Chris Reviews 2013 in Movies

2013 has been one of my least favorite years as far as movies are concerned. Pretty much every single movie that I was looking forward to, did not live up to my expectations. Of course there have been exceptions but as a whole it seems to have been a pretty lame year for film fans. These lists are just based off the movies I had a chance to see so keep that in mind before you attack me in the comments about a particular film not being on the list.

5 Best Movies-

The Worlds End-

One of the few movies I was looking forward to that did not let me down. I got a chance to see this as a marathon of all 3 of the Pegg, Frost and Wright films and it was probably my favorite movie theater experience of the year. It manages to create the same fun and humor as Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead while also featuring and interesting Sci-fi premise.




Captain Phillips-

Probably this years best Thriller as Paul Greengrass crafts a gripping drama about a pirate attack on a US Cargo Ship. Its a fascinating film that will keep you entertained throughout and Tom Hanks gives his usual solid performance. This is probably 2013's Hurt Locker for me in that I really like it a lot but it will likely win more awards than I think it should.

Pacific Rim-

While it didn't quite live up to my expectations, I still had a blast! Pacific Rim is a truly creative Sci-fi action movie that features some spectacular visuals and a lot of exciting Monsters and Mech fighting. If it wasn't for a weak script this would likely have been my favorite movie of the year but I still like it for what it is... a fun, big budget, B-movie.

Spring Breakers-

This movie is definitely not for everyone. It is an oddly structured, almost experiential film that you will either love or hate. I loved the style and once i got passed that I discovered a rather fascinating critique on the millennial generation. That being said the best part of this movie is James Franco as Alien the really shitty gangster. Oh and it features Gucci Mane as James Franco's former best friend turned rival.

Filth-

This was my surprise movie of the year. This is an awesome Scottish film based on a novel by Irvine Welsh who wrote Trainspotting. James McAvoy gives a phenomenal performance as a detective on the edge of insanity who is trying to earn a promotion. Its an insanely fun film that rides the perfect balance of dark comedy.





5 Worst Movies-

 21 & Over-

A bland and unoriginal college comedy movie. I watched this at 2 in the morning, which is the perfect time for movies like this and still thought it was boring.

Bad Grandpa-

Normally I don't like Jackass movies at all but the trailers looked really funny so I went and saw it. Unfortunately almost all of the funny gags where in the trailer and the rest was pretty lame. The film tries to make a narrative out of this with an extremely generic father and son road trip movie but it just doesn't work.

Warm Bodies-

The Twilight of Zombie movies.......enough said. 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug-

While I had my issues with the first Hobbit movie I still enjoyed it. Sadly the sequel does not improve upon the first film and the Hobbit is set to become this generations Star Wars Prequel Trilogy. The story feels extremely stretched, the acting is mediocre at best, the actions scenes are tedious and it feels as if the franchise has lost its magic. The one bright spot is Smaug, but 20 minutes of a cool CGI dragon can't make up for the numerous other flaws.

Star Trek Into Darkness-

I have been a huge Star Trek fan for pretty much my entire life. I have watched all the shows, have all the movies on blu-ray, read some of the books etc. So  I like to think I have a firm grasp on what Star Trek is and this movie is not Star Trek. It is a Star Wars fans attempt at making a Star Trek movie. Not only is this not a Star Trek film but its just a bad movie in general. The script is a piece of shit and really is just a bunch of action scenes spaced perfectly apart to keep an audience entertained for 2 hours without any real substance. I could go on a rant about how much I dislike this movie but suffice it to say this is my least favorite movie of the year!

 Guilty Pleasure Movies-

 Bullet to the Head-

Man this movie bombed at the box office but it was a hell of a lot of fun. If you are into the old school 80's action movie genre like me this was the movie for you. Stallone kicks some ass, Jason Momoa is a cheesy bad guy and Sarah Shahi is the hot chick in Walter Hill's (The Warriors) directorial comeback.

