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.

Silver Linings Playbook - Review

Pat Solitano seeks to reunite with his estranged wife after a brief stint in a mental institution by moving back in with his parents only to come in contact with a young widow named Tiffany. Her own problems and desires make his journey back to marriage and sanity more challenging in Silver Linings Playbook.


I had wanted to see Silver Linings Playbook, but seeing that I live in a lousy city for limited releases I was forced to wait until the DVD release. I had some minor issues with the ending but overall I thought this was a great movie. Jennifer Lawrence's Oscar was well deserved and I would go far enough to say Robert De Niro deserved Best Supporting Actor over Christoph Waltz and Bradley Cooper should have been taken more seriously. Hell, the entire movie should have been taken more seriously.

As far as the plot goes, I really loved the general basis of the movie. I thought the concept of him being committed into a mental hospital after a fight rather than being put in jail was an interesting twist. Most of the time Hollywood just puts the "sick" in mental wards for being depressed or attempting suicide. I also loved how Bradley Cooper portrayed Bipolar Disorder. His character Pat Solitano was a man who knew what he wanted and was very analytical in expressing why he does the things he does and why he says what he thinks out loud. He was happy but lacking what he thought made him the happiest. It was great.

For acting... Jennifer Lawrence was just in another category. Her character Tiffany was sad, hilarious, and powerful all at the same time. Tiffany recently lost her husband Tommy in a freak accident and was searching for something, or someone, to fill the gap that Tommy had left. She recruits Pat by bribing him into thinking she would help him break the restraining order his wife had placed on him after his fