The Best Movies of 2013, Part II

Originally, The Best Movies of 2013 Part II had many categories and was quite detailed but then my computer died before I published it and now I have lost all my files.  Pretty sure that I am burying the lead considering that I also lost two years of my portfolio and part of my thesis, but yes, I also lost an unfinished blog post.  Moral of the story:  Make sure your backups have backups.  

Moving on.

Part II of this article shall focus on individual achievement and in particular acting.  Although I could talk about individual cinematographers for a while there won't be much of a competition in this category because Gravity will win hands down.  With that dispensed with, I have compiled a list of performances and performers that look at this year through the works of the actors, no matter how big or small their part is, no matter what their sex is, no matter how many lines that they had.  So without further adieu, I humbly present my best acting performances of 2013:

The Best Acting of 2013:

At the Oscars they'll win a statue, here they'll win a shout out.  Truthfully, I think we all know which award is better. 

To begin with, this was a great year for acting.  There were so many movies this year which seemed like solo films, movies which for lack of a better term, great "acting" was occurring by individual actors carrying their films.  There are a lot of actors that could make this list and I admit that there are a few that are left off of mine that are not left off of anyone else's list.  So with that in mind I will make three caveats: 1) I never saw Before Midnight.  I am currently watching Before Sunrise and I wanted to watch them in order, therefore both Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke are left off this, apologies for what has been said was two great performances.  2) I didn't love American Hustle, in case it wasn't apparent when I left it off my Part I of the best movies.  I thought it was a fine movie but I found myself bored at times and I thought the script needed a lot of work.  That being said you will still find an actor from that movie on my list, but not Bale, Cooper, or Lawrence.  I love Jennifer Lawrence but I frankly don't get her in either Silver Linings Playbook or American Hustle.  She claims she is playing strong independent women but I just saw a whiny 23 year old.  Oh and Cooper's scene where he imitated Louie CK was hilarious.  3) I didn't like Blue Jasmine.  This one has to be addressed because I am sure Blanchett will win for best actress.  I don't understand the acclaim for both the movie and the two actresses.  Maybe it was the state I was in when I watched it, but it took me three sittings just to get through it.  I know plenty of critics have called this a modern Blanche Dubois, but although I am a Cate Blanchett fan, in this movie, she is certainly no Vivien Leigh.  So…there are a few opinions.  Let's get on with the list.  

25.  Cate Blanchett For Blue Jasmine

There are you happy?  I admit that she did well in a movie that I despised.  (Truthfully I should've put Greta Gerwig for Frances Ha here but I didn't).  (I can't even be nice in parenthesis).  Though since I have the space used for Cate Blanchett I will mention one of her lesser known movies which is an absolute gem.  Her performance in 2003's Veronica Guerin is really good.  It reminded me of Kevin Costner in The Untouchables meets Cillian Murphy in The Wind that Shakes the Barley.  Good Movie.  So go Cate Blanchett.  

24.  Domhnall Gleeson & Bill Nighy for About Time

I know, but trust me.  Although this is a romantic comedy (more romantic drama) it still packs a punch in the heart department.  There are many problems with this movie namely all the illogical steps taken within the idea of time travel, but the relationship developed between Gleeson and Nighy is really something else.  I had to check at the end of the film to make sure they weren't related.  I have to admit that I rarely tear up during a movie, but I was balling by the end of this film, all in part to this love story about a father and son.  

23.  Alfre Woodard for 12 Years a Slave

She is in this movie for maybe 5 minutes.  Her scene is 2 and 1/2 pages long and is adapted from just two sentences in Solomon's memoirs, but it is one of the best scenes in the entire movie.  Woodard mixes spirit and levity to bring a quite and cold, but spiritual truth that there might be a better tomorrow and that to make it there you must survive.  

22.  The Entire Cast of What Maisie Knew

This includes Steve Coogan, Julianne Moore, Alexander Skarsgard, Joanna Vanderham, & Onata Aprile.  The movie was number fourteen on my list of the top thirteen movies of the year.  Based on the story by Henry James it looks at a parental separation entirely from the point of view of a little girl.  Everyone is very good, very subtle, even Moore who plays a rockstar (I know), but the film is stolen by the chemistry between Nanny Vanderham and little girl Aprile.  This was smaller film that should've gotten a lot more universal credit.  

21.  Sandra Bullock for Gravity

I thought I was going to hate her in this film, surprise, I didn't.  Bullock does a fine job of carrying a movie that is almost entirely about her.  She would've been higher on the list, but in a "solo" movie there needs to a level of give and take between the character and the overall film and while there existed a connection, there was never really a moment when I thought she was a standout character; rather I thought this was a standout film.

20.  Daniel Brühl for Rush 

If F. Murray Abraham could drive, he would've been Daniel Brühl.  Rush is an action packed drama that falters in story, but is in the driver's seat with character.  Brühl plays a Salieri-esque character (Abraham reference) to the Mozart flamboyancy of Hemsworth.  It is self obsession vs. high octane self expression at its peak.  

19.  Miles Teller for The Spectacular Now 

Obviously, The Spectacular Now was my favorite movie of the year.  I re-watched it on DVD tonight and I stand strongly by my opinion with one small amendment.  This isn't at all a love story.  It's a story in which there is love, but it is a story about Sutter and therefore about Teller.  Most people would point to Teller's breakdown in the car as the scene that defines this movie, but I would look closer at a shorter, more intimate moment between Odenkirk and Teller when Odenkirk offers Teller a job with a catch and Teller has to turn it down.  That scene sums up the movie in a nice little bow and Teller's performance.  I predict that both Teller and Woodley will become major Hollywood players in the years to come.  

18.  Joaquin Phoenix for Her

The reason Phoenix only manages eighteenth on this list is two-fold.  Her was a brilliant idea that came two weeks too late for me and while I still felt its theatrical impact I couldn't resonate with the character as much as I would've been able to just a few weeks before.  The other reason which allows me to take the decision off my own personal shoulders comes from the writing at around the 2/3rds mark.  Although Phoenix's character is on an amazing arc it seems to stop moving and then go backwards as the film draws to a close.  I think of the scene in the snow where he is dealing with the feelings that this "relationship" has created but the movie moves onward without dealing with what Sam has told him about multiple partners and about moving on.  A good performance to be sure, but one with baggage.  

17.  Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave

I have a confession to make.  Unlike the critical acclaim for Nyong'o, I was not enthralled by her performance and actually was rather surprised by how much acclaim she was receiving.  I am quite sure she will win the Oscar for best Supporting actress (more power to her).  Obviously, I didn't think she was bad, but I wonder if it was her performance or the situation the character was placed in that was more important.  Although a lesser actress would've taken away from the character, I felt that it was the writing more than the acting that carried the day (And the effects of seeing the blood splatter when she is whipped).  Perhaps I am wrong, but I was far more impressed (and I was impressed by Ridley) by the screenplay than by the acting.  

Oh selfie!

16.  Julia Roberts & Margo Martindale for August: Osage County

Now I know people will think I have thrown my credibility to the wind by saying this was better than Nyong'o, but screw it.  If I was the academy, I would give best supporting actress to Julia Roberts, words which I might add, I never thought would come from my mouth.  When I saw the casting for this film I was angered that Roberts would be playing the stalwart eldest daughter but she most certainly pulled it off.  And by no small measure was the film without other good performances namely from Martindale who brought charisma to a character that is charisma-less in the play.  I didn't recognize Roberts in this film.  She didn't provide us with any of her typical whimsical asides, looks, or gestures.  I would go as far to say that she outplays Meryl Streep in her scenes and manages to capture an innocence to her brash exterior.  Nyong'o has the better character, but I think Roberts does more with the role.  Either way, both actresses do a fine job.  

