Top 10 Guilty Pleasure Movies: My favorite "so-bad-they're-good" movies

Today, I figured I'd list my favorite "guilty pleasure" movies. FYI: if you didn't know this already, a "guilty pleasure" film is a movie that's so cheesy, stupid, or shitty (or all three), it becomes funny and you can't help but like it. It can also be something that you're nostalgic about, and therefore can't totally hate as an adult, no matter how silly or bad it may seem now. Guilty pleasures can be applied to really anything people love: music, video games, books, comics, TV shows, even food.

Criteria:
No movies that I genuinely hate (that's a given)
Based on personal opinion

10. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers- The Movie: Now this is something that's an example of the nostalgia kind of guilty pleasure. I used to love watching this movie when I was young, like really young, around maybe 4 or 5. As I got older, like most people, I grew out of the Power Rangers phase around age 6 or 7. However, this movie (and the franchise in general) is great to watch as an adult for a good laugh. The laughable plot, acting that's either phoned-in or extremely hammy, terribly written dialogue, immature and unthreatening villains, and shitty CGI and prosthetics are the main reasons most people hate this movie, but it's also the reason many people enjoy re-watching it just for the nostalgia and laugh factors. Seriously, how can you not help but laugh at the over-the-top bad guy, who basically looks like Emperor Palpatine with a purple paint-job, who also manages to be even more cheesy than Palpatine. He chews scenery like there's no tomorrow. Trust me, just watch the movie, it's hard to not at least smirk at it.

9. Transformers: Michael Bay's over-the-top and sometimes mind-numbingly stupid big-screen adaptation of the popular 80's cartoon was a huge hit at the box office, but critics denounce it as being mindless drivel that panders to dumb teens and young kids. Although the main human characters are terribly written and, as far as acting goes, they phoned-it-in for every single performance. Not to mention the accusations of racism because of the film's juvenile humor, which sometimes uses racial stereotypes as the basis for its' jokes. But I like it because of the pretty entertaining action sequences and the awesome voice work on the robots themselves, including Hugo Weaving as Megatron and the return of Peter Cullen as the voice of Optimus Prime. However, the two sequels are just garbage, they're not so-bad-they're-good, they're so-bad-they're-fucking-unbearable.

8. Stephen King's IT: This two-part television miniseries from 1990 holds many people in it's grip of fear: tons of people I've talked to say how this movie traumatized them as a kid because of Tim Curry's terrifying performance as the demonic entity that takes the form of a killer clown. So, I finally mustered up the courage to watch it when I was 10, and... it's all bullshit. I just can't imagine why people are afraid of this shit, I mean, yeah, one of the scenes in the second episode involving "IT" disguised as an elderly woman is pretty unsettling, and the main theme is creepy, but other than that, it's not fucking scary. The adult actors aren't bad, they are just cast in dull roles with nothing really to work with. The special effects are what you'd expect from a TV movie from 1990, they're shit, involving bad stop-motion and even worse prosthetics. But what really makes this one a guilty pleasure is Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown (the main villain). Holy shit, this guy knows how to ham it up just right. Channeling his comedic side from his Rocky Horror days, Curry just goes crazy in this role. He's hilarious, he just goofs around and does random shit in the background of such scenes and the cheesy and self-aware way he delivers such lines as "Beep, beep Ritchie!" and "We all float down here!" is just priceless. I can't believe people found this guy scary. (I mean, maybe when you're like five or something, but to still be fearful in your twenties and thirties is just ridiculous.)

7. The Fifth Element: Luc Besson's slick, thrilling, colorful, stylized, energetic, and slightly self-aware and comedic sci-fi/action is a good watch if you love science fiction, comedy, or cheesy 90's action films. The design of the world is familiar and has some things that we have in our world (McDonalds, New York cabbies, obnoxious celebrities), but is just different enough. Some of the customs and practices of the people in this world are pretty strange and foreign to us, so it's fascinating from that perspective. What makes this a "guilty pleasure" is the over-the-top action sequences, the annoying as hell but also mildly amusing supporting character played by Chris Tucker, and the scenery chewing and just plain weird bad guy played by the great Gary Oldman, who previously played the terrifying villain in Besson's Leon: The Professional. Despite the stunning visuals, impressive special effects, and cool hero (played by the bad-ass Bruce Willis), many people hate on this movie for the three things I just listed, which for me, are actually "so-bad-they're-funny" qualities. This is also a bit of a nostalgia thing, as I used to really like this movie when I was a young kid.

6.  Con Air: Simon West and Jerry Bruckheimer's adrenaline-fueled, star-studded action film starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and John Malkovich is incredibly cheesy and over-the-top, but also extremely entertaining and exhilarating. Even though Cage is a bit bland as the main hero (and also has a terrible hair cut), at least he tones down the crazy for this movie. On the other hand, Malkovich is perfect because he cranks the over-the-top insanity to eleven as the villain: Cyrus "The Virus". This movie is another one I liked when I was younger, like 11 or 12, and it's one I still turn on once-in-a-while for simple nostalgia or for a 90's action movie fix.

5. Starship Troopers: Paul Verhoeven's crazy and extremely gory sci-fi action film/satire was panned for it's wooden acing, one-dimensional characters, and over-reliance on gore and shock value, but many people missed the point. The reason all the characters are bland and under-developed, the acting is bad, and the film is over-reliant on graphic violence is because the film is a satire on both the American military and society in general, but also on cheesy and over-the-top 80's and early 90's action films. The film is essentially a parody of itself, and that's what's great about it. Plus, the CGI monsters are actually really scary and well-animated, so that's a plus.

4. Dumb and Dumber and The Cable Guy (tie): Both of these Jim Carrey movies are pretty good, despite some critical backlash. The former is one that everyone's seen at one point or another, some hate it, others love it. It was a huge box office success, and although it's extremely over-the-top, goofy, and sophomoric, it's still a pretty good comedy if you like that kind of thing. The second one is a film a lot of people hate on, and I don't know why. Sure it's dark and weird and a bit creepy, but it's also funny, a bit surreal, and even a little touching, in an odd sort of way. Its' underrated in my opinion.

3. Signs: Despite having mixed reviews, I still enjoy this M. Night Shyamalan alien movie. Despite some laughable moments and plot holes, (Aliens who mastered space travel can't break through boarded-up basement doors, and travelled to a planet covered with the only thing that hurts them: water? Come on!) this movie is pretty enjoyable. It has some good scares, some good CGI, and an ominous feel to it. Despite the sometimes awkward dialogue, bad child actors, bland alien design, and dumb plot twist, I still think Signs is one of Shyamalan's better movies, but definitely not his best (Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense are far superior), but it's also not the worst (The Last Airbender holds that title).

2. Joel Schumacher's Batman films (Batman Forever and Batman & Robin): I used to like these movies... then I turned eight. These movies are the epitome of cheesy, with hammy acting, bad costume design, sets that are way too flashy and colorful, and laughable villains. However, if you're bored and want to watch something that will entertain you and make you laugh your ass off at its' sheer stupidity, then pop one of these in. You and your buddies can even turn it into a fun drinking game. A word of warning though: if you play a Batman & Robin drinking game, don't make it a rule that you have to take a shot every time Arnold Schwarzenegger makes an ice-related pun, because you'll be dead before the credits, as your blood will be 99.9% alcohol. Other than that you should be good.

