Late to the Party: Behind the Candelabra (2013)

I was thinking earlier, why didn't I add this to my list good movies from 2013? It is a really good film but I forgot to mention it because I was going based on what movie tickets I kept to remember what I saw. It was a theatrical release everywhere else in the world but was released as an HBO movie in the US because they didn't think it would do well in the box office. I could agree with that, this movie seems smaller than something for a major theatrical release but bigger than a cheap TV movie. I think it works better as an independent film if anything.

Behind the Candelabra looks at the life of Liberace, played by Michael Douglas, and his relationship with his much younger lover, Scott Thorson, played by Matt Damon. The two fall  in love despite their differences in age and wealth. As their relationship grows, other people, and sometimes even themselves, begin to question their love for one another as they have their conflicts. Liberace tries to model Scott after him while others believe Scott is using him for his money. In turn, Scott resorts to drugs to escape from all the stress in the relationship. Although their relationship plummets, the couple still has admiration for one another that is unavoidable until Liberace's untimely death.

Despite it not getting a whole lot of attention, Behind the Candelabra is one of the best biographical films I have seen. The best part about it is that it looks at the other side of Liberace the world didn't see. On the outside, he is a bright, optimistic person. On the inside, he is buried in himself and helping others in order to gain their admiration. This begs the question what kind of person Liberace really was in the end.

Liberace was a very generous guy. He is also very open about his sexuality. He offers Scott to live with him, buys him is own house, clothes and jewelry and even pays for his plastic surgery to look more like him. He even says he wants not only to be a lover to him, but also a father figure he can look up to. Liberace also presented kindness to others, but mostly in the case of when he wants something. In the end, he was a very good manipulator. He knew how to gain sympathy from others and make them adore him only to probably break their heart in the end.

The whole film essentially questions if Scott is using Liberace in return. Though he makes several claims he is bisexual, there is question as to if he really was in love with Liberace. At first he seems very hesitant about being with him, he still accepts his gifts as he came from a poor background. As their relationship grows, Scott begins to expect these generous gifts from him as well as respect from the people that worked for him. When people outside their relationship try to dispute with them, they are in complete denial that they would hurt each other.

Their relationship does have an unfortunate ending. There is a large amount of distrust in one another that leads to their demise. Scott becomes restless with his life of luxury and resorts to heavy drug use that discomforts Liberace. Liberace's ego becomes so large that he suggests having an open relationship prior to cheating on him knowing that Scott could never leave no matter what he did.

Are either Scott or Liberace bad people? No. Fame and fortune got into their heads that made them believe that nothing bad could happen. Their lack of communication, honesty and commitment eventually lead to their end as it would for any relationship. Towards Liberace's death it does become apparent that they still have love for one another. Scott soon realizes that he has deep respect and admiration for him despite cheating on him. I feel like the initial focus for this film was to show that even though that this couple is a bit odd, they are still like any other couple with their conflicts.

Okay, enough with the analysis, time for an actual review. This movie isn't amazing, but it is pretty good in how thought provoking it is. Whether or not the story was accurate isn't what matters to me. I appreciated this film for their strong characters and story. The sets and costumes are also very much worth seeing in all their pure, rhinestone glitz.

Which brings me to the biggest thing about this film, the casting. Michael. Fucking. Douglas. as Liberace. Just say that out loud, Michael Douglas as Liberace. I remember seeing the cover of Entertainment Weekly with Douglas and Damon on the cover as their characters and I couldn't believe it.  Right away I knew this film was going to push boundaries. I was listening to my local radio station and they had co-star, Tom Papa, as a guest and he said it was pretty surreal seeing these mostly 'action' and 'macho' movie stars as these roles. That being said, Douglas does a great job in his role. There were some parts I forgot it was Douglas and it felt more like the real Liberace. Ranging from charismatic to dramatic made his character seem multidimensional. In comparison, Damon sort of seems bland. It is not entirely his fault, that's just how they were in real life. Liberace is entirely over-the-top while Scott blends into the background a little, at least in the beginning in the film. The supporting cast is just as great. Dan Aykroyd, Debbie Reynolds, and Tom Papa are great, although having smaller roles.

