Archive for December 2012

My 5 most memorable 2012 Quotes

December 30, 2012 Best of Lists 10 comments

I was thinking about any movie quotes or phrases I use regularly in real life and found a few from 2012 that I am quite fond of. Most of these are pretty comedic so don’t expect any life changing quotes from 2012 as I couldn’t think of any of the top of my head! Without any further ado:
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#5 – Anything with a Bane voice [The Dark Knight Rises]

Bane was most likely my favourite character of the year and while many disliked his voice I thought it was so fantastic and unique. I love some of his quotes: When Gotham is ashes… then you have my permission to die and You merely adopted the dark, I was born in it, moulded by it…. I just love impersonating the voice in real life.

Whether you liked or disliked his voice, it’s hard to deny how memorable it is. Laremy over on the RopeofSilicon podcast does almost weekly impersonation’s of this Bane voice and it cracks me up every time. Bane was truly a memorable character of 2012 with memorable lines as well.  Read more

My 10 best first time watches of 2012

December 28, 2012 Best of Lists 14 comments

I’ve caught up on a lot of classics this year and after reading Andy’s post I wanted to share the best films that I’ve seen for the first time. I’ve left out 2012 films (just 1 would have made the list) for when I make my Top 50 of 2012.

It’s pretty amazing I haven’t seen some of these until 2012 but better late then never! You can see my all time best list here. Would love any thoughts.

10. Cinderella Man (2005)

A touching movie, Crowe is fantastic. Love a good boxing film!
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9. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

I really liked Raiders of the Lost Ark but this one was definitely my favourite. Loved the addition of Connery. 

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The Weekly Watch: Installment #36

December 27, 2012 2012 Movies, Weekly Watch 2 comments

Welcome to my final Weekly Watch of the year. I hope you all had a good Christmas and have a happy new year to come!

Continuing my 2012 movie trend, I saw new releases in Wreck-It Ralph, The Hobbit, Life of Pi and Flight. I also caught up on some animations I’ve missed in The Secret World of Arrietty and Frankenweenie. Golden Globe nominated foreign film Kon-Tiki was also a highlight.

A few older movies too – Gangs of New York did little for me, Bad Boys was great but not as fantastic as I remember and I finally saw Groundhog Day which was probably the best movie I saw over the last week or so.
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Life of Pi (2012) – I talked about this briefly in my blog post last week. It’s a film that looks so beautiful and I found the first half to be pretty magical. For me it didn’t hold that level throughout and while some liked the ending, I really didn’t which left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. C+

The Secret World or Arrietty (2012) – The first Studio Ghibli film I have ever seen, I am now definitely keen on checking out some of their past work. This imaginative tale looks at Arrietty, who is part of a four-inch-tall family living secretly in a human’s house. The English dub of Arrietty (UK version) is voiced by the lovely Saoirse Ronan and I found her to be adorable. A very cute, creative film. B+  Read more

2013 Golden Globe Betting + Predictions

December 23, 2012 Betting, Other 2 comments

The 70th Annual Golden Globe nominations were recently announced and now that we have the final contenders I thought I would take a look at who’s going to win and some betting value. All odds are taken from Bet365 (Please note: I have no affiliation with this betting company).

Hopefully we can turn our movie knowledge into some extra money!
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Best Motion Picture (Comedy/Musical)
Les Miserables – $1.12, Silver Linings Playbook – $6, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – $29, Moonrise Kingdom – $41, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen – $67

While Les Mis is the likely winner, SLP represents great value at $6 odds and I think is certainly worth a bet. 

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10 2012 films loved by many, but not by me…

December 17, 2012 2012 Movies 6 comments

Inspired by Sam and Chris over at An Online Universe, I thought it would be a good discussion generator to highlight some films loved by many but that I just didn’t enjoy or love with the same passion. I think my list may raise some eyebrows and would love to hear why you loved a film on my list or if anyone actually agrees with me!

