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With the official Gangnam Style YouTube clip hitting 1 billion views just an hour or so ago, it seems a great time to discuss the best songs of the year.
Of course, the K-Pop hit has to be up there, along with Carly Rae Jepson’s Call Me Maybe. For me, Fun.’s We Are Young reminds me of my great summer holiday with friends and, living in Europe, I’ve come to appreciate club mixes more than I care to appreciate.
Check out a spectacular mash-up of the year’s hottest songs below and then let me know – what’s your song of the year?
I love film but with everything that’s been going on this year, I must admit I’ve watched less than I normally would. As a result, I will be even less offended than usual if you choose to disagree with my nominations! So without any further ado…
Biggest disappointment: I was seriously disappointed by The Amazing Spider-Man. Emma Stone is one of my favourite actresses, and Andrew Garfield has so much potential, but the script was weak and it really looked like the poor cousin of the Spider-Man trilogy. And don’t even get me started on Prometheus…
Surprising success: Who knew that a film about older people going to India could be so enjoyable? The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was one of my surprise favourite films of the year. I also liked Seeking A Friend for the End of the World, which was surprisingly uplifting despite what was inevitably coming at the end.
Still waiting: The downside of living in Switzerland is that I’m still waiting for a ridiculous number of films to arrive on the big screen. I’m most impatient to see Les Miserables, The Impossible, Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained, Silver Linings Playbook, The Perks of Being A Wallflower and The Life of Pi.
Runner Up: While I didn’t review it here (because it had already been out everywhere for months before I saw it), Looper was spectacular – it had a smart storyline that was different from the norm, a great cast and a great twist at the end.
Best Film of 2012: I know this will be a controversial call (bear in mind that all the big award-nominated films aren’t out here yet) but I’m going to give the top honour to Skyfall. I just thought it was a brilliant piece of cinematography and a real step in the right direction for the Bond franchise. Feel free to disagree in the comments!
As always, the main focus of The Dernier Cri throughout 2011 was fashion in all its forms. I’ll focus only on what I’ve covered through the blog, but please feel free to share your own favourite looks and moments in the comments.
Best Red Carpet Outfit: I have to say that overall, I was a little disappointed with the red carpet wear this year and I’m hoping the stars get back on their game in time for the looming 2012 awards season. Some of my favourite gowns from 2011 include Mila Kunis’ Louis Vuitton at the SAG Awards, Thandie Newton in printed Monique Lhuillier at the BAFTAs, Jessica Marais in J’Aton at the Logies and Diane Kruger in Jason Wu at the Met Costume Institute Gala. However, this year my best red carpet outfit award is a tie – awarded to Emma Watson for her white Marchesa mini at the MTV awards and Victoria Beckham for her self designed gown topped with Philip Treacy hat for the Royal Wedding.
Best Perfume Campaign: The fashion houses really stepped up their game in the perfume market this year, launching some great campaigns featuring some of Hollywood’s leading ladies. Emma Watson made her debut for Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose, Natalie Portman was chic and sexy for Miss Dior, and Leighton Meester was Lovestruck for Vera Wang. However, I think Keira Knightley’s campaign for Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle was this year’s best effort.
“Lusting for…” round-up: In 2011, I wrote 39 “lusting for…” posts. In line with the current state of the world economy (and the fact that it’s far more difficult and expensive to get goods shipped to Switzerland than it was to Australia), I only purchased three of those items – the Rodna Halter Dress (which I wore to every one of my holiday parties and loved every time), the Milk Bottle Measuring Cups (still available in stores if you’re keen to join me) and the Spin Pin (which I eventually tracked down in Claire’s Accessories).
What are your most memorable outfits, campaigns and purchases from 2011?
**Best wishes for 2012 from The Dernier Cri – we look forward to welcoming you back next year!**
One of the downsides of moving to Switzerland was that I lost my advantage in film blogging. Not only am I no longer getting invites to previews but when I do actually get to see films, it’s usually a good 2-3 months after the film was released in the English speaking world.
As a result, my focus has shifted more to upcoming releases and away from reviews (though, of course, the reviews still feature when I can make it to a film close to the American/British/Australian release date).
With all that in mind, let’s look back at 2011.
Absolute worst film: I saw some terrible films this year including Drive Angry but I think the worst of all would have to be Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre staged documentary I’m Still Here. I was most definitely not still here for the end of that one.
Biggest disappointment: The Adjustment Bureau was an absolute massacring of a brilliant storyline. The ending didn’t fit, the clichés were appalling and I was left thoroughly disappointed that a story with so much potential was allowed to be released like this.
Surprising success: I was surprised that I loved Bridesmaids as much as I did – but it was truly one of the best comedies I saw this year. It didn’t come out in my local cinema for a good three months or so after its US release so I didn’t write a review but if you haven’t seen it yet, I strongly recommend you add it to your Netflix queue pronto.
Still waiting: I’m really looking forward to seeing Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. I’m also really hanging out for the release of The Muppets and My Week with Marilyn. Fingers crossed all will be released in the next month or so.
Runner Up: Even though I reviewed it almost a year ago, The King’s Speech remains one of my favourite films of the year. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush were impecable as King George and his speech therapist.
Best Film of 2011: I’m not usually a big fan of psychological thrillers but I was so impressed by Natalie Portman’s portrayal of a troubled ballerina in Black Swan that it became my number one film of the year. Do you agree? Let me know in the comments.
If you want a re-cap of 2011 in film, check out the filmography below – I’ve seen 67 of the 351 film clips featured. How many have you seen?
2011 was definitely an eventful year. So many things happened that it’s impossible to list them all but here’s a reminder of some of our top stories.
Personal: The event that affected me the most personally was also one of the first of the year – the floods in Queensland, Australia. Fortunately the death toll stayed low, making us much luckier than those in Brazil and South East Asia, who also suffered from devastating floods this year.
Fairy Tale: We couldn’t forget the royal wedding of Catherine Middleton to Prince William, which took place in April. Crowds lined the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the new princess in her gorgeous Alexander McQueen gown.
Princess Rights: In October, Britain continued its big year for the royal family announcing it had changed its outdated succession laws to allow royal sons and daughters equal rights to the throne.
Baby: In July, Victoria and David Beckham welcomed their first daughter, Harper Seven. The post about the birth was the most popular post on The Dernier Cri this year.
Anniversary: In September, New York remembered 9/11 ten years on with a tribute in light.
Death: Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor passed away in March. Seven months later, Apple founder and visionary Steve Jobs finally lost his battle with cancer. Both are missed.
For a wrap up of all the year’s top stories (including those that we didn’t discuss on this blog), check out Google’s Zeitgeist below.
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