5. Jiro Dreams of Sushi – Profound documentary about giving ones self to a pursuit of  perfection.

4. Margaret- I’m not sure I can add anything that these articles haven’t already said. Hell on the Frisco Bay , Kenneth Lonergan interview , NY Times article

3. Magic Mike – A fun film which is technically (editing, photography) perfect. Excellent use of the L cut.

2. The Master – It has its flaws (the end) and is a bit unstructured but its a fascinating film by a filmmaker given carte blanche . The performances by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Joaquin Phoenix are what make it worth watching.

1. Zero Dark Thirty - Subdued procedural on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. Excellent article on the film.

Honorable Mention: Take Shelter (2011) would have made my top five last year had I seen it, Looper, Arbitrage

Update: Archer -Totally can be found on Supercut.org

Update 2:   WARMING GLOW!

I’ve been fascinated by the internet phenomenon known as Supercut: A fast-paced montage of short video clips that obsessively isolates a single element from its source, usually a word, phrase, or cliche from film and TV. Supercut.org collects every known example of the video remix meme.

I have been tinkering with a Supercut of my own. In the meantime enjoy these two excellent examples.

5. Midnight in Paris is funny, wistful and playful. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for Woody Allen but enjoyable nonetheless.

4. 13 Assassins – The epically long battle scene at the end should be more than enough for you to see this fantastic action film.

3. I Saw the Devil – This film is not for everyone but if you have a stomach for it will impress. An extremely violent revenge tale where the good guy is bad makes all other South Korean revenge films seem tame in comparison. Kim Jee-woon continues to make interesting genre films.

2. Certified Copy – The transformation of Juliette Binoche & William Shimell relationship is both odd and fascinating. Kiarostami layers this drama with intricacies that are discovered long after viewing.

1. Meek’s Cutoff – I love westerns. This revisionist western proves that the genre isn’t completely dead. The editing and photography are incredible

Honorable mentions: Poetry, Terri, Attack of the Block, Dogtooth, Drive, The Guard, Warrior