TMW's editor counts down his 50 favorite movies of the past year.
Click the pics for a full review.
"What raises Discopath above the level of other recent Grindhouse spoof/homages, like Hobo With a Shotgun or Machete, is the genuine affection and understanding of the source material."
49. You're Next
"The cliches of the genre are on display but Wingard, and his screenwriter Simon Barrett, use their awareness of these cliches to give us a movie that feels closer to a lost eighties horror than merely a parody of such."
48. American Mary
"Avoiding the gore you might expect from such a plot, (the surgeries, thankfully, occur offscreen), the Soskas give us something we haven’t seen for a long time: a thoughtful horror movie." The Soska sisters sent us a list of their ten favorite horror movies. You can check it out here.
47. Cold Comes the Night
"Chun's film recalls a time when American thrillers were filled with captivating characters, rather than infuriating plotholes."
46. The Selfish Giant
"The Selfish Giant is yet another product of the "It's grim oop North" school of film-making and though it's cliched in its themes and doesn't present much we haven't seen before, it's, for most of its running time, thoroughly gripping."
45. Byzantium
"This is clearly a director working in a genre he loves, whilst remembering to keep it fun, something many of today's horror film-makers seem to have forgotten."
44. Love Is All You Need
"Apart from a disappointingly predictable ending, LIAYN is a charming rom-com aimed at middle-aged viewers but accessible to all but those too ignorant to read subtitles."
43. The Way Way Back
"Faxon and Rash never give in to Hollywood black-and-white character dynamics. The characters in their film, as with most real humans, don't always make the right choices, either for themselves or others."
42. Bullet to the Head
"In a Walter Hill movie, gunshots sound that extra few decibels louder, blood looks slightly more red, and anyone can die at anytime. It's a template he sticks to here, transporting us back to a time before post-modern cynicism and smart-ass genre deconstruction took the fun out of the action movie."
41. Broken
"You're never sure whether you want to give its characters a hug or a smack, but they're thoroughly engaging either way."
40. Spring Breakers
"Offering Middle America a look at its daughter's Facebook page, controversial director Korine's latest is a day-glo hued pastiche of parental nightmares."
39. The Comedy
"The Comedy plays like a riff on Falling Down but, rather than baseball bats and bazookas, self-entitlement and solipsism are the weapons of choice for its loathsome protagonist."
38. In a World
"In a world where comedies have become mean spirited and reliant on toilet humor, one woman dares to buck the trend, reminding us how funny and charming a well-written and performed comedy can be."
37. Sleep Tight
"Along with screenwriter Alberto Marini, Balaguero gives us a deliciously dark thriller in the vein of classic Hitchcock."
36. Hello, I Must Be Going
" A refreshingly non-judgmental take on the theme of May-to-December romances with yet another central performance shamefully overlooked by awards panels." You can read our interview with the film's screenwriter, Sarah Koskoff, here.
35. A Hijacking
"Another quality piece of drama from a country punching above its weight."
34. Saving Mr. Banks
"If you can accept its schmaltz early on and allow yourself and the film to run with it, Saving Mr Banks is a movie as charming as the best of classic Disney."
33. Homefront
"In a year filled with the cruel collateral damage of garbage like Man of Steel and Fast & Furious 6, where "little people" are merely disposable props to be destroyed by larger than life "heroes", Homefront is an important dog-ear in the pages of the maligned action genre."
32. Behind the Candelabra
"It's ironic that Behind the Candelabra was made for the small screen as it's the most cinematic film Soderbergh has made in years."
31. Gravity
"Until James Cameron buys his own space shuttle and shoots a movie in space itself, this is the closest we'll get to the incredible awe astronauts must feel."
30. The East
"As director and co-writer with his leading lady Marling, Batmanglij has announced himself as a film-maker to keep an eye on."
29. Philomena
"This subject was covered in Peter Mullan's harrowing 2002 film The Magdalene Sisters but the film-makers here opt for a far lighter tone, essentially turning the story into a classic road comedy, putting two disparate personalities (Sixsmith's highbrow atheist, Philomena's lowbrow Catholic) together, and it pays off wonderfully."
