A Look Ahead to 2015

Well, here we are... The new year is upon us, and this one promises to be BIG!

I apologize for being so sparse, over the past two months, but I've been a bit swamped between finals, getting married, and the Holidays. Nevertheless, I'm back (hopefully).

As always, my 2014 best list (The Above Average Awards) will be coming your way sometime in February, in order to give me time to catch up with some late-releases and rentals. So, do not forget about 2014 yet!

However, it is a great time to take a look at some films that are sure to be on my watchlist, in 2015, and some that I will be sure to avoid. Feel free to persuade me!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Movies I Just Can't Wait to See

Chappie (March)

While We're Young (March)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (May)

Inside Out (June)

Ant-Man (July)

Trainwreck (July)

The Walk (October)

The Jungle Book (October)

Peanuts (November)

Untitled Christmas Eve Project (November)

Star Wars: Episode VII -- The Force Awakens (December)

Joy (December)


Other Notable Films

Kingsman: The Secret Service (February)

Fifty Shades of Grey (February)

Cinderella (March)

Insurgent (March)

Pitch Perfect 2 (May)

Mad Max: Fury Road (May)

Tomorrowland (May)

Jurassic World (June)

Ted 2 (June)

Minions (July)

The Fantastic Four (August)

Vacation (October)


Big Movies I Will Avoid (At All Costs)

Taken 3 (January)

Jupiter Ascending (February)

Furious 7 (April)

Terminator: Genisys (July)

Guardians of the Galaxy

Expectations:
Here, in our "Age of the Superhero Film," many moons have passed since Marvel's last bomb. Disney has taken a film franchise and turned it into THE film franchise, and no one expects anything but greatness from this point forward... including me. Sure, Guardians of the Galaxy was going to be different, but, unlike many, I never saw the film as a risk for the Disney's Marvel franchise. With Kevin Feige behind the curtain and Disney's marketing abilities abounding, Guardians was destined to be a hit! At this point, Marvel studios has the power to do absolutely anything that they want, as long as it's connected (however vaguely) to the Avengers' universe. With all that said, I expected Guardians of the Galaxy to be different from your typical Avengers flick, and, at the same time, I expected more of the same humorous, action-packed, mass marketable, superhero mumbo-jumbo that we are all hooked on!

Plot:
For some reason, the serious opening scene of the film did not quite fit with what was marketed to me as a fun, goofy superhero flick. As a result, I was quickly worried about the things to come. But, thankfully, the film jumped back into what I expected and never stopped entertaining me, from that point on.

I've heard so much about the differences of Guardians, compared to the other Avengers-related, Marvel films, but I must say that I disagree, to a certain extent. While there is no doubt that the jokes and dialogue were a bit more mature and clever, the characters and the storyline were really no different. There was a bad guy, who was threatening the universe. There were some good guys, who couldn't quite get along. There was a forced (and obvious) love interest for the main character. There was action. There was death and revival. There were forced connections to the Avengers-world. I mean, if you take out the dialogue of Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), you have absolutely nothing left to call unique! There's no doubt that Guardians of the Galaxy was one of my favorite Marvel films, to this point, so I'm not hating on what was done here, AT ALL. I just don't know why everyone believes the film is so unique...

Characters:
Kudos to the folks at Marvel for having the guts to make a film that featured a talking raccoon and a tree that could only say three words! Sure there were some predictable traits and quirks among the cast, but, Guardians is not a film that would have been financially successful three years ago. Impeccable timing is the key to Marvel's success, and I think the world had to get ready to see these types of characters, in this light, because we have already seen different versions of most of these characters before. Drax (played by Dave Bautista) was just a better version of Thor (100% better). Groot ("voiced" by Vin Diesel) was just a happier version Hulk. John C. Reilly's Corpsman Dey was a perfect clone of Agent Coulson. And, finally, Peter Quill (played by Chris Pratt) was a dumber version of Tony Stark. Let me know if you disagree!

Negatives:
Guardians' two leading, female characters were quite disappointing to me. First, Zoe Saldana's Gamora just didn't impress, in comparison to the other Guardians. She lacked the comedic element, which is what made the film work, and her storyline just didn't interest me. Add that to the fact that she belongs to Star Trek, and it just doesn't work for me. Additionally, her (un)sister Nebula (played by Karen Gillan) was absolutely useless. Remove her from the film, and nothing changes, at all!

Positives:
I'm going to use this space to praise the greatness that was the relationship between Groot (the tree)and Rocket (the raccoon). Basically, it was a mirror of that dude and his reindeer in Frozen... but it was interesting. Rocket absolutely made the movie and was probably the only super-unique character that came out of the film. I'm already hopeful for a Rocket spin-off (probably won't happen until Phase 45). I would watch the heck out of that!

Conclusion:
Although I ranted a bit about the lack of uniqueness, Guardians of the Galaxy deserves every bit of praise that it is receiving! Marvel continues to impress (minus the Thor stand-alones), and I don't see any end in sight. I mean, bringing in Paul Rudd certainly won't hurt! While I can't wait for The Avengers: Age of Ultron, I'm now even more excited for the second Guardians film to hit in a few years. If you happened to miss out on Guardians' opening weekend, go watch! Today! It's cheap ticket day, here in Hattiesburg! I give Guardians of the Galaxy 3.78 out of 5 stars.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Expectations:
Not only is Captain America the "First Avenger," but he is also the "Best Avenger"! There is no doubt in my mind that the first Captain America film was the best pre-Avengers Marvel flick, and I was hoping that Captain America: The Winter Soldier could follow that up and become the best of Marvel's "Phase 2" films. Unfortunately, many of the plot details for the film were under wraps, so I wasn't quite certain what to expect. At the same time, it is quite nice that Marvel now has the power to hold in the big secrets of the films. In fact, that power is what made everyone trip over the big twists in Iron Man 3, which may have inflated expectations for The Winter Soldier. Anywho, my expectations were high, because of the greatness that was The First Avenger...

