Not such a great year at the movies, even worse than last year, though I think I also watched a lot less movies. Luckily there's an excellent movie, Redbelt.
visuals
Man of Steel has the best action sequence, the first battle with second-in-command of Zod. The movie also has the best visual effects.
performances
My favorite performance is that of Tom Towles playing Otis in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Runner-up is the hypnotized lady in Now You See Me, followed by Michael Parks in Django Unchained. The best male performance is by Chiwetel Ejiofor as an instructor in Redbelt.
characters
My favorite character is the honorable martial arts instructor in Redbelt, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor.
The best character design is the fearsome The Missionary in Silent Hill: Revelation.
miscellaneous
The most bizarre movie is Cloud Atlas.
The most innovative movie is the satirical Goodbye Uncle Tom: it's shot like a documentary in which the makers travel to a particularly horrid moment in United States history, yet treating it with humor... very daring.