"Calm down, crazy."- MY FAVOURITE EVERYTHING ELSE OF 2012

         I kind of went on a list-making frenzy when I started with my end-of-year lists. These are the ones I won't be making separate posts for because of time constraint, but they are awesome nonetheless. Also, my favourite performances and films will be up soon.

• Silva, Skyfall- A Bond film is only as good as its villain, and my god, I loved both of them.
• Bane, The Dark Knight Rises- Not easy following Heath Ledger's footsteps, but Tom Hardy did a great, powerful job.
• People, The Cabin in the Woods/ Paranorman/ The Hunt- People suck.
• Joe, Looper- Love the concept of your older self being the baddie. Bruce Willis was super cool.
• The Amazing Spider-Man- For being a shit, unnecessary film and wasting Emma Stone.
• Old Age, Amour- We are all going to die.
• Hugo Weaving characters, Cloud Atlas- Weaving is one of my favourite villain-playing actors and here, he goes from being an oppressive nurse to an assassin to the devil himself.
• Joe, Killer Joe- Oh Matthew McConaughey, you creepy, creepy man. Never set foot in KFC.
• Stephen, Django Unchained- I found him so much more villainous than his master Candie. A total bastard.

Biggest Villain of 2012- Loki, The Avengers

As I had written in my review, it isn't easy for a relative newcomer like Tom Hiddleston to hold his own against so many big actors playing such super persons, but he does it with a lot of snarkiness and aplomb. 

• Hushpuppy. Beasts of the Southern Wild- Brave, wild, amazing.
• Hulk, The Avengers- Mark Ruffalo and Joss Whedon have made me a fan of the big, green, rage monster. Smash all the aliens! And Thor! And Loki!
• Patrick, The Perks of Being a Wallfower- Oh god, I want a best friend like him!
• Selina Kyle, The Dark Knight Rises- Best part of the film by a batmile.
• Fat Amy, Pitch Perfect- Aca-awesome.
• James Bond, Skyfall- A human Bond is just that much cooler.
• Richard Parker, Life of Pi- Magnificent.
• Princess Merida, Brave- Pixar has given us a great first heroine.
• Tiffany, Silver Linings Playbook/ Weird Girl, Frankenweenie- Because they're both weird and awesome and are going to become my role models (hey, this is my list!).

Best Character of 2012- Marty, The Cabin in the Woods

A prophet and a badass? He is going to become a cult god. Great work by Fran Kranz.

• Cloud Atlas- Just look at all the actors and ALL the characters they portray.
• Django Unchained- Tarantino might just have outdid himself with this cast.
• Skyfall- Craig, Dench, Fiennes, Bardem, Whishaw. Stellar.
• Silver Linings Playbook- There is a reason why this is the first film in 31 years to get nominations in all four acting categories. Love the other supporting actors too, most notably, Anupam Kher.
• The Dark Knight Rises- I don't care about Batman half as much as I do about Alfred, Gordon and Fox. And in this we get Selina and Blake too. Plus, love it when Cillian Murphy shows up.

Best Ensemble of 2012- The Avengers

• Everything Suzy Bishop, Moonrise Kingdom- Another memorable Wes Anderson female character with a penchant for individualistic fashion.
• The surgery machine, Prometheus- When I was sick last year, I kept wishing for this machine so that I could get cured in jiffy. Mighty useful it would be.
• Joe's gun, Looper- Uber awesome.
• Shawarma, The Avengers- I, for one, am very happy that Shawarmas are getting the respect and love they deserve.
• Kirsten Dunst's bitchface, Bachelorette- To master that would be a dream.
• The Aston Martin, Skyfall- Try and tell me that your heart didn't skip a beat when this first appeared in the movie.
• The time machine, Safety Not Guaranteed- Because I need one. Woodstock is waiting for me!
• Bong cup, The Cabin in the Woods- Do I need to explain myself?
• The Bat, The Dark Knight Rises- Do I need to explain myself again?

Coolest Object of 2012- Princess Merida's Hair, Brave

I made this list so that I can have Merida's wondrous, fiery tresses topping a list. I can build an altar to them.

