Breaking Tears and Surprise

Mettel Ray is hosting another blogathon before the festive season, and this time it is called 'Breaking Emotion' (which reminds me, I really need to get on my bike and continue watching Breaking Bad). Unfortunately, I missed the first instalment - all about fear and awkwardity in movies - since I was too busy breaking all of my real emotions with the end of my high schooling. Alas, this week's emotions are tears and surprise, two emotions which I'm all too familiar with in films. Here's what Mettel has to say about them on her blog.

First up, three films (only three films...hmmm) that make me cry tears of sadness. The sad fact is that I can no longer go to the cinemas because I cry at every movie I see. I was an absolute wreck after Gravity two times over, which was rather embarrassing for the people who went through that movie with me. Alas, I do enjoy crying in movies, so here's the three that devastated me the most:

Super Late 2012 Retrospective: My Top 20 of 2012

So, I can finally put 2012 out of my mind now that I've made this extra long list. I won't deliberate much longer, but I will say that this'll be the last time you'll hear from me for a while...I'm still extremely busy! Until then, don't forget about me, and be thankful I managed to do this list before 2013 was over too. Ha. (by the way, top of 2013 so far is Before Midnight, followed by The Great Gatsby, The Place Beyond the Pines, Side Effects and Spring Breakers. Let's see how they stand this time next year)

Honourable mentions: The Intouchables, The Impossible, Life of Pi, The Raid: Redemption, Compliance, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Skyfall, Flight, Vamps, Cloud Atlas, Dredd, Bachelorette, Pitch Perfect, Safety Not Guaranteed, The Avengers, The Cabin in the Woods, The Grey, Chronicle.

20. Celeste & Jesse Forever (Dir. Lee Toland Krieger)
I don't know why, but I find Rashida Jones absolutely fascinating. She seems like the kind of girl who anyone could get along with, since she's so smart, funny, and endlessly charming. So when I heard that a film that she wrote herself was going to make it to the big screen, I was pretty darn excited. And guess what three words describe the outcome? Smart, funny and charming. It may not turn around the rom-com genre as some were hoping (and come on, we should stop wishing for this to happen, two people will end up being together or they won't), but it gave it a damn good try.

19. Anna Karenina (Dir. Joe Wright)
Maybe I just kinda romanticise this movie a little bit because it was the last movie I watched before Stage Challenge happened (I have a habit of romanticising this time of my life and I don't know why), and maybe it lost its shine when I had to study it for an English assessment, but there's one thing that I absolutely love about Anna Karenina that earns it its spot here: Joe Wright's ambitious direction. The fact that this film moves along like a musical even if there's no real singing, the way that big theatre is set up, the way that everything looks...it is decadent and glorious to watch. Plus, I'd like to see Alicia Vikander get more roles. Her and Jessica Chastain are pretty much going to tear down Hollywood within the next few years.

18. The Master (Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
I understood most of it. I'd have to watch it again in the very distant future for it to have an effect on me, but I appreciated what Paul Thomas Anderson was trying to do. This film feels like it exists on a different planet, so far away from any of the other films of 2012. It is fearless, disconcerting and so complex. Along with that, you have Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams honing in some of the best performances of their careers - that's a term that's thrown around lightly, but considering their almost perfect filmographies, that's a considerable achievement.

17. Your Sister's Sister (Dir. Lynn Shelton)
The way this film ticks over, without any real hurry, just at a natural pace, is what I loved most about Your Sister's Sister. It was just a really nice movie, where people weren't going out of their way to make any drama, it just happened. I admire filmmakers who can make their movies without feeling like they have to place all the action on a highwire, instead letting everything fall into place. Your Sister's Sister is a stunning example of that.

16. The Most Fun You Can Have Dying (Dir. Kristin Marcon)
I'm actually rather surprised that a NZ film made it onto my list this year, but ever since I saw The Most Fun You Can Have Dying over a year ago, I haven't been able to shake it. It isn't perfect, but it is made beautifully, without the usual essence of NZ filmmakers trying way too hard to be schizophrenically strange (An Angel at My Table and Heavenly Creatures are the guilty parties and it would seem that most NZ filmmakers have tried to follow in their footsteps). The Most Fun You Can Have Dying is mature, gorgeously shot and features a wonderful performance by Matt Whelan. Hopefully it makes it to some international markets, because this is finally a film that NZ can be proud of.

