2012 was an interesting year for films. I wouldn’t say there
were any five-star classics in 2012, but there were plenty of strong films and
despite fears that cinema attendance is down in recent years (to be fair,
cinema attendance has been going downhill since the introduction of television)
this year did provide us with two films to have grossed over one billion US
dollars, a very rare feat, with both The Dark Knight Rises and Skyfall
breaching the marker. That the two films also rank amongst the most acclaimed
films of the year (compare the hugely lucrative but critically loathed
Transformers films) demonstrates that audiences don’t just go for
lowest-common-denominator fluff (although only with Skyfall has the long-held
snobbishness against James Bond films seems to have lifted).
On the other side, 3D is proving resilient, but slowly it
seems that format is reaching a moderation point, compared to the 3D madness a
couple of years ago. 3D is a format best suited for two things. One, to embrace
the cheesiness of the entire gimmick (I’m sorry 3D lovers, 3D is a gimmick and
when it hasn’t been in style, it’s been a laughing stock) such as in films like
Piranha 3DD or in the odd occasion, where it’s actually used artistically.
2011’s Hugo is still the best use of the format yet in my eyes, but Life Of Pi
has its moments.
2012 also showcases another new way in which to watch films
with Peter Jackson’s use of 48 frames-per-second, twice the normal frame-rate
of 24 in The Hobbit. The purpose for this is to aid with clarity and quality
and picture and it’s an experiment which works…a little too well. Maybe this is
a case off audiences not ready for such a major transition. After decades of
experiencing films at 24fps, watching such a format becomes second-nature, so
understandably, 48fps is a little jarring. When watching The Hobbit at 48fps, I
confess, I actually briefly thought there was a problem with the projector initially,
as everything seemed to be moving so quickly. I quickly realised this was not
the case. It’s just because it is so detailed that in that surrounding, it can
be disorienting to watch something move with such detail.
Clarity does not necessarily mean quality. A resounding
criticism of The Hobbit was that it was very obvious at points that the film
was being produced on a set and that the artificiality of surroundings was
glaringly apparent. Films have often been compared to being akin to dreams, and
that’s sort of how I see them.48fps brings realism, but realism is only an
element of why people watch films. 24fps separates us from reality and provides
a more suitable ambience than 48fps. Perhaps in the future, we will see 48fps
become the standard bearer. Perhaps we will see people get used to the format,
perhaps we will see it better executed and it may be that one day we’ll look
upon 48fps compared to 24fps, the same way we look at colour compared to black
and white. That still doesn’t mean that there isn’t artistry to black and
white.
Lucasfilm was bought out by Disney this year and as a
result, there are apparently new Star Wars films on the horizon, with the first
being expected around 2015. What this means for other Lucasfilm properties is
uncertain. There have been rumours since Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The
Crystal Skull (2008) that there will be a fifth Indiana Jones film. Disney,
seemingly has a say in that now, if that hasn’t been abandoned altogether. It
should also be noted about how big Disney’s acquisition actually is. With
Lucasfilm under their belt, Disney now also own Industrial Light And Magic
along with Skywalker Sound; among the biggest, if not the biggest, special effects
and film sound production companies in Hollywood.
Disney has also recently been pulling out it’s
back-catalogue, retro-fitting it for 3D. 2011 gave us 1994’s The Lion King in
3D, this year, at least here in the UK, we got Beauty And The Beast in 3D. What
does this change? Not a darn thing. The 3D is completely pointless, but it’s
worth celebrating some of the best animated films of all time being back in
theatres. We also saw in 2012, limited re-releases of such British classics as
Chariots Of Fire (1981) and Lawrence Of Arabia (1962) along with a whole slew
of significant films popping up in independent cinemas as part of the 100th
anniversary of the British Film Institute (BFI). The British Board Of Film
Classification (BBFC) also celebrated 100 years in 2012.
So what does 2013 have on the horizon? Well, with Award
Season looming up, two of the biggest contenders for the Oscars that have
already been released stateside in 2012, Lincoln and Les Miserables, are
expected do very well as is Wreck-It Ralph a project from Disney Animation.
There’s also a large number of horror remakes on the horizon including Carrie
(a version that seems more faithful to Stephen King’s original novel), Evil
Dead (by the looks of things, a darker version than the 1981 Sam Raimi cult
classic, or at least what that became) and possibly a remake of Dario Argento’s
surrealistic 1977 masterpiece, Suspiria (although this has been in an embryonic
form for a few years). There’s also a 3D sequel to Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(1974) to kick off the year’s horror selection.
Oz: The Great And Powerful, Sam Raimi’s take on Frank L Baum’s
The Wizard Of Oz is coming up as well as Gangster Squad, the next film in
Hollywood’s current love affair with gangster films pushed up alongside
vehicles for Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Last Stand) and Sylvester Stallone
(Bullet To The Head) which has already been released in the US as has Django
Unchained; Quentin Tarantino’s latest and perhaps his most blatant attempt at
merging his love of Blaxploitation and Spaghetti Westerns. Whilst the Western
genre will also have a re-boot of The Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp.
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug is due in 2013 as well
as zombie epic World War Z and the world’s other next attempt at a Zom-Rom-Com
(following Shaun Of The Dead (2004)), Warm Bodies, starring Nicholas Hoult; who
will also appear in Jack The Giant Killer; a grittier take on Jack And The
Beanstalk.
Star Trek Into Darkness seems set to being one of the top
sci-fi money spinners of 2013 alongside an adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s
Ender’s Game. Monsters U will be Pixar’s next attempt at a sequel (the original
Monsters Inc (2003) will also be retro-fitted into 3D and put into cinemas) and
Man Of Steel is already getting big promotion.
2013 is certainly looking like it will be a big year at the
movies.
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