Here's the year in review according to me. These are the best and the worst of films in 2013. Enjoy and happy 2014!
I obviously have not been able to see every movies this year. So in order to know where I'm coming from when I made this list, here are the films I've seen this year: 21 & Over, About Time, American Hustle, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Carrie, The Conjuring, Despicable Me 2, Don Jon, Elysium, Evil Dead, Frozen, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, Gravity, The Great Gatsby, The Hangover Part III, The Heat, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Identity Thief, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Insidious: Chapter 2, Iron Man 3, Mama, Man of Steel, Monster's University, Movie 43, One Direction: This is Us, Oz the Great and Powerful, Pacific Rim, The Place Beyond the Pines, Prisoners, The Purge, The Spectacular Now, Spring Breakers, Star Trek Into Darkness, Struck By Lightning, Stuck in Love, This is the End, Thor: The Dark World, The To-Do List, Upstream Color, Warm Bodies, The Way, Way Back, White House Down, The Wolverine, The World's End, World War Z.
The 5 Worst Movies of the Year
5. Warm Bodies
A movie that attempted to mix the zombie genre with a Twilight-esque romance. It was definitely an ambitious idea, but the execution just didn't work well. Plus, the marketing made the movie seemed like a comedy and it definitely wasn't.
4. Mama
Trusting the fact that Guillermo Del Toro's name was attached to this was a bad move on my part. It was a horror movie that had great scenes in the beginning, but became ludicrous as it went on, especially in the third act.
3. Evil Dead
To be fair, I'm not a huge fan of the original either. But this film just felt dumb. It was a gore-fest that didn't really come up with anything new.
2. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III
This movie feels like the definition of "tried too hard." It's gratingly quirky and completely uninteresting.
1. Movie 43
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Made even worse by the amount of talented people involved in this project.
10 Best Films of the Year
10. This is the End
A hilarious movie that pokes fun at celebrities and their personas. It takes on the end times in a funny way and the cast is great.
9. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Much better than the first Hunger Games film. It is much truer to the book and captures the spirit much better. The stakes are definitely raised, which is exactly what you want in a sequel.
8. Frozen
The best animated film of the year hands down. Incredibly well done and the songs will be stuck in your hand long after you leave the theater.
7. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Ron Burgandy is back and it's kind of a big deal. While not perfect by any means, it feels like a worthy successor to the first film. It's hilarious and the cameos are awesome.
6. The Place Beyond the Pines
A film that tells the story of fathers and sons and consequences of past actions. It's incredibly well done and thought-provoking.
5. The Way, Way Back
Written by Academy-Award Winners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, it captures how a screwed-up family feels and how it feels to be kind of odd while growing up. Sam Rockwell is fantastic in this.
4. The Spectacular Now
An amazing movie about kids in high school who are dealing with things way more difficult to deal with than they should be able to deal with. The chemistry between the two leads is great and it's an amazing high school movie.
3. Upstream Color
Shane Carruth's follow-up to Primer. It's incredibly smart and well-done and it's one you will keep thinking about for days after it's over.
2. American Hustle
David O. Russell directs a stellar ensemble cast in a story about con artists forced to participate in a FBI sting operation in the late 1970's. Worth seeing just for the incredible performances.
1. Gravity
Without a doubt the most ambitious and spectacular movie of the year. The performances are incredible, the direction inspired, and the special effects are ground-breaking. I love this movie and if you haven't seen it yet, you are missing out.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Monday, December 23, 2013
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - Review
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Stephen Fry, Cate Blanchett, Sylvester McCoy. Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo Del Toro. Based on the novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. Directed by Peter Jackson.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second in Peter Jackson's Hobbit series, the prequel series to The Lord of the Rings series, continues the story of Bilbo Baggins as he travels with a company of dwarves in their quest to kill a dragon and take back their homeland. The story also follows Gandalf the Grey as he tries to stop impending war and the return of evil to Middle-Earth.
