Year-End Lists

J.R. Jones: 22 Favorite Movies of 2012, as published by The Chicago Reader

[see also 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2011]

1. A Separation
   Asghar Farhadi
2. Lincoln
   Steven Spielberg
3. In the Family
   Patrick Wang
4. God Bless America
   Bobcat Goldthwait
5. Le Grand Amour (1969)
   Pierre Etaix
6. The House I Live In
   Eugene Jarecki
7. Beyond the Hills
   Cristian Mungiu
8. Rust and Bone
   Jacques Audiard
9. Compliance
   Craig Zobel
10. The Color Wheel
    Alex Ross Perry

Runners Up (alphabetical)

• Beasts of the Southern Wild
  Benh Zeitlin
• Bernie
  Richard Linklater
• The Deep Blue Sea
  Terence Davies
• Detropia
  Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
• Elena
  Andrey Zvyagintsev
• End of Watch
  David Ayer
• The Invisible War
  Kirby Dick
• The Master
  Paul Thomas Anderson
• Take This Waltz
  Sarah Polley
• Ted
  Seth MacFarlane
• This is Not a Film
  Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
• Your Sister’s Sister
  Lynn Shelton

Austin Town Hall: Top 100 Albums of 2012

[see also 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2011]

1. Killing Time
   Terry Malts
2. Attack on Memory
   Cloud Nothings
3. Freak Waves
   Sea Pinks
4. There’s No Leaving Now
   The Tallest Man on Earth
5. Leaving Atlanta
   Gentleman Jesse & His Men
6. You Love It Here
   I Was a King
7. Heaven
   Walkmen
8. All Blackshirts to Me
   Cats on Fire
9. Shields
   Grizzly Bear
10. Confess
    Twin Shadow
11. Radlands
    Mystery Jets
12. Open Your Heart
    The Men
13. Royal Headache
    Royal Headache
14. Bend Beyond
    Woods
15. Internal Logic
    Grass Widow
16. Bloom
    Beach House
17. Out of Sight, Out of Town
    Standard Fare
18. Hairdresser Blues
    Hunx
19. Nocturne
    Wild Nothing
20. Swing Lo Magellan
    Dirty Projectors
21. Long Slow Dance
    The Fresh & Onlys
22. Kill for Love
    Chromatics
23. Lonerism
    Tame Impala
24. Correct Behavior
    Eternal Summers
25. Tramp
    Sharon Van Etten
26. Arab Spring
    Literature
27. Ruler of the Night
    Magic Trick
28. Everybody’s Got It Easy But Me
    The Intelligence
29. Bad Expectations
    Punks On Mars
30. II
    Nude Beach
31. Moth
    Exlovers
32. Love Will Prevail
    Cult of Youth
33. Interstellar
    Frankie Rose
34. Oshin
    DIIV
35. A Different Arrangement
    Black Marble
36. Untogether
    Letting Up Despite Great Faults
37. Home
    The Bankees
38. I Love You, It’s Cool
    Bear In Heaven
39. Putrifiers II
    Thee Oh Sees
40. 2
    Mac DeMarco
41. Plateaus
    Plateaus
42. On a Bedroom Wall
    Still Flyin
43. Stray Ashes
    JBM
44. Hands of Glory
    Andrew Bird
45. Mature Themes
    Ariel Pink
46. Deep Time
    Deep Time
47. Television Youth
    Sonic Avenues
48. Plumb
    Field Music
49. (III)
    Crystal Castles
50. Mixed Emotions
    Tanlines
51. Hospitality
    Hospitality
52. Valentina
    The Wedding Present
53. OBN IIIs
    OBN IIIs
54. Sun
    Cat Power
55. I Know What Love Isn’t
    Jens Lekman
56. Long Black Cars
    The Wave Pictures
57. Two Wounded Birds
    Two Wounded Birds
58. Coexist
    The xx
59. The Haunted Man
    Bat for Lashes
60. In Our Heads
    Hot Chip
61. Holograms
    Holograms
62. The Ghost in Daylight
    Gravenhurst
63. The Clearing
    Bowerbirds
64. Ugly
    Screaming Females
65. The Nature of Things
    The Daredevil Christopher Wright
66. Make a Mess of Sacred Ground
    We Can’t Enjoy Ourselves
67. Meltdown
    Mind Spiders
68. Summer Bodies
    Dana Buoy
69. All of Us Together
    Teen Daze
70. Europe
    Allo Darlin’
71. Shut Down the Streets
    A.C. Newman
72. A Date With You
    Grape Street
73. WWIII
    White Wires
74. Sees the Light
    La Sera
75. Dry Land is Not a Myth
    White Arrows
76. Winter Garden Light
    Dot Dash
77. All Gone
    Pop Singles
78. Plague
    The Eastern Sea
79. Four Girls
    Woolen Kits
80. King Tuff
    King Tuff
81. Hard in Heaven
    Natural Child
82. Evans the Death
    Evans the Death
83. Slaughterhouse
    Ty Segall Band
84. Arrivals & Departures
    The Calm Blue Sea
85. Our House on the Hill
    The Babies
86. Light Up Gold
    Parquet Courts
87. Local Business
    Titus Andronicus
88. Land Grab
    Unnatural Helpers
89. Pinata
    Volcano
90. The Memories
    The Memories
91. Tarnished Gold
    Beachwood Sparks
92. All Hell
    Daughn Gibson
93. Stoned and Alone
    The Pharmacy
94. Life Less Ordinary
    Big Wave Riders
95. Warm Nothing
    So Many Wizards
96. Endless Flowers
    Crocodiles
97. Metz
    Metz
98. Voyeur
    Saint Motel
99. Wild Quiet
    Junk Culture
100. The Garden of Joy and the Well of Loneliness
     Lace Curtains