Favourite Quotes of 2012-

(in descending order)

"I have an army." - MY FAVOURITE FIGHT SCENES OF 2012

       It's that time of the (next) year again- list making time!! Last year I made a special list of villains because they stood out to me. This year, while I was listing down my favourite scenes, I noticed that a list-worthy number of them are fight scenes and so here we are. I do love a great cinematic fight. For the record, my favourite cinematic fight of all time is probably Mark Darcy versus Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones's Diary.

Note: Needless to say really, but this is a very spoiler-filled post.

Honourable mentions- Merida and Elinor vs Mor'Du in Brave, People vs Zombies in Paranorman, Abraham Lincoln vs horse-throwing vampire in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

10.

Elizabeth Shaw vs Alien Baby in Prometheus

I admit that I watched this scene with my face half-covered, but god it was memorable. Fighting an enemy that is literally growing inside you and having a goddamn cesarean to get rid of that- kudos to Noomi Rapace's Elizabeth.

9.

Django versus Candie's minions in Django Unchained

This is the shooting scene right after two major characters have been killed and Django has to defend himself and protect Broomhilda. This film is full of shooting, but here it is both outrageous and scary and cool and the blood just explodes out of people. It bloody fun (yes, pun very much intended).

8.

Gollum versus Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

A battle of wits and riddles, this was probably my favourite bit in the book. And while the horrid 48 FPS technology managed to make many scenes unbearable to watch, it works here as Gollum becomes even more realistic. And Martin Freeman as always is amazing. I was really pleased with how it turned out.

7.

Cid versus Jesse in  Looper

Well, it isn't exactly a fight scene as much as it is really cool scene with someone actually getting disintegrated in slow mo. Poor Jesse did not know what he was getting into, and good lord Pierce Gagnon is terrifying and awesome. Total jaw-dropping scene.

6.

People versus Monsters in The Cabin in the Woods

Speaking of, how cool was this scene when it happened? This scene sort of unites the two threads of the story in one beautiful and unbelievable blood bath, quite literally. And man, that homicidal unicorn.

5.

The two brothers versus Mad Dog in The Raid: Redemption

Another film with a lot of really cool action scenes to choose from but it all culminates to this final battle between the deadliest of the foes and the two brothers teaming up against him. Keeps one completely rapt.

4.

Batman versus Bane in The Dark Knight Rises

Bane is shown as someone with absolute brute power and we can actually feel that everytime he lands a blow on Batman (YES, ON BATMAN PEOPLE!). It is very scary but also extremely believable seeing the badass caped crusader actually having his back broken by this beast of a man.

3.

Mallory Kane versus Paul in Haywire

Is it me or does this scene remind one of the elevator scene in Drive? Like that scene, this too is a mixture of sexiness and violence, with mood lighting. The fight between Gina Carano and Fassy feels almost like a choreographed dance with one very sensuously brutal end.

2.

Hulk versus Loki in The Avengers

I am right to assume that everyone has watched this film and loved this part and I'm not spoiling it with this gif, yes? Just look at it. It's hilarious. AND it's even better in the film. Genius.

1.

James Bond versus Patrice in Skyfall

If I had not made this list, this would be my favourite scene of the year. I have watched this movie thrice now and every time I can't stop myself from gaping when this sequence takes place. The neon lighting, the shadows, the firing of the gun, the fact that you do not know who is who until the very last moment- oh god it is beautiful. Roger Deakins deserves all the Oscars for this scene alone and action scenes have never looked more gorgeous.

More lists coming up shortly. What did you think of this one?

This is a Poster-Appreciation Life- 2012 edition

I did a post like this last year and thought that it's about time to take a look at this year's posters.

Let's start with one of the biggest films of the year- The Dark Knight Rises. These posters carry the right amount of mystery and well, coolness to attract people.

However, my favourite TDKR poster is the one featuring my favourite part of the film.

Some posters are better than the movie itself. A great example would be this beauty from Snow White and the Huntsman.

Also this one, if we are to believe the reviews so far. Shame because it is so wonderfully witty and morbid.

Some films are ridiculous and have fun with it. I like this poster so much more than Lincoln's.

Now I still have my problems with JGL looking insane in Looper. Doesn't change the fact that it was one superbly awesome movie and that it showed a very interesting concept of time-travel. I think the poster captures that.

