Best Films of 2012

1. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World- This movie was a pleasant surprise for me with two actors that I really didn’t care for either way. Keira Knightly and Steve Carrell work well together in this movie where despite the eminent demise of the human race, we see the potential that can restore our faith in humanity.

2. Les Misérables- I always have been in love with Les Misérables and Hugh Jackman, so when they came together, I HAD to see it. The music is great, and the performances by a plethora of wonderful actors and actress was a wonderful Christmas time movie.

3. Perks of Being a Wallflower- I have always been a huge fan of this book and was very happy with the movie adaptation. It is as emotionally grasping as the book and leaves you with nostalgia for the 1990s.

4. Looper- Although I don’t like action movies very much, the combination of Joseph Gordon Levitt and time travel was amazing.

5. Frankenweenie- Tim Burton is probably my favorite American director and his movies are always a dark an interesting take on a fairly simply concept. I think the animation was incredible.

6. The Intouchables- This movie has such a wonderful message that restored my faith in humanity and in our ability to get along and trust one another. The actors in this movie were incredible AND it was a French language film. Merci!

7. Safety Not Guaranteed- I love this movie and I can’t really explain to you why. I was so into the characters, even though I dislike Audrey Plaza. Mark Duplass was wonderful and it was such a unique and amazing story that it kept me entertained from beginning to end.

8. Ruby Sparks- This movie is such an interesting idea and concept that I was pulled into. The performances by Zoe Kazan and Paul Dano were amazing. You really felt the emotions of the characters. The tense scenes were so real that you were left smiling and in awe of this beautiful quirky love story.

9. Robot and Frank- I am a huge fan of any type of media that talks about human reliance on technology, so when I saw this movie, I was hooked. I read a book called Feed by MT Andersen (which I HIGHLY recommend) where the brains of humans are taken over by technology. This movie is really worth a watch and I think especially the older crowd will see some truth in their own lives and fears in this movie.

10. Paranorman- I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I was lucky enough to sit at a round table interview for this movie at San Diego Comic Con this year and have loved it since then. The work and time that went into this animation is incredible. I love how it tackled an important issue in this movie, without making it too blatantly obvious. The opening credits of this movie pay homage to the older horror films and it treats its audience with a level of maturity and respect, which I really value in an animated film.

11. Argo- This movie was a really well written movie, although it was long at times, very well done and very suspenseful. I really hope that Ben Affleck wins some type of award this season for Argo.

12. Dark Knight Rises- Although there is a ton of controversy surrounding this movie with everything that happened in Aurora, it has stuck in my mind for many other reasons than those horrific and terrible events. The movie is well done, well directed, well acted and over all an amazing visual movie. It is an awesome conclusion to the sequel. And of course I love that they left the ending open for my man Joseph Gordon Levitt to take the reigns.