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)

Top 10 Movie Heroes 2013: The most captivating protagonists in film this year.

Today, I'd like to look at the top 10 movie heroes of the year.

Criteria:
Anti-heroes count, as long as they're the protagonists
Must be a film from 2013. (duh)
No video game or television characters, that's a story for a different time.
Must be a specific character or group.
Spoilers ahead.

10. James Franco as Oscar Diggs aka "Oz" from Oz the Great and Powerful: In Sam Raimi's entertaining fantasy film, Franco portrays the charismatic, albeit deceitful magician "Oz", who, when sucked into a tornado and transported to the land of Oz, pretends to be a wizard and must protect the realm from evil. Oz may be a con artist, but he's still an underdog who I rooted for until the end. He's funny, charming, and deep, down, under all that deceptiveness, is actually a good guy.

9. Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker as Dominic Toretto and Brian O'Conner, respectively, from Fast & Furious 6: In the latest and most over-the-top installment in this already unrealistic (but very entertaining) movie series, Dom and Brian, with the help of the equally bad-ass Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), seek to take out a rogue group of car-racing criminals, a group which is essentially a dark mirror image of their own crew. Dom and Brian must face their pasts and confront new enemies as well as old friends. Despite the characters not having all that much depth, the two leads do their best in the roles, and their best is surprisingly good. These two leads are the heart of what makes the series work (aside from all the adrenaline-fueled action sequences), they're charismatic, and they have great chemistry together. Dom and Brian are two bad-ass guys who are equally as skilled in combat as they are behind the wheel of a car.

8. Simon Pegg as Gary King from The World's End: Even though Gary's a pathetic, manipulative man-child trying to relive his high school glory days in his late 30's, you can't help but love him. He's stubborn, selfish, ignorant, and stupid, but he's also charismatic, hilarious, and strangely likeable. His quest to finish a pub crawl in his home town (while fighting off alien robots) may have been a big selfish and very ill-conceived, and although he inadvertently causes (with the help of his buddies) the downfall of society as we know it, Gary King is a dim-witted antihero we can still empathize with, despite all his major flaws.

7. Tom Hanks as Richard Phillips from Captain Phillips: Hanks has portrayed two real-life people this year: Phillips, and Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks, I chose this performance for my list because Phillips truly is a hero. He saved almost all of his crew members from Somali pirates in 2009 when they raided his ship. Hanks is able to deliver all the raw emotion needed for the part in an extremely effective way, and the fact that Phillips was back at sea just one year after this traumatic incident took place is astounding.

6. Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, and David Koechner as Ron Burgundy, Brian Fantana, Brick Tamland, and Champ Kind, respectively, from Anchorman 2- The Legend Continues: These lovable but completely idiotic and obnoxious news team members from San Diego are back, and this time, they're in New York. Despite their many faults, namely: sexism, racism, alcoholism, temporary drug addiction, and general stupidity and incompetence, this news crew is determined to give America the news it wants to hear, not necessarily the news it needs to hear. But, when you live in a world as crazy and surreal as the Anchorman-universe, who can blame you? Ron Burgundy and his news team are stupid, bad at their jobs, and generally strange, but you can't help but root for them, and they definitely know how to "stay classy" at all times.

5. Martin Freeman and Sir Ian McKellen as Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, respectively, from The Hobbit- The Desolation of Smaug: In Peter Jackson's epic fantasy/adventure film, Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf accompany the company of dwarves to retake their home inside the Lonely Mountain from the malevolent dragon Smaug. Baggins is an underdog who you root for because he needs to prove himself not only to Gandalf, but to the company of dwarves, and to do that he needs to retrieve a precious stone from the gold-covered underground lair of Smaug, an action that could cost him his life. Gandalf, despite having a very minor role, is a wise old wizard who separates from the company of dwarves to go and discover more about the Necromancer and his army of dark followers, an act that could end of being equally as dangerous, if not more dangerous than Bilbo's quest. With their surprising amount of courage and strength, Gandalf and Bilbo prove to their foes that they are more than what they seem.

4. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark aka Iron Man from Iron Man 3: In this film, Tony unfortunately has PTSD after the climax of The Avengers, where New York was attacked by Loki and a ton of aliens and Tony had a terrifying near-death experience. In the midst of all this, he's also having relationship problems with Pepper, his good friend Happy Hogan is hospitalized after a freak explosion in L.A., and he must face off against his arch-nemesis The Mandarin (a powerful, mysterious, and elusive terrorist) and his small army of fire-powered and seemingly indestructible Extremis thugs. However, all this drama doesn't ware on Tony too much, as he still maintains his keen intellect, arrogance, and sharp wit and humor. Tony Stark is stripped of everything in this film, but he's able to overcome all these challenges and take on The Mandarin and his Extremis-powered soldiers, all while spouting insults and witty remarks at his enemies.

