The LEGO Movie Review

I am a little late with this one, but I had decided to take a month off from reviewing (although I still viewed some of the 'offerings' January gave), but this film had enough umph to it that it inspired me to write a full review.  The LEGO Movie was a triumph by Warner Bros and results in one of the greatest animations created in a very long time.  The film is gut-bustingly hilarious, but it's also able to to pull off depth you'd normally have expected during Pixar's golden age.  It is ultimately a success on every single level.

The 10 Best Movies of 2013

Yesterday I went into all of the more horrific offerings 2013 had on the table, but it wouldn't be fair to leave it at that because it's been an incredibly stacked year for films this year.  It was extremely difficult to narrow this year down to 10 (and I imagine it'd be even more difficult if Dallas Buyer's Club, Her, and Nebraska could have played within 40 miles of my house, so no those won't be on my list because I wasn't able to see them).  Also, you will notice (from the movies that have a review on this website, no not every movie I saw this year had a review) that my movies aren't necessarily in the order that I rated them, just because I gave it a higher score does not guarantee it a spot on the list.  The reason for this is because I review a movie for what it is, flaws and all, and this is a list of my ten personal favorites, meaning that 7/10 might rank higher for me personally than a 9/10.  So without wasting more filler space typing random intro jabber, here were my personal best films of 2013.

My Top 10 Worst Movies of 2013

While 2013 has been a fantastic year for films, before I talk about my favorites of the year I would like to talk about some of the worst that this year had to offer.  Also, a small note before you rage about some of my choices, I didn't just pick movies that were technically the worst, with films like Scary Movie 5 and Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters, you knew what you were getting into, there are  movies on here that I just deemed as wrong in principle, and extremely disappointing (there are the flat out awful movies too, and some that are both).  Here are my top 10 worst movies of 2013.

Saving Mr. Banks Review

What a surprise!  When I went into this film I was literally expecting a sentimental-fest trying to force me to have an emotional reaction similar to the Butler and the Blind Side, but instead I got a film that was not only exceptionally well made, but possibly one of my favorites of the year.  It was poignant, funny, and incredibly well acted, while telling a truly interesting (and true) background story that is nearly as good as the film that it is the background of.

47 Ronin Review

Hollywood never ceases to amaze me, in just the period of one month they have been able to rip apart two (possibly three once I see Walter Mitty) classic stories and turn them into over-produced, over-budgeted, and over-bloated atrocious blockbusters.  However, while the Hobbit could have been redeemable with a long and extensive cut, the only way to redeem the story of 47 Ronin in film form would be to trash this cinematic disaster entirely.  While setting a new standard of wooden acting, 47 Ronin tarnishes Japanese culture by turning it into another churn in the rusty old milking machine.

The Wolf of Wall Street Review/Brief Analysis

I'm going to start this review off with a cautionary warning to people who don't know much about it but are interested in seeing it, if you can't take a 3 hour movie that has lots of graphic nudity (and sex), cussing, and drug use throughout pretty much the entire film, do not go see it.  I cannot for the life of me re-iterate how annoyed I was with many of the dramatic walkouts during my screening, it's one thing to leave and hate the movie, it's another to thwart your self righteousness down everybody else trying to watch the film by making a dramatic exit so everybody knows you don't tolerate that kind of filmmaking.  If you are feint hearted, can't stand cursing, of a young age, or you don't like vulgar content in movies this is definitely not for you, you are going to hate, and you are going to tarnish the movies reputation as a bold, well-made (yet heavily flawed) work of cinema as well as most likely ruin the experience for all those around you.  

Top 10 Blockbusters of 2013

Everyone's always talking about the smaller films of 2013, for good reason they definitely outshone most of the blockbusters this year, but it is worth giving some credit to the films that went all out at being pure entertainment.  Here are my top 10 thrill rides of 2013.