Before I unveil the number one pick, here are some honorable mentions:
Judge Dredd
Pirates of the Caribbean sequels (excluding the fourth film, that's just a terrible movie)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Friday the 13th (2009)
Death to Smoochy
Tommy Boy
Black Sheep (2006)
Black Sheep (1996)
Braindead (aka Dead-Alive)
The Evil Dead trilogy
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
Tomb Raider film series
Top Gun
Austin Powers trilogy
The Mask
Stephen King's The Tommyknockers
Stephen King's The Langoliers
Stardust
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (for sheer stupidity)
Independence Day
Star Wars prequels (for sheer stupidity)
Mortal Kombat
Highlander
Children of the Corn
Spider-Man 3
X-Men: The Last Stand

1. The Room: Tommy Wiseau's hilariously bad "drama" has been dubbed "the Citizen Kane of bad movies". Greg Sestero's entertaining book The Disaster Artist is a novel I'm reading right now, and it's as hilarious as this movie. It chronicles the troubled production of this film, and the author's personal relationship with the producer, director, writer, and star of the movie: Tommy Wiseau, an incredibly strange and awkward man from a foreign country whose origins are mysterious. Room fans have theorized Wiseau is actually an alien based on his strange behavior and how odd and fucked-up his movie turned out. From the numerous unresolved plot threads, to awful dialogue and acting, to the uncomfortable-to-watch sex scenes, to even the camerawork and lighting, almost everything about the movie is terrible, but in a charming way, and you can't help but burst out laughing hearing the delivery of the film's lines by it's stars, especially Wiseau himself, whose peculiar accent makes everything he says sound incredibly weird and funny. The Room is a disastrous masterpiece, a great example of how not to make a movie.

 (Images: Wikipedia)

Top 5 Games of 2013: My favorite video games of the year.

Now, before I start this list, I'll admit, I haven't had the chance to play too many major or independent gaming titles this year, so this list is a bit short, however, I think most people could agree, more or less, with my selections, so without further delay, the list:

5. Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty- Ghosts (tie): Both these popular franchises were given new installments this year. The former is EA's masterful first-person shooter that revolutionizes what war games are all about: lots of impressive action set-pieces and incredibly fun online multiplayer. This game perfects both, and raises the bar on what an FPS action game should be like. The latter is Infinity Ward, Activision, and Square Enix's latest installment in the increasingly mediocre Call of Duty franchise. Despite the fact that Black Ops II and Modern Warfare 3 are both excellent games, they still let a lot of fans hoping for more. I wasn't expecting much from this latest game, but it was a pleasant surprise. It has all the things that made earlier installments such as Modern Warfare 2 so great: fantastic action sequences, awesome weapons, and fun multi-player maps, and it's a breath of fresh air for this slowly dying action franchise.

4. Grand Theft Auto V: Rockstar kept fans, myself included, waiting in anticipation for the next game in their successful crime/action/satire franchise. Sure, L.A. Noire was awesome, and Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3 were nearly perfect, but none of those matched the fun and excitement of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Finally, last fall we were able to play Rockstar's highly anticipated fifth installment in the GTA series. Although some activities in the game (like surfing the Internet or playing tennis) seem pointless to include as part of a crime game, the city of Los Santos is so expansive and incredibly detailed, you can't help but be in awe. This puts even the fantastic Grand Theft Auto IV to shame. No wonder it took the developers five years to create this game. Even though some of the characters are a bit under-developed, sometimes the game's pacing is off, and some of the side-missions are incredibly boring and tedious, GTA V is a ton of fun. When you finally do a mission like robbing a bank, taking out a SWAT team, or fighting off some thugs during a car chase, it's exhilarating, adrenaline-fueled, and even a bit frustrating. And if you look closely, you can find some humorous touches to the crazy city of Los Santos: for instance, if you surf the Internet or listen to talk radio in the game, almost everything you see, watch, and hear is a parody or satire of something in the real world. Rockstar mocks everything from celebrities, to radio DJs, to cartoons, to reality TV, to fast food restaurants, and even other video games. But my personal favorite, especially when I'm bored with nothing to do, I pick up the game, and just free-roam, cause some mayhem, because that's one of the best things about this game, freedom: you can do anything, customize your character and vehicles, and buy up whatever you want: property, items, weapons, drugs, etc. And that's pretty fucking awesome.

3. Tomb Raider and Batman- Arkham Origins (tie): Both of these games were action-packed prequels to groundbreaking game franchises, and I loved them both. The first is Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics' gritty and violent prequel to the Tomb Raider series, showing a younger, more naïve Lara Croft become the survivalist and adventurer she is. The game smartly blends quick-time action with Uncharted-esque set-pieces that makes this entry not only more innovative and brutal, but also more cinematic than previous entries in the franchise. This game also takes a more realistic approach to the series, and is more focused on character development and survival tactics than explosive set-pieces and fell-fledged gun battles (although this has enough of those to keep action-obsessed gamers satisfied). The second game is Warner Bros. Montreal's prequel to Rocksteady's incredible Arkham franchise. Although not as satisfying as its' predecessors, Arkham Origins still delivers enough comic book action, detective work, and stealth-based sequences to keep Batman fans like myself happy. The voice acting (especially by the two leads: Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker) is absolutely amazing, and the action sequences are thrilling and intense, despite some of the boss battles feeling a bit lackluster; even the musical score by Christopher Drake is excellent. The game also has a map twice the size and scope of Arkham City's, and incorporates a fast travel system. The game also features more detective work, and introduces a mechanic where you re-build a crime or murder scene to figure out exactly how a victim was killed. This game packs in a ton of fan-favorite villains, like The Joker, Black Mask, The Penguin, Firefly, Bane, Deathstroke, and Killer Croc, as well as some lesser-known ones like Anarky, Lady Shiva, Copperhead, and Electrocutioner. The game has a ton of side-missions to complete, including a long one tracking down a mysterious hacker nicknamed "Enigma" (it's not a big surprise who that guy turns out to be), and numerous murders to solve and smaller crimes to stop along the way. Overall, this is a game that was a tad disappointing, but I definitely wouldn't miss out on it, and it's one I'll probably play several times over in the near future.

2. BioShock Infinite: Irrational and 2K Games' incredible and visionary project may not be directly connected to it's predecessors (which took place in the hellish underwater dystopia of Rapture), but it certainly shares some obvious connections, including themes about self-identification, human psychology and philosophy and how it affects behavior, god complexes, and the nature of and relationship between good and evil. The visuals are absolutely beautiful (I'm talking about graphics and surroundings here, because some of the events in this game are horrifying to witness), the characters are three-dimensional, complex, and well-developed, the music is great, and the plot is astoundingly complex for a videogame. The game mechanics are cool, including the Skyhook, which can help the player travel between locations, and provides some help during gun fights and action scenes. Despite the fact that the action sequences are fantastic and intense, it's the quieter moments between characters that make this game so great. The two leads (Booker and Elizabeth) have fantastic chemistry, and you really relate to them as if they're real people, not just animated characters (which is because of the fantastic writing, and also the voice talents of Troy Baker and Courtnee Draper). Not to mention the ending: it continues the BioShock tradition of having a crazy, unexpected plot twist that completely changes the way a player looks at the game upon a second playing, but this one takes it to the next level, it even makes the fantastic twist in the original BioShock look predictable and simple, and that's a pretty big accomplishment.

