Best Netflix picks of 2013

Since I discussed my best of 2013, I figured I would make another post about the best movies I saw this year in general. Now, this means not all of these were released in 2013. It just means I saw them for the first time this year. I won't include any that I already included on the best of 2013 list. Also note these are in no particular order.

Let's get started!


Goon

I put off watching this and I don't know why. It is such a charming movie. The main character, Doug Glatt, is so pleasant and you love him immediately. Great hockey movie and a great movie in general.

The Other F Word

I was curious about this because it was a documentary about punk legends becoming fathers. Bottom line. This was a rather eye opening film and it makes me feel like there is some hope for our children. If we can have more fathers like these guys I think we will be alright.

Maniac

This wasn't the best movie, but it was a pretty decent horror flick. Elijah Wood definitely had the creep factor on lock.

Curse of Chucky

For a Chucky movie, this was pretty enjoyable. It was better than Seed of Chucky and was pretty enjoyable overall. I would give it a shot if you didn't already. Stay after the credits, too. You're welcome.

Ruby Sparks

Loved it. I just loved it.

Silver Linings Playbook

Great acting, great story, and I loved the flow of the film. It definitely deserved all of the praise.

Sinister

It had flaws and I didn't totally love it, but I did enjoy it. This was a very refreshing horror flick and it had some interesting twists in there. I regret not seeing it in theaters last year.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I cannot say enough great things about this movie. I loved every single second of it. It sounds cliche, but it just understood so much about being a teenager. It was very realistic and the characters were wonderful. Great book adaptation and great film overall.

Moonrise Kingdom

I shouldn't have loved this movie as much as I did, but I couldn't help myself. If you didn't see it drop what you're doing and watch it. You won't be sorry.

Looper

Another one that had problems, but it was a very enjoyable movie. I didn't see the ending coming, that's for sure.


Not an awful year for Netflix. In addition to the movies I watched, the best television pick I had this year was definitely Breaking Bad. That's all I can say when it comes to television.

Curse of Chucky - Review

Curse of Chucky reunites us with the famous, possessed Good Guy doll as he unleashes mayhem onto a new family.


I saw a preview for Curse of Chucky a couple months back and figured I would watch it just because I have seen all the Child's Play movies. I wasn't expecting it to be good and I wouldn't say this movie was necessarily good, but it was enjoyable.

Beware, this will contain spoilers.



The characters were fairly weak and you didn't really learn who they were until the movie was toward the end and the acting wasn't great either, but it fit with a typical direct-to-dvd horror movie. I recognized Fiona Dourif because she was in True Blood for a while. It's always nice to have Brad Dourif back, too. Although he was seen more as a human in this movie than the voice of Chucky.

I did fairly enjoy this movie because it was hilarious and entertaining (for me), but there were things that I didn't like.

1. The whole thing with Charles Lee Ray being obsessed with the daughters' mom and that's the reason he was killed in the toy store... dumbest thing ever. I re-watched Child's Play and it doesn't make sense. That means someone was friends with a serial killer.
2. I didn't like the whole lesbian storyline between the mom and the nanny. I thought that was stupid.
3. The new CGI, animated Chucky doll was weird looking. It took away from the classic doll movements seen in the previous movies.
4. The husband was an idiot.
5. The police officer that bites it in the end had practically no relevance at all and was hardly seen.

However, I do have to admit that I loved when Jennifer Tilly showed up again. I wasn't expecting it, although I should have, but that surprised me pretty good. The reveal that Tiffany was back in her own body sending Chucky off to new families was great.

Overall not the best movie, obviously, but it was enjoyable. I would probably watch it again if I was bored enough.

Curse of Chucky and The Purge join Halloween Horror Nights

Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights just keeps getting bigger and bigger. In addition to mazes for Evil Dead, The Walking Dead, Insidious: Chapter 2, The Cabin in the Woods, and Black Sabbath 13, we now have word that mazes and "scare zones" for Curse of Chucky and The Purge are joining in.

Chucky has made several appearances at Halloween Horror Nights and this year they are utilizing the stage to promote the new Child's Play film, Curse of Chucky, which is out on DVD/Blu-Ray on October 8th.
The Purge is a bit of a surprise for me as the reviews on it wavered a lot. However, it did do pretty well at the box office so I guess I shouldn't be too shocked. The Purge: Survive the Night will push guests into the world where all crime is legal for 12-hours.

Ironically, both Curse of Chucky and The Purge come out on DVD/Blu-Ray on October 8th, so this very well could just be a good marketing tool. I still haven't seen The Purge but I didn't think it necessarily looked like a horror movie so the inclusion confuses me a bit.
So far there isn't anything posted on the HHN websites specifying which park these will appear at. So far the only park specific mazes are Insidious: Into the Further (Hollywood only) and The Cabin in the Woods (Orlando only).  I would assume at least one of these will be park specific and my bet is on The Purge: Survive the Night. I have no doubt the Chucky maze will be at both parks.

[UPDATE] - Apparently Curse of Chucky and The Purge: Survive the Night will only be at Universal Studios Hollywood. This comes with the announcement of Orlando's An American Werewolf in London scare zone. 

#UniversalHHN

Curse of Chucky - First Trailer

Curse of Chucky is set to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 8th and is directed by Don Mancini.

A basic synopsis for Curse of Chucky:

"When a mysterious package arrives at the house of Nica (Fiona Dourif), she doesn’t give it much thought. However, after her mother’s mysterious death, Nica begins to suspect that the talking, red-haired doll her visiting niece has been playing with may be the key to the ensuing bloodshed and chaos. The return of America’s favorite toy, voiced again by Brad Dourif, is unrated and full of more blood-splattered thrills and chills."

Chucky was always the least scary for me because it's just a damn doll, but I will still see this one. It looks like the same old fun. Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky were both hilarious. It also is nice to see them use the practical effects once more.

Curse of Chucky to go direct-to-DVD

The upcoming installment to the Child's Play franchise, Curse of Chucky, has officially been set on the Direct-to-DVD path. Production begins this September and will of course have Brad Dourif returning to voice Chucky.

The plot sounds fucking stupid so I am not too excited. I watch the Child's Play movies for laughs anyway.

"Chucky arrives to wreck havoc within a family that’s regrouped for a funeral. In the wake of her mother’s passing, a young woman – in a wheelchair since birth – is forced to put up with her sister, brother-in-law, niece and their nanny as they say their goodbyes to mother. When people start turning up dead, the fearless Nica discovers the culprit might be a 'strange doll' she was sent a couple of days earlier."

Don't expect too much, haha.