Surveying My Summer 2016 Movie Season

Happy Labor Day! While summer technically lasts for a few more weeks, the first weekend of September pretty much signals the end of Summer Season. Kids are heading back to school, stores are putting out their Halloween decorations, and everything is suddenly pumpkin-flavored. What's a better time to take stock of the new movies I saw this summer?

For the purposes of setting a limit, I'm considering April 15 as the start of the Summer Movie Season mostly because THREE films opened that day including one of this year's biggest blockbusters. I'm also including just movies that actually had a theatrical release this year, because I watch too many films. Let's take it month by month.

APRIL 

The third weekend of April started the season with a bang with Disney's live action adaptation of their beloved The Jungle Book keeping the bulk of the story intact while marveling audiences with incredible CGI work that other blockbuster films this year could achieve. Two smaller films also came out that weekend which I ended up seeing later (and really liking) in the summer on DVD. Sing Street is another musical tale from the wonderful mind of John Carney, a coming of age story full of wit and charm and music you can't stop humming. The other film, Green Room, is one of the last films done by the late Anton Yelchin and is also one of the tensest thrillers I've seen recently with a bunch of talented young actors and a scary turn from Patrick Stewart.

Films I wished I had seen: Keanu
Films I'll probably watch on Netflix: Elvis & Nixon, A Hologram for the King
Films I purposely skipped: The Huntsman: Winter's War, Mother's Day

MAY

May technically is the beginning of Summer Movie Season and like the past few years, it's all about Marvel. This year it's their Avengers-sized Captain America: Civil War that starts the season. I saw it opening weekend of course and enjoyed most of it, but like many of their films it seems I'm more primed to look ahead instead of savoring what's in front of me especially with their great introductions of Chad Bosewick as Black Panther and Tom Holland as the NEW Spider-Man. Two films in May which came after that have a good chance of making my Top Films of 2016. The first is Love & Friendship, an Austen adaptation with all the usual period trappings coupled with darkly comedic sensibilities headlined by a never-better Kate Beckinsale. The other film is The Nice Guys, the hilarious buddy-cop movie starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe we all didn't think we needed. Gosling should do more comedies. The last film I saw in theaters this month was X-Men: Apocalypse which I actually enjoyed slightly more than Captain America (I do love me some mutants), but while it's certainly an imperfect film I feel the series' rebooted films of late have been underappreciated. Finally, I saw High Rise on DVD, but other than Tom Hiddleston's almost-naked scene that happens early on, there's not much to recommend.

Film I wished I had seen: The Lobster
Films I'll probably watch on Netflix: Money Monster, Last Days in the Desert, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Weiner
Films I purposely skipped: The Angry Birds Movie, Alice Through the Looking Glass

JUNE

And the summer slowdown begins. Didn't it seem like this year summer season was frontloaded of Must See in Theater Films? I only saw two movies in theater this month, both of which are sequels to films I highly enjoyed. The first is Now You See Me 2 which unfortunately fails to capture the magic of the first movie. It was still fun and some scenes were worth the price of admission, but not the follow-up I expected. Then there's Finding Dory, which also seems to rely too much on people's love of the first film, but to me it works perfectly. Dory is one of my favorite animated characters ever and exploring her past was exactly what I wanted. Tears flowed freely by the end. And that's it. I haven't even seen any June films on DVD yet (because they're not out yet?). There were a number of films I WANTED to see in theaters, but just didn't feel motivated enough to do so.

Film I wished I had seen: Popstars: Never Stop Never Stopping
Films I'll probably watch on Netflix: Me Before You, The Fits, Central Intelligence, The Neon Demon, The Shallows, Swiss Army Man
Films I purposely skipped: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, The Conjuring 2, Warcraft, Free State of Jones, Independence Day: Resurgence

JULY

The movies I saw this month all had a tinge of nostalgia to it. The first, and my favorite, was Ghostbuster starring the super talened quarter of Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig. The remake of the 80s film has had A LOT of media and press about it which had nothing to do with the actual movie itself which, while not Paul Feig's best, was still great fun. The next film is Star Trek Beyond, which of course is based on the 60s sci-fi classic. I actually liked it a lot, certainly compared to its previous outing. Bittersweet to see Yelchin, but glad that he was in a film that looked like it was a hoot to make. Finally, I saw Jason Bourne, the latest film in a series that started back in 2002! I've been a big fan of this series, especially its first three films headlined by Matt Damon who is back for this latest one. But apart from the usual great action sequences, something was missing for me this time around. Maybe give the series a rest for a bit?

