The 2012 Muriel Awards
For a cinephile, 2012 was a pretty great year. American filmmakers began to show a creative vitality that many thought was on a permanent wane, world filmmakers stepped up their game to present a variety of visions that not only dazzled the eyes, but stirred the soul, and documentarians had a remarkable year in putting forth a battery of thought-provoking pictures of the true state of mankind’s affairs. There was a lot to watch, a enormity to feel, and a tremendous amount of self-reflection.
But, even in the world of cinema, a year must come to an end, and that means an traditional onslaught of awards ceremonies and “Best of…” lists wherein a multitude of critics – both professional and amateur – drive themselves to the brink of madness trying to narrow down a list of thousands of movies seen, to a more easily digestible, and consumer friendly format.