Billboard: 10 Best Albums of 2012 (as voted by Billboard staff)

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

1. Channel Orange
   Frank Ocean
2. good kid, m.A.A.d city
   Kendrick Lamar
3. Kaleidoscope Dream
   Miguel
4. Devotion
   Jessie Ware
5. Red
   Taylor Swift
6. Bloom
   Beach House
7. Wrecking Ball
   Bruce Springsteen
8. Attack on Memory
   Cloud Nothings
9. Sun
   Cat Power
10. An Awesome Wave
    alt-J

Glenn Kenny: 25 Best Films of 2012

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

1. The Master
   Paul Thomas Anderson
2. The Turin Horse
   Béla Tarr & Agnes Hranitzky
3. Moonrise Kingdom
   Wes Anderson
4. Zero Dark Thirty
   Kathryn Bigelow
5. The Kid with a Bike
   Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
6. Cosmopolis
   David Cronenberg
7. Lincoln
   Steven Spielberg
8. Looper
   Rian Johnson
9. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
10. Tabu
    Miguel Gomes
11. This is Not a Film
    Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
12. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
    Nuri Bilge Ceylan
13. ParaNorman
    Chris Butler & Sam Fell
14. Hello, I Must Be Going
    Todd Louisa
15. Amour
    Michael Haneke
16. Flight
    Robert Zemeckis
17. Bernie
    Richard Linklater
18. Not Fade Away
    David Chase
19. Beasts of the Southern Wild
    Benh Zeitlin
20. Skyfall
    Sam Mendes
21. The Dark Knight Rises
    Christopher Nolan
22. Damsels in Distress
    Whit Stillman
23. Goodbye First Love
    Mia Hansen-Løve
24. Prometheus
    Ridley Scott
25. Red Hook Summer
    Spike Lee

Darren Hughes: 10 Best Films of 2012 (as published at Long Pauses, where he also has lists of favorite unreleased films, favorite discoveries, and “Movie Recommendations for People Who Don’t Like the Kinds of Movies I Like”)

[see also 2021 • 2010s • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014]

1. The Loneliest Planet
   Julia Loktev
2. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
   Nuri Bilge Ceylan
3. Barbara
   Christian Petzold
4. Almayer’s Folly
   Chantal Akerman
5. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
6. The Day He Arrives
   Hong Sang-soo
7. A Burning Hot Summer
   Philippe Garrel
8. Haywire
   Steven Soderbergh
9. The Kid with a Bike
   Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
10. Neighboring Sounds
    Kleber Mendonça Filho

