The Best Movies of 2013

It is about that time again. This time we are talking the best movies of 2013.
Now, as always, I will only discuss the movies that I saw this year. I did miss some major movies this year that I might add if I see them before the end of the year. I also want to reiterate that this is all my personal opinion and are in no particular order. Deal with it.

Let's get started!


Side Effects

I feel like this movie didn't get enough attention. It was interesting, had a great cast (minus Channing Tatum), and had a great ending. I even watched it twice. If you didn't see it I would check it out.

Dark Skies

This was one that most people thought was really bad, but I enjoyed it. I thought the premise was somewhat unexpected and I appreciated that.

Evil Dead

I did have gripes with this movie, but overall it is one of the best horror movies we have received in years. As a reboot it wasn't that great, but as a stand alone movie it was fantastic. Great effects.

Antiviral

I went in not knowing what to expect. I did really like it, though. It was a very interesting concept and I like movies that stretch your brain a bit and make you think. By the end of the movie I just sat there and was like... that was really cool. Very appreciated.

Iron Man 3

Not the best Iron Man movie, but a decent attempt. The effects were good and the story kept you intrigued enough. Minus the confusion and outcry over the butchering of The Mandarin, I enjoyed this one enough to make this list and not the worst list. The way I see it, Iron Man 3 was better than Iron Man 2. That's all that matters in the end.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Great. It was just great. The effects, the acting, the story, and just everything was awesome. Benedict Cumberbatch stole the show and I loved it.

The Hangover Part III

Calm down, everyone. I put this one on this list because of a couple reasons. First, it was so much better than The Hangover Part II. Second, this movie actually had a story greater than the characters get hungover and try and trace their steps. It actually had a plot and some conflict but managed to stay true to the characters and stay funny. It was a pretty good movie in general, not just for a Hangover movie.

This is the End

I regret not seeing this in theaters. By far the funniest movie I have seen all year. If you thought it was going to be bad, pray for forgiveness and watch the movie.

Man of Steel

Similar to what I said about Iron Man 3, this one makes the list based on a couple reasons; General Zod being the biggest reason. Michael Shannon was fantastic and brought so much to the table. Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner also made this one for me. Granted it was full of overdone Zack Snyder effects and was basically all CGI, but it was a lot more enjoyable than I expected it to be.

Monsters University

I wasn't expecting much because it was a prequel, but I walked away with a smile. Good show, Pixar.

The Heat

Before I saw This is the End, this one was my funniest of 2013. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy need to do another comedy together. They were meant for each other.

V/H/S/2

This is on the list for the sheer fact that I saw the cult segment. It was just fantastic. I would have loved to see a full length movie on that subject. 

The Conjuring

Best horror film of the year. Maybe even the best of the decade. James Wan deserves all of the praise for this movie and went out of the genre with a bang. It was stressful, interesting, beautifully shot, and rather creepy. I loved every single second of this movie. Getting an R-rating for being "too scary" says it all. It lived up to the hype.

The Wolverine

It was better than X-Men Origins. That's all that is important.

Elysium

This one had a lot of problems, but based on concept and effects I decided to put it on here. It's worth seeing at least once.

Insidious: Chapter 2

I enjoyed this one as much, if not more, than the first one. James Wan delivered another quality product and it was terrifying.

Gravity

This is probably my #1 of the whole year. It was such a great movie. I hope it wins Best Picture.

Ender's Game

A decent book adaptation with fantastic special effects. I would check it out if you didn't.

Thor: The Dark World

Another quality Marvel release that was better than Iron Man 3. Just saying. It was better than Man of Steel, too.

Frozen

I put this on here for animation and animation only. I didn't like the movie as a whole all that much, but the animation was beautiful. The characters as a whole weren't bad either.

American Hustle

Funny, interesting, sad, happy, total package. I enjoyed this movie a lot. Kudos to David O. Russell for giving us another gem. 


