The end of the year is a time ripe for looking back in all sorts of ways.  The favorites in movies and television are one of those ways.   I took a look at movies and television in 2012.  How do your opinions compare?

Movies

For sheer box office force, the top ten movies of 2012 leaned heavily towards comic book heroes, with adolescent fantasy novels and big-screen animation making up most all the rest.

According to Box Office Mojo the top grossing movies of 2012 were:

1. Marvel's The Avengers
2. The Dark Knight Rises
3. The Hunger Games
4. Skyfall
5. The Twilight Sage: Breaking Dawn Part 2
6. The Amazing Spider-Man
7. Brave
8. Ted
9. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
10. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Whether it's the strength of the franchise, or the heavy sex appeal of Daniel Craig, it's mighty impressive to see 'Skyfall' so high up when it's release was so late into the year.  Additionally, despite it just being release a week ago, 'The Hobbit' is the movie occupying the #11 spot.

For another take on top movies of 2012, take a look at the website Rotten Tomatoes where none of the movies in the list above can be found in the top ten, or even the top twenty.  

The LA Times has a top ten list that includes 'The Dark Knight Rises' but none of the other top grossing movies.  Movie critic Kenneth Turan calls his top ten list "educated guesses about what will last…" and has in his number one spot the movie 'Amour', the winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year.  You can see the rest of the LA Times list here.

USAToday has a take that only overlaps slightly with any of the other lists we've mentioned and includes 'Frankenweenie', Django Unchained' and 'Les Miserables'.

Television

Like the movies, you can find lots of methods behind rating the best of television for 2012.

For sheer Nielsen ratings powerhouses, TV Guide gives us their top ten most popular TV shows of 2012. They are:

1. Big Bang Theory
2. Voice
3. X-Factor
4. NCIS
5. Two and a Half Men
6. Person of Interest
7. Dancing with the Stars
8. Modern Family
9. Criminal Minds
10. American Idol

Where are all the dramatic series, you ask?  Looking elsewhere, we can find a different take on the top television watching in 2012.  Complex Pop Culture lists their top ten as follows:

1. The Walking Dead
2. Justified
3. American Horror Story
4. Mad Men
5. Game of Thrones
6. Breaking Bad
7. Parks and Recreation
8. Boardwalk Empire
9. Nurse Jackie
10. Wilfred

The LA Times takes a slightly different tact and gives us the 'Best TV moments of 2012.' Their overview encompasses the all the wonderful television that came to us from Great Britain, including the London Olympics this summer, the series 'Sherlock' and 'Downton Abbey'.   Also reflected on this list is the hilarious 'I'm meltingggggg' moment Karl Rove had on Fox News during the election night coverage (still chuckling...) and the NFL referee strike.

And if you are wondering what the most pirated television was this year, wonder no more. TorrentFreak released it's list for 2012 and you can find it here.

This writer's take....

Personally, my televsion and movie habits reflect the fact that I "'cut the cord" some time ago.  This means I stream all my content over wifi for viewing on my computer or my tv via a set top streaming device. In my case, a Roku box.  I hardly ever watch television with commercials anymore. That really does a lot for my zen, believe me.

I did not go to a lot of movies this year, and saw not one of the top ten box office movies of 2012.  I would however recommend 'The Best Marigold Hotel' if you appreciate great ensemble casting and gorgeous older british actresses.

In television, my list skews very British.  Only since cutting the cord have I had such access to so many shows that are still new to me, even if they may be running for several seasons in the UK.  I have indulged this preference nearly everytime I consider turning on my TV. I find the writing in british television consistantly good for both drama and comedy.  I like that it isn't nearly as censored and there is content made for people other than the 'least common denominator' in our culture.  I find British television much more visually appealing because the actors look like real people - not plastic, not skeletal, not running in fetish-level high heels and not all twenty-something. 

My top telly of 2012 would look something like this.  Most all of these can be found on Netflix streaming, except where noted. In no particular order:

• Downton Abbey
• Sherlock
• Luther
• Wallander
• Midsomer Murders
• Peep Show
• Spaced
• New Tricks
• The Mighty Boosh
• The Vicar of Dibley
• QI - Quite Interesting (YouTube) - I could wax poetic about QI. Instead, I'll let you read about it on it's wiki page. There are a couple of users on YouTube who post whole episodes and all series.

The Icon would like to know what it's viewers thought of the entertainment landscape?  Leave a comment and tell us what tops your lists of best movies or television shows of 2012.