2013 has come to a close, and that means it's list making time over here in the blog world! As someone that's done a lot of film criticism this year, I wanted to give a list that reflected my favorite flicks of the past 12 months. The ones that will stick with me for years to come and should be watched by all of you lovely people that take the time to read this sparkle insanity of a website.

Keep in mind this is my personal list, as in some of these movies might not be considered Academy Award winning by many out there, but I believe they bear mentioning. So here we go!

10) Pacific Rim




I couldn't make this list without including what was hilariously dubbed among my friends as "Dalin: The Movie". Featuring my dream cast, director, and scenario, Pacific Rim took the action genre films of 2013 to new, cheesy, epic heights that hadn't truly been achieved prior.

Yes, the script is less than stellar, and yes there are tons of tropes from both of the respected sub-genres (Mecha/Kaiju) showcased. But the charm of Pacific Rim is that it comes off more as an homage than something trying to advance what had been done in the past. It breathes life into the stone cold path that Bay's Transformers films had left, and yet doesn't take itself too seriously. So bravo Del Toro, you achieved what every fanboy has dreamed: giving the audience the ride of a lifetime.

9) This is The End/The World's End



Yes, this is a tie. Both these films are excellent and both deal with the same subject matter. But they are in no way shape or form the same movie. But why couldn't I pick one over the other?

Well for starts, lets discuss the American side of this story with This is The End. I can say without a doubt that The End is the best comedy film of 2013. It jumps leaps and bounds over its competitors in both it's biting dialog and incredible boldness. The last 10 minutes of this movie are some of the funniest moments put to film, ever. Channing Tatum, need I say more.

But The World's End has a slightly more serious edge that made it equally as enjoyable. This story of friendship is oddly aided by the surprise genre twist towards the middle of the movie, one that is best experienced without knowing anything when seeing it for the first time.

So in essence, if you are looking for an easy double feature, give these two a try. Just remember to bring the tissues, and the Backstreet Boys t-shirts.

8) Don Jon


I'll be blunt, you are either gonna love or hate Spring Breakers. For me, I was on the positive side. It could easily have been the worst thing to have ever been made, or the best. But during a long train ride home after seeing this MTV style art house attack on the senses, I came to the conclusion that the end result was something way ahead of it's time.

Directed by the ever so annoying Harmony Korine, we see what could be his most "accessible" film. But by no means should this give you an idea to watch this with say your mom or dad. No, this is the kind of film that midnight showings were made for, the kind you will quote for years to come.

All I can say is: "Spring Break .... forevah."

6) American Hustle



Ever since last year's Silver Linings Playbook, I've become a huge supporter of David O. Russell's work. He has an excellent handle on his actors, and gives equally great parts to women and men. But nothing got my attention more than the perfection he put into his latest effort, American Hustle.

With tons of charm, spunk, and attention to detail, American Hustle is a film that sits comfortably on the shelf with other crime tales such as Goodfellas or Casino. But what makes it stand out is the brilliant female leads. Amy Adam's shines here, with Jennifer Lawrence being absolutely unstoppable in her charm. With the addition of an effortlessly composed soundtrack and set design, American Hustle screams to be 2013's awards winner, and deservedly so.

5) The Wolf of Wall Street 

And it's finally here! This morning, Disney unveiled the trailer for it's next fairy tale live action adaptation, Maleficent. Starring the always stunning Angelina Jolie, here we get a first glimpse of the wicked fairy and her plans for Princess Aurora (played by Elle Fanning.)

Well, I am officially trying to hide my fangirl squeal. In France for the upcoming holiday season, the Galeries Lafayette has unveiled their beautiful windows - and they just happened to be themed to La Belle et La Bete (2014).

To say that I am dying on the inside because I want to see this in person is the biggest understatement of all time. Seriously, I wanna run out and get a ticket to France right now. Unfortunately, I lack the funds and a passport. So let's look at the pictures together, shall we? And we can both dream  a little of looking at these in person.

A side of me that I rarely talk about on any of the blogs I write for is my love of Punk Rock music and the roots at which it started. Maybe it's because I am a New Yorker, born and raised by two Punk Rock/music loving rocker kids that told me the golden days of visiting/playing at CBGB's and the magic of the Lower East Side pigsty.

