Monday, January 14, 2013
Jon's Most Anticipated Movies of 2013
Starting out with the most anticipated...
including updates with my responses to how these movies actually turned out!
1. Ender's Game- Finally the adaptation of Orson Scott Card's best selling sci-fi saga where children are trained to be cutthroat strategists, generals and warriors defending earth against a coming alien invasion! So incredible that this is actually happening! It wasn't as mind-blowing as I thought. But it was a fairly well made and a fun to watch movie, though it didn't make my top 13.
2. Elysium- Neill Blomkamp dishes out another high concept sci-fi epic with socially conscious morals. Wow! It's too bad this film wasn't nearly as good as District 9. Kind of a bummer… but some memorable moments.
3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- Peter Jackson's first film from the Hobbit Trilogy was my favorite of last year and I can't wait to see Smaug in all his gilded glory this next year!! In my opinion this wasn't as great as the first Hobbit film but I did enjoy it!
4. Pacific Rim- Guillermo Del Toro's anime-inspired sci-fi epic, with Mecha and Godzilla-like creatures battling it out over the planet earth. meh… It had some great action and VFX, but story and acting was weak.
5. After Earth- An epic sci-fi with Will & Jaden Smith returning to our planet in the far future to find out what earth has become. Woah… this was bad. Now we know what Will Smith has become.
6. Oblivion- An epic sci-fi with Tom Cruise returning to our planet in the far future to find out what earth has become. Not so great… but there are some cool images and moments.
7. Star Trek Into Darkness- Watching what JJ Abrams has done with the Star Trek franchise has me all in a tizzy. Now instead of Kirk shouting "Khan!" he might be shouting "Cumberbatch!" It's bad when it should be good! Frustration!
8. To The Wonder- The next art house movie by film master Terrence Mallick. This one actually was pretty decent. It made my top 13 of the year.
9. Oldboy- the American remake of the original South Korean film, which was mind-blowingly cool.
10. The World's End- Simon & Nick get back together to round out the Blood & Ice Cream Trilogy. Should be fun! Edgar Wright never seems to disappoint, neither do Nick Frost or Simon Pegg.
11. World War Z- Billed as the zombie movie to end all zombie movies (which is starring Brad Pitt of course). Better than most thought it would be.
12. The Place Beyond the Pines- Gosling/Cianfrance pair up once again to give us another beautiful drama except this time with Gosling as a reckless motor-cycling bank robber! Yayy! Great film, albeit a tad long. But its good enough to warrant that extra length.
13. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III- Any comedy I can see with Bill Murray & Aubrey Plaza in it will interest me! Its kinda fun but not THAT special.
14. Anchorman: The Legend Continues- The Legend will hopefully get more respect this time around since most of the leads have become super-famous since then, especially Steve Carell.
15. The Evil Dead- This remake of the amazing classic debut film of the same name from Sam Raimi actually looks like it could be worth a watch, even with me not being a horror fan.
16. The Great Gatsby- Regardless of Hollywoods general disregard of Baz Luhrmann's films, I actually really dig his style and this one looks really interesting. Turned out to be pretty great and VERY interesting!!
17. Man of Steel- Looks like a fresh new perspective on the Superman saga by FX genius Zack Snyder. I think this one was the best super hero movie of the summer. There was some angst and some self-discovery going on, and buildings got demolished.
18. This is the End- Seems like NOT just another Seth Rogen comedy! Instead a whole cast of crazy comedy actors can add to the end of the world lampooning of the year. meh… I wasn't that turned on by it. I didn't think these famous people getting sent to hell was that shocking, or interesting and... for someone who seemed to read the Bible to get half of the plot you'd think they wouldn't totally miss the part on HOW you get to heaven.
19. Upstream Color- Could be an art house delight from the director of the breakaway debut film "Primer". It was definitely an art house delight for me! My second favorite film of the year! I hope Shane Carruth makes more films! Quicker!
20. The Heat- A McCarthy & Bullock team up which should offer some side-splitting craziness! It was fun but not a great movie by any means.
21. Kick Ass 2- I loved the first Kick Ass which really had such bright, vivid superhero characters. Hopefully, this one will not disappoint.
22. Riddick- I have a soft spot for the Riddick franchise even though Diesel is the weak part for me. Another excuse to enter into that same world again is really exciting.
23. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- I read the books and even though the first film was awkward I still love the story and what they might do with this film interpretation of a really unique franchise. It was better than I thought it would be!