Before I reveal the number one pick, here are some honorable mentions:
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (I'm gonna be honest, never got around to playing this entry in this great series, but I've heard a lot of good things)
Outlast
DmC: Devil May Cry
MLB 13: The Show
Madden 25
The Wolf Among Us (doesn't count, as only the first episode of this five-episode miniseries came out in 2013, still a great game, though)
Dead Space 3
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
Crysis 3

1. The Last of Us: Naughty Dog took a break from the pulpy, fun action of their fantastic Uncharted series to make a darker, bloodier, grittier game. Revolving around two relatable characters surviving a horrific apocalypse (brought on by a the outbreak of a deadly disease that turns people into fungus-covered zombie-like creatures), this game is a more dramatic and brutal game than Naughty Dog has produced before. The two lead voice actors (Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson) are amazing, and bring these characters to life. Like Tomb Raider, The Last of Us has a lot of intense and violent action sequences which employ a lot of survival and stealth tactics (unlike Uncharted, which goes for the more direct approach of explosive gun fights), but also focuses on themes like human nature, and how constant exposure to gruesome violence and having to survive affects the human psyche. The graphics are stunning and extremely realistic, everything from the slight grayness of the character Joel's hair, to the light reflecting in people's eyes, to the nasty textures of the zombies' fungus-covered flesh, every detail is perfected, no matter how gruesome or how beautiful. The music is subtle, but effective, and the gameplay is perfect, ranging from something as simple as hunting deer with a bow and arrow to something as complex as holding down a fortress against a horde of zombies with nothing but some bombs and limited amounts of ammo. The relationships between the characters is what drives the story, and you slowly but surely grow on them as the game progresses, and you fear for them as the story gets more bleak and horrifying, which leads to an intense climax which may leave some gamers divided on some of the choices the characters make, but I found it very satisfying and a fitting conclusion the game, considering the tone and content. The Last of Us is an incredible action/horror game which explores dark and complex themes, has some extremely well-written characters, insanely good graphics, and some great action sequences, as well as an emotional storyline about survival in a dog-eat-dog world. It's not just the best game of the year, it may be one of the best games of all time.
 (Images: Wikipedia)

Top 25 BEST Movies of 2013: The most entertaining, thoughtful, and well-made films of the past year.

Today, I look back on the year in reflection, and list off what I feel are the best films of the year. This was tough, as so many great movies have come out this year. Again, this is a bit longer than last year's, which means I've seen even more great films than I did last year. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to see everything I wanted, some big ones you won't see on this list are: Nebraska, Her, The Place Beyond the Pines, The Fifth Estate, Inside Llewyn Davis, Frances Haa, Fruitvale Station, Philomena, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Blue Jasmine, The Bling Ring, Before Midnight, August: Osage County, Blue is the Warmest Color, The Hunt, The Square, Stoker, Spring Breakers, The Iceman, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and Out of the Furnace. Well, without further delay, I present the top 25 films of the year. (Mild SPOILERS)

25. Side Effects: Steven Soderbergh's final film may not be the best last project as a director, but as a stand-alone film (without all the hype of it being his last film) it's excellent. An intriguing and well-executed tale of lies and deceit surrounding a murder trial, it serves as both an excellent murder mystery/thriller as well as an examination of how medicine affects one's psyche, if at all. Rooney Mara and Jude Law are definitely the stand-outs of the film, and both play their roles extremely convincingly, with moments of real, raw emotion. This was profoundly effective, as, at the time this came out (early February), I hadn't seen too many good movies, as January is the worst month to see movies, so this was a pleasant surprise. The writing is excellent, the camerawork is fantastic, and Soderbergh brings his signature style to this psychological thriller.

24. The Hunger Games- Catching Fire: This second installment in the popular teen romance/science fiction/thriller franchise was really surprising, considering the fact I wasn't the hugest fan of the first film. Jennifer Lawrence is excellent (no surprise there), and the supporting cast (including the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman) were surprisingly good as well. This film has a darker, more serious tone than the previous, and spends less time focusing on the games themselves (they only take up about 30 minutes of the film), and more on the development of the characters and the effects the events of the first film have on them and on the world they live in. This is one of those rare sequels that is far superior to the original.

23. Iron Man 3: Even though it's not nearly as good as the first film or The Avengers (or even Iron Man 2), this superhero epic still packs enough action, comedy, and insanely good special effects to make the list. Even though the film maintains the series' humor, it takes a decidedly darker, more serious tone. Shane Black (writer of Lethal Weapon and director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) helms this film, but Jon Favreau stays on as an actor and producer. Black brings some of his trademarks to the series (like the Christmastime setting), and he brings a new flavor to the series. This installment definitely feels a bit different, like how instead of the title appearing on screen in gold lettering (like in the two previous films), it doesn't appear until the end (in a 60's TV show-esque credits sequence), and is stylized as "Iron Man Three". Little changes like that make this one feel fresh and new, and that's something I haven't seen in a while: a superhero film that breaks tradition and gives a breath of fresh air into the genre, despite all it's flaws. And yes the whole Mandarin plot twist halfway through the film is a crock of shit, and that's why this film is a little low on the list, but other than that, I really enjoyed this movie: it's fun, fast-paced, and exciting, and for a superhero film, that's pretty impressive, especially considering how many shit superhero and actions films there are these days.

22. Pacific Rim: Guillermo del Toro takes a break from horror/fantasy films to make a fun, Power Rangers-esque movie where the military of the future must use giant robots (codenamed "Jagers") to combat against reptilian creatures (codenamed "Kaiju"), which come into our world from a portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. This movie is just kick-ass. It's got awesome fights between robots and monsters (these thrilling sequences put Transformers to shame), some humor (mostly due to the supporting characters played by Charlie Day and Burn Gorman), and slick cinematography. The CGI is absolutely incredible, and Guillermo made some good choices when it came to how to approach the tone of the film: he wanted it to be serious, but not too cynical or dark, he still wanted it to be fun and exciting; he didn't want the female character to be a "sex kitten" (or sexually objectified character), he wanted her to be somewhat attractive, but also to have a real personality and for the audience to like her. I really have to compliment him on that. Even though this is different than most of his films (even the superhero film Hellboy is a bit different than this film), he still kept some of his signatures, like the Lovecraftian-looking creatures, and the casting of Ron Perlman in a supporting role. Mr. del Toro, I commend you for being able to pull this movie off: it's smart, funny, action-packed, has good writing and fleshed-out characters, and is just dark enough to be taken seriously. That's pretty much a perfect blockbuster.

