Top 10 Films of 2012

10. Zero Dark Thirty
A wonderfully crafted film brought down only by Jessica Chastain who comes of more as a whiny woman behind a desk than an Bin Laden expert.

9. Wreck-It Ralph
The best Pixar movie made outside of Pixar. The film is perfectly rounded with something for viewers of all ages.

8. Moonrise Kingdom
Simply put, a much welcomed return to form for Anderson.

7. Life of Pi
A magical film about love, life, God, and survival brilliantly crafted by Ang Li. "Life of Pi" is the most unique film of the year by far.

6. This Must Be The Place
One of the most original travel films you will ever see in your life. Penn's Cheyenne is both fragile and powerful. A tour-de-force.

5. Beasts of the Southern Wild
Part fantasy, part heartbreaking drama. The performance five year old Quvenzhane Wallis gives is breathtaking.

4. Silver Linings Playbook
David O. Russell's romantic comedy breaths fresh air into a usually stale and boring genre. Cooper and Lawrence both play their flawed characters perfectly.

3. Rust and Bone
Cotillard delivers a powerhouse performance as Stephanie so much so that any award she doesn't win is doing her a disservice. The film will make you cry out of pain, happiness, and every emotion in between.

2. Argo
The fact that Affleck was able to construct a thriller based on historical events in a way that still keeps the audience on the edge of their seats is a testament to the fact that Affleck has moved well beyond the dick and fart jokes of the Kevin Smith films that first put him on the map.

1. Anna Kerenina
Part theatre, part Russian ballet, part film, all brilliant. This was by far the only film that captivated me from frame one to the very last credit.

Best Albums of 2012

5. Stars - North

4. Tilly and the Wall - Heavy Mood















3. Bloc Party - Four















2. Sigur Ros - Valtari

1. Silbermond - Himmel Auf
It might not be in English, but this is not only the best albums of the year, but one of the best albums of to 2000s.

Worst Films of 2012

Another year, and another list of the best and worst of the year. Here is a look back at the five worst films I saw last year.

Dishonorable mentions: "Chronicle" and "Mirror Mirror"

5. Casa de mi Padre

The novelty of Will Farrell speaking Spanish is gone before the first scene ends. Then it just becomes a horrible attempt at a cleverly written and acted spoof of Spanish Language films of the 1970s.

4. Lincoln

An actor's dream film. A viewer's worst nightmare. The film consists of a series of Oscar baited monologues from well known actor after well known actor to the point of complete annoyance. Even the brilliant Daniel Day-Lewis couldn't turn the horribly written dialogue into something fascinating.  And then there's Sally Field's horrible performance...

3. On the Road

Everything about this film is a mess. It's not engaging (especially Kristen Stewart's performance) and it just rambles on and on with no focus or point. Garrett Hedlund delivers a solid performance as Dean, but it's doomed simply by being surrounded by everything else in this film.

2. The Dictator

Sacha Baron Cohen needs to go back to his improvised mocumentaries because clearly scripted comedy is not his thing. This film is one of the most boring, unfunny comedies I have seen in years.

1. The Comedy

Hipsters rejoice! Your prophet has arrived! In a horrible ironic twist..."The Comedy" is a strict drama. However, it is so much more than that. It is the most pretentious, boring, aimless, dreadful film ever made. There is absolutely nothing going for this film. The characters are all boring, one dimensional, pricks with no redeeming quality. There is no story. There is no...nothing. It's no shocker that this film only had a 20 page treatment going into production.

And there you have it. Let's hope in 2013 I have a harder time coming up with this list.