My Favorite Movies Of 2012
by KevinSpazM | created - 25 Jul 2012 | updated - 11 May 2015 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
PG-13 | 164 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Eight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman
Votes: 1,828,305 | Gross: $448.14M
Regardless of a few plot holes, The Dark Knight Rises is definitely one of the year's best movies. It had great directing, cinematography, editing, VFX, acting, production design and a great score, but there were flaws in the writing that hindered it from perfection. Writing flaws aside, this movie is an absolute masterpiece and deserves to be on this list.
9.5/10.
2. 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: 548,210 | Gross: $17.74M
Such a beautifully written movie, and what an amazing performance by Logan Lerman. Not often does a film reach my emotional core like this one, making me feel such empathy for all the characters whilst still making room for a lot of smiles and laughter. Not far from a perfect score.
9.5/10
3. Excision (2012)
Not Rated | 81 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror
A disturbed, delusional high-school student with aspirations of a career in medicine goes to extremes to earn the approval of her controlling mother.
Director: Richard Bates Jr. | Stars: AnnaLynne McCord, Roger Bart, Ariel Winter, Traci Lords
Votes: 24,622
Wicked as hell, which makes me feel a bit wicked for loving it as much as I did.
9/10
4. The Intouchables (2011)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama
After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.
Directors: Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano | Stars: François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot
Votes: 929,958 | Gross: $13.18M
One of the funniest and most heartfelt movies I've seen in many years. And the writing - more specifically the dialoge, is amazing.
9/10
5. 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: 1,696,147 | Gross: $162.81M
9/10
6. Robot & Frank (2012)
PG-13 | 89 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
In the near future, an ex-jewel thief receives a gift from his son: a robot butler programmed to look after him. But soon the two companions try their luck as a heist team.
Director: Jake Schreier | Stars: Peter Sarsgaard, Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, Liv Tyler
Votes: 65,781 | Gross: $3.33M
9/10
7. 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: 742,950 | Gross: $132.09M
9/10
8. Life of Pi (2012)
PG | 127 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu
Votes: 667,055 | Gross: $124.99M
9/10
9. Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
R | 86 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified advertisement seeking a companion for time travel.
Director: Colin Trevorrow | Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni
Votes: 130,869 | Gross: $4.01M
Low budget independent films like these really inspire me as a filmmaker, showing that you only need a good story and a solid script to make a funny and interesting movie worth watching.
8.5/10.
10. 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: 450,927 | Gross: $42.07M
Smart, funny and truly unexpected. What more can you ask for in a horror/comedy spoof? Great homage to the horror genre and and the refreshing writing was very well executed on screen.
8.5/10.
11. 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: 873,347 | Gross: $303.00M
8,5/10
12. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically altered spider, he gains newfound, spider-like powers and ventures out to save the city from the machinations of a mysterious reptilian foe.
Director: Marc Webb | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan Khan
Votes: 702,623 | Gross: $262.03M
8,5/10
13. Your Sister's Sister (2011)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Iris invites her friend Jack to stay at her family's island getaway after his brother's death. Jack's drunken encounter with Iris' sister Hannah at their remote cabin kicks off a revealing stretch of days.
Director: Lynn Shelton | Stars: Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mike Birbiglia
Votes: 28,433 | Gross: $1.57M
It had its wide release in 2012 and is therefore featured in this year's list.
Mark Duplass is really growing on me, as he's one of the reasons both this and Safety Not Guaranteed are on this list. And I really can't deny my small crush on Emily Blunt either, who's in this as well as Looper. Actors aside this little film made me laugh and feel happy, and I think the ending is perfect.
8.5/10
Honorable mention.
14. 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: 458,671 | Gross: $189.42M
8.5/10
Honorable mention.
15. Looper (2012)
R | 119 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits - someone like Joe - who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by sending back Joe's future self for assassination.
Director: Rian Johnson | Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano
Votes: 603,120 | Gross: $66.49M
Not being originally what I expected, this movie still was a pleasant surprise and a fresh breeze in the science fiction genre. If you accept how time traveling works in this world, and can put aside the plot holes that will always occur in movies that deal with complex time traveling, you will most probably enjoy this film.
And I'm really glad I stayed away from all the trailers except the teaser, it certainly gave me a much better experience.
8/10
Honorable mention.
16. 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: 1,459,804 | Gross: $623.28M
Taking it for what it is, this movie was great fun with amazing special effects and great action sequences, especially towards the end. And I can say that the Hulk was finally made justice on the big screen.
8/10
Honorable mention.
17. Pitch Perfect (2012)
PG-13 | 112 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school's all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition.
Director: Jason Moore | Stars: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp
Votes: 330,842 | Gross: $65.00M
I'm not a huge fan of movies with a lot of singing, but this just works, and it's really fun and entertaining!
8/10
Honorable mention.
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