"A Rodriguez regular, the character and film were created around Trejo and his signature, erm, charm..."
Ah yes, with 2011 comfortably over it's time to shift focus to the films of 2012. Not to get ahead of myself, but it's going to FREAKIN' AWESOME BRO! Even Bane's excited. Although there were some gems last year — as evidenced in my top 10 and honourable mentions — in general the films of '12 could be summed up with one word; disappointing. From Sucker Punch to Red Riding Hood, blockbuster after blockbuster sucked. It was the small films from unexpected corners of Hollywood that brought audiences to the proverbial yard.
In 2012 that's likely to be the opposite. With two new films from Tim Burton, the first instalment in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, the superhero movie to end all superhero movies Avengers, Robert Rodriguez’s Machete, World War Z, The Great Gatsby, Tarantino's newbie Django Unchained and SO many other massive flicks, it's safe to have our expectations set relatively high. There are big directors making big movies this year. There are also some smaller gems that will bring an entirely different (yet tasty) meal to the table. I'm talking genre flicks like Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters from the stylish team behind Dead Snow, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and a movie adaptation of one of my favourites books Warm Bodies. Out of left field there’s The Grey which pits Liam Neeson against wolves, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Michelle Williams vehicle My Week With Marilyn, the hilarious A Few Best Men and Ralph Fiennes directorial debut Shakespeare war film Coriolanus.
The film I’m most looking forward to in 2012 is unsurprisingly The Dark Knight Rises. Everything else I’m excited about is on this list, including the epic looking Snow White and The Huntsman and animated charmer The Pirates! Band Of Misfits. I’m also going to make an early call and predict Mirror, Mirror as the worst film of the year and The Hunger Games as the biggest disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a colossal fan of Suzanne Collins' book series but from the casting to the severely disappointing trailers, I think this is going to be a disaster. I hope I’m wrong.
Let me preface this by saying; I'm not joking. I actually interviewed Kim Sasabone (the one at the top end of the rocket) a few weeks ago ahead of their first Australian tour in over a decade. My eight-year-old self would have been so please with 23-year-old me. When the Vengabus isn't coming and everyone's not jumping, Kim says she enjoys nothing more than chilling out and watching a movie. What movie, you ask? Read on:
"Oh, that's hard because there are so many I love. One of my favourites from my childhood is The Wizard Of Oz. That's such a beautiful movie with so many great songs and moments. If we're talking about later on in life I'd have to really think about it. The Wizard Of Oz is my stand out favourite though.''