15.  Steve Coogan in Philomena

Not a lot to say.  Coogan was acting up a storm in 2013 and he wrote a rather good screenplay for Philomena.  I really liked his portrayal of real life writer Martin Sixsmith, and I think he manages to stay true to the real person rather than hollywood-ing the ending to fit the overall feeling.  

14.  Bruce Dern for Nebraska 

Bruce Dern is able to make the descent into dementia quite funny, heartfelt, and tragic.  He interweaves these qualities to turn a doddering old fool into an everyman of the midwestern plains.  Dern manages to turn in a tour de force acting performance while still maintaining real continuity with the rest of the cast namely his family made up of Squibb, Forte, and Odenkirk.  This movie touched me not just because I grew up in similar circumstances, not just because I knew people like this family, and not just because I watched my grandmother go from English Scholar to an empty human in a few years, but also because it reminded me of a simple human truth:  We will always strive for greatness.  You just have to realize that others have a different definition of greatness than you.  

13.  Mads Mikkelsen for The Hunt 

The descent into madness is always compelling for an audience to watch when it is in the hands of a great actor.  However, unlike other films like it, The Hunt looks at the descent into madness of someone who you know from the beginning is innocent.  Mikkelsen carries this very difficult subject matter on his back and unlike hollywood movie climaxes, Mikkelsen delivers a climax that is understandable as well as disturbing and not in the way that the rest of the movie is disturbing but in the way that all of us can feel this dreadful uneasiness.  I highly recommend this movie and this performance.  Once again, thanks to Alex Doser for finding me this gem.  

12.  Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club

Leto is really good in this movie despite the minor controversies that are being claimed by members of the LGBT community on how he portrays transgendered people.  I would go as far to say that Leto is better than McConaughey in this film (although McConaughey is higher on this list, but that'll be explained).  I can't think of any actors who are living (I think Heath Ledger would've been great) that would've pulled off the tragic charisma that Leto completes in award winning fashion.  Although he is not my pick for best supporting actor, he is a damn close second.  

11.  Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips

Because Barkhad Abdi is my first.  He most definitely should win the award for best supporting actor.  He might fall a little into the category that Nyong'o faces in that it might just be the story behind him as an actor or the character's writing that carries over more than his performance, but unlike Nyong'o, I thought Abdi brought much more to his character to make him authentically artistic.  I was a big fan of this movie and a big fan of Mr. Abdi, who I hope can find a career on the back of this film and not just as a stereotype.  

10.  Tom Hanks for Captain Phillips 

I told you that I liked the film.  I think Tom Hanks got screwed this year along with another one of my favorite performances (coming later).  If you want to see what I thought of Hanks you need to only look at the review I gave in Part I, but let me add one thing.  If you want to see truly great acting, watch the final scene of Captain Phillips in which Hanks allows the emotion of the moment to carry over rather than the emotion of the presumed moment.  It makes the character raw, flesh open, part ugly, part astoundingly beautiful.  

9.  Amy Adams for American Hustle & Her

I found Amy Adams to be rather good in American Hustle, one of its biggest redeeming factors, but what impressed me the most was her small role in Her in which she plays a next door neighbor friend, love interest, who is as wacky and weird as Phoenix.  In both roles she mixes dramatic elements with a certain level of spunkiness to create characters that are so superbly different from each other.  When I look back on this year I will certainly remember her in Her.  

8.  Judi Dench for Philomena 

One of the best performances of her career.  I believe that this movie and Notes on a Scandal are her best roles.  And this one might take the cake.  I am pretty sure she won't win, but she damn well should.  Watching this movie, you, as the audience are allowed three views.  One as the outsider looking in, one from Coogan's perspective, and one from Dench's.  I choose Dench, who shows a character mired in sadness but with such a wonderful expression for life.  If the real Philomena is anything like the character that Dench portrayed than I would certainly like to meet her and experience the world through her eyes.  Even in a moment of extreme sadness, I, much like Coogan became very angry with the Catholic Church.  I know because I yelled out loud at the screen, but Dench is too cool for that, she reacts as one who has seen it all both as an actress and a character.  Really a superb movie.  

7.  Tye Sheridan for Mud 

It is hard to carry a movie on your own.  It is harder when you are fifteen.   Idealism clashes with reality in this film which left me wondering whether or not Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone or Sheridan gave the better performance (There are many similarities between the characters).  This is a movie that is built on heart, but is strung together by resilient trust, a trust in something that is never spoken between the characters, but is understood by all.  This is the power of love, but not the hallmark card love, but the power of an individual's love for another that is rarely ever reciprocated.  Along with Woodley, Teller, and the next person on my list,  I will gladly go see anything that his kid makes.  

6.  Adèle Exarchopoulos for Blue is the Warmest Color 

The movie runs into some problems and the editing was very much needed but no one can deny the impact that Exparchopoulos has on this film.  This film is a miracle in that when filming occurred she was merely 18 years old and had to film a touching story about love that is much more mature than her age range.  Many focuses on the explicit sex in the film, but I looked at how she captures loss as such a more important take away.  This movie leaves you with a massive pit in your stomach, a queasy feeling that no matter how hard you try, you can never fully get over a certain kind of love.  This is a mature performance that gives an actress who is far beyond her years the chance to shine.  And she glows.  One of the best acting performances I have ever seen by a woman of her age.  She is an actress to watch.  

5.  Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave

Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night

Most of my closest friends know that over the last decade, Chiwetel Ejiofor along with Djimon Hounsou, Don Cheadle, Tom Hanks, and the late greats Marlon Brando & James Stewart are my favorite actors.  Actors of which I have seen the bulk of their movies.  Take Cheadle for instance, of the 35 major films he has been in I have seen 28 of them.  I first became a fan of Ejiofor when I saw him in Amistad and later a big fan when I saw the made for tv version of Twelfth Night.  I am so very happy that he is getting his dues this year for an extraordinary role that he performs brilliantly.  Although there are a few actors who I believe gave better performances than he, it is only due to the great jobs of the other actors and not due to the fact that Ejiofor did anything wrong.  His performance is flawless.  In two scenes, he figuratively made my heart jump into my stomach.  In both the hanging (which I believe is one of the best filmed sequences in the history of motion pictures) and the confrontation at night with Fassbender, Ejiofor showed what so many of his fans have seen for years.  His performance is simply put astounding and I cannot wait for his next film Half of a Yellow Sun which should garner him another nomination.  

4.  Matthew McConaughey for Mud/Dallas Buyers Club

And for ten minutes of The Wolf of Wall Street.  If anything is known from this year in films it is that "Alright, alright, alright," is on top of the world.  Finally over his slump of horrible rom-coms, McConaughey has released back-to-back-to-back-to-back films that have showcased the talent we all thought he might have, but needed to refine and re-find it.  In last year's Killer Joe and then in his three films this year, McConaughey has shown a resiliency to make good choices and profitable ones.  I loved him in Mud, thought Dallas Buyers Club was great, but the performance that did me in this year was his one monologue from his ten minutes of screen time in The Wolf of Wall Street.  McConaughey is back.  And I hope that he is here to stay.  

