The year will end in about 53 hours and...

that means it is time to finalize my end of year movie lists.  My lists of the Top Ten Indie, Top Ten Feature-Length Documentaries and Top Ten Foreign movies are or will be available on www.TailSlate.net and so I won't repost them here.  I do have a few other lists I want to share.  All are in alphabetical order.

My list of the Ten Best Films overall for 2012:

Les Miserables – Stage musicals are a hit/miss proposition when adapted for the big screen and Tom Hooper’s film is a major hit.  The choice to have the actors sing “live” is definitely there on-screen and was brilliant.  The leads were all magnificent.

Life of Pi – Ang Lee’s choice to do this in 3D was an excellent one and it is as powerful visually as it is in terms of the story being told.

Lincoln – Not really a biopic, but a focused look at one short but critical period during the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln.  Daniel Day-Lewis is great in this.

Middle of Nowhere – Wonderfully written and directed by Ava DuVernay, and with a stellar performance in the lead by Emayatzy Corinealdi.  It may be fictional but it resonates with reality.

Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson always makes quirky, interesting films and this is the best one yet.  The story and the acting are all top-of-the-line.  A movie you can watch again and again.

Silver Linings Playbook – A terrific adaptation of a novel by writer/director David O. Russell.  Outstanding performances by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.  A joy to watch.

Skyfall – Definitely the best Bond film since Sean Connery retired from the role.  It might be the best ever, period.  Great writing, action and an Oscar-worthy performance by Javier Badem as one of the “best” villains James Bond has ever faced.

The Avengers – Quite possibly the best ever adaptation of comic book stories/heroes to the big screen.  Contains just the right amount of humor while amazing audiences with a great story and phenomenal special effects.

The Impossible – A movie that grabs hold early on and manages to maintain its grip without being totally relentless.  The depiction of the tsunami and its aftermath seem to leap right out of the screen and wash the audience away.

Zero Dark Thirty – Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar and she may win two before any other female director has won one for this movie.  Jessica Chastain will almost certainly be nominated for Best Actress for her work here.

Honorable mentions for:  The Dark Knight Rises, Argo, Flight, The Intouchables, Hello I Must Be Going, Killer Joe and The Raid: Redemption.

My list of Best Directors of 2012:

Ang Lee

Kathryn Bigelow

Steven Spielberg

Tom Hooper

Wes Anderson

My list of Best Actors in a Lead Role:

Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln

Denzel Washington - Flight

John Hawkes - The Sessions

Matthew McConaughey - Killer Joe

My list of Best Actresses in a Lead Role:

Emayatzy Corinealdi - Middle of Nowhere

Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty

Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone

Melanie Lynskey - Hello, I Must Be Going

My list of Best Original Screenplays:

Ava DuVernay – Middle of Nowhere 
 

Jason Micallef - Butter

Mark Boal – Zero Dark Thirty

Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained

Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola – Moonrise Kingdom

My list of Best Adapted Screenplays:

Chris Terrio - Argo

David Magee - Life of Pi

David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook

Stephen Chbosky - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Tony Kushner - Lincoln

My list of Best Actresses in a Supporting Role:

Ann Dowd - Compliance

Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables

Helen Hunt – The Sessions

Octavia Spencer – Smashed

Susan Sarandon – Jeff, Who Lives at Home

My list of Best Actors in a Supporting Role:

Dwight Henry – Beasts of the Southern Wild
 

Javier Bardem – Skyfall

John Goodman – Flight

Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln

William H. Macy – The Sessions