My Top 10 Films of 2012

10) Argo

Part spy thriller, part Hollywood satire, Argo was the film that proved Ben Affleck still had so much to offer as a director and also allowed the former tabloid scapegoat to give all his detractors the birdie. Gigli suddenly feels like a long, long time ago.

9) The Artist

The year’s riskiest proposition, no doubt. But thanks to Golden Age nostalgia and Jean DuJardin’s irresistible charm, Michael Hazanavicius’ silent film made a big noise at the 84^th Academy Awards, and even went on to nab the Best Picture statuette in the process.

8) Young Adult

A protagonist doesn’t always have to be a goody two shoes – sometimes she can be an irredeemable bitch, as long as she’s an entertaining one to watch. In that retrospect, Mavis Gary may well be Charlize Theron’s greatest role and screenwriter Diablo Cody’s greatest creation, while Jason Reitman refuses to conform to standards by denying his heroine a redemptive arc. There are no lessons learnt here and Young Adult is all the more fascinating because of it.

7) 21 Jump Street

It was a toss-up between this and Ted for the position of funniest film of the year. But while Seth MacFarlane’s teddy-com is little more than a feature length Family Guy skit, 21 Jump Street earns extra brownies points for: a) turning a straight-faced 80s cop show into a riotous laugh-fest; b) revealing that comedy is a surprisingly good fit for Ken doll lookalike Channing Tatum; and c) featuring the most hysterical trip out scene ever committed to film. Throw in one of the best celebrity cameos ever and you’ve got Christmas.

6) Looper

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been on a helluva roll recently and Rian Johnson’s sci-fi thriller is unquestionably among his best work. Yes, the plot feels like a slightly tweaked version of The Terminator, but it puts a fresh spin on the time travel genre. No, JGL looks nothing like a young Bruce Willis, but it’s all in the mannerisms, not in the dodgy make-up. More importantly, Johnson is not afraid to visit some very dark, nasty places along the way, making Looper not only the most intelligent sci-fi flick of the year, but also one of the ballsiest.

5) Headhunters

Proof that sometimes the best films are found outside of Hollywood, Headhunters hails from Scandinavia but is a very different beast to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Coming off as a Norwegian version of The Fugitive, it pulls off the impressive feat of blending pitch black comedy and breathtaking suspense. It also features an intriguing protagonist in the form of Roger Brown, an insufferable little man who somehow manages to win us over by enduring all sorts of extensive torture, as he flees from flawless alpha male Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Furthermore, it’s not every day you come across a film that has you in tears of laughter at the sight of a dog impaled on a moving forklift. Irked by that last statement? Watch the film and you’ll understand.

4) Skyfall

We knew Sam Mendes had something big planned for 007’s 50^th anniversary, but boy we were never expecting something this good. Gone was the sappy moping over Vesper Lynd and the incomprehensible choppy editing from Quantum of Solace and in were the impressively choreographed set-pieces (the London Underground chase being the stand-out) and a sharp script that expanded the Bond mythology, whilst also paying homage to everything that came before (hello, vintage Aston Martin). But perhaps what was most exciting was to see Daniel Craig finally owning the role of James Bond, much in the same way Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan did in their respective third outings. And as for that ending… well, let’s just say it’ll be exciting to see where Craig & co. will take Bond next.

3) Shame

There is an unwritten rule in Hollywood that states if you want to be taken seriously as an actor, you’re going to have to get naked. But what Michael Fassbender does in Shame, a Manhattan-set tale about a closet sex addict, goes beyond conventional mainstream nudity. It’s a raw, exposed performance that occasionally borders on emotionally bruising, whether it is felt in the vicious exchanges with on-screen sister Carey Mulligan, or during the brutal sex scenes with a string of nameless partners. Fassbender had already impressed in previous roles, but thanks to Steve McQueen’s drama he’s now made an indelible mark on cinema. It’ll be hard to take our eyes off him (or his crotch) from now on.

2) The Imposter    

There’s no arguing that the main aim of documentaries is to inform, but what sets The Imposter apart from its peers is that it also works exceptionally well as a straightforward mystery thriller. Bart Layton’s film focuses on how charming French conman Frederic Bourdin managed to convince a Texan family he was their long lost son Nicholad Barclay, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the mid-nineties. Through the use of re-enacted events, retrieved home footage and a disarmingly honest first person account by Bourdin himself, Layton gives us an insider’s view to a story so twisted and chilling, it’s nigh impossible a screenwriter could ever come up with a mystery thriller that matches its unpredictability. The fact that it all happened for real makes for essential viewing.

1) The Avengers

The Dark Knight Rises was a fitting conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s grounded Batman trilogy and The Amazing Spiderman introduced the world to a superior Spidey/Peter Parker in the form of Andrew Garfield. But both films lacked the fun, humour and epic scale of The Avengers, Marvel’s ambitious pet project that saw comic book heavyweights Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and The Incredible Hulk team up against an almighty common foe.

And to think it could’ve gone all so wrong. Bringing six superheroes and four separate franchises together was a giant gamble and while there was never any doubt people were going to turn up on curiosity alone, nobody expected The Avengers would be such an overwhelming success at the box office AND with critics worldwide.

“The wait was worth it”, USA Today solemnly announced; “The Avengers have been assembled and they fit together superbly”, gushed Empire magazine; “smartly thought out and executed with verve and precision” said the Los Angeles Times of Joss Whedon’s excellent approach to the superhero team dynamic. Even top critic Roger Ebert, who has a reputation for being particularly heavy-handed with blockbusters, couldn’t help but tip his hat to the erstwhile Buffy/Serenity creator.

With $1.3 billion in the bank and a worldwide army of newly-converted fanboys, it truly feels like Marvel has not only created an unstoppable cash cow, but also given us a Star Wars for a new generation.