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Historical drama looms large, from the French Revolution to the American Civil War to apartheid-era South Africa. The 10 best movies of 2012Historical drama looms large, from the French Revolution to the American Civil War to apartheid-era Crazy in love usa 2012 Africa. A link has been sent to your friend’s email address. A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Please read the rules before joining the discussion. This has been a banner year for political drama, quirky romance and spectacular epics. Dazzling visuals abounded, including a stop-motion black-and-white story of a boy and his dog, a stunning bayou fable made on a shoestring and the rendering of an oceangoing, crouching tiger in electrifying 3-D. USA TODAY film critic Claudia Puig offers her list of the top 10 films of 2012, in alphabetical order. What are the best movies you saw last year?

It’s often difficult to choose – especially if you saw as many as USA TODAY movie critic Claudia Puig did in 2012. She narrows the list to best comedy, drama, musical and documentary. Director Ben Affleck’s real-life thriller – six American Embassy workers in Tehran escape being taken hostage in 1979 and masquerade as a B-movie crew to leave Iran is so crazy it could have been fiction. Performances ring astoundingly true, from well-known actors such as Alan Arkin and John Goodman to the unfamiliar faces of the Embassy workers and Iranian guards. Brilliantly fusing suspense and dark comedy, Argo should be at the top of everyone’s must-see list. Shot in Louisiana with non-professional actors, the year’s best art house film is tender and resplendent. This vivid look at a little girl coping with an ailing father and a life-threatening storm is a gorgeous blend of imaginative fable and aching realism, with a stand-out performance by then-5-year-old Quvenzhan Wallis.

One of director Quentin Tarantino’s best films, this sprawling and stunningly photographed tale of antebellum empowerment is wildly entertaining, with stand-out performances by Samuel L. A heartfelt love story between a boy and his dog, as told through the offbeat lens of director Tim Burton. The year’s top animated film makes great use of stop-motion technology, pays tribute to classic horror films and comments on the vagaries of science and those who fear its advances. A first-rate adaptation of the long-running stage musical with Hugh Jackman in his best screen role as Jean Valjean, the prisoner who turns his life around through the love of an adopted child. Anne Hathaway is splendid as the tragic Fantine. Director Tom Hooper artfully expands the musical beyond the limitations of a stage production and intensifies its powerful emotional message. Director Ang Lee exquisitely translates Yann Martell’s novel about a boy stranded in a lifeboat on the Pacific Ocean with a menacing tiger.

A visual feast that leaves a lasting impression, it makes superb use of 3-D technology and features a notable debut by then-17-year-old Suraj Sharma. A magnificently compelling historical thriller fashioned by director Steven Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner. The film focuses on the last months of the 16th president’s life and his dogged efforts to outlaw slavery. Daniel Day-Lewis is masterful as Abraham Lincoln and the supporting cast shines. This beguiling, lyrical and drolly eccentric comedy about a pair of 12-year-olds in love is director Wes Anderson’s best film since 1998’s Rushmore.