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Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter

1. Butter 2012 Hardly the high-priced spread, this condescending comedy about Middle America will score with some audiences and put off others. full review
2. Get the Gringo 2012 Almost invigorating in its disreputability; it's both cheesy and striking, corny and bold, dismissible and yet strangely appealing for its singularity. full review
3. Lay the Favorite 2012 Like a loud guest at a party who's amusing for a while, until you just have to escape to the next room. full review
4. Nobody Walks 2012 A young woman's arrival creates sexual upheavals in a cool, artistic L.A. household, in an unsatisfying drama that might have worked better as a comedy. full review
5. The Pact 2012 Basic, efficient little horror item scares up a few little shocks, possibly enough for a modest commercial career. full review
6. Top of the Lake 2012 An edgy, disturbing and altogether first-rate crime drama that very much centers on women, though it does have a lot of daddy issues. full review
7. Abduction 2011 Taylor Lautner tries to hold his own in an action thriller too silly to give him much of a chance. full review
8. Albert Nobbs 2011 Notable performances by Glenn Close and Janet McTeer mark this carefully made but muted story of women passing as men in 19th-century Dublin. full review
9. The Artist 2011 A beguiling tale about Hollywood's silent movie days that is itself silent, this made-in-L.A. French feature will charm cinephiles with its affection for one of the movies' golden ages. full review
10. Cat Run 2011 A brazenly efficient and articulate female assassin nearly worthy of a Tarantino or Coen Brothers movie sticks out from amidst the schlocky criminal muck of Cat Run, a self-consciously sleazy comic crime saga composed of facetious elements. full review
11. I Melt with You 2011 An aggressive look at men behaving badly will provoke strong reactions pro and con. full review
12. Red State 2011 Red State is cleverly contrarian enough to get a rise out of almost any audience. full review
13. Seven Days In Utopia 2011 While corny at times, this sports drama -- based on David Cook's best-selling novel -- is sure to find a welcoming audience with its down-home Christian message. full review