Plot:
The end of mindless superhero films may be fast-approaching, as evident by the BLATANT political themes presented in The Winter Soldier. In case you didn't know, Obama is watching you, and he is going to destroy you because Robert Redford said so! And Rob Red is the man!!! However, on Captain America's (Chris Evans) end, there were just a few too many things going on for him to really be making a political statement. Black Widow's (Scarlett Johanssonn) continual need to be insignificantly significant took up an unnecessary amount of screen time, and, in the end, the film probably should have been titled Captain America: S.H.I.E.L.D. & Friends. The film wasn't a total bust, but I truly believe it had great potential. At one point, the trusting, old-fashioned Captain had a moment where he didn't know who was with/against him. That moment was probably the most intense Marvel moment ever! Unfortunately, in less than five minutes, he figured out who to trust again, which left me disappointed at what could have been. Even with this disappointment, the action was absolutely great, and Cap had no problem with anybody he faced.

Characters:
As a result of the numerous storylines, there were waaaay too many characters for any non-Avengers film. Like I said, Captain America is THE MAN! Why would you want to be distracted by minor characters? The answer to that question can probably be found in the fact that The Avengers: Age of Ultron needed a lead-in, which is quite unfortunate.

Negatives:
Hayley Atwell was absolutely amazing in The First Avenger, but there was no need for her Peggy Carter to show up, ever again. Captain America seemed to be moving forward and accepting the 21st century, eliminating the need to bring his past back into the picture. Additionally, Toby Jones's Dr. Arnim Zola was awkwardly brought back into the picture, although he was a bit more necessary, in the grand scheme of things. Although Robert Redford's Alexander Pierce was quite important to the storyline, he was the one significant character that I did not care for, but hopefully you will like him!

Positives:
My main man Danny Pudi had an extremely short appearance as some sort of computer guy, and I just wanted to be sure to give him a shout out. Without him, Community would no longer be on the air and no one would know what the term "butt-dial" means (look it up... he was the first to say it). New to the Captain America crew, Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson/Falcon was a fun addition to the film, and I truly hope that people reward Mackie with larger roles in the future. Finally (and I never thought I would say this), Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill actually fit in quite well with the rest of the cast. Her short time on screen was quite significant, and she nearly redeemed herself for being the only negative in The Avengers... but not quite.

Conclusion:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a great Marvel film, but it could have been so much better. There was just waaaay too much going on, which greatly scattered the focus of the film. Really, Captain America had very little riding on the outcome of the film. Instead, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Black Widow took center stage, which would have been fine, if they didn't already have an entire TV show dedicated to S.H.I.E.L.D. Additionally, if Black Widow could have had her own film, instead of showing up in others over and over and over, neither Iron Man nor Captain America would have had to worry about her. Regardless, I would certainly suggest that you check out The Winter Soldier, especially if you like to keep up with the events of the Marvel universe. You miss this one, and you might as well skip The Avengers: Age of Ultron. I give Captain America: The Winter Soldier 2.99 out of 5 stars.

Thor: The Dark World

 

Expectations:
As "Phase 2" of Disney's never-ending Marvel overload continues, expectations for stand-alone, superhero movies have plummeted, because we know how great it is when all these guys get together. People used to get genuinely ecstatic about each and every superhero film, but, now, people are just waiting around for the next Avengers film. Personally, I have even more excitement for the new X-Men film, but most of my excitement can be attributed to the great mass of superheroes and great actors that will be featured in the film. However, for the moment, let's pretend that The Avengers never happened. What are my expectations for the Thor sequel, now?... Well... they are even lower! I'm sorry, but I didn't care for the first Thor film, and he was easily my least favorite Avenger. So, with that being said, my only motivation to see Thor: The Dark World was to avoid missing something crucial in the Marvel universe. Also, Loki is kinda the man...

Plot:
My least favorite part of this sequel was the insignificance of the bad guys, Malekith and Algrim. Of course, their existence meant the end of the earth, but their motivation and power came off as a bit ambiguous, in my opinion. Basically, it was as if they needed someone to take the evil attention away from Loki, but, in the end, it just fell flat. Aside from that, the plot wasn't too bad. However, two weeks after watching the film, it is kind of hard to remember many details. So, maybe it wasn't so great either. I do remember that I was impressed with the way that Loki's return to Asgard was dealt with, and the ending was much less abrupt, compared to the first Thor film. Additionally, I enjoyed the story surrounding Thor and Jane Foster, played by Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, a lot more than in the first film. It wasn't quite as forced.

Characters:
Loki is easily Thor's saving grace, and there was no doubt that Tom Hiddleston carried The Dark World farther than any other character. Unfortunately for us, Loki is expected to be absent from the second Avengers, which will make it interesting to see how the development of a bad guy may engulf the second Captain America film, due out in April. Aside from Loki, mediocrity was the name of the Thor character game. Below are a few exceptions...

Negatives:
As I said before, the bad guys, played by Christopher Eccleston and Mr. Echo (I'm not going to try to type out his real name), were pretty much pointless, and I highly doubt that anyone truly enjoyed their presence in the film. Also, Erik Selvig, played by Stellan Skarsgard, continued to become less and less important in the grand scheme of the Thor storyline. To me, this reduction of importance is quite disappointing, as he was one of the few characters that I enjoyed in the first film. My final negative is the big man himself, Thor!, who is the stupidest and most awkward of all the Avengers, yet he manages to be the only thing that ties every super's story together. Regardless, I can't stand him! Seriously, if you took Chris Hemsworth and put him in Troy or Clash of the Titans, you would realize just how ridiculous this character turned out to be.

Positives:
Loki is the man! This film would have been more appropriately titled Loki: The Cooler Brother. I mean, is there any way that we can get Loki in The Avengers 2? I'll let you keep Thor, Joss! Just give me a little Loki. I predict a bright future for Tom Hiddleston, and I can't wait to see what's in store for him. As was the case with the first Thor film, I really enjoyed the character of Heimdall, played by Idris Elba. His wisdom and loyalty is a great accent to the various rebellious characters throughout Asgard, and I really wish he would find his way into an Avengers movie.

Conclusion:
In comparison to its preceding Phase 2 project, Iron Man 3, I would put Thor: The Dark World on exactly the same level. The film was better than Thor's last stand-alone film, just like Iron Man 3 was better than Iron Man 2, featured a lot of hearty laughing moment, just like Iron Man 3, and contributed very little to the overall, Avengers-based storyline (with what we know at this point), just like Iron Man 3. I don't know how everyone else feels, but, after seeing Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, I am afraid that these Marvel films are going to become a bit too generic. Don't get me wrong... I enjoyed the story, some of the acting, and, of course, I will go back to see Thor 3. However, as the movie wrapped up, I had that same underwhelming feeling that came after Iron Man 3. It was that same feeling you get after you watch any plot-twisting, action-filled, depth-lacking movie on the big screen. You know what I'm talking about! At this point, I just hope that The Avengers: Age of Ultron has something unique and exciting in store for Marvel fans. If not, Phase 2 may turn out to be the highest grossing and least exciting of the infinite future Marvel phases. I give Thor: The Dark World 3.12 out of 5 stars.

Iron Man 3

 

 

 

After a tough, tough week of finals, it's so great to get back to writing on here. Sorry to keep you all waiting, but I will be playing catch up over the next couple of weeks, so check in regularly for new posts!

Expectations:
After the disaster that was Iron Man 2 and the amazingness that was The Avengers, I didn't really know what the heck to expect with Iron Man 3. The first Iron Man film was great, and Robert Downey Jr. is the perfect Tony Stark. However, once you have a bad sequel, you tend to follow that bad sequel with another bad sequel, and I thought Iron Man 3 may just be another bad sequel. From the trailers, I was not at all convinced that The Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley, was going to be intimidating at all, and I cannot stand Guy Pearce, so the villains did not intrigue me whatsoever. My only confidence was found in Robert Downey Jr., who isn't a bad person to have confidence in.

Plot:
Iron Man 3 brought with it a lot of twists and turns, and that excitement is what keeps people returning to the theater for these type of action shows (along with the millions in marketing and such). Amazingly, the twists in this film were actually pretty well done, particularly the utilization of the previously under-utilized Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). With a much calmer, less cocky Tony Stark, the door was opened for his relationship with Potts to become more than just an excuse for Iron Man to have a girl. Also, the scene of him going into space ("never to return") in The Avengers really made me care about their relationship, in a dorky "I like comic book films" kind of way. The conflict with the villains did seem a bit insignificant, particularly now that we know Iron Man just has to call his Avengers friends if he really needs help. Nevertheless, the focus of this film was not the conflict with the villains but rather the relationship between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. A much simpler Iron Man made for a much simpler story, which aided in the twistiness of the twists.

Characters:
For the most part, I either really loved or really disliked the characters in Iron Man 3, so I didn't have a very hard time figuring the positives and negatives...

Negatives:
As I said before, I cannot stand Guy Pearce. I don't really understand why I don't like him, but I don't. Unfortunately for him, my opinion of him did not change after his performance as scientist-turned-baddy, Aldrich Killian. He just wasn't very frightening nor was he cool or clever. The villainous roles were just a big miss for me, with Iron Man 3... and that rhymes. Also, while some people may be fans of Don Cheadle's Rhodes character, but I just don't care for him in that role. Terrence Howard was much better in that role, but, really, War Machine is a boring sidekick, in my opinion. Lastly, I thought the focus that was given to Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan was unnecessary and did nothing but ad to the length of the film.

Positives:
Of course, as expected, Robert Downey Jr. was his amazingly hilarious self, and, if anyone else ever plays Iron Man, they will not do the role justice. He has, single-handedly, taken Iron Man from an average super hero to Marvel's go-to guy, and overcoming Spiderman is not an easy task. Additionally, the huge increase in screen time for Paltrow's Potts really helped both characters become more than they could ever be alone. Even with the greatness that is Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr., my absolute favorite part of this film was Ty Simpkin's Harley Keener, who became Iron Man's little minion and had the same sarcastic attitude as Tony Stark. As a sucker for child actors, I thought he did a really great job in the role, and I can't wait to see him in future films.

Conclusion:
Few things make me happier than to see the theater filled to the brim with butts and excitement. Iron Man 3 will probably have the biggest opening weekend of the summer, if I had to guess, and, as a result the theater was a happening place last Friday night! Actiony, super hero films would not be nearly as good without the enthusiasm of a large crowd, so that definitely improved my Iron Man 3 experience. Also, it did not hurt that the movie was really great. Downey Jr. fit the mold perfectly, yet again, and I hope that he chooses to play Iron Man again in the future. Usually, by the time of the third film of a franchise, I am ready for the towel to be thrown in, but Iron Man is unique. Not only is Downey Jr.'s super hero portrayal great, but, unlike most super heroes, Iron Man brings so many laughs, much of which is attributed to his wit. With the scientific background and the charm of a multi-billionaire, Iron Man is more able to ground himself in reality than most (non-Batman) super heroes. He is able to accomplish this without the "dark"ness of Batman, and that is something that should be recognized. I give Iron Man 3 3.54 out of 5 stars.

The Above Average Awards: 2012

While Argo has taken the lead in the race to Oscar glory, it's time for me to correct the mistakes of the people who supposedly know how to vote for film awards. For those of you who came to this expecting me to give every award to The Hunger Games, Twilight, The Avengers, and The Dark Knight Rises, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. Although I may consider myself an "average" film viewer, I am not a shallow critic, so there will be a lack of storyless, characterless action flicks on this list. In my list for 2012, I refer a good bit to my list from 2011, so check out last year's list before you move forward all clueless and such. I hope you enjoy reading and hopefully agree with what my list has to say about the year that was 2012...

 

Best Actress in a Comedic Role
This year's list for best actress in a comedy is full of smaller roles, which is quite pleasant. I love having the opportunity to recognize people in smaller roles, so I am glad that these actresses were able to shine in their respective performances. In fact, only one of the actresses on my list had a role as the main character. Enjoy...

#5-Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect)

While I didn't care for Pitch Perfect as much as the rest of the country seemed to, there is no denying how great Rebel Wilson was in this film. Actually, she is amazing in everything (even real life). I can't get over how freakin funny she is, so I had to put her on my list. Many of you will dispute her being #5, but it's my list! I make the decisions!





#4-Aubrey Plaza (Safety Not Guaranteed)

Although Safety Not Guaranteed is nowhere else on this list, it was one of my favorite films of 2012, and I find Aubrey Plaza's one type of character extremely hilarious. She is great on Parks and Rec, but, in Safety, the show was all hers. To give her credit, she did a great job of embracing the lead role, and you can easily tell that the whole film is built around her attitude and great acting abilities.



#3-Michaela Watkins (Wanderlust)

Although her character was not very integral or prevalent in Wanderlust, she was the one character that I longed to see more of. Wanderlust was full of great surprises, but no one was funnier than Watkins, so she deserves some recognition! Hope to see more of her in the coming years.






#2-Iris Apatow (This is 40)

What an amazingly cute and hilarious performance from the youngest daughter of This is 40 creator Judd Apatow. Without Iris Apatow, This is 40 would have lost many laughs, and it would have brought out the awkwardness of the parent-child relationship that was really strange. Truth be told, it probably wasn't much of a performance, so Judd Apatow probably gets many laughs out of Iris in everyday life.



#1-Catherine Zeta-Jones (Rock of Ages)

If you've seen Rock of Ages, then you know just how funny Zeta-Jones's turn as the Governor's wife was. She did a great job of making me laugh--a much better job than Tom Cruise. Because she comes off as a fairly serious person, in my opinion at least, it was great to watch her branch out and dance around in the church house! Kudos to Zeeter (as my father would say), and kudos to Rock of Ages for not sucking as much as other mainstream musicals tend to.



Best Actor in a Comedic Role
The entire comedic film world had a tough time getting going in 2012, which was very disappointing. Much like 2011, 2012 was dominated by one great comedy and accented by many other mediocre films. Fortunately, in these mediocre films, there were many hilarious performances that kept me laughing. There was just a struggle to put together an entire hilarious film. The following actors made me laugh my butt off this year, so kudos to them. I will say that this is the only acting category on my list that does not feature a child actor. So, to the male children of the world, start making me laugh!

#4-Sacha Baron Cohen (Les Miserables)

Les Miserables was undoubtedly one of the most serious and sad films that I have ever witnessed. However, Sacha Baron Cohen's ability to lighten the mood, in any film, carried over quite nicely. After having my emotions drained by Anne Hathaway's amazingness, it felt good to laugh. While much of his work may be questionable, there is no denying his ability to bring laughter to a room.



#3-Zach Galifianakis (The Campaign)

For the second straight year, Zach Galifianakis finds himself on my list of best comedic actors. His turn as a below-average joe who runs for congress was absolutely hilarious. The best thing was how different this character was from the Alan-type character we have all grown to love. Kudos to Galifianakis for trying something a little different and succeeding.





#2-Seth McFarlane (Ted)

Let me start by saying just how genius Seth McFarlane is. Was Ted the funniest movie of 2012? No. But, the fact that McFarlane could think this character up is a testament to how hilariously smart he is. I'm not even a huge Family Guy fan, but the clever nature of McFarlane's humor baffles me at times. He deserves the praise.


#1-Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill (21 Jump Street)

From the first time I saw this movie, I thought it was highly likely that these two guys would end up numbers 1 & 2 on my best list for 2012. However, I could not figure out which one was better. I have watched the movie at least ten times and have even watched with the sole intention of determining a clear winner. But, I couldn't do it! Both of them were just so, so freakin hilarious, and I loved the movie oh so much! For Jonah Hill, this is his second time on my best list, but, last year, he made it in the drama category for his role in Moneyball. He truly is a phenomenal actor, and I remember his humble beginnings in Accepted, a real throwback to my early high school days. As for Tatum, this is his first time to make the list but hopefully not his last. If he can keep it coming with hilarious performances, I won't even mind taking my girlfriend to see a movie in which he stars (with all the flesh-lusting and what not). These guys were absolutely amazing, and I assume that everyone would agree.



Best Actress in a Dramatic Role
When I started narrowing down this list, in early December, I had a hard time coming up with enough names to fill out a list. However, as December and January passed, I started having a hard time figuring out who to leave off! Kudos to the ladies who made this list, and I hope that future years contain this many amazing female performances...

#6-Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

While Zero Dark Thirty fell short of my expectations, Jessica Chastain was absolutely amazing as the only character that actually had a storyline. There were a few moments when I was scared to death that she was going to rip the heart out of one of her colleagues, which was much different from her role in The Help last year. I guess you can say that this is Chastain's second straight year on my list, considering I included every woman on The Help last year, so congrats to her. I'm sure she is thrilled to be on here!

#5-Noomi Rapace (Prometheus)

Unfortunately, Prometheus was not all I thought it would be, but Rapace's performance was much more than I had expected. If you've seen the film, you have seen the "robotic procedure" scene. That scene was no doubt the kicker for me. I was watching in IMAX 3D, and I couldn't quite believe how raw that scene was. Rapace, along with Michael Fassbender stole the show and made the film worth watching, regardless of how confusing it was.