Film I wished I had seen: Captain Fantastic
Films I'll probably watch on Netflix: The BFG, The Secret Life of Pets, Cafe Society, Bad Moms, Indignation, Nerve
Films I purposely skipped: The Legend of Tarzan, The Purge: Election Year, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Ice Age: Collision Course

AUGUST

I was away on my Brazilian/Olympics vacation so it makes sense I didn't see that many new movies this month. But the month also was pretty dire in terms of options so I actually just caught up of the rest of the summer's fare either in theater or on DVD. I still did end up seeing two VERY different animated films in theaters. There's the outrageous and raunchy Sausage Party which probably could've been 30 minutes shorter so it doesn't outstay its welcome. In the other end of the spectrum is another gorgeous stop-animation film from Laika, Kubo and the Two Strings which I actually just saw this past weekend. Casting controversies aside, the film is a must-see with its breathtaking animation and a truly heartfelt story.

Film I wished I had seen: Florence Foster Jenkins
Films I'll probably watch on Netflix: Pete's Dragon, Hell or High Water, Morris from America, Don't Breathe, Hands of Stone, Southside with You
Films I purposely skipped: Suicide Squad, Nine Lives, Ben Hur, War Dogs, Mechanic: Resurrection

More random End-of-Summer honors!

BEST SUMMER FILM (that I saw): The Nice Guys
WORST SUMMER FILM (that I saw): High Rise
PEOPLE SERIOUSLY ACTUALLY WATCHED THAT: Suicide Squad
PEOPLE SHOULD REALLY WATCH THIS: Sing Street
ACTING MVPS: Kate Beckinsale, Tom Bennett, Ryan Gosling, Anton Yelchin, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon
BEST VOICEOVERS: Idris Elba, Sigourney Weaver, Ellen Degeneres, Art Parkinson

I want to try everything...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

Zootopia is probably still my favorite film of 2016. And how could it not with its resonant timely message, fleshed-out leads with excellent chemistry, and staggering amount of world building.

There are so many great things about this film, but it's its world building I'd like to focus on because I sincerely believe one of the reasons this movie succeeds is the attention to detail the filmmakers had not just on the story and the characters, but the actual city of Zootopia itself. With 12 unique eco-systems and countless of species of mammals of all shapes and sizes living and working together within its city limits, the city of Zootopia would've been a real challenge for anyone to envision let alone actually show on screen. And the filmmakers did it in a matter of minutes (less than three in fact) in my favorite sequence of the movie set to the film's key song "Try Everything" by Gazelle (aka Shakira).

Judy's train ride into Zootopia, from her humble Bunnyburrow, was a genius way for the film to introduce this truly amazing metropolis not only to the main character, but to us. Judy essentially acts as the audience surrogate with her wide-eyed wonderment at the glittering city from a distance and then at all of the diverse and beautiful regions--Sahara Square, Tundratown, Rainforest District--and animals as she gets closer. And when she gets off the train, there's even more to see--hamsters using tubes to get around, hippos drying themselves after coming out of the water, giraffes getting drinks via air-tube system.

So I wish I can just cite the entire sequence as all of my favorite shots, but I know I had to pick just one. I ended up choosing a shot that captures a great moment.

Best Shot

It's when Judy passes through Rainforest District and it starts to rain and she looks up, clearly beaming at where she is at that very moment, soaking up the entire experience. That's pretty much how I felt watching the film and now all I want to do is watch it all over again. Plus I just love her super expressive face and the interplay of all the blue and greens with the rain in the background as the "camera" sweeps up. Just masterful animation work all around.

Bonus: My roommate picked her favorite shot as well! And it's giving me a lot of weird feelings regarding inter-species relationships!

End-Of-Year: Top 25 Films of 2013

To say this list is a bit behind schedule would be understating things, but here we are nearly four months after this year's Academy Awards and I'm finally posting my favorite films of 2013. Hell, 2014 is nearly halfway done, but for completeness sake I thought it was better (super) late than never. Overall, I saw about 115 films that came out theatrically last year. The number isn't super exact since a good chunk of those came in the early months of 2014 in an effort to catch up. Anyways, here are my top 25 with my very (very) brief impressions months later...

#25 Captain Phillips - Superbly and tensely directed with riveting lead performances.
#24 Fruitvale Station - Harrowing, emotional, and introspective.
#23 Frances Ha - A delightful not-quite coming-of-age New York tale.
#22 Blue Jasmine - Blanchett steals every scene in all her caustic glory.
#21 The Way, Way Back - Charming and fun summer fare.