3.  Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street 

And although Ejiofor and McConaughey were great, nothing can touch DiCaprio.  I understand the controversies surrounding the movie, but they cannot take away from his performance which I believe to be the best of his career.  DiCaprio is unbelievable as a joyful, psychotic, sociopath.  DiCaprio doesn't phone in a single second of this film which I have to believe was exhausting.  I could make a top ten list for scenes in which DiCaprio is brilliant in this film alone.  The stairs scene, the Boat scene, the conversation with Reiner, the monologues in the office are all picks that will be memorable.  I think it is easy to cheer for a villain, but when we cheer for a villain we look for his good qualities so that we can understand his villainy.  DiCaprio manages one better in that he shows us a true villain who you cheer for all the while you see his demented, egotistical, destructive personality ruin his life, his families' lives, and thousands of others.  It is rare when you can equally care about a person as well as hate them.  DiCaprio walks this line.  And he and Jonah Hill work great together.  I look forward to their next collaboration which will be about the Atlanta Olympics bombing.  DiCaprio is my pick, Oscar-wise, for best actor of the year.  

2.  Oscar Isaac for Inside Llewyn Davis

Unless, your name is Oscar, in that case Oscar Isaac should win best Oscar.  I do not understand why this movie and this performance did not get the praise it so deserved.  Isaac turns in the role of a lifetime as a troubled Odysseus journeyman.  Every good actor has subtle nuances that make their roles special but often times those subtleties are cliche ridden or overused.  Not in the case of Isaac who uses every second of his stage time to fill in all the little corners and lines that make up his character.  His singing is equal parts beautiful, haunting, and painful.  Through his voice we can hear the lost generation or dreams squelched by misinterpreted talent.  Isaac carries the weight of the broken record forever to remain turning without fail, and without consequence until it is removed from the player forever.  Isaac brings a calm, coexistence with a tumultuous exterior to the screen in this unbelievably good movie and performance.  

1.  Brie Larson for Short Term 12/The Spectacular Now/Don Jon

Let us Dream!

Grace is a quality that all human beings strive to control.  Grace under pressure, grace in the face of pressure, when the onslaught of life gets too hard, we strive to live through it, embracing it on each and every side.  Sometimes having grace gets to a point where having it makes us fierce but fragile, victorious but broken.  This is the best way to describe Brie Larson in the movie Short Term 12 where she plays the character Grace, a supervisor at a foster care facility.  She managed to win a Gotham award and has a nomination for best actress from the Independent Spirit Awards (which is actually a really great ceremony usually hosted by a rather funny comedian).  If there is any justice in the film industry, she will win.  She gives one of the most emotional, physically draining performances I have ever seen on film.  Unlike previous characters in Scott Pilgrim, 21 Jump Street, & The Spectacular Now, Larson shows a vulnerability that immediately puts you on her side, even, and especially when you know she's wrong.  She is incredibly watchable and makes this short movie seem like a lifetime.  The movie touched me personally, but her performance touched me professionally, and I plan to tell all of my students in the years to come about this performance.  Hands down the best of the year.  

The Best Movies of 2013, Part I

*I'm sure this will contain spoilers*

Finally, the year in movies has come to an end and by year, of course I mean 13 months since half of the best movies aren't even released in the calendar year.  Multiple awards shows have already occurred and we wait, with less than baited breath for the grandfather of them all, The Academy Awards.  However I have never been one to allow the marketing of the Oscars to dictate how I feel about the films of the year and although in years past I have agreed with the Oscars, this will certainly not be one of those times.  We had a very good year in the cinema, not the best, but certainly one that will create plenty of films that will gauge the interests of millions in the years to come, and certainly the creation of many new stars for us to awe and ogle.  Overall I found this to be a very well-rounded year without a clear, distinct best picture.  However, naturally, the Academy has pretty much nailed down the three finalists for best picture in the films of Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, & American Hustle.  It is possible one of the other six might sneak into the fold, but the Academy rarely plays spoiler on its favorite award.  While I understand the critical acclaim for these three films, none of them make my top five.  This is not in any way to say that if 2 out of 3 of them win the Oscar that they won't be deserving, just that there are films not nominated that take the cake, so to speak, for the year.  I really liked 2 of the films, and enjoyed the third.  But it will be readily apparent in the paragraphs to come what I thought of the frontrunners.  

Normally I have written this article on the based categories of the Oscars, but this year I have created my own, since no one will argue with my ability to create my own blog entry.  There are a total of 20 categories that will be spread out in three parts, the first dealing with the films as a whole, the second with the actors, and the third with the odds and ends.  Today I will be discussing the best films, in my opinion, of 2013.  

A word on how I decided this list:  As a graduate student I do not have all that much time to spend for myself.  My free time and personal life have become much less free and personal than I would like.  However as a sufferer of the dreaded disease known as OCD (perhaps the reason why I have to put everything into lists) I have found tranquility and calmness at the cinema.  This is the reason that through the stress and unstructured time commitments, I still manage to find the time to watch as many movies as I do.  Some people read, watch tv, go to the bar, work out, hang out with friends, or more prevalent forms of debauchery (I love that word) in their free time.  I choose movies.  Most of the time that means I choose movies that include reading movies (foreign films), watching them on tv, discussing them at the bar, watching them while I work out, go to the cinema with friends, and plenty other ways of enjoyment.  This year I watched over 85 films, mostly because I did a nonstop movie marathon in December and early January, but also for the above reasons.  Therefore I feel I can adequately determine what I thought were best films.  And worst films.  Let us begin.

The Best Picture of 2013

The Academy arbitrarily decided on making this category ten movies and then dropped it down to up to ten movies.  Why they made this second decision makes very little sense to me, but nonetheless, I am not a member of the Academy unless you count the Academy of Former Speech Coaches.  Go AFSC!  Since it is 2013, my list is the best 13 movies of the year.  I truly had a hard time nailing down this list.  I really enjoyed a lot of movies this year.  At final count I believe I could've made the best 42 movies of 2013 (42 didn't make the cut).  So there will be plenty of movies on the outside looking in.  Movies such as Her, August Osage County, and Dallas Buyers Club along with smaller films such as What Maisie Knew, The Dirties, and In a World… just barely missed the cut.  All are wonderful films but something I have found as I begin to hone my critical skills, rather than just saying I liked or didn't like something, was that many movies fell just a tad short either because of plot, acting, or movie based mistakes or because of connection.  I bet if I had watched Her last year I would've loved it, but it is no longer as applicable as it once was in my life.  So take that into account.  Starting with 13 and going down.

13.  It's a Disaster  Stars: Julia Stiles, David Cross, America Ferrara 

Most likely, you did not see this movie.  Of all the movies on this list is is the worst rated but still managed a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it's still fresh (if that matters at all). It is a simple premise.  Four couples have brunch together.  Quickly the brunch dissolves when fighting and bickering occur and divorce becomes a major issue.  One person tries to leave and at her door is their neighbor in a hazmat suit that tells them a bunch of dirty bombs were set off down town.  What happens next is the madness inherent in the circumstance of oncoming death, but rather than panic this movie settles in for a hilarious, definitively dark comedy, that while appears uneven at times, still manages to subdue hard core critics with its charm.  Even though I loved This is the End, hands down It's a Disaster is my favorite comedy of the year.  Some will compare it to Carnage but because of the subtly of its storytelling it never falls off the rails.  At first the ending feels like it jumped the proverbial shark, but then it gets reeled back in as the film concludes and you leave the theatre laughing.  I really loved this movie and was one of the few movies that I bought immediately when it came out.  

