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366 Days 406 Movies 267 Posts 2012 As It Was For Me

So this is somewhat of a tradition around here to end the year with a post looking back at the year on the blog. I wont get much into the specifics of 2012, but I will say that this year has gone SO FAST. I know it sounds cliché but it literally does feel like just yesterday that I was writing my post like this last year. It really does. However, Im beyond excited for 2013. So many opportunities await me: in a week, Ill be going to Japan, then theres all the Head Girl duties, and also, we have another good year for film on our hands. Just maybe, at the Oscars in February, I might see Jessica Chastain with a statue (Oscar or not, Im excited to see what she wears). Matthew McConaughey may blow our minds with The Dallas Buyers Club (heres hoping). Ill finally get to see films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower (maybe), Zero Dark Thirty, Silver Linings Playbook, Les Miserables, Django Unchained...and also my most anticipated 2013 releases like The Great Gatsby, The Place Beyond the Pines, Only God Forgives, The Dallas Buyers Club, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby His & Hers, Iron Man 3, Now You See Me, Side Effects, the two Terrence Malick films, Twelve Years a Slave, Mud...the list could go on and on. So before I wave 2012 goodbye - and it has been a mostly fantastic year - it is time to look back on the best moments on this blog, month by month. This year Ill also add what songs were my faves during that particular month.

January - What If We Could? by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
As with most Januarys, this month was filled up with Oscar Oscar Oscar. Before then, though, I finally left the country and went to Melbourne for a holiday, which also meant I could catch up with a few movies while I was over there. Oh and hey, I became the literal only person on Earth to love War Horse. I still like to remind people of its glorious existence because most people have forgotten about it.

February - Man or Muppet by Bret McKenzie
Oh hey, the Oscars happened this month. It feels like just yesterday I saw Jessica Chastain in that beautiful gown. Again, that makes up for 75% of my excitement for the 2013 Oscars. I did my predictions with poetry again this year. I cant wait to hopefully have enough time to do them again next year. I also brought back my A Conversation with... feature with The Beaver. I remember that day, as that was when I found out that I was gluten intolerant. Good times. I also changed my rating system. I was watching the Downton Abbey Christmas special when I did that.

March - Under Your Spell by Desire
This month started out awesome, coz I was supposed to be directing the school production, but at the end of the month they cancelled it. I was actually so sad for days. Mind you, this month was kinda known as Jessica Chastain month (even though every month of my life is Jessica Chastain month), since it was her birthday, and I got to see The Debt and Take Shelter. I also started another feature, known as Lame Trailer Clichés, with kettles. Really.

April - Talk Show Host by Radiohead
April was an interesting month, filled with many gems of posts. This Conversation with Puss in Boots has always been one of my favourites. So is this review of I Melt with You, which I still have a few LOLs over every now and again. I also did my 50 Cinematic Wishes, had an interview with the Kid in the Front Row, made a desperate plea to anyone who would listen about how The Cabin in the Woods shouldve been given a proper release here, and I saw The Avengers, which was apparently very exciting.

May - No Church in the Wild by Kanye West and Jay Z (featuring Frank Ocean)
It would seem that I was nominated for a whole lot of LAMMYs at the end of this month. That was really exciting. I started off the month with this review of Tyrannosaur, which is probably my favourite review that Ive written. I also wrote about how The Muppets was actually a very gutsy movie, shared some of my early photos I took and listed my ten favourite Cillian Murphy performances.

June - Unravelling by Harry Escott
June was a real gem of a month. I got a couple of LAMMYs, I did my French New Wave month, I shared my 15 favourite redheads, for my 900th post I shared some blogging tips, I saw Shame, and I also did that 100 Film Facts About Me post which unintentionally (but awesomely) turned into a blogathon. I am so proud of how this month went, but it makes me sad because Ill never be able to have another month like it.

July - Rise by Hans Zimmer
July, however, was probably my favouritest month ever. Mainly because it had the best DVD releases EVER. I mean, one night I took home six movies to watch before they were released, and on another day I watched five releases. One of those releases was We Need to Talk About Kevin, which caused two earthquakes and made me fall in love with Ezra Miller. I did my Anime month, even before I knew I was going to Japan. I posted my speech online...which for some reason, people still talk about. I started my Dear Hollywood feature with J. Edgar. I finally got to see The Dark Knight Rises, which also saw me write an appreciation post on Christopher Nolan. Before I went on my "Im burnt out" break, I finally did my 2011 retrospective lists, with my favourite directors, actors, actresses and films.

August - Why Do We Fall? by Hans Zimmer
This month wasnt very exciting as I spent most of it on break (and watching the Olympics until I felt like my eyes were going to bleed), but I was brought back when I got nine of those Liebster Award things, so I had to answer a crapload of questions. I turned 17, too, which was rather un-exciting (bring on 18!). And I really got obsessed with Ezra Miller. And I did this really weird post.

September - Its Time by Imagine Dragons
Pretty much nothing happened on the blog in September because I was too busy with Little Shop of Horrors. I did do some funny Photoshops, though.

October - Radio by Lana Del Rey
Things got back on track in October, with my horror month keeping me on my toes (ironically while I was dipping my toes), and also the third birthday celebrations, which were counted down to by My Movie Biography. Among other things that happened in this month were my Prometheus home musical (which my friends now use against me when I say that Im actually awful at singing), I saw Margaret, and I did some more funny Photoshops the night before my Photography Folio was due, which is when I coincidentally got really sick with a virus. Lovely.

November - Ride by Lana Del Rey
IDK why, but this month feels like it was years ago. However, Nic November happened, I made a very pretty gallery of my favourite colourful movies, and I also did my movie alphabet. There were a few birthdays this month, so I listed my favourite performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and shared a brief biography and a few facts about Vivien Leigh. Plus, I saw Killer Joe on the 13th of November, which means that was the very date that Matty M went from zero to hero in my heart.

December - Victim by Win Win
This month has been so incredibly difficult but there were a few good points on the blog, including this review of Magic Mike which Im rather fond of, I did my first blogathon which was called Making the Case and I reached 1000 posts. Recently Ive been reflecting on the year, with things like my unofficial favourites of the year and my obsessions of the year.

So theres 2012 for ya. This also marks the end of an era for Cinematic Paradox: while Ill be around in 2013, itll be to a much lesser extent, since school is really going to be busy this year. Still, Ill be working hard at Annual Awards Nerdism for the next two months! I hope you all have a wonderful 2013, and lets make it awesome!

Available link for download

2013 was the Year of

2013 was a pretty big year. Perhaps not in my film watching (which will be shown in my unofficial Top 15 thatll be posted up tomorrow morning), but there were plenty of things that I loved about this crazy year. So heres a big gigantic mess of the things that made 2013 what it was for me, some of which are movie related, most of which is culture related, and just the general happenings of 2013 that will remain landmarks for the year. Kinda like flipping through the back pages of my diary. But more interesting than my diary would be if I actually had time to keep one.



Daniel Day-Lewis
Yup, this was definitely my biggest actor obsession of the year. Spurred off by my drama class doing The Crucible, and then turning into this big thing where all Id do with my spare time is watch his Oscar acceptance speeches over and over (I havent watched one in about three weeks - have I been rehabilitated?). All other spare time was taken up by watching all of his movies. Which brought me to the lovely My Beautiful Laundrette, the awe-inspiring My Left Foot, the rather restrained The Age of Innocence, the amazing In the Name of the Father, of course The Crucible, the gutsy The Boxer, the violent Gangs of New York, the heartbreaking The Ballad of Jack and Rose, a rewatch of There Will Be Blood which boosted my love for the film, a rewatch of Nine which dragged down my supposed love for that film, and a couple of watches of Lincoln which just exemplifies how Daniel has mastered his craft. I wish I had at least 40% of his commitment.


Bradley Cooper
This has been a banner year for Bradley Cooper, an actor who Ive long been in love with since The Hangover back in 2009. Along comes Silver Linings Playbook, which shows what Ive long known: Bradley Cooper is one talented actor who is more than just the "eye candy" status that the womans magazines like to lay on him. The Place Beyond the Pines gave him another chance to show how talented he is, and I hear that hes one of the best things about American Hustle. Hopefully The Hangover has been long left behind, and it is only up from here.

IDK, I find this photo kinda beautiful.

Jennifer Lawrence
Shes just simply one of the best people out. Even if Im still a tiny bit mad about her premature Oscar win (shoulda been J-Chas!), shes just the most genuine and talented actresses out there. How can you not love her?


Brie Larson
No, I havent seen Short Term 12, so I dont know much about the amazing performance that she apparently gives. But Im glad that people are finally taking notice of her, as I loved her in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Rampart, Tanner Hall and 21 Jump Street. From her big year, Ive only seen The Spectacular Now, and she was pretty much perfect in that. Im really kinda rooting for her to sneak in with an Oscar nod next year, even if I havent seen Short Term 12, because the girl deserves it.


Elizabeth Debicki
I cant decide whether I truly love her or if Im just insanely jealous of her. The girl graduates from college, and then lands a part as one of my favourite characters in my favourite book. And shes perfect in the role. The best thing? That her star power is only beginning, and theres plenty more thatll be popping up in so many more films in the future.

I must say, this was a year of rewatching more than anything else, because I simply didnt have the required brain power to be fully invested in something that wasnt school related for two hours. Which resulted in many films getting more than their fair share of my time. And here they are:


The Great Gatsby - six times. I dont even know why. I just think that Leonardo DiCaprios face tends to make me feel better about life.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - six times. Even though it makes me cry enough tears to fill up the Pacific Ocean, I still thought it was okay to see it on six separate occasions. And I can definitely say that it still hits me as hard as it did when I first saw it on the plane to Japan.
Silver Linings Playbook - five times. Im not entirely sure of why I managed to rack up five watches of it, especially considering that I didnt like it all that much on the first watch. However, I think five might be the final limit, as my love for it is starting to wane off.
Pitch Perfect - five times. Dont judge me. Its just the perfect watching with friends movie, okay? In fact, it is just the perfect movie if you want to turn your brain off and just have something in front of you. I dig it.
Atonement - four times. I cant actually count the amount of times Ive seen this film this year, as Ive seen bits and pieces on heaps of different occasions. I can promise you that I wasnt watching it because of emotional torture: it was the film I had to study for my final English exam, so I had to do a fair bit of watching in order to unwrap enough magic to conjure up a good grade (heres hoping).
Zero Dark Thirty - three times. As I said in this post, it was interesting to have this film mirror three different stages of this year.


I have about 0.1% music knowledge, and that mostly comes from the movies. However, Lorde was pretty much my favourite thing musically, with Royals probably being the song of the year. Personally, my favourite song of hers is a tie between Bravado (off The Love Club - EP) and Buzzcut Season, but I absolutely loved Tennis Court and Team and 400 Lux. Pure Heroine is an absolutely amazing album, the only problem is that it is too short. Anyway, here would be my soundtrack to 2013 (not just 2013 songs):
All of the Lights - Kanye West, Bang Bang - Will.I.Am, Black Skinhead - Kanye West, Blood on the Leaves - Kanye West, Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke, Burn - Ellie Goulding, Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners, Crazy In Love (Kid Koala Version) - Emeli Sande, Dog Days are Over - Florence + the Machine, Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead, Figure 8 - Ellie Goulding, Give Me Love - Ed Sheeran, Gold Digger - Kanye West, Guns and Horses - Ellie Goulding, Halcyon - Ellie Goulding, Heroes - David Bowie, Hey Brother - Avicii, Ho Hey - The Lumineers, Hold My Liquor - Kanye West, Holdin On - Flume, Into the Past - Nero, Lego House - Ed Sheeran, Lights - Ellie Goulding, Lost - Frank Ocean, On Top - Flume Feat. T-Shirt, Only You - Ellie Goulding, Over the Love - Florence + the Machine, Paradise - Lana Del Rey, Power - Kanye West, Radio - Lana Del Rey, Runaway - Kanye West, Same Love - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Spectrum (Say My Name) - Florence + the Machine/Calvin Harris, Super Rich Kids - Frank Ocean, Together - The xx, Tornado - Jonsi, You Need Me, I Dont Need You - Ed Sheeran, Young and Beautiful - Lana Del Rey, 100$ Bill - Jay-Z, 10538 Overture - Electric Light Orchestra


I almost dont feel like I went to Japan earlier this year, but yes, that happened, and I was definitely all the better for the experience. And then there was Year 13 camp, which I also forget happened this year, but the everyone was better for the experience. Much of the early part of the year was dedicated to Stage Challenge, but I cant forget going to the Young Leaders conference (probably my favourite part of the year) and doing a reading at the Anzac Day Service. But yes, Stage Challenge was definitely the highlight, and definitely made me want to direct even more than I originally did. After that there were plenty of projects and speech competitions to keep me occupied, along with getting nominated for a local Youth Award and receiving a $5000 leadership scholarship from University of Canterbury. Along came a role in The Crucible which was a pretty cool experience, and then all of a sudden it was the end of the year. The final day at school was a pretty awesome day indeed. And then there were exams, the ball, and the Valedictory Speech. But one mustnt forget the local celebrity status involved in this year: being on a billboard, getting a cheeky duckface selfie with my Deputy Head Girl in the newspaper, in fact the many times I popped up in the paper, and meeting the Prime Minister, John Key. To say that this year has been well-documented is an understatement...

The top left photo is all of the papers Ive been in this year. And I kid you not, the top right photo actually happened. Probably my favourite achievement of the year.

Remember that time I couldnt play Temple Run any more because I started thinking that it would be fun to be the guy in the game? Remember that time I was so obsessed with Candy Crush that when I closed my eyes all I could see was candy? Remember that time when caffiene continuously saved my life? Basically, this has been a year of eating too many takeaways on the go, drinking gallons of cranberry juice to get rid of a kidney infection, spending too much time cleaning the common room, and reading Indiewire like it was my bible (I love the Women & Hollywood section). There was a trip to Sydney (wah I wanna go back), there was an Ed Sheeran concert, and there was a trip to Christchurch which sealed the deal for me going to uni down there. Lets just say, that 2013 was the year of "too much", and the year where I spent most of it wanting to be Lorde. Shame Im not musically talented, though.

Anyway, stay tuned to see my unofficial 15 favourite films of the year when I wake up. But for now, what were your favourite moments of 2013?

Available link for download