#20 Trance - Sexily and wonderfully trippy with some extra style.
#19 Now You See Me - Fresh spin to the heist genre with witty twists and performances.
#18 The World's End - A fitting and epic end to one of the best modern trilogies of our time.
#17 Broken Circle Breakdown - A bittersweet look at love, family, and loss.
#16 The Great Gatsby - Audacious adaptation that visually dazzles for better or worse.

#15 Pacific Rim - Huge blockbuster visuals without the loss of character.
#14 About Time - Awkwardly charming time travelling tale.
#13 The Wolf of Wall Street - Funnier than I expected with DiCaprio doing a career best performance.
#12 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Confident sequel that's better in every sense than the first film.
#11 The Heat - Hilarious to the max with heart to spare.

#10 Frozen - An instant Disney classic whose songs have yet to outstay their welcome.
#9 Short Term 12 - Powerful in its subtlety and focus on its heartfelt and real characters.
#8 Out in the Dark - Best gay film of 2013, touching, affective, and beautifully realized.
#7 12 Years A Slave - Tough to watch at times, but it's a definite must see for the story/acting.
#6 Stories We Tell - Crafty piece of documentary filmmaking that is touchingly personal.

#5 Much Ado About Nothing - Utterly delightful, hilarious, full of charm and then some.
#4 Inside Llewyn Davis - One of the Coen's brothers best; a joy to watch and listen.
#3 Her - Inventive and illuminating, Phoenix and Johansson shine in unexpected roles.

#2 Before Midnight - Funny and poignant; superb performances from Delpy and Hawke as usual.
#1 Gravity - Masterful in its direction and effects, the film is an unforgettable experience.

There were a few other films that just missed my list such as World War Z, What Maisie Knew, The Bling Ring, Place Beyond the Pines, 20 Feet From Stardom, G.B.F., The Spectacular Now, Don Jon, The Kings of Summer, and a bunch more. Didn't you see the part where I said I saw 110+ films last year? Anyways, here's to another year full of movies (and hopefully better time management)!

More year-end film posts:
- 2013 Film Winners
- Favorite Movie Couples of 2013

Colors of the wind...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

Today's film, in honor of Earth Day, is Disney's Pocahontas. Admittedly I had only ever seen it just once back in the 90s when I owned a lot of Disney animated films on VHS tapes (remember those?). But while I re-watched Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King over and over, I never did feel the need to revisit Pocahontas again until today. The historical inaccuracy didn't bother me as I knew little of the real story until years later, but the story itself did feel awfully simplistic and the Romeo and Juliet romance between Pocahontas and John Smith never really felt organic to me then and now. The one great thing I could and can say about the film is its beautiful animation, especially the painterly background and vistas showing off the New World in all of its glory--the glimmering waters, the majestic mountains, the tall trees. And that aspect of the film really stood out for me upon re-watch. I mean just look:

Gorgeous. Speaking of, Pocahontas looks really good especially when her hair is wind blown (nature as her personal wind machine for the win), which happens fairly often in the film, as you can see with the very top shot above this post and the two shots below:

My pick for best shot mixes the painterly with the wind blown hair of Pocahontas when she literally becomes a painting in the wind during the "Colors of the Wind" musical sequence:

My Best Shot

My runner-up shot (below), mostly because of how beautifully composed it is with its reddish pinkish purplish hues and dark shadows, is the darkest moment of the film with Kocoum falling into the water after getting shot by Thomas taking Pocahontas' broken necklace along with him:

Of course I would end this post on a down note, but that's also one of the things I admired about the film. The main couple don't actually end up happily ever after (which might be because they don't in real life), which was quite refreshing at the time.

Box Office: Catching Fire and Frozen Reach Milestones

On the second to last weekend of November, Catching Fire and Frozen made their contrasting debut. Catching Fire made over $158 million in super wide release, good for 6th highest grossing opening weekend and the best ever November opening. Frozen started out in just one theater for a still impressive $243,000+ gross. The week after that was Thanksgiving and by the end of the weekend, they both claimed the top two spots at the box office as well as getting the highest and second-highest Thanksgiving gross ever. Both films would hold well the next few weeks taking advantage of good word-of-mouth and the holiday season.

Yesterday, the second Hunger Games film finally surpassed the final gross of its predecessor ($408,010,692) and is just a day or so away from overtaking Iron Man 3 for the top film of 2013. Frozen in the meantime, fresh off from being ranked #1 at the box office on its 7th week, reached the $300 million milestone, a tally not many people thought it would reach let alone surpass by a good amount. People are now looking to $350 million and perhaps even to beat the $368 million gross of Despicable Me 2. To add to this amazing feat, it was confirmed today that the film's soundtrack was the best-selling album of last week, only the fourth animated film soundtrack to do so in the chart's 58-year history.

Girl freaking power indeed.

Christmas Movie Glut

Desolation of Smaug, Peter Jackson's fifth foray into Middle Earth led the North American box office over the past weekend beating out the overly promoted sequel to Anchorman, which came in at the lower end of expectations. At least it did better than extinct on arrival Walking with Dinosaurs. In limited release, it was mixed fortunes as Spike Jonze's non-traditional love story Her, bolstered by its awards buzz, debut solidly, while Asghar Farhadi's The Past, recently  snubbed by the Academy's foreign language branch, had less the desirable results. All of these films and so much more are banking that people will come out in droves this upcoming Christmas week.

In terms of new releases, distributors thought it best to dump a whole bunch of films on Christmas Day. The most anticipated of these for cinephiles like myself would be Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Due to its delay coming out of the gates, it hasn't lit up the usual award precursors, but from everything I've been hearing it's not exactly a cuddly film. Probably a bit more tailored for general audiences is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty directed and starring Ben Stiller. The beautifully edited commercials and visually entrancing posters for this film feature grand adventures for its day-dreaming protagonist which should appeal to a broad audience or at least that's the hope. For those needing a bit more testosterone to their holidays, it's practically a smorgasbord with samurai action film 47 Ronin, sports comedy Grudge Match, and military film Lone Survivor (uh... spoiler alert?) all debuting. Ralph Fiennes' Charles Dickens film The Invisible Woman and the Justin Bieber documentary Believe are also coming out tomorrow. And yes, that's hopefully the first time Dickens and Bieber have appeared in the same sentence.

The competition doesn't end there, however, as there are plenty of holdovers appealing to families and/or Oscars enthusiasts that should do much business. Disney's animated hit Frozen should do extremely well this week coming off a weekend where it ranked third overall and already hitting the $200 million milestone today. Fellow November release, Catching Fire grossing over $370 million already, is still in the mix as well as recent release Saving Mr. Banks starring Emma Thompson as Mary Poppins' creator P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney himself. American Hustle leads the Oscar-y holdovers after a successful expansion this past weekend where it ended up just behind Frozen. With a super starry cast and great reviews, it should do well in the next couple of months no matter what happens this week. Along with American Hustle and Her, other Oscar-y films looking for more people to watch them this week included Inside Llewyn Davis, Philomena, and Nebraska.

Finally, there's the long-awaited August: Osage County starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. It was supposed to come out on Christmas, but it has since been pushed back to Friday the 27th. Did they see all of the competition above and decide to play it safe or perhaps it's a sign that the studio is slowly cutting its losses after the seemingly cool critical and awards reception the film has had to date. Also getting very little awards buzz relative to expectations is Jason Reitman's Labor Day starring Kate Winslet, which won't really open until next month save for a one-week Oscar qualifying run this Friday. For my part, as a Streep and Winslet fan I'll definitely see their films whenever they come out, but since it won't be on Christmas I'll need to decide which of the other films I'm going to watch. I'm leaning towards Walter Mitty to see with my parents then possibly Her, American Hustle, and/or Wolf of Wall Street just for me. So many choices! What will you do?

The cold never bothered me anyway

Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You'll never see me cry
Here I stand
And here I stay
Let the storm rage on

I saw Disney's latest animated feature Frozen this past weekend and the songs are still playing on loop in my head. The one playing the most often is of course the soon-to-be Oscar nominated "Let It Go" performed by the luminous Idina Menzel. Lots of people are calling it the film's "Defying Gravity" song and it's hard to argue with them. Both songs are kickass power ballads sung by Menzel as her character learn to accept who she is. It's breathtaking by itself, but in the context of the film, it's probably even better. Thankfully Disney decided to upload the full scene from the film on YouTube for everyone to see:


Now excuse me as I watch this a couple more times.

My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystalizes like an icy blast
I'm never going back,
The past is in the past

Looking Forward To...