Olympus Has Fallen-

Another old school action cheese fest that I had a lot of fun with. I still have not see White House Down but I have heard that Olympus Has Fallen is the better of the two attack on the White House films. Sure the story is pretty shitty but Gerard Butler is solid as the lead with some good one liners and there are some pretty great action scenes. To be honest a lot of why I like this is probably related to being nostalgic about these old school, overly dramatic and patriotic action movies from the 80's and 90's but I can't help what I like.


Summary-

There are some movies I still really want to see such as 12 Years A Slave, The Wolf of Wall Street so those may get added to my top list. If you want to see a comprehensive ranking of all the movies from this year look to the right side of the screen and there is a tab labeled 2013 Rankings. That list is always being updated, even after the year is over. I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts about this year in movies and lets hope for a better year in 2014!

-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart 

Kevin's Best and Worst Movies of 2013

It's the end of the year and time to review the best and worst films of 2013.  I didn't get to see as much as I had hoped to, nor did I have a lot of time to write many reviews, but I got a pretty good glimpse of the year and have seen enough to make a fair list.  2013 was a horrible year for films, generally speaking.  Hopefully next year will be better.  However, there were a few that were memorable and will stick with me for some time. 

Best Movies of 2013

My favorite film of the year was The Wolf of Wall Street.  It was almost an instant 5 out of 5 for me.  I didn't read a whole lot about it before I saw it and I went in with no expectations.  I didn't know what to expect.  The Wolf of Wall Street is packed with hard partying, bad choices, and lots and lots of money, all of which catch up to Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.  Scorsese has done his fair share of bio films, and this one certainly doesn't disappoint.  I wouldn't say this film is better than The Departed, but it is certainly more fun and DiCaprio's performance steals the show. 

The Place Beyond the Pines was another favorite of mine.  This film has resonated with me since I saw it in theaters in March.  It's a film that hits hard on the theme of choices and consequences, and how they affect others.  Some of the best things about this film include the cinematography and the realism of the portrayals of the characters.  Ryan Gosling gives his best performance since Drive, although I wish he had been in more of the film.  This movie is oddly structured, which is another complaint I have about it.  It seems to get weaker as it progresses, but it is still a solid crime drama that is well worth a watch.  

I was really excited to see Don Jon, but was ultimately disappointed upon the first viewing.  However, after watching it a second time, I was able to accept the film for what it was and really dive into the message behind the film.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great in this film as writer, director, and star.  The film is bold in style and content, including screening ACTUAL porn footage, which is something I've never seen before in a feature film.  

I laughed my ass off when I watched This is the End for the first time.  Not only is it a hilarious apocalyptic film, but it also presents some serious themes toward the climax of the film.  I loved every character in this film and there was great chemistry between the leads.  I can easily say this is the best comedy of the year, and definitely Seth Rogen's funniest movie since Pineapple Express. 

I went with my parents to see The Kings of Summer at the Esquire theater.  I was a bit reluctant because independent films can be weird and saturated with stylistic cues, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one.  It was funny, touching, and memorable.  I enjoyed this because it plays out as a fantasy about kids living on their own, which everyone has had.  Things go south eventually, but it sure is fun to watch and to see some new stars be born.

 Yes, it is overrated, but Gravity had some fantastic technical achievements.  The sound and visuals were stunning.  Alfonso Cuaron is known for his unique visuals, and Gravity doesn't disappoint in that aspect.  I just thought this film was overrated.  Children of Men was better, in my opinion. 

Worst Movies of 2013

The worst movie of the year has to be Gangster Squad.  With such a talented cast, I can't help but scratch my head and wonder how this movie was so bad.  Not even the cast could make this watchable, and I ended up leaving the theater just before the halfway mark. 

The Great Gatsby was awful as well.  I am a huge Leonardo DiCaprio fan.  I will watch just about anything he's in, but The Great Gatsby is just painful to watch.  Literally.  I have no idea why Baz Luhrmann is so insistent on making so many jump cuts in so few seconds.  It hurts my eyes to watch his movies and I couldn't sit through this one.  Also, when Jay Z music is playing as non-diegetic sound in the film, I can't help but shake my head and mentally put this on the shit list for movies this year. 

