Cineliteracy: What You Want and Need to Know about 2012 as Movie Year
My Oscar Book:
Universal and Paramount, two of oldest surviving studios, celebrated their centennial anniversaries, the first time that two major film studios celebrate 100 years.
The Dolby Atmos sound format was launched for the premiere of Brave.
The James Bond series celebrated its 50th anniversary and released its 23rd film, Skyfall.
Six box-office blockbusters from previous years (Beauty and the Beast, Monsters, Inc., Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Titanic, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Finding Nemo) were re-released in 3D and IMAX.
The year marked the debut for high frame rate technology: The first film using 48 F.P.S., higher frame rate than the film industry standard 24 F.P.S., was The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Richard Brody of The New Yorker said, “2012 has been a good year for Hollywood and off-Hollywood. The remarkable Hollywood nexus of the Gotham and Independent Spirit nominees, as the path of independent financing becomes more significant for filmmakers whose work doesn’t fit into franchise formatting. Directors and actors share producers’ risks in getting their work made, or that complicit producers give a director’s vision free rein.
There’s undercurrent of thought—one rooted in antiquated and nostalgic vision of a halcyon classic Hollywood that supposedly both reached the masses and made modest and un-self-conscious art—that looks to producers to restrain the idiosyncrasies of directors and fit them into a readily marketable package of popular appeal. These critics yearn for adversarial relationship of producer and director, seeing the producer as supporter of democratic values and the director egomaniacal élitist who would spend someone else’s money to make a movie that would please himself. That relationship becomes adversarial only if the producer doesn’t see himself as benefactor, patron of the arts whose role is to finance and to foster individual expression—and it all depends on who the individual is and what the nature of the vision is. Strong producers improve films made by mediocre directors but often constrain or dilute the distinctive individuality of of good ones.
In August 2012 BFI announced their 2012 Sight & Sound Greatest films of all Time survey, which was topped for the first time by Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
Top-Grossing Film of 2012
Rank Title Distributor Worldwide gross
1 The Avengers Disney $1,518,812,988
2 Skyfall Sony $1,108,561,013
3 The Dark Knight Rises Warner Bros. $1,081,041,287
4 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey $1,017,003,568
5 Ice Age: Continental Drift 20th Century Fox $877,244,782
6 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Lionsgate $829,746,820
7 The Amazing Spider-Man Sony $757,930,663
8 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted Paramount $746,921,274
9 The Hunger Games Lionsgate $694,394,724
10 Men in Black 3 Sony $654,213,485
The Avengers grossed over $1.5 billion and it became the third highest-grossing film of all time. Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey have each grossed over $1 billion, making them among the highest-grossing films of all time.
Box office records:
The Hunger Games, the first film of 2012 to pass the $500 million mark worldwide, and the first film since Avatar to be first at the U.S. box office for 4 consecutive weekends.
Skyfall became the first film to gross more than £100 million, with total of £102.9 million.
With their 3-D re-releases, two films, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace reached $1.027 billion, and Titanic reached $2.187 billion, becoming the second film to surpass the $2 billion mark, following Avatar.
Four films in 2012 crossed the billion-dollar milestone, surpassing the previous year’s record of 3.
