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.

Ruby Sparks - Review

Calvin is a young novelist struggling with writer's block until he has a dream about a mysterious woman. He decides to put her on paper and is surprised to find that the woman he wrote about has come to life in Ruby Sparks.

I didn't know much about Ruby Sparks prior to going in, but I had heard from some friends that it was good. Not to mention it has Paul Dano in it and I really like him. Ruby Sparks not only was very good but it was a very neat story.
The above summary is pretty much the movie. Dano plays a young writer who had early success and has fallen into a depressive writer's block until he has a dream about a mysterious woman. He begins to write a story about his relationship with the woman. She suddenly comes to life and only knows what Calvin has written in his story.

I thought the acting was great, especially Dano. His chemistry with Zoe Kazan was really a joy. They were a believable couple. Dano played the struggling writer very well. You feel sorry for him and really want him to succeed. You also feel for him when Ruby comes to life and he is trying to convince himself that she is a figment of his imagination. I also really liked the supporting characters played by Chris Messina, Elliott Gould, Annette Bening, and Antonio Banderas. They were both quirky and funny. 

I think the best part is when Calvin begins to try and change Ruby to his liking. At first she got unhappy so he changed his story to say she couldn't live without him. Then she got too clingy so he changed it again to say she was joyful all the time. Then he got annoyed with that so he changed her again. He just kept changing until he broke down and realized Ruby couldn't be perfected. You either love the girl or you let her go free and wait for the right one to come back and love you for who you are. It was great.


I strongly recommend Ruby Sparks. It is one of the best movies I have watched in a while.