Like I said, there are still a couple I would like to see before the year is up so this list might change a bit. Do you agree with my list? Did I miss something you liked? Did I add something you hated? Let me know in the comments.

Also check out my list of the best posters of 2013 (link) and my best Netflix picks of 2013 here.

Thor: The Dark World - Review

Thor struggles to defeat an enemy neither Asgard nor Odin can overcome while attempting to balance his reunion with Jane Foster and impending rise to the throne in Thor: The Dark World.


To go more in depth to the synopsis:
A long-standing war is brought to Asgard as Malekith, the leader of the "extinct" dark elves, seeks to try and reclaim the Aether, a powerful weapon kept in Asgard's weapons vault. Malekith attacks Asgard as Jane Foster wanders into an alternate dimension in the UK and obtains an unknown source of Aether. During this event, Heimdall notifies Thor that Jane has disappeared from his watch, so Thor returns to Earth and swoops her to Asgard with him. They soon learn that Malekith is after the Aether and will follow no matter where they attempt to keep or hide Jane. Thor winds up turning to his warrior friends and his untrustworthy brother, Loki, to defeat Malekith and the dark elves once and for all.


Now... I want to start by saying this movie was very, very well done. It has a very different theme than Thor did and was a lot more eventful. Thor fully embraces his birthright and is much more aware of his responsibilities as the future King of Asgard as well as the downsides to the throne. I also thought despite the darkness to the overall plot, it balanced humor very well. It was serious, it was funny, and it was very well balanced. And yes, there was a Stan Lee cameo.

As far as acting goes, I think a lot of the roles were switched in comparison to the first movie. Thor was far less arrogant and seemed to embrace his responsibilities more. Chris Hemsworth handled that very well and it shows how in control of the character he is. Tom Hiddleston was great, as always, and Natalie Portman also showed her control of Jane Foster as she had a bit of a different tone in this one as well. Instead of being awestruck over Thor she was a bit defensive but still longing. Her character was definitely left open for at least one more movie. I do have to say that I think the one who dominated this movie was Christopher Eccleston as Malekith. He was just fantastic to watch and very menacing. Definitely a great villain actor.
The shift in directors probably was for the better now that I have seen both movies. Initially when it was announced that Kenneth Branagh wasn't going to return for The Dark World a lot of people had mixed reactions. Some loved that and some hated it. I think Alan Taylor did a fantastic job and brought a new evolution to the characters that was very necessary. It is important to establish these characters outside of The Avengers, and Taylor was very successful.
One more thing to mention here before I get into spoilers is the visual effects. I think this one had some of the best visual effects in a Marvel movie thus far, obviously excluding The Avengers. Asgard is beautifully rendered and the attack for the Aether was handled well, too. I also didn't think the Aether was too cartoonish either. It maintained fantasy but was a pretty good reality borderline.

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe currently stands, here is my list:

1. The Avengers
2.  Iron Man
3. Thor
4. Thor: The Dark World
5. Captain America: The First Avenger
6. Iron Man 3
7. The Incredible Hulk
8. Iron Man 2


And now it is time for spoilers, boys and girls. If you haven't seen Thor: The Dark World I would encourage you to not spoil it for yourself and come back after you have seen it.

You were warned.



Last chance.



Seriously.

D23 Recap: Marvel presents Phase Two

Disney rounded off a solid second day at D23 in Anaheim, CA with the presentations from Marvel Studios. The films focused on were Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Thor: The Dark World is the next release coming this November and some new footage was presented. On site was Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, and Anthony Hopkins.

"Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself.  In the aftermath of Thor and The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos, but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness.  Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
It is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery “ #83 in August, 1962. The film releases November 8, 2013."

Captain America: The Winter Soldier doesn't hit theaters until next April, but we are getting some more tips to the plot. It does indeed follow Captain America with his struggles of coping with the current immorality of the world. On site was Chris Evans and Anthony Mackie.

"After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.
Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1941. In theaters April 4, 2014."