Saving Mr. Banks
Release: December 13, 2013
Distributor: Buena Vista
Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, Paul Giamatii, Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak, and Bradley Whitford

Summer Begins as Marvel Launches Phase 2

Looks like that whole "posting at least once a day" lasted a whopping two days. That sounds about right. Anyways, even though summer doesn't officially begin until mid-June, the summer movie season begins this weekend with Iron Man 3, the first Marvel film to open since their massive hit The Avengers last year. Iron Man 3's release also marks the beginning of Phase 2 for Marvel which will also include sequels to Thor, Captain America, and of course The Avengers as well as new films Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man all slated for the next couple of years. Entertainment Weekly recently laid out Marvel's plans and provided some sneak peeks on what's to come including Whedon's "return" to TV this fall in the highly anticipated Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. whose pilot episode is written and directed by the man himself.

To say I'm excited for most of these films (and one TV show) would be an understatement. I've just really enjoyed how Marvel has miraculously pulled off this amount of success and critical/audience goodwill despite not having Spider-Man or the X-Men in their rosters. Indiewire credits some of this success to the calculated risks taken by the studio in who they hire to helm their projects. Though do we think then that they're due for a wrong move soon (No, Iron Man 2 doesn't really count and neither does The Incredible Hulk... maybe)? I'm trying not to think of that inevitability, but I am concerned about how they'll pull off Guardians of the Galaxy. There's a freaking machine gun-toting talking raccoon in the film! Good luck with that one!

With every film though, Marvel's world will get bigger and hopefully it won't be too big for the studio to manage. Recently, they've been able to retain rights of a few other characters such as Punisher, Daredevil, Blade, and Ghost Rider, but to postulate on whether or not these characters will be included in a still in-flux Phase 3 would still be too soon. Frankly, I just long for the day when all of Marvel's properties are back to them though that's more of a pipe dream with Sony and FOX currently shooting their own anticipated sequels to The Amazing Spider-Man and X-Men: First Class. Too bad. I really want to see the Hulk going up against the Juggernaut or Spider-Man spinning his webs in Asgard or something.

ETA: Apparently today is also Free Comic Book Day. I didn't even realize until after I had posted this. Go figure! 

End-Of-Year: Top 15 Films of 2012

Just a day later than planned, but still a full day before the Oscars so I'm pretty much just on time with this much-awaited list of my favorite 15 films of 2012. And they are...

15. Wreck-It Ralph - Akin to Disney's Enchanted a few years back, after watching this film, you ask yourself why no one has ever thought about making this movie before. Why not have a film that goes inside the world of video games with cameos from arcade icons Pac-Man, Sonic, and the cast of Street Fighter? But apart from that novelty, the film would be nothing without a great story and this film had that in spades with "Wreck-It Ralph," a villain who wants to be a hero finding his inner good guy when he meets quirky racecar driver outcast Vanellope. Their friendship and parallel self-discoveries elevate the film and really provide the heart. The animation is quite great, but it's the voicework from the fun cast that deserves much kudos.

14. Seven Psychopaths - As a big fan of writer-director Martin McDonagh's earlier film In Bruges, I was highly anticipating this sophomore effort which thankfully lived up to my already high expectations. The snappy, witty, meta dialogue was expectantly enjoyable as was the game and talented cast headlined by performances by Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, and Christopher Walken. Colin Farrell, who I'd like to think of as McDonagh's muse, plays the main character, a struggling screenwriter who is trying to write a story about seven psychopaths and his wacky, hilariously violent journey in trying to complete his vision drives this wacky tale that is ever so re-watchable.

13. The Impossible - The spectacle of the tsunami and its devastating aftermath is reason enough to see this film (the theater audience I saw this with was captivatingly silent during this part), but its the way the film personalizes the horrors and tragedy that makes this film so great. Most of this is due to the wonderful actors headlined by tour-de-force performances from Naomi Watts and young Tom Holland, a mother and son struggling to survive. Some of their scenes were almost too hard to watch, but they make it impossible to look away from the screen even one second. Ewan McGregor, with unfortunately not much to do, still killed in his few scenes. Talk all you want about how emotionally manipulative the film is, but I for one loved this heart-wrenching and inspiring real-life tale.

12. Searching for Sugarman - This absolutely wonderful documentary about a long-lost music icon should be seen not only by music lovers, but by everyone who has ever had a dream and not been able to achieve it because of one reason or another. In the center of it all is a 70s rock musician known as Rodriguez whose music was largely ignored in America, but made him a star in South Africa unbeknowst to him. The documentary chronicles South African fans detailing the influence Rodriguez's music had on their lives and their quest to learn more about, or perhaps track down the mysterious Rodriguez. The payoff is at once uplifting as well as bittersweet which the film doesn't sugarcoat, which I appreciated. It's a human interest story for the ages and I implore again how much everyone needs to watch this little gem of a film.