I don't know about you but I am not all that fussed about character posters. However, my favourite poster for On the Road is the one featuring Kirsten Dunst as Camille. Doesn't really showcase the film or anything, but gosh Kiki looks absolutely radiant in it!

One of the most unexpected gems of this year (at least for me) was The Cabin in the Woods. I appreciate this poster so much more now-

Django Unchained is my most anticipated film of the year, and its final poster is kind of badass.

Beasts of the Southern Wild and Holy Motors are two films I have seen this year so far that have left me confounded, mostly because I have nothing to compare them with. And both of their posters are just exuberant in their own weird ways.

The Master is supposed to be a very enigmatic film. I love the enigma in this poster.

Though I am not as pumped for it as others, this poster for Zero Dark Thirty is quite enticing.

Okay I don't know what it is about it, but I LOVE this Skyfall poster.

Also Skyfall does have The Best Fan-Made Poster EVER!

"What makes you think this is my first time?"

(PS. If you didn't get that, please go watch the movie now or go jump in an icy lake).

Now for my favourites:

Killing them Softly has had one brilliant poster after another. I really love all three of these.

Life of Pi is arguably the most gorgeous looking film of this year. It has some lovely posters.

My favourite poster though, just how it is with TDKR, is the one featuring my favourite part of the film.

Richard Parker is so stunning.

Finally, my favourite poster of the year goes to-

Come on! This poster is HILARIOUS!!

Okay fine, my favourite poster is this gorgeousity from Moonrise Kingdom. I have been in love with it ever since I first laid eyes on it. It is just so magical... like the cover of one of Suzy Bishop's books.

Moonrise Kingdom also has given rise to some of the best poster artwork I have seen all year.

Hope you liked this! What are your favourites?

Put the Blame on Mame- Superhero Edition

           There is no denying that this is the year of the superheroes, with The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises literally rising above the rest *cough*The Amazing Spider-Man*cough*.

          I had already decided in my head that the only film I might be comparing TDKR to is The Avengers when I went to see the former. For me personally, The Avengers is a much better movie, but lets not get into that yet. Because of this thought, I have been unable to stop myself from matching elements from both these films against each other. Which is a bit of an impossible task because apart from their most basic genres, brilliant casts and totally awesome directors, they are completely different movies. Except for one more thing- the badass, kick-ass, black spandex-clad, sexy, dry-humoured-to-perfection women- Natasha Romanoff of The Avengers and Selina Kyle of The Dark Knight Rises.

Anne Hathaway plays Selina Kyle in TDKR. Now Hathaway had huge Michelle Pfeiffer-sized shoes to fill, or so I thought. The great thing about the movie and how she plays it is that they create a totally different character and steered clear of that path. Hathaway plays her with a lot of wit and sexiness, probably the only glimmer of humour in a very grim movie. She is a femme fatale, but there is also the potential to be someone much better and greater. I did not expect to be this blown away by Hathaway's portrayal of Kyle, but she easily became the best part of the movie for me.





Scarlett Johannson played Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in The Avengers and Ironman 2 earlier. She was pretty cool in the latter, but she was almost scene-stealing in the first. That is high-praise because The Avengers is such an ensemble piece. She is a very adept and an uber-awesome spy- almost like a female James Bond, but without all the showiness. The only girl in the gang of all the superhero boys, but completely on par with them.
Like Hathaway, I did not expect the usually delicate-looking Johannson to be this tough and dangerous. But she is, and is totally believable.



        I have a weird theory in my head that Kyle is almost like an earlier version of Romanoff. They are both absolutely brilliant characters, that have been played beyond all expectations by both these actresses. They each need their own movies, where they can do what they do best- say wry one-liners and kick butt!


            I don't know who I like more honestly. Hathaway's Kyle might become more iconic because of the people's reaction to her film, but I cannot deny the fact that I really wanted to be Johannson's Romanoff throughout her movie.

Thoughts

          I had a dream about writing this post. Isn't that super creepy? And super sad? I should be dreaming about buildings tumbling over and Matt Smith and Loki and shite. Blogging's taking over my life, AND I DON'T EVEN BLOG MUCH!! Anyways, here are my thoughts.