Olympus Has Fallen was weak.  I interpreted it as a wannabe Die Hard that tried to be funny but wasn't.  Gerard Butler is okay, but the heavy CGI and unimpressive action sequences kept this from being a good film.  I never saw White House Down, but having two White House attack films within four months is also tiring.  This was just a prime example of a bad action film for explosion junkies. 

Sadly, Only God Forgives was a humongous disappointment.  I had high hopes for the dark crime drama directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, the mastermind behind Drive.  It was visually captivating, but the poorly written dialogue and sloppy script made this a difficult watch.  I am still looking forward to Refn's next work, though, whatever it may be. 

Oz the Great and Powerful was not great nor powerful (yes, critics used that same line, lame…).  I had no expectations going in, but it was just a disappointing film all around.  The first few scenes were done well, but as it went on, it seemed to get away from itself, especially in the climax.  James Franco helped make the film more watchable, but it is ultimately one of the weaker films of 2013.

As I said before, 2013 has been a bad year for films.  There were a few strong films and even one gem, but compared to years past, this year is a dud.  My hope is The Wolf of Wall Street will win an Oscar or two, hopefully from Leonardo DiCaprio's wild and energetic performance.  That would be historic.  I haven't seen 12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips, or Nebraska, and I am watching The World's End as I post this.  But this is just my year end list and I intend on watching those films before the Oscars roll around.  I will likely update this list, but this is what I have for now.  

Chris Reviews The Worlds End

I apologize for taking so long to get this review up because I did see this film opening night. In fact I went to see the entire Cornetto Trilogy at AMC Theaters. It was a hell of a good time because I love Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and after watching both of those films the bar was set pretty high for The Worlds End. Was It able to top both of those excellent films or is it simply the 3rd best film in a great series? Obviously you should read below to find out.....

The Good-

If you love Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead then you will not be disappointed. The humor is right in line with the previous entries in the Cornetto Trilogy. This time they tackle the Sci-fi/Alien Invasion genre and despite some cliché moments they do a fairly good job at creating a film that works both as a comedy and as a film that fits in the Sci-fi genre perfectly. Another fascinating element of this movie is that it works as a critique on modern society. The prologue of the film really takes a twist on the genre and makes a depressing statement about human nature. So this film not only is enjoyable on a basic entertainment level but on an intellectual level as well.

The Bad-

There was not much that I disliked about this film. The only major issue that people seem to have is with the third act. It definitely is the weakest part of the film as it really is just one jumbled action scene after another. That being said I think the mistakes of the third act get redeemed at the very end of the film. Other than that I did not have any major complaints.

Summary-

All in all this is not only an excellent Comedy but a pretty damn good Sci-fi film. Is it the best in the Trilogy? I think that really depends on your personal opinion but for me it is a close 2nd behind Hot Fuzz and my favorite film of 2013! I highly recommend this film to everyone!

MY RATING-

4.5 out of 5

-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

Chris Reviews The Heat

I'm going to be honest, I really had no desire to see this film. I have never been a fan of Melissa McCarthy because she uses the fat/gross out humor in every role she plays, the story looked generic as hell and Sandra Bullock has never been an actress that I particularly liked. Despite all of that I went because my Grandma really wanted to see it and that's what good Grandsons do. Did this film play out exactly as I expected or was it a pleasant surprise? As usual you should read below to find out....

The Good-

This was a competently made action/comedy film that was solidly entertaining throughout. There were several jokes that worked well and had me laughing out loud. I actually liked Sandra Bullock in this as well which is probably a first. My favorite part of the film were the usual comedy film cameos, specifically Kaitlin Olson (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as a Eastern European hooker/drug dealer and Thomas F. Wilson (Back to the Future) as the police chief.

The Bad-

This is about as formulaic as a buddy cop film can get. It really does not break any new ground with the exception of the struggles of women in the police force story line. It telegraphs every plot line so badly that there really is no suspense throughout. There are also a number of bad jokes that just annoyed me (The Albino guy in particular) and Melissa McCarthy is still one of my least favorite actresses in Hollywood. She plays the exact same character you have ever seen her in and it is not one that I like.

