Now that we've gotten the crap out of the way, let's count down the best!
2. Argo
Following his dynamite directing turn with The Town, Ben Affleck manages to pull off an even bigger spectacle with his spectacular political thriller Argo. He also appears on screen, working alongside a team (John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston) in an effort to save six sheltered Americans with a fabricated story surrounding a sci-fi script. The movie-making style is just about as perfect gets, with plenty of tense moments mixed in with great dialogue and excellent acting, and the conclusion is satisfying enough that you can forgive Affleck for his previous screw-ups (that includes Daredevil AND Gigli) and accept he's a damn good filmmaker.
1. Marvel's The Avengers
Comic book films don't get any better than Joss Whedon's masterful ensemble piece, which brings together a gaggle of great superheroes as they do battle with the nasty Loki and even nastier alien invaders. Outside the 45-minute action sequence near the end, The Avengers clicks thanks to superb performances, including Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and Mark Ruffalo making a nice fill-in for Hulk. (Take that, Edward Norton!) It's also funny in all the right places, showing that Whedon hasn't lost his touch in filmmaking with this, only his second feature film. We can't wait to see what the second film holds, especially with Thanos ready to unleash a diabolical plot. Bring on the party.
