Best of 2012. Honourable Mentions

Making a list of the five best new films I saw last year is not as easy as it sounds. You are inevitably forced to cut out several films which were really good, just not quite good enough.

This is simply a very brief list of those that almost made it into the Top 5.

21 Jump Street

An oddly touching and often very funny film which seems quite aware of the trend of remaking ideas. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum form a strangely cute bromance but the film is no brom-com (Bromance Comedy), there's action aplenty and there's a surreal streak that runs through it which makes the film a joy to watch. Not quite Top 5 material though.

Chronicle

This film would have been 6th. A stunning film that simultaneously is the best use of handheld camera work you've seen and the best portrayal of teenagers with powers you'd have seen too. The idea isn't too original but the execution and the style elevate this film to a thrilling and powerful piece of cinema.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

This film surprised me because I assumed that it would be a bitter disappointment once the initial reviews started to pour in. However, I was so happy with the film! Seeing the actors from LOTR returning was a great joy and the film completely satisfied my expectations. Looking forward to the next installment out around December this year.

Prometheus

Ridley Scott's return to good old fashioned science fiction was a grand affair, epic ideas translated well into the film although the film's descent into more conventional horror was not a match for his previous sci-fi/horror masterpiece, Alien. The visuals themselves were so stunning and Michael Fassbender as David is one of the finest single performances of the year.

Skyfall

Sam Mendes brings the good stuff with the twenty third Bond film starring the fantastic Daniel Craig, more suave then ever. The expansion of Bond's character is welcome and the introduction of Bond favourites Moneypenny and Q is handled very well as is Judi Dench's performance as M. The villain's turn from wi-fi super hacker to helicopter wielding bandit doesn't work too well but Javier Bardem is certainly creepy. And as for the silhouette fight in the Shanghai skyscraper? Amazing!

*If you disagree or have films you think deserve to be either in this list or in the top 5 itself, get in touch and say your piece. Constructive, intelligent conversation is something I'm a big fan of.