Twelve for 2012

While you'll find me more on twitter these days (@mark_salisbury) than here (a fact I hope to rectify come 2013), it didn't feel right to round off the year without stopping by and formalising a top twelve list. The first two are in numerical order. Thereafter, they're not. There's no Shame, Descendents et al, because they feel so last year to me. The top movie comes out in the UK in January but I've seen it twice and it's the film of the moment, so to speak. Dredd not only nailed the character but made me feel like I was ten again, reading 2000AD. Its box office was so disappointing it's unlikely we'll ever get a sequel. Then again, if you all rush out and buy the DVD/BR that's released in a fortnight...

Zero Dark Thirty 

Dredd

Rust And Bone

Frankenweenie

Argo

Silver Linings Playbook

Beasts Of The Southern Wild

The Imposter

Berberian Sound Studio

The Grey

Lincoln

ParaNorman

I hope you all had a good 2012. Here's hoping for an even better one for 2013. Be safe and have fun. I'll see you next year.

Harris Savides RIP

The man was an artist who truly painted with light. Check out his work with Fincher or Van Sant, on Birth or The Yards.

Dark Shadows: The Visual Companion

Dark Shadows: The Visual Companion will be available from next month in both regular hardback and  a limited signed (by Burton, not me), slipcase edition featuring an exclusive art print.

You can pre-order the regular edition here and here. The limited edition is available exclusively via Titan Books or Forbidden Planet.

Mama trailer

Produced by Guillermo Del Toro and starring Jessica Chastain, this looks darn creepy.

Dredd

For me, it's the best comic book movie of the year. That's not to say I didn't enjoy The Avengers but watching Dredd made me feel ten years old again, reading Joe's stories in the pages of 2000AD. It felt... illicit. There's no origin story. The film sets it stock out from the first frame and never lets up. Karl Urban and screenwriter/producer Alex Garland really get what makes Dredd tick and it shows. Fingers crossed they get to make their proposed sequel/s.

Richard D. Zanuck 1934-2012

I knew Richard Zanuck for 12 years. He was one of cinema's greats and a true gentleman. He was warm, generous, welcoming, smart, and was passionate about movies and life. He was wonderful company and shared the most amazing stories. I first met him on Planet Of The Apes and have fond memories of my time with him. His like will not be seen again.

RIP Dick.

Prometheus: The Art Of The Film

On sale now. Featuring concept art, Ridleygrams, early and unused creature designs and an alternate prologue.

Dark Shadows trailer

I spent a lot of time on the set of this last year and you'll read all about it nearer the film's release. For now, enjoy this...

That's what I'm talking about

Digital dilemma

On the day that Kodak files for bankruptcy, we also get the trailer for Keanu Reeves' fascinating looking documentary Side By Side that examines the future of filmmaking as the move to digital grows apace. When I asked Soderbergh last year about the death of celluloid and whether he'd ever shoot again on film he said, No. More recently, Andrew Stanton told me he shot John Carter on film because he might never get another chance to use good, old-fashioned celluloid. Side By Side is showing at next month's Berlin Film Festival. I have no idea of its release plans beyond that, but this is a must-see in my book.


Side by Side Official Trailer (2012) from Company Films on Vimeo.

The Bark Side

Love this. Love this. Love this.