21. Frozen: This acclaimed animated film not only has beautiful animation and some good supporting characters, but also is one of the better animated films of the past five years. Although the villain is very lackluster and the whole climax is pretty rushed, the film is overall really good. The best characters are definitely Olaf and Oaken (the latter of which only has one scene). To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of the film's music (despite the fact it was done by the musical team behind excellent Broadway comedies like The Book of Mormon and Avenue Q), and luckily, the musical numbers are short and there's not too many of them. Besides that, I really enjoyed this movie, and, according to aggregator sites like RottenTomatoes, most people agree that this is definitely worth a few viewings.

20. Prisoners and Rush (tie): I couldn't decide between these two, so I gave them each their own spot. One is a dark and disturbing thriller/drama about a father obsessed with finding his missing daughters at any cost, which also follows a highly intelligent detective who's on the same case. Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Paul Dano all do a fantastic job in this twisted, raw film that doesn't hold back at all. It's gruesome, dark, and very realistic, which is why I believe it's so effective. The second film is Ron Howard's film about the real-life rivalry and friendship between two legendary Formula One drivers: James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Chris Hemsworth puts his action hero persona aside and fills a more dramatic role alongside Peter Bruhl, who gives an amazing performance. The shining moment of this inspirational true sports story is Bruhl's powerful ending monologue, which sums up what makes the film interesting: the respect these two rivals have for one another, and how far they go to be the best.

19. The Heat: Paul Feig's buddy cop comedy is not only hilarious, it's also somewhat touching in it's portrayal of the two leads as sort of foster sisters to each other. Melissa McCarthy continues to prove she is one of the funniest female actors working today, and she definitely is the best part of the movie, she's foul-mouthed, stubborn, crazy, breaks the rules, belittles her superiors, and is a bad-ass cop. It may not be as good as The Other Guys or Hot Fuzz, but this movie is action-packed, hysterical, and a tugs at the heart-strings a bit, and that's quite and accomplishment, especially when you think about how many shitty comedies there are these days.

18. This Is the End: This self-deprecating comedy about the Biblical apocalypse has enough movie references and pop culture jokes to keep any cinephile happy, and the main actors do a fantastic job mocking themselves. This very original film is not only hilarious, but also has some creepy elements in it, such as demonic possession, tribes of cannibals, and hellish monsters. An uproariously funny horror-comedy, This is the End not only makes fun of it's stars and most of Hollywood, but also shows the touching friendship between the two main characters: Jay and Seth, and how they stick together through the worst situations, whether it be dealing with a possessed Jonah Hill, a cannibal tribe led by Danny McBride, or an encounter with Satan incarnate.

17. The Conjuring and Insidious-Chapter 2 (tie): Both of these are terrifying James Wan horror films involving the supernatural (and both star Patrick Wilson, and in both films he has a pretty attractive wife). The former is based on a real-life case (one of the few "based on a true story" films that's actually based on a true story), and is all the more horrifying because of it. It's a pretty authentic movie, and is very reminiscent of classic 70s ghost films (and it takes place in the 1970s). The music is a little too similar to the Insidious score, but they do have the same composer, so that's not a huge surprise. The makeup, practical effects, and camerawork are superb, props to you James Wan. And as if that wasn't enough, his next project, a sequel to his hit film Insidious, came out only a few months later. This film has a little more in common with The Conjuring than the first Insidious. It's more grounded in reality than the first movie (despite the ghost segments), and the villains are terrifying and eerie. The makeup and prosthetics, as well as the cinematography, music, and special effects are all extremely well-executed, and this is one of the few sequels to be on par with the original.

16. American Hustle: David O. Russell's latest film is an expertly crafted crime-comedy/drama which is inspired by actual events and people. Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner, and Jennifer Lawrence really shine in this excellent movie about con men, which won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress- Musical or Comedy (Lawrence), Best Actress- Musical or Comedy (Adams), and Best Picture- Musical or Comedy. If those three awards don't convince you to check this out, then you have a problem. As for me, I loved it, and look forward to seeing it again.

15. The Wolf of Wall Street: Martin Scorsese's black comedy/drama about Wall Street corruption and indulgence is extremely entertaining, with a great cast headed by Leonardo DiCaprio (who won the Golden Globe for Best Actor- Musical or Comedy). Jonah Hill also pulls off a more dramatic role this time around, which he showed he could do in 2011's Moneyball, but he still is able to deliver tons of laughs as he and Leo go on several drug-fuelled misadventures involving stock markets, corruption, and Quaaludes. However, if black comedies aren't for you, then don't see this one, this is as dark as they get. If you hate long movies, skip this one, too: it's exactly 3 hours long. Also, if you're a prude about swearing and nudity, this one probably isn't for you either. It had to be edited down from an NC-17 rating for graphic sex, and it broke the record for uses of the expletive "fuck" (or related words like "fucker" or "fucking"): over 500 times, breaking the record held by Spike Lee's Summer of Sam. However, if you can get past all the cussing, constant graphic sex and drug abuse and drinking, then I guarantee you'll enjoy this crazy true story about one man's unbelievable climb to power on Wall Street. I definitely did.

14. Monsters University: Although this Pixar film isn't as good as it's predecessor, it definitely was enjoyable and gave me a feeling of nostalgia, after all, Monsters Inc. was one of the first films I saw in a theater. It holds a special place in my heart, like many things I saw when I was young, it brings me back every time I see it, so I was skeptical of this one at first. However, the people at Pixar swung me. With a star-studded cast, some of whom returned from the original (Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, etc.), this film made the wise decision to focus more on Mike than Sully this time around. It's now more of an underdog story, because when the original film began, Sully and Mike were already the top employees at their workplace, here, Sully is still the top dog, but Mike is constantly disrespected and belittled for his unthreatening appearance. This film has a bit of a different feel from the original, which isn't a bad thing, but still maintains faithful to the overall tone of the first movie. I would definitely recommend checking out this movie if you loved the first one or are generally a fan of Pixar.

13. The Wolverine: In this surprisingly entertaining superhero film (based on the beloved comic book limited series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller), which branches X-Men: The Last Stand with the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past, and which discards the previous Wolverine film, Wolverine must deal with the loss of his powers and must use his hunting and tracking skills, brute strength, and more intelligent side to stop some treacherous foes in Japan. Showing the more human side of Wolverine while exploring his psyche, this film is a darker, more serious X-Men film, more similar to the tone of the first two films, but also packs in a good amount of exhilarating action sequences, including an excellent fight atop a bullet train, and an epic final battle between Logan and the villains inside a mountaintop fortress. James Mangold has crafted a very entertaining and more in-depth Wolverine movie than I've seen before, and the ending of this film perfectly sets up the much-anticipated Days of Future Past film coming out this summer.

12. The Way, Way Back: This coming-of-age-dramedy is definitely one of the better comedies of the year, and one of the more touching films I've seen this year. An underdog story about an awkward young teen finding his place during a stay at a beach house with his mom and her douchebag boyfriend during the summer, this movie has an amazing cast, and a talented writing team behind it. The entire movie has this charm and appeal to it that's just mesmerizing, and the story is not only very compelling, but some moments make you a bit teary-eyed. This is one of the few movies this year that has made shed a tear.