Awards
Category/Organization
18th Critics’ Choice Awards, January 10, 2013
Producers, Directors, Screen Actors, and Writers Guild Awards
Oscars: 85th Academy Awards, February 24, 2013
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Best Actor Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Best Screenplay, Adapted, Chris Terrio, Argo
Best Screenplay, Original, Tarantino, Django Unchained
Best Animated Film Wreck-It Ralph Brave Wreck-It Ralph Brave
Best Original Score: Life of Pi, Mychael Danna (please check out)
Best Original Song “Skyfall”
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour
Best Documentary Searching for Sugar Man
Festival Awards:
Palme d’Or (65th Cannes Film Fest): Amour, Michael Haneke, Germany
Golden Lion (69th Venice Film Fest): Pieta, Kim Ki-duk, South Korea
Golden Bear (62nd Berlin Film Fest): Caesar Must Die, Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, Italy
Deaths
January (Missing)
February 3 Ben Gazzara 81 US Actor
Anatomy of a Murder, Road House
3 Zalman King 69 US Director, Screenwriter, Actor
9½ Weeks, Two Moon Junction
4 Andrew Wight 51 Australia Screenwriter, Producer
SanctumAliens of the Deep
5 Sam Coppola 79 US Actor
SerpicoSaturday Night Fever
6 Peter Breck 82 US Actor
Shock CorridorBenji
8 Phil Bruns 80 US Actor
FlashdanceHarry and Tonto
8 Laurie Main 89 Australia Actor
Freaky FridayTime After Time
11 Whitney Houston 48 US Singer, Actress, Producer
The BodyguardWaiting to Exhale
12 Zina Bethune 66 US Actress
Sunrise at CampobelloWho’s That Knocking at My Door
12 David Kelly 82 Ireland Actor
Waking NedCharlie and the Chocolate Factory
13 Russell Arms 92 US Actor, Singer
The Man Who Came to DinnerCaptains of the Clouds
14 Dory Previn 86 US Lyricist
Valley of the DollsThe Sterile Cuckoo
16 Elyse Knox 94 US Actress
The Mummy’s TombJoe Palooka
16 Dick Anthony Williams 77 US Actor
Dog Day AfternoonEdward Scissorhands
18 Peter Halliday 87 UK Actor
The SwordsmanThe Remains of the Day
18 Ric Waite 78 US Cinematographer
Red DawnFootloose
23 Bruce Surtees 74 US Cinematographer
Dirty HarryBeverly Hills Cop
25 Erland Josephson 88 Sweden Actor
Fanny and AlexanderThe Sacrifice
26 Richard Carpenter 82 UK Actor
The TerrornautsMystery Submarine
29 Davy Jones 66 UK Actor, Singer
HeadThe Brady Bunch Movie
March
March 1
Phillip R. Allen 72 US Actor, Mommie Dearest, Star Trek III: Search for Spock
March 19
Ulu Grosbard 83 Belgium Director, Producer, The Subject Was Roses, Falling in Love
March 21
Tonino Guerra 92 Italy Screenwriter, Blowup, Amarcord
April
Apr 1
Jamaa Fanaka 69 US Director, Screenwriter Penitentiary, Welcome Home Brother Charles
9 Carol Adams 94 US Actress
Sis HopkinsRidin’ on a Rainbow
9 Barry Cahill 90 Canada Actor
Grand Theft AutoSweet Bird of Youth
10 Grant Tilly 74 Australia Actor
30 Days of NightNate and Hayes
11 Rainer Penkert 90 Germany Actor
MorituriPaper Tiger
14 William Finley 71 US Actor
Phantom of the ParadiseThe Black Dahlia
14 Jonathan Frid 87 Canada Actor
House of Dark ShadowsSeizure
14 Martin Poll 89 US Producer
NighthawksThe Lion in Winter
15 Paul Bogart 92 US Director
MarloweTorch Song Trilogy
15 Murray Rose 73 Australia Actor
Ice Station ZebraRide the Wild Surf
17 Ron Karabatsos 78 US Actor
FlashdanceGet Shorty
18 Dick Clark 82 US Actor, Producer
The Young DoctorsBecause They’re Young
18 Robert O. Ragland 80 US Composer
AbbyProject Kill
19 Levon Helm 71 US Actor, Singer, Coal Miner’s Daughter, The Right Stuff
20 Peter Carsten 83 Germany Actor
The Quiller MemorandumThe Vengeance of Fu Manchu
25 Paul L. Smith 75 US Actor
PopeyeRed Sonja
28 Patricia Medina 92 UK Actress
Mr. ArkadinPhantom of the Rue Morgue
29 Joel Goldsmith 54 US Composer
The Man with Two BrainsKull the Conqueror
30 George Murdock 81 US Actor
The X-FilesThe American President
May
May 2 Tracy Reed 69 UK Actress
Dr. StrangeloveA Shot in the Dark