Faxon, Rockwell, James 

12.  The Way Way Back  Stars: Sam Rockwell, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Liam James

Since turning to Writing/Acting, Nat Faxon has completely changed his career around.  First his Academy Award winning The Descendants and now this little gem have begun a really wonderful writing career.  Much like his first film, this should not be considered a comedy, although it is very very funny.  Although she is in a lot of terrible movies, Alison Janney always makes a film better and is quite funny as the alcoholic neighbor of the vacationing family.  This is a coming of age tale about 14 year-old Duncan (Liam James aka young Shawn from Psych) on a summer vacation with his mom (Collette) and her asshole, overbearing boyfriend (Carell).  A social pariah he finds solace in an unlikely father figure Owen (Rockwell, who is really good) manager at a local water park.  Liam James does a very good job and Steve Carell finally shows that he can be more than 'a one trick pony ', which will either be confirmed or broken forever in his upcoming film Foxcatcher.  This is a wonderful little independent film with great performances from Carell and Rockwell and has an ending that is heartwarming without be hollywood based.  

11.  The Wolf of Wall Street  Stars:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie

Along with movies like Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, This is the End, and The Spectacular Now, The Wolf of Wall Street was one of the most entertaining movies of the year.  I completely disagree with the controversy surrounding this film, although I understanding it and find it unfortunate that Belfort is collecting money from the production of the film, but I disagree that it shows him to be likable.  I saw this movie as a descent into narcissism, neglect, and deceit.  Is it wrong that I found it funny along the way?  Leonardo DiCaprio is, of my opinion, the best working actor today who has yet to win an Oscar.  This oversight should be fixed.  This is without a doubt, I believe, his best film role ever trumping even Howard Hughes in The Aviator.  DiCaprio is brilliant at showing this self-obsessed lunatic dissolve into a dangerous sociopath.  Never did I think that Belfort was likable but rather that DiCaprio's portrayal was superb.  There are many outstanding performances in this movie including Jonah Hill, Rob Reiner (His discussion of Bush with his son is really hilarious), and for 10 minutes, Matthew McConaughey who has turned in his best year of acting in his career.  I thought this movie was hands down hilarious and socially disturbing.  The reason why I have to put it so high up on the list is, for the same reason other Oscar hopefuls will be, for its many pitfalls as a movie.  Although it is great and as I will discuss later has one of the best scenes of the year, it has horrific editing.  Coming in at 3 hours long, this should've been 2:20 tops.  I also found an issue with the ending.  I believe the movie should've ended with a pan out on the audience and the people sitting in the room are all the people that Belfort had fucked over.  This was a very enjoyable film, with superb acting, but needed better artistic understanding for overall film production especially in the department of editing.  

No need for background music

10.  12 Years a Slave  Stars:  Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o 

Ever since I became an avid watching of the movie industry I have always said that there are two actors at the top of my list along with Tom Hanks, Marlon Brando, and Jimmy Stewart.  Those two men are Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor.  I am so very happy and excited for a man whose career I have watched ever since 1997's masterpiece Amistad.  Finally he was given a role that he richly deserves and he performs it with great dexterity and subtly complexity.  His captain, Steve McQueen, is a brilliant director and in my humble opinion shoots a scene in this movie that is hands down in the top ten for best scenes ever shot in a film.  For that reason alone if this movie wins best picture I will be okay with it.  The hanging scene in this movie is by far the most disturbing six or so minutes of film that I have ever seen.  It is simply brilliant.  However there were two major problems I had with this movie.  One which the critics disagree with me on is the casting of Michael Fassbender.  Although I believe he is a fantastic artist (If you haven't seen Shame go see it now) I thought his performance was too over the top for this movie boarding on Django territory.  It took me out of the film.  But my real problem with the movie came after it was shot and it was the horrific, and I do mean horrific score by Hans Zimmer.  For me, it nearly ruins a brilliant film.  First of all, the majority of the score is based on the song "Time" from Inception so anyone watching the film is immediately ripped away when they hear it.  But the near criminal use of the score is the bigger issue.  This movie had no business being scored in the first place.  McQueen does a fantastic job of using something many directors forget: silence.  In the hanging scene, in the confrontation with Fassbender, each time the only sound we here is background and it builds the intensity.  The hollywood-ification of this film with the score made this a difficult movie for me to like.  One scene easily demonstrates this and it is when Solomon must play fiddle for a Masquerade.  We zoom in on him playing and his face clearly reads everything we need to know, but just in case dumb people are watching, the music of the scene disappears and in comes Zimmer music to tell you how you should feel.  Simply criminal, because without the score, even with my Fassbender problems I would call this film a masterpiece, but with the music it becomes very problematic and took me out of the film.  

9.  Philomena Stars: Steve Coogan (Best year of his dramatic career), Judi Dench

This is a beautifully told, gut wrenching film that uses simplicity to tell its story.  There is no cinematography brilliance or CGI or music or any other sort of high technical cinematic discoveries.  It is pure and simple a wonderful story and it is brilliantly acted by both Coogan and Dench.  With her long career, I dare say this is in the rarified air of the best roles of her career.  She has only one Oscar for Shakespeare in Love.  This role is much better.  I would say her best performances have come in Notes on a Scandal and Philomena.  This is not a movie that needs to be seen on the big screen, but it must be watched.  In terms of a movie there are better productions, but this is a story that needs to be told and will make you leave the theatre both smiling and crying and even bitterly angry depending on your religious upbringing.  I rarely cry during movies.  I cried during this one.  

8.  Jagten or The Hunt Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, and other Danish Actors you don't know.

This year I watched five foreign films.  I stopped at four because after seeing Wadjda, The Great Beauty, & The Past, I knew that Blue is the Warmest Color (Which narrowly missed the list) would be my favorite.  However, a former student, Alex Doser, continued to nag me about seeing The Hunt.  Thank goodness he did.  This movie is incredibly smart, manipulative, and deceitful in its creation.  The script is very well honed and Mads Mikkelsen gives the performance of a lifetime as Lucas, a former teacher who has to start over after a rough divorce, by working at a preschool/daycare.  This movie looks at the power of a lie and the control it can take over a small community, where guilty until proven innocent is the code rather than the other way around.  I think the finality of the third act is a little abrupt and causes many more questions than answers but this is a must watch.  This topic could never be covered by Hollywood as powerfully as this does.  In Hollywood there would be this trailer and it come out much more like this year's Prisoners, music and all.  The isolation created within this tale makes it stand out and the little girl played by first time actress Annika Wedderkopp is very powerful.  Thank you Alex.  

7.  Captain Phillips Stars: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi

Another movie that is filled with controversy over its portrayal of a real story.  In Tom Hanks' best performance in years he plays Captain Phillips, who is hijacked by Somali pirates and must survive all while trying to save his crew.  Many of his real life crew argue that the heroics due to Phillips in the movie make him look like a savior and that was not their captain, rather he was the reason they were put in harms way.  And after seeing the film.  I completely agree with the second part and not the first.  Hanks does what so few actors can, he humanizes heroes.  Sometimes, in the case of Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan that makes him the ultimate hero.  Here it makes him an ordinary man put in extraordinary circumstances and it leads to a lot of issues, his ineptitude nearly gets him killed and in the final scene we see all that realization come over him.  There are no heroes in this film but in creating that there are no clearcut villains.  There should be a special category this year for best casting and it would go to this film.  If you do not know what Paul Greengrass did with this film look here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/11/captain-philips-somali_n_4084160.html.  This is a fantastic film with two tour de force acting performances that, much like Philomena, focuses first and foremost on the story rather than any sort of extra justification.  