#4-Naomi Watts (The Impossible)

If you didn't enjoy crying while Anne Hathaway was singing "I Dreamed a Dream," then you should definitely steer clear of The Impossible. Naomi Watts was absolutely amazing in this role, and the film was even better. She did a great job of acting like a mother and made me care, as if she were my own. I highly doubt that you have, so go watch this movie!


#3-Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

It's highly unlikely that many of you have seen Beasts of the Southern Wild, but I want to encourage you to check it out. The story is absolutely amazing, and it really makes you appreciate what is our societal norm. Wallis's performance will absolutely blow you away. I promise! It's amazing what a six year old can do with very little training. After seeing her on Leno, I knew I had to watch the movie, and I was not disappointed!

#2-Sally Field (Lincoln)

While Daniel Day-Lewis is receiving the most Lincoln-centered praise this Oscar season, Sally Field is the most deserving of the entire cast. Her performance was absolutely brilliant, and, considering she is ten years older than Daniel Day-Lewis, her effort and emotion means that much more. When I am in my 60s, I will be thinking only about retirement. Let's hope that retirement is still far away for Sally Field.


#1-Anne Hathaway (Les Miserable)

If you somehow missed out on Anne Hathaway's performance in Les Miserable, let me challenge you to go and figure out some way to see it very soon! She was absolutely amazing! Sure, the part and the infamous song that it contains would give anybody a chance at ample recognition for their performance, but I don't know if I've ever seen a performance that encompassed as much emotion as Hathaway's. It amazes me that anyone would be able to embrace a character in the way that Hathaway did. She has always been someone who I found nice and cute, but, now, I have a huge amount of respect for her talent. Let's hope that she continues to give us performances as great as this one.



Best Actor in a Dramatic Role
In a year that featured so many great dramatic films, it was very hard to narrow this list. Just like last year, it is the only list that recognizes seven performances/films. I hope that you agree, at least somewhat, with the list that I have compiled.

#7-Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

The Master had me confused from the moment it started, making it 2012's The Tree of Life. However, there was no denying the amazing acting in this film, lead by the oddly odd Joaquin Phoenix. His performance blew me away, even though I had no clue what the heck was going on. I don't know about you, but I think that defines talent.



#6-Tom Holland (The Impossible)

While Naomi Watts is receiving all of the praise for The Impossible, Tom Holland was the one that stole the show for me. Without Holland, Watts is nothing more than a woman who survived a tsunami. With Holland's great performance, you really care for both his and Watts' characters in the way that you would care for your son or mother. This young man has a great future ahead of him, so look out!


#5-Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

Although Daniel Day-Lewis is not topping my list for his performance in Lincoln, he was amazing, as was the film. If you have any preconceived idea about the way Abraham Lincoln may have acted, I promise that Day-Lewis will destroy your ideas. I know Day-Lewis does his whole "become the character" thing, and it paid off for him, yet again, in Lincoln. I just didn't think it was THE BEST performance of the year. Also, he creeps me out a little.

#4-Hugh Jackman (Les Miserable)

As you can easily tell, just from looking at this picture, Hugh Jackman went all out for his role in Les Mis, and it paid off. All of the actors were great in this film, but I can't even imagine the amount of time that Jackman put into his performance, considering he was the lead. I was tired just watching him in my comfy theater chair. However, he did an amazing job and is very deserving of his Golden Globe win! I just wish he would give up Wolverine, because we have all had enough of that.


#3-Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

If you have seen Perks, then you know just how great Ezra Miller's performance is. If you haven't, then you need to check it out. In my opinion, this film and this performance should have received more Oscar attention but oh well. Miller is fantastic as the gay friend of the lead, as his character is not flamboyant or showy but, instead, independently confident and hilarious. I look forward to seeing Miller in other films in the future, which looks to be very bright for him.




#2-Alan Arkin (Argo)

I was quite surprised with how great Argo turned out to be, and, while I have loved Alan Arkin in past roles, I have never seen him fit quite as well as he did in this film. His dry humor, accented by John Goodman, turned Argo into the film that Zero Dark Thirty longed to become. I had trouble defining this role as comedic or dramatic, but I decided on dramatic, because the role was not completely intended for humor. It was just genius to include the humor along with the ample amount of suspense that the drama brought about. Congratulations to Mr. Arkin for receiving all of the accolades that he has for this role. He is certainly deserving.

#1-Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)

Because of The Academy's weak spot for historic performances, Daniel Day-Lewis is destined to win best actor at the Oscars next week. Unfortunately, they will be rewarding the wrong guy, in my opinion. Bradley Cooper may have picked a bad year to try to compete in the Best Actor category for an Oscar, but he will be getting my award for best actor in a dramatic role, after blowing me away in Silver Linings Playbook. Maybe I am just a sucker for performances pertaining to sick people. Last year, I picked Joseph Gordon Levitt's performance in 50/50 as the best in this category. Also, I am a sucker for performances that are both funny and dramatic (Gordon Levitt in 50/50, Arkin in Argo, Miller in Perks, Jonah Hill in Moneyball, Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network, and the list goes on and on and on). But, seriously, what is better than laughing while being moved emotionally by a performance. So, kudos to Bradley Cooper for blowing me away and being the best of the best in 2012.


Best Comedy
In case you haven't heard me complain about it to this point, 2012 was probably the worst year for comedies in like forever! As a result, the list for Best Comedy is extremely shallow this year. A comedy, for me, is a film that focuses solely on making you laugh, which is why a film like 50/50, from 2011, did not make the list as a comedy, but rather as a drama, because of the serious nature of the storyline. My views differ from that of The Academy and maybe filmmakers in general. They tend to think that, if you laugh once, the film must be a comedy. So, now that you know how I judge, you can check out my list for Best Comedy in 2012...