11. Gravity: In Alfonso Cuaron's stunning space thriller, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney must survive the barren and desolate conditions of space all while attempting to get back to Earth after their transport is destroyed. This film is not only extremely intense (it keeps you on the edge-of-your-seat for almost the entire run-time), but also has some heart-wrenching dramatic moments (like when Bullock tells a harrowing story about her daughter), and has some of the best cinematography I've ever seen. The realism of this film is astounding, and its' authenticity is undeniable. The unbelievably great cinematography and incredible sound design create the feeling that you are actually in space with these characters, and you can't help but root for them to get home. There's pretty much no music for this movie, creating a feeling of awkward tension, as if you're expecting something awful to happen at any second (which I was). I was worried about Bullock carrying this movie mostly by herself, and although at times it was obviously hard (as that's a lot of pressure for an actor), but I thought she actually kept it together and did a great job, I really have to compliment her for that. Gravity is just an amazing technical feat, and even more than that, its' a profoundly effective film, and the ending makes you almost want to cheer.

10. 42 and Lee Daniels' The Butler (tie): Both these films are emotionally gripping real-life stories about African-Americans fighting for respect in a world that doesn't appreciate or love them based on the color of their skin. The first is the story of baseball player Jackie Robinson, who went from playing small-time games with his friends to becoming one of the most respected and admired athletes to ever live. Chadwick Boseman's performance is amazing, especially coming from a relatively unknown actor. Harrison Ford also gives a very good performance as the team executive of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Christopher Meloni appears as the Dodgers' manager, and Alan Tudyk appears in a brief role as the despicable and racist manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. This film is not only inspirational and moving, but also is pretty accurate as far as history goes. The second film chronicles the life of an African-American butler named Cecil Gaines, who works in the White House, and serves under many different presidents. The film has a huge all-star cast, and features Oprah Winfrey and David Oyelowo is main roles. Forest Whitaker plays Cecil, and gives one of the best performances of his career, almost as good as his performances in Ghost Dog, The Shield, and The Last King of Scotland. It's a powerful story that shows the evolution of the United States during the 20th Century from the perspective of one man and his family.

9. Trance: Danny Boyle's slick and twisted psychological thriller may look like just another Inception knock-off, but I can assure you it's anything but. Boyle's dark and complex film is packed with grisly violence, nudity, swearing, and has some crazy plot twists. The film is like a jigsaw puzzle that the viewers have to solve along with the characters, and just when you think you've got it all figured out, it changes everything you think you know. The three main characters seem like typical characters at first: hero, villain, love interest, but as Boyle peels back the layers of each one, they're revealed to be completely different than you thought, and are less cut-and-dry and black-and-white, and more shades of gray. A perplexing and interesting thriller, Trance is full of surprises.

8. Anchorman 2- The Legend Continues: Finally, after almost a decade of anticipation, I was able to finally see the sequel to one of my favorite comedy films. Will Ferrell and the cast haven't lost it after 9 years, and they don't spend the whole time retreading jokes from the original (even though they do it a few times), but actually do some new stuff like having Ron Burgundy move to New York City, get a new catchphrase, get new rivals and some new friends, and raise a shark named Doby from birth. The movie is not only insanely funny and over-the-top, it also has just the right amount of absurdity and surrealism to make it feel like it takes place in some crazy alternate reality. This was definitely worth the wait.

7. Dallas Buyers Club: This tragic true story about AIDS patient Ron Woodruff is extremely powerful and bold. Stars Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto have already gotten Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards, and the film is now nominated for several Oscars including Best Picture. McConaughey gives a gut-wrenching performance as the bigoted redneck Woodruff, who slowly evolves into a more accepting and caring human being due to his experiences with AIDS. Leto turns in yet another mesmerizing performance as the cross-dresser Rayon. Leto is a true chameleon, physically molding himself to fit each role he accepts. Jennifer Garner and Denis O'Hare fill in supporting roles, and both are excellent as well. This may be the best movie McConaughey has ever done, and this is also, without a doubt, one of Leto's best as well.

6. Man of Steel: Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan's collaboration could have been hit-or-miss. Luckily, at least in my opinion, it was a definite hit. Despite some people thinking some of the changes they made (such as the way the villain dies, and the way Superman's dad dies) ruined the movie for them, I felt like they weren't all that bad, and the villain's death can actually be viewed as a good decision, especially the way the filmmakers chose to handle Superman's reaction to it. This movie is definitely one of the better superhero films of the past few years, and is one of the best action films this year. The rousing musical score, the special effects, intense action sequences, exploration of Superman's psyche and past, and uplifting ending make Man of Steel enjoyable every time you see it.

5. The World's End: The final installment in the Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy is the best comedy of the year in my opinion. From the trio behind the previous two films (director and writer Edgar Wright, and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost), this film chronicles the journey of an old group of friends as they trek across their home town to finish an epic pub crawl, only to discover the town has been infested and taken over by alien robots. Combining comedy, science fiction, and the apocalypse, this British film has something for everyone: cool fight sequences, funny dialogue and situations, and some real drama, as the main character must learn to accept that his glory days of high school are over.

4. 12 Years a Slave: In Steve McQueen's stomach-churning, disturbing, and emotionally grueling historical drama, an all-star cast led tell the tale of a free black man being kidnapped, taken away from his family, and sold into slavery for 12 years. The cinematography, writing, and music are all fantastic, but the best aspect of this film is the incredible acting. The performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, and Michael Fassbender in particular are superb and captivating, with lots of raw, intense emotion. This movie is truly one of the most graphic and powerful portrayals of slavery that I have ever seen put to celluloid.

3. Captain Phillips: In Paul Greengrass' thrilling drama based on true events, Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi lead an amazing cast in retelling a story of survival and courage. The film is incredibly tense and keeps your heart racing wondering what's going to happen next. Even though you know that Phillips makes it out alive, you can't help but be scared for him. However, the film's made the smart choice to also portray the pirates who take Phillips captive in an empathetic light, showing that they don't like what they're doing, but are forced into it by war lords and by the poverty they live in. A powerhouse film about a brave man who risked it all to save his crew, Captain Phillips definitely constitutes several viewings.

2. The Hobbit- The Desolation of Smaug: Peter Jackson delivers yet another grand interpretation of the epic fantasy story that is Tolkien's Middle-Earth. Sir Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lily, Orlando Bloom, and Benedict Cumberbatch lead a massive cast (which includes Lee Pace and Stephen Fry) in this highly entertaining fantasy adventure film. The cinematography and locations are amazingly beautiful, Peter Jackson always gets the best locations for these films. The design of this world, including costumes, weapons, creatures, and structures, is intricately detailed and its' incredible to think about how much work went into it all. The performances are really good, and the entire sequence involving the company of dwarves' encounter with Smaug the dragon is extremely entertaining, and his conversation with Bilbo is very tense and frightening, and sometimes a bit humorous. Even the ending song ("I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran) was excellent. The only complaint: the massive cliffhanger at the end, that kind of pissed me off.