6.  Nebraska Stars: Bruce Dern, June Squibb, Will Forte

This movie represents Alexander Payne's sixth directed film adventure and although fans of The Descendants and Election might disagree with me, I think this is his best film.  If Philomena is a simple story then Nebraska is a stylized simple story.  There are many opportunities in the film to make it bigger, to expand its credentials beyond what it can take, but the movie never falls prey to these trappings.  Bruce Dern given his best performance of his career as a doddering old fool.  It is difficult to portray dementia and still maintain humor both as a film and as a character but Dern manages to use this disability for the overall film's benefit.  In a year filled with solo performance movies, Dern captures sensitivity and style without proving detrimental to the rest of the cast.  This is a bit of a polarizing movie in the sense that some may find it quite boring.  However as a midwesterner, I was able to relate in great detail to this film.  Although I have never lived in Hawthorne, all small town midwesterners have lived in a different version of the same town.  The film also does a good job of creating believability within the family unit.  Dern and Squibb are excellent together as well as Forte and even Odenkirk and Forte feel like natural brothers.  This was a joy and of the movies nominated for best picture I would like to see this win the most.   

5.  Gravity Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris' voice

This is not the perfect scripted movie, the plot has some holes, but this might be the best shot film I've ever seen.  At the Oscars when they give the Cinematography award they should all give a standing ovation to Alfonso Cuaron.  In terms of camera work this is nothing short of a masterpiece.  It takes great bravery to write a script and plot knowing that the camera work has yet to be invented.  Then to go ahead and invent it.  At first I liked this movie because of all the jokes made about it.  If you haven't heard the joke at the golden globes go watch the opening monologue.  But I realized I liked this film not just from a technical standpoint but from a plot standpoint.  Sure some of it isn't correct, scientifically speaking, but for such a simple story, which when you get down to the basics it is a simple story, it packs a real punch and the ending is breathtaking.  As a whole this is as complete a film as any of the nine Oscar movies.  The script is exposition central but if you can get through that, it is an extraordinary watch.  

4.  Mud Stars: Tye Sheridan, Matthew McConaughey, Sam Shepard 

All the movie sites I visit and the podcasts I listen to said that I needed to watch this film.  It was the last movie I saw of the year completing it last night.  I loved this film and along with the film I have at Number 1 and It's a Disaster I will be buying it immediately.  Out of the rest of the films of the year it best compares to The Hunt in that it allows the plot to tell the story rather than trappings and cliches of the industry.  It does what I believe 12 Years a Slave fails to do, it is allowed to breath.  McConaughey has completely brought his career back and is rather good in this film but the bulk of the work falls on the shoulders of newcomer Tye Sheridan in his second major film along with The Tree of Life.  Sheridan is something else in the role of Ellis who along with his best friend, Neckbone, discover Mud, (McConaughey) a fugitive living on a deserted island on the run from both the police and bounty hunters.  Much like The Way Way Back, both coming of age stories focus on unlikely father figures, but in the case of Mud, the ending is fuller because the relationship we thought was central might turn out to be three fold.  Highly evocative, steeped in southern country folklore, bordering on realistic fairly tale, Jeff Nichols adds Mud, along with Take Shelter, and Shotgun Stories as diamonds in the rough.  

3.  Inside Llewyn Davis Stars: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman

Among the movies that were strongly considered the best of the year, perhaps the stand out was left standing in the cold with only two Academy nods.  This is by no means a happy film.  Upon first viewing I found it rather depressing, especially for someone who works in the arts.  Oscar Isaac plays a very likable Davis, whose fuck ups make him into a detestable annoyance.  I know that many people love the Coen Brothers and that both O Brother Where Art Thou & No Country for Old Men are considered classics, some would include their True Grit & and Fargo in that category as well.  I have never been a die hard fan of theirs.  I really like O Brother and No Country but don't swear by them and True Grit was good, not great in my estimation.  Therefore I went into this movie knowing their talent but never fully appreciating it.  Until now.  I think this is a masterpiece.  Despite its poor showing at the box office, I predict this movie to attract a cult following.  My top three films I found so good that all three could be interchangeable.  Davis is an atmospheric film that takes you on a ride through a life that hasn't ever been fully lived. There has been a lot of criticism for the film.  Suzanne Vega is quoted on the topic of the 60s village folk scene, "I feel the took a vibrant, crackling, competitive, romantic, communal, crazy, drunken, brawling scene and crumpled it into a slow brown sad movie."  I am personally a big fan of Vega for her music but this quote shows that she missed the point.  My response to her quote would be, "Exactly."  There are plenty of films that look at the village and Gaslight scene in its heyday with kind and considerate eyes, but the focus of those films are on successful artists.  The purpose of this movie is not to look at success.  I loved this movie so very much.  Isaac is simply amazing.  The music is fantastic and Isaac does a wonderful job of acting through his singing, especially in Fare Thee Well and Hang Me, Oh Hang Me.  This is a difficult movie and would take many viewings to really understand it, but for me, although O Brother is a modern interpretation of The Odyssey, this movie is the true Odyssey.  

2.  Short Term 12 Stars: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr.

Brie Larson works at a center for at-risk teens along with her boyfriend, Gallagher Jr.  Her dedication to her work is unmatched and it is through this that we see the heart of this film.  It is moving, funny, emotional, gut-wrenching, and any other adjective you think might fit.  At first it appears to be a standard Indie film that follows one mid twenties supervisor through the tumult of both her job and her life but it quickly becomes a compelling character study that focuses in on the intricacies of pain and love as part of the larger spectrum of human drama.  Through Larson we see a world that is both loving and gorgeous at the same time as isolating and unknowing.  One reviewer called it, "A monumental work of compassion," which I think best sums up the film in a sentence.  Larson is absolutely breathtaking as we see not just through her eyes but through her soul the ways in which we, as human beings, control and destroy as well as build and envelop each other in our lives.  For me, this is a film that is unbridled in its passion for life.  There is one character, one of the children of the facility that resonated so strongly with me that I had to stop the movie because I was so upset.  It reminded me of all the times when I was isolated even in a world of people.  The ending of this movie is upsetting as much as it is heartwarming, but so often is the life that we make for ourselves.  Immediately upon viewing, this is a classic.  