Guardians of the Galaxy is still fairly new to everything as it began filming less than a month ago, but it came into D23 in style.  A new clip featured Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) attempting to steal an artifact but is disrupted by a trio of guards. The clip also introduced Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Groot, and Rocket Raccoon. There are still no voices for Groot and Rocket Raccoon. In theaters on August 1, 2014.


Aside from those presentations, there was a brief teaser for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. All there was to it was a shot of Ultron's head coming from a reformed, dented Iron Man helmet. Apart from that, Chris Evans confirmed that filming for The Avengers: Age of Ultron will begin in the first week of March 2014.

New trailer for Thor: The Dark World

For all the Loki buffs, enjoy this trailer. I have a feeling he won't be as big a part of this movie as the trailer suggests but you never know. It is apparently Loki's last appearance so if he goes out with a bang good for him. Apart from that I think this trailer looks great. Minus the cheesy last scene with the rock monster.

Loki will not appear in The Avengers: Age of Ultron

So Tom Hiddleston says.

Joss Whedon had already confirmed that the last Marvel movie we will see Loki in will be Thor: The Dark World but then kind of contradicted himself when discussing the potential future of Loki at Comic-Con. However, Loki himself (aka, Tom Hiddleston) has now confirmed that Loki will not be in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

“Loki’s not in it. Here’s the thing: I don’t think there’s anything else Loki could contribute to The Avengers, narratively. Joss gave me so many wonderful things to do in that first film that we’d only be trying to repeat ourselves, and probably less well in the second one.”

Now this doesn't necessarily rule out any potential part of a Phase Three movie, but it is still pretty unlikely. I think both guys are right in trying to move onto more villains rather than have The Avengers just face Loki's mischief over and over again. 

SDCC: Thor: The Dark World brings Loki back once more

We managed to get a new trailer for Thor: The Dark World at Comic-Con but that was about it. And that should be taken literally.

No panel. No Q&A session. Nothing except a trailer. Oh, and this but it kind of already came out.

However, the trailer did come in style. Kevin Feige brought in Tom Hiddleston as Loki for the last time to present the trailer. I found the Loki introduction on YouTube and it is real fun. Here is a description from Collider:

"It begins with a battle in a burning village with Sif and Warriors Three fighting masked warriors.  Thor beams in, makes some quips with Sif, and slays a rock monster.  We then see London attacked, Thor beams in, nd beams Jane Foster out to Asgard.  We see him recruiting Loki, and the Warriors Three and Sif threaten to kill Loki if he betrays them.  This is interspersed with loads of action.  It’s tough to go beat by beat, but it looks exciting and finally lets Thor be Thor in a world that fits him.  It’s the grand tone we only briefly saw in the beginning of the first movie.  While I can’t go through every moment, I will say that the trailer ends with Loki slicing off Thor’s hand, a moment that was greeted with a collective gasp from the audience."

[UPDATE] Here is video of the Loki introduction along with a picture.

I'm pretty shocked that Thor: The Dark World didn't get a panel. They must be pretty confident that people are excited enough which is a mistake, imo. Most people think Thor was the weakest movie in Phase One.

#SDCC #Marvel #ThorTheDarkWorld #Loki

20 films to appear at Comic-Con 2013

Here is a list of all the movies that will be at San Diego Comic-Con this year:

Confirmed:
Europa Report
Ender's Game
Divergent
The World's End
Veronica Mars
Kick-Ass 2
Riddick
Wolves
Seventh Son
The LEGO Movie
Godzilla
300: Rise of an Empire
Gravity
I, Frankenstein
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Thor: The Dark World

Rumored:
The Wolverine
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters


The "rumored" section is just that. Fox has yet to announce their panels or previews, but the best bets on what will be featured are the three movies listed. If I'm wrong I will correct it once Fox catches up with everyone else and announces their panels.

Comic-Con schedule for Saturday, July 20th

The big day of events has been released for San Diego Comic-Con 2013. Saturday will feature panels and events for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, ComiKev, and HBO's True Blood. The schedule below is separated by room. Of course this isn't the entire schedule, so to see the full schedule head over to the Comic-Con website and check it out.


Saturday, July 20th:

Ballroom 20:

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: Down the Rabbit Hole (10:15am)

Once Upon a Time: Off to Neverland (11am)

Futurama (12pm)

The Simpsons (12:45pm)

Family Guy (1:45pm)

American Dad (2:30pm)

True Blood Panel and Q&A (3:30pm)

The Vampire Diaries Video Presentation and Q&A (4:30pm)

Arrow Video Presentation and Q&A (5:15pm)

HBO Presents the Comic-Con International Masquerade (8:30pm)


Room 6A:

A&E's Bates Motel (10am)

The Future of Xbox Gaming Revealed (11:15am)

Marvel Video Games (12:30pm)

Marvel's INFINITY (1:45pm)

Cartoon Network New Comedies: Uncle Grandpa, Steven Universe, and Clarence (3pm)

Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment: Superman's 75th Anniversary Celebration (4:15pm)

Gays in Comics XXVI (5:30pm)

Gays Comic Fan Mixer and Silent Auction (7pm)

HBO Presents the Comic-Con International Masquerade - Overflow 6A (8:30pm)


Indigo Ballroom:

Machinima: Redefining the 'Fan Film' (10am)

Geek and Sundry: Leveling Up (11am)

How I Met Your Mother (12pm)

The Originals Video Presentation and Q&A (1pm)

The Awesomes: A Hulu Original Series (2pm)

Nerdist Industries (3pm)

Being Human (4pm)

Warehouse 13 (5pm)

Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey (6pm)


Hall H:

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures - Godzilla, Seventh Son, 300: Rise of an Empire, Gravity, and The LEGO Movie (10:45am)

Lionsgate - I, Frankenstein and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (1:35pm)

Entertainment Weekly's Women Who Kick Ass (2:55pm)

20th Century Fox [TBA Schedule as of July 6th] (4:15pm)

Marvel Studios - Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (6pm)

ComiKev 2013 - Kevin Smith uses his mouth and you in Hall H (7:15pm)



Still no word on exactly who will be in the panels or exactly what 20th Century Fox will showcase at Comic-Con, but it appears that Saturday is a pretty big day. I would pretty much just camp out inside Hall H seeing that Lionsgate and Marvel are fairly close together.

Thor and Captain America confirmed for Comic-Con

[UPDATE] Thor and Captain America will be in Hall H on Saturday, July 20th at 6pm. Here is the schedule for Saturday.

Marvel's choices for the big Hall H panels for this year's San Diego Comic-Con have been announced. Marvel will bring Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier to Hall H, and along with both panels there will be a deeper look into the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Some are guessing that with Marvel announcing release dates for untitled films set for 2016 and 2017 that this special presentation will be a full Phase Three lineup that will accompany Ant-Man. Edgar Wright teased test footage for Ant-Man at last year's Comic-Con and will be present for a panel for The World's End, but there is no word yet on if he will participate in what Marvel has planned.
We also have had Kevin Feige confirm that a Doctor Strange film is next up after Ant-Man, so there could be some sort of announcement regarding that one. This could also be confirmation that The Avengers 3 will cap off Phase Three like The Avengers capped off Phase One and The Avengers 2 is rounding out Phase Two.

We shall see! No panelists have been announced for the panels but it's pretty safe to assume the cast members will show up. If I remember correctly the panel for Thor in 2011 had Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, and Kat Dennings present. I would expect this time around to be similar. Same goes for Captain America.

Loki will not return for The Avengers 2

For all of you Loki fanatics out there you might as well soak in the parts of Thor: The Dark World that he will appear in because it seems they will be his last... at least as far as the movies go.

Joss Whedon has confirmed that Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) will not appear in The Avengers 2. He is quoted as saying,

"First of all, imitating what I did before is the surest way to do it not as well. Second of all, Loki’s not there to say those terrible things. Although I do think we should bring the word back, not as an insult, it’s just a nice word.”