Film Comment: 50 Best Films of 2012

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

1. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
2. The Master
   Paul Thomas Anderson
3. Moonrise Kingdom
   Wes Anderson
4. This is Not a Film
   Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
5. Amour
   Michael Haneke
6. The Turin Horse
   Béla Tarr & Agnes Hranitzky
7. The Kid with a Bike
   Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
8. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
   Nuri Bilge Ceylan
9. Lincoln
   Steven Spielberg
10. Zero Dark Thirty
    Kathryn Bigelow
11. Tabu
    Miguel Gomes
12. The Deep Blue Sea
    Terence Davies
13. Bernie
    Richard Linklater
14. Beasts of the Southern Wild
    Benh Zeitlin
15. Cosmopolis
    David Cronenberg
16. Barbara
    Christian Petzold
17. The Loneliest Planet
    Julia Loktev
18. Silver Linings Playbook
    David O. Russell
19. Oslo, August 31st
    Joachim Trier
20. Neighboring Sounds
    Kleber Mendonça Filho
21. Django Unchained
    Quentin Tarantino
22. Almayer’s Folly
    Chantal Akerman
23. Magic Mike
    Steven Soderbergh
24. Argo
    Ben Affleck
25. Attenberg
    Athina Rachel Tsangari
26. The Color Wheel
    Alex Ross Perry
27. Rust and Bone
    Jacques Audiard
28. Killer Joe
    William Friedkin
29. Looper
    Rian Johnson
30. Life of Pi
    Ang Lee
31. A Man Vanishes
    Shohei Imamura
32. Skyfall
    Sam Mendes
33. The Gatekeepers
    Dror Moreh
34. Elena
    Andrey Zvyagintsev
35. Haywire
    Steven Soderbergh
36. Damsels in Distress
    Whit Stillman
37. Abendland
    Nikolaus Geyrhalter
38. Two Years at Sea
    Ben Rivers
39. How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS
    David France
40. Keep the Lights On
    Ira Sachs
41. A Burning Hot Summer
    Philippe Garrel
42. Miss Bala
    Gerardo Naranjo
43. Footnote
    Joseph Cedar
44. Compliance
    Craig Zobel
45. Alps
    Yorgos Lanthimos
46. Kill List
    Ben Wheatley
47. Farewell, My Queen
    Benoît Jacquot
48. In Another Country
    Hong Sang-soo
49. The Dark Knight Rises
    Christopher Nolan
50. The Day He Arrives
    Hong Sang-soo

Bilge Ebiri: Top 20 Films of 2012

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

1. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
   Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2. It’s Such a Beautiful Day
   Don Hertzfeldt
3. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
4. The Grey
   Joe Carnahan
5. Lincoln
   Steven Spielberg
6. The Master
   Paul Thomas Anderson
7. Zero Dark Thirty
   Kathryn Bigelow
8. The Dark Knight Rises
   Christopher Nolan
9. Moonrise Kingdom
   Wes Anderson
10. Beloved
    Christophe Honoré
11. Room 237
    Rodney Ascher
12. Samsara
    Ron Fricke
13. Django Unchained
    Quentin Tarantino
14. Almayer’s Folly
    Chantal Akerman
15. Extraterrestrial
    Nacho Vigalondo
16. The Raid: Redemption
    Gareth Evans
17. The Deep Blue Sea
    Terence Davies
18. Life of Pi
    Ang Lee
19. Keep the Lights On
    Ira Sachs
20. Anna Karenina
    Joe Wright

Reverse Shot: 10 Best Films of 2012

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

1. The Deep Blue Sea
   Terence Davies
2. This is Not a Film
   Jafar Panahi & Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
3. The Kid with a Bike
   Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
4. Tabu
   Miguel Gomes
5. Holy Motors
   Leos Carax
6. The Master
   Paul Thomas Anderson
7. Almayer’s Folly
   Chantal Akerman
8. The Turin Horse
   Béla Tarr & Agnes Hranitzky
9. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
   Nuri Bilge Ceylan
10. Lincoln
    Steven Spielberg

Beats Per Minute: Top 50 Albums of 2012

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020]