Summary-

This film was much better than I expected but It also had every problem that I expected it would have. Is it the worst movie I have seen this year? No, but it is yet another mediocre film that 2013 has been so generous in giving us. I would only recommend this if you are seeing it at the cheap theater or getting it at Red Box.

MY RATING-

3 out of 5

-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart
 

Chris Reviews 2 Guns

I was not expecting much of this movie going in. The trailers made it look like just another generic summer action film, but it did have an interesting cast. I mainly went to go see it though, because I decided I need to force myself to see more movies this year even if they are mostly crap. So did this film exceed my expectations or become yet another bland summer action film? Obviously you should continue reading to find out.

THE GOOD-

The chemistry and performances are the selling point of the movie. I like both of these actors and they work well together and provide some good humor. I also enjoyed seeing Edward James Olmos as a Mexican Drug Cartel leader. The action sequences are solid although nothing spectacular.

THE BAD-

This was yet another terribly written action film. While there was a mildly intriguing premise it was so mishandled that it made it borderline unwatchable. It attempted to be an overly complex crime film about a DEA Agent and a Naval Intelligence Agent who accidentally rob a CIA slush fund bank and the CIA wants their money back. I was not sure if this was supposed to be a criticism of government corruption or if it was just supposed to be a ridiculous over the top action film. That was one of the main problems is that it struggled balancing comedy and seriousness which is a key element of a good buddy cop film. None of the action scenes had much weight because it seemed like it was all just a big joke. There were also numerous plot holes and random things that would happen that were never addressed. Outside of the lead actors there really was not much to like from the performances either (Paula Patton was pretty terrible). Essentially this movie contains almost every problem that a bad summer action film features.

Summary-

This is just another poorly written summer action film that you watch and forget 10 minutes after you walk out of the theater. Sure the lead actors give solid performances and provide enough charisma to make the film watchable but that's about it.

MY RATING-

2.5 out of 5

-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart

Chris Reviews The Wolverine

X-Men has always been one of my favorite super hero franchises. I have seen every film in the theaters, watched the cartoons, have read some of the comics and have a general knowledge of the major story arcs and characters from the comics. Obviously I was going to see this but having been really disappointed in Wolverines last solo outing, I came into this with a fair amount of skepticism. Was that skepticism warranted? Read below to find out......

The Good-

This is one of the more interesting story arcs for Wolverine. He is brought to Japan to say goodbye to a dying powerful Japanese business man who he saved from the nuclear blast at Nagasaki during World War 2. The man offers him a chance to end his immortality by transferring it to him. This comes at the same time that Wolverine is struggling with the aftermath of the events of X-Men: The Last Stand in which he had to kill the love of his life Jean Grey. There are some very interesting dream sequences he has where he is talking to her throughout the film that ground the character and make him human. Despite wanting to join her in heaven (or whatever afterlife you believe in) he turns down the offer and the man dies. The Granddaughter of the man is now set to takeover the business instead of her father. Thus a story of a family feud/power struggle over the business ensues and Wolverine attempts to protect the girl despite somehow losing his powers. There are some pretty awesome action sequences as the addition of Samurai/Ninja fighting is a nice change of pace to the usual superhero fights. Hugh Jackman gives another good performance as Wolverine, providing enough charisma and comedy with his fighting skills to keep audiences entertained. The direction by James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line) is pretty good and he is able to create one of the more visually interesting super hero films.

The Bad-

While there is a lot of things I liked about this film there is an equal amount of problems I had with it. The primary issue being that the plot is extremely over complicated. There are numerous side stories that are easy to get lost in and it all comes crashing down in the third act. I was completely lost and confused for the final 30 minutes of the film as it tries to set up a typical "final battle" sequence that makes no sense. The film also tries to do a big villain reveal at the end but it is telegraphed so bad that there is no impact. That is indicative of a larger problem with the film in that the villains are VERY weak. The character motivations are so confused and flip flop often, some of the secondary villains are unnecessary (Viper is probably the worst Marvel movie villain ever) and they are all very incompetent. This is probably one of the worst third acts of a movie I have seen in years and it kills the many positives this movie had.