1.  The Spectacular Now Stars:  Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley 

If you couldn't tell from the above two films it would have to take something special for me to put a film on top of them.  In early October of this past year, The Spectacular Now finally came to a local theatre in Richmond and I eagerly went out to see it.  Since hearing about it on a podcast with the director James Ponsoldt, I was pretty sold on seeing it in the theatre.  I loved the trailer and I wondered if it would live up to my expectations.  Not only did it surpass them but it did so without actually being anything like the trailer.  The film flows Sutter Keely (Teller) a high school partier who goes through a break up with girlfriend (Brie Larson again) and ends up falling for the "good girl" Aimee (Woodley).  The movie then uses this relationship to take a cold, hard look at the confusions and passions of being young.  However, through the issues dealt with through the trials and tribulations of hormones run rampant, we see the best look at alcoholism that I have ever seen in a movie.  Those who saw Flight and thought that was powerful should look at the demise within Now.  Some would look at this film and say that it is a typical look at how kids today party but that is merely a surface reading of a rather spectacular film.  The films title is as much an aphorism to aspire to as a cautionary tale of neglect.  The way in which Ponsoldt shoots love in this film are three fold, equally disturbing, beautiful, and breathtaking.  Some called this a modern Say Anything but this is so much more than a romantic comedy.  It is snapshot into modern youth growing up without guidelines and turning to each other when solace is all that can be offered and is usually without foundation.  Although there were many films that attracted our imagination, inspired us, depressed us, and consumed us this year, both Short Term 12 and The Spectacular Now stand alone atop them all.  They are all-encompassing.   

Three Years.

W.W.G.G.D

What Would Gabby Giffords Do.

Each year on this day I have been moved to write a tearful eulogy of sorts to six wonderful people, nearly a seventh.  But for the first time, at least for me, I don't want to remember this tragedy entirely through tears.  It may have been just a job.  It may have been only half a year but my time in Arizona, in Sierra Vista, with the Congresswoman was undoubtedly the watershed event of my lifetime.  Without my time there I would not be the person that I am today and for the first time, perhaps ever, I can say that with many faults I am proud of the person I am becoming.  The majority of this I can attribute to Congresswoman Giffords.  Gabby was much more than a boss, for me she has been and will continue to be an inspiration for living.  She is a survivor and I believe that she teaches everyone daily the importance of life.  I know that I live each day thinking "what would Gabby Giffords do," something that I know has made me into a kinder, more considerate man.  I am certainly not perfect.  In fact I believe I have many more faults than most, but Gabby, directly and indirectly, has helped me become a better man.  

Whenever I write about Gabby, I tell the same story.  Here it is: We had a campaign event in the lobby of a hotel in Douglas Arizona.  Douglas sits on the border between the US and Mexico.  We had a pancake breakfast and we were expecting around 50 people.  Hundreds showed up to the point where we were passed capacity.  And then the Congresswoman arrived.  Her speech was supposed to last ten or so minutes and then she would be off to open the Douglas headquarters.  She didn't start talking for over an hour.  Why?  Because she went around to each and every person in the lobby and talked to them.  If she didn't know them, she introduced herself, but most she knew and knew well.  Not in that political way that an aide reminds you who they are, no, she knew them on a very personal level.  She cared about them as people, not as votes.  Gabby spoke to each person as if she was their neighbor, not their representative.  I stood back in awe with a group of her staffers.  When one of them saw the look on my face she said, "That's just who she [the Congresswoman] is."  She did this at every event.  That was what she was doing 3 years ago today.  Congress on your corner.  Gabrielle Giffords represented the best of what the government can do for you.  When I think of the face of politics today I get sick.  Gabby was never the face of politics, but the face of leadership.  And today, she remains just as steadfast in that resolve as ever.  One bullet cannot deter her message of hope for a better tomorrow.  The same hope that she had when she started in politics is the same hope she lives with today.

For some a bullet is the period on their lives.  For Gabby, that bullet is merely a comma.  Everyday she inspires us to do better, to live better, to be better.  I am and will forever be honored to say that I had the chance to meet, work, and know this amazing woman.  

Continued Rest in Peace: John Roll, Christina-Taylor Green, Dorwan Stoddard, Phyllis Schneck, Dorothy Morris, and Gabe Zimmerman.  

WWGGD.  

Christmas

In 1818, Franz Gruber along with a young priest, Father Joseph Mohr celebrated their Christmas Mass by creating a song known simply as Silent Night.  Since its creation the song has been translated and recorded in 140 different languages in all sorts of musical genres.  The song was created to celebrate the lord on the holiday of Christmas.  Little did the creators realize, but the song would serve a drastically different purpose nearly 100 years later.  

When the first World War began neither side believed it would go on for very long, but just six months after it had began over 1,000,000 lives had been lost and all sides were entrenched.  In the week leading up to Christmas, both British and German (and a few French) soldiers began softening their stances.  Some talked to each other and even the occasional soldier ventured out.  This led to the one unofficial ceasefire of the war.  On Christmas Eve and Christmas day soldiers from both the German and British trenches went out into "No Man's Land" along the Western Front and celebrated Christmas together.  A few days in which fighting would cease and light frivolity would ensue.  Together they buried their dead, swapped stories, exchanged gifts, and a little football was played.  Even some singing was recorded.  Since neither side spoke the same language only one song was recognized by both troops; Silent Night was sung and celebrated for a night in which not a single gun was fired.  It was truly silent.  

Today when I celebrate Christmas I think first of this story.  I think that even in the horrific trials of war that humanity still manages to seep out.  I don't try to trivialize the importance of the Christmas Truce of 1914 by relating to my own life, but merely think about the power that one song, one holiday can have on a people.  

When I was a child I never truly appreciated the 'meaning' of Christmas.  I know that some of my friends would say that the 'meaning' of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, but this is not the 'meaning' I am speaking of.  I do not believe in the religious affiliations attributed to Christmas, but I do appreciate and celebrate the spirituality of the holiday, and I do mean the divine spirituality that opens its heart to humanity.  

I had a very difficult childhood.  It was filled with alcoholism, loss, despair, absence, and sadness, but it also had bright moments of clear happiness.  One of those occurrences was always on Christmas.  The presents, the food, the watching of A Christmas Story, and of course a hearty game of Monopoly all were pastimes in the Freeman/Swanson residence.  Those are fond memories.  Of days filled with joy.  Of cats running through and eating the wrapping paper and of tables piled high with meats and potatoes.  But from those days my fondest memory was not of the food, the tree, the presents, or the games.  The movies or the stockings.  What I remember most, and miss the most is my family.  Despite the problems of our year, Christmas was a time where all of that seemed to disappear.  Perhaps I was naive and we were just putting out problems under the rug to be taken out the next day, but I choose to remember days filled with laughter, with joy, and with hope.  

Those days are distant memories.  My parents are divorced and remarried.  My uncle has a wonderful wife of his own and my siblings and I have grown up and moved to different sides of the country with different friends and different terms for 'family'.  Each Christmas I try something different whether it be time in South Carolina, Chicago, or this year in Arizona.  I develop new traditions and try new things.  In my own way I am still trying to find out what this new world holds for me in terms of family.  I find myself drifting off into memories of the past.  Unlike the soldiers of WWI, my 'war' has ended, but my Christmas have changed.  

All of this is meant to say that Christmas doesn't make me sad, it just doesn't make me feel the same way I used to.  But I feel as though as time goes by that, for me, Christmas is not a holiday.  It is a state of being.  It is a way to live your life.  For Christians, it is a way for you to honor your savior by giving thanks and celebrating him daily.  For me, it is a way to always be with my family.  My brother, sister, father, and mother will always be my family, but this change has opened my eyes to realize what was there all along.  My family is not just my blood.  Many of you are my family.  I brought one of those new family members, Ann, down to Arizona with me.  And for all the rest, when I see you, we will celebrate our Christmas.

My Christmas's are now unchartered territory, but as I stare out into the starry Arizona sky, I think that this silent night brings more adventures, more traditions, and most importantly more family.  And I am thankful for that.  

Merry Christmas to all of you who make my life truly spectacular.  