So when years ago I heard someone was finally bold enough to make a CBGB's movie, one that told of all the famous bands that were born there, and would be hugely about Hilly Kristal (the infamous owner of the club) I was skeptical at best, fearing the influx of awful interpretations of some of my musician heroes (including my beloved favorite band since childhood, The Ramones.)


Time had past, and I had forgotten about the existence of the biographical piece, thinking it would be like any of the Punk Rock related flicks of the past and was put to the side. But today I type this post baffled and astounded by what I have seen (link here!)


Someone (by the name of Randall Miller) has done the impossible in making an actual movie about CBGB's and getting actors that (shockingly) look like their real-life counterparts. Most impressive is the casting choices, including Alan Rickman (one of my British loves <3) getting to play Mr. Kristal himself. But the most shocking is the reveal of The Ramones film versions, to which it is then almost impossible to tell the difference's between their real life counterparts.

The actor for Joey (Joel David Moore) is the most striking in his similarities the iconic rocker, with the actor playing Dee Dee (Steven Schub) reflecting the bass player closer to his older days and than his original CBGB's youthful self.

Though I am a still not fully sold on the movie (expect for the epic Ramones portions), I am truly excited none the less and can't wait till it comes out later this fall.

What do you guys think? Are you Punk Rock music fans? Have any interest in seeing this flick? Comment below!

I love animation and to say otherwise would be a cardinal sin. Animation is my favorite art form in the world, and I hold it in high regard unlike most adults do and never would disregard it as "children's only" entertainment. But in recent years, much of the Animation world has slipped into a buck for buck sort, where all the competition relies in the money and much of the quality is just automatically put to the side.

This can be clearly seen in films by the top studios like Disney, who now are stuck on princess themed movies (excluding Wreck It Ralph) and even influencing sub-company Pixar to follow their lead (Brave) And with the success of movies like Despicable Me and The Smurfs, no wonder studios are desperate for quick cash in flicks rather than effort showcasing masterpieces.


Then we arrive to the worst of the worst when it comes to these cash grabbing projects: Blue Sky. Most known for creating the lackluster Ice Age movies, the charming but only decent Rio and the similarly decent Horton Hears A Who, Blue Sky has yet to create a masterpiece that would be remembered by generations like its peers DreamWorks and Disney/Pixar have achieved.

But the studio released a new film this past weekend, entitled Epic (loosely based on the Leaf Men and The Brave Good Bugs book by William Joyce.) With being given such a different marketing title than it's source, this movie must truly be at least interesting. Let's take a moment to examine.

FYI: While speaking about this film, I would like to take into a reference two other flicks: 90's nostalgia classic Ferngully, and another recent Joyce book to movie adaptation, Rise of the Guardians, to which is not a literal adaptation but will work for what is needed in speaking about this.

AND THERE WILL BE SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT.....

As every nerd on the planet knows, May 3^rd is an important day here for us Iron Man fans. The third installment will be released to theaters here in the USA, or at least we hope it will.

As a New Yorker, most of our theaters are part of the Regal or AMC theater chains, with the rest being that of the indie sort. So when the recent news came that Disney and the two most popular theater companies are in a dispute, my thoughts immediately go to rage mode.

Please Disney, get your stuff together with these companies and figure out what to do. I know that everyone and their momma doubted the Marvel cinematic universe and now is floored by the success and wanting in on the cash cow. But please, let them these companies do what they want, only so I can see my favorite snarky bad boy millionaire at midnight (as per my tradition with the Marvel movies!) And especially with their being many female Marvel cinematic fans, I’m sure many know my “feels”.

If indeed this deal is not agreed upon AMC, Regal and Disney will be missing on almost 800 + theaters getting absolutely no revenue from the film. This would be one of the biggest money loses of all time, especially since the movie is projected to make 100 million in it’s first weekend. Disney should prepare their tissue boxes, because it John Carter made them cry, wait till they see what would happen with this and November’s Thor: The Dark World’s loses. 

Are you wanting to see Iron Man 3? What are you thoughts on this news?   

Sometimes it becomes apparent that Hollywood choses to focus their energy on bringing to life on screen a persons previous life in droves. Maybe its the glamour they offered, the views one could take on their own existence, or just the publics fascination. But I always find it funny that not one but usually multiple similar bio-pics come out around the same year, focusing on such an individual.

