Golden Globes 2013

So in an hour or so the 2013 Golden Globes will begin and will kick off another award season where people in the film industry shamelessly give each other shiny awards and celebrate all that film and television has to offer.  They will be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler which should be good and quite different from the host of the past few years Ricky Gervais.  Gervais shocked American audiences with his laid back and cheeky ways and I would imagine Fey and Poehler will be much more tame in comparison.  Personally I love award shows and my main three favourites at the start of the year are The Golden Globes, The Baftas and of course The Academy Awards that finishes off the award season.  I always make my predictions before the winners are announced and sometimes I do really well and other times my mojo has been on the blink and I only get a few right.  Quite often who I think will win differs from who I would like to win and so for each category I have included both and I will find out tomorrow when I watch the awards (in the UK it will finish around 4am and I need my beauty sleep) just how much I have embarrassed myself.  So read on to find out my predicted winners for the 2013 Golden Globe Awards, who actually won and whether I predicted right or not.

SPOILER ALERT ------I have now updated this with the winners and so please do not read on if you have yet to watch the awards and do not know who won or if you're not bothered anyway keep calm and carry on.

Top 10 Films of 2012

So it's New Year's Eve and that time of the year that we look back on the previous year and sum up what we thought.  If your a film geek like me that will inevitably lead to thinking back over the year's films to work out which make the grade when formulating the best of the year.  For me the year's best films are a varied bag as is usually the case with my eclectic taste.  There are films I have yet to see like Rust and Bone, The Master that I am sure would have made the list but unfortunately I have yet to see.  There are also many films that have yet to be released in the UK like Zero, Dark Thirty and Django Unchained that I am sure will make the 2013 list.  The films on this list are based on UK release dates so some such as The Muppets was released in the US in 2011 but not here in the UK till February and so for me is a 2012 release.  So that's enough rambling from me and without further ado here is my top 10 of 2012.

Ones to look out for in 2013

So as we gear up for the new year here are some films I am looking forward to in 2013.  January is a big month with some heavy hitters right out of the gate such as Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained, two films I have been looking forward to for a while.  So without further ado here are some films I am eagerly anticipating throughout the first half of next year.

December's Monthly Five

Unsurprisingly for December's Monthly Five here are my top 5 Christmas films.  I know it could not be more predictable right.  Anyway, Christmas has always been my favourite holiday and with the passing of my grandfather on Christmas day last year I am trying to hold on to the Christmas spirit in a year that will not be easy to celebrate.  That said, for me Christmas has always been about family, finding the perfect gifts for loved ones and having one blow out day full of Turkey (or Quorn Roast if you're vegi like me), alcohol and holiday cheer.  So without further ado here are my top five Christmas movies:

Damages - Season One

From the outset it is difficult not to become completely engrossed in this series.  The opening scene of the pilot has a woman running down a Manhattan street covered in a blood soaked coat who later is revealed to be the central protagonist Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).  It turns out her fiance has been murdered and she is the prime suspect.  Flashback to six months prior and a bright eyed, bushy tailed Ellen, fresh from graduating Law School, is being interviewed for a job position with Hollis Nye (Philip Bosco) at his law firm.  She turns down the position for the chance to work with Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) a decision that shakes Hollis Nye so much he gets Ellen to sign the back of his business card where he has written 'I Was Warned'.  An act which leaves the viewer with an ominous feeling which together with the events happening six months later does not bode well...

Ted (2012)

Ted is a story about an unpopular little boy, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), who wishes for his teddy bear to come to life so he can finally have a friend. The wish comes true and Ted (Seth MacFarlane) and John become best friend's for life. Skip to years later and John is now in a long-term relationship with Lori (Mila Kunis) who just wants him to grow up and stop playing with his teddy bear.  Sounds simple enough right?  Read on to find out my thoughts on Seth MacFarlane's first foray into live action cinema...

Killer Joe (2011)

Killer Joe is a twisted view of an American family in Dallas, Texas.  Matthew McConaughey is superb as a likable guy playing the psychopathic Killer Joe Cooper.  The humour is dark and it takes the archetypal fairytale of a girl looking for her prince and completely warps it into a blood bath.  A great atmospheric thriller brilliantly directed by William Friedkin.