The Best Films Of 2012: 21 Runner-Ups (#30-#11)

Today, I aim to rectify that by expanding my Top 10 picks out to 30 (or 31, given that I cheated and included a tie), counting down the best runners-up from the number 30 slot all the way down to number 11. Even with so many more films represented here, there were still plenty of tough omissions, good and great films like Argo, Holy Motors, The Hunger Games, Arbitrage, Celeste and Jesse Forever, and even animated fare like Frankenweenie and Rise of the Guardians. If this countdown continued forever, those and other excellent films would be represented, but the festivities had to end somewhere, and I am more than happy with these 30 films representing my favorite cinematic memories of 2012.

27. Trouble With the Curve

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I love this movie for exceedingly simple reasons: Clint Eastwood is fantastic, Amy Adams is even better, their father/daughter chemistry is absolutely magical, and my favorite sport, baseball, serves as the backdrop for their evolving relationship. Not one of 2012’s absolute best films, but as a rich emotional experience, it is difficult to top.

Trouble With the Curve arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray December 18th.

26. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Subsequent viewings have tempered my love of this little end-of-the-world drama from Lorene Scafaria, but I still feel Steve Carrell and Keira Knightley are absolutely fantastic together, and when they are alone on screen throwing Scafaria’s wonderful dialogue back-and-forth, the film excels like little else this year.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. 

25. Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson’s latest feature is not quite his best, but there’s no shame in that given what a rich, layered, and utterly enchanting cinematic landscape he has crafted this time around. With a wealth of fantastic characters and performances and an intimate, heartfelt story, Moonrise Kingdom is a pleasure, even if I feel it does not entirely hold up on subsequent viewings.

Moonrise Kingdom is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

24. The Pirates! Band of Misfits  

Aardman Animation’s latest clay-mation feature is a superb family comedy, one so impeccably crafted, well paced, cleverly written, heartwarming, and hilarious from start to finish that one can easily see why it took five long years to finish the project. If the only bad thing one can say about Aardman these days is that we just don’t see their work often enough, I believe the studio is in fine shape indeed.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

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Author
Jonathan R. Lack
With ten years of experience writing about movies and television, including an ongoing weekly column in The Denver Post's YourHub section, Jonathan R. Lack is a passionate voice in the field of film criticism. Writing is his favorite hobby, closely followed by watching movies and TV (which makes this his ideal gig), and is working on his first film-focused book.