The best movies of 2012

Goodbye First Love

Mia Hansen-Løve’s lyrical tale of doomed adolescent romance, and its lingering aftereffects, feels heartbreakingly true in every detail.

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Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Debuting doc filmmaker David Gelb profiles a highly regarded sushi chef—and the delicious dishes he prepares—with choice-cut precision.

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Neil Young Journeys

The third feature in Jonathan Demme’s wondrous Neil Young concert chronicles is a stunningly intimate, spittle-on-the-lens affair.

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Looper

Your brain will hurt (in a good way) after watching this endlessly inventive, uniquely emotional time-travel thriller—a big step up for writer-director Rian Johnson.

Francine

The great Melissa Leo anchors this superb indie, about an introverted ex-con who prefers the company of animals to people.

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Lincoln

Charting our 16th President’s combative and collaborative fight to abolish slavery, this is one of Steven Spielberg’s headiest, most affecting history lessons.

Two Years at Sea

You’ve never seen a documentary quite like Ben Rivers’s gorgeous black-and-white ode to a Scottish mountain man—levitating mobile home and all.

Moonrise Kingdom

Master of cinematic quirk Wes Anderson tackles a ’60s tale of young love with bracingly clear-eyed melancholy.

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Dredd 3D

Pete Travis’s hard-R adaptation of the popular dystopian comic previously desecrated by Sly Stallone is a refreshing B-movie blast.

The Paperboy

With this swamp-slick Southern gothic, Lee Daniels claims his place as the rightful heir to Ken Russell’s campy-excessive throne.