What to Watch: Top Films of 2012
by lra33 | created - 16 Oct 2017 | updated - 10 Oct 2020 | Publicwww.what-to-watch.com
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1. Paperman (2012)
G | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
An office worker meets the girl of his dreams and uses a fleet of paper airplanes to get her attention.
Director: John Kahrs | Stars: John Kahrs, Kari Wahlgren, Jack Goldenberg, Jeff Turley
Votes: 35,389
2. Django Unchained (2012)
R | 165 min | Comedy, Drama, Western
With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington
Votes: 1,696,217 | Gross: $162.81M
3. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
R | 122 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver
Votes: 742,953 | Gross: $132.09M
4. The Hunger Games (2012)
PG-13 | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.
Director: Gary Ross | Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci
Votes: 1,004,089 | Gross: $408.01M
5. The Avengers (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Votes: 1,459,837 | Gross: $623.28M
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama
Charlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.
Director: Stephen Chbosky | Stars: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd
Votes: 548,218 | Gross: $17.74M
7. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
PG-13 | 169 min | Adventure, Fantasy
A reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home, and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis
Votes: 873,357 | Gross: $303.00M
8. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
PG-13 | 94 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Two 12-year-olds, who live on an island, fall in love with each other and elope into the wilderness. While people set out on a search mission, a violent storm approaching them catches their attention.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray
Votes: 366,812 | Gross: $45.51M
9. Argo (2012)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin
Votes: 639,293 | Gross: $136.03M
10. Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
PG | 101 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.
Director: Rich Moore | Stars: John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman
Votes: 458,680 | Gross: $189.42M
11. The Central Park Five (2012)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, Crime, History
A documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.
Directors: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon | Stars: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Kharey Wise, Raymond Santana
Votes: 7,937 | Gross: $0.27M
12. Les Misérables (2012)
PG-13 | 158 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean, who for decades has been hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert after breaking parole, agrees to care for a factory worker's daughter. The decision changes their lives forever.
Director: Tom Hooper | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried
Votes: 346,109 | Gross: $148.81M
13. The Impossible (2012)
PG-13 | 114 min | Drama, History, Thriller
The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Director: J.A. Bayona | Stars: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Oaklee Pendergast
Votes: 244,174 | Gross: $19.02M
14. The 9/11 Tapes: Chaos in the Sky (2012 TV Movie)
Documentary
Newly released audio recordings which offer a unique insight and moving perspective on 9/11 and the fateful minutes that changed America forever.
Votes: 34
15. The Imposter (2012)
R | 99 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.
Director: Bart Layton | Stars: Adam O'Brian, Nicholas Barclay, Carey Gibson, Bryan Gibson
Votes: 50,471 | Gross: $0.89M
16. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
R | 157 min | Drama, History, Thriller
A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L.s Team 6 in May 2011.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Chris Pratt, Mark Strong
Votes: 319,008 | Gross: $95.72M
17. Flight (I) (2012)
R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller
Troubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle, John Goodman
Votes: 376,291 | Gross: $93.77M
18. Lincoln (2012)
PG-13 | 150 min | Biography, Drama, History
As the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Votes: 272,721 | Gross: $182.21M
19. Chasing Mavericks (2012)
PG | 116 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
When young Jay Moriarity discovers that the mythic Mavericks surf break, one of the biggest waves on Earth, exists just miles from his Santa Cruz home, he enlists the help of local legend Frosty Hesson to train him to survive it.
Directors: Michael Apted, Curtis Hanson | Stars: Jonny Weston, Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer
Votes: 34,540 | Gross: $6.00M
20. Brave (2012)
PG | 93 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
Directors: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell | Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters
Votes: 442,474 | Gross: $237.28M
21. People Like Us (2012)
PG-13 | 114 min | Comedy, Drama
While settling his recently deceased father's estate, a salesman discovers he has a sister whom he never knew about, leading both siblings to re-examine their perceptions about family and life choices.
Director: Alex Kurtzman | Stars: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde
Votes: 44,167 | Gross: $12.41M
22. Now Is Good (2012)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama, Romance
A teenage girl dying of leukemia compiles a list of things she would like to do before passing away. Topping the list is her desire to lose her virginity.
Director: Ol Parker | Stars: Dakota Fanning, Josef Altin, Jeremy Irvine, Paddy Considine
Votes: 35,040
23. The Attack (2012)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An Palestinian surgeon living in Tel Aviv discovers a dark secret about his wife in the aftermath of a suicide bombing.
Director: Ziad Doueiri | Stars: Ali Suliman, Reymonde Amsallem, Evgenia Dodina, Dvir Benedek
Votes: 4,557 | Gross: $1.71M
24. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Five college friends head out to a remote cabin for a getaway, but things don't go as planned when they start getting killed. They soon discover that there is more to the cabin than it seems.
Director: Drew Goddard | Stars: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz
Votes: 450,937 | Gross: $42.07M
25. No Place on Earth (2012)
PG-13 | 83 min | Documentary, War
A cave exploration in Ukraine leads to the unearthing of a story of World War II survivors who once found shelter in the same cave.
Director: Janet Tobias | Stars: Chris Nicola, Fruzsina Pelikán, Saul Stermer, Sam Stermer
Votes: 996 | Gross: $0.20M
26. Men in Black³ (2012)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Agent J travels in time to M.I.B.'s early days in 1969 to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement
Votes: 387,190 | Gross: $179.02M
27. Safe House (2012)
R | 115 min | Action, Thriller
A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.
Director: Daniel Espinosa | Stars: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Robert Patrick, Vera Farmiga
Votes: 235,658 | Gross: $126.37M
28. Fill the Void (2012)
PG | 90 min | Drama, Romance
When the older sister of Shira, an 18-year-old Hasidic Israeli, dies suddenly in childbirth, Shira must decide if she can and should marry her widowed brother-in-law, which also generates tensions within her extended family.
Director: Rama Burshtein | Stars: Hadas Yaron, Yiftach Klein, Irit Sheleg, Chaim Sharir
Votes: 3,994 | Gross: $1.77M
29. Love Is All You Need (2012)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A hairdresser who has lost her hair to cancer, finds out her husband is having an affair, travels to Italy for her daughter's wedding, and meets a widower who still blames the world for the loss of his wife.
Director: Susanne Bier | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Trine Dyrholm, Molly Blixt Egelind, Sebastian Jessen
Votes: 14,834 | Gross: $1.63M
30. The Horses of McBride (2012 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama, Family
When Nicki discovers two horses stranded deep in the Rocky Mountain snow, she is determined to find a way to set them free.
Director: Anne Wheeler | Stars: Aidan Quinn, MacKenzie Porter, Kari Matchett, Edward Ruttle
Votes: 390
31. Part of Me (2012)
PG | 93 min | Documentary, Music
A look at the life, career and music of singer Katy Perry as we follow her on the California Dreams World Tour.
Directors: Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz | Stars: Katy Perry, Adam Marcello, Casey Hooper, Patrick Matera
Votes: 13,872 | Gross: $25.24M
32. 2016: Obama's America (2012)
PG | 87 min | Documentary
A documentary that examines the question, "If Barack Obama wins a second term, where will we be in 2016?"
Directors: Dinesh D'Souza, John Sullivan | Stars: Jay Bastian, Joe Biden, Cait Brasel, Gene Burris Jr.
Votes: 11,021 | Gross: $33.45M
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