2012: World Premieres 2012: U.S. Releases 2012: Still Left to See 2012: Cannes Festival 2012: Chicago Festival Looking Back Moving Ahead Browse Films by Title / Year / Reviews Home / Blog / E-Mail The Movies of 2012: World Premieres  By Grade // By Title, with Full Reviews Top Ten List 1.  Tabu Dir. Miguel Gomes. Laura Soveral, Ana Moreira, Carloto Cotta, Teresa Madruga A 2.  Amour Dir. Michael Haneke. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert A 3.  Beasts of the Southern Wild Dir. Benh Zeitlin. Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry A– 4.  How to Survive a Plague Dir. David France. Documentary about anti-AIDS activism A– 5.  The Act of Killing Dir. Joshua Oppenheimer. Documentary about Indonesian genocide A– 6.  Paradise: Love Dir. Ulrich Seidl. Margarethe Tiesel, Peter Kazungu, Inge Maux A– 7.  Magic Mike Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer A– 8.  Holy Motors Dir. Leos Carax. Denis Lavant, Édith Scob, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue A– 9.  The Bella Vista Dir. Alicia Cano Menoni. Documentary about Uruguayan travesti bar A– 10.  Starlet Dir. Sean Baker. Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Stella Maeve A– Remainder of Films Screened Looper Dir. Rian Johnson. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt A– Antiviral Dir. Brandon Cronenberg. Caleb Landry Jones, Sarah Gadon, Reid Morgan B+ Beyond the Walls Dir. David Lambert. Matila Malliarakis, Guillaume Gouix, David Salles B+ Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari Dir. Aleksey Fedorchenko. Yuliya Aug B+ Domestic Dir. Adrian Sitaru. Adrian Titieni, Clara Vodă, Sergiu Costache, Gheorghe Ifrim B+ Horses of God Dir. Nabil Ayouch. Abdelhakim Rachi, Abdelilah Rachid, Hamza Souidek B+ The House I Live In Dir. Eugene Jarecki. Documentary about U.S. War on Drugs B+ I Want Your Love Dir. Travis Mathews. Jesse Metzger, Ben Jasper, Wayne Bumb B+ In the Fog Dir. Sergei Loznitsa. Vladimir Svirskiy, Vladislav Abashin, Sergei Kolesov B+ The Last Time I Saw Macao Dirs. João Pedro Rodrigues, João Rui Guerra de Mata B+ Life of Pi Dir. Ang Lee. Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Adil Hussain, Tabu B+ Like Someone in Love Dir. Abbas Kiarostami. Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno, Ryo Kase B+ Lincoln Dir. Steven Spielberg. Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field B+ Middle of Nowhere Dir. Ava DuVernay. Emayatzy Corinealdi, Omari Hardwick B+ Mothers Dir. Xu Hui-jing. Documentary about local enforcers of China's One Child policy B+ The Perks of Being a Wallflower Dir. Stephen Chbosky. Logan Lerman B+ The Place Beyond the Pines Dir. Derek Cianfrance. Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper B+ Sister Dir. Ursula Meier. Kacey Mottet Klein, Léa Seydoux, Martin Compston B+ Something in the Air Dir. Olivier Assayas. Clément Métayer, Carole Combes B+ Spring Breakers Dir. Harmony Korine. Selena Gomez, Rachel Korine, Vanessa Hudgens B+ War Witch Dir. Kim Nguyen. Rachel Mwanza, Serge Kanyinda, Mizinga Mwinga B+ 21 Jump Street Dirs. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller. Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum B The Angels' Share Dir. Ken Loach. Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, Siobhan Reilly B Barbara Dir. Christian Petzold. Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld, Rainer Bock, Christina Hecke B Bestiaire Dir. Denis Côté. Documentary about animals kept in Québécois zoo B The Bourne Legacy Dir. Tony Gilroy. Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton B Caesar Must Die Dirs. Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. Cosimo Rega, Salvatore Striano B Call Me Kuchu Dirs. Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall. Documentary B The Central Park Five Dirs. Sarah Burns, David McMahon, Ken Burns. Documentary B Children of Sarajevo Dir. Aida Begić. Marija Pikić, Ismir Gagula, Bojan Navojec B Detropia Dirs. Rachel Grady, Heidi Ewing. Documentary about downsizing of Detroit B Farewell, My Queen Dir. Benoît Jacquot. Léa Seydoux, Diane Kruger, Virginie Ledoyen B The Final Member Dirs. Zach Math, Jonah Bekhor. Documentary about penis museum B Frances Ha Dir. Noah Baumbach. Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Michael Zegen B Francine Dirs. Brian M. Cassidy, Melanie Shatzky. Melissa Leo, Keith Leonard B Frankenweenie Dir. Tim Burton. Animated. Voices of Charlie Tahan, Martin Short B Hello I Must Be Going Dir. Todd Louiso. Melanie Lynskey, Christopher Abbott B A Hijacking Dir. Tobias Lindholm. Søren Malling, Pilou Asbæk, Dar Salim B Hope Springs Dir. David Frankel. Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell B The Invisible Men Dir. Yariv Mozer. Documentary about gay Palestinian men in Israel B The Invisible War Dir. Kirby Dick. Documentary about rape within U.S. military B Keep the Lights On Dir. Ira Sachs. Thure Lindhardt, Zachary Booth, Julianne Nicholson B Lawless Dir. John Hillcoat. Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce B Leviathan Dirs. Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Verena Paravel. Documentary B The Master Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson. Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman B Mekong Hotel Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Sakda Kaewbuadee B Moonrise Kingdom Dir. Wes Anderson. Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Edward Norton B Museum Hours Dir. Jem Cohen. Bobby Sommer, Mary Margaret O'Hara, Ela Pilpits B No Dir. Pablo Larraín. Gael García Bernal, Alfredo Castro, Luis Gnecco, Antonia Zegers B Not Fade Away Dir. David Chase. John Magaro, Jach Huston, Will Brill, Bella Heathcote B The Queen of Versailles Dir. Lauren Greenfield. Documentary about the flailing rich B A Royal Affair Dir. Nikolaj Arcel. Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard B Stories We Tell Dir. Sarah Polley. Documentary about the filmmaker's family history B Ted Dir. Seth MacFarlane. Mark Wahlberg, voice of Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis B Una noche Dir. Lucy Mulloy. Javier Núñez Florián, Anailín de la Rúa de la Torre B Viola Dir. Matías Piñeiro. María Villar, Agustina Muñoz, Elisa Carricajo, Esteban Bigliardi B Won't Back Down Dir. Daniel Barnz. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Oscar Isaac B You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet Dir. Alain Resnais. Vimala Pons, Sylvain Dieuaide B Zero Dark Thirty Dir. Kathryn Bigelow. Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler B Arbitrage Dir. Nicholas Jarecki. Richard Gere, Brit Marling, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth B– Berberian Sound Studio Dir. Peter Strickland. Toby Jones, Antonio Mancino B– Beyond the Hills Dir. Cristian Mungiu. Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur, Valeriu Andriuţă B– Blancanieves Dir. Pablo Berger. Macarena García, Maribel Verdú, Daniel Giménez Cacho B– Burn It Up Djassa Dir. Lonesome Solo. Konaté Abdul Karim, Ouattara Ad?la?de B– Chronicle Dir. Josh Trank. Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kelly B– Clip Dir. Maja Miloš. Isidora Simijonovic, Vukašin Jasni, Sanja Mikitišin, Jovo Maksic B– Fill the Void Dir. Rama Burshtein. Hadas Yaron, Yiftach Klein, Irit Sheleg, Chayim Sharir B– Ginger & Rosa Dir. Sally Potter. Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola B– The Grey Dir. Joe Carnahan. Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Joe Anderson B– The Imposter Dir. Bart Layton. Documentary about man impersonating missing teen B– Killing Them Softly Dir. Andrew Dominik. Brad Pitt, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn B– Laurence Anyways Dir. Xavier Dolan. Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clément, Nathalie Baye B– Mirror Mirror Dir. Tarsem Singh. Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane B– Once Upon a Time Was I, Verônica Dir. Marcelo Gomes. Hermila Guedes, W.J. Solha B– Our Children Dir. Joachim Lafosse. Émilie Dequenne, Niels Arestrup, Tahar Rahim B– The Paperboy Dir. Lee Daniels. Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman B– Post Tenebras Lux Dir. Carlos Reygadas. Adolfo Jiménez Castro, Nathalia Acevedo B– Prometheus Dir. Ridley Scott. Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron B– Reality Dir. Matteo Garrone. Aniello Arena, Loredana Simioli, Nando Paone B– Red Hook Summer Dir. Spike Lee. Jules Brown, Clarke Peters, Toni Lysaith B– The Repentant Dir. Merzak Allouache. Nabil Asli, Khaled Benaissa, Adila Bendimerad B– Rust and Bone Dir. Jacques Audiard. Matthias Schoenaerts, Marion Cotillard B– Safety Not Guaranteed Dir. Colin Trevorrow. Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson B– Sparkle Dir. Salim Akil. Jordin Sparks, Carmen Ejogo, Whitney Houston, Derek Luke B– Think Like a Man Dir. Tim Story. Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Terrence Jenkins B– Thy Womb Dir. Brillante Mendoza. Nora Aunor, Bembol Roco, Mercedes Cabral, Lovi Poe B– Wanderlust Dir. David Wain. Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux, Alan Alda B– Argo Dir. Ben Affleck. Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Scoot McNairy, Kerry Bishé C+ The Broken Circle Breakdown Dir. Felix Van Groeningen. Johan Heldenbergh C+ The Cabin in the Woods Dir. Drew Goddard. Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz C+ End of Watch Dir. David Ayer. Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, David Harbour, Frank Grillo C+ Flight Dir. Robert Zemeckis. Denzel Washington, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood C+ Hannah Arendt Dir. Margarethe von Trotta. Barbara Sukowa, Axel Milberg C+ The Impossible Dir. Juan Antonio Bayona. Tom Holland, Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor C+ In the House Dir. François Ozon. Fabrice Luchini, Ernst Umhauer, Kristin Scott Thomas C+ Joyful Noise Dir. Todd Graff. Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan C+ Mosquita y Mari Dir. Aurora Guerrero. Fenessa Pineda, Venecia Troncoso C+ On the Road Dir. Walter Salles. Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart C+ Paradise: Faith Dir. Ulrich Seidl. Maria Hofstâtter, Nabil Saleh, Natalya Baranova C+ Paranormal Activity 4 Dirs. Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman. Kathryn Newton C+ ParaNorman Dirs. Chris Butler, Sam Fell. Animated. Voice of Kodi Smit-McPhee C+ Promised Land Dir. Gus Van Sant. Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Frances McDormand C+ The Sessions Dir. Ben Lewin. John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy C+ Silver Linings Playbook Dir. David O. Russell. Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence C+ Skyfall Dir. Sam Mendes. Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes C+ Vanishing Waves Dir. Kristine Buožytė. Marius Jampolskis, Jurga Jutaitė C+ Anna Karenina Dir. Joe Wright. Keira Knightley, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jude Law C Bachelorette Dir. Leslye Headland. Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fisher C The Bay Dir. Barry Levinson. Kether Donohue, Stephen Kunken, Christopher Denham C Brave Dirs. Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman. Animated. Voice of Kelly Macdonald C Cloud Atlas Dirs. Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, Lilly Wachowski. Bae Du-na C differently, Molussia Dir. Nicolas Rey. Experimental take on proto-fascist parable C Django Unchained Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz C The Five-Year Engagement Dir. Nicholas Stoller. Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt C The Guilt Trip Dir. Anne Fletcher. Barbra Streisand, Seth Rogen, Brent Cullen C Lore Dir. Cate Shortland. Saskia Rosendahl, Philip Wiegratz, Mika Seidel, Nele Trebs C Marvel's The Avengers Dir. Joss Whedon. Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans C Mud Dir. Jeff Nichols. Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey C Out in the Dark Dir. Michael Mayer. Nicholas Jacob, Michael Aloni, Jameel Khouri C Passion Dir. Brian De Palma. Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams, Karoline Herfuth C People Like Us Dir. Alex Kurtzman. Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Hall D'Addario C Pietà Dir. Kim Ki-duk. Lee Jung-jin, Jo Min-soo, Woo Ki-hong, Kang Eunjin, Cho Jae-ryong C Pitch Perfect Dir. Jason Moore. Anna Kendrick, Anna Camp, Skylar Astin, Brittany Snow C Searching for Sugar Man Dir. Malik Bendjelloul. Documentary about elusive folk singer C Shadow Dancer Dir. James Marsh. Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen, Bríd Brennan C Smashed Dir. James Ponsoldt. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Nick Offerman C To the Wonder Dir. Terrence Malick. Olga Kurylenko, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams C What Maisie Knew Dirs. Scott McGehee, David Siegel. Onata Aprile, Joanna Vanderham C The Words Dirs. Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal. Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid C Girl Most Likely Dirs. Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman. Kristen Wiig C– Hemel Dir. Sacha Polak. Hannah Hoekstra, Hans Dagelet, Barbara Sarafian C– The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Dir. Peter Jackson. Martin Freeman C– The Hunger Games Dir. Gary Ross. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson C– A Late Quartet Dir. Yaron Zilberman. Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman C– Much Ado About Nothing Dir. Joss Whedon. Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Fran Kranz C– Savages Dir. Oliver Stone. Blake Lively, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Taylor Kitsch C– Snow White and the Huntsman Dir. Rupert Sanders. Kristen Stewart C– Steel Magnolias Dir. Kenny Leon. TV Movie. Queen Latifah, Condola Rashad, Jill Scott C– Westerland Dir. Tim Staffel. Wolfram Schorlemmer, Burak Yigit, Murat Seven, Jule Böwe C– Wreck-It Ralph Dir. Rich Moore. Animated. Voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman C– The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Dir. John Madden. Judi Dench, Bill Nighy D+ Cosmopolis Dir. David Cronenberg. Robert Pattinson, Sarah Gadon, Kevin Durand D+ The Dark Knight Rises Dir. Christopher Nolan. Christian Bale, Tom Hardy D+ The Hunt Dir. Thomas Vinterberg. Mads Mikkelsen, Annika Wedderkopp D+ Room 237 Dir. Rodney Ascher. Documentary about eccentric readings of The Shining D+ Ruby Sparks Dirs. Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris. Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Chris Messina D+ Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Dir. Lorene Scafaria. Steve Carell D+ This Is 40 Dir. Judd Apatow. Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow D+ Yossi Dir. Eytan Fox. Ohad Knoller, Oz Zehavi, Lior Ashkenazi, Orly Silbersatz Banai D+ At Any Price Dir. Ramin Bahrani. Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron, Kim Dickens, Maika Monroe C+ Celeste and Jesse Forever Dir. Lee Toland Krieger. Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg D Compliance Dir. Craig Zobel. Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy, Bill Camp D Good Deeds Dir. Tyler Perry. Tyler Perry, Thandie Newton, Gabrielle Union, Brian White D Hitchcock Dir. Sacha Gervasi. Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson D Premium Rush Dir. David Koepp. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez D Trouble with the Curve Dir. Robert Lorenz. Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams D Les Misérables Dir. Tom Hooper. Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway D– Hyde Park on Hudson Dir. Roger Michell. Laura Linney, Bill Murray, Samuel West F Rock of Ages Dir. Adam Shankman. Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Alec Baldwin F Sinister Dir. Scott Derrickson. Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone F