2012: The Movie List

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this year has been especially notable for the sheer number of movies I caught at the theaters. Easily the most within a fiscal year in my life, and I'm skeptical on the possibility of this record being broken in the coming years.

Haywire
Woman In Black
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Ghost Rider 2
John Carter
Hunger Games
American Pie: Reunion
The Avengers
Dark Shadows
Men In Black 3
Snow White & The Huntsman
Madagascar 3
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
The Amazing Spiderman
Ice Age 4
The Dark Knight Rises
Diary of A Wimpy Kid 3
Bourne Legacy
Expendables 2
Premium Rush
Dredd 3D
Looper
Taken 2
Ted
Skyfall
House at The End of The Street
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Rise of The Guardians
The Hobbit: A New Beginning
Les Miserables

Well in an earlier post I had estimated that I've watched about 30 movies at the theaters this year alone. What were the odds that '30' would be the EXACT number of movies I've watched (I need to state that this does not include the few Tamil movies I also caught over the year with family) based on the list I've just made. Frankly making the list wasn't too difficult given I collect the ticket stubs of all the movies I watch at the theaters.

Anyway.. given the movies I DID watch, I figured it would be nice to select a Top 5. Perhaps you'll find a few of the choices a little surprising, even. :)

Top 5 Movies Watched In 2012

#5 - The Avengers
The preceding Marvel movies set it up quite nicely for a mouthwatering culmination of the Avengers in this movie. Epic moments and lines aplenty, this movie was enjoyable throughout: although it did have it flaws as well, with some parts seemingly spelled-out to unnecessary detail. Watched it twice though. :)

#4 - Perks of Being A Wallflower
Perhaps the surprise choice of the lot. Went into the theater not expecting much but came out feeling like I definitely watched one of the best movies of the year. Simple story, yet the way it relates to the audience is nothing short of incredible.

#3 - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
One of my resolutions for the year was based on the news of this movie's release in 2012. I had not watched ANY of the Lord of The Rings movies before this year, so I basically told myself that I had to get through the entire trilogy before heading to the cinema for this one. And boy was it a good one. Just watching all of them within the space of a week served to accentuate the experience and made me enjoy the movie all the more.. That's saying a lot given I could have easily gotten bored with the LOTR-overdose. Oh, and I definitely didn't mind catching it the 2nd time with my uncle and cousin.

#2 - Looper
I was looking forward to this movie hardly a month after completing the Batman trilogy. A very different plot as expected, and it certainly lived up to its hype. Joseph Gordon Levitt was impressive as always.

#1 - Dark Knight Rises
Nolan's finale to the Batman trilogy, and a fitting one indeed. No I still would not rank it above 'The Dark Knight,' but the Nolan-esque subtleties and complexities that play out like a symphony render this my top movie for the year. Heck I watched the movie 3 times ok!

There you have it. A summary of my cinematic experience for the year. No I would not put my money on any of my Top 5 to fetch the Best Motion Picture award at this year's Oscars - but that's simply because I've learnt to recognize the fine difference between movies that do well at the Oscars and those that I truly enjoy.

Yea so there were a few good movies that I didn't manage to catch at the silver screen. Those worth mentioning include Life of Pi, Lincoln and Django Unchained (which is still playing).

I must say though that the overall quality of the movies this year has been quite good. So glad that it was such a year that coincided with my sudden penchant to visit the cinemas on an almost weekly basis. Toodles!

2012: Resolutions Reviewed

So last year I did actually end up making a list of resolutions. So for formality sake, bear with me as I attempt to cross-off those I managed to achieve over the last year. GREEN for those met, RED for those I didn't manage to.

- Jog at the park/go to the gym twice every week

I certainly jogged a LOT more than the previous years, although I wasn't able to maintain the 'twice-a-week' routine past March. By the month of October there were already about 5 weeks when I made NO jogs or trips to the gym. Anyhow, I feel I've gotten myself into the rhythm and habit of jogging periodically and I'm just gonna try to maintain the same attitude this year.

- Get back in touch with 5 friends I haven't met for more than 2 years

At first this one seemed a little difficult, but come the year's end many of those studying/working abroad returned home so I easily beat the '5-person' mark. Credits of course goes to Ying Bing and Ren Chung.

- Complete 5 poems

Managed 3 new ones, plus one inspired adaptation of Taylor Mali's "What Teachers Make." I'm gonna make my own leeway here and say I managed this one - on the count I got a couple of articles published in my company magazine. :)

- Finally watch Lord of the Rings trilogy

I ran this one close, but I DID IT! Just before I watched The Hobbit at the theaters I ran through the extended version of the trilogy (thanks in no small part to Ho Sui-Jon) within 5 days. Bliss!

- Complete the Haruhi Suzumiya light novel series

I managed to finish 8 of the novels. Frankly by the end of March I figured this would be the most easily attainable, but I somehow never managed to start on the 9th book (DIssociation of Haruhi Suzumiya).

- Join Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM)

Decided against it somewhere in the middle of the year, since I realised I didn't need to join it to attend the courses. However after completing 2 of the 3 mandatory courses required prior to a PE application I began to seriously consider it.. and after much thought I think I should just join this year. Anyhow, I guess this counts as a 'fail.'

- Attend 3 job interviews (Not implying I'm leaving my current job, but I think it is essential that I keep my options open and have a good gauge of my own value in the market for engineers)

Went for 2. Half-hearted attempts as usual. In retrospect this resolution wasn't something I thought through proper. I'll leave it there.

- Play ping-pong (believe me.. tougher than it sounds)

Tough it was, but come the middle of the year we managed to find a place next to Viva Home Mall where we could play, and voila - the resolution was achieved! Credits to the awesome Amy Lim.

Ok.. so I managed half of them fully, and had some considerable progress on the others. So it's all good, right? Ah heck. I'm pleased with myself, and that's all that counts! *denial mode*

Perhaps I don't need to resort to such lame excuses come next year. Right! Onto the 2013 list then!