The Best of 2013...Part Four...The Best Movies of the Year!

Happy New Year!

But before we get too far into it, let's take a look back at the best of what I saw and reviewed around these here parts.

Ready?

Set...

Go!


First, let's give some Honorable Mentions.

These movies are good. 
Really. Good.

However, they aren't "Great", and I put great in quotes to say that one viewing was probably enough.

These are the Schindler's Lists...Saving Private Ryan...etc. etc... the big epic dramas that one viewing was enough.  Powerful viewing, enjoyed it a lot, but can't see myself wanting to sit down and watch it again.

Through no fault of their own, sometimes that's just how movies are. 

First-

Django Unchained -



I officially no longer hate Quentin Tarantino films.  This movie was amazing on many levels.  Hilarious. Heartbreaking. Disgusting.  Sometimes at the same time.  It's a powerful movie that is definitely worth a viewing if you have not seen it.

Argo -




Why I no longer give Ben Affleck any grief on anything.  He's really a good actor, and his tenure behind the camera has helped him hone his craft in front of it.  It's a gripping drama, and well worth a viewing.


Now, on to the ones that I want to sit down and watch again.

And again.

;)


These are 10 of the Best Movies I Watched in 2013:


 Here Comes the Boom-




Every list should have some "What the heck?!?" candidates.  My entire list could qualify in many critic circles.  However, that's okay.  I like what I like, and I'm fine with that.  Leading off the list is a comedy that shouldn't work with Kevin James a high school teacher who goes into Mixed Martial Arts to make some money to help his school.  Again, there's a heart in this film that you're not expecting when you go into it, and it sneaks up and grabs you.  You leave the movie feeling good, and that's a wonderful way to feel after any movie.

Dredd-

The best comic book adaptation of the year that you may have missed.  Gone is Sylvester Stallone.  Insert Karl Urban, a great actor who, again, if memory serves, never has one minute of screen time without his helmet on.  That's impressive, and note-worthy in Hollywood where actors insist that their mug be shown as much as possible.  Urban owns the screen as Dredd, and I would love to see a sequel with him donning the helmet once again.

Pitch Perfect -

 Yep, I admit it.  This movie was hilarious, and I just watched it again recently, and I still found it incredibly funny.  The songs are well done.  The dialogue is crackling.  There's very little that I don't like about this movie.  Except that my wife doesn't enjoy it as much as I do.  But I get that a lot. ;)

Iron Man 3-

A Marvel movie in the Top 10?  This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me.  We cap off the Iron Man trilogy with a Christmas present that wraps up Robert Downey Jr's tenure as Tony Stark in his own films...at least for now.  Things go out with a bang, as the many armors of Iron Man are put to rest.  This is both a good and bad thing.  I understand that the point of this movie was to show that Tony Stark IS Iron Man, whether he is in the suit or not in the suit.  A little forced and clichéd throughout, but overall, I enjoyed it.  Yes, including the Mandarin. :)

42 -

A baseball movie?  I don't even like baseball! Except when it is well done in movie form.  This is one of those instances.  However, it is so good, it couldn't just get an honorable mention, it deserves to be put into rotation with Field of Dreams and other cinematic masterpieces that celebrate America's pastime.  Also, an important look at how America used to be, and how far we've come (and how far we've yet to go) as a people.

Rise of the Guardians -

How about that, Rise of the Guardians wound up cracking the final list after all.  So you've had 3 opportunities to hear that this was the best animated movie of the year.  Hopefully you've managed to believe me on at least one of those occasions and have watched it for yourself.  You're in for a visual treat.

Fast and Furiou 6 -

What a bittersweet moment this is.  Losing Paul Walker puts this franchise into a tailspin.  I have some ideas on how they should proceed with # 7 to write him out of the storyline and allow the franchise to grow and evolve with this loss.  Back to # 6 though, and this was a great romp that built on the incredible Fast Five and took it to the next level.  Setting up # 7 with the closing moments of this film just built on how great this franchise has become.  The change in directors was going to be something different, and now that the entire tone is going to shift, it will be interesting to see what Vin Diesel and company have in store for us.

