How did we work this out then?
Our writers were asked to submit ranked lists of up to twenty films that we ran through a complex algorithm assigning more points the higher a film was in the list.
The 16 contributors suggested a total of 85 films which were ranked and then funnelled through an abacus for this final top 20.
20. The Imposter
Using interviews and re-enactments, The Impostershows how French con artist Frédéric Bourdin managed to convince the family of a missing teen American – as well as authorities – that he was their long lost son. A scarcely believable and therefore enthralling doco.
“From as long as I can remember, I wanted to be someone else. Someone acceptable.” – Frédéric Bourdin
19. You’re Next
Home invasion horror masks its low budget by drenching it in blood as director Adam Wingard pitches a bunch of brutal killers wearing terrifying animal masks against an extended family gathering. Scary, efficient and violent good fun.
“F-ck me next to your dead mother.” – Zee (Wendy Glenn)
18. Before Midnight
Richard Linklater’s much-adored lovebirds Jesse and Celine returned to cinemas older but not necessarily wiser in this conclusion to a trilogy of films that each do a great job of depicting specific moments in a couple’s life.
“if you want true love, then this is it. This is real life. It’s not perfect, but it’s real.” – Jesse Wallace (Ethan Hawke)
17. The World’s End
Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up again for a meditative tale about getting older. Oh, and also getting pissed, smashing up a bunch of aliens and maybe, just maybe, saving the world. The results are hilarious – and the soundtrack awesome.
“What the f-ck does WTF mean?” – Gary King (Simon Pegg)
16. The Master
Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman deliver acting masterclasses in this engrossing, if oblique, tale about – well, some of us still aren’t 100% sure. Director Paul Thomas Anderson would probably be delighted.
“Your fear of capture and imprisonment is an implant from millions of years ago. This battle has been with you from before you know.” – Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman)
15. Frances Ha
Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) pulls out a monochrome camera and points it at mumble master Greta Gerwig who plays aspiring dancer Frances, lost in the all-too-familiar feeling of being hapless, graceless and directionless in her late 20s.
“I’m so embarrassed. I’m not a real person yet.” – Frances Halladay (Greta Gerwig)
14. Pacific Rim
Guillermo del Toro got mega-bucks to make this tale of mega-robots pummeling the crap out of mega-monsters, and the results were eye-popping (if maybe not the utter tour de force some expected).
“Where is my goddamn shoe?” – Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman)
13. Blackfish
Pitched as a psychological thriller, this documentary pieces together the true story of how Tilikum, a SeaWorld killer whale, ended the lives of three people – and how a life spent in captivity may have been the prime reason.
“Try spending most of your life in a bathtub. See if it doesn’t make you a little psychotic.”
12 . This Is the End
Not just living up to its premise but constantly overdelivering, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg knocked this absurd, obscene, apocalyptic comedy out of the park, thanks to their hilarious mates and shitloads of dick jokes.
“Just answer me one question: Is Michael Cera’s butthole as adorable as I pictured?” – Seth Rogen (Seth Rogen)
11. The Act of Killing
A documentary about death squads takes a surreal turn when mass murderers are given the chance to re-enact their killings on film in a variety of genres – something they’re more than happy to do given their celebrity status in Indonesia. Mind-blowing.
“Honestly, I never expected it to look this brutal.” – Anwar Congo, mass murderer.
10. Zero Dark Thirty
Only the most whacked-out conspiracy theorist could fail to be swept up in Kathryn Bigelow’s fascinating, gritty portrayal of the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Every drop of sweat, degree of heat and ounce of frustration leaps off the screen.
“In theory, if bin Laden isn’t there, you can sneak away and no one will be the wiser. But bin Laden is there. And you’re going to kill him for me.” – Maya (Jessica Chastain)
9. Spring Breakers
Insane fever dream, critique of American culture, warning about hyper-sexualised youth, creepy perve-fest, or all of the above? Spring Breakers likely wasn’t what anyone was expecting, no matter what they wanted it to be…
“Look at my shit. Look at my shit! I got my blue Kool-Aid. I got my f-ckin’ nun-chucks.” – Alien (James Franco)
8. Stoker
The first English-language film by Korea’s Park Chan-Wook, Stoker is a brooding, operatic domestic thriller that benefits from meticulous direction, gorgeous cinematography and amazing performances from its cast.
“Hey, Stoker, I’m talkin’ to you… Or do you go by Stroker now, because I hear that’s what your mom been doing to your uncle. Have you been getting in on that?” – Pitts (Lucas Till)
7. The Hunt
Mads Mikkelsen gives a Cannes-winning performance as a kindergarten teacher falsely accused of sexual child abuse, forced to suffer the wrath of his once-friendly village and the snowballing collective paranoia that ensues.
“The world is full of evil but if we hold on to each other, it goes away.” – Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen)
6. Rust and Bone
What looked like a generic two-hanky weepie about disability took surprising turns, not least of which was the ever-growing unlikeability of its street-fighting lead (hint – not Marion Cotillard, or an orca). Hinging on an unlikely relationship, Rust and Bone got to us unexpectedly.
“What have you done with my legs?” – Stéphanie (Marion Cotillard)
5. Upstream Color
Shane (Primer) Carruth’s return to filmmaking was worth the wait, this trippy tale proving easier to follow than his time-travel mindbender, but still enjoyably perplexing for much of its running time – even as it captivated. He’s a bit clever.
“I have to apologize. I was born with a disfigurement where my head is made of the same material as the sun.” – Thief (Thiago Martins)
4. Silver Linings Playbook
Bringing together Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver and even Chris Tucker, David O. Russell follows up the excellent The Fighterwith this comedic drama of love, loss and the messy mental issues that can emerge in between.
“I have a problem? You say more inappropriate things than appropriate things.” – Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence)
3. Blue Jasmine
Seemingly out of nowhere Woody Allen served up this darkly comic, tragic tale of a woman spiraling out of control that boasts one of the year’s finest performances thanks to Cate Blanchett.
“Can you please not fight in here? I don’t think I can take it. For some reason my Xanax isn’t kicking in.” – Jasmine (Cate Blanchett)
2. Django Unchained
Tarantino’s slavery-themed Western did more to convey the horrors of slavery than Lincoln or any other “serious” fare (until we see 12 Years a Slave) and did so in typically captivating fashion. His love affair with Christoph Waltz continues, and DiCaprio proved one hell of a villain.
“Every single word that came out of Calvin Candie’s mouth was nothing but horseshit, but he was right about one thing: I am that one nigger in ten thousand.” – Django (Jamie Foxx)
1. Gravity
Alfonso Cuarón’s orbital thriller throws Sandra Bullock, George Clooney and the audience into a 90-minute shrapnel-filled space disaster that limited the air supply in every IMAX cinema and replaced it with visual disbelief. Gravity has its haters and naysayers, none of which were us. 13 of our 16 writers included Gravity in their lists, with 11 top five positions.
“I hate space!” – Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock)