Well, I couldn't include everything, so here are so honorable mentions:
Ender's Game
Despicable Me 2
The Family
You're Next
Evil Dead
Dead Man Down
Oz the Great and Powerful
World War Z
The Croods
The Great Gatsby
The Hangover Part III
Fast & Furious 6 (just for cheesiness factor)
Elysium
Carrie
Thor: The Dark World
Don Jon

1. Star Trek- Into Darkness: This movie took everything I loved about the first movie and made it even better. Everything, from the adrenaline-fueled action sequences, to the likeable characters, to the threatening villains, to the musical score, is taken to the next level with this superior sequel. The main characters have to face even more challenges this time around, facing off against a mysterious and extremely dangerous new foe (played Benedict Cumberbatch, who is a perfect fit for the role) as well as dealing with more responsibilities in Starfleet. J.J. Abrams' masterful science fiction action movie is definitely the best movie of the year because it's not only entertaining and exhilarating, but also thoughtful and compelling, with a somewhat sympathetic villain and an ending that leaves the door open for more excellent sequels. I loved it and I'm sure anyone who sees it will, too.

 (Images: Wikipedia)

Top 12 Most Disappointing/Worst Movies of 2013: The most atrocious and underwhleming films of the year.

Now, you may have noticed the list is a bit longer than last year's, well, I, unfortunately, have seen even more bad/disappointing movies than I did the previous year. Fortunately, I didn't see too many, as I haven't seen The Smurfs 2, InAPPropriate Comedy, or Mama. The list will function just like last year's, I will start off with films that I felt were disappointing/mediocre, but not all-around awful, then move on to what I consider the worst.

12. The Purge: This hyped-up science fiction/horror-thriller had a pretty laughable premise to begin with, only made worse by it's very thin plot and acting that ranges from too stoic to too over-the-top. Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, and Edwin Hodge are the stand-outs of the film, but even they can barely work with the material. It's even more disappointing considering the entire "home-invasion" portion, you know, the whole selling point of the film, lasts about 15 minutes. It's not the worst film out there, but it's devoid of scares (except those creepy masks the villains where) and thrills (besides some short fights during the home invasion). The film was turned into a very scary Halloween Horror Nights scare-zone, so that's a plus. A sequel is in the works, hopefully that one is better, hopefully.

11. The Lone Ranger: I wasn't really expecting much from this 2 and a half-hour popcorn movie based off a western TV show and radio character from 50 years ago, but I didn't really hate it. It's got some fun bits, but overall it leaves you feeling like you wasted a good chunk of your time. Some parts leave you with your jaw dropped at their stupidity and complete lack of any realism, and some portions of the film stretch on and on, leaving you bored beyond belief, and the subplot involving the little boy talking to an elderly Tonto makes no sense and has absolutely no payoff whatsoever. Again, not the worst film of the year, but pretty bad.

10. Riddick: After waiting so long for the return of Riddick to the big screen, I can certainly say I was disappointed by this boring, pointless sequel that basically rehashes the best scene of Pitch Black and just shoves The Chronicles of Riddick aside. Seriously, it barely connects back to that movie, you can pretty much watch this movie without seeing the previous one and just fill in the blanks. Vin Diesel does his best, and he still can pull off the character of Riddick really well, but even he can't help these movie. Katee Sackhoff's in it, though, so that helps a little. Just a little, though. Although I didn't completely hate this movie, I can definitely say it wasn't anything special and is yet another disappointing third installment, as if there weren't enough of those: Superman III, Batman Forever, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, etc.

9. G.I. Joe- Retaliation: Even though this isn't nearly as bad as the first Joe film or the two Transformers sequels, it's still a pretty dumb movie. Dwayne Johnson is the best part, mainly because he's a very charismatic action star, and the rest of the cast, even people like Channing Tatum (who has a very small role), Bruce Willis (who shows up in the third act), and Ray Stevenson, fall very short of even decent, and are extremely bland and forgettable. Packed with nauseating CG-packed action scenes and with a plot that barely follows the story set up at the end of the first film, this makes me hope that the studio will never green-light another G.I. Joe film, or at least, never green-light one from this production team.

8. Grown Ups 2: Yet another shitty comedy film from Adam Sandler. Dude, what happened. What happened to stuff like Happy Gilmore and Punch-Drunk Love? Even in recent years you've had some good ones, like Funny People or Hotel Transylvania. Mr. Sandler, one the off-chance you're reading this, stop making these crappy, gross-out comedy films with way too many celebrity cameos, and stop and think: how do you want people to remember your career: the comedian who had a good run on SNL, and made some good movies, or the money-hungry producer/actor who churned out bad movie after bad movie, year after year, just to make a quick buck. Think about it. As for the movie itself, it's one of the worst comedies of the year. The obvious jokes, the stupid characters, the hammy acting, the paper-thin plot, everything about this movie is awful, the one good thing I can say about it is that they tried to do something new with the jokes. But even Rob Schneider didn't want to be in this movie, and if that doesn't tell you that this movie is horseshit, then I don't know what will. But, to be fair, I didn't hate it as much as I hated other films on this list, after all, we still have 7 more slots to go.

7. After Earth: This Will Smith vehicle is just another example of how far M. Night Shyamalan has fallen, as "YourMovieSucks" on YouTube pointed out (paraphrasing) "he went from people lining up around the block because his name was on the movie poster, to people refusing to see it because his name was on the poster". M. Night, what the fuck has happened to you? There's a reason his name didn't appear in any of the promotional material: for one, the movie was actually Smith's idea, he just approached M. Night with the directing job, the major one, though, is that everyone has hated Shyamalan ever since The Village. And Lady in the Water, The Happening, and the god-awful Last Airbender (which pissed off the entire fan-base of the animated series it's based on) haven't helped either. But the main problem with the film isn't M. Night, as I said, the movie wasn't his idea, so he didn't write it, no the main problem is that the acting is almost devoid of emotion, the CG is just okay, the whole plot isn't that plausible, and the explanation for why humans left Earth behind is very bland and doesn't go into any detail at all. The movie manages to make the usually charming and likeable Will Smith unrelatable and robotic, and he's basically crippled for the whole movie, so the movie switches focus to his uninteresting son. Apologies to Jaden Smith, he was good in The Karate Kid and I'm sure he's a really great guy, but he lacks the charisma and acting talent of his father, so I think this whole movie was a bit of a mistake. It was probably a cool father/son project, but overall, I felt it could've been done a lot better. A lot better.

6. Hansel & Gretel- Witch Hunters: Although my original review was positive, upon further inspection, this movie is really just a very dumb popcorn movie with some cool visuals, and that's it. Despite boasting a pretty good cast, the whole film feels like the whole crew, including the writing staff, said "Fuck it, who gives a shit, it's a January movie, people are dumb, they eat this shit up." And they were right, my initial reaction was to eat this shit up, because it has some cool action sequences and a lot of gore, and a lot of my friends that it was awesome, but upon further viewing, I just found the whole thing rather stupid. The only thing I can really say is it has some creepy-looking witches, a decent amount of gore and action, and some cool visuals. Other than that, it's a piece of shit, and I'd say skip it, unless it's in one of those clearance bins you find in video stores or Targets. Then I guess you could buy it for like 5 bucks.