#2-Wanderlust

Wanderlust was one of the biggest surprises in 2012 for me, and it made me laugh my socks off. There were so many hilarious moments in this film. I even laughed at Paul Rudd's jokes! While I love Paul Rudd and his movies, he, alone, has failed to make me laugh before 2012. However, if you have yet to see the Wanderlust scene where Rudd is trying to pump himself up for sex, you have yet to live! I laughed so freakin hard at that scene, and it may be the only reason Wanderlust made this list. Nevertheless, kudos to Wanderlust for being the only film that came anywhere close to 21 Jump Street in 2012.

#1-21 Jump Street

Last year, I gave my top three comedic actor awards to three men from Horrible Bosses, and those performances locked up the 2011 Best Comedy award for Bosses. This year, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill were able to accomplish the same for 21 Jump Street. I'm going to assume that most of you have seen the movie and agree with me that it is the best true comedy of 2012. No other comedy came anywhere close to touching this amazingly hilarious remake of the classic television show. I won't go on too much, because I have talked about this movie in almost every review of a comedic film, since March. I'm so glad to hear that a sequel is in the works, as I can't wait to see these two reunited for the sake of my laughing!



Best Drama
What 2012 lacked in comedy, it more than made up for in drama. As you may have heard, this year's Oscar race is slam packed with contenders, and no one can tell you for sure who is going to win. So many of the nominated films would have easily won best picture over the past few years, but they just picked a bad year to be great. Next year, we may see the mediocrity return. So, enjoy the greatness while it is still here, and make sure that you check these films out, when they hit the DVD shelves over the next few months. As for criteria, I just pick the films that I think were the best at being what they were meant to me. You wouldn't compare The Hangover to The Dark Knight, so why should they be judged on the same platform? My best drama list looks a bit different from the Oscar nominee list, as do all of my other lists. However, three of the nominees did make the list, and I encourage you to check them out. If more people would watch these films, rather than A Good Day to Die Hard, America would be a much nicer place!

#6-The Impossible

Even with Les Miserable in the field, The Impossible would definitely be #1, if this award were given to the most emotional film. No movie brought me closer to tears in 2012. Kudos to Naomi Watts and Tom Holland for connecting with the audience in a way that made us feel as if we were part of the family. I know Hattiesburg has a lot of destruction, but, seeing the results of the tsunami, I can't even imagine being in that situation. Warning: do not watch this film without tissues, and do not be afraid of a little blood! If you can handle those two things, you will be pleasantly amazed at what The Impossible has to offer.

#5-Argo

As the current favorite to win Best Picture at the Oscars, Argo certainly was a surprisingly awesome thrill-ride. Although I don't believe it is the best of 2012, it is deserving of the recognition. Also, Ben Affleck should have gotten his nomination for Best Director. I just really hope that Argo doesn't win solely because of the Academy's mistake. Nevertheless, to anyone who has yet to see Argo, see it! This film will have you on the edge of your seat, even if you know what is going to happen.

#4-The Avengers

The Avengers is a perfect example of a film that should be judged according to its own expectations. Nobody even thought about giving an Oscar nom to this money-making, popcorn-induced thriller of a superhero film. I don't understand how people didn't recognize how amazingly perfect this film was. We laughed (Robert Downey Jr.), we cried (Agent Coulson), and we got pumped (Hulk smashing Loki). Although The Dark Knight is the greatest superhero film of all time, this film is the greatest unrealistic superhero film of all time. Thank you, Joss Whedon, for being so freaking awesome and for giving us a great film, regardless of what the Academy says.

#3-Silver Linings Playbook

Maybe I am a little bitter about The Avengers, but I am so glad that the Academy recognized how great Silver Linings Playbook is. There is no doubt in my mind that this film had the greatest ensemble of cast members, regardless of how many made my list. Everyone was so normal, and the story was so modern and real. It's hard to believe that it is being compared to the other films on this list, because it is the least dramatic of them all. If you do watch this film, prepare to get your laugh on. However, the emotional connection to the characters and their situations kept me from movie this one over to the comedy category. David O. Russell is 2 for 2 with me, as I loved The Fighter as well. If there is one film on this list that everyone will love, Silver Linings Playbook is that film, so go watch!

#2-Les Miserables

As you've heard me say at least 300 times by now, Les Miserables is the one and only musical that has been able to blow me away. I don't know how differently I would've felt about this film if I had seen/read/heard the classic story before. Fortunately, this experience was my first and only with Les Miserables, and it was quite special. As a close runner-up to Silver Linings Playbook for best ensemble, in my book, I was just so caught up in these characters. I even went back to watch it again. Christmas was made special by Les Miserables, and I can't wait for the DVD to come out

#1-The Perks of Being a Wallflower

For the second year in a row, a quirky, funny, relatable film is topping my list for best drama! This year's choice was not as easy for me, but I am absolutely confident in my choice of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. As you know, I like to laugh at my drama, but I also like for it to be relatable. Out of the films on this list, Perks is certainly the most relatable for me, at my age. Don't let me lead you on, though. My life is not anywhere close to as dramatic as these character's, but they are relatable somehow. Now, for the biggest confession I have made on my blog ever, I will share, with you all, something that very few know. After falling in love with this film, I have begun to READ THE BOOK!!! If you don't know me, this isn't very exciting. But, if you do know me, you know how much I DON'T read. In fact, I believe this is the first time I have ever read a book AFTER watching the movie. I have never really seen a point in it, until this film. So, now you know how much I enjoyed this coming of age tale. Make sure to check it out, especially if you are a younger reader. I believe that you will greatly enjoy it!