1) So District 9's Sharlto Copley is the man on everybody's mind right now. He is going to be the villain in the American remake of Oldboy and also star alongside Angelina Jolie in Maleficient. Now Ji-tae Yu as Woo-jin has become one of my most favourite villains ever. I love them diabolical like that. So he has big shoes to fill. But he seems like a very interesting choice. Josh Brolin of course will be the protagonist, called Joe Douchette in this version, directed by Spike Lee. In Maleficient, he'll be King Stefan who I'm guessing will be Sleeping Beauty's father. If he is the one who battles, per se, Jolie's Maleficient, it will be a much smarter option than giving such duties to some "teenage" actor who will definitely be overshadowed in every way. Having said that, I'm still rooting for Logan Lerman to get this part.

2) DJANGO UNCHAINED!!! These pictures were released at some point last week and OHMIGOD, I cannot wait!! Leo will be playing a man called Calvin Candie (another magnificent name by QT). He's holding a hammer. Looking at just the recent cinematic usage of hammers, we have Dae-su in Oldboy and the Driver in Drive. There will be beautiful ultraviolence my friends :D Also Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz as Django and Dr. King Schutlz(!!) respectively, look pretty cool. I love the look and the costumes. I'm guessing and hoping that the film will be a serious awards contender.

3) Speaking of Leo, I had started watching Romeo + Juliet last night (which I will finish after posting this), and his introduction as Romeo has to be one of the best character intros ever. Accompanied by, what is in my opinion the sexiest Radiohead song ever, "Talk Show Host", the beautiful and broody Leo speaks in old Shakespearean terms, and oh what bliss! I think, well no I'm pretty sure that whatever age I may be, I will still fall in love with him then and there. My most favourite intro of all time is of course Josh Hartnett as Trip Fontaine in The Virgin Suicides, with Heart's "Magic Man" playing in the background. Only Juliet had Romeo, but all girls have had a Trip Fontaine at some point in their lives. And they always will, making him timeless and magical.

4) Trailers- Remember the time when there was only one trailer per film? Me too, because that was TWO YEARS AGO. Gah. I refuse to watch any and all featurettes. Including those of the much anticipated Prometheus, which has another trailer out. It gives us a little more clues to what we are to expect and also a look into Charlize Theron's character. I'm already pumped about it, so the trailer is a tad unnecessary for me. Next we have Beasts of the Southern Wild, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year. It looks absolutely beautiful, and in a way reminds me of Pan's Labyrinth because they're both about children escaping the problems of their surroundings by creating and entering magical realms of their own. Next we have the "sort-of sequel to Knocked Up" This is 40. As much as I love the cast, especially Paul Rudd, I really don't want to watch it. I think there are some secret life-lessons involved, most probably about forty-year-olds, but I will start worrying about them in spite of not being even twenty yet. Then there is the really weird trailer of 2 Days in New York, which follows the idea of 2 Days in Paris, both made by the wonderful Julie Delpy. It just looks like a clip, but I liked the first film, so I'll watch it. The forgotten superhero movie of the summer, The Amazing Spiderman has another and slightly painful trailer out. I will watch this because of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone and maybe the humour, but poor Spidey. Then we have the slightly crazy A Fantastic Fear of Everything starring Simon Pegg. All I can say is, get Nick Frost and all will be made right :) Lastly, the king of the trailers is obviously The Dark Knight Rises. It just looks bloody incredible and I want to watch it right now and I love destruction of planes and bridges and so much JGL and Catwoman is awesome and Bane is scary and GAHHHH! MIND FRIGGIN' BLOWN!!!

5) Poster-wise, everyone needs to see and worship and somehow send me a copy of Charlize Theron's Snow White and the Huntsmen poster. Just look at it!!!!! Marvelous.

6) Finally, I started Game of Thrones last week and am now up to date with it. For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you will know of my overwhelming and kind of irrational hatred towards one character in particular-

Off with your head, Joffrey!!!

Bronn knows best. Bye.

Hellooo 2012!

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS! 

So last year I made quite an extensive list of films releasing in 2011, and I was a bit off in my predictions. I will make a similar list this time round- of films I will watch, and then of my most anticipated films of 2012.

