The most fun and most stress-filled list that a film-critic has to do is the end of year Best Of, which is such a loaded title anyways. What makes a movie the Best? The ones that make the most money? The ones that win the most awards? The ones with the highest scores on Rotten Tomatoes? So to forego all of that, here are my ten FAVOURITE movies of the past 12 months.

10. ALL IS LOST
A late entry on to the list, knocking off The Hunger Games sequel, this is one of those movies that you will be talking about for ages afterwards. Robert Redford plays a lone sailor who’s boat begins to sink, and he is left alone in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun (did we mention the movie is 99% dialogue free?), but it’s one of those movie experiences that perfectly encapsulates the feelings of fear and isolation that its main character is constantly feeling. Amazing.

9. THE IMPOSSIBLE
Released way back in January, this horror movie disguised as a real-life disaster movie was sorely overlooked at the Oscars. Naomi Watts turns in a stellar performance, as she and her son are separated from the rest of their family by a tsunami that devastates the resort they were having their holiday in. The hugely impressive tidal wave sequence will knock the air from your lungs, and the family’s struggle for survival afterwards will have your crying all of the tears. Amazing.

8. BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR
A three hour long, subtitled lesbian love story couldn’t sound more art-house indie if it tried, but Blue is not what you might expect. The overtly explicit sex scenes aside, this is a beautiful movie, filled with stunning performances. You can practically feel the sense of longing and desire pulsing from the screen, and anyone who has ever experienced the rush of a first kiss with a new partner (which is pretty much everyone), that moment has never been better captured than in this movie. Amazing.

7. SIDE EFFECTS
Director Steven Soderbergh had a fantastic year, having also directed the also great Behind The Candleabra, but it was this sexy Hitchcockian throwback that came out on top. Rooney Mara is at the centre of a complicated murder mystery, with her therapist Jude Law getting caught up in her web, which may result in the destruction of his life as he knows it. Painfully smart with vice-like tension and superb performances, this was one of the most entertaining movies of the year. Amazing.

6. WRECK-IT RALPH
The best non-Pixar computer-animated movie? Yes, possibly. That is the level of greatness we’re talking about here. Dealing with a computer game villain who wants to be a hero and ends up almost bringing an end to every game in the arcade he works in, this had hilarious voice work from John C Reilly and Sarah Silverman, some glorious visuals and a lot of great computer game in-jokes for those gamers out there. Amazing.

5. PRISONERS
This is one of those movies that kind of came out of nowhere and took everyone by surprise at just how great it was. A dramatic thriller dealing with the abduction of two young girls, and the effects it has on one of their fathers (Hugh Jackman) and the officer in charge of the case (Jake Gylenhaal), this was dark, moody and brilliant filmmaking. It was also surprisingly beautiful to look at, thanks to famed cinematographer Richard Deakins. Amazing.

4. BEFORE MIDNIGHT
The third part in the Ethan Hawke/Julie Delpy love story - following the also brilliant Before Sunset and Before Sunrise - these finds the couple another nine years into their relationship, now with kids and holidaying in Greece, and discussing the ins and outs of having a mature, grown up relationship. Funny, heartwarming, fantastically acted, written and directed, with a sense of realism and honesty we don’t see enough of in cinematic romances. Amazing.

3. LINCOLN
Yes, this was released in 2013, even though it feels like it was much, MUCH longer ago. Daniel Day Lewis’s performance is still a tower of achievement, and Spielberg’s direction is phenomenal, taking what might have been a dry and dusty biopic and turning it into something altogether more entertaining and intellectually stimulating. The all-star cast, pitch-perfect script and beautifully realised visuals just made it all the better. Amazing.

2. ABOUT TIME
This is the one movie on this list that most people will probably disagree with, but this is not a movie to watch with any amount of cynicism or sarcasm. Just open your heart and let in the love that Richard Curtis has given us. A story of a man who can travel back in time, and uses it to find his true love, and then perfect that relationship, is both hilarious and heartbreaking. Seriously, this is going to give your tear-ducts the workout of a lifetime. Amazing.

1. GRAVITY
Nay-sayers have said "NAY!", and their arguments are correct. The less-than-perfect dialogue, the shoe-horned in backstory, the unbelievable series of events, yes, they’re all present, but no, they don’t distract from the movie. This is slimline cinematic perfection, designed to take you on a 90 minute rollercoaster ride that will have you clawing into the arms of whomever is sitting beside you. This is a visual and aural masterpiece, with a fantastic performance from Sandra Bullock, that isn’t trying to impress you with how its characters talk (but come on, not EVERY character needs to talk like they’re in a movie, some people DO talk like this!), but with constantly feeling something. And you will feel something. Or more accurately, you will feel everything. AMAZING.