11. Moonrise Kingdom - Calling a Wes Anderson film "whimsical" is like calling a Tarantino film "bloody" or a Joe Wright film "pretty," but it truly is the perfect word to encapsulate Anderson's latest film about two youngsters falling in love and escaping together into the wilderness. The two young actors, Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman, were perfectly cast and fit seamlessly into a film bursting with quirky personality. Anderson's films do tend to have a specific look and feel to them, which in this case complemented the setting, a New England summer camp in 1965.

And now my top ten...

10. Anna Karenina - I'm a huge Joe Wright fanboy and my love for him seemingly grows for every period film he makes starring Keira Knightley so I always knew this film would be something I would enjoy. The decision to use theatrical trappings as a framework to tell this classic Tolstoy tale is simply inspired making the film a sumptuous treat for the eyes. The acting, with the exception of the miscast Vronsky, was superb from Knightley's pitch perfect turn as the titular character to Jude Law's more subtle, but equally impressive role as the cuckold husband. The costumes, the music, the production design, the dialogue... it was all just oh so romantic, luscious, and enticing.

9. Chronicle - Found footage films aren't usually my cup of tea, but I was intrigued by the ambiguous marketing and the promise of some X-Men-like stories of super-powered humans as well as the presence of Friday Night Lights alum Michael B. Jordan. I'm glad I checked it out, because what I discovered was a movie way more clever and way deeper than it really had any right to be. Three boys suddenly finding themselves with super powers is cool and all, but its the film's commitment to painstakingly show us what this fantasy scenario really might do to the boys, their relationships, and their view on the world that is worthy of praise. Dane DeHaan especially impressed me in a role that called him to be shy, charming, explosive, angry, sad, smart, and foolish sometimes in the same scene.

8. The Cabin in the Woods - It's been 3 years in the making, but Joss Whedon's genre-busting horror film finally came out and it's one of the theatrical experiences of last year I won't soon forget. Just the sheer boldness of the film which really does take every single preconceived ideas you have about horror films and flip them every which way is something to be admired. All of that plus the trademark Whedonesque humor ever-present in the film helps alleviate the sometimes truly horrific things happening on screen, but isn't that just Whedon to mix his horror with his comedy with his meta musings? The twists and turns the narrative takes all the way to the end really calls for repeat viewings. Plus, how cool was its posters?

7. Looper - To be honest, the time traveling aspect of the film has got to be the least interesting part of this smartly crafted, wonderfully original, and action-packed film. For me, the most praise-worthy elements are the nuanced performances by the cast and the script's willingness to not handhold its audience. On the surface, it's a film with a really cool premise, but underneath, like most very good sci-fi films, it touches on something deeper, a universal truth. In this film's case, it's redemption through sacrifice or perhaps even simpler, actions have consequences. It's just a stunning, imaginative work from Rian Johnson, a very exciting new-ish director who recently won a DGA for his work on Breaking Bad!

6. ParaNorman - This gorgeous stop-motion film is my favorite animated film of the year perhaps because I saw a lot of myself in the lead Norman who feels a bit like an outcast. He does see dead people after all! But there's just chock full of things to love about the film. The music, the look, the great plotting all coalesced into one very beautiful film about acceptance, bravery, and friendship. And yet by the time you get to the end, you don't feel like you've been hit in the head with all of these Important Life Lessons since they all came forth organically out of this fun zombie kiddie flick. Of course, I can't not mention that this film also features the first gay character in an animated film, which yay! It also contains one of my absolutely favorite sequences on film this year.

5. Zero Dark Thirty - Apparently there's some kind of controversy about the use of torture and/or use of classified government information, but for me I just want to praise writer Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow on the amazing job they did to expertly craft such a thrilling and suspenseful film of the greatest manhunt of all time. Not to say that they lucked out with their ending as they were making the movie before Osama bin Laden was actually captured, but the capture certainly helped give their film that narrative drive and a climax for the ages. All of this wouldn't have worked though without the central figure of Maya played by the consistently excellent Jessica Chastain. Exhilarating and contemplative, this film was the whole package.