My one big complaint about this film is Rob Lowe. Just...why? I kept laughing at his face the entire time. I get the character had plastic surgery but Lowe was just trying way too damn hard. He looks like he's on a Saturday Night Live sketch instead and making a goofy face for laughs.

Other downsides to this film are pretty minor. The editing could have been done better. I felt like they should have taken more time in some parts. I wish they gone more in detail in Liberace's and Scott's lives as they are very interesting people. It seemed like several scenes were obviously cut from the film to make it more suitable for a television movie, even if it was HBO.

This movie is not for everyone. It does not hold back in telling the very personal and hidden life of Liberace. Therefore, there are some raunchy moments. If you're not easily offended, then I would definitely recommend this film if you ever have the opportunity. I feel it has some very important ideas that not too many films have brought up.  It takes a very enthusiastic person and looks at the other side of him and his very provocative and secret relationship.

Because too much of a good thing is wonderful.

Frozen

Frozen has gone through a theatrical run I have never seen before. The first week it did relatively bad, then it jumps to number one off and on throughout the month. I saw this 2 months after the release and the theater was still pretty crowded. I believe this movie gained more by word of mouth than it did with the actual marketing because it was awful.

Seeing the original concept art a year ago made me fairly confident in this film. It looked beautiful. Then the trailers came out and I had a lot of doubt for it, as did everyone else. It really looked like a kiddy version of Wicked and would go through so many cliches. This was mainly my list of predictions I had:

1.  Olaf would be the next Jar-Jar Binks or Mater
2. Some spur of the moment romance
3. Elsa would be this bitchy, bland villan
4. This would be Disney's attempt at Wicked and that's why they casted the two leads from that show.
5. Sven the reindeer would just be another Maximus from Tangled. 
6. Speaking of Tangled, it was just going to copy and paste a lot of the elements that worked well in that film. 

I really thought this movie would crash and burn. After hearing countless great things about it, I thought I would finally see it.  For the most part I was wrong. Frozen was pretty solid. I wouldn't go as far as to say it is as fantastic as Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid. It was good, but not super amazing. To put it this way, I don't know if I will willingly want to see this again. With most other Disney films, I can watch them a number of times and not get sick of them.

Possible spoilers! 

I know this is an animated film, but I couldn't get over questioning some of it. If Elsa and Anna pretty much lived in isolation their entire lives, wouldn't that have some negative effect on their social behavior? How would they be able to learn to interact with the public of they would eventually have to rule the kingdom? Why did they have to keep Elsa locked up for her powers and how did she even get them in the first place? When their parents died, it made Elsa very upset, so why didn't she start a eternal winter then? Why couldn't they let Anna go outside the castle if nothing is wrong with her? I guess they show the aftermath of their isolation  in some way. Anna becomes quickly attached to others after being departed from them for so long while Elsa pushes them away and gets anxious around them. I know, random conspiracy theories, I'm crazy.

In terms of the movie itself there were few things I disliked about it. First, the musical numbers were pretty corny. For being made by such a talented team, they didn't feel as creative. I miss the Alan Menken full orchestra numbers that you could play over and over again. These pop songs blasting the electric guitar in this movie and Tangled are not for me. All of the praise has mostly been going to "Let it go" and while I think it is a good song, I'm not totally in love with it. Mostly because it is very similar to "Defying Gravity" and some of the wording is a bit weird. Elsa, herself, is a good character but I don't think she got as much screen time as her sister to fully branch out. Idina Menzel still did a great job with the acting and her design was flawless. Anna could have been a little better. Most of the movie she was pretty annoying. Nothing about her really stood out that would make me like her compared to other princesses. The whole twist about Hans I somewhat expected. I wouldn't consider Hans a villain, just a douche bag. A very bland one at that.

On Facebook, I have been seeing the countless images and statuses saying that "Frozen is the first Disney movie to show that you don't need a man." I disagree with this completely. First of all, Merida in Brave didn't even have a love interest. Mulan didn't do anything just for Shang's attention, she did it for her country. Even though most of Pocahontas's motivation was to be with John Smith, she didn't end up with him in the end even after saving him. I could go on, but this isn't new. We have been seeing the anti-love at first sight relationship for a while now. Kristoff and Anna end up together by the end of the movie. She relied on his help for the most part. Even after Hans betrayed her, she still went to him almost immediately. I do like the one of the messages they had in this film. Some men are out there to hurt girls, like Hans did, and there's some you have to get to know better to admire their qualities, like Kristoff.