3. Hugh Jackman as Logan aka Wolverine from The Wolverine: Another Marvel film in which the titular hero is stripped of his powers and must overcome seemingly impossible odds. In this movie, the brooding and immortal Wolverine travels to Japan to visit a powerful but elderly businessman who wants Logan to share his immortality with him. When Logan refuses, all hell breaks loose: the businessman dies, the businessman's daughter is put in danger, ninja assassins want to kill him, and the businessman's sinister assistant Viper begins to hunt him down; but worst of all, Logan seems to be losing his powers, making him equally as vulnerable as the average human. Despite being far more vulnerable in this movie, Logan is no less fierce or dangerous, and he proves to his new adversaries he is a force to be reckoned with, all while facing his past and showing a more emotional side than before. Logan is tough, jaded, and a stone-cold killer, but can also be compassionate and caring when he needs to be.

2. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and many others as James T. Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the Enterprise from Star Trek-Into Darkness: Jim Kirk, Mr. Spock, Sulu, Chekov, Scotty, Uhura, Bones, and Dr. Carol Marcus are all very likeable protagonists and are the heart and soul of this film series. Kirk is a womanizing, charming, and reckless captain who, although quite intelligent, sometimes acts before he thinks. Spock is a highly intelligent, logical, and strong Vulcan and valued member of the crew. Both these two together make the perfect duo to lead the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, and together make the perfect foes for Khan. All three are equally intelligent, and Spock is the physical match for him. Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew are lovable, heroic, and funny characters who you love seeing take down alien adversaries and who you want to see overcome obstacles such as defeating Khan and the corrupt Admiral Marcus.

1. Henry Cavill as Kal-El aka Clark Kent aka Superman from Man of Steel: In Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan's reimagining of the character, Kal-El is a little darker than before, but no less iconic or heroic. Although being a little more emotional than we've seen him in previous entries, Kal-El is still the same bad-ass superhero that we've become accustomed to. He literally embodies the role in a way no one has done since Christopher Reeve. He's got this look to him that just says "Superman". He also is able to give us a darker, more emotionally complex look at the character than ever before, and makes the implausible Superman character more grounded in reality, despite all the alien superpower stuff. Kal-El is not only an extremely powerful being, but also compassionate, kind, and composed, and is the embodiment of all that is good (despite some flaws), the almost perfect hero.

Honorable mentions:
Charlie Hunnam as Raleigh Becket from Pacific Rim
Chris Hemsworth as Thor from Thor-The Dark World
Tom Hiddleston as Loki from Thor-The Dark World (anti-hero)
Matt Damon as Max De Costa from Elysium
Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup from 12 Years a Slave
Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodruff from Dallas Buyers Club
Steve Carrel as Gru (voice) from Despicable Me 2
John Goodman and Billy Crystal as Sully and Mike, respectively, (voices) from Monsters University
Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson from 42
Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin from Ender's Game
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Christian Bale as Irving Rosenfeld  from American Hustle (anti-hero)
James McAvoy as Simon Newton from Trance (anti-hero)
Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield from The Hobbit-The Desolation of Smaug
Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman from The Hobbit- The Desolation of Smaug
Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lily as Legolas and Tauriel, respectively, from The Hobbit- The Desolation of Smaug
Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone from Gravity
Jared Leto as Rayon from Dallas Buyers Club
Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl as James Hunt and Niki Lauda, respectively, from Rush
Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal as Keller Dover (anti-hero) and Detective David Loki, respectively, from Prisoners
Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane from World War Z
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jon Martello, Jr. from Don Jon
Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha as The Wolf Pack from The Hangover Part III
Colin Farrell as Lazlo Kerrick aka Victor from Dead Man Down
Leonardo Di Caprio as Jordan Belfort from The Wolf of Wall Street
Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne as Josh and Renai Lambert from Insidious- Chapter 2
Lin Shaye as Elise Ranier from Insidious- Chapter 2
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren from The Conjuring
Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Michael Pena, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Patrick, and Anthony Mackie as the LAPD "Gangster Squad" from Gangster Squad
Bruce Willis as Frank Moses from RED 2
Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, and James Franco as themselves in This is the End

 (Images: bringmethenews.com, collider.com, upi.com, kulfoto.com, marvel.wikia.com, spidercule.blogspot.com, neverfeltbetter.wordpress.com)