This list, in its first state, crystallized as pairs and trios that formed on no single principle other than that of automatism: sometimes, three films released around the same time; three independent films; three off-Hollywood films; three films by one director (yes); or groupings that appeared first on the page and only later yielded up a kernel of significance, or quasi-surrealistic insignificance (one-word titles, two-word titles). I’ve kept some, tweaked others.

Moonrise Kingdom was great.

I enjoyed Cloud Atlas and The Dark Knight Rises.

I'm looking forward to Django Unchained, Les Miserables, and Zero Dark Thirty.

 not the hobbit?