~Grant

Ten guarantees for the upcoming NFL Season

AKA My Picks for the Record.

Once again the NFL season starts anew and with it the hopes and dreams of 30 teams, 1500+ players, and millions of fans.  Well make an amendment to that, perhaps 29 teams, the Jaguars just suck.  Inevitably, hundreds of "experts" will be making their selections for the season and so, in order to not look like (or look like) a fool, I shall tender my own.  Ten guarantees for 2013.  And the Vikings suck.

1.  Carolina, Oakland, and Jacksonville Suck

Currently, not a single game has been played, not a point tallied, or a score sheet filled and already these three teams have been knocked out of the playoffs.  Carolina has no offensive players at skill positions (excluding Cam Newton), Oakland hasn't got a quarterback or an O-Line, and Jacksonville is a combination of both mixed with no defense either.  By seasons end, Ron Rivera, Blaine Gabbert, and Terrelle Pryor will all be unemployed.  

2.  Those teams who you thought were good?  They aren't.

Many of the teams on this list have A+ talent, many have individual talent that is better than anyone on a winning  team, but inevitable one individual does not a team make and failure will be out in full force for many teams this year.  Minnesota, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Cleveland, and Buffalo (duh) all have commanding leaders including AP, Revis, (I lied about St. Louis having a leader), Richardson, and Spiller.  However, each of these five haven't got a quarterback.  For those of you who think rookie quarterbacks will have a year like last year, think again.  Also, 2.5 Tavon Austin (STL) will win offensive ROY.  And the Vikings suck.

3.  Those teams who are picked to be good?  They aren't.

There are many teams that are perennial winners and many that are being picked as grand upset and upstart teams.  But not everyone can be right.  Andy Reid is a good coach in Kansas City but as a team it will take more than one off season to build chemistry.  Tennessee(7-9), no surprise here.  Locker, who I watched in college isn't a star quality QB1.  Loggains is a poor OC for a QB like Locker and Britt/Johnson are over the hill.   Now how about a few popular teams?  Pittsburgh, will not make the playoffs.  They are hurting at RB, have lost a great deal on D, and Roethlisberger has lost velocity.  Chicago.  Simple, I don't believe in Jay Cutler.   Indianapolis.  Most QBs go through a Sophomore slump but few are predicting this will happen for Luck, I am not so sure.  And, Miami.  (By the way the Vikings Suck)  I know that they are a favorite pick for many, but Tannehill just isn't the QB for me.  With Keller out for the year and Wallace losing a step since Pittsburgh, I cannot see the other pick ups of Ellerbe and Grimes making the difference.  I do think New England is down this year, but the division will be a cake walk.  

4.  Surprising teams

San Diego will challenge the Broncos.  I am not willing to say that they will contend, but they will challenge.  Looking at their schedule I see them going 8-8, if not 9-7 and challenging for the 2nd Wild Card.  Hell, I'm picking them for the second Wild Card.  This would be my upset for the year.  

Baltimore won't be as bad as they are predicted to be.  The loss of Dennis Pitta is huge, arguably larger than the loss of Lewis or any of their free agents.  Their D is still strong and they have the dual backs in Pierce and Rice.  They will make the playoffs.  

Arizona will Contend, but will fail to make a playoff run.  Their real problem won't be improving but having to play San Fran and Seattle.  

5.  The New York Football Jets won't suck.

I have absolutely no proof to back up this statement.  They are in complete disarray, without a solid QB, RB, WR, D line, or pretty much anything.  All I can say is I've got a feeling.

6.  The NFC East is the most competitive division, but NFC West is the best.

Expect another bloody year between the four teams in the East.  The winner will once again come out beaten up and at best with 10 wins.  However, the Seahawks and the Niners are both major contenders for the Superbowl with the Cardinals coming on strong.  They are the best division by talent.  And the Vikings Suck.  

7.  MVP will be Aaron Rodgers.

Partially because I am a Packers fan and partially because, no fuck it, it's entirely because I am a Packers Fan.  

8.  NFC

East: Will be a fight to the finish, but unlike in years past only one team will survive and make the playoffs.  Philly will adapt the Kelly Offense, Romo will be better, and RG III will return with a great year, but the NY Giants will prevail.

North:  Packers, duh.

South:  Atlanta is not as good as they were a year ago, expect the Saints to return to glory again.

West:  Impossible to know.  They have equally great D's, problems with RB, and essentially Sophomore QBs (I know Colin K is in his third year).  I pick the Seahawks.  

Wild Cards:  Contenders will include Atlanta, Detroit, Philly, Washington, and San Francisco.  San Francisco will run away with the first slot and then four teams will battle it out down the stretch.  It will come down to Washington and Atlanta.  And my gut is telling me to go against what I said above in the East and pick Washington.

Playoffs:  1. Seahawks 2. Packers 3. Saints 4. Giants 5. Niners 6. Washington. The Saints take care of Washington and the Niners are upset on the road against the Giants (Seeding it won't be an upset, but it will be a huge upset.)  Packers take out the Giants and the Seahawks dismantle the Saints.  Then is a rematch Golden Tate can't escape the Packers beat the Seahawks on the final drive of the game to win the NFC Championship.

9.  AFC

East: Unfortunately no one will contend.  The Patriots walk away with it.  (Please let this be wrong).

North:  Tough division.  The Bengals, Ravens, and Steelers will duke it out.  I already said I don't like the Steelers this year and the Bengals will live up to the hype, but not that big.  Upset the Ravens take the division crown.

South:  Houston.

West:  Denver, but not as easily as anyone predicts.  

Wild Cards:  The Bengals take it handedly and my upset of the year will be the Chargers.

Playoffs:  1. Broncos 2. Patriots 3. Texans 4. Ravens 5. Bengals 6. Chargers.  The upstart Chargers will scare the Texans in the first half, but will fail to pull off the victory.  In a regular season rematch the Bengals will take out the Ravens.  The Broncos will have an offensive masterpiece and beat the Texans D and the Bengals will upset the Patriots.  Then the favorite pick of the year Broncos will go to the Superbowl.  

10.  SUPERBOWL 

Packers, but are you really surprised?  If they fail I think the Seahawks will make Seattle proud.  And the Vikings suck.  

Seven Movies that Should be Made

Today the major motion picture box office is inundated with the same crap every day.  We get bad sequels to comedies.  Sequels to everything that makes money (only the sequels don't build on anything), and we get reboots.  It seems like there are no new ideas for the major box office winners.  The Master is a brilliant movie with plenty of ingenuity.  It's budget: 32 million.  It's box office: 28 million.  Studios:  Guess that didn't work, lets reboot The Fantastic Four.  With that in mind here is a list of movies that I want to see.  This would have been titled the 8 movies that should be made, but my number one choice has just been cast.  Anyone who is anyone must read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  I first heard the story when I was 10, watching the 1998 olympics.  The story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic Runner, who fought in WWII was shot down, captured, and tortured in a Japanese Internment Camp.  I have just heard, however, that Angelina Jolie will be directing the film and has cast a Skins star to play the lead.  I would be worried about a Jolie direction, but the screenwriters are the best in the business, the Coen Brothers.  I am excited.  Here are my other 7 choices. 

