On the Top Ten for 2012

Looking over this year’s list reveals a dominant American / British filmmaking year. The top ten are made up of six American productions, one Canadian, two British and a French film. No documentaries, all fiction feature films. However, subject matter does vary and an exploration of fascinating characters is key as all ten films explore layered, complex people. And it is with this in mind that the number one film earns its spot. Rarely are two such interesting characters captured on film.

Missing out this year were a couple of big budget adventure films (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hunger Games), neither coming during the summer months, which this year were disappointing. Shame and Carnage also deserve another mention for breaking the rules and creating exciting cinema.

The top ten for 2012 is therefore:

The Master (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)

Killing Them Softly (dir. Andrew Dominik)

Moonrise Kingdom (dir. Wes Anderson)

Take This Waltz (dir. Sarah Polley)

Anna Karenina (dir. Joe Wright)

Shadow Dancer (dir. James Marsh)

Rust and Bone (dir. Jacques Audiard)

The Descendants (dir. Alexander Payne)

Looper (dir. Rian Johnson)

Magic Mike (dir. Steven Soderbergh)

The Master was an absolute standout and will surely become an American classic. The rest of the list was far more closely contested, but all highlight a cinema that focuses on story and characters and if nothing else displays the fact that 3D technology is yet to produce a standout film, instead being more noticeable for its wow! factor.

The story is what remains.