Favorite Films of 2012 and Favorite Posts of 2012

As a film blogger, I do see a considerable number of films/movies during the year, yet when it comes time to pick my favorites, and the Golden Globe Nominations are revealed, it becomes abundantly and disappointingly clear that I didn't see nearly enough films/movies to make a proper judgment.

I also swear, I'm constantly doing write-ups on what I do see, but then at the end of the year, there's a whole host of movies I never did a post about, or just a very short commentary on facebook. (by the way, please like my facebook page -  it's at 143 likes, 150 would be a nice beginning for 2013).

2012 Movie Slideshow. How many of these flicks did you see?

I'd like to give an honorable mention to Angelina Jolie's In The Land of Blood and Honey (click for T & T post). It's a 2011 movie and was nominated for Best Foreign Language film for last year's Golden Globes; however, I screened it in the theaters January 2012, so it's among my posts for this past year.

I gave a very good review to Loopers (click for post), yet strangely, at this point, the memory of the movie is not resonating with me as much as my post would suggest.

Silver Linings Playbook (click for post) doesn't quite seem Oscar worthy; but there was a dearth of feel good flicks this past season, and it's very cute and quirky. Plus, I got to take pics of director David O. Russell on the red carpet!

Saw very few Indie flicks this year, so by default I gotta say Beast of the Southern Wild, was my favorite. Mainly for the same reason everyone else thinks this is such a good film - 6 year-old, never before acted Quvenzhané Wallis completely blows you away!  Beast of the Southern Wild was one of those I wrote about on facebook, but never did a post.  I did however, shoot a video of producer Dan Janvey discussing the making of the film after the Philadelphia Film Society screening back in the spring. (see video below):

In terms of blockbuster films -  I had long anticipated the release of Les Miserable (click for post) and it did not disappoint.  However, I'm going with The Avengers (no T & T post) as my top pick.  Just because when I think blockbuster, I think fun.  Les Miz is wonderful, but its very appeal is based on misery.

2nd runner up would be Steve Harvey's Think Like A Man (click for post), this is the direction I want to see movies featuring black casts and directors move into - keeping it real in terms of culture, yet the quality of the writing allows it to cross over.

My favorite Tinsel & Tine posts of 2012 would be:

The interview I did with Film Buff and Foodie Tom Brandt Part I and Part II (click for posts). Not only do I like Tom's personality from our brief exchanges; I also have to commend myself for having good writing, editing and interviewing skills. Not to mention, it's often difficult to tie the Tinsel and the Tine together.  I do my best with highlighting the foodie moments in film. Don't do as well finding filmy references for food posts, but this post lent itself perfectly to the title of the blog.

My second favorite would be reporting from the Tony Awards! (click for post) Tinsel & Tine is not an online magazine, it's not a film or restaurant review site, it's a blog. Which means the blogger has to put themselves into each post. Never is this more fun than when I get to go somewhere and do something cool and fabulous. Best of all, with so many movie actors/actresses doing theater, it wasn't even a stretch for the Tonys to be featured on Tinsel & Tine.

Here's what the experts have chosen among the Best of 2012:

Zero Dark Thirty. Kathryn Bigelow’s controversial, pulse-pounding thriller about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, based on original reporting by screenwriter Mark Boal and starring the incandescent Jessica Chastain as a monomaniacal CIA operative, is maybe the only film this year that every American needs to see. Does it leave you certain how to feel about our country’s prosecution of the war on terror or about the role of torture in the bin Laden manhunt? No, it leaves you drained, sweaty-palmed, and morally queasy—sort of like the war on terror itself - READ MORE Slate Magazine by By Dana Stevens

Lincoln (Steven Spielberg) A great, flawed movie about a great, flawed president of a great, flawed nation. Argue about the flaws, but allow yourself to be moved by the grand, noble sentiments that swirl through Tony Kushner’s eloquent script and Daniel Day-Lewis’s sly performance.READ MORE The New York Times by A. O. SCOTT

The Master - The irresolutions of the final 20 minutes or so leave Paul Thomas Anderson's film forever puzzling and frustrating on a dramatic level. And yet, it offers far more unforgettable images and scenes than any other recent film. Further, it taps into weird veins of consciousness and perception that belong to a different realm than that of any other remotely mainstream filmmaker. Memories of isolated moments pop into my brain with alarming frequency - READ MORE The Hollywood Reporter by Todd McCarthy

Next week (January 13, 2013) is The Golden Globe Awards! 
The last two years, I scheduled a vacation day following this Hollywood Hoopla in order to write a post Golden Globe post:
http://www.tinseltine.com/2011/01/golden-globes-round-up-2011.html
http://www.tinseltine.com/2012/01/69th-annual-golden-globe-awards-round.html  

This year, I plan to have running commentary during the broadcast on facebook and twitter, but will save my time off to write the round up for The Oscars. ( The 85th Academy Awards telecast, will be broadcast from Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on Feb. 24, 2013, hosted by Seth MacFarlane (Ted/Family Guy).  Mark your calendars for both nights!



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