Summary-

After a promising first 2 acts the film completely collapses on itself and makes what could have been an above average super hero film simply mediocre. That being said it is a vast improvement from X-Men Origins: Wolverine and is an adequate filler movie until we get X-Men: Days of Future Past next year.

MY RATING-

3 out of 5

-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart  

Star Wars Prequels: A Retrospective

Like any kid born post 1977 I grew up a huge Star Wars fan. I remember getting the VHS box set, seeing them re-released in theaters in the 90's and owning tons of action figures. So in 1999 when The Phantom Menace came out I was beyond excited. I was 7 years old at the time so if you have seen the film you should know that I was the target audience. At the time I loved the film, I bought the collectors edition VHS, acquired as many action figures as possible and had lightsaber fights in my friend Danny's basement while listening to "Duel of Fates" from the soundtrack. Then when I was 10 years old Attack of the Clones came out and once again I was the target audience. I was equally excited for its release and while I did not enjoy it quite as much as the first I still had a great time. Then when I was 13 Revenge of the Sith came out and that became my favorite of the prequel trilogy. I periodically have revisited the films but never really looking at them critically. So I thought I would go back and watch them from a critical perspective and see what I thought. So lets get to it!

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999)

I know that adult fans of Star Wars at the time this was released had a very negative reaction to the film. I was only 7 when it came out so I was the target demographic and thus really enjoyed it. It was a smart marketing strategy by the executives because they knew the Star Wars fans would see it but they wanted to lock in another whole generation of fans at a young age. Clearly it worked as the film grossed over 1 billion dollars worldwide and 2 more films were made. So the question is, do I still enjoy it or are fans of the franchise justified in their dislike for it?

The Good-

The big selling point of this movie has to be the visual effects. There are some truly exhilarating action sequences that look great. The entire end action sequence is very enjoyable as we get a large land battle, a space battle and a memorable lightsaber battle against fan favorite villain Darth Maul. The Pod Racing sequence I remember was a big selling point at the time (I remember there being a video game) and it still holds up pretty well. There are a lot of interesting characters that are introduced as well such as Darth Maul, Mace Windu and Captain Panaka although they are not used enough. This also features a fantastic score by John Williams that I remember buying right after the film came out.

The Bad-

The premise of the film is really bland as it essentially boils down to a dispute over the taxation of trade routes that escalates to war. I understand that in the larger context of the trilogy this is just a part of the Palpatine's master plan but this is the least interesting part of it. The lack of a central character to follow is another stumbling point and makes it hard to get invested in the story. There are also a lot of terribly written characters, Anakin is an annoying brat and the actor playing him is awful, Jar Jar Binks may be the most irritating character ever conceived in the history of cinema and Qui-Gon Jinn is a surprisingly incompetent Jedi despite being played by Liam Neeson. All of the kid humor in the film is really irritating and makes it tough to watch at times. This is also where George Lucas's poor story decisions really become problematical as he diminishes "the force" to simply being a something that lives in our cells (wtf?) and he completely misuses Darth Maul and kills him off too quickly.

Summary-

This is a film that is full of poor writing, plotting decisions and acting that feels directionless at times. That being said it has just enough entertainment value from the action sequences and John Williams score to keep me interested and thus I can't hate it. It is more of a disappointment than anything else as I feel that there was probably a better story they could have done. All in all this is a very mediocre entry in the franchise.

MY RATING- 

3 out of 5         

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

I have very mixed memories about this film. I remember thinking that the action scenes were pretty cool with some bad ass moments for cool characters (Mace Windu, Jango Fett etc.) but I also remember being bored by the romance aspect of the story. I was never as excited about this film as I was about Episode I though. Its Box Office success would seem to reflect that as it "only" made $649 million worldwide while Episode 1 grossed over $1 billion. Is this the inconsistently entertaining entry in the series that I remember? You are about to find out.