I also like the other message in this film that love does not always have to be romantic. There is love you would feel between a family member and sometimes that is a lot stronger. I would never think that Olaf the fucking talking snowman would say the best quote in this movie, "love is putting other's needs before yours." That and "Oh, look! I've been impaled." :)

I wasn't expecting to laugh this much with this movie. It wasn't even funny because it was so stupid and corny. It legitimately had good one-liners and slapstick. The animation could have been a little better. As mentioned before I liked Elsa's design but I'm not sure if I like these characters looking like Precious Moments dolls. Some of the background didn't look all the way finished and appeared flat. As many have said before, they nailed down the movement of the snow animation and it looked real.

Overall, this was definitely "don't judge a book by its cover" movie. The marketing almost killed this and Disney needs to go back to how they used to do their trailers and aiming at kids and adults. I was definitely surprised by the balance of drama and comedy and creating a innovative fairy tale.

Lone Survivor

I really wasn't expecting ANYTHING from this movie. I didn't even want to go to the movies during January and February, there's nothing but crap out. Everyone and their mom knows that all the shelved movies come out around this time because no one is going to the theater anyhow. I really thought Lone Survivor would be the war movie we have seen a million times and would be swept under the rug quickly.

You know what, the first half was exactly that. I kept rolling my eyes at how bad it was. Let's start with the beginning credits showing real footage of Navy SEALs training. Why did they have this? If you want to make a documentary, make documentary. Don't show real footage of these men working really hard during training and then cut to actors playing pretend. It seemed very pretentious and ill-fitting. This time could have been made for the actual first 10 minutes of the movie when it sets were it takes place and the characters. The rest of it goes through many cliches. Product placement, guys hanging around making bad jokes, saying swear words were they don't belong, going through the "all Arabs are terrorists" stereotype. On top of that it went through a slow pace without any good character development. I don't feel like we really got to know the characters before they went on the mission. I wanted this movie to be over with.

By the time we get to the middle it really overcomes all of that. Things get really damn good. Things take a dramatic, action-packed turn really hard. These guys are getting shot at, falling down mountains (a lot), hitting their heads on rocks and plenty of emotional turmoil. Rather than afterward showing them still able to walk, kick ass with only a scratch on their head, they are covered in blood, barely able to move and still pressing on. I really liked the relationship between the villager and Marky Mark's character and got a little teary at the ending. I don't want to spoil it but it is pretty powerful.

I sort of still didn't like that this was pretty much a "fishing for an Oscar" project for Marky Mark and it was exploiting a true story. It was still a good one regardless with a nice theme. There's plenty of cringe moments but could have used more character and  a new first act.

2014 Expectations

2012 was a great year in movies, 2013 was underwhelming in comparison. 2014 looks like it will be the year of the sequels and adaptations! Here's my list of movies I want to see!

300: Rise of an Empire

The first movie I want to see isn't until March, great.

Anyway, I can't believe this is seriously happening. There is no sequel to the fantastic comic books. The first one ended on a fair note with nearly all the characters dying. It was an exaggeration of history made for guys to love and their girlfriends to roll their eyes. Whether or not the sequel actually happened in history is going to be thrown out the window as well. Why is this movie existing and Why do I want to see it?

Xerxes/Sexrex

I love this asshole. His look, his performance, his motivation. It is so over-the-top that I love it. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Though I had mixed opinions about the original, the sequel looks like it has more potential just looking at the trailer. It doesn't look like a mopey-dopey comic book movie like the first one, it looks like fun! Just as it should be. The choice for casting the villains sure is a little off. Paul Giamatti as the Rhino? Jamie Foxx as Electro? I'm not seeing it. They are both really good actors but I'm not sure if they fit those roles. Guess we'll see. 

Godzilla

Finally! A cool, modern, Godzilla film to redeem for the awful Matthew Broderick one!Obviously, the Japanese versions cannot be beat. It will still be interesting to see an American version that isn't cheesy with good effects and doesn't make the monster look like an iguana. Plus my favorite actor, Bryan Cranston is in it! 

