Year-End Lists

Ed Gonzalez: Top 20 Films of 2012, as published by Slant Magazine

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2011]

1. This is Not a Film
   Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
2. The Kid with a Bike
   Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
3. Neighboring Sounds
   Kleber Mendonça Filho
4. Zero Dark Thirty
   Kathryn Bigelow
5. Las Acacias
   Pablo Giorgelli
6. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
   David Gelb
7. Girl Walk // All Day
   Jacob Krupnick
8. Oslo, August 31st
   Joachim Trier
9. 5 Broken Cameras
   Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
10. Sleepless Night
    Frédéric Jardin

Honorable Mention

• The Comedy
  Rick Alverson
• Lincoln
  Steven Spielberg
• Killer Joe
  William Friedkin
• Keep the Lights On
  Ira Sachs
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
  Benh Zeitlin
• The Color Wheel
  Alex Ross Perry
• The Five-Year Engagement
  Nicholas Stoller
• The Queen of Versailles
  Lauren Greenfield
• Sister
  Ursula Meier
• This Must Be the Place
  Paolo Sorrentino

Matt Singer: 20 Best Films of 2012, as published by IndieWire

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2011]

1. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
2. The Master
   Paul Thomas Anderson
3. Zero Dark Thirty
   Kathryn Bigelow
4. The Cabin in the Woods
   Drew Goddard
5. This is Not a Film
   Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
6. Klown
   Mikkel Nørgaard
7. Compliance
   Craig Zobel
8. Argo
   Ben Affleck
9. Looper
   Rian Johnson
10. Girl Walk // All Day
    Jacob Krupnick
11. Cloud Atlas
    Lana & Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer
12. Jeff, Who Lives at Home
    Jay and Mark Duplass
13. Not Fade Away
    David Chase
14. Oslo, August 31st
    Joachim Trier
15. ParaNorman
    Chris Butler & Sam Fell
16. Sleepless Night
    Frédéric Jardin
17. Life of Pi
    Ang Lee
18. Moonrise Kingdom
    Wes Anderson
19. Magic Mike
    Steven Soderbergh
20. Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning
    John Hyams

Peter Bradshaw: 10 Best Films of 2012, as published by The Guardian

[see also Top 5 Films of 2012 • Best Films of 2011]

1. The Master
   Paul Thomas Anderson
2. Ted
   Seth MacFarlane
3. Amour
   Michael Haneke
4. Silver Linings Playbook
   David O. Russell
5. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
6. This is Not a Film
   Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
7. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
   Nuri Bilge Ceylan
8. Beasts of the Southern Wild
   Benh Zeitlin
9. Alps
   Yorgos Lanthimos
10. The Queen of Versailles
    Lauren Greenfield

Andrew O’Hehir: 20 Best Movies of 2012, as published by Salon

[see also 2014 • 2011]

1. Wuthering Heights
   Andrea Arnold
2. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
3. Amour
   Michael Haneke
4. Zero Dark Thirty
   Kathryn Bigelow
5. Rust and Bone
   Jacques Audiard
6. Lincoln
   Steven Spielberg
7. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
   Nuri Bilge Ceylan
8. Whores’ Glory
   Michael Glawogger
9. Oslo, August 31st
   Joachim Trier
10. Take This Waltz
    Sarah Polley

Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order)

• Bachelorette
  Leslye Headland
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
  Benh Zeitlin
• Chico & Rita
  Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
• The Dark Knight Rises
  Christopher Nolan
• End of Watch
  David Ayer
• Keep the Lights On
  Ira Sachs
• Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
  Matthew Akers
• Moonrise Kingdom
  Wes Anderson
• Not Fade Away
  David Chase
• The Turin Horse
  Béla Tarr & Agnes Hranitzky

Ty Burr: Top 26 Movies of 2012, as published by The Boston Globe

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2014 • 2011]

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild
   Benh Zeitlin
2. Amour
   Michael Haneke
3. Zero Dark Thirty
   Kathryn Bigelow
4. Moonrise Kingdom
   Wes Anderson
5. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
6. Lincoln
   Steven Spielberg
7. Argo
   Ben Affleck
8. Django Unchained
   Quentin Tarantino
9. This is Not a Film
   Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
10. Oslo, August 31st
    Joachim Trier

