AFI Honors ‘Argo,’ ‘Lincoln’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty,’ Snubs ‘The Master’

American Film Institute's list of top 10 films also includes "Silver Linings Playbook," "Life of Pi," "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Django Unchained"

"Argo," "Lincoln," "Les Miserables," "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Zero Dark Thirty" are among the films on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 best films of 2012, the AFI announced on Monday.

Conspicuously missing from the list: Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master," a critical favorite that once seemed to be a strong awards contender.

The Dark Knight RisesOther films singled out by the AFI include Ang Lee's "Life of Pi," the indies "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and "Moonrise Kingdom" and Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," one of the last films to screen.

Christopher Nolan's final Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," also made the list.

Besides "The Master," other films not included include "Flight" and "The Sessions."

The AFI's list of top television shows includes "American Horror Story," "Breaking Bad," "Game of Thrones," "Girls," "Homeland," "Modern Family" and "Mad Men," whose inclusion on the list made it the most honored television show in AFI history.  It has now appeared on the list five times.  

Other television entries: "Game Change," Louie" and "The Walking Dead."

“AFI AWARDS celebrates America’s storytellers as collaborators,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO, in the press release announcing the awards.  “We are honored to bring together artists as a community, without competition, to acknowledge the gifts they have given the world in 2012.”

The films and television shows will be honored at a luncheon on Friday, Jan. 11 in Los Angeles.

The honorees:

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
ARGO
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
DJANGO UNCHAINED
LES MISÉRABLES
LIFE OF PI
LINCOLN
MOONRISE KINGDOM
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
ZERO DARK THIRTY

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
AMERICAN HORROR STORY
BREAKING BAD
GAME CHANGE
GAME OF THRONES
GIRLS
HOMELAND
LOUIE
MAD MEN
MODERN FAMILY
THE WALKING DEAD

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