Maleficent 

Why. WHY. My favorite Disney character is getting her own movie. I should be excited, but I'm really fearful. I really don't want this character's image to be ruined. I could care less about her back story or what happened to Aurora in all those years. I don't need to know! Sleeping Beauty was good as is and didn't leave me with those questions. If Disney wants to make the next big Alice in Wonderland then whatever. I'm not really appreciating their live action remakes/sequels/prequels of their animated features, but I am interested in how they turn out. 

The Fault in Our Stars

I really liked the book. Some parts were pretentious and could have been better, but I liked how it was unlike most of the romantic stories out there. I really don't like romantic films as I think they are unlike any real-life relationships. Something about FIOS felt so real and unique that really touched me rather than having me roll my eyes. I hope the film keeps that and isn't cliched. I really don't want to see it if it is going to be cheesy, aimed at teenagers, and just a sad-sack of a movie. It is a very tragic romance, and I really don't want that to be ruined. 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. 

For what it was, the first one was pretty good (first as in the prequel, not the original series). I was really intrigued by what was happening and how it all played out. There were a lot of tacky moments, but towards the second half it got pretty serious. This sequel appears that it will go above in beyond in suspense and developing how it got to the rest of the series. I am very eager to learn more about what happened between our time and the original Planet of the Apes. Does this prequel series need to happen? No, but at least they are pretty interesting. The performances and special effects also tie everything together.

The Boxtrolls

Coraline was great. ParaNorman was great. I am really hoping Laika can hit another home run with this one. The teaser itself looks amazing. As usual, the stop motion looks very consistent and detailed. I am glad this company is continuing to use stop motion even if it is not attracting the biggest of audiences. 

Well that's the list SO FAR of films I would like to see this year. Some are not completely set on their release date and others I really don't know what to expect, like Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America:The Winter Soldier. I would love to know what movies you would like to see this year and why!

 

Holiday Roundup! The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug, The Wolf on Wall Street, and American Hustle.

Lucky me! I saw 3 movies this week! So lets compare and contrast!

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Everyone has their all time favorite film series. For some it is the Star Wars series. Others it is Indiana Jones. Some it is Harry Potter.  My pick for a favorite film series would have to be Lord of the Rings trilogy. There is so much to love with them. Great cast, beautiful sets, awesome makeup, engaging story, powerful group dynamic and chemistry between the characters. There are some flaws with them, but they are pretty damn near perfect. I don't think we have got set of films like them and it will be a long time until we get another one similar. Many have attempted to create something similar to capitalize on the epic fantasy genre popularity, but failed tremendously.

To be fair, I could care less about all the controversy going against the Hobbit films. I'm not going to dwell on them since the internet has already done that and has tainted people's opinions of the films. Peter Jackson didn't really want to make these films! Why is it being expanded to 3 films?! Why are they adding characters?! This wasn't in the book! yadda yadda it doesn't matter. I should also forewarn I have not read the books, but this movie made me really want to.

I liked this movie for what it was: a fun fantasy adventure. It is a shame a lot of people are disliking these movies and I don't think it is fair. People are watching this expecting Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit isn't meant to be like Lord of the Rings. Nothing will ever  be like Lord of the Rings. It is a simpler story directed towards younger audiences. I had a lot of fun with this movie and I feel like people are taking it way too seriously. Probably the same people that complained that the climax of The Avengers was too long.

A quick review, I liked part one. I did think it was kind of forced bringing back many of the characters from LOTR, such as Frodo, Gollum, Saruman and so forth. They didn't really feel like they fit into the story. I was still nice to see these characters one last time after many years. The movie definitely had a different tone compared to the rest of the series and it was a bit off-putting. There's a lot more subtle nitpicks, but it is still an enjoyable movie.

There are some minor problems with the film. Like the first one, it is character overload. Not only are we getting new characters whose names no one can remember, we are also getting our favorite characters from the original coming back...for whatever reason. It is not really clear why some of them are there. It makes it difficult to get to know the new characters and get attached to them. My other problem was some of the special effects felt rushed. Though I do not like comparing this to LOTR, it felt like less time was taken  with the effects. The production time of The Hobbit did have a smaller production time, but some parts felt as if they could be better. This especially went for some of the gold effects and the orcs. I already miss seeing the guys covered in plastic makeup. I could also complain there is no Gollum in this film seeing as how he one of my favorite characters of all time, but I'm sort of glad he isn't shoehorned in. That little bastard, I love him. Hope I at least get to see a little bit of him in the third one for the last time.