Now You See Me -

I love a good heist film.  At its center, that's exactly what this film about magicians truly was: a heist film.  It was very well done and I enjoyed every twist and turn that the movie took us on.  Even the predictable plot twists were enjoyable, aided by a remarkable all-star cast that didn't doom the movie to failure.  The inevitable sequel is coming, and it's got some big shoes to fill, but I'm certainly looking forward to them trying.

Life of Pi -

You could stop and say that this was the most beautiful movie that has been shot in years, and that could be enough.  When you factor in the story that goes along with it, that's the icing on a great cake.  Some people may not like the message that the film delivers, but it's a message that people haven't liked for a long, long time.  I liked it, and the movie has gotten better with repeated viewings.

Thor: The Dark World -

The best movie of the year, and it happens to be a Marvel film.  My bias must be showing. :)  That's okay, this movie was an amazing triumph for the franchise.  It's the sequel that is superior to the original, which bodes well for the future of Marvel films.  Iron Man was unable to pull that off.  Whether there will be a third Thor movie or not, the franchise at least goes out on a high note, but hopefully  it's not done yet.  And if the studio is taking notice, they will realize that what the fans want is more Loki. 

Possibly even a Loki movie?

Yes please!


So that concludes 2013 in movies.

I'll be back tomorrow to begin tackling the 300 + movies that will add up to the best and worst, and everything in between for 2014.

As always, thanks for reading!

The Best of 2013...Part Three...The Animated Movies

Another year, and another wave of decent animated films to enjoy for the whole family.

What I've learned though?

Pixar is slipping, and all of the other studios are closing the gap.

It hasn't translated with many critics and audiences, yet, and that's a shame.

However, if Pixar (and Disney for that matter) wants to retain their crown, they've got to step up their game.

Now, on with the countdown!


Hotel Transylvania -

Sony Animation returns to the best of the year listing with one of Adam Sandler's best performances in ages.  It simply took a cartoon to make it happen.  Surrounded by his usual cohorts, the gang lends their voices to some of horror's finest creatures of the night to bring a coming of age love story between a vampire and a human.  Filled with lowbrow humor (as to be expected) but with a surprising amount of heart it was one of those surprising films to find that I liked it as much as I did.

The Croods -

Conversely, the first of 2 Dreamworks films to hit the list, I was actually a bit disappointed that I didn't like it more than I did.  Perhaps it's the Flintstone factor? ;)  Again, it was good, just not quite as good as I had hoped for.  Sadly, that seems to be the balancing act for animated films: They either miss or shoot well past my expectations.  In 2014, I guess I need to either set the bar really low for every film, or not pay attention to what is coming out until it shows up on my doorstep.

Monsters University -

Pixar returns with a prequel to one of my favorites of all time.  Good, but not great.  That's been the status quo from Pixar for the last 3 years (Cars 2, Brave and now this).  While it was great to have Crystal and Goodman back together again (for the first time!) as Mike and Sulley, it was missing the heart (Boo) that made the first one so memorable for me.

ParaNorman -

I totally expected to hate this one.  Looking an awful lot like a Tim Burton production, which I would have loathed (remember Frankenweenie?) this was a movie that was smart, well-written and had more heart than I ever expected.  Not your typical animated feature, but I think if you've overlooked this one, you've really missed out on an underrated gem.  Streaming on Netflix if you haven't seen it.

Wreck it Ralph -

So close to the best movie on the list.  It was fun. Funny. Well written. Great voice cast. Beautifully lush animation. Wonderful story. Willing to see a sequel.  Just a great fun time.  However, it loses the edge, ever so slightly to the next film on the list.  But when it comes down to it, it's comparing animated apples to animated oranges.  They are both delicious, but they are totally different fruits.  If you want to have a good time for 90 minutes, this is your film right here.  However, if you want to be mesmerized by a story that digs a little bit deeper, then you finish the year with...

