This year has been an immense year for culture; in film we have had stunning blockbuster after stunning blockbuster. And although this writer has not seen as many new films as he would have liked, the list below includes films seen for the first time. The writer likes to think this give the list a particular twist not seen in other lists, which are solely on films out over the past year. But we don't watch films like that - sometimes it takes a lifetime for someone to see a film; how many people, for example, have only seen the great Casablanca for the first time this year?
It's horrendously difficult to put these seven in order, but we shall try:
7. Fantastic Mr Fox
"Purists wont like it, and the very young will probably feel alienated by it, something a closer adaptation might have avoided, but on the whole this is a lovely film, a great addition to Anderson's work."
7/10
6. Brave
"Having watched it in a cinema full of little people who throughly enjoyed it from the gasps and cheers and laughs, one can definitely say that this is the best Pixar kids film the studio has made for some time. But the joy of Pixar's greatest hits is that you can watch them whatever age and find something in them for you. Although the film's visuals are certainly captivating, there is very little else for grown ups here."
7/10
5. Ted
"Family Guy has in recent years been criticised for not being as good as it was in its early days, and that can be certainly true of many episodes, MacFarlane perhaps putting too much of himself into different projects. But Ted is a triumph for the director; and after all, The Simpsons made a film that was three levels above their input in their television series at the time. The same may soon be said of Stewie and the gang."
7/10
4. The Muppets
"One could almost be tempted to argue that anyone who didn't like at least one second of this film is actually a cold blooded reptile with no heart. Because The Muppets will drag you into its world of colour and laughter and, above all, optimism and you will willingly be dragged."
8/10
3. Drive
"Drive is brilliant, evocative and stunning all in one; though it perhaps wastes a couple of the talents involved in it, and is a little too short (not often a criticism for a film), it is still a major production that needs to be seen."
8/10
2. The Dark Knight Rises
"To relaunch a well loved story and do it right is an immense task. To carry the story on and make an even better film in the progress is monumental. To finish that story and do it right is akin to climbing Mount Everest by hopping on one leg. With The Dark Knight Trilogy, Christopher Nolan has done all this and more...He is the rightful owner to the title of Greatest Film Maker of the moment; a modern day Scorcese with a traditionally epic view of films such as DeMille would have been proud of."
9/10
1. Skyfall
"Bond is back. From the very first notes of the score to the last thrilling shot, the Bond franchise has made it through the murk of financial problems...to deliver a superb mission...Such a fantastic work and proof of Bond's hobby: 'Ressurection'."
9/10