24. Iron Man 3- This franchise has been one of the best superhero franchises out there & this one should be no exception. Third best super hero movie of the year, after Thor 2.
25. Identity Thief- Another McCarthy movie being released this year except this one is with Jason Bateman. Should prove to be an exercise in hilarity! eh… not so much.
26.The Host- Even though this is written by the writer of the Twilight series, I found the trailers for this film intriguing and a very interesting concept. And I think they could really pull off this one with Saoirse in the drivers seat. Wow! That was worse than After Earth. That was BAD.
27. Warm Bodies- regardless of the fact that my short film "Death Do Us Part" has a similar story I really liked the clip that's been released online from the beginning of the film. Pretty decent film! It is definitely a film of merit this year!
28. Movie 43- A comedy that is as star-studded and as crazy as this one most be good, right? Wow, a real clunker of a film.
29. Thor: The Dark World- I'm interested in where Hemsworth will take Thor to in the second film of the franchise. Second best super hero film of the year after Man of Steel.
30. Despicable Me 2- I enjoy these kinds of silly animated films and last year there weren't enough of them around.
31. The Lone Ranger- I love Johnny Depp & Army Hammer, so my hope is that this will be even better than "The Pirates" movies. Better than many claimed. Its too bad the film bombed at the box office because it was a very decent interpretation of the Lone Ranger.
32. A Good Day to Die Hard- I actually really enjoyed the last Die Hard film and that Bruce Willis guy has still got that charming know-how to make it work.
33. Small Apartments- Looks like American breakout film for actor Matt Lucas, known for the hilarious BBC show "Little Britain". Not too shabby.
34. Wrong- another random and confusingly quirky film from director Quentin Dupieux, who made the strange film "Rubber" a few years back. A pretty silly film but not as memorable as "Rubber". Still, it is worth a watch.
35. Dead Man Down- an interesting, slick-looking revenge tale featuring Noomi Rapace, Colin Farrell & Terrence Howard. I was pretty unimpressed. The plot was not believable.
36. Jack the Giant Slayer- Fairy Tale goodness from director Bryan Singer.
37. The Last Stand- Could be a good return to fun action flicks for the "Governator". Eh, it was ok.
38. On the Road- I've been waiting for a good accurate adaptation of the classic stream of consciousness tale by locally loved Beatnik author, Jack Kerouac, and this looks like it might do the trick. Nope.
39. 21 and Over- Looks like a college coming of age party movie that might actually get me to crack a smile, since typically that kind of film bores me to tears. I wasn't bored to tears but afterwards it left my memory. Oh well.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Jon's Top Twelve of 2012
Why the top twelve? Well it sounds good... But also, there were so many great films this year I had to up the ante to make room for more. At this rate, I will add an extra film to the list every year until 2020. So here we are, the top 12!
1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure - Dir. Peter Jackson
The Hobbit is a well deserved second chance at visiting Middle Earth for Peter Jackson. This is where he really gets to share his mutual love of this fantasy world with all of us & regardless of all the negative reviews I've heard lately about the Hobbit from bloggers or soon to be bloggers (who apparently can't just sit back and enjoy themselves while watching movies anymore), I enjoyed every second of this film.
The only problem in my view is his desire to change things to a heightened frame rate. I saw it in 48/fps and in the traditional 24. I didn't like the 48 as it rendered a very video look to it that was uncomfortable for me. But let's get this straight... this in no way reflects on the movie badly. The movie by itself without the 48 is a masterful film, full of Middle Earth goodness and all the great beats of Tolkien's classic stories is there... redemption, sacrifice, humility, the simple things in life and all of the evil forces pitted against Middle Earth as well.
I found it difficult after watching this film, to listen to reviewers say they didn't like the added reminders of The Lord of the Rings in this film. What? Are you serious? It made it so much better, it added to the story and the context of the film, and it was super fun to watch! Believe me, I know the book, but I know this is a film... And I am so grateful that we will be getting even MORE of a good thing in all three of these films! Peter Jackson proves he can make every single frame of his movie sing with a deep beautiful ancient Dwarven melody. I loved it and had to watch it more than once. Maybe some people just don't enjoy spending time in Middle Earth, but that's the most they can rightly say against this film.
2. The Avengers - Dir. Joss Wedon
I absolutely loved this film! I was a close contender for first place this year! Considering the great challenges just to make this film I was so blown away by the final product! It is now, in my view the very BEST superhero film ever made!
