Top 10 List: Best of 2012

An incredibly moving, heartfelt and raw experience. Seen through the eyes of a young girl, this movie walks a careful line between gritty realism and the unparalelled imagination of a child. I can honestly say that Beasts of the Southern Wilds is the most moving film I have seen in upwards of a year and, so far, more than earns the title of movie of the year.

Being a huge Bond fan is and has always been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs with some moments of pure brilliance and some moments of ridicoulousness but I am happy to say that with Skyfall the high has never been higher. Sam Mendes' contribution to the Bond lore is a marvelous combination of the hard edge of the recent Craig films and the charm and wit of the Connery and Moore films. In short Skyfall is the best modern Bond yet.

A visceral, emotional and stylistic masterpiece. So why isn't it number 1? While The Master might be the overall best acted movie I have seen of the year, unfortunately there were a few elements of the movie that felt unresolved. The first 1,5 hour was brilliant but it dragged slightly in the second half and that is why it "only" garnered a third spot on this list.

This movie was every bit as satisfying as we could have possibly hoped for and it sets an entirely new standard in terms of epic scale. Simply a terrific action movie and one of the very best super hero movies I have ever had the fortune of watching. You forgive the plot holes because the climax is so damned fulfilling, you will squeel like a little girl.

Man am I happy to put a Spielberg movie on a best of list again. It has been years since the once great filmmaker made something truly spectacular and while Lincoln isn't close to his best work it is a thoughtful, well paced and extremely well acted movie. It comes as no surprise that Daniel Day-Lewis once again dazzles with a truly moving and balanced performance as the titular character and I was not surprised that he pulled home yet another well earned Oscar.

Django Unchained is a brilliant homage to the spaghetti westerns of our childhoods with superfluous action, brilliant acting and the razor sharp writing we have become accostumed to from Quentin Tarantino. While a tad too long, Django Unchained is a reminder that the western genre still has a lot to offer.

For the first time since Festen I have a Danish film on a list of best movies and really it should come as no surprise since it is the same director. Jagten is a frustrating and hard movie to watch but it was also on of the best movie experiences of the entire year. Mads Mikkelsen has never been better and while you will prorbably only want to watch this once that one experience will stay with you forever.

Let me get one thing out of the way before I say how good a movie this is, because it is a really good, and that is that Ben Affleck needs to STOP casting himself in the lead in his movies. Argo is brilliantly acted except for his own wooden, inconsequential acting and the film would probably have been much higher on my list if he hadn't continously pulled me out of the action with his poor acting.

One of the movies that sparked the Maconaissance. It is tense, terse, raw and really emotionally resonant.