1.  Wedding Crashers 2:

Wedding Crashers was a brilliant comedic movie that exists among the sludge of what passes for comedy today.  It was a well-written script, it was well-casted, but most importantly it had great chemistry.  Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson lit up the screen with crafted well-liners, which created comedic dialogue rather than just an amalgamation of an incoherent joke factory; something most comedies do today.  And then the movie was over and each actor had to go their separate ways.  Some dealt with personal issues i.e. Wilson, and some dealt with professional issues i.e. Vaughn with a slew of box office mistakes including Couples Retreat, The Watch, The Dilemma, & Fred Claus.  So naturally the studios wanted to capitalize on the success that brought them hundreds of millions of dollars.  How do we make the same movie?  Well obviously just get these two guys together again.  As anyone who has an IQ above a squirrel knows of course this doesn't work.  The Internship is nothing but a re-hashed group of jokes set in a simplistic plot with terrible writing.  A comedian can make even a bad script funny, at times, but a bad script will always be a bad script.  On the Dan Patrick Show, Vaughn said "We had been waiting for the right script and finally it came to us in The Internship."  While I respect Vaughn for his love of everything Chicago, especially the Cubs, his likability has shrunken into a phony, unrealistic mess, much like the Cubs Season.  This is why we need Wedding Crashers 2.  Most of the time a sequel to a comedy fails miserably with the exception being movies like Ghostbusters 2 and Beverly Hills Cop 2.  But the reason for these downfalls is not because the premise doesn't work, it's because the studios have no desire to make a good film.  Take Chronicle, 2012's found footage superhero/supernatural movie.  A good idea, with a mediocre 3rd act, that made money at the box office and has even the casual fan, myself, interested in a sequel.  Now there are so many places you could go with a sequel but when Max Landis presented his script that explored the entire universe of the movie, the studio, much like four year olds before their nap, came back with, "No, we want another Chronicle," meaning they wanted another re-hash instead of an evolution of the story.  Hangover II was a re-hash, literally the exact same movie, just in a different place.  So how could a Wedding Crashers II be successful?  The main success is from the likability of the cast, so don't change the cast.  Bring back Wilson, Vaughn, Fisher, and McAdams.  Maybe add in a small cameo by Walken and Cooper, but just focus on the main four.  Next, don't make this another Wedding Crashers I, what interests me about this idea is not to see another Wedding Crashers, but rather to see the continued storyline of these four characters.  How the hell will these two fornicators survive in real relationships, what happens when kids become involved, will they resort back to their partying days or actually become, you know, adults.  Essentially give me a This is 40 for Wedding Crashers II.  This is 40 is technically the sequel to Knocked Up, but really not at all.  I want to see an extension of these characters.  And it could work.  The problem with This is 40 was that we were told people wanted to see the couple characters from Knocked Up, but really no one actually did.  Unfortunately the funniest part of This is 40 is the get away hotel scene…which is this exact same scene from Knocked Up, when Rudd and Rogen escape to Vegas.  Wedding Crashers II, don't do that to me.  Capitalize on the success of the first film by evolving, not copying.  

2.  Cloverfield II

Bet he has an opinion

This one is short and too the point.  I loved Cloverfield and obviously I wasn't the only one because a 25 million dollar budget made over 170 million dollars.  Give me a found footage of the same event but from the perspective of a young army recruit trying to save civilians.   You can get the same person to person story, but without the romantic angle.  Also who doesn't want to see another Blair Witch meets Godzilla found footage?

3.  Truman's Decision

This concept isn't based on any previous movie but rather the event.  I want to see a movie about the end of World War II and Truman's Decision to drop the bombs.  It had to have been the hardest decision an United States President has ever made, right or wrong, and it drastically changed the world forever.  There is a book, Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S Truman by Robert Ferrell.  The book includes excerpts from Truman's Diary including one for July 25, 1945:  "It [A-bombs] seems to be the most terrible thing ever discovered, but it can be made the most useful…"  This would be a chilling look at American History.  I would cast Anthony Hopkins or if you wanted younger, wait five years and cast Matt Damon.    

Bloody Sock played by Sean Bean

4.  Miracle on Dirt 2004

How have we not had a look at the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series in film yet.  If you described the Yankee Series alone it sounds like a movie, the bloody sock, the historic comeback, the hated rival.  It screams for a movie to be made.  Focus on the series alone and give major roles to actors playing Epstein, Steinbrenner, Schilling(although he already has too much of an ego), Jeter, and Varitek.   

5.  The Policewoman

That's a Badass

Technically this movie has been made before, but it was a bio-pic and filmed in 1914.  It is the story of Alice Stebbens Wells, the first woman police officer for the LAPD.  In 1910, Wells garnered national attention when she managed to get on the force.  The subsequent movie was widely popular.  Her career spanned forty years and which included many important rights for women argued and implemented.  Her story has gone untold and should be told today.  

6.  The Pig

The actual title for this would be the Prequel to Kingdom of Heaven, but really it would be an equal because it happened at the same time.  I know that a lot of people liked Kingdom of Heaven, I was not one of them.  I didn't hate it but despised the depiction of Baldwin IV of Jerusalem.  It turned Baldwin, well-played by Edward Norton, into a wimp, hiding behind a mask.  This was not the real Baldwin IV.  Born suffering from Leprosy, most believed he would not reign more than a year.  At age 13 he took the crown and reigned for 11 years.  He was a brilliant political mind, setting up marriages and alliances that solidified his families power.  Also when he did not renew the Saladin Treaty which the wars in Kingdom of Heaven are based on, not only did he fight in his own battles, but won many, riding on horseback.  The Muslims nicknamed him The Pig.  And he never wore a mask.  He was not ashamed of what and who he was.  I want to see a movie about him and his wars.  Not the other way around.   

Not that Michael Jordan

7.  Logan's Run Reboot

Logan's Run was originally made in 1976 and was as box office success starring Michael York, Peter Ustinov, and briefly, Farrah Fawcett.  Since its inception many studios have tried to reboot the film including a season long television show.  Already the studios are working with a great plot however they have decided to go with movies such as Justin Timberlake's In Time, instead.  Logan's Run is set in a dystopian world, but an utopian society.  Everyone lives in a glass domed city and lives with all the pleasures of life, with one catch.  When the crystal in their hands tell them they have reached 30 years old, they voluntarily allow themselves to be executed and then "reborn."  When someone reaches their date and chooses to run, a group of sandmen must chase them down and bring them to their respective ends.  York plays Logan 5, a sandman, who in searching for a group known as "sanctuary" has his crystal activated and must run.  It is a rather brilliant conceit and for those of us who like looking at dystopian concepts, it's really great.  I suggest anyone/everyone should see it, but I would tell you to read the book first.  The book, which must be the basis for the reboot instead of the original movie.  The book by William Nolan and George Johnson is much different but the key difference is age.  Everyone dies when they are 21.  The studios thought 21 would be too shocking so they changed the age to 30, but 21 offers such an important piece of the puzzle.  21 means that there is no concept of history.  If no one reaches past that age, history of the world would no longer exist.  It is also the age, today, when we believe a person truly becomes an adult (which is bullshit).  Age would be a big factor.  The other major thing a reboot must include would be a smaller studio.  This should not be a major budget film because they would ruin it.  A smaller movie, maybe even a found footage would suffice.  Finally you need to get young talent, not just young in their age because they would need to play people under the age of 21, but young aspiring talent.  Not Selena Gomez or anyone from the CW.  I would cast Michael B Jordan, Shailene Woodley, and Asa Butterfield.  So studios make a small budget, highly talented, book oriented movie.