Rise of the Guardians -

Dreamworks scores big, at least here, with one of the most hauntingly beautiful animated films you'll get to see.  Everything I said about Wreck it Ralph, Rise of the Guardians does as well.  However, replace Funny with Amusing as the laughs are not nearly as big and broad in this film.  Plus, if your heart strings aren't plucked when you discover Jack's center, you're even colder than Jack Frost is.

:)

Tomorrow: This is it, the best of the best of the year.  Will any of these films from the last three days make the final cut???

The Best of 2013...Part Two... The Horror Films

The future of horror looks funny.

And that's a good thing!

I've mentioned before that with Horror/Scary movies, I have to be very careful with my selections.

As I am normally the only one that will watch, I have to pick and choose my battles (movies) carefully if I'm going to lock myself away for 90 minutes some night, or over the course or 2 or 3 nights.

Or in the event my honey watches with me on some date/movie night... it better not be too blood-soaked/gory or gruesome.

It's a fine line balancing act, but it can be done.  You just have to choose wisely.

In recent years, it was getting harder and harder to find anything that I even remotely wanted to make time for. 

I was nearly turned off a few years back from the entire horror genre with the Saw franchise and its ilk when the kills just become too graphic.

The pendulum had swung from "gotcha" and make you jump to sadistic realism that was stomach churningly awful.

But in 2013 I found that Horror had discovered something recently that had been done well sporadically in years past:

A sense of humor.

In fact, 6 of the 7 movies on the list are humorous in tone, 5 of those I labeled as Zom-Coms as the year went along and I realized how fun these movies were fast becoming.

Here are the best of those budget Zom-Coms that you might have missed:

John Dies at the End - 

A street drug that sends people to other dimensions.  Aliens ready to invade and take over Earth.  Maybe a tad more sci-fi than horror, this was quite a bit of crazy fun and shouldn't be missed.  You could never quite figure where the plot was going next, and maybe that was part of the film's charm.

A Little Bit Zombie - 

What happens when a mosquito transmits the zombie virus to a human host?  Hilarity, naturally.  Infected, but not totally turned, a groom-to-be fights off the zombie urges to feast on flesh, and his fiancée and best friend try and help him make the transition to partially undead.  Meanwhile, there's a pair of zombie hunters hot on his trail.

Detention - 

It's the Breakfast Club vs. Zombies.  A group of high schoolers face the zombie apocalypse from the detention room.  Naturally with a cast that size...

They're not all going to make it out alive.

Cockneys vs. Zombies - 

The Brits tackle a zombie invasion at an old-folks home.  Featuring, bar none, the greatest zombie chase in the history of zombie chases.  This one was a whole lot of fun, and I quite enjoyed it.  Those Cockneys are a tough lot to kill!

Warm Bodies - 

The one probably everyone heard about on this list was Warm Bodies.  A very well done horror love story, that has more heart and soul than any of the Twilight films.  :)

Toning down the gore and amping up the love and humor, this was the best of the bunch of Zom-Coms for the year.

Yep, a kid-friendly zombie movie.  If you're going to bring the next generation of horror fans into the fold, this was a fun way to start.


Naturally, with the success of The Walking Dead on AMC, Hollywood has taken notice and finally threw some money at a big budget zombie film, and they enlisted Brad Pitt to make it happen.

World War Z - 

The trailer looked amazing, and the movie actually lived up to the hype.  Naturally, I prefer slow zombies, but they made a logical reason behind why these zombies were fast, so I have no arguments with their decision.  Very well done, and I anticipate a sequel, Pitt-free or not, I'll be willing to take a look.

Finally, the best horror film of the year?

Cabin in the Woods - 

The most horror...check!  The funniest dialogue...check!  This one had it all, and it had it in great doses.  A smart film for fans of horror, and fans of good movies in general.  An intriguing premise filled with twists and turns at every corner.  Give it a spin and see what you think.