The Good-

The action sequences are much improved from the first film. I particularly enjoyed the speeder chase on Coruscant, the Obi-wan Jango Fett fight and the big final battle. These action sequences seem much more polished than what we saw in Episode I with much improved visual effects. The film feels much more mature and does not feel like it is targeted towards kids as much. The characters are much more compelling this time around and there continues to be very intriguing secondary characters (ex. Jango Fett). The main reason I found this a more interesting film to watch is that the story was much more interesting. It is all about the buildup to the start of the Clone Wars, Anakin growing into a powerful Jedi but also the warning signs of what is to come and the beginning of the Emperors plans to take over the Republic finally coming to fruition.

The Bad-

George Lucas just sucks at writing dialogue! For every moment of fun, there is an equally horrendous amount of bad romance dialogue between Padme and Anakin. That entire story arc just takes you out of the movie because it is so cheesy and annoying but at the same time taking itself way to seriously. I also just did not like the actor playing Anakin (Hayden Christensen) in the first place and it really took away from my interest in the character. Natalie Portman was not particularly good in this either but I think there is only so much she could have done because her character was so poorly written. The film also lacks a good lightsaber fight which I think is necessary for a good Star Wars film. There are a number of good action sequences but the only lengthy lightsaber fight is at the end where Count Dooku cuts off Anakins arm, wounds Obi-wan and then fights Yoda and flees. It was cool to see Yoda fight for a few minutes but watching his CGI character constantly flipping around got annoying after a while. It seems like one of those ideas that sounded really cool when they were writing it but just flops in actuality.

Summary-

This is such a frustrating film, at times it is exciting and entertaining and at other times irritating and borderline unwatchable. I think the story was heading in the right direction as some of the casting was spot on and it features another fantastic score by John Williams. Where the film really falls apart though is Anakin's story arc which is unfortunate because the entire purpose of the prequel trilogy is to tell his story. Lucas miscast the character yet again and never seemed to have a good grasp on how to write him. So while this movie has its moments I'm not sure I can rate it any higher than Episode 1.

MY RATING-

3 out of 5

 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

This seems to be the only film of the prequels that people respected. I remember this being the first film of the prequels to have that "epic" feel that the original Star Wars films had and the critics would seem to agree. While it still did not top Episode 1 in the box office, it still did quite well raking in over $848 million worldwide. Was this as good as I remember it? Obviously you should continue reading to find out.

The Good-

As I mentioned above, for the first time in the trilogy there is an "epic" feel to the story. From the opening scene you are instantly hooked, as we see an epic space battle occuring over Coruscant and Obi-wan and Anakin attempting to rescue Chancellor Palpatine. This was probably the most exhilarating sequence of the prequels although there are other moments that come close in this film. There are also a number of good lightsaber fights (Anakin killing Count Dooku, Mace Windu against the Emperor, Yoda against the Emperor) but none come close to the big one between Anakin and Obi-wan. I think it is the best lightsaber fight of the prequels and is in the discussion with the ones from the original trilogy. The pacing of the action sequences is spot on and the visual effects are the best of the series. I also enjoy this film a lot because the Emperor gets a lot of screen time and he just has such a commanding presence (not to mention he is my favorite character in the series). So this film clearly features the best action sequences and plot of the prequels but it also finally is able to connect on an emotional level that they had been unable to do in the previous 2 films. The movie just has a lot more weight to it and thus the viewer is much more involved in the story.    

The Bad-

There are still a lot of dialogue issues that bother me but significantly less than Episode II. While I don't particularly like Hayden Christensen as Anakin, he definitely turns in a better performance. There are a some minor nitpicks of things that happen in particular scenes or plot continuity issues with the original trilogy but nothing that detracted from the experience to much.

Summary-

I really enjoyed this film and it is clearly a vast improvement from the previous films in the series. Sure there are still things I don't like about it but in comparison to Episodes I and II this is a freaking masterpiece.

MY RATING-

4 out of 5

OVERALL SUMMARY-

So are the prequels worth going back and watching? I think they are but only if you are going to watch them with the Original Trilogy as well. I don't think they hold up well as a standalone series but rather as additional content to watch if you are in the mood for Star Wars. What do you guys think? I would love to hear your thoughts on the Star Wars prequels in the comments below! Thanks for reading!

-Chris "Da Franchize" Hart