5. R.I.P.D.: This Men in Black/Ghostbusters rip-off doesn't even come close to capturing the fun of those two movies. The CG is shit, the action scenes are just awful and devoid of all thrills, the duo have no chemistry, and the humor is very forced. The best part of the movie is Jeff Bridges, and even he can't make this movie any better. Kevin Bacon is a very boring and very unoriginal villain, and the plot twist (SPOILERS) that he's actually a "deado", or renegade ghost, makes no real sense. Ryan Reynolds may be great in comedies, but he's a terrible action hero. I'm sorry, but there's nothing about him that suggests that he can pull off the action hero role. It's like if Jason Bateman or Charlie Day tried to pull off an action hero part, it's just not what they do, they're just not fit for it. The whole movie feels far too short, and the story doesn't feel grand enough for a summer blockbuster. I'm surprised this wasn't shoved back to January where it belongs.

4. The Last Exorcism- Part II: It's pretty strange that a sequel to a found-footage movie is shot like a regular movie. That alone made me kind of question how this horror film was gonna play out. I saw it with my buddy and we laughed our asses off: the worst possible reaction you can have to a horror movie, or any movie that takes itself seriously. The first movie was just okay, but at least it had some good scares in it, despite the over-the-top ending (which I actually kind of liked), but this movie makes it look like a modern masterpiece. The ending was a let-down, (SPOILERS) because the main character makes an extremely selfish decision that basically destroys all of humanity to save herself. Talk about being unlikeable. Seriously, what a fucking bitch. The plot is laughable, the "scary" parts produces uncontrollable, hysterical laughter rather than uncontrollable, hysterical screaming, and the main character makes several selfish and stupid decisions that make her very unlikeable, she fits the "too dumb to live" trope really well.

3. Scary Movie V: The latest in this god-awful "comedy" series, this time it stars Ashley Tisdale and a slew of other actors who have now lost all credibility. The film is not just unfunny, it doesn't seem to understand that a spoof or parody film has to be subtle, and actually make fun of the thing it's lampooning, and pay some homage to the source material, some good examples are: Airplane!, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The Other Guys, How It Should Have Ended (web series), Team America: World Police, The Naked Gun, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the list goes on. All these films, no matter how absurdist they can be, still act as if they should be taken seriously (part of what makes them funny), which this film (and the rest of the films in this franchise for that matter) seems lost on. All the actors chew the scenery at every opportunity, and they seem to think just referencing different popular movies is the same as actually making fun of them. Although it got two or three small laughs out of me, it's a shitty, shitty movie that doesn't deserve to even be referred to as a comedy, it has no talent behind it, and it's obvious the filmmakers didn't actually care about it, they just knew dumb teens and grade-schoolers would eat it up. And they were right. I certainly hope this is the last of this heinous series.

2. Movie 43: I actually only saw half of this piece of shit, and several clips of the second half, but that really told me all I need to know about this one. The film boasts an impressive cast, which was actually acquired by the producers luring in these actors by showing them how many other famous actors were in it, without actually telling them what the movie was about. These poor actors then had to humiliate themselves by starring in short "comedy" segments, each of which is even more disgustingly offensive and unfunny as the last. Yet another comedy that is confused about humor: it, like many others nowadays, thinks being gross and offensive and being legitimately funny are the same fucking thing. They're not the same, you fucking idiots! It's so bad, it makes you angry just thinking about it. Every skit is just an awkward, weird, gross mess, none of which are funny. There's even one starring Richard Gere that involved the accidental castration of several teens, what's remotely humorous about that?! The only one that even had a chance of being funny stars Terrence Howard as a basketball coach telling his all-black team (who are facing off against a primarily white team) that they don't need a game-plan: "You're black, they're white, this ain't hockey!" Now that part in the trailer was mildly amusing, until the entire sketch is just a continuous repeat of the same fucking joke, same fucking line, over and over and over again. It's like the world's most annoying broken record, they don't just beat a dead horse in this part, they fucking go to town on the dead horse until it's non-existent. They just obliterate it. For more info. on how terrible this atrocity against the medium of film is, check out Chris Stuckmann's YouTube video, linked here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7knF4qBaCDg Now, you may be wondering, how is this not #1? What could possibly be worse than Movie 43? Well, I'll tell you.


1. A Good Day to Die Hard: Even though, from an overall perspective, this isn't as bad as Scary Movie V or Movie 43, it's the worst for me because it really destroyed one of my favorite action movie franchises: Die Hard. People give the PG-13 Live Free or Die Hard a lot of shit, but compared to this piece of absolute fucking garbage, it's one of the best in the series. This film not only has no memorable villain, the plot is very thin, Jai Courtney's portrayal of John McClane's son is just horrendous, and McClane himself isn't present. Oh, they say he's in the movie, but really it's just Bruce Willis not giving a shit for 90 minutes, almost like they're dangling his paycheck just to the side of the camera. The director, John Moore, is known for his bad track record, including directing the abomination called The Omen remake back in 2006, and 2008's Max Payne, which pissed off the entire fan-base of the video game series it was based on, myself included. Moore's latest effort has ruined yet another franchise, there's talks of a sixth film on the way, and I would be excited, except this film squandered any excitement I might have felt regarding the series. The action scenes defy physics and reality in general, the CGI looks like something CorridorDigital on YouTube could accomplish better (but check those guys out, they're really good), the villains are so bland and forgettable you don't even remember their names or their evil goals (even Timothy Olyphant in the fourth film was more memorable than this), and the whole movie is far too short at just 97 minutes long. Just to see how much I despised this movie, see my review from last year, which was basically just a long list of expletives followed by a few complaints, then more swearing. Also, go watch Chris Stuckmann's reaction/analysis on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mJqDiCu6eA. A Good Day to Die Hard doesn't deserve to be called a Die Hard film: John Moore, I'm sure you're a nice guy, but fuck you for ruining this movie franchise for me. Seriously, fuck you.

Runner-ups (these were disappointing, but not bad enough to make the list): Identity Thief, Oblivion, The Lords of Salem, Last Vegas, We're the Millers, The Last Stand.

Runner-ups (these are films that were awful, but not quite awful enough): A Haunted House, Texas Chainsaw 3D.

 (Images: Wikipedia)

Philip Seymour Hoffman: Rest In Peace

I know I'm really late on this, but I've been very busy, and I felt like I had to make a post on this topic eventually. As pretty much everyone knows, Philip Seymour Hoffman is dead. He tragically was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on Super Bowl Sunday (February 2), apparently he died from a drug overdose. If anyone does not know he Mr. Hoffman was, The New York Times said Hoffman was "perhaps the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation", that alone should let you know how important he was to the film and theater community. He has had roles in many critically acclaimed and/or successful films, such as Capote (which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor), 25th Hour, Red Dragon, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Cold Mountain, Moneyball, The Ides of March, Syncehdone New York, Mission: Impossible III, Mary and Max, Owning Mahowny, Charlie Wilson's War, Happiness, Doubt, The Big Lebowski, Scent of a Woman, The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and Almost Famous. One of his earliest roles was a supporting role in Twister. He was also known for his repeated collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson, all of which were critically acclaimed: Magnolia, The Master, Boogie Nights, and Punch-Drunk Love. His roles were always characterized by their complexity, and he was always willing to do something new: many of the characters he portrayed were vastly different personality-wise, and he pulled all of them off perfectly. He was an actor who knew exactly when to go over-the-top, when to stay subtle, when to do the right thing: a true master of the craft. He was almost like a character chameleon: his face would always remain the same, but he would always completely become immersed in his roles, and all of them were very unique and intriguing. Philip Seymour Hoffman was an astoundingly talented actor, and it's tragic that he is dead at only 46. He will be dearly missed not only by his loved ones, but by the entire film and theater community.
  
