Well, as I started to write this post here on the Eastern Coast of these United States, there were exactly 12 hours left in the year of our Lord, 2012.
In the world of cinema, much reflection brought allowed me to relive some great memories. As you may know, I try to the best of my ability to refrain from maintaining “best of” lists, so, I will instead highlight some of my best (and worst) movie-going moments in 2012.
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Things Done
I took a moment to reflect on all of the films that I have seen in 2012. Boy, it did not feel like that many but it was quite a list. Of course there were a whole lot more I could have gotten through. In this section I will look back on some of the bright points for me:
- Farewell My Queen – lush, absolutely stunning piece of French cinema
- Wuthering Heights – a new take on a beloved literary classic. Oh yeah Andrea Arnold is awesome!
- My coverage of the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival !!!!
- Beasts of the Southern Wild – a touching emotionally evocative that was worth much (maybe not all) the praise heaved upon it.
- The Avengers – a pure rock ’em sock ’em ride of joy! Cannot believe I did not do a write-up on this one – oops!
- The Dark Knight Rises – a very satisfying conclusion to an epic franchise.
- Skyfall – in my estimation, BEST BOND film and song. Period.
There were also a couple of surprises (good and bad):
- Hitchcock – As a major fan, I was a little disappointed with the end result
- Fast Girls – in an Olympic year, this was a cute British indie flick that really should have gotten more notice on this side of the pond.
- Think Like a Man – In the game of managed expectations, this film may have been a great beneficiary. It was entertaining with quite a few funny moments.
- Prometheus – So much promise, not quite the delivery I expected. But in the end, another showcase for personal favorite Michael Fassbender. On a side note, I had the honor of being on The LAMBcast for this one! Hopefully this is the first of many.
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Some Things New (but old) …
In my all-time “must see” list, I knocked off a few notable titles (Annie Hall, Metropolis, and City Lights). I am certainly glad I did (especially City Lights and Annie Hall).
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And lastly, Things Left Undone …
For all the fun I had at the cinema, there were so many films that I did not get the opportunity to catch. Most recently there was my 6 before the end of 2012 challenge that was an epic FAIL on my part. Maybe I will be done with the films on the list before the awards season. Then there are all those films that in my Netflix queue, DVR list and my iTunes rental list.
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I would like to close with a big THANK YOU to all of my readers and those whose contributions have continued to make this experience such a worthwhile for me. Thanks Guys!
Todd Mason says
Thanks for all your contributions!
Todd Mason recently posted..Saturday Music Club on Sunday: some chamber music
iluvcinema says
My pleasure. More in store for 2013!
ruth says
Hi Iba, it’s been quite a year hasn’t it? Great recap here, I was also disappointed w/ Prometheus, it barely cracked my Honorable Mentions. As for Hitchcock, I really appreciate seeing Dame Mirren in it, she made the movie better IMO.
ruth recently posted..2012 Year in Review: Best & Worst Movies and Memorable Movie Moments
iluvcinema says
Looking forward to 2013. Thanks for all your commentary Ruth!
Nostra says
A nice look back at an interesting movie year. Did you think it was a good one?
Nostra recently posted..My Filmyear: 2012
iluvcinema says
Hey Nostra. It thought it was pretty good. I still have so many to catch up on but I feel like overall the year did not disappoint.
jackdeth72 says
Hi, Iluv:
Interesting year in film. With a lot of the smaller offerings doing surprisingly well. While the more anticipated, bigger budgeted films (With the exception of ‘Skyfall’ and ‘The Avengers’, of course) did not deliver to previous standards.
Overall. A good year. With lots of space for up and coming talent to ply and hone their craft.
iluvcinema says
Yeah, I have heard people talk about how wonderful it is and I really feel like it was a mixed bag – but I do agree with you that the smaller films look like they have gotten a little more shine with BOTSW leading the charge. Well we will know in due time who will be recognized (at least by the Academy anyways).