4 Mort Lindsey 89 US Composer
I Could Go On SingingReal Life
6 James Isaac 51 US Director, Special Effects Artist
Jason XSkinwalkers
6 George Lindsey 83 US Actor
Ensign PulverThe Aristocats
7 Andrea Crisanti 75 Italy Production Designer
Cinema ParadisoThe Emperor’s New Clothes
7 Virgil Frye 81 US Actor
Bobbie Jo and the OutlawRevenge of the Ninja
9 Vidal Sassoon 84 UK Hairstylist
Rosemary’s BabyBe My Guest
10 Joyce Redman 93 UK Actress, Othello,mTom Jones
11 Roland Shaw 91 UK Composer, Arranger
The Secret of My SuccessStraight On till Morning
15 Henry Denker 99 US Screenwriter
Time LimitThe Hook
22 Janet Carroll 71 US Actress
Risky BusinessForces of Nature
24 Lee Rich 93 US Producer
Passenger 57The Score
27 Dee Caruso 83 US Screenwriter
Which Way to the Front?The World’s Greatest Athlete
28 Matthew Yuricich 89 US Special Effects Artist
Logan’s RunClose Encounters of the Third Kind
29 Kaneto Shindo 100 Japan Screenwriter, Director
OnibabaPostcard
31 Christopher Challis 91 UK Cinematographer
Chitty Chitty Bang BangThe Deep
June
June 2 Richard Dawson 79 UK Actor
The Running Man, King Rat
2 Kathryn Joosten 72 US Actress
Wedding CrashersBedtime Stories
2 Marco Onorato 59 Italy Cinematographer
GomorrahReality
3 Jean-Louis Richard 85 France Screenwriter
Day for NightFahrenheit 451
4 Stan Jolley 86 US Production Designer
WitnessCaddyshack
5 Caroline John 71 UK Actress
The Razor’s EdgeLove Actually
5 Ray Bradbury 90 US Screenwriter
Moby DickSomething Wicked This Way Comes
7 J. Michael Riva 63 US Production Designer
Lethal WeaponA Few Good Men
8 Frank Cady 96 US Actor
Rear WindowWhen Worlds Collide
11 Ann Rutherford 94 Canada Actress
Gone with the WindA Christmas Carol
14 Yvette Wilson 48 US Actress
FridayPoetic Justice
16 Giuseppe Bertolucci 65 Italy Director, Screenwriter
Berlinguer, I Love You1900
June 16
Susan Tyrrell 67 US Actress, Cry-Baby,mFat City
18 Victor Spinetti 82 UK Actor
A Hard Day’s NightThe Taming of the Shrew
19 Richard Lynch 72 US Actor
HalloweenInvasion U.S.A.
26 Nora Ephron 71 US Director, Screenwriter, Producer
Sleepless in SeattleWhen Harry Met Sally…
26 Charles Rosen 81 US Production Designer
Broadcast NewsInvasion of the Body Snatchers
27 Bruce Guerin 93 US Actor
RevelationThe Salvation Hunters
28 Paul Stassino 81 Greece Actor
ThunderballExodus
July
July 2 Ben Davidson 72 US Actor
Conan the Barbarian, mNecessary Roughness
2 Ben Van Os 67 Netherlands Production Designer
Girl with a Pearl EarringOrlando
3 Andy Griffith 86 US Actor
A Face in the CrowdNo Time for Sergeants
4 Eric Sykes 89 UK Actor
Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireThe Others
8 Ernest Borgnine 95 US Actor
MartyThe Poseidon Adventure
13 Sage Stallone 36 US Actor
Rocky VDaylight
13 Ginny Tyler 86 US Voice Actress
Son of FlubberThe Sword in the Stone
13 Richard D. Zanuck 77 US Producer
JawsDriving Miss Daisy
15 Celeste Holm 95 US Actress
All About EveGentleman’s Agreement
16 William Asher 90 US Director, Screenwriter
Muscle Beach PartyBeach Blanket Bingo
17 Morgan Paull 67 US Actor
Blade RunnerPatton
18 Rajesh Khanna 69 India Actor
AnandAmar Prem
19 Tom Davis 59 US Actor, Screenwriter
ConeheadsTrading Places
20 Tony Epper 73 US Stuntman, Actor
Dick TracyNowhere to Run
20 Simon Ward 70 UK Actor
The Three MusketeersYoung Winston
21 Angharad Rees 63 UK Actress
Hands of the RipperTo Catch a Spy
22 Fern Persons 101 US Actress
HoosiersClass
22
Frank Pierson 87 US Screenwriter, Director, Star Is Born, Dog Day Afternoon
24 Chad Everett 76 US Actor
Made in ParisAirplane II: The Sequel
24 Sherman Hemsley 74 US Actor
Love at First BiteMr. Nanny
26 Walter Goss 84 New Zealand Sound Engineer
DeliveranceIn the Heat of the Night
26 Lupe Ontiveros 69 US Actress
The GooniesSelena
26 Mary Tamm 62 UK Actress
The Odessa FileThe Likely Lads
27 Norman Alden 87 US Actor
Back to the FutureTora! Tora! Tora!
