dialogue and great acting. If Lonergan ever figures out how to close a film up I will have a new favorite director.

4) Moneyball




Sorkin dialogue in a baseball flick. Moneyball was tailor made for me, so I was pleased when plenty of the non-baseball crowd enjoyed it as well.

3) The Descendants





Nearly a perfect movie. There was an unbelievability factor in the mother's story that took me out of this film just a bit.

2) A Separation





Beautiful film, depending on what day you ask me this could be my favorite of the year.

Top 3 Male/Female Performances of 2011:

Female:

3) Meryl Streep- The Iron Lady



2) Rooney Mara- Girl With The Dragon Tattoo


1) Viola Davis- The Help



Male:

3) Ben Kingsley- Hugo



2) Jean Dujardin- The Artist



1) Payman Maadi- A Separation

The #1 Movie Of 2011:

Drive



I love the style and tone of this film. Refn sets the tone immediately with the opening sequence. We feel like we know our protagonist before he even says a line of dialogue. Every character is drawn and acted beautifully. This may be my favorite ever performances by both Brooks and Perlman. Drive is a great movie.

In my top 100 as well.

It usually takes me a few years to catch up on all the films for a particular year so tough for me to make these kind of lists right away, and most of what you've listed I've not yet seen.

Anyway from the 2012 films you've listed I loved The Avengers and really enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom. Looper I really liked initially but quickly began to sour in my mind. Will need a repeat viewing to see how I really feel. Others I personally loved included Chronicle and The Raid. Oh and Searching for Sugar Man which I just watched would be up there.

From 2011 I loved Rise of the Planet of the Apes and The Descendants. Liked The Artist but have to say I was rather disappointed in Drive. Immensely stylish and cool no doubt but I found it rather hollow. Definitely due a rewatch someday though. I found 2011 to be a pretty good year actually with the likes of X-Men First Class, 13 Warriors, Submarine, Senna, Limitless, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop and Take Shelter. Oh and I just adored The Muppets

I'm enjoying the lists, keep them coming.

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George Clooney gave a top 3 2011 performance, IMO. Just you liked the movie though.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Jay Dee I can't wait to see Sugarman need to put at the top of my netflix que. Haven't seen a couple you mentioned from 2011, I need to watch Senna I have heard good things about it. Have never heard of Submarine I will check it out. I did enjoy X-Men First Class, but didn't love it.

Rauldc, I liked Clooney, but I always do. Maybe I am just too used to seeing him as these others stood out more.

2010: This was a really great year for movies. Quite a few that I know I will be talking about and re-watching for many years. You know a year is deep when your trying to squeeze movies into a top 10. As evidence I present my honorable mentions: The King's Speech, The Town, and Blue Valentine.

10) Biutiful





A really dark, rich film. Lost me in the last half hour or would be much higher.

9) Winter's Bone





Chilling, mesmerizing, melancholy. That about covers it.

8) 127 Hours





Not one I will revisit much, but stayed with me for a really long time. Even longer than 127 hours. Get it.

7) Toy Story 3





Animation doesn't do it for me like it used to. However the Toy Story franchise knows how to push all the right buttons.

6) Certified Copy





I have seen 3 Kiarostami films in under a year, and he has become a director that I can't wait to see what is next. The way that he allows the dialogue to advance the narrative while still weaving in plenty of intrigue is unparalleled and beautiful.

5) Inception





Smart and stylistic. After three viewings I still love it.

4) Exit Through The Gift Shop





This one surprised me with how much fun it was. The last half is absolutely phenomenal.

3) The Fighter





Everything I want a movie to be. Well written, well acted, emotional, and entertaining.

2) True Grit





Immediately became my second favorite western behind Lonesome Dove. The Coen brothers are simply in a class of their own. A perfect movie.

Some thoughts

2012- I think a lot of these choices are overrated films, but it's good to see Moonrise Kingdom. Have you seen Argo? If so where is it?

2011- The only ones I haven't seen are A Speration and Margaret, from the 8 I've seen I liked 7, excluding The Artist. Drive is certainly a worthy number 1 pick.

2010- haven't Certified Copy or Toy Story, the rest of them I liked. True Grit was my favorite from the year.

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Speaking of overrated, I think I'm the only person who disliked Argo. My BS meter just went through the roof while watching that film. When I researched and found I had good reason for it to go off, that made me even more out than I already was. I'm down for an unrealistic thriller, just not when your passing it off as history.

It's entirely possible 2012 will sour with time. These films are still fresh in my mind, but of course that can't be helped. Only the years and revisits will determine that. I had a fairly easy time ranking them though, these are the 10 that made the best first impression.

Top 3 Male/Female performances of 2010:

Female:

3) Hailee Steinfeld- True Grit



2) Jennifer Lawrence- Winter's Bone



1) Amy Adams- The Fighter



Male:

3) Javier Bardem- Biutiful



2) Colin Firth- The King's Speech



1) Christian Bale- The Fighter