28. Upstream Color
"Even if you shut your brain down and opt to ignore the plot (though I can't imagine any viewer pulling off such a feat), you'll find yourself wrapped up in a story of two broken people attempting to piece themselves together." We have three DVD copies of the film currently up for grabs in our competition here.
27. The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears
"A pornographic laser show for fans of photography, architecture, interior design and the female form."
26. Nebraska
"There hasn't been a movie this substantial with an elderly lead since the stunning The Straight Story back in 1999."
25. The Impossible
"Where most film-makers would attempt to turn the story into a tale of heroism and the triumph of the human spirit, Bayona gives us a large scale survival horror." Director Juan Antonio Bayona sent us a list of his 10 favorite horror movies, which you can check out here.
24. Short Term 12
"In the wrong hands could have easily been another offensive story of flawless white people saving minorities but writer-director Cretton gives us protagonists who are as flawed as those under their care."
23. Iron Man 3
"It may feature the Marvel logo but, make no mistake, this is first and foremost a Shane Black movie, containing all his trademark elements. "
22. Simon Killer
"Those who appreciate a film which allows you to fill in the blanks will be richly rewarded. The American New-Wave has arrived!"
21. Beyond the Hills
"With stunning performances across its cast and brilliant direction from Mungiu, 'Beyond the Hills' is a must-see for believers and skeptics alike."
20. Rush
"If the marketing makes it seem like you're in for Days of Thunder 2, rest assured you don't need to be a fan of motorsports to appreciate Howard's film."
19. Populaire
"In French, the word "entertainment" literally translates as "diversion" and, as diversions go, Populaire is one this year's best."
18. Enough Said
"A comedy that not only appeals to those of us with a mental age above 14, but manages to pack in some biting social commentary in the process."
17. Mister John
"Borrows heavily from various sources, yet never feels remotely stale or cliched."
16. What Maisie Knew
""Charming" seems to have become something of a dirty word in modern cinema, where a film is only considered an "adult drama" if it's drab and depressing. What Maisie Knew has charm in spades."
15. Wadjda
"In a summer dominated by overblown superhero movies, here's a super movie with a real hero."
14. Blancanieves
"While The Artist homaged the silent era but never really felt like a product of that time, Blancanieves is much more authentic."
13. In the House
"Ozon uses sharp humor, combined with every cinematic trick in the book, to give us a wildly entertaining movie which feels like the bastard love child of Woody Allen and Claude Chabrol."
12. Drinking Buddies
"After a string of roles that amount to little more than eye candy, Wilde gets a chance to show she can act and boy does she grasp it, delivering one of the year's best performances."
11. Nobody's Daughter Haewon
"Hong's laidback style makes his film feel like a Murakami novel adapted into a Peanuts cartoon and it's every bit as great as that combination sounds."
10. The Broken Circle Breakdown
"For every scene of abject misery (and there are plenty) we get a moment of relief through musical scenes that will have you tapping your feet in your seat."
9. Just a Sigh
"The advance of time is fraught with dread for women in a way men can never truly understand but Bonnell exposes the ticking clock every woman, especially those whose beauty has played a major role in their position in life, hears in their subconscious"
8. To the Wonder
"Like a glance from a beautiful woman; even when misread it stirs the heart."
7. No
"Against a larger backdrop, Larrain tells a simple story of an employee attempting to get one over on his boss."
6. Ain't Them Bodies Saints
"If you have a love of westerns and the fading American mythos, I suggest you warm yourself next to Lowery's elegiac funeral pyre."
5. Like Father, Like Son
"It may plumb the depths of melancholy, and is easily the most heartbreaking film of the year, but it's also got a fantastic sense of humor."
4. Metro Manila
"Western cinema seems intent on ignoring the current global economic crisis but Ellis' film is a Munchian roar of working class discontent."
3. Blue Jasmine
"If last year's To Rome With Love, easily the worst film of his lengthy career, made us temporarily forget, Blue Jasmine reassures us Allen is still a great film-maker."
2. Mud
"The best movie about childhood since Stand By Me, Mud is a stunning portrayal of the confusion of entering manhood in a post-masculine world."
Movie of the Year - Computer Chess
"So strong are the characters that, ten minutes in, I felt like I knew these people beforehand, as though the film was some big screen spin-off from a long running TV show."
Eric Hillis