For the second straight year, I’ve tried to put together a list of the best movies of 2012 according to Brisbane-based film critics. Drive topped last year's rankings and you can read that blog by clicking here. I've spoken to critics who I regularly run into at film previews and asked them to submit their top 10 lists along with a few other details. To come up with an overall top 10 list, I’m using a simple points system. It is as follows: |
| - | 3 points – the top film on each list. |
| - | 2 points – the films ranked between 2nd and 5th on each list. |
| - | 1 point – the films ranked between 6th and 10th on each list. |
If two films finished on the same score, the film that appeared on the most number of top 10 lists was ranked higher (as an indication of wider approval). One film towered above the others - Argo. It featured on 7 of the 11 lists (more than any other movie) and was the number 1 selection by 5 different critics - Rob Hudson, Michael Dalton, Peter Gray, Jason Reed and Garry Williams. Sharing second place were the only two films that also appeared on more than 50% of the lists - Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson's great comedy) and Looper (a creative sci-fi thriller from Rian Johnson). As was the case last year, the list contains a wide range of genres including horror (The Cabin In The Woods), action (The Dark Knight Rises) and the downright strange (Holy Motors). It was certainly a varied year for Australian cinema. When asked for the best local release of the year, 7 different films were mentioned. The only movies named more than once were Wish You Were Here, Lore and The Sapphires. Curiously, 3 different Australian films were named on lists as the year's worst - Kath & Kimderella, Mental and Housos Vs. Authority. On that note, here is the top 10 according to Brisbane critics for 2012… |
| Brisbane Film Critics - Top 10 Of 2012 | ||
| 1. | Argo | |
| 2. | Looper | |
| 2. | Moonrise Kingdom | |
| 4. | The Cabin In The Woods | |
| 5. | Holy Motors | |
| 5. | Shame | |
| 7. | A Separation | |
| 7. | The Dark Knight Rises | |
| 9. | The Master | |
| 10. | The Perks Of Being A Wallflower | |
You can view a table of all the votes and final scores by clicking here. A big thanks to all the critics who were able to contribute. Hopefully we'll do it again next year! You can check out information on all the Brisbane critics (along with their choices for the best and worst of 2012) below. |
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Matthew Toomey
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | Shame |
| 2. | A Separation |
| 3. | Margin Call |
| 4. | Searching For Sugar Man |
| 5. | The King Of Devil's Island |
| 6. | Take This Waltz |
| 7. | The Descendants |
| 8. | The Avengers |
| 9. | Jiro Dreams Of Sushi |
| 10. | Beasts Of The Southern Wild |
| Top Unreleased Films: | |
| 1. | Zero Dark Thirty |
| 2. | First Position |
| 3. | Undefeated |
| 4. | Facing Mirrors |
| 5. | West Of Memphis |
| Best Australian Film: |
| A Few Best Men |
| Best Animated Film: |
| Wreck-It-Ralph |
| Best Documentary: |
| Searching For Sugar Man |
| Best Performance: |
| Sarah Polley (Take This Waltz) |
| Worst Film: |
| The Door |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| Hit & Run |
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|
|
Tim Milfull
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | The Raid |
| 2. | This Must Be The Place |
| 3. | The Artist |
| 4. | Cafe de Flore |
| 5. | Holy Motors |
| 6. | Beasts Of The Southern Wild |
| 7. | Shame |
| 8. | A Separation |
| 9. | Searching For Sugar Man |
| 10. | Monsieur Lazhar |
| Top Unreleased Films: | |
| 1. | Pieta |
| 2. | Postcard (Ichimai no hagaki) |
| 3. | Alps (Alpeis) |
| 4. | Rampart |
| 5. | Berberian Sound Studio |
| Best Australian Film: |
| The King Is Dead |
| Best Animated Film: |
| Wreck-It-Ralph |
| Best Documentary: |
| Searching For Sugar Man |
| Best Performance: |
| Denis Lavant (Holy Motors) |
| Worst Film: |
| The Words |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| Pitch Perfect |
 |
|
|
Sarah Ward
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | Shame |
| 2. | Margaret |
| 3. | The Master |
| 4. | Holy Motors |
| 5. | Hugo |
| 6. | The Artist |
| 7. | Argo |
| 8. | Killing Them Softly |
| 9. | Beasts Of The Southern Wild |
| 10. | Looper |
| Top Unreleased Films: | |
| 1. | Zero Dark Thirty |
| 2. | Amour |
| 3. | No |
| 4. | The Hunt |
| 5. | Sister |
| Best Australian Film: |
| Lore |
| Best Animated Film: |
| The Secret World Of Arrietty |
| Best Documentary: |
| Searching For Sugar Man |
| Best Performance: |
| Joaquin Phoenix (The Master) |
| Worst Film: |
| Kath & Kimderella |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| Dredd |
 |
|
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Baz McAlister
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | The Grey |
| 2. | The Cabin In The Woods |
| 3. | Killing Them Softly |
| 4. | Safety Not Guaranteed |
| 5. | Ted |
| 6. | The Avengers |
| 7. | Ruby Sparks |
| 8. | The Raid |
| 9. | Moonrise Kingdom |
| 10. | The Perks Of Being A Wallflower |
| Best Australian Film: |
| Any Questions For Ben? |
| Best Animated Film: |
| Wreck-It-Ralph |
| Best Documentary: |
| Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter |
| Best Performance: |
| Liam Neeson (The Grey) |
| Worst Film: |
| On The Road |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| The Perks Of Being A Wallflower |
 |
|
|
Garry Williams
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | Argo |
| 2. | Samsara |
| 3. | The Dark Knight Rises |
| 4. | Bernie |
| 5. | Marley |
| 6. | Moonrise Kingdom |
| 7. | The Avengers |
| 8. | Looper |
| 9. | The Perks Of Being A Wallflower |
| 10. | Margaret |
| Top Unreleased Films: | |
| 1. | West Of Memphis |
| 2. | Pink Ribbons Inc. |
| 3. | The Art Of Rap |
| 4. | Hara Kiri: Death Of A Samurai |
| 5. | Side By Side |
| Best Australian Film: |
| Wish You Were Here |
| Best Animated Film: |
| Wolf Children |
| Best Documentary: |
| Marley |
| Best Performance: |
| Denis Lavant (Holy Motors) |
| Worst Film: |
| Hope Springs |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| Katy Perry: Part Of Me |
 |
|
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Laurence Barber
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | Holy Motors (tie) |
| 1. | A Separation (tie) |
| 3. | Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present |
| 4. | The Master |
| 5. | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy |
| 6. | Lore |
| 7. | Weekend |
| 8. | The Perks Of Being A Wallflower |
| 9. | Searching For Sugar Man |
| 10. | Samsara |
| Top Unreleased Films: | |
| 1. | No |
| 2. | The Hunt |
| 3. | Yossi |
| 4. | The Impostor |
| 5. | Sound Of My Voice |
| Best Australian Film: |
| Lore |
| Best Animated Film: |
| From Up On Poppy Hill |
| Best Documentary: |
| Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present |
| Best Performance: |
| Denis Lavant (Holy Motors) |
| Worst Film: |
| Mental |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey |
 |
|
|
Rob Hudson
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | Argo |
| 2. | Moonrise Kingdom |
| 3. | Hugo |
| 4. | The Dark Knight Rises |
| 5. | Looper |
| 6. | Marley |
| 7. | Skyfall |
| 8. | The Cabin In The Woods |
| 9. | Lawless |
| 10. | The Perks Of Being A Wallflower |
| Top Unreleased Films: | |
| 1. | Life Of Pi |
| Best Australian Film: |
| Iron Sky |
| Best Animated Film: |
| Frankenweenie |
| Best Documentary: |
| Marley |
| Best Performance: |
| Joaquin Phoenix (The Master) |
| Worst Film: |
| Paranormal Activity 4 |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| The Perks Of Being A Wallflower |
 |
|
|
David Edwards
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | Moonrise Kingdom |
| 2. | The Dark Knight Rises |
| 3. | Your Sister's Sister |
| 4. | The Master |
| 5. | Looper |
| 6. | The Descendants |
| 7. | Argo |
| 8. | Frankenweenie |
| 9. | Young Adult |
| 10. | Bernie |
| Top Unreleased Films: | |
| 1. | ParaNorman |
| 2. | Barbara |
| 3. | Red Lights |
| Best Australian Film: |
| No pick |
| Best Animated Film: |
| Frankenweenie |
| Best Performance: |
| John Hawkes (The Sessions) |
| Worst Film: |
| Housos Vs. Authority |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| Your Sister's Sister |
 |
|
|
Michael Dalton
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | Argo |
| 2. | Bernie |
| 3. | Le Havre |
| 4. | The Cabin In The Woods |
| 5. | Holy Motors |
| 6. | A Separation |
| 7. | The Raid |
| 8. | Moonrise Kingdom |
| 9. | The Words |
| 10. | Frankenweenie |
| Top Unreleased Films: | |
| 1. | Sleep Tight |
| 2. | The Hunt |
| 3. | Maniac |
| 4. | Wrinkles |
| 5. | The Impostor |
| Best Australian Film: |
| Wish You Were Here |
| Best Animated Film: |
| The Secret World Of Arrietty |
| Best Documentary: |
| Searching For Sugar Man |
| Best Performance: |
| John Hakwes (The Sessions) |
| Worst Film: |
| To Rome With Love |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| Safe House |
 |
|
|
Peter Gray
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | Argo |
| 2. | Shame |
| 3. | The Avengers |
| 4. | The Cabin In The Woods |
| 5. | Skyfall |
| 6. | Looper |
| 7. | The Dark Knight Rises |
| 8. | Beasts Of The Southern Wild |
| 9. | The Intouchables |
| 10. | The Muppets |
| Top Unreleased Films: | |
| 1. | Compliance |
| 2. | Killer Joe |
| 3. | ParaNorman |
| 4. | Smashed |
| 5. | Excision |
| Best Australian Film: |
| The Sapphires |
| Best Animated Film: |
| Brave |
| Best Documentary: |
| Searching For Sugar Man |
| Best Performance: |
| Matthew McConaughey (Killer Joe) |
| Worst Film: |
| Kath & Kimderella |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| Hit & Run |
 |
|
|
Jason Reed
| Top 10 Released Films: | |
| 1. | Argo |
| 2. | Looper |
| 3. | Martha Marcy May Marlene |
| 4. | The Cabin In The Woods |
| 5. | Liberal Arts |
| 6. | The Artist |
| 7. | The Perks Of Being A Wallflower |
| 8. | Safety Not Guaranteed |
| 9. | The Muppets |
| 10. | Moonrise Kingdom |
| Top Unreleased Films: | |
| 1. | The Sound Of My Voice |
| 2. | Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present |
| 3. | Compliance |
| 4. | Despite The Gods |
| Best Australian Film: |
| The Sapphires |
| Best Animated Film: |
| Wreck-It-Ralph |
| Best Documentary: |
| Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present |
| Best Performance: |
| Ben Affleck (Argo) |
| Worst Film: |
| Bachelorette |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: |
| Magic Mike |
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