Those complaining about how the first Hobbit film was too slow will be content with this film. Despite one notable exception - a conclusion battle that drags on and on - the story and the action moves at a rapid pace. The acting is exceptional, especially Martin Freeman whose Bilbo is a way better character than Frodo from The Lord of the Rings. However, it feels odd that in a film entitled The Hobbit, Bilbo seems to not have a lot of the focus on him. That actually seems to be a detriment to the film as a whole: at times it feels completely unfocused.
I thought this film was spectacular and was a worthy addition to the franchise, but I had one major problem with the film. I thought the CGI was grossly overused. I thought the use of practical effects on the Orcs in The Lord of the Rings was a lot cooler and a lot scarier than the CGI Orcs in The Hobbit. There are several scenes that feel almost cartoonish because of this CGI overused. That being said, overall I found the film to be great.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second in Peter Jackson's Hobbit series, the prequel series to The Lord of the Rings series, continues the story of Bilbo Baggins as he travels with a company of dwarves in their quest to kill a dragon and take back their homeland. The story also follows Gandalf the Grey as he tries to stop impending war and the return of evil to Middle-Earth.
Those complaining about how the first Hobbit film was too slow will be content with this film. Despite one notable exception - a conclusion battle that drags on and on - the story and the action moves at a rapid pace. The acting is exceptional, especially Martin Freeman whose Bilbo is a way better character than Frodo from The Lord of the Rings. However, it feels odd that in a film entitled The Hobbit, Bilbo seems to not have a lot of the focus on him. That actually seems to be a detriment to the film as a whole: at times it feels completely unfocused.
I thought this film was spectacular and was a worthy addition to the franchise, but I had one major problem with the film. I thought the CGI was grossly overused. I thought the use of practical effects on the Orcs in The Lord of the Rings was a lot cooler and a lot scarier than the CGI Orcs in The Hobbit. There are several scenes that feel almost cartoonish because of this CGI overused. That being said, overall I found the film to be great.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Election (1999) - Review
Election (1999) - Starring Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell. Written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. Based on the book by Tom Perrotta. Directed by Alexander Payne. Rated R. Available on DVD.
This movie shocked me with how good it was. I expected an average high school comedy, but then seeing Alexander Payne's name as a writer and a director confused me. This movie was far from an average high school comedy.
Election tells the story of a high school presidential election and the effect that it has on the students running for the office and their Student Government sponsor, played by Matthew Broderick at his very best. Reese Witherspoon kills it as an insanely over-achieving student who cheats and will do anything possible to win the election. Matthew Broderick plays the sponsor whose life is starting to fall apart and he feels relatable. That's one of the most amazing things about this film: it feels over-the-top and ridiculous, yet it is very real and relatable.
The structure of this film is very interesting and very well done. The use of flashbacks, freeze frames, and voiceovers make this film unique and the style was quite well executed. The story is engaging as well; however, I feel like the first two-thirds of the film was way better than the last. The last act seemed to drag on for a quite awhile, yet not too much that it made me dislike the film. I quite enjoyed it and it was a pleasant surprise and I would highly recommend it.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
This movie shocked me with how good it was. I expected an average high school comedy, but then seeing Alexander Payne's name as a writer and a director confused me. This movie was far from an average high school comedy.
Election tells the story of a high school presidential election and the effect that it has on the students running for the office and their Student Government sponsor, played by Matthew Broderick at his very best. Reese Witherspoon kills it as an insanely over-achieving student who cheats and will do anything possible to win the election. Matthew Broderick plays the sponsor whose life is starting to fall apart and he feels relatable. That's one of the most amazing things about this film: it feels over-the-top and ridiculous, yet it is very real and relatable.
The structure of this film is very interesting and very well done. The use of flashbacks, freeze frames, and voiceovers make this film unique and the style was quite well executed. The story is engaging as well; however, I feel like the first two-thirds of the film was way better than the last. The last act seemed to drag on for a quite awhile, yet not too much that it made me dislike the film. I quite enjoyed it and it was a pleasant surprise and I would highly recommend it.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Frozen (2013) - Review
Frozen (2013) - Starring Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk. Written by Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, and Shane Morris. Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck. Rated PG. Now in Theatres.