4. Life of Pi - This epic film, headlined by master director Ang Lee and brilliant newcomer Suraj Sharma knocked me out. I literally couldn't believe what I was seeing on screen while watching in theaters. Supposedly the source material was dubbed "unfilmable" so of course Lee was able to literally make movie magic and deliver this breathtaking piece of cinema. The technical achievement alone makes the film worth while with its stunning vistas and brilliant life-like special effects, but it's the very human element of Pi's emotional, spiritual, and physically draining journey that grounds the film. All of that plus a thoroughly thought-provoking finale makes you just want to examine everything you ever believed in.

3. The Avengers - Joss Whedon's billion dollar baby has the honor of being my favorite summer film and while it didn't take my top spot for the year, it remains one of my most enjoyable theatrical experience of the past year. Of course I'm a huge Whedon fanboy, but even someone not familiar with his ouevre had to have been impressed by the seamless way he was able to bring together the various actors from different movies to make one magnificent ensemble (in fact my favorite ensemble of the year). The action sequences were, excuse the pun, marvelous not just because we got to see shit get blown up, but because Whedon's direction and script uses these sequences to illuminate his characters! What a crazy concept, right? Plus the film is just tons of fun. Now, I can probably talk endlessly about what I love about the film, but I'll just end it by confessing that I still have never tasted shawarma.

2. Argo - It's not often my favorite Best Picture nominee is also the front-runner to win, but I'm glad this political drama-Hollywood satire-espionage thriller film is getting its due. As I just mentioned, the film is pretty much three great films all smashed into one, but it also never feels disjointed or awkward. I give all the credit to the filmmakers who really were able to craft this real-life story of a covert operation to rescue Americans from Iran into not just a thrilling and nail-biting film, but also one that is uplifting and surprisingly funny at times. The cast, full of unknowns and TV actors plus Affleck himself, were simply extraordinary. Everyone say it with me now, Argofuckyourself!

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I joke that this film is like a live-action ParaNorman with the main character feeling like an outcast haunted by ghosts (of the past) and getting into hijinks with the most unlikely people. You can't un-see it now, right? In any case, I actually read the coming-of-age best-selling YA novel the film is based on when I was roughly the same age as the characters in the book so to say the story affective me would probably be understating it. And with author Stephen Chbosky writing and directing the film version, most everything that I loved in the book made its way to the big screen. The cast in the film is quite divine with the main trio of Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and especially Ezra Miller doing a tremendous job in conveying every highs and lows of adolescence without ever really falling to cliches. Lerman especially had to somehow come across as passive, a wallflower one could say, but also engaging and he really did pull it off. This film is heartfelt, fully realized, truthful, simply lovely and is my favorite film of 2012.

And that's all I wrote. Well, not exactly. There were so many films that I wanted to include in my top 35, but they just missed out such as The Paperboy, Cloud Atlas, The Deep Blue Sea, Killer Joe, Magic Mike, Farewell My Queen, How to Survive a Plague, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Compliance, etc. They aren't flawless films, but all of them SHOULD still be seen. Anyways, onwards to Oscars and then 2013!

More year-end film posts:
- Favorite Films #16-35
- 2012 Film Winners
- Favorite Posters of 2012

The Walt Disney Biopic that Never Was

Two thoughts crossed my mind when I saw this poster over the weekend. The first is that I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of this film since it sounds pretty great. The second is that Ryan Gosling might actually get his second Oscar nomination and first win since the Academy is all about biopic performances. Sadly this magnificent poster is for a movie that doesn't exist. It was imagined by a French graphic designer Pascal Witaszek and as of now there's been no reports as to why he just randomly came up with this.

With that said, I would still like to profess my love for the non-existent film and poster. The choice to cast Ryan Gosling as Walt Disney is unusual and yet oddly perfect while I can see Ron Howard do a solid job at this. As for the poster, the look is appropriately whimsical and the colors chosen well. The tag line "Of A Mouse and A Man" is tongue-in-cheek, but also an instant classic. And the Mickey Mouse cloud design in the background is a slight and wonderful touch. So basically I'm hoping that Witaszek is a secret bajillionaire who own the rights to Disney's life story and has the money and clout to make this happen. Maybe if I wish upon a star... really, really hard?

Mardi Gras & the Frog

I've never been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but after seeing The Princess and the Frog, I'm thinking it's probably not that clean or family-friendly as it's presented in that film. Though the real thing is probably just as fun, just as colorful, and just full of music.


Happy Mardi Gras everyone! Two more after the jump...

Who's the Fairest of Them All?