Although I doubt you agree with my list 100%, I hope that you somewhat agree with it. If you do disagree, please comment with your opinions. I would be glad to hear them! If you read through each and every description for each actor/actress/film, you receive a gold star. If you scrolled through and just looked at the names, you saved a lot of time. I have reviewed many of the films on this list, so go check out what I had to say about each film, in more detail. Thanks for reading!

Summer Recap 2012

For those of us in South Mississippi, the summer temperatures are far from gone and anything that we might have written in the sand has been blown away by Hurricane Isaac. My wallet is going to enjoy the fact that the summer movie season has come and gone, but my heart will be yearning for more. This feeling is not an uncommon one, considering this has been my 21st summer on this rock. However, someone like me, who loves going to the movies, can never get enough. While the next two months are going to be a bit slow, the Christmas movie season is looking stronger this year than it has in a long, long time. So, folks, before we jump toward Christmas, let's take a look at some memorable movie moments from the summer of 2012...


Movie That I Just Didn't Get:
Moonrise Kingdom


Funniest Moment:
Hulk smash Loki


Closest to Tears:
When Timothy Green made his exit.


Movie That I Felt Bad for Liking:
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter


The First Ever Musical with GOOD Music:
Rock of Ages


Least Twisty Plot Twist:
Blake is Robin!


Movie That Made Me Feel Good About Life:
Safety Not Guaranteed


Most Surprisingly Good Movie:
Men in Black III


Best Scene:
The C-section in Prometheus


Best Look Ahead to Summer 2013:
The Man of Steel


Movie That I Just Wanted to End:
Snow White and the Huntsman


Movie That I Watched More Than Any Other:
The Dark Knight Rises


Re-boot That Seemed Exactly Like the Original:
The Amazing Spiderman

The Amazing Spider-Man

Expectations:
If there is anyone reading this that doesn't love Peter Parker, please just go ahead and click away from this blog post. There is no way that I can share my feelings about Spider-Man with someone who doesn't care, so just go on....... Now, for those that remain, my expectations for The Amazing Spider-Man were extremely, extremely high! While I do love the Spider-Man character, I was not a huge fan of the three Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films. All three films had so many dorky, unrealistic moments that I just didn't care for them, and, yes, I do realize that the whole idea is unrealistic. But, after The Dark Knight and The Avengers set the expectations so, so high for pretty much every comic book movie to come, I really thought that this film HAD to be more real and raw in order to survive the evolution of comic book films.

Plot:
The plot was a bit more realistic than the previous three films, but it still wasn't good enough. The trailer really sold the plot as revolving around Peter's past and his relationship with his family. However, this was not THAT big of a storyline. While it did help tie the plot together, he never really found any answers or gained any confidence concerning his family. This wasn't a big issue plot-wise, but it did dissapoint my expectations a bit. The biggest problem that I had with the film as a whole was the fact that Peter (played by Andrew Garfield) wasn't quite dorky enough. Normally this would be a character issue, but I believe that the plot hurt his ability to grasp that dorkiness. His relationship with Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) was way too easy. He barely had to try to get her to like him. While I'm not a comic book expert, the Peter Parker I know struggles with an extreme case of dorkiness, and the lack of that dorkiness pissed me off!

Characters:
As I said, Garfield's turn as Spider-Man was dissapointing, but it was the fault of the writing. Garfield himself was actually perfect for the character. He played my favorite character in The Social Network and didn't let me down in his second major role. On the other hand, Emma Stone is not my favorite actress. She is usually just so-so (save The Help), and she was so-so in this film as well. Stacy and Parker were obviously the two major characters, and neither of them really stood out. Nevertheless, I have seen worse, so I give them the benefit of the doubt.

Negatives: Richard and Mary Parker (played by Campbell Scott and Embeth Davidtz) were undoubtedly the most dissapointing characters. I really wanted Peter's parents to be important in this film, and, as I said, they just weren't. Also, Chris Zylka's Flash Thompson was a bit of a let down. Peter's lack of dorkiness really took away from Flash's ability to be an effective character.

Positives: As expected, Ben Parker (and all his freakin awesome wisdom) was easily the best of all characters. Martin Sheen's turn as Peter's uncle was very successful, which greatly excited me. To my surprise, Denis Leary's turn as Captain Stacy was also very successful. I thought his character might be a little awkward and sappy, but he turned out to be great.

Conclusion:
I want to apologize for harping on the lack of Peter Parker's dorkiness so much in this review. However, it is the one thing that really ruined the whole film for me. The problem is that I can't think of a way for them to better portray him without taking away from more realistic approach to the story. Peter Parker's character is a nerd and always will be. The times, however, have greatly changed. So many nerdy things have become the norm now (Thanks, Hipsters!), which makes it harder to portray nerds as awkward or unfortunate people. Therefore, I am blaming my problems with The Amazing Spider-Man on.......... HIPSTERS!!! If you are a hipster, then thanks a lot for ruining Spider-Man (just kidding). I give The Amazing Spider-Man 2.98 out of 5 stars.

The Avengers

Expectations:
Let's be honest with one another for just a minute. How many people have ever seen a movie with a ton of really famous stars in it that just really, really sucked? Answer: Everyone. How many people have a seen a movie with so much CGI and so much unrealistic crap that it just really, really sucked? Answer: Everyone. Now my expectations were that, when you combine those two elements of suckiness, you get The Avengers. There is just no way that you could possibly set your expectations too high for this film. We all know how awful Thor and Iron Man 2 were. We all know that nobody can make a good Hulk movie. We all know that Loki looks retarded with that antler helmet on. Sure, the action scenes would rock, and every comic book guru would pee in their pants while waiting in the theater at midnight. The question was could they overcome all of the aforementioned problems and make a good, solid movie?