However I loved a lot of things about this film. Like I said before, it is fun! There was a good balance of action sequences and times to develop the story. I was interested in seeing were the characters were going to end up and who they were going to meet. Some of the characters they do come across did feel like they had a short screen time. Once again, the performances are amazing. Martin Freeman is such a great Bilbo and serves as a good character to be put in place of the audience's perspective. Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug, much like he did for Khan, was outstanding. I loved how sinister he was and his interaction with Bilbo. He was a great villain much like the others in the series. The other dwarves were not very interesting. We didn't really learn anything new about them and Thorin just looked like a douche bag. I am really not feeling for this character at all. I am eager to see how part 3 is just for the sake of knowing what happens to him.

Honestly, I want 2014 to be over already so I can see The Hobbit: There and Back Again!

The Wolf on Wall Street

This movie reminded me of the book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. I stopped reading that book midway because it was annoying. It was just some guy bragging about these ridiculous stories. It was written by that guy in your community college class that sits in the back in the room and just talks about his Friday night and exaggerates most of it and the only one that cares is his loser friend.

That being said, I couldn't tell if I liked this movie or hated it. Half of the movie is bragging. I hate it when people brag. Especially when it is about stupid shit. 45% of it was padding. 5% was genuinely good moments. I hated the characters because they were horrible people, but yet, they were almost lovable assholes. I knew what would happen in the story, but I was still intrigued on how it would all play out.

This movie is very over-the-top in both good and bad ways. Bad being that the dialogue often had me thinking "no one really talks like that." I couldn't stand the way some of the characters talked. The accents felt very forced. I couldn't understand anything that Belfort's wife, Naomi, was saying. The other being some of the events in the film seem are very exaggerated. Whether or not these things actually happen, I don't know, I will probably read the book in the future. The good was that it was very entertaining to watch. There wasn't a dull moment. Even if I disliked some parts it is a better reaction than having none at all. DiCaprio was great in this. He hams up his performance all the way to 11. This is how he should have been in The Great Gatsby if he didn't blend into the background. It was much like Calvin Candie but with more crazy. I'm also glad Jonah Hill played a different role than he usually does, but I still couldn't get totally behind his character. I liked some of the scenes like Rob Reiner answering the phone, I would relate to that. This movie is, however, ridiculously long. There were a lot of scenes that could have been cut down a little. With the Hobbit, I didn't want it to end because I was having so much fun. With this, I kept looking at my phone. Why did this have to be 3 hours? You can only tell a story about a guy snorting cocaine for so long.

There are two things I heard about this movie before going in that are somewhat true. 1) The only people that dislike this movie is women and conservatives. 2) Don't watch this with someone you wouldn't watch a porn with. There's a lot of poon tang. A LOT.

May I also add the audience I saw this with was so annoying. Bro kids commenting on every little thing that happened and yelling "Aw that's so awesome! Holy shit! What the fuck? Cool!" My heart wept for the annoyed girlfriends with them.

American Hustle 

 SIDE BOOB!    I really didn't have any expectations for this film. I didn't know what it was really about. I didn't hear much about it besides that it was really good. Really, I got what I expected, not much. This movie was good, but nothing to do get excited about. I can't really say a whole lot about it. What bothered me was the performances. I didn't feel like these good actors were 100% there. Their accents were either bad or not clear. Their motivations were always mixed up. Though I like (keyword: like, not love) Jennifer Lawrence, she is way too young for the role. I couldn't believe her as a mother falling apart. It seemed like her and Amy Adams should have traded places. Adams also seemed all over the place. It wasn't really a character I could get behind and support. The best actor in this film was Louis C.K. I couldn't get enough of him. Another thing that bothered me was the writing. Some of the things the characters said just sounded awkward and didn't really fit.

What I did like about this film is the sets and costumes. I was loving their clothes even as ridiculous as they were. Overall, I didn't really take much from the story. I was more interested in the characters and how they played off of one another, even if it was awkward.

This movie will probably win several Oscars and that's fine. Not much to say except SIDE BOOB!!