3. Django Unchained - Dir. Quentin Tarantino
One of his best works, although I am still partial to Kill Bill myself. There is a deep, subversive, exploitation goodness to this film. Unless you can really understand & enjoy subversive films I do not recommend this to you. But I have heard from a lot of people that their politics can't seem to let them enjoy this film. My view on that is if it won't let you, you have been way too political in your life and it is time to learn to just sit down and enjoy a film for what it is, instead of what your ideology says it is 'supposed to be'. So, are you okay with banning Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn because the 'N' word is in them? Sorry, you should not watch this movie.
4. Prometheus - Dir. Ridley Scott
I must, again, differ with reviewers on this one. Reviewers often get it in their heads as to what a film is 'supposed to be' just like 'political types' do. This movie did not give them what they wanted on a silver platter. But, if you just enjoy being in this sci-fi universe Ridley created, understanding where he came from with Alien, etc, this is a great offering to supplement that same universe.
No, it does not give a lot of answers. Since when was that a requirement of good storytelling? Quite the opposite. He did not make all of his crew intelligent or perfect in their actions or motivations. Since when has THAT been a requirement as well?
In fact, if we go into the horror genre itself, we see that characters are RARELY doing the 'intelligent thing'! Horror films are basically Greek tragedies. Hence, the huge mistakes they make, to create even larger problems which climaxes into a ridiculous, huge problem for everyone. These days we rarely even get a hero to save us in the end of our modern Greek tragedies. This is just normal in these stories in order to make the point they are wanting to make to the audience.
I am, also, a major lover of Production Design as a large element of what makes up a great film because I love very original, world building films. This movie is a beautiful work of art in its design, its sets, its costumes, etc. The world it creates is masterfully fantastical and gorgeous! That counts for something in my book and it SHOULD count for a lot more in other people's books as well.
5. Looper - Dir. Rian Johnson
Another masterful sci-fi this year. This film finds an amazing balance between story, character & setting to give one of the blow away performances of the year! Some really nice anime inspired scenes in the third act to throw us for a looper... errr a loop.
6. Skyfall - Dir. Sam Mendes
For a James Bond film to be one of the best of the year has been unheard of for more than two decades, excepting only 'Casino Royale' in my opinion. This film has the classy Bond feel along with new, exotic locations and regardless of what people say about the story ending flat I have to disagree. The ending set piece at the Skyfall Estate will prove to be one of the most memorable and seminal sequences in James Bond history! A must see for any Bond or Bourne fans out there!
7. Chronicle - Dir. Josh Trank
I struggled a lot with this film because I wanted to put it higher on the list. It has a special place for me as a new kind of superhero film. The acting wasn't perfect but pretty solid. The found footage element of the film was extremely well thought out and very well executed. I hated the last scene of the film where he flies to Nepal. Quite silly. There were a few of these kinds of cheesy moments that seemed out of place but for all the things that were amazing about this film, it makes up for these issues in spades!
8. Moonrise Kingdom - Dir. Wes Anderson
This was another film I struggled to put at the top of this list and I have a very special place in my heart for Wes' films. This one proves to be his best work in my opinion. Full of heart, creativity, quirk, and quaint romanticism. Loved it!
9. The Dark Knight Rises - Dir. Chris Nolan
I expected more of Chris Nolan this year with this film. It has huge plot holes. Unrealistic action. Grandiose gestures that mean almost nothing. But despite all of this it proves to be an enigmatic masterpiece of superhero angst that threatens to rewrite the Bruce Wayne legacy... And no one seems to mind in the slightest because we all had so much fun watching it!
10. The Invisible War - Dir. Kirby Dick
Now we have to bring it down a bit. This film just might change your life. I could save it or end it. If you are a woman and you are considering entering into military service YOU MUST WATCH THIS FILM FIRST! This film blew me into little bitty pieces on the floor and told me I was a dirty, bad and disgusting person. I did not enjoy watching this film and this is exactly WHY this film is important and needs to be seen by everyone. Period.
11. Raid: Redemption - Dir. Gareth Evans
A must watch for anyone who likes action or martial arts films! This guys almost redefine the action/fighting film with new ideas that could terrorize you in your sleep! Not that this is a horror film... But it IS a holy terror to those who feel they've seen everything that action or martial arts films have to offer. I enjoyed it, but there is not much character development or character arc in this movie... it is all crazy action!
