Traditionally, I'm not a fan of the holidays, but the end of the year does bring one of my favorite joys.  BEST OF LISTS!!!

Not only do I enjoy taking a look back at the year that was to pick out my favorites, but I also love hearing from everyone else as well.  The first one I'm giving you is my top 10 list of movies.  I always take some heat for this list because I don't necessarily include the critic's favorites.  Here's the deal, I make my lists based on two factors...

1) Movies I've seen.  I don't put anything on that I didn't see.

2) Movies that I enjoyed.  I go to the theater to be entertained.  I'm sure there are some movies that are getting Oscar nods that I thought were absolute crap (Cloud Atlas).  I'm not going to include a film that I didn't like.

Here's my top 10 favorite movies of 2012...in no particular order.

It's rare that a movie based on comic book characters gets unanimous approval from the audience.  There is so much to love in this film.  My list isn't in any order but this would be my number 1 pick.

The book still stands out as one of my favorites, and the movie adaptation held up very well.  I appreciate a movie about high school kids where the end isn't all covered in rainbows and sunshine.  For most of us, that's not how high school ended.  I think "Perks" painted a great picture of what it's like to be on that outer rim in high school society.  It's heavy at times but still very heartwarming.

I walked out of the theater thinking that Dark Knight Rises was one of the best movies I had ever seen in my life.  Upon thinking more about it, I don't know if I can go that far, but it's still a phenomenal film.  A proper conclusion to the latest trilogy...even if they left the door slightly ajar.

Who knew Ben Affleck had the kind of talent to piece this movie together.  It's a great film that had me on the edge of my seat through most of it.  It also got me thinking.  For example, would Reagan ever been president if this story wasn't classified?  I doubt it.

The poster says it all.  The Raid: Redemption is a near perfect action film.  Yes, it is in a different language, but a punch to the face sounds the same no matter the actor.  Some of the fight scenes look more like an intricately planned ballet than a battle.  Definitely worth a rent.

I was a bit underwhelmed with Skyfall.  I heard so much about it before I finally caught it in the theater, and I don't think it quite lived up to the expectations.  But, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.  I liked it a lot and thought it was very well done.  I'm looking forward to them stepping up their game in the next one.

After watching the Twilight movies, I was terrified at how the movie adaptation of The Hunger Games would look.  I enjoyed it so much that I saw it twice in a 24 hour period.  The directors didn't turn it into a glistening teen friendly film.  They kept it dark, just like the book, and it still ended as the 8th highest grossing movie of the year.

Lincoln was kind of like Skyfall for me.  I had all this anticipation and hope for what it would be, and it didn't meet any of those expectations.  It is a great movie and worthy of all the awards buzz, but I felt that it was misrepresented by the trailers and previews.

I've always been a big fan of the Bourne series, but I've wanted to learn more about where Jason Bourne came from.  They touch on that past a little in the 3rd film, but they didn't get deep enough for me.  Bourne Legacy starts to open those doors.  I couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome.

Sometimes I just want a good laugh.  Enter Seth MacFarlane and Ted.  From start to finish this movie had me in stitches.  It's horribly inappropriate so you probably don't want to watch it with the family on Christmas, but it's great for a weekend when you need to forget about the world for a couple of hours and just laugh.