Of these three, I liked The Hobbit: TDOS the most as nerdy as that is. I just had more fun with it. Fantasy adventure films with little problems don't come around often. The Wolf on Wall Street and American Hustle were fine; by no means were they bad. I still recommend seeing all of these films as there is something to enjoy from all of them.

2013 Overview

Here's my list and brief review of some movies I saw that came out this year, preferably the ones I saw in theaters. Honestly, this was a very underwhelming year compared to 2012. We didn't have as many highly rated films and most came out as disappointing. I was not eager to see any movies in particular and nothing really stood out as AMAZING. Unfortunately as well, I haven't been to the movies during this holiday season, so I'll go over films such as Frozen, The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug, and Saving Mr. Banks at a later time. I also was not able to see big films such as Iron Man 3, Pacific Rim, or Thor: The Dark World. I was a busy lady this year :(  So lets go over the good, the bad and the ...meh!

The Good

Lee Daniel's The Butler
Lets go over the big criticisms this film had:

• It wasn't based on a true story you filthy liars!

         Unfortunately, this film was heavily fabricated. So much so it probably should not have said "Based on a true story." There were multiple things I have heard through the grape vine of the differences. Honestly, I have not had the time to look up what was true and false in this film. If any of my readers know off hand what was, please tell me in the comments.

• Who the hell casted this movie?!

          The casting of the US presidents in this film was very bizarre. Robin Willams as Eisenhower? John Cusack as Nixon? Alan Rickman as Reagan? All these actors are very good, but they just were not right for the role. They were only on screen for a few minutes and it felt like they spent a few minutes preparing for it. Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker still hit their roles out of the ballpark. I especially liked Oprah's performance as we got to see a side of her that isn't common to her well-known image.

• It is a ripoff of Forrest Gump!

         It is...

• This movie is so Democratic!

        It was strange how this film made it so obvious it was more in favor of Democrats than it did for Republicans. The way they portrayed the Republican presidents was pretty negative. It also had basically a 5 minute commercial supporting Obama. Personally, I didn't have a problem with it. I'm not a political person, so it didn't phase me, I just thought it was humorous.
     
My own criticism of the film was all the strange coincidences. You mean to tell me that this guy served in the White House AND his son was involved in multiple events in the Civil Rights movement (most occurring across the country from one another) AND his other son was killed in Vietnam? What are the odds of that happening?  That was one fact that was strange to me. If this is actually true, someone please let me know.
Despite everything, I still thought it was a good film. I bawled my eyes out. What this film did a great job in was creating heavy emotion for the characters. I really felt for them. I cried when they showed Jackie Kennedy over the death of her husband. Since the Kennedy Assassination was way before I my time, I never really understood what kind of impact it brought to the country until seeing this film. It was very scary and heartbreaking to everyone involved. As strange at it may sound, but that is what I remember most from the film. You'll either like or hate this movie, just white out the part that says "based on a true story" on the DVD cover.

Prisoners
A lot of people haven't seen or even heard of this movie when it came out. The marketing was not very big despite having Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal  in it. This film had me in suspense the entire time. I really did not expect anything that occurred. It went beyond cliches in order to make itself stand out. Jackman was incredible. Going from a humble family man to seeking revenge in the worst way possible was entertaining to watch. At first, Gyllenhaal's performance came off as very boring. I realized towards the end that he was pretty genuine playing an hard-working detective. I really do not want to give out any spoilers for this film as it is something to see for yourself.  A long movie, but worth the watch.

Gravity
I really don't know what to say about this film that people haven't already said. This film was the definition of "the movie going experience." It really felt like the short films you would see at a theme park, but with a bigger budget. This is also one of the few films I would highly recommend seeing it in IMAX 3D, which I normally think is way too expensive for something so mediocre. I have never had so much anxiety while watching a film before. This film almost can be considered a horror movie as it is still taking something most people fear (free falling in space) and visualizing it. It grabbed my attention and did not let go. I really was rooting for the Sandra Bullock's character the entire time, something I haven't done for her in previous films. This was all paired with great editing, "less is more" sound, and of course, great visuals.