Honorable Mention

• Bachelorette
  Leslye Headland

Runners-up

• The Sessions
  Ben Lewin
• The Master
  Paul Thomas Anderson
• Silver Linings Playbook
  David O. Russell
• Safety Not Guaranteed
  Colin Trevorrow
• The Central Park Five
  Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon
• Killing Them Softly
  Andrew Dominik
• The House I Live In
  Eugene Jarecki
• Frankenweenie
  Tim Burton
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower
  Stephen Chbosky
• Searching for Sugar Man
  Malik Bendjelloul

Wesley Morris: Top 25 Movies of 2012, as published by The Boston Globe

[see also 2014 • 2013 • 2011]

1. The Master
   Paul Thomas Anderson
2. How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS
   David France
3. The Paperboy
   Lee Daniels
4. Amour
   Michael Haneke
5. Django Unchained
   Quentin Tarantino
6. Moonrise Kingdom
   Wes Anderson
7. Polisse
   Maïwenn
8. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
9. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
   Nuri Bilge Ceylan
10. 21 Jump Street
    Phil Lord and Chris Miller

15 More Excellent Moves in No Particular Order

• Elena
  Andrey Zvyagintsev
• Barbara
  Christian Petzold
• Miss Bala
  Gerardo Naranjo
• The Gatekeepers
  Dror Moreh
• Magic Mike
  Steven Soderbergh
• Where Do We Go Now?
  Nadine Labaki
• The Turin Horse
  Béla Tarr & Agnes Hranitzky
• Zero Dark Thirty
  Kathryn Bigelow
• The Loneliest Planet
  Julia Loktev
• Gayby
  Jonathan Lisecki
• Sister
  Ursula Meier
• The Color Wheel
  Alex Ross Perry
• Silver Linings Playbook
  David O. Russell
• Lincoln
  Steven Spielberg
• Argo
  Ben Affleck

Keith Uhlich: 10 Best Movies of 2012, as published by Time Out New York

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2011]

1. Almayer’s Folly
   Chantal Akerman
2. Not Fade Away
   David Chase
3. Domain
   Patric Chiha
4. The Kid with a Bike
   Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
5. Killer Joe
   William Friedkin
6. This is Not a Film
   Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
7. Girl Walk // All Day
   Jacob Krupnick
8. Damsels in Distress
   Whit Stillman
9. Zero Dark Thirty
   Kathryn Bigelow
10. Cosmopolis
    David Cronenberg

Joshua Rothkopf: 10 Best Movies of 2012, as published by Time Out New York

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2011]

1. Bernie
   Richard Linklater
2. Zero Dark Thirty
   Kathryn Bigelow
3. How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS
   David France
4. Lincoln
   Steven Spielberg
5. Keep the Lights On
   Ira Sachs
6. Elena
   Andrey Zvyagintsev
7. Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
   Matthew Akers
8. The Imposter
   Bart Layton
9. Silver Linings Playbook
   David O. Russell
10. Django Unchained
    Quentin Tarantino

David Fear: 10 Best Movies of 2012, as published by Time Out New York

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2018 • 2017 • 2011]

1. The Master
   Paul Thomas Anderson
2. Compliance
   Craig Zobel
3. Bestiaire
   Denis Côté
4. Zero Dark Thirty
   Kathryn Bigelow
5. Magic Mike
   Steven Soderbergh
6. Lincoln
   Steven Spielberg
7. The Raid: Redemption
   Gareth Evans
8. Amour
   Michael Haneke
9. Keep the Lights On
   Ira Sachs
10. Wuthering Heights
    Andrea Arnold

Dennis Cooper: 16 Favorite Films of 2012 (as numbered on Cooper’s site, but note that he precedes the list with “in no order”)

[see also 2019 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2013 • 2011]

1. Moonrise Kingdom
   Wes Anderson
2. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
3. The Cabin in the Woods
   Drew Goddard
4. Oslo, August 31st
   Joachim Trier
5. Amour
   Michael Haneke
6. Take Shelter
   Jeff Nichols
7. The Second Cabin: Stemple Pass
   James Benning
8. All Divided Selves
   Luke Fowler
9. Free Radicals
   Pip Chodorov
10. Middle of Nowhere
    Michael Salerno and Marcus Whale
11. Shitty Youth
    Adam Humphrey
12. My Best Thing
    Frances Stark
13. Stand in the Stream
    Stanya Kahn
14. The Wilding
    Grant Scicluna
15. This is Not a Film
    Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
15. ParaNorman
    Chris Butler & Sam Fell