27 R. G. Armstrong 95 US Actor
PredatorRide the High Country
27 Geoffrey Hughes 68 UK Actor
The Bofors GunYellow Submarine
27 Tony Martin 98 US Actor, Singer
Hit the DeckThe Big Store
29 John P. Finnegan 86 US Actor
JFKThe Natural
29 Chris Marker 91 France Director
Sans SoleilLa Jetée
30 Jonathan Hardy 71 New Zealand Actor, Director
Mad MaxMoulin Rouge!
31 Gore Vidal 86 US Actor, Screenwriter
The Best ManGattaca
August
Aug 6
Marvin Hamlisch 68 US Composer, The Way We Were, Sophie’s Choice
8 Sancho Gracia 75 Spain Actor
Antony and CleopatraThe Call of the Wild
9 Al Freeman Jr. 78 US Actor
Finian’s RainbowMalcolm X
9 Mel Stuart 83 US Director, Producer
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryFour Days in November
10 Irving Fein 101 US Producer
18 Again!Oh, God! You Devil
10 Carlo Rambaldi 86 Italy Special Effects Artist
E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialKing Kong
13 Joan Roberts 94 US Actress
The Model and the Marriage BrokerLovely to Look At
14 Ron Palillo 63 US Actor
Skatetown, U.S.A.Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
14 Phyllis Thaxter 92 US Actress
SupermanThirty Seconds Over Tokyo
15 Biff Elliot 89 US Actor
I, the JuryHouse of Bamboo
16 William Windom 88 US Actor
To Kill a MockingbirdThe Detective
18 George Bowers 68 US Film Editor, Director
A League of Their OwnRoll Bounce
19 Tony Scott 68 UK Director, Producer
Top GunUnstoppable
20 Phyllis Diller 95 US Actress, Comedian
Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!A Bug’s Life
23 Jerry Nelson 78 US Puppeteer, Actor
The Muppet MovieFollow That Bird
24 Steve Franken 80 US Actor
The PartyThe Missouri Breaks
31 Max Bygraves 89 UK Actor, Singer
Tom Brown’s SchooldaysCharley Moon
September
Sep 1
Hal David 91 US Lyricist, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, What’s New Pussycat?
Sep 3
Michael Clarke Duncan 54 US Actor, The Green Mile
6 Jake Eberts 71 Canada Producer
The Way BackDriving Miss Daisy
6 Frank Godwin 95 UK Producer
Woman in a Dressing GownOperation Bullshine
8 Leigh Hamilton 62 New Zealand Actress
Hocus PocusForced Vengeance
10 Vondell Darr 93 US Actress
The City That Never SleepsThe Pony Express
10 Lance LeGault 75 US Actor
StripesMortal Kombat Annihilation
10 Stanley Long 78 UK Director, Screenwriter, Producer
The Wife SwappersAdventures of a Taxi Driver
10 John Moffatt 89 UK Actor
The Silent EnemyTom Jones
13 Edgar Metcalfe 78 UK Actor
Evil AngelsPercy’s Progress
14 Stephen Dunham 48 US Actor
The MummyParanormal Activity 4
14 Winston Rekert 63 Canada Actor
Agnes of GodThe Blue Man
16 John Ingle 84 US Actor
HeathersSenseless
16 Roman Kroitor 85 Canada Director, Producer
In the LabyrinthCity of Gold
24 Edward A. Biery 92 US Film Editor
When Time Ran OutRollercoaster
25
Andy Williams 84 US Actor, Singer, I’d Rather Be Rich,mSomething in the Wind
26 Johnny Lewis 28 US Actor
The RunawaysAliens vs. Predator: Requiem
27 Herbert Lom 95 Czech Republic Actor
The Pink PantherThe Phantom of the Opera
28 Michael O’Hare 60 US Actor
Last Exit to Brooklyn, C.H.U.D.