12. Cabin in the Woods - Dir. Drew Goddard
Speaking of horror... (LOL) this is a must watch for any horror lover out there! This film may just ruin every experience with your favorite horror flicks for all time. Why is horror what it is? Why do characters in horror always do the WRONG thing? Why do horror lovers love horror? This movie might just answer all of these questions in a way you never thought could be answered... and do it with a smile.
Honorable Mention:
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Seven Psychopaths
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Compliance
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
End of Watch
Jack Reacher
Dredd
The Watch
The Grey
There were, no doubt, some films that could have stolen the top positions here on my list if ONLY I had actually watched them!
Movies I Should Have Seen Already from 2012 (But Didn't):
West of Memphis
Yelling to the Sky
Rust & Bone
Killer Joe
I might amend this list once I see these films... Speaking of which, the best of from last year (2011) could also be amended by now since most of the films I never got to see on that list I have actually seen now. We will see if I have time to update that post. Happy watching and see ya next year for the top 13 of 2013!
1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure - Dir. Peter Jackson
The Hobbit is a well deserved second chance at visiting Middle Earth for Peter Jackson. This is where he really gets to share his mutual love of this fantasy world with all of us & regardless of all the negative reviews I've heard lately about the Hobbit from bloggers or soon to be bloggers (who apparently can't just sit back and enjoy themselves while watching movies anymore), I enjoyed every second of this film.
The only problem in my view is his desire to change things to a heightened frame rate. I saw it in 48/fps and in the traditional 24. I didn't like the 48 as it rendered a very video look to it that was uncomfortable for me. But let's get this straight... this in no way reflects on the movie badly. The movie by itself without the 48 is a masterful film, full of Middle Earth goodness and all the great beats of Tolkien's classic stories is there... redemption, sacrifice, humility, the simple things in life and all of the evil forces pitted against Middle Earth as well.
I found it difficult after watching this film, to listen to reviewers say they didn't like the added reminders of The Lord of the Rings in this film. What? Are you serious? It made it so much better, it added to the story and the context of the film, and it was super fun to watch! Believe me, I know the book, but I know this is a film... And I am so grateful that we will be getting even MORE of a good thing in all three of these films! Peter Jackson proves he can make every single frame of his movie sing with a deep beautiful ancient Dwarven melody. I loved it and had to watch it more than once. Maybe some people just don't enjoy spending time in Middle Earth, but that's the most they can rightly say against this film.
2. The Avengers - Dir. Joss Wedon
I absolutely loved this film! I was a close contender for first place this year! Considering the great challenges just to make this film I was so blown away by the final product! It is now, in my view the very BEST superhero film ever made!
3. Django Unchained - Dir. Quentin Tarantino
One of his best works, although I am still partial to Kill Bill myself. There is a deep, subversive, exploitation goodness to this film. Unless you can really understand & enjoy subversive films I do not recommend this to you. But I have heard from a lot of people that their politics can't seem to let them enjoy this film. My view on that is if it won't let you, you have been way too political in your life and it is time to learn to just sit down and enjoy a film for what it is, instead of what your ideology says it is 'supposed to be'. So, are you okay with banning Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn because the 'N' word is in them? Sorry, you should not watch this movie.
4. Prometheus - Dir. Ridley Scott
I must, again, differ with reviewers on this one. Reviewers often get it in their heads as to what a film is 'supposed to be' just like 'political types' do. This movie did not give them what they wanted on a silver platter. But, if you just enjoy being in this sci-fi universe Ridley created, understanding where he came from with Alien, etc, this is a great offering to supplement that same universe.
No, it does not give a lot of answers. Since when was that a requirement of good storytelling? Quite the opposite. He did not make all of his crew intelligent or perfect in their actions or motivations. Since when has THAT been a requirement as well?
In fact, if we go into the horror genre itself, we see that characters are RARELY doing the 'intelligent thing'! Horror films are basically Greek tragedies. Hence, the huge mistakes they make, to create even larger problems which climaxes into a ridiculous, huge problem for everyone. These days we rarely even get a hero to save us in the end of our modern Greek tragedies. This is just normal in these stories in order to make the point they are wanting to make to the audience.
I am, also, a major lover of Production Design as a large element of what makes up a great film because I love very original, world building films. This movie is a beautiful work of art in its design, its sets, its costumes, etc. The world it creates is masterfully fantastical and gorgeous! That counts for something in my book and it SHOULD count for a lot more in other people's books as well.