The Bad

The Wolverine
  I never thought a movie about Wolverine could be boring. How is that even possible? Wolverine is such an awesome character and you have a great actor portraying him. That was pretty much the only plus of the film, Hugh Jackman playing the infamous role he made his own. This movie felt more like a TV episode rather than a feature film. It was Wolverine in Japan. That's it. Nothing special happens. Logan doesn't develop much as a character, nothing new is revealed about him, the side characters were forgettable and the villain was a joke. Even though X-Men Origins: The Wolverine was heavily criticized for being all over the place, at least it was entertaining! I can still watch it and not be bored.

Carrie 
I really don't understand why this film had to be remade. The original is one of my favorite horror films. Seeing the remake made me think that a story like this doesn't work in this time period. I really don't know how to explain it, but the original was so good because it was subtle. It took time with the scenes and didn't feel overdone. This remake felt very rushed and cheesy. I didn't like how it incorporated cell phones and social media into the story, it didn't feel necessary. Sure adding it makes it more realistic for this time period, but it wasn't believable. The media would have gone crazy just with the YouTube video they posted alone. The bullies would have been in bigger trouble and Carrie would have gotten help before any of the other events would occur. In a time were people are paying more attention to helping victims of bullying, I don't understand why Carrie didn't get any of it. The special effects were awful. The actors, excluding Julianne Moore, were pretty forgettable. It was the biggest cash cow of the year.

The Counselor 
I should start off by saying I can't remember a damn thing about this film. I couldn't tell you the plot, the characters, anything. I could only remember the really bizarre moments of the film. Those that have seen it will know what I am talking about. I feel like if I type out what happens I'll have to wash my hands or something.

The Meh

Star Trek: Into Darkness
This movie definitely wasn't as good as the first.  I didn't think it was as bad or rage educing as others thought. Then again, this is coming from someone who isn't entirely into Star Trek. I enjoy the basic premise and the characters of Star Trek but I haven't been into the previous films or TV shows. What made this film for me was the performances. The returning cast, once again, did a great job with their characters. Rather than doing impersonations of them, they instead created their own interpretation of the them while still staying consistent. Benedict Cumberbatch was great as Kahn. I don't think it could be compared to Ricardo Montalban's performance as it was very different. I like how Cumberbatch was very sinister in his performance. It felt very much like Tom Hiddleston's Loki. The story itself, I was pretty confused. Was I mad of the recreating of the infamous "KAAAAHNNNN!!!" scene? No, I instead thought it was pretty humorous. This movie probably should have gone a different direction, but it was still worth it for the performances.
Plus this movie had some ridiculously handsome men. I can't argue with that.

Man of Steel 
Upon first seeing this film, I would never expect it would cause so many people to be outraged over it. I thought it was okay. Off hand, the only things I disliked was the horrible product placement, the boring characters (ALL OF THEM), and how it took itself way too seriously. I don't like Nolan's Batman films for being way too serious (shoot me), but it fits more with that universe than it does with Superman. Superman has always been "the all American boy scout" with some wacky elements in it. Here it felt like it tried very hard to create that gloomy mood. It was almost uncomfortable. After seeing it, thinking about it and hearing countless reviews on it, I did notice more flaws. Many of the decisions made by the characters where irrational. The dialogue was abnormal compared to how people really communicate. The fight scene was all over the place ...but still entertaining. I wish it could have been balanced like Spiderman 2 or The Avengers.  I don't feel like I could flesh out more with this film as I am not a huge fan of Superman, nor am I knowledgeable about the lore. Overall, this film was pretty misguided but I honestly didn't think it was as God awful as others thought. By no means am I defending it, but there has been worse superhero films made.
And I still don't trust Zach Snyder.