1. Until the Quiet Comes
   Flying Lotus
2. Kill for Love
   Chromatics
3. Luxury Problems
   Andy Stott
4. Channel Orange
   Frank Ocean
5. Lonerism
   Tame Impala
6. I Know What Love Isn’t
   Jens Lekman
7. good kid, m.A.A.d city
   Kendrick Lamar
8. Total Loss
   How to Dress Well
9. Ekstasis
   Julia Holter
10. The Seer
    Swans
11. Ocean Roar
    Mount Eerie
11. Clear Moon
    Mount Eerie
12. A Church That Fits Our Needs
    Lost In The Trees
13. Twins
    Ty Segall
14. fIN
    John Talabot
15. Put Your Back N 2 It
    Perfume Genius
16. Open Your Heart
    The Men
17. Motion Sickness of Time Travel
    Motion Sickness of Time Travel
18. Sweet Heart, Sweet Light
    Spiritualized
19. Echoes of Silence
    The Weeknd
20. 2
    Mac DeMarco
21. Shrines
    Purity Ring
22. Slaughterhouse
    Ty Segall Band
23. R.A.P. Music
    Killer Mike
24. Sorrow and Extinction
    Pallbearer
25. Bloom
    Beach House
26. ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
    Godspeed You! Black Emperor
27. Children of Desire
    Merchandise
28. Sundowning
    Nü Sensae
29. Held
    Holy Other
30. Oshin
    DIIV
31. The Idler Wheel…
    Fiona Apple
32. Celebration Rock
    Japandroids
33. Coexist
    The xx
34. Cancer 4 Cure
    El-P
35. The Haunted Man
    Bat for Lashes
36. Devotion
    Jessie Ware
37. Centipede Hz
    Animal Collective
38. Keepers of the Light
    LHF
39. Mr. M
    Lambchop
40. Habits & Contradictions
    Schoolboy Q
41. Hive Mind
    Ital
42. Swing Lo Magellan
    Dirty Projectors
43. Attack on Memory
    Cloud Nothings
44. America
    Dan Deacon
45. Blue Chips
    Action Bronson
46. The Money Store
    Death Grips
47. Voices from the Lake
    Voices From The Lake
48. Tramp
    Sharon Van Etten
49. Family Perfume Vol. 1 & 2
    White Fence
50. Galaxy Garden
    Lone

WUOG: Top 50 Albums of 2012

1. Attack on Memory
   Cloud Nothings
2. Channel Orange
   Frank Ocean
3. Shrines
   Purity Ring
4. good kid, m.A.A.d city
   Kendrick Lamar
5. Celebration Rock
   Japandroids
6. Bloom
   Beach House
7. Lonerism
   Tame Impala
8. Visions
   Grimes
9. The Seer
   Swans
10. The Money Store
    Death Grips
10. No Love Deep Web
    Death Grips
11. Shields
    Grizzly Bear
12. Mature Themes
    Ariel Pink
13. Kaleidoscope Dream
    Miguel
14. Swing Lo Magellan
    Dirty Projectors
15. Tramp
    Sharon Van Etten
16. ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
    Godspeed You! Black Emperor
17. (III)
    Crystal Castles
18. Open Your Heart
    The Men
19. Duality
    Captain Murphy
20. R.A.P. Music
    Killer Mike
21. Until the Quiet Comes
    Flying Lotus
22. Life Is Good
    Nas
23. Put Your Back N 2 It
    Perfume Genius
24. Total Loss
    How to Dress Well
25. Something
    Chairlift
26. Time Capsules II
    Oberhofer
27. Reign of Terror
    Sleigh Bells
28. Nocturne
    Wild Nothing
29. Blunderbuss
    Jack White
30. Slaughterhouse
    Ty Segall Band
31. Ekstasis
    Julia Holter
32. Born to Die
    Lana Del Rey
33. Love this Giant
    David Byrne & St. Vincent
34. Coexist
    The xx
35. In Our Heads
    Hot Chip
36. Floral Green
    Title Fight
37. Cobra Juicy
    Black Moth Super Rainbow
38. Habits & Contradictions
    Schoolboy Q
39. Pluto
    Future
40. Port of Morrow
    The Shins
41. Manifest!
    Friends
42. Hospitality
    Hospitality
43. Transcendental Youth
    The Mountain Goats
44. Bish Bosch
    Scott Walker
45. Beams
    Matthew Dear
46. The Good Fight
    Krystale & Kaytradamus
47. Get Disowned
    Hop Along
48. Blood Rushing
    Josephine Foster
49. Breakup Song
    Deerhoof
50. America
    Dan Deacon