• 21 Jump Street- The trailer was funny. Johnny Depp cameo!
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter- Just because it has a cool name.
• Argo- Really liked The Town, and so I'm expecting great things from Ben Affleck's next project.
• Bin Laden film- I haven't seen any Katherine Bigelow films. Hopefully I will amend this by the time this releases.
• Cosmopolis- Cronenberg's next with Robert Pattinson as lead. Can RPatz show that he's more than a sparkly dead face?
• Dark Shadows- Tim Burton's next. I hope it brings us back to the good old Edward Scissorhands days.
• Dr. Seuss' The Lorax- It looks adorable, and I love Dr. Seuss stories!
• Frankenweenie- The other Tim Burton film. It looks adorable.
• Les Miserables- I hate Tom Hooper, but even that cannot stop my need to hear Hugh Jackman sing.
• Lincoln- So Daniel Day-Lewis is totally getting nominated for, and probably winning the Oscar for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in this. 
• On The Road- This was in my list last year as well, but it didn't release. I hope it's great.
• Perks of Being a Wallflower- I love me some teenage angst, and it has Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.
• Skyfall- Bond 23. Not convinced about Sam Mendes but it really is one helluva cast.
• Snow White and the Huntsmen- Ugh, I am sooo on the Evil Queen's side. Charlize-liciousness is too much.
• The Amazing Spiderman- I am watching this for Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone only, unless they come up with some really mindblowing trailer.
• The Five-Year Engagement- Cute, funny and I love Emily Blunt.
• The Great Gatsby- The 3D aspect freaks me out, but it will be a Baz Luhrmann spectacular, and man Leo looks gorgeous!
• The Hunger Games- It looks cool enough, and it is said to be the next big franchise.
• The Wettest Country in the World- Really cool cast, including the lady of the hour- Jessica Chastain.
• This Means War- I'm sorry but I will let my hormones decide this.
• World War Z- A different take on the whole post-apocalyptic tale.

And now, my most anticipated films of 2012:

10) The Woman in Black

Daniel Radcliffe's first film role after Harry Potter (no HP film this year, or ever again *my creys*). The trailers have been fantastic, and it has the potential of being a really good scary movie. I hope it delivers.

9) Prometheus

After seeing Alien and Aliens recently, I am seriously hooked on to this series. Plus super-sexy cast with Fassy as an android.

8) The Avengers

The trailer looked like fun, and this will be the real clash of the titans as too many superheroes may spoil the broth. Love Loki though!

7) The Gangster Squad

The picture alone guarantees a spot here. But it does have a stellar cast and everyone is getting serious L.A. Confidential vibes from it. Oooh.

6) Gravity

Alfonso Cuarón's next is about two scientists played by Oscar-winners Sandra Bullock and George Clooney who are stuck in space together, and promises to be absolutely mindblowing with things we have never seen on the silver screen before *drool*.

5) Moonrise Kingdom
The most brilliant cast ever assembled in this- Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Frances McDormand and Harvey Keitel. Can't wait for the next Wes Anderson modern classic.

4) Brave
I am in love with Princess Merida, and my devotion to Pixar is absolute. They will make a comeback with this, I am certain.

3) The Dark Knight Rises
Uh duh. I mean The Dark Knight has to be one of the best films ever made, and Christopher Nolan is a certified genius, and the trailer of this looks fantastic. Also Catwoman :D

2) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Oh look it's my husband there with Gollum! I am so excited for this. LoTR is one of the greatest trilogies ever made, if not the greatest, and The Hobbit is certainly on the right track with that amazing trailer.

1) Django Unchained
The wonderful and violent genius returns with a Western. After what he did with Inglorious Basterds, I can't even fathom (not that I can ever fathom anything in any of his movies) what sort of pure brilliance is going to be shown here. Plus, Leo as a villain seems too delicious a role to miss. Absolutely dying to see this.

* I completely forgot about Nero Fiddled (formerly known as Bop Decameron) which is Woody's next and stars Jesse Eisenberg, who was born to act in a Woody Allen film. 
** Also the Untitled Terence Malick project... though Ben Affleck makes me want to puke.
*** Martin McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths, because we love In Bruges, don't we?
**** P.T. Anderson's The Master, as anything following up to There Will Be Blood has to be a cinematic event.
***** The next Refn-Gosling venture- Only God Forgives.


It will be a great year, ouie?