I was a bit scared to post this but remember it’s just my opinion! I actually wish I had enjoyed some of these more. So here we go…

Life of Pi (C+)

It looked beautiful, but I just found the story lacking overall, especially the final 20 minutes which completely lost me. I have hardly heard a bad word about it and it is a hard film to hate, but I certainly feel I’m on my own in not really enjoying it.
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Killer Joe (B-)

I actually had a good enough time with this one in a packed enthusiastic cinema, but upon reflection I thought it was pretty overrated and not a film I liked.  Read more

The Weekly Watch: Installment #35

December 15, 2012 2012 Movies, Weekly Watch 4 comments

It’s that time of the year where I’m frantically catching up on 2012 releases I haven’t seen in anticipation for my Top 50 of 2012, which will probably be released towards the end of next month. I watched 11 2012 films including some older releases in Katy Perry: Part of Me, The Sapphires, The Bourne Legacy, Burning Man, Undefeated and Robot & Frank.

As for brand new releases, I saw Liberal Arts which is now out in Australian cinemas, as well as Oscar favourite Les Misérables. I also caught This is 40 and The Impossible which both come out next month in Australia. Finally, I saw Cloud Atlas as well. Read on for my thoughts!
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This is 40 (2012) <<< Click here for my review. I’m a bit shocked some people seem to have liked this film which was very average. C

Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012) – I’m by no means a big Katy Perry fan, but I do enjoy a few of her songs and seemed to recognize most that were played in this interesting documentary. We see how Katy has gotten to where she is today and the highs and lows along the way. The doco actually follows her on tour for a year, right around the time she marries Russell Brand. It’s not groundbreaking but there are some good twists and turns along the way. B-  Read more

Movie Review – This is 40 (2012)

December 14, 2012 Other 4 comments

This is 40 has some absolutely hilarious moments that had me fighting back the laughter. Unfortunately, this is almost completely undone by it’s ridiculously long 134 minute run-time, with the film dragging on with pointlessly long scenes that poorly attempt to get some emotion out of you.
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Director of 2007 hit Knocked Up, Judd Apatow, returns with a film that is loosely a sequel to the great comedy. Some characters are back as the story focuses on Pete and Debbie (Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann) as they deal with life’s common problems of family, kids and money. They are also both celebrating (well, lamenting) their 40th birthdays.  Read more

Movie Review – Les Misérables (2012)

December 12, 2012 2012 Movies, Reviews 11 comments

There is a lot to like about Les Misérables, which surprised me with it’s ability to tell a great story through music, with nearly every word of dialogue sung. It is by no means perfect however, with a slightly long runtime contributing to the fact that I didn’t feel much emotion overall.
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Director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) takes on the hard task of adapting one of the famous musicals of modern times, originally based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel, into a film. Luckily for Hooper, he is greatly aided by a magnificent cast which boasts stand out performances from Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne and Helena Bonham Carter. My favourite character however, was played by Sacha Baron Cohen, who brings great laughter to an otherwise bleak story as his performance as Thénardier.  Read more

The Weekly Watch: Installment #34

December 6, 2012 2012 Movies, Weekly Watch 8 comments

12 films in one week, it certainly was a busy one. With under two months until my Top 50 of 2012, I saw Not Suitable for Children, Premium Rush, On The Road and Hick. I also rewatched Pitch Perfect and The Dictator.

I saw two fantastic movies from the last 15 years in Eyes Wide Shut and 500 Days of Summer, as well as seeing some other popular films in Juno and Deliverance. I saw Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou which was just ok and Glengarry Glen Ross which unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy.
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Not Suitable for Children (2012) – I was pleasantly surprised by this Aussie film looking at a young man who gets testicular cancer and who’s sperm isn’t viable to be frozen. It’s funny and feels real, with stand out performances from Sarah Snook and Ryan Kwanten. It’s nothing amazing but will be in my Top 50 of the year I would think as it was entertaining and brought up some great thinking points when it comes to life and continuing your legacy. B  Read more

Movie Review – Pitch Perfect (2012)

December 4, 2012 2012 Movies, Reviews 4 comments

Pitch Perfect is easily one of the comedies of the year, with charismatic characters combining with great humour to create a music movie that is fun, energetic and mesmerising. The songs should appeal to all demographics, but especially younger audiences (15-30).
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Anna Kendrick plays Becca, a freshman at Barden University who is convinced into joining The Bellas, an all-girls singing group lead by Chloe (Brittany Snow) and Aubrey (Anna Camp). Kendrick is fantastic, giving a real natural feel to the character, and the cast of the whole movie is superb too, each providing unique traits that bring something to the table. It’s Aussie Rebel Wilson who steals the show though, with her hilarious antics, a lot of which Wilson brings to the film on her own accord.  Read more

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