15. Coriolanus (Dir. Ralph Fiennes)
I studied this one for my English project as well, and I was surprised at how good of an adaptation this one is, and how underrated it is. Ralph Fiennes' top directorial debut seemed to come and go without much notice, even though it brought a severely underrated Shakespeare tale to life with some shocking relevance to the world we live in 400 years on. It's a little bit like The Hurt Locker with Shakespearean language. Plus, extra points for slipping a luminous Jessica Chastain in their to be my favourite actor's wife. Worth the price of the ticket for that alone (at least for me, anyway).

14. Smashed (Dir. James Ponsoldt)
For a film about addiction, this film is rather level-headed. There's no big teary monologues, no over-reaching for drama, no-one treating their addiction as if it had the same levity as an impending apocalypse. Instead, it feels like a page was ripped out of the diary of someone who actually experienced alcoholism, and what they did to try and prevent it from taking over their life. Part of the way helped by a towering performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead and apt support from Aaron Paul and Octavia Spencer, Smashed takes the melodrama out and replaces it with naturalism, which is just about the most disconcerting thing you can do when trying to tell a story like this one.

13. Argo (Dir. Ben Affleck)
Argo is a stunningly made, stunningly thrilling film, and I think it is extremely apt that this film was chosen to represent the best of the 2012 film year. Ben Affleck has a true talent for creating tension, and also creating an atmosphere that's true to the period the film is set in. There's something so perfect about the way this film is made, from the editing to the general look of the film. Plus, it puts actual meaning into being an "edge of your seat thriller". To be honest, I couldn't really care less about the apparent omission of New Zealand's part in this story, on account that this is an extremely good film.

12. Amour (Dir. Michael Haneke)
I'd probably never revisit this film ever again because it left me a bit paralysed with unhappiness, but there's no denying that this is a uniquely devastating piece of cinema. It was hard to view it with an objective eye since I watched it a little too close to my own Grandmother's death, yet I think there's still a little bit of scar tissue from this movie. It is probably one of the more different, yet extremely depressing portrayals of love on screen - is this what the critics wanted when they asked for a better romantic genre? Who knows, but Michael Haneke sure has a knack for making you feel a little beyond sad.

11. Bernie (Dir. Richard Linklater)
I still can't even get over the fact that Bernie is a true story, nor can I get over how perfect Richard Linklater is as a filmmaker. This film treads a very fine line between telling a story through fiction and non-fiction, mixing both elements so well that you can't really tell if what you're seeing is true or just made up. Jack Black's central performance is a triumph, along with great support from Shirley Maclaine and the ever-amazing Matthew McConaughey. Let's just say that this is a minor triumph and Richard Linklater's excellent filmography - one filmography that is probably one of the more diverse and consistently great filmographies out there.

10. End of Watch (Dir. David Ayer)
There was nothing worse than feeling deflated and tired because I'm on a flight back from having the time of my life in Japan, and I decide to watch End of Watch at probably around 1am. I thought it would be an average cop movie. Turns out by the end I was curled up on my seat, feeling disgusting and crying my eyes out because this film was far from an average cop movie. Sure, the 'found footage' aspect was a bit distracting, but the film itself was an excellent character study. There's just so much about this film that works, even when it shouldn't.

9. Brave (Dir. Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman)
The other day I had a bit of a mental breakdown when I was talking to someone in my class about how much we loved this film. Lesser Pixar? I think not. I think it carries one of the most valuable messages out of all the Pixar films, both with loving your mother and also being your own hero. Can we just take a moment to appreciate what a great role model Merida is? Sure, she makes a mistake, but at least we take the time to watch her learn from that mistake, and be a total badass while she does it. I kinda want to be her. Which is part of the reason I put two cans of red hairspray in my hair and walked down the street on a hot summer's day wearing a heavy velvet dress for the Christmas Parade. Time of my life.

8. 21 Jump Street (Dir. Phil Lord and Chris Miller)
I saw this film more than any other film last year. After the shittiest mcshitfest day of school this year, I watched this to cheer me up. If I'm every feeling slightly down, this movie finds itself in my DVD player. I just think it is the funniest movie to come out in years. Which is why it is, in all of its R-rated silly comedy glory, in my top ten for the year. Ja feel? Ja definitely feel.