30 Turhan Bey 90 Austria Actor
Shadows on the StairsThe Mummy’s Tomb
Sep 30
Stephen Frankfurt 80 US Title Designer
To Kill a Mockingbird, Goodbye, Columbus
October
Oct 2
Marjorie Lane 100 US Actress, Singer
Born to Dance, Broadway Melody of 1936
7 Larry Block 69 US Actor
ShamusSlap Shot
7 Hank Moonjean 82 US Producer
Dangerous LiaisonsSharky’s Machine
8 Ken Sansom 85 US Actor
The StingThe Tigger Movie
9 Harris Savides 55 US Cinematographer
GerryZodiac
10 Alex Karras 77 US Actor
Blazing SaddlesVictor/Victoria
10 Leo O’Brien 41 US Actor
The Last DragonRappin’
12 Norm Grabowski 79 US Actor
The Cannonball RunHooper
13 Gary Collins 74 US Actor
Hangar 18Airport
14 John Clive 79 UK Actor
A Clockwork OrangeYellow Submarine
18 Sylvia Kristel 60 Netherlands Actress
EmmanuellePrivate School
20 Joe Melia 77 UK Actor
Modesty BlaiseOh! What a Lovely War
21 Yash Chopra 80 India Director, Producer
DeewaarDil To Pagal Hai
22 Russell Means 72 US Actor
The Last of the MohicansPocahontas
24 Peggy Ahern 95 US Actress
Our GangExcuse Me
24 Anita Bjork 89 Sweden Actress
Miss JulieNight People
26 Mac Ahlberg 81 Sweden Cinematographer
Beverly Hills Cop IIIRe-Animator
26 Natina Reed 32 US Actress, Singer
Bring It OnHoney
27 Robert W. Castle 81 US Actor
PhiladelphiaRachel Getting Married
28 Merry Anders 78 US Actress
The Dalton GirlsThe Time Travelers
28 Bob Brunner 78 US Screenwriter
The Other SisterExit to Eden
29 Bounty 52 Canada Ship, Film Prop
Mutiny on the BountyYellowbeard
30 Leonard Termo 77 US Actor
Fight ClubYear of the Dragon
November
Nov 5
Olympe Bradna 93 France Actress
Souls at Sea, The Night of Nights
6 Clive Dunn 92 UK Actor
Dad’s ArmyThe Magic Christian
7 Richard Robbins 71 US Composer, Howards EndThe Remains of the Day
8 Lucille Bliss 96 US Voice Actress
CinderellaThe Secret of NIMH
8 Roger Hammond 76 UK Actor
The King’s SpeechRichard III
17 Katherine Kath 92 UK Actress
AnastasiaMoulin Rouge
21 Dann Cahn 89 US Film Editor
The OctagonBeyond the Valley of the Dolls
21 Deborah Raffin 59 US Actress
Once Is Not EnoughDeath Wish 3
23 Larry Hagman 81 US Actor, Director, Fail Safe, Nixon
23 John Kemeny 87 Canada Producer
Quest for FireAtlantic City
25 Dinah Sheridan 92 UK Actress
GenevieveThe Railway Children
26 Martin Richards 80 US Producer
ChicagoFort Apache, The Bronx
27 Bob Kellett 84 UK Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Are You Being Served?Up Pompeii
28 Don Rhymer 51 US Screenwriter
RioBig Momma’s House
29 Susan Luckey 74 US Actress
The Music ManCarousel
29 Benjamin Tatar 82 US Actor
The Wind and the LionBattle of the Bulge
December
Dec 24
Charles Durning 89 US Actor, The Sting, Dog Day Afternoon
Dec 24
Jack Klugman 90 US Actor, 12 Angry Men, Days of Wine and Roses
Dec 27
Harry Carey Jr. 91 US Actor, The Searchers
Dec 28
Jon Finch 70 UK Actor, Frenzy (Hitchcock)
Film Debuts
Dylan Arnold – Fat Kid Rules the World
Natasha Bassett – Mental
Lizet Benrey – Tea in a Thunder Cup
Diego Boneta – Rock of Ages
John Bradley − Anna Karenina
Hannibal Buress − Sleepwalk with Me
Emilia Clarke − Spike Island
Laia Costa − I Want You
Vinny Curran – Resolution
Mackenzie Davis – Smashed
Cara Delevingne − Anna Karenina
Mike Faist – The Unspeakable Act
Nell Tiger Free – Broken
Ryan Guzman − Step Up Revolution
Kit Harington − Silent Hill: Revelation
Corey Hawkins – Allegiance
Tom Holland − The Impossible
Lily James – Wrath of the Titans
Charlotte Le Bon – Asterix and Obelix: God Save Britannia
Greta Lee – Hello I Must Be Going
Karenssa LeGear – The Kult
Lashana Lynch – Fast Girls
Kate McKinnon – My Best Day
Maika Monroe – At Any Price
Josh O’Connor – The Eschatrilogy: Book of the Dead
Leslie Odom Jr. − Red Tails
Jack Quaid – The Hunger Games
Justice Smith – Trigger Finger
Taylor John Smith – The Hunger Games
