Half of the year has passed us by, and since the number of great films I’ve discovered in 2012 is nearly as high as the number films I watched in total in 2011, it’s time for a mid-year wrap up! The following are my favorite discoveries of the year so far, in chronological order by year of release. This is not a complete list of all of the films I’ve loved this year — I forced myself to narrow it down to 20. Click on the title of the film for the full review!
The Miracle Woman (1931), dir. Frank Capra
Drama, starring Barbara Stanwyck
Discovered through TCM
Night Nurse (1931), dir. William Wellman
Crime drama, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joan Blondell
Discovered through the library/the TCM Forbidden Hollywood set
Love Me Tonight (1932), dir. Rouben Mamoulian
Musical/romantic comedy, starring Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier
Discovered through the library
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), dir. Robert Florey
Horror/mystery, starring Sidney Fox, Leon Ames and Bela Lugosi
Discovered through Adaptation Month/TCM
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), dir. Mervyn LeRoy
Musical/dramatic comedy, starring Joan Blondell, Warren William, etc.
Discovered through TCM
Romance in Manhattan* (1935), dir. Stephen Roberts
Romantic drama/comedy, starring Francis Lederer and Ginger Rogers
Discovered through TCM
*Full review not yet published; check back on July 8!
Wife Versus Secretary (1936), dir. Clarence Brown
Romantic comedy, starring Myrna Loy, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Jimmy Stewart
Discovered through the library
Midnight (1939), dir. Mitchell Leisen
Romantic comedy, starring Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche
Discovered through the library
The Women (1939), dir. George Cukor
Dramatic comedy, starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Roz Russell, etc.
Discovered through the library
My Sister Eileen (1942), dir. Alexander Hall
Comedy, starring Roz Russell, Brian Aherne and Janet Blair
Discovered through TCM
The Enchanted Cottage (1945), dir. John Cromwell
Romantic drama, starring Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young
Discovered through TCM
My Reputation (1946), dir. Curtis Bernhardt
Romantic drama, starring Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent
Discovered through TCM
Daisy Kenyon (1947), dir. Otto Preminger
Romantic drama, starring Joan Crawford, Dana Andrews and Henry Fonda
Discovered through the library
Johnny Belinda (1948), dir. Jean Negulesco
Drama, starring Jane Wyman and Lew Ayres
Discovered through the library
The Heiress (1949), dir. William Wyler
Drama, starring Olivia de Havilland and Monty Clift
Discovered through the library
The Long, Long Trailer (1954), dir. Vincente Minnelli
Comedy, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
Discovered through blind purchase
My Sister Eileen (1955), dir Richard Quine
Musical comedy, starring Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon and Betty Garrett
Discovered through the 1942 version/Netflix DVD delivery
Forbidden Planet (1956), dir. Fred M. Wilcox
Sci-fi, starring Anne Francis, Walter Pidgeon and Leslie Nielsen
Discovered through Rocky Horror song reference/TCM
Auntie Mame (1958), dir. Morton DaCosta
Comedy, starring Roz Russell
Discovered through blind purchase
The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (1968), dir. Joseph McGrath
Comedy, starring Shirley MacLaine, Richard Attenborough and James Booth
Discovered through Netflix Instant
The Motion Pictures 
Some great movie posters here! I approve of this list.
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Glad to hear that you approve! :) I’ve discovered so many great posters since beginning this blog. Unfortunately, some of them have been for films I didn’t like.. maybe I’ll have to do a separate post on the greatest poster discoveries with no regard to the quality of the film they’re promoting, haha.
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That is an excellent idea!
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