5. Looper - Dir. Rian Johnson
Another masterful sci-fi this year. This film finds an amazing balance between story, character & setting to give one of the blow away performances of the year! Some really nice anime inspired scenes in the third act to throw us for a looper... errr a loop.
6. Skyfall - Dir. Sam Mendes
For a James Bond film to be one of the best of the year has been unheard of for more than two decades, excepting only 'Casino Royale' in my opinion. This film has the classy Bond feel along with new, exotic locations and regardless of what people say about the story ending flat I have to disagree. The ending set piece at the Skyfall Estate will prove to be one of the most memorable and seminal sequences in James Bond history! A must see for any Bond or Bourne fans out there!
7. Chronicle - Dir. Josh Trank
I struggled a lot with this film because I wanted to put it higher on the list. It has a special place for me as a new kind of superhero film. The acting wasn't perfect but pretty solid. The found footage element of the film was extremely well thought out and very well executed. I hated the last scene of the film where he flies to Nepal. Quite silly. There were a few of these kinds of cheesy moments that seemed out of place but for all the things that were amazing about this film, it makes up for these issues in spades!
8. Moonrise Kingdom - Dir. Wes Anderson
This was another film I struggled to put at the top of this list and I have a very special place in my heart for Wes' films. This one proves to be his best work in my opinion. Full of heart, creativity, quirk, and quaint romanticism. Loved it!
9. The Dark Knight Rises - Dir. Chris Nolan
I expected more of Chris Nolan this year with this film. It has huge plot holes. Unrealistic action. Grandiose gestures that mean almost nothing. But despite all of this it proves to be an enigmatic masterpiece of superhero angst that threatens to rewrite the Bruce Wayne legacy... And no one seems to mind in the slightest because we all had so much fun watching it!
10. The Invisible War - Dir. Kirby Dick
Now we have to bring it down a bit. This film just might change your life. I could save it or end it. If you are a woman and you are considering entering into military service YOU MUST WATCH THIS FILM FIRST! This film blew me into little bitty pieces on the floor and told me I was a dirty, bad and disgusting person. I did not enjoy watching this film and this is exactly WHY this film is important and needs to be seen by everyone. Period.
11. Raid: Redemption - Dir. Gareth Evans
A must watch for anyone who likes action or martial arts films! This guys almost redefine the action/fighting film with new ideas that could terrorize you in your sleep! Not that this is a horror film... But it IS a holy terror to those who feel they've seen everything that action or martial arts films have to offer. I enjoyed it, but there is not much character development or character arc in this movie... it is all crazy action!
12. Cabin in the Woods - Dir. Drew Goddard
Speaking of horror... (LOL) this is a must watch for any horror lover out there! This film may just ruin every experience with your favorite horror flicks for all time. Why is horror what it is? Why do characters in horror always do the WRONG thing? Why do horror lovers love horror? This movie might just answer all of these questions in a way you never thought could be answered... and do it with a smile.
Honorable Mention:
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Seven Psychopaths
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Compliance
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
End of Watch
Jack Reacher
Dredd
The Watch
The Grey
There were, no doubt, some films that could have stolen the top positions here on my list if ONLY I had actually watched them!
Movies I Should Have Seen Already from 2012 (But Didn't):
West of Memphis
Yelling to the Sky
Rust & Bone
Killer Joe
I might amend this list once I see these films... Speaking of which, the best of from last year (2011) could also be amended by now since most of the films I never got to see on that list I have actually seen now. We will see if I have time to update that post. Happy watching and see ya next year for the top 13 of 2013!
Update on 8/14/13: Many of the films I had not seen before have now been viewed and many of them I am sorry to say, do actually affect the results of my top twelve list. Also, some of the films on my list, I must admit, given the benefit of time, have soured on me. The current list is...
1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure
2. The Avengers
3. Life of Pi
4. Moonrise Kingdom
5. Les Miserables
6. Looper
7. Skyfall
8. The Dark Knight Rises
9. Prometheus
10. Chronicle
11. Cabin in the Woods
12. Silver Linings Playbook
Honorable Mention:
Django Unchained
The Invisible War
Raid: Redemption
Holy Motors
The Impossible
Zero Dark Thirty
Killing Them Softly
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Seven Psychopaths
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Compliance
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
End of Watch
Jack Reacher
Dredd
The Watch
The Grey
Seven Psychopaths
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Compliance
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
End of Watch
Jack Reacher
Dredd
The Watch
The Grey
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