This past year, Hollywood has chosen this individual to be the infamous icon of directing, Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock, as to many a film student, is considered genius across the board. His use of simplicity in his visuals are memorable beyond their initial release and yet are so completely hard to configure their perfection that future filmmakers still try but yet can't seem to completely capture the brilliance. Many say that Hitchcock's two most memorable films are Psycho (which defined the slasher genre from then on) and The Birds (which continued Hitchcock's brilliance) Those two would also be the subjects of these bio-pics.



First, lets discuss the TV movie equivalent The Girl, starring Sienna Miller and Toby Jones. The Girl speaks of the relationship between model turned actress Tippi Hedren and Hitchcock (mostly of them making The Birds), and how screwed up their interaction got. In many ways, one could compare this in a way to Beauty and the Beast, as even in the script a reference to a similar tale (The Frog Prince) is made in a scene where Tippi's stylist says Hitchcock "Is like a prince trapped in a frog's body", makes one think this could be a story of sympathy. But when this relationship is tied to one of the most infamous filmmaking moments of all time (In which Tippi was thrown onto a set with live birds eating her face, which took over five days to shoot), lets just say things never end up pretty.

But interestingly enough, some of my favorite moments from The Girl were the ones showcasing true pain, emotionally and physically from the characters. Listen, I am no fan of torture porn films like Saw, but I am always impressed with the level of talent it takes for an actor to truly dive into a controversial role, especially when they are two real people within the public eye as Hedren and Hitchcock were.

This is what makes The Girl so interesting, which really comes from Toby Jones performance. You can tell Jones is meant for these kind of chameleon like roles, in which he truly develops a relationship within himself with his character. Aside from the incredible make up, he really takes on Hitch full force. Miller on the other hand does the best she can. Its more impressive them her dreadful take in Factory Girl, but nothing beats her in Interview (Where she is, in fact, in another weird relationship, but with Steve Buscemi.)

You can also tell the visual attention to detail in this HBO production. Bird's Eye View like shots of Hitchcock on staircases, Miller's period appropriate hair styles, even the perfectly aligned cuts on her face during the infamous cage scene, you can't ignore the flawless take on this small section of history. Listen, I truly appreciate all that is mentioned above. But when you look at the facts, this is obviously only one side of the story (mostly on a sympathetic end for Hedren's side) which makes the film slightly hard to manage as a whole, but still has re-watch ability.



But then you have Hitchcock, which though probably made with a higher budget seems closer in relation to a Disney or PBS afternoon special - with every aspect of fluff humanly imaginable. As you can see from the detail and interest I had in The Girl above, I can honestly say that complete polar opposite when it comes to it's competition. Though clearly Hitchcock has the better and more well known cast, it has a huge issue at hand: What it is trying to convey? Yes, it visually is stunning. Yes, the make up on Anthony Hopkins is flawless, and of course, Helen Mirren is in it - nough said.

So then what is the problem? Simple, there is no real compassion in this. I can definitely see that there was effort made in this production, but if you were to compare it say to the infamous Mommy Dearest, it blows its subject matter way out of proportion and with so many fantasy elements of tong and cheek humor it ruins its message, if it ever had one to even begin with. The story of how Hitchock made Psycho should be one that brings people in droves because it is interesting. Instead, we are given the story of an overweight man with an addiction to looking at blondes, which is such an obvious mark about the man, if you know your Hitchcock history, that it seems almost cartoonish and silly.

I will say that Helen Mirren is the only saving grace of this movie, and is probably the only reason I stuck around. Of course, she is the Barbie like portrayal of her real life counterpart (Hitchcock's wife, Alma Reville) and in many occasions its clearly Alma's story all together, and not at all the story of how a movie is made. So, I ask then - what were the filmmakers hoping to accomplish? Because all I can conceive was their attempts at making a comedic parody of a interesting man's existence, especially coming from Hopkin's overall silly attempt, is unfortunate and disappointing in the eyes of many a Hitchcock fan such as myself.

Overall, it's clear that neither of these films are perfect, which is the case with most films in general. But my award for the better would have to go with the The Girl. It knows more of what it wants, even if thats campy, and Toby Jones is clearly the better and more believable Hitchcock. It's a film that is more sure of itself and its decisions and gives at least some sort of an interesting and less candy sweet rendition of a story we know too well about, even if it's coming from such a mysterious figure.