                                                        Philip Seymour Hoffman
                                                           1967-2014 (age: 46)
 
                                              (Image: Wikipedia)

12 Years a Slave: Steve McQueen's powerful, but upsetting, historical drama

Today, I look at what is, undoubtedly, one of the best films of 2013.

12 Years a Slave:
In 1841, Solomon Northup, a free black family man and skilled musician living in Saratoga Springs, New York, is given a tempting job offer from two charming businessmen by the names of Brown and Hamilton. Unfortunately, the get Solomon extremely drunk, and he wakes up, about to be sold into slavery with several other black people. Despite his pleas and claims that he is in fact a free man, the slavers beat him into submission, and dub him "Platt", an escaped Georgian slave. He is shipped off to Louisiana via boat, and so begins his long and harrowing time as a slave in the South. Now, after seeing this film win Best Picture at the Golden Globes, and seeing several cast members nominated for other awards, I knew I had to see it. I finally got the chance this Monday, and I must say, it is one of the best films of 2013, by far. Chiwetel Ejiofor isn't a particularly well-known actor, only appearing in supporting or minor roles in films such as Amistad, 2012, Serenity, and Children of Men, but I can't imagine people not wanting him in their films now. His performance as the abused and intelligent Solomon Northup is incredible, and the suffering he endures is unbearable to witness, and his eventual (semi-spoiler) escape is enough to make you shed a few tears of joy. Ejiofor definitely deserves the numerous nominations he has earned with this gut-wrenching and soulful performance. Another actor that deserves some commending is Lupita Nyong'o, who portrays female slave Patsey. She has a lot to work with, but she pulls it off really well. She's tough and hardened after years of servitude, but is also somewhat vulnerable and fragile, and she has some of the most stomach-churning scenes focused on her (including an uncomfortable quiet sex scene and a prolonged, climactic, and graphic whipping scene), as she is constantly raped and abused by her psychotic, Bible-thumping master. Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class, Prometheus, Fish Tank, 300, Shame, Inglorious Basterds), who previously worked with McQueen on the films Shame and Hunger, plays Edwin Epps, the film's main antagonist, and he is truly one of the most despicable and evil characters of the year, and he would definitely have appeared on my "Top 10 Villains of 2013" list had I seen this film earlier. His near constant abuse of his slaves is made even more unsettling by the fact that he justifies in his head, usually using religion. I really must give props to Fassbender for pulling off this role, as that must not have been easy to do. Epps is also shown to be a somewhat conflicted character, as he is this very strange love/hate relationship with Patsey: he constantly belittles, rapes, and abuses her, yet he insults his wife in front of all their slaves by saying he would choose Patsey over her if he had to. Speaking of wives, Epps' wife Mary is portrayed by Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story, American Gothic, Game Change), and she also plays a very sadistic and mean-spirited character. Mary is a very vindictive and jealous woman who abuses Patsey at every possible chance because of her husband's infatuation with her. She is not as abusive or crazy as Epps, but she's pretty close. Again, props to Paulson for pulling off such a tough role, as she typically plays heroines. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek- Into Darkness, War Horse, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) portrays William Ford, the master on the first plantation that Northup is sent to. Ford, despite being a slave owner, is actually not particularly cruel or mean to his slaves, and actually doesn't like seeing the uglier parts of the job (i.e. the abuse and suffering the slaves undergo). He actually has a rather close and friendly relationship with Northup, and gives him a violin as a gift within the first few weeks of Northup working for him. It would be easy for the filmmakers to just demonize the white slave owners, and rightfully so, but I think it was kind of interesting for them to show that not all of them were purely evil and insane, but that some of them could be decent, and it shows a more human side to them you don't typically see in this type of movie. Paul Dano (Looper, Ruby Sparks, Little Miss Sunshine, Being Flynn, There Will Be Blood, Prisoners) appears in a supporting role as John Tibeats, a carpenter who oversees the slaves on Ford's plantation. He constantly belittles and disrespects the slaves, especially Northup, whom he hold the most contempt for, as Northup is everything he's not: intelligent, skilled, and most of all, has the respect of Ford. Dano really shines in this supporting role, despite his character being an unlikeable prick, and I wish he would get more lead roles, as I think he's a very talented and very underrated actor. Brad Pitt (who served as a producer on the film) and Paul Giamatti have minor (borderline cameo) roles in the film. Pitt plays a Canadian man who opposes slavery and is kind to Northup, Giamatti plays the opposite: a greedy, extremely callous, and cruel slave-trader who sells Northup into slavery. Scoot McNairy (who previously worked with Pitt on Killing Them Softly) and Taran Killam (Saturday Night Live, Scrubs) play Brown and Hamilton, the upscale, but treacherous, businessmen who betray Northup and give him to slave-traders. Alfre Woodard and Quevenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) have minor roles in the film, and Bryan Batt (Mad Men) appears as a judge. Steve McQueen only has three films under his belt, and already I consider him one of the greatest directors of today. Already he's won numerous awards, and this film just shows he has a long and prosperous career ahead of him, and I predict his next project will be equally as good. John Ridley also must be given credit, he has penned an excellent and compelling emotional powerhouse of a screenplay, and he had equal part in creating this modern masterpiece. Hans Zimmer's musical score isn't as grand as his more famous ones, it's subtle but has a lot of emotion and gravitas, there's just something about it that moves you. This film is actually very authentic and accurate, many of the filming locations were actual plantations, and one was very close to where Northup was actually kept. The fact that it's based on Northup's own autobiography makes the violence seen on screen even more shocking and horrendous, as you know, pretty much for a fact, that the people on screen actually lived, and underwent this sort of inhumane torture (or inflicted it on others). It's hard to think that this is how black people as a whole were treated for a long time, it's just unpleasant and nasty. 12 Years a Slave is definitely one of the year's best (and most horrifying and disturbing) films, it's a very raw and realistic film that packs quite a punch, and has a fantastic cast and crew. The bittersweet ending is perfect, and it's hard not to get choked up or a little teary-eyed during it. It's a very powerful and emotionally grueling movie that really tugs on the heart strings. Not to mention the excellent writing, intriguing characters, fantastic cinematography, interesting musical score, and historically authenticity and attention to detail. The only flaw I can even think of is that in a few small spots the pacing's a bit slow, and that's not even a huge problem. And if all that's not enough to convince you, well, maybe the Golden Globe win for Best Picture will. 5/5 stars.

 (Image: Wikipedia)