Disney has found magic again. Along with Tangled, Frozen goes back to Disney's roots in fairy tales and also feels like a movie from Disney's last Golden Age of Movies, which featured movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. It's a brilliantly done animated musical that feels like it comes straight from Broadway, probably due to the Broadway talent both the songwriters and the voice actors they chose to cast. All of the cast members seem to be no strangers to Broadway and that definitely shows in the film.
The story is interesting enough to hold your interest the whole time and actually features some twists and turns that you might not expect. The music is great. Most of the comedic moments work just right. The visual style is exceptional. I am predicting that this film is a shoe-in for the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Disney has found magic again. Along with Tangled, Frozen goes back to Disney's roots in fairy tales and also feels like a movie from Disney's last Golden Age of Movies, which featured movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. It's a brilliantly done animated musical that feels like it comes straight from Broadway, probably due to the Broadway talent both the songwriters and the voice actors they chose to cast. All of the cast members seem to be no strangers to Broadway and that definitely shows in the film.
The story is interesting enough to hold your interest the whole time and actually features some twists and turns that you might not expect. The music is great. Most of the comedic moments work just right. The visual style is exceptional. I am predicting that this film is a shoe-in for the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
About Time (2013) - Review
About Time (2013) - Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Lydia Wilson, Lindsay Duncan. Written and Directed by Richard Curtis. Rated R. Now in Theaters.
About Time tells the story of Tim, who finds out that all the males in his family have a very special skill: they are able to travel back in time to times in their own life. Tim decides that he is going to use this skill for what is most important to him and that's love. He uses this skill to fix his mistakes in order to get the girl of his dreams, Mary.
One thing to know before going into About Time: disregard the rules of time travel present in other time travel films. The time travel isn't really the focus. It's more of just a story device. The focus in this story is the love story between Tim and Mary, and the relationships Tim has with his father and his sister, Kit Kat. As long as you don't think too hard about how the time travel should work, you should be able to enjoy this film well enough. Sure, at times it's sappy and sentimental, but you should be able to tell that just by the film's trailers. If you hate movies like that, stay away. But if you feel like you need a Love Actually every once and awhile, then this is a good film. Gleeson and McAdams are likable leads and have a considerable amount of chemistry. The acting between Gleeson and Nighy is quite believable in their father and son scenes.
I did enjoy this movie and I saw it on a date night. So that's my recommendation. If you need a movie to take a girl to - the type of girl who likes sappy movies - take her to this one. You might find that you don't mind it that much either.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
About Time tells the story of Tim, who finds out that all the males in his family have a very special skill: they are able to travel back in time to times in their own life. Tim decides that he is going to use this skill for what is most important to him and that's love. He uses this skill to fix his mistakes in order to get the girl of his dreams, Mary.
One thing to know before going into About Time: disregard the rules of time travel present in other time travel films. The time travel isn't really the focus. It's more of just a story device. The focus in this story is the love story between Tim and Mary, and the relationships Tim has with his father and his sister, Kit Kat. As long as you don't think too hard about how the time travel should work, you should be able to enjoy this film well enough. Sure, at times it's sappy and sentimental, but you should be able to tell that just by the film's trailers. If you hate movies like that, stay away. But if you feel like you need a Love Actually every once and awhile, then this is a good film. Gleeson and McAdams are likable leads and have a considerable amount of chemistry. The acting between Gleeson and Nighy is quite believable in their father and son scenes.
I did enjoy this movie and I saw it on a date night. So that's my recommendation. If you need a movie to take a girl to - the type of girl who likes sappy movies - take her to this one. You might find that you don't mind it that much either.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Monday, November 25, 2013
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) - Review
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) - Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci. Written by Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt. Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins. Directed by Francis Lawrence. Rated PG-13. Now in Theaters.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the second installment in The Hunger Games film series, continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, the victor of the 74th Hunger Games, who is now starting to become quite a problem for the Capitol. She has become a symbol of hope and defiance, which is something that the Capitol cannot allow. Because of this, she is thrust into a special 75th anniversary edition of the Hunger Games, in which former victors are made to compete. These aren't the kids from the first ones. These are survivors and ruthless killers.
This is one of those sequels that is better than the original, and perhaps that's because it was based on a book that had an expanding story. This film introduces bigger themes and bigger stakes (along with a noticeably bigger budget) that makes this film feel more like a continuation than just a cash grab. The action is better and the story is even arguably more interesting than the first. This movie is very good, which has been demonstrated by the massive record-setting box office numbers that it's been pulling. And no, this film isn't perfect. It still has its moments of teen romance-related angst. But make no mistake. Katniss Everdeen is no Bella Swann. She doesn't have time to mope about, she has to survive. I recommend this film highly, especially for fans of the original film. And let's be honest, who doesn't love Jennifer Lawrence.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the second installment in The Hunger Games film series, continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, the victor of the 74th Hunger Games, who is now starting to become quite a problem for the Capitol. She has become a symbol of hope and defiance, which is something that the Capitol cannot allow. Because of this, she is thrust into a special 75th anniversary edition of the Hunger Games, in which former victors are made to compete. These aren't the kids from the first ones. These are survivors and ruthless killers.
This is one of those sequels that is better than the original, and perhaps that's because it was based on a book that had an expanding story. This film introduces bigger themes and bigger stakes (along with a noticeably bigger budget) that makes this film feel more like a continuation than just a cash grab. The action is better and the story is even arguably more interesting than the first. This movie is very good, which has been demonstrated by the massive record-setting box office numbers that it's been pulling. And no, this film isn't perfect. It still has its moments of teen romance-related angst. But make no mistake. Katniss Everdeen is no Bella Swann. She doesn't have time to mope about, she has to survive. I recommend this film highly, especially for fans of the original film. And let's be honest, who doesn't love Jennifer Lawrence.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Clerks (1994) - Review
Clerks (1994) - Starring Brain O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier. Written and Directed by Kevin Smith. Rated R. Available on DVD and Netflix Watch Instantly.
Clerks follows the day of two convenience store workers, one of which wasn't even supposed to work that day. It follows them as they deal with annoyed customers, annoying customers, relationship troubles, deaths of friends, deaths of strangers, and two pot dealers named Jay and Silent Bob.
I really enjoyed this movie. I found it original and humorous and it's so interesting that such a good film was made for so little money. The strength of the dialogue and characters is so great that you get completely caught up in the story as misfortune upon misfortune happen to the two convenience workers. This has become a very popular film and it's easy to see why. It speaks to a certain age group of people who find themselves aimlessly going through their days. These people can identify with this film which has made it to be as successful as it is. It helps that Kevin Smith himself was a convenience store worker when he wrote and shot this film.
I don't have anything really that negative to say about this film. Even at the moments where this film might seem to get ridiculous or some might perceive it as "jumping the shark," don't feel that inauthentic. It all works.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Clerks follows the day of two convenience store workers, one of which wasn't even supposed to work that day. It follows them as they deal with annoyed customers, annoying customers, relationship troubles, deaths of friends, deaths of strangers, and two pot dealers named Jay and Silent Bob.
I really enjoyed this movie. I found it original and humorous and it's so interesting that such a good film was made for so little money. The strength of the dialogue and characters is so great that you get completely caught up in the story as misfortune upon misfortune happen to the two convenience workers. This has become a very popular film and it's easy to see why. It speaks to a certain age group of people who find themselves aimlessly going through their days. These people can identify with this film which has made it to be as successful as it is. It helps that Kevin Smith himself was a convenience store worker when he wrote and shot this film.
I don't have anything really that negative to say about this film. Even at the moments where this film might seem to get ridiculous or some might perceive it as "jumping the shark," don't feel that inauthentic. It all works.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
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