2012 was a fantastic year for movies. Films like The Dark Knight Rises and Marvel’s The Avengers entertained audiences with blockbuster action sequences and the ultimate in childhood wish fulfillment, while movies such as Drew Goddard‘s Cabin in the Woods and Gareth Edward‘s The Raid: Redemption will long be remembered as putting the nail in the coffin of their respective genres.

We saw new films from acclaimed directors like Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, Ang Lee, David O. Russell, Paul Thomas Anderson, William Friedkin, Steven Soderbergh, Ben Affleck, Sam Mendes, and Kathryn Bigelow. Not to mention the latest offerings from Rian Johnson, Joss Whedon, Richard Linklater, and newcomers Colin Trevorrow, Benh Zeitlin, and Stephen Chbosky.

So many memorable characters – so many great lines delivered by talented actors inhabiting their roles. Here are some of the best (and a few of the worst) film quotes from 2012. Feel free to include your own in the comments! You can also check out my Top 25 Films of 2012 here!

“If all serious lyrical poets, composers, painters, and sculptors were forced by law to stop their activities, a rather small fraction of the general public would become aware of the fact and a still smaller fraction would seriously regret it. If the same thing were to happen with the movies, the social consequences would be catastrophic.” – Erwin Panofsky, 1934.

2012. 365 Days. 140 Films. 280 Hours. That’s 11.66 days I’ve dedicated this year to watching new releases. Obviously, I haven’t seen every film this year (That’s My Boy, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2), but I have seen enough great movies to make the task of creating a Top 10 List a total pain in the ass.

The annual ritual of narrowing down hundreds of titles to just 10 is a cruel but necessary discipline as a film critic. I, however, lack discipline and have found it necessary to cheat. I’ve expanded my Top 10 to include 10 Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order) and a Top 5 Documentaries list, making for my 25 Best (or Favorite, if you prefer) Films of 2012.

Greetings! This is Adam Frazier and you’re about to shipwreck yourself on Skull-Face Island, the official movie podcast of Geeks of Doom!

As always I’m joined by “Quiz Kid” Donnie Smith’s Orthodontist, David Allen, and Daniel Plainview’s Personal Milkshake Maker, producer Tim Grant.

Today on the Show: We’ll discuss Paul Thomas Anderson‘s latest film, The Master, as well as Rian Johnson‘s futuristic sci-fi film, Looper. We’ll also be joined by our trusty (somewhat rusty) robotic butler MAR-10 as he brings us such news topics as Marc Webb returning to director The Amazing Spider-Man 2, David Gordon Green‘s connection with a potential reboot of Little House on the Prairie, and some juicy details on the upcoming Prometheus Blu-ray release!

After we’ve dissected The Master and Looper, listen as the three of us work together in a deadly game of movie trivia of the Gods’ choosing in order to satiate the bloodlust of the mighty Tu’Challa, a savage beast whose love of pop culture knows no bounds.

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Not everything you see in a movie trailer or TV spot makes it into the final cut. If you got to see already The Master, you may have noticed that some of the scenes used in the trailer were left out of the film. These omitted scenes did not hurt the film in any way, but it does beg the question, why did director Paul Thomas Anderson leave them on the cutting room floor?

While we may never know the answer to this question, The Master is still a thought-provoking look at the human condition and just in case our review did not entice you to watch this incredible film – watching it in 70mm is a must – then the following trailer should seal the deal. Check out the NSFW sizzle reel for Anderson’s The Master below.

The Master
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Written by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Laura Dern
The Weinstein Company
Rated R | 137 Minutes
Release Date: September 14th, 2012

“I am a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist, a theoretical philosopher… but above all I am a man. A hopelessly inquisitive man, just like you.”

Director Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master is a post-World War II drama that focuses on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as ‘Master’ (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Freddie Quell, a drifter who becomes his right-hand man (Joaquin Phoenix).

Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) is the leader of a faith-based organization known as The Cause, which has drawn numerous comparisons to Scientology as a cult-like movement. With his 1950 book, Dianetics, Scientology guru L. Ron Hubbard introduced the idea of ‘auditing,’ a process that allows one to go back in time and recover pre-birth, in utero memories, and disarm harmful ones while improving their mental faculties in the present.

Similarly, Dodd uses a form of ‘processing’ to ascertain a person’s true nature by asking them a series of questions and calling on them to remember details about past lives and pre-birth memories. After Freddie, a Navy veteran with a nervous condition and a drinking problem, stows away on Dodd’s yacht, the Master decides to take him in under his wing and make Freddie his protégé and guinea pig for ‘processing’ experiments.