The Top 10 Films Of 2012

From January all the way through to December, we have been spoiled with all sorts of cinematic riches. Many great established filmmakers delivered some of their best work to date – Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Judd Apatow, David O. Russell, Kathryn Bigelow, etc. – while many new or developing voices – like Steven Chbosky, Rian Johnson, Colin Trevorrow, Benh Zeitlin, and more – burst onto the scene with refreshing passion and vision. At the multiplex, blockbusters were generally smarter and bolder than the usual crop of Hollywood cookie-cutter fare, while local arthouses and independent cinemas were constantly filled with vibrant and intriguing efforts. If 2012 did not produce the sheer quantity of masterworks as 2010 or 2011, it possessed deeper and more consistent quality from beginning to end, and whether you were a critic or just a fellow film enthusiast, chances are you had a fair share of highly memorable experiences throughout the year.

Jonathan R. Lack

Published: Dec 12, 2012 01:50 pm

This article is over 11 years old and may contain outdated information

2. Cloud Atlas

Recommended Videos

This bold and beautiful masterpiece was the first film I saw after my father died this October, and to call it a healing experience would be a profound understatement. Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski siblings have laid it all on the line with Cloud Atlas, have opened their hearts as fully as possible and offered an artistic window into their own deep-seated beliefs on love, life, death, friendship, and so much more. It is rare I see filmmakers work so hard to hide so little, to use cinematic expression to its fullest to relate such intensely personal thoughts, feelings, and philosophies. Yet this is what Cloud Atlas does, and it achieves every single one of its goals so effectively that when I saw the film, I swear I could feel my father’s spirit in the theatre, watching the movie alongside me, revived by the film’s blindingly beautiful belief in the eternal marks one life can leave on others, and on the world at large.

This is filmmaking at its most daring, innovative, and astoundingly heartfelt; that it was largely ignored by critics and audiences this October is no matter. Like the souls of its characters, Cloud Atlas will echo and resonate across the eons, a potent epitome of humanity’s wondrous ability to express emotion through art.

Cloud Atlas is currently playing in select theatres nationwide and will arrive on DVD and Blu-Ray February 5^th, 2013.

And the number one film of 2012 is…

We Got This Covered is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy

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.