Above are Ginnifer Goodwin, Lily Collins, and Kristen Stewart and shockingly enough they are all playing the same character this year. Can you guess who? If the title of this post didn't already give away the answer, maybe the pictures after the jump will give you a bigger hint as to the character all of these ladies are playing.

Box Office: Lion Remains King

Disney's The Lion King reached the $400 million milestone in the domestic box office yesterday after attracting $3.3 million on the 15th day of its re-release in 3D. That is good for 12th in the all-time domestic list and should easily end in 10th place after the weekend ahead of Spider-Man and the second Transformers film. Too bad that's probably where it'll stay as it's expected to leave theaters before it's Blu-Ray launch this upcoming Tuesday. If kept in theaters for a regular run, it would've certainly passed Toy Story 3 to become the highest-grossing Disney animated film of all time (unadjusted of course).

For my part, I saw the film last weekend making it only the third film I've seen in 3D (Avatar and Up were the other two films). It was probably a no-brainer for Disney to convert this film in 3D and re-release it as it's one of their most popular films and they probably thought that the vast Africa visage would lend itself to the technology. They were right and more importantly, the conversion was damn good. I gasped at the same time as my fellow theater-goers when Zazu made his first sweep across the screen flying towards Pride Rock in the distance. And really, 3D was icing to what was already a delicious cake. I teared up, laughed, and sang in all the usual places I used to (though I "got" more jokes now that I'm older) and clapped in the end with the rest of the audience. It was a very fun and quite nostalgic experience. That probably explains why it topped the box office for the past two weeks and should finish in the top 3 this weekend.

Back to the all-time chart, it looks likely for the final Harry Potter film to take over Star Wars: Episode III for that 13th spot. I think WB will push it and there's even a rumor of a re-release during Oscars season, so it's probably a locked to do so.

Tale as old as time...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

This week's film is the Disney classic Beauty & the Beast which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary later this year. I must have seen this film dozens of times when I was younger which was quite evident when I was re-watching the film today and I was mouthing every single dialogue and song lyric as they happened. Sadly, it has been awhile since I last saw the film and so I felt I needed to watch it again in order to make a more informed decision regarding my "best shot." That backfired.

From the moment the film opened with those exquisitely beautiful stained glass windows explaining the Beast's backstory, it was like I was a little boy again. I then proceeded to yell "Bonjour!" during the first song, to cower the first time we see the Beast, to sing-along at "Be Our Guest," to swoon at the majestic ballroom dance sequence, to hold my breath as Belle declares her love to her dying prince... and then before I knew it, the film was over and I honestly forgot to pick a "best shot." And really with a film as visually decadent as this, it's not a surprise that I can't pick one scene, because they're all good.

So I'm going to just go with the obvious and pick a scene from that ballroom sequence:


For me, this scene/shot is all about the grand windows and the unbelievably clear and starry night acting as the backdrop to one of the best scenes in all of cinema. And really I have nothing else to add, because look at that shot again. Just breathtaking.

Day at the Zoo

Spent the day at the zoo today, just because. It was the perfect day for it, partly cloudy and warm. Saw lots of animals, obviously, but secretly in my head I was wondering if I could spot all of the animals from Lion King, because I'm that much of a dork. It also helped that one of the first animals we saw was the lion. Sadly, I only got to see a hyena and a red-bill hornbill. No warthogs, meerkats, and mandrills. Did get to see tigers and bears, oh my.

Favorite exhibit was probably the Birds of Prey. Seeing the condors, vultures, and owls were fantastic and terrifying at the same time.

Movie Meme: Day 13

"31 Day Movie Meme"


Day 13 | Favorite animated movie

I know there are more animated films than just those from Disney and Pixar, but really the kid in me was all about Disney and the adult in me has been pretty obsessed with Pixar the past few years.

With that said, it's still pretty damn difficult to pick a favorite, but somehow I managed to rank them before:

Click here for my Disney rankings.

Click here for my Pixar rankings.

As you can see Aladdin and Finding Nemo were my top choices and you know, why not? I guess for Aladdin it was because it was the first Disney film that centered on the guy as opposed to the princess. Plus back then, what boy didn't want a monkey, a magic carpet, and/or a genie? Finding Nemo is the one Pixar film that I've seen more than three times and it's because it's hilarious. Most of that is probably due to Dory who is probably my favorite Pixar character, but neither here nor there.

Enchanted Central Park

Giselle has the right idea on how to spend a lovely spring day in the city. That's where I'll be today, albeit not singing nor looking as absolutely adorable as Amy Adams.