28 Weeks Later is another offender with unnecessary shaky cam. Every time the 'zoombies' attack, the cameraman gets an epileptic seizure and the trigger-happy editor gets Parkinson's.

The giveaway that it was a turkey was that there were no reviews before it opened, and even Bruce Willis couldn't summon much energy to be enthusiastic. Nevertheless, the Film Show here in Britain reported a 6th Die Hard has been greenlit.

Mr Nobody 2009 - the extended edition. You guys can get all 'film school' about it, like Mulholland Drive and The Fountain. And it's never been done, not even by the director.

Lots of symbolism to decode. The production design is insane - hundreds of camera set-ups. The cinematography is creative, the direction is bold, the VFX are striking, and Jared Leto adds to his solid filmography that includes Fight Club, Requiem for a Dream, and Lord of War.

Did you say cut?

Talking out of my arse here, but I think Requiem for a Dream has more cuts than just about any other movie.

European DPs make the best cinematographers. Don't know why. They always have been.

Few people have heard of it, but check out Mr Nobody (2009)... exquisite camera work, using every technique in the book. You could teach a cinematography class from this film...

Other favourites:  Matthew Libatique's last man storyline in The Fountain, Darius Khondji's work for Fincher's Seven, and the unforgettable opening to Woody Allen's Manhattan, regrettably much deteriorated..

Some of the most legendary cinematography/lighting set-ups of all time are in Barry Lyndon, particularly the candle-lit scenes. Kubrick and DP John Alcott famously used an f.0.7 Carl Zeiss NASA lens (originally supposed to be used for satellite photography). The low depth of field is gorgeous...

There was the best part of a year in pre-production planning to get these effects. Even today, period films need artificial lighting to boost the candle light. But Lyndon used ONLY candles with a wide-open shutter.

It went on to sweep every single cinematography award that year, and would easily contest the Best Cinematography of the Century awards.

Also, I thought the lighting in Meet Joe Black (e.g. library scene, one of many) was like a perfume commercial... all golden.

It's noticeable in The Hobbit during the 'Escape from the Goblin City' sequence. Would rather it not there, as the joke is wearing thin. Comedians' #1 Rule is don't use the same joke more than three times.

After the year that was, not looking forward to much. I'm in a 'wait and see' holding pattern. If there's any >90% rotten tomatoes scorers on at the local IMAX, and where the trailer also looks intriguing, and I can get a good seat, and I'm in the mood, and there's nothing else to do, then I'll toddle over and check it out. 

It's Romeo and Juliet transposed to literally separate rich & poor worlds.
Titanic did it better.
In Time - not so good.
Question: why does it have to be poor guy and rich girl? Is the opposite Pretty Woman?

Me neither. A lot of them are late releases or haven't even been released in the UK in 2012.

Just saw The Town which makes me think Heat is the greatest crime movie of all time. How many times have other directors paid homage to it?

So my suggestion du jour is Heat. It's got the cast, the cinematography, the score, the action, the style, and the epic operatic scale.

21st century behind-the-scenes pics will just be a lot of green, dots, and 'puters
22nd century behind-the-scenes will just be 'puters