Tomorrow, things will get a little more family friendly! :)

The Best of 2013...Part One...The Documentaries

As 2013 winds down, it's time to take a look back at the best of the best this year offered in the form of movies and entertainment for the year.

When I did the Worst of the Year back on Thanksgiving, I mentioned that 45 made the "Best Of" countdown. 

By taking a look at some of the genre-specific titles, I want to give some last minute love to some of 2013's best that might otherwise miss out on a Top 20, 15...10 listing but deserve a shot at one last mention on this page. 

Just in case.

So without further ado, here's the documentaries that enthralled me this year.  Many are still streamable on Netflix, Amazon Prime, other websites or running on cable.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy -

Starting things off with a fairly comprehensive look at the Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise.  It's a fond, and fun, look back at the little budget horror film that reinvigorated the horror genre, then quickly devolved into parody.  Freddy Krueger instantly became a pop culture sensation, and the rest, as they say, is history.  It's been a long time since I've visited any of the original Elm Street films, but even the worst was better than the pale relaunch that lacked any of the style and substance from the original series.  New interviews with about 95% of the cast and crew makes this pretty much THE comprehensive look back at Elm Street.  And I must confess, A Nightmare on Elm Street was always creepiest when they were living a nightmare and didn't realize it, then JOLT, they were awake.  Kept the movie audience on our toes!

Moving from horror, to interesting PBS series comes:

Nova- My Life as a Turkey -



I had no idea what to expect in this little charmer about a man who raises wild turkeys from birth and the interesting things he learns from them along the way.  Turkeys are very smart birds, and you will run the gamut of emotions in this little hour long look into the life when man becomes one with nature.  He teaches the birds as they grow, but they both end up learning from one another.  Uplifting, yet ultimately sorrowful, it's still very much worth a look.

One that keeps things light, and reminds us why The Tonight Show as an institution will never go away...

American Masters: Carson-The King of Late Night-

There was only one Johnny Carson.  I was lucky enough to catch the last few years of his career as I was growing up.  I'd often stay awake for the monologue, then out like a light.  This documentary offers a mostly comprehensive narration of Carson's career using bits of old audio and many interviews with those that worked alongside him over the years.  He was invited into everyone's house weeknights, and the longer he's been off the air, and the more imitators to the crown have come (and gone), the more lasting his legacy really becomes.

Switching gears, time to give the WWE some love...




CM Punk: The Best in the World
The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect
WWE: Top 25 Rivalries in History
WWE For All Mankind: The Life & Career of Mick Foley

All four are solid productions, and all worth a viewing to professional wrestling fans.  The WWE is really hitting their stride at putting out high quality documentaries on their wrestlers, and it is a welcome look at the lives of these guys who give their all to entertain the fans on a nightly basis.  I think that even the casual fan, or non-fan could watch any of these documentaries and begin to see the passion that these guys have for what they do, and why the fans love to watch.

Yes, even if it's fake.

:)

So from guys dressing in tights, to guys dressing in red...

Becoming Santa -







A fun look at what it takes to become a Santa by attending an actual Santa school.  The best part, the documentary also interweaves a history of Santa Claus throughout the narrative.  Very entertaining look at the holiday, and would totally recommend you watch it...next holiday season.

;)

Finally, we go back in history to World War II!

Nova: 3D Spies of WWII
Secrets of the Dead: Churchill's Deadly Decision
Garbo the Spy



Two are great, informative pieces about World War II history that you may not be that familiar with.  Both are engaging and very entertaining.

However, hands-down, the best documentary would have to go to Garbo the Spy.  It's such a "truth is stranger than fiction" story, you just can't make this stuff up.  Yet, that's exactly what he did, and he fooled the Third Reich, consistently.  Highly recommended if you ever get the chance to watch any of them.

Tomorrow, things get a little scary...