Monster's University
Like the rest of the planet, I don't understand why this film had to exist. If anything, I think people wanted a Monster's Inc. sequel rather than a prequel. I would ask why not a sequel to The Incredibles as there is a lot of possibilities that could be done, but Brad Bird has stated no interest in making one. I was curious with how this would turn out seeing as Toy Story 2 & 3 were great but Cars 2 was the worst movie I've ever seen in my life (more on that later). Monster's Inc. is one of my favorite films because it because it is very funny and has a charming story. I really don't care if it is stealing from Little Monsters or AHH! Real Monsters!. It still has a nostalgic value as I remember when it came out when I was younger.
Monster's University wasn't bad, but I don't see it becoming a classic Pixar film. There were a few funny moments, but mostly in a "that was so stupid it was funny" way. It was very predictable and I didn't care what happened to the characters. I KNOW what happens to the characters. Mike doesn't get the job he wanted. We know this during the entire film and have to sit and watch him fail. Sully does everything half-assed and still got what he wanted. It is kind of depressing actually. Monster's Inc. was made when I was a kid and I am in college now. The theory is that this film was targeted towards audiences like me as well as kids, but I didn't feel the same sentimentality as I did in Toy Story 3. I was too distracted with thinking "This is nothing like how college is in real life" much like I did with High School Musical. It is a pretty silly thought to have seeing as it is fiction, but it is something I really notice when I watch films. I saw this in a theater filled with families and they all seemed pretty bored. Since when are children interested in what happens in college? Most kids I know don't even know what college is. To conclude, it was still a funny movie, but nothing special. I wouldn't see it unless you're a huge Pixar fan and you're curious.


That's my overview of 2013 in terms of films. Wish I was able to see more! Hopefully I'll catch up on some other releases in the future. What is your Good, Bad and Meh picks of the year? Discuss!

Late to the Party: After Earth (2013)

Get used to this sad face the whole damn movie.

I don't think I'm surprising anyone by saying this film is awful. You can smell it a mile away. Shyamalan as the director should be the first clue. Honestly, I think he is very misguided as a director.  The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Lady in the Water, Signs (yes, TINFOIL HEAD SIGNS) were pretty good. Why did he go off the deep end so hard? He had so much potential by creating (somewhat) original stories but not executing them that well. Decent actors giving terrible convoluted dialogues, bad expositions, confusing resolutions all seem to become a pattern. It is pretty sad that he has become the butt of the joke in the film industry.  Second clue is that it is a vanity project. That's what I called this film when it first came out, VANITY PROJECT. Take one of the most popular actors of all time and add his son into it so he can gain the same attention. Brilliant. I don't see how that could fail. To be fair, Pursuit of Happyness was okay. Jaden Smith was still a kid at the time so he gets a pass and Will Smith was genuine. However, I really do not think Jaden was put on this planet to be an actor. He is AWFUL. I can't say that it is because he is so young because there has been child actors that created great performances at the same age. I really had no respect for him after The Karate Kid remake, but that is a whole other story of awful. 

After Earth takes place 1,000+ years in the future. Kitai Raige is a fucking loser of a kid and his father, Cypher Raige (really?) is trying really hard to be the most stoic man possible. After failing to becoming a  ranger, Cypher takes Kitai along on some space adventure with the rejected extras from Star Trek. Asteroids happen, they crash, leaving them stranded on a planet known as EAAAAARTTHH. Cypher is injured and unable to walk and sends Kitai across the planet to the other remains of the ship. Along the way, Kitai encounters ferocious beasts that look funny from either evolution or just bad CGI. There is also an alien space monster and some philosophical crap about not showing fear.

This is not the worst film of all the time. I don't see it becoming popular with how bad it is either. The biggest flaw is that it is boring. Nothing happened that grabbed my attention or made it memorable. The other flaw is that the characters have no personality at all. Why do the characters have to be so bland to show that they have "no fear"? They can still have a damn personality to make them likable. Having them give their dialogue out in monotone does not set the time period, establish their character, or make them look cool. They just look ridiculous and frankly I don't care if they live or die.

The entire time I'm watching this I could think of all the other films it is similar to. Here's my list

• Avatar
• The Hunger Games
• Predator
• Star Trek
• The Lion King
• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Specifically that one)

As you can see, I enjoy playing this game.
The only thing I can say that was good about this film was the ending when they were reunited. I'm not calling spoilers because you know they are going to get back together after being separated. They have to be. Other than that, it wasn't anything special. The costumes didn't wow me. The sets were trying too hard to be futuristic but looked like an Ikea showroom instead. The special effects could have been better. The convoluted Shyamalan dialogue, while not as bad as other films like The Happening, was still present. Will Smith tried too hard to be cool; like Wild Wild West cool. Jaden Smith was just whiny and irrational and therefore made him a very unlikeable character. I really hope he either gets better in acting or just finds something else. Watch it only if you run out of NyQuil.