So there we have it. I can respect that Whedon isn't relying on the tricks and humor that has worked in previous movies and wants to give us something new. I also think with the villains they are introducing are badder and a bit beyond the scale of Loki, so he is the least of their worries at this point. 

First trailer for Thor: The Dark World

This is the UK trailer, but it is the same as the US trailer.

I am a bit confused by this, to be honest. It looks really... CGI filled. Like, unnecessarily. I am excited and it's not like I'm going to skip it, but it is a lot different looking than I expected. I also am keeping in mind that it is a teaser, though. I'm sure the full trailer will be a bit different.

New images from Thor: The Dark World

We have yet another image of the Asgard version of Jane Foster along with a couple more of Thor. I am still very excited for this.

Trailer announcements for Catching Fire and Ender's Game

We received word for some big trailer debuts this week.

The teaser trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is set to be shown before screenings of Iron Man 3 in May. The teaser is already available online as it debuted during the MTV Movie Awards this past weekend, but it's always fun to see trailers on the big screen.

The first trailer for Ender's Game, the adaptation of Orson Scott Card's novel, is set to debut ahead of Star Trek Into Darkness which is also released in May. The film stars Asa Butterfield (Hugo) and Harrison Ford. It is set to open on November 1, 2013.


We also are set to get the first trailer for Thor: The Dark World sometime next week just in time for CinemaCon.

First poster for Thor: The Dark World

It was also announced that the first trailer for Thor: The Dark World is supposed to surface sometime next week just in time for CinemaCon.

Pretty generic poster but still exciting enough.

First images from Thor: The Dark World

Kind of.

More screencaps from the Marvel Cinematic Universe box-set are surfacing and it includes some concept art for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy along with some first images from Thor: The Dark World.

It looks like Thor is busy battling even more bad guys and also shows Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) looking pretty Asgardian.

Nick Fury won't return to Marvel until 2014

Samuel L. Jackson announced that his Marvel character Nick Fury won't be seen again until 2014 for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He mentioned that Fury or any other Avengers character won't appear in Iron Man 3 and added that he won't appear in Thor: The Dark World. It is possible he will appear in Guardians of the Galaxy in between Captain America 2 and The Avengers 2.

Bummer dude.

First image of Thor from Thor: The Dark World

Thor is back in action!

Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 to be 3D releases

Marvel has announced a couple details about the Cinematic Universe today.

First off, both Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World will be 3D releases. Other than The Avengers I don't think there has been a 3D Iron Man film yet, but Thor was released in 3D last year so that isn't surprising. None of this is surprising, actually. Just about every film Disney releases these days is in 3D. There haven't been any 3D announcements for Captain America: The Winter Soldier or Guardians of the Galaxy but I bet they will also be in the 3D format.

The other announcement, which is sort of big news, is the release for Ant-Man has been shuffled to November 6, 2015. That now puts Ant-Man after The Avengers 2 which comes out on May 1, 2015. If I remember correctly Ant-Man was previously rumored to be released right before The Avengers 2 in 2014. Personally I don't care about Ant-Man. I think it's a stupid character to begin with and that he shouldn't have his own movie.

Thor 2 official synopsis revealed

We now have an official synopsis for Thor: The Dark World which is set to be released next November.

"Thor: The Dark World continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s Thor and Marvel’s The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos, but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all."

I cannot wait. I loved Thor.

More casting news for Thor 2

Two long standing actors have joined the cast for Thor: The Dark World.

Starting off we have Richard Brake (Batman Begins) who has been cast as the captain of the Einherjar warriors. In the Marvel universe the warriors, led by Ander, are responsible for the training of Thor. It is unclear whether Brake is playing the role of Ander but he has been officially added.

The other person added is Clive Russell (Sherlock Holmes, Game of Thrones). He will be playing Tyr who is Thor's older brother and Asgard's God of War.