7. Looper (Dir. Rian Johnson)
There's something about Looper which is endlessly fascinating to me: it is such a realistic view of the future. It is kind of like an anti-blockbuster. It has all of the blockbuster trimmings, but it presents them in such an indie kind of way, which is so strange. It is inventive and dazzlingly complex, offering far more than one could expect from the trailers. Please, Rian Johnson, keep re-inventing the wheel like you did here.

6. Django Unchained (Dir. Quentin Tarantino)
I remember watching this film for the first time in the cinemas: I was so excited because it was the first Tarantino film I was old enough to see in cinemas, and I had the time of my life. During the baghead scene, I was literally just about rolling around on the floor laughing. During the scene where my beloved Leonardo DiCaprio cuts his hand, I was watching it through my fingers. And while it was a few too many scenes and one Quentin Tarantino trying his best with an Australian accent too long, Django Unchained was just damn entertaining. Plus, Dr. King Schultz is my spirit animal. That is all.

5. Silver Linings Playbook (Dir. David O. Russell)
This is a movie that has grown on me a lot since I first saw it at the beginning of the year. I think my 'meh' reaction to it when I first saw it was a) I was getting annoyed with all of the Jennifer Lawrence buzz (and I'm still not happy about that, but I'm over it) and b) I couldn't wait for the movie to be over because I thought it was a great idea to drink a ginormous cup of Pepsi and...yeah. However, circumstances changed, and literally at any point of my life right now, I could watch this film and it would make me happier. Every time I'm at work, I always stare at the case longingly and think about how much I'd like to see it again, but I've managed to keep it down to three watches. Dear friends: please get me this for my birthday so I can stop staring at it longingly. Its getting to be a bit of a problem.

4. Killer Joe (Dir. William Friedkin)
For a movie that I hold in such high regard, Killer Joe is not a film that I'd ever profusely recommend to anyone. Unless, of course, I was going on about how perfect Matthew McConaughey's acting skills are in this film. This movie is vulgar and nasty, but somehow I managed to love it. I don't know how, but that's how we have it. I haven't mustered up the courage to rewatch it (even though I bought it around four months ago), so maybe I'll save that up for when I'm actually 18 and see if my official maturity makes me any less sensitive to this crazy film.

3. Zero Dark Thirty (Dir. Kathryn Bigelow)
The next three are pretty much all my number ones, but after much deliberation I managed to pry them apart and rank them. Zero Dark Thirty is my first number one for two reasons: a) Kathryn Bigelow is my idol and I want to be her, and b) I am Maya. Which is kind of scary, but I can definitely say there's no movie character I've ever been so connected to, ever. This film is so meticulously put together and plays it straight, to the degree that it almost doesn't even seem like a film. And it is so damn near perfection it kinda hurts. Jessica Chastain is wonderful. Jason Clarke, Mark Strong, Jennifer Ehle, James Gandolfini, Joel Edgerton, Mark Duplass...everyone in that film, they're all wonderful. Again, friends: I need this film for my birthday so I can stop staring at it longingly while I'm at work.

2. The Dark Knight Rises (Dir. Christopher Nolan)
I know, you're all probably freaking out because this is not number one. It is one of my number ones, but just not the top ranked. I don't love it any less than I did when I first saw it on July 19th and bawled my eyes out more than a normal person should be allowed to in a public place. Every time I think about it, I want to cry. No, it is nowhere near as good as The Dark Knight. But I love every minute of those 2 hours and 45 minutes (even though I get extremely annoyed whenever Marion Cotillard turns up). Christopher Nolan is still God. It still has some of the most potent imagery of 2012. 'Why Do We Fall?' and 'Rise' are still my number one let's get hyped/let's get overly emotional songs. I just love this film, despite all the backlash. Oh and by the way, I've already mentally booked my tickets/sanity for when Interstellar comes out next year.

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Dir. Stephen Chbosky)
So this is my number one. Why? It is perfect. When I read the book last year, it kinda changed my life. And then the movie came along and it broke my heart into a million pieces but somehow put it back together again. I really doubt that a movie that is so perfect in its portrayal of teen life will ever come around again, so I'm glad that it happened while I was a teenager (mind you, everyone from the 80's probably thinks that about The Breakfast Club). Future kids: you'll be watching this the day you turn into a teenager. By which point I'll hopefully be married to either Logan Lerman or Ezra Miller. Hopefully.

What do you think of this list? What were your favourite films of 2012?

My Unofficial 5 Worst and 10 Best Films of 2012

Oh hey, so since the year is ending and I've seen less than five 2012 movies (okay, that's a lie, but seriously, I haven't even seen Argo), I thought I may as well still do list the films I loved and loathed from the small selection I've seen. As I explained last night, these are films that had their American release date (or in the case of one of them, will probably not have an American release date so it is the NZ release date) this year, because I've already cleaned up 2011. First, let's look at the five worst films I've seen this year.

5. Rock of Ages
I really liked Adam Shankman's last musical, Hairspray. All I wanted was a nice, groovy musical with toe-tapping, feel good, sing-along songs. I got auto-tune piled upon more auto-tune. Gee thanks, Glee.
Tom Cruise was at least okay and really seemed to be in his element as filthy rocker Stacee Jaxx, but the rest were just people singing and dancing like they'd been boosted up on energy drinks. In other words, nothing was very good at all.

4. Battleship
Forgive me when I say that I didn't have very high expectations for this film, based on the board game. And those expectations were met: there were a lot of explosions for two hours, accompanied by a lot of slow-mo, and not much else. Oh Liam Neeson, what were you thinking when you decided to be in this movie for five minutes? You too, Alexander Skarsgard. I practically watched it just to see you being hot and you got killed off so I had to spend the remaining five hours with Taylor Kitsch and Rihanna. Yay.

My 15 Favourite New-To-Me Films of 2012

Sure, there are still four days left in the year and usually I manage to fill these last days up with some great movies, but I might as well list down my 15 favourite new-to-me movies I've seen this year. It was a rather hard task to whittle these down to so few, especially considering there were over 300 movies in contention - meaning that I achieved my New Year's resolution of seeing at least 300 new-to-me movies (how I found the time, I'll never know). So here we have my 15 favourite new-to-me films of the year, and what a good movie watching year I had.

15. The Heiress
Admittedly, this 1949 classic starring Olivia De Havilland and Montgomery Clift was one I watched because I couldn't go and see Jessica Chastain and Dan Stevens in the stage production of it, currently on Broadway. However, this was a more than worthy substitute. Olivia De Havilland gave a firey performance as Catherine Sloper, a woman who is all too vulnerable to everything but eventually comes into her own. A really interesting portrayal of society ideals put to the test in the 1800s.

14. The Red Riding Trilogy
So technically these are three films, but you can't really judge the separate films on their own merits - they must be viewed as a whole. I watched the three British made-for-TV films over one night before I started school again, and I was so impressed with how intricately detailed this was and how everything came together. It was a stunning achievement for a made-for-TV project - in fact, TV just keeps getting stronger and stronger every year.

My 15 Top Obsessions of 2012

You know me...I get obsessed with things rather easily. Like seriously, I have obsessive issues that sometimes need to be dialled back before people think I'm crazy (case in point: I get asked to put Christmas decorations up. The first thing I think of is to put up tinsel Batmans in honour of The Dark Knight Rises which came out four weeks before Christmas). However, here's some which I haven't been able to control over the year. The fact that I've made a list of 15 and still missed out a whole lot of them is rather disturbing.

15. Independent cinema
I've always loved independent cinema, but moreso this year, because it has become increasingly easier to get my hands on. Luckily, a lot of the stuff is going through Madman (a supplier here in NZ), meaning I get to catch up on them a bit earlier on the preview discs. While I may not have seen bigger films like Argo or The Hobbit just yet (nor will I until they come out on DVD), I have seen wonderful films like Your Sister's Sister and Bernie already thanks to that wonderful preview drawer. Just keep 'em coming, Madman.

14. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
I've always loved JGL, too, but the guy has been really flying this year. Sure, there was Premium Rush, which must have been quite a big flop since it has been delayed until March next year here (meaning it will go straight-to-DVD), but he was also in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, and in The Dark Knight Rises - in a performance which I thought had its own wonderfulness about it. By far the best thing of his year, though, was Looper, which was a freakin' awesome film itself, but JGL, weird eyebrows and nose and all, was so badass it almost hurt. I also saw 50/50 for the first time this year, where I completely fell for him. He's also doing awesome stuff with his HitRecord project and he's just finished shooting his writing/directorial feature debut. Do the wonders ever cease? It would appear not - he also did some Magic Mike moves on SNL. Lawd.

