TOP 20.1/2 FILMS YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS YEAR - 5 through to 1

And so here are my top five films on the year that saw both good and bad in equal measures...

5. Looper

Maybe a tad too clever for the popcorn pundits, Looper delivered to the screen a head-scratching, mind-bending experience not unlike the first The Terminator did upon its initial release.

It also proved that Joseph Gordon Levitt could pass as a younger Bruce Willis as the concept of a man trying to both save himself AND kill himself at the same time gave one of the years most brain teasing times in the cinema.

4. Skyfall

Originally the idea of Sam Mendes helming Bond's anniversary outing was met with much sneers and confusion. Now, looking back, it is easy to see that Mendes was a perfect choice as many consider Skyfall as one of 007's finest missions.

With enough respect and nods to the past whilst carving out a new future, it has become the highest grossing Bond of all time and set new records in the UK and across the world.

3. Life Of Pi

Ang Lee showed that there is no such thing as an unfilmable book. Having already shown that he could easily tackle the greats such as Sense And Sensibility, Lee turned to the tale of a tiger and a boy sharing a lifeboat for 200+ days adrift in the Pacific Ocean. 

Stunning graphics, and effects that are indistinguishable from live action, Life of Pi became, along with Hugo, the standard of what 3D could and should look like.

2. The Dark Knight Rises

The expectation of Chris Nolan's final instalment in the Dark Knight trilogy was off the charts! With the previous outing considered to be the finest superhero film committed to celluloid and one of the best sequels ever made, the task that lay ahead of the cast crew was staggering. Lucky for them, and of course us, that they blew those barriers clean away.

A perfect trilogy, The Dark Knight rises with the inclusion of Catwoman and Bane did not overload the film as so many others before have experienced with adding to many characters into the mix.

True spectacle for the more intelligent viewer.

1. Avengers Assemble

Quite simply, the most fun you cold have in the cinema - that's legal and decent of course. Joss Whedon showed that when it comes to the tricky task of ensemble pictures, there is no one better than he.

Avoiding what could have been the Ironman and friends flick, Whedon gave each of the characters time and room to shine and more importantly interact with each other - no one who saw it will forget the Tony Stark and Bruce Banner bantering.

A box office killer, Avengers Assemble did not disappoint and lived up and exceeded its potential. All hail Whedon!

So, that completes the Top Films  for 2012. The list this time was hard to do with at least a few more nearly making it in until the last moments.  Those films were standout for different reasons but in the end there are only ten places so you just have to do a Sophie's Choice and await the backlash!

So, over to you!