Plot:
While the plot of the movie certainly wasn't deep or real, I will hand it to Joss Whedon and crew for coming up with a way to make every character share an almost equal-sized role. This film had so many big characters, which is not an easy aspect to deal with, but they dealt with it almost perfectly. The only real big problem I had with the plot structure was the fact that it took so long for us to actually see them all together. There was too much jumping around from place to place at the beginning of the film. The other small problem that I had was not really a problem with the movie but, instead, a problem with film critics and watchers. No one can tell me that the final battle scene didn't mimic the final scene in Transformers: Dark of the Moon (a film that everyone hated for no reason at all). While I loved the scenes in both films, can someone please explain to me how you can love the one film and hate the other? Regardless, I was completely surprised at how sound the plot was. While it certainly isn't Oscar-worthy, people can still love more than the just the characters in the film, and that is a strong statement for a superhero movie.

Characters:
While there were a few low points character-wise, most every character was dealt with fantastically well. There was very little randomness to the interaction and appearance of these characters. Robert Downey Jr. was fantastic, as usual, in his role as Iron Man. While I expected her to fade into the background, Scarlett Johannson really surprised me at how interesting her character was. Samuel L. Jackson was just as so so as he ever is. Chris Evans certainly carried his momentum from Captain America into this film. Tom Hiddleston's performance as Loki turned out to be much more real and raw than I ever could have imagined. While the antler helmet did take away from your ability to accept him as real, I was very impressed with his performance. On a negative side of things, there were a few characters that I didn't quite like in the film. Looking back, Chris Hemsworth's Thor really had no major role in the movie at all. I think Hulk's presence really took away from Thor's ability shine as the big strong dude that does big strong dude stuff. Also, I was not a big fan of Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner. I don't really know why, but I just wasn't impressed.

Best Character: Although I never saw the newest Hulk film, I have heard nothing positive about it, which is what lead everyone to think that Hulk would be a low point in The Avengers. Boy were we wrong! Everyone who has seen the movie knows exactly how great Hulk was portrayed, but I'm not completely sold that it was because of Mark Ruffalo's performance. I give the credit, yet again, to Joss Whedon.

Worst Character: Agent Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders, was absolutely the stupidest character in the whole film. I do not understand why she had anywhere close to that big of a role. She wasn't basically just a person that gave Nick Fury a reason to have lines.

Conclusion:
The Avengers shattered mine and everyone else's expectations, while taking the box office numbers for quite a spin as well. Was it the most solid movie ever? No. However, it was extremely well put together, which means that comic freaks and movie freaks all need to invite Joss Whedon to their birthday party this year! The comedy in the film was a bit over-bearing at times, but it was certainly fun to watch with everyone cracking up at 1 o'clock in the morning. The plot wasn't realistic, but it wasn't supposed to be. Almost everything that went wrong in The Avengers had an excuse, which is rare. With all the positive things that have been said, I must say one thing that everyone may not agree on. Contrary to what everyone was putting on Facebook and what not, The Avengers is NOT the best superhero movie ever made. That title is held and will likely always be held by The Dark Knight, and don't you ever forget that. I give The Avengers 4.11 out of 5 stars.

Great Expectations: May 2012

Summer movies are finally here! Although I am excited about many movies over the summer months, I will try to limit Great Expectations to my top three for each month. If you will come to the movie theater at midnight on May 3rd, I will be signing autographs (ha ha just kidding!). I will be there for the midnight premiere of The Avengers, however. Come join me and be an important part of the first big summer movie of 2012! And enjoy these trailers:

1. The Avengers (May 4th)

2. The Dictator (May 16th)

3. What to Expect When You're Expecting (May 18th)

Summer Preview: 2012

Hello to all! It is finally that time of year. Time for summer movies!!!!!!! Now, if you are a movie freak like I am, you understand my excitement, and you can't wait for midnight May 3rd!!! (The Avengers). If you aren't excited, then I invite you to become excited very, very soon, because the time has come.

Just so you know, I deem the summer months (for movies) May, June, July, and August. So, as you read what I have to say, you can realize what time range I am covering here. Last year, as I have said before, was a disappointing year for movies. Looking back on what I expected heading into last summer, I realize that my expectations may have been a bit high. Last year, there was at least one movie coming out that I wanted to see on each and every weekend from the first of May to the first of August. That alone is just crazy. It also shows you how many movies I tend to want to watch. However, looking forward to the upcoming summer months, I just don't have THAT many movies that I want to see. That means that there are only three or four each month that I want to see (rather than last year's thirty a month).

I don't know why, but I just don't feel like this summer is full of big hits. Certainly, there are great movies coming out that are sure to make loads of cash and be seen by almost everyone--TWICE. Might I interest you in some Dark Knight Rises or some Avengers or maybe even some Spiderman? These films are going to blow the box office away, but, when you look beyond these three super-hero films, there aren't many big films to get excited about. There are movies that I am going to want to see, and there are movies that you are going to want to see. The problem lies in the lack of movies that EVERYONE is going to want to see. Last year, there were tons of HUGE movies. There was Transformers 3, Cars 2, The Hangover 2, Thor, Pirates 4, Captain America, Bridesmaids, The Help, and, of course, Harry Potter. All of these movies were so, so big, and there just aren't that many summer movies (aside from the three mentioned above) that are going to be super huge. Or at least that is what I think. Here are a few lists of movies that contain my predictions for the summer of 2012. Hope you enjoy:

Highest Expectations
3. The Amazing Spiderman (July 3)

2. Prometheus (June 8)

1. The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)

Lowest Expectations
3. Men in Black III (May 25)

2. Battleship (May 18)

1. G.I. Joe: Retaliation (June 29)

Funniest Expectations
3. What to Expect When You're Expecting (May 18)

2. The Dictator (May 16)

1. Ted (July 13)

Cha-Chingiest Expectations
3. The Amazing Spiderman (July 3)

















2. The Avengers (May 4)

1. The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)

Check in frequently to see what reviews are up! There will likely be one or two new reviews each and every week during the summer, so don't miss them!