13. The Great Gatsby
I finally read this whole book this year and it is safe to say, it is probably my favourite book of all time. F. Scott Fitzgerald really had a way with words. Also falling under this umbrella is Baz Luhrmann's forthcoming adaptation, which was my most anticipated movie for the year after The Dark Knight Rises. Why? Because a) haters gon' hate but I love Baz Luhrmann's films, b) the trailers were just effing divine and they literally inspired a 1920's phase I had going on for a little while, c) Leonardo DiCaprio looks fiiiiiiiiiiine and d) that poster with Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker also looks fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I'm honestly so excited for this film I combust everytime I think about it.

12. Michael Fassbender
I loved him last year but seeing Shame and Prometheus this year just reaffirmed my love. Shame was by far the best performance I've seen all year, and one of my favourites ever. And even though David had a few issues in Prometheus, I couldn't believe I was watching my darling Fassy up there. Seriously, he is one of the best actors out there right now.

Making the Case for The Dark Knight Rises + Blogathon Links!

So this blogathon went rather well, considering it was my first real crack at one. Lots of great entries, I'm seriously impressed with the variety among them. Super huge thank you to everyone who participated! And while I have everyone's attention (hopefully), I have exciting news that deserves a line of its own:

I was announced Head Girl of my school last night!

Very exciting times. Alas, now I shall add my own case to the pile: the case for The Dark Knight Rises to win all of the awards. And I've got a few honourable mentions because I couldn't bear to leave them out. Here we go!

So I really don't need to say any more about it: I love The Dark Knight Rises. I love that movie so much I'd shout it from the rooftops but I can't be bothered doing that so I just made a whole Christmas window based around it. The Dark Knight Rises is just amazing to me, and it is a shame that people can't see it in the same light. I'm not going to get into the whole "ah everyone sucks because all they did was pick at the plot holes (which I contest didn't really exist)" thing. I just want to say that this was a movie that has played a huge part in my life. I've never been more excited to see a film, nor have I ever experienced the intense emotion I had when I first saw it. The only thing I was really sad about was something that was beyond anyone's control. However, this movie is something of a cinematic marvel: it shows a pretty brave and gritty social commentary through the eyes of a superhero movie. No, I didn't think it was better than The Dark Knight, but I still thought that Bane was an extremely good villain, looking like a human Hulk and getting on people's wrong sides in an extremely smart way. And don't even get me started on those final moments. I still cry every time I so much as think about it. The look on Gordon's face when the Batman statue gets unveiled - it gets me every time. In an ideal world, this is what I'd love for The Dark Knight Rises to be nominated for:

Best Picture - We used to be so sure it would get in. What happened? It was bad enough that The Dark Knight got snubbed all those years ago. Of course, this one can't stand as a consolation prize, but The Dark Knight Rises truly does deserve it. It is a modern epic that we'll remember for years to come.
Best Actress: Anne Hathaway - Sure, she'll be getting her fair share of awards for Les Miserables. But her performance as Selina Kyle was nothing short of amazing. Just her walk and her talk - wow. And people thought she couldn't pull it off.
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Caine - He made me cry. A lot.
Best Supporting Actor: Tom Hardy - I once saw a picture of him in his Bane costume and it said, "Still has more facial expressions than Kristen Stewart". And that's the outright truth. Even with a huge piece of machinery on his face, he managed to be wonderfully chilling. Not to mention that last scene with Marion Cotillard. Who on the flipside I've come to realise gave a truly terrible performance.
Best Director: Christopher Nolan - One day the Academy needs to get over the fact that he's better than the large majority of them.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan - Because that would be cool. Some of the lines in this film are so amazing I try and use them in day to day life, but people look at me strangely when I put on my Bane voice.
Best Cinematography: Wally Pfister - It would be cool to see Pfister to have an Oscar nomination in this field once more before he turns his hand to directing. His cinematography is wonderful - the movie is actually darn pretty.
Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer - There's not a day that goes by when I don't wish that I could casually use 'Why Do We Fall?' and 'Rise' in a film of my own. The rest of the score is wonderful.
Anything else - I imagine that the film will at least get a whole lot of nominations in the technical categories. And I'll still be waving my little one-man fan club flag down here!

Other honourable mentions:

Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe and Magic Mike - I never used to like old Matty M. But no-one can deny that this has been the year of Matthew McConaughey being bloody awesome at acting. His performance in Killer Joe is by far my favourite of the year. It is so blood-curdlingly great that every time I see so much as a picture of him in the film I cover my eyes. Which made watching Magic Mike very hard, but he was easily the best thing about that film. That SAG nomination snub hurt, but I just know that he'll make it to the Oscars. If he doesn't, I'll be very angry.

Michael Fassbender in Prometheus - One I reasons why I liked Prometheus was because of Michael Fassbender's stunning performance as David the android. Even though the character annoyed the hell out of me, Fassy's transformation into an android was actually terrifying. He was so...wow.

Rosemarie DeWitt in Your Sister's Sister - Because Rosemarie DeWitt is just awesome and Your Sister's Sister so clearly shows that. She's so wonderful, as is the movie.

Jack Black in Bernie - Jack Black is another actor who I generally don't like but he was great in Bernie. He managed not to annoy me for once. And was I the only one who was absolutely shocked when I found out that this story was true at the end?

Rian Johnson's screenplay for Looper - Because Looper was utter awesomeness and it happened to be a great time travel film. As I said in my review, he created "a vision of the future, not a dream".

Matt Whelan in The Most Fun You Can Have Dying - A really huge longshot, but I thought I'd throw this one out there. The Most Fun You Can Have Dying is a NZ film, and a surprisingly good one (your move, The Hobbit). Matt Whelan gives a stunning performance as a man out to destroy himself on his last days of life. I've never actually seen a Kiwi perform so well as an average Kiwi. He was great.

Jessica Chastain for the newly incepted award called 'Most Awesome Person Alive' - I really need to appeal to the Academy for this award, just so Jess can win it every year.

Everyone else's entries, in no particular order:
-Sati @ Cinematic Corner makes her case for the awesome score by Hans Zimmer for The Dark Knight Rises.

-Anna @ Defiant Success makes her case for the three performances in The Deep Blue Sea from Simon Russell Beale, Tom Hiddleston and of course Rachel Weisz.

-Nikhat @ Being Norma Jeane made a case for The Avengers to get a Best Ensemble nod at today's SAG nominations, but unfortunately, her case went unnoticed. So she decided to make a case for The Perks of Being a Wallflower's Adapted Screenplay, adapted by Stephen Chbosky himself, and the performances by Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller. Even though I haven't seen the film, these choices are infinitely awesome!

-Nicole @ The Madlab Post saw Skyfall by chance since she'd missed the screenings for Argo and Lincoln - and lucky she did, because she wrote a beautiful piece about the score by Thomas Newman and the original song by Adele.

-Katy @ The Drama Llama also got on The Perks of Being a Wallflower train and made a case for Ezra Miller's performance. I can only imagine how wonderful he is!

-Courtney @ On the Screen Reviews makes the case for Dwight Henry's supporting performance in Beasts of the Southern Wild. I'd love to see some new talent in the mix!

-Alex @ And So It Begins... makes his case for Edward Burns' screenplay for The Fitzgerald Family Christmas. It would be awesome to see him get nominated!

-Rich @ Wide Screen World makes his case for Frank Langella's performance in Robot & Frank. No amount of Langella love will ever go amiss!

-Drew @ A Fistful of Films made his case for Greta Gerwig's work in Damsels in Distress...and also making Greta Gerwig a thing!

-Nika @ The Running Reel makes a case for Moonrise Kingdom to get a whole slew of nods. I can't wait to finally see it at the end of this month!

-Josh @ The Cinematic Spectacle makes the case for Cloud Atlas, hoping to see its ambition rewarded.

-SDG @ U, Me and Films also shares some love for Rosemarie DeWitt's performance in the brilliant Your Sister's Sister.

-Robert @ The Sketchy Details makes a case for Cosmopolis, a film which still intrigues me to this very day, and this article makes me even more intrigued.

-Brittani @ Rambling Film makes the case for Pierce Gagnon's show-stopping performance in Looper. I definitely thought of including this one - how great was he for someone who is only 5 years old?

If you have a case you want to be made, it isn't too late. Mail me in the next three days and I'll add you to the list! Who's case would you believe out of these wonderful entries?

12 Performances from 3 People Born on November 12th: Grace Kelly, Ryan Gosling and Anne Hathaway

TThis is my third birthday post in the past week, and that's not because I'm running out of things to talk about. It just seems that November was a good time to have talented babies, and it would also seem that the 12th was an especially good day to have talented babies. On this day in 1929, Grace Kelly, later known as Princess Grace of Monaco, was born. On this day in 1980, Ryan 'Hey Girl' Gosling was born. On this day in 1982, Anne Hathaway, a.k.a. the sweetest person on Earth, was born. And I didn't know who to focus on, considering they're all my favourite people, so I just decided I'd focus on them all. What follows is my four favourite performances from the three of them, which adds up to 12 performances because, y'know, it is the 12th. And because doing ten performances from each would have been extremely tiring.

Grace Kelly is a woman who I know a lot about - much like I did with Vivien Leigh, I got obsessed and read a whole lot of biographies because I used to have a lot of spare time. Grace did live an interesting, somewhat short life. She rose to fame as a movie star after her debut in 1951's Fourteen Hours. Her breakthrough, however, was the western High Noon, which she co-starred in with Gary Cooper. In terms of her film career, she is best known for being a Hitchcock blonde - Hitchcock himself said that she was her favourite - in Dial M for Murder, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief. In 1956 she left Hollywood to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco. She was going to return to acting in 1982, but unfortunately she died in a car accident that year. She was only 52 years old. My favourite performances of hers, in chronological order, are:

In High Noon, Grace plays Amy Fowler Kane, the young Quaker wife of Gary Cooper. The role isn't an extremely demanding one as the film mainly follows Gary Cooper, but when she shows up, she brings such intense vulnerability and youth to her role. And it's impossible to take your eyes off her. Interestingly enough, even though I wasn't so hot on westerns when I watched this one four and a half years ago, I was particularly taken by this tale of the rise and fall of a village. Now it is known as one of the best westerns ever made, but back in the day, the reception wasn't so great. I think it has survived pretty darn well.

My Movie Biography: Where It's At Now in 2012

(2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) Well, we're heading into the home stretch now. Tomorrow is the big day. Just to let you know, you will probably have trouble visiting the site for a while. Don't worry, (fingers crossed) everything goes fine and I'll be back up and running this time tomorrow. Hope to see you there!  Anyway, 2012 in my movie biography...

• By some small coincidence, all of the movies I got at one time from Fatso were by Roman Polanski. So I started off the year with Chinatown, Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. That was...fun.
• I saw The Muppets and The Adventures of Tintin on the same day. I felt so awkward being this 16 year old all alone in cinemas filled with children. Funnily enough, I preferred Tintin a lot more, but now The Muppets is pretty much my go-to movie when I want to feel better about life.
• I finally got out of NZ! My father and I went to Melbourne, Australia for a week and that was exciting. I was pretty excited for the plane trip, because Drive was playing on the plane and I hadn't seen it because it was an R18. I did really like it when I saw it, but I completely forgot about the fact that it was censored, so I was left wondering what was so R18 about it. Then I looked it up on the internet and apparently there were 70 swearwords in it, but I hadn't heard any of them. When I got the film on DVD, I finally embraced it and it became my second favourite movie of 2011. While I was in Melbourne I bought a crapload of movies because they had everything that I'd been looking for. And there's like, five JB Hi-Fi's in the city, so I was in heaven. Also heavenly was the Pancake Parlour, but that's another story. I also went to the cinemas a fair bit because I wanted to escape the heat. I only really wanted to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, because I thought it was going to be an R18 in NZ and it was only an MA15+ in Australia. I was so excited to be all rebellious. Then I got back to NZ and I found out that it was only an R16. Which was somewhat disappointing. I also saw The Descendants and Hugo just because I could. I really miss Melbourne. It was such a nice place. One day I hope to go back.
• While I wasn't as excited for the Oscars as much as I was last year (I blame the fact that I hadn't watched many of the movies), I still thought it was a good idea to wake up at 3am and watch the Oscar nominations for fun. It wasn't all that fun until I saw that Rooney Mara got nominated, in which case I let out this weird squeal that woke up everyone in the house. I stayed up until at least 4.30am ranting with people on Facebook about them. Which probably wasn't the best idea, because once the morning hit we were going to Palmerston North to watch War Horse. It didn't affect the experience. I still spent the entire film crying my eyes out. And when I say the "entire film", I mean the entire bloody thing. As soon as I saw that horse I was in tears.

I Am 16, Going on 17...

In a few hours, it’ll be my 17th birthday. To be honest, I don’t see 17 as a very special birthday, apart from the fact that if I lived in America I’d be able to legally watch Shame, when in an actual fact I have to wait another year to see it legally in NZ (ironically, I am getting it for my birthday). Other than that, all I can say about this birthday is that it brings to a close what has probably been the best year of my life thus far. This time last year, I did my 16 Days of Birthday marathon (it was really a year ago?), building up the excitement to the birthday that would let me get R16 movies out myself. The year didn’t disappoint. It has been filled with some great achievements and memories, of which I am proud to have lived through in one way or another. Instead of boring you all with my usual “life is great!” speech that is so blatantly throwing heavy-handed inspiration at people who probably don’t need it, I’m going to share the 16 most memorable things that have happened to me in my 16th year of living. I feel like I should be apologising for yet another personal post, but I’ve built a blog based around my strange personality – another achievement which being 16 has lead me to. So, in no particular order, here’s my year:

-Getting a LAMMY for Best Rating System, along with being Runner Up for Best Blog, and then three other nominations on top of that.

-That Paramount call. Waiting for that call was pretty much the longest week of my life, and I could probably tell you everything I did that week even though it happened nine months ago. Anyway, it was awesome to get praise for a school essay from Hollywood.

-Finally seeing The Dark Knight Rises after four years of waiting, and crying my eyes out like I’ve never cried before.

A Firey End to an Epic Trilogy.

Film: The Dark Knight Rises
Year: 2012
Director: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Juno Temple.
Running time: 164 min.

Let me be straight-forward from the start: The Dark Knight Rises is the biggest film-event of my life so far. Sure, I've only had 16 years for films to compete for that title, but this film takes the cake by a long shot. That is not to say that The Dark Knight Rises is my favourite film ever. I honestly don't think it will have the mass effect that The Dark Knight had, with it making it's way to the top of IMDb's top 250 or anything like that. Simply put, The Dark Knight Rises isn't as good as The Dark Knight. But there's no denying that this is a grand-scale finish to what is probably the best trilogy of films that I have ever seen. The only problem that I have is that now the trilogy is all over. I guess that I can now properly understand how all of those Harry Potter fans felt when their series came to a close this time last year. Even though Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise and I didn't get off to the most conventional start, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic over the way The Dark Knight changed my perception of films when I was just about to leave primary school. Now I'm nearly on the precipice of leaving high school, The Dark Knight Rises has come along and reminded me of why I love Nolan's take on Batman, why I love Nolan's films in general, and why I love going to the cinemas. However, Nolan's closing the door on his Batman, even though he's leaving the door somewhat open for someone else to pick it up. Which I hope isn't the case, because I don't think anyone can do the superhero genre better than Nolan. Hell, this guy invented his own genre.

A Christoper Nolan Retrospective/Appreciation Post

I make no secret that Christopher Nolan is my favourite director ever. Call me unworthy of a cinephile card, miseducated or just a fangirl, but before you unfairly throw those labels out, here my story of just why it is that I love the guy.

On July 30th, 2008, my friend and I went to see The Dark Knight. We were both super excited to see it, even though I hadn't even seen Batman Begins (and I didn't for another two years). I could tell you everything about that day until the very last detail. Mainly because it was an awesome day that ended with an awesome film. I hadn't had expectations for it, so I came out completely shocked by this new breed of superhero film. And when that title hit at the end...that's my favourite thing I've ever experienced in cinemas. I was obsessed with that film from the time I saw it, even bringing it along to school for everyone to watch. I was even more interested in the way it swept across the film nation, bringing everyone together in the harmony of Heath Ledger's masterful performance. Little did I know that at age 12, I'd inadvertently been introduced to the man that would change my cinematic life forever - none other than Christopher Nolan.

I became obsessed with the guy in 2010 when I was anticipating Inception like it was the air I needed to breathe. The funny thing was, at the very start of that obsession I had only seen The Dark Knight, which I backed up with The Prestige. Before I saw Inception, I saw every film of his apart from Insomnia, which I got for my birthday. However, the period in which Inception took over my life has to be one of my favourite periods of time in these near 17 years I've been alive. As you'll probably know, I saw the film three times in cinemas, and 14 other times on DVD. Those three times were magical, but I wish I could go back and see it for a first time again. Just the sheer brilliance of it, how shaken I was after it (I couldn't even eat my Burger King), and how my friend and I tried to sort out the plot on the whiteboard in maths the following day. Plus, I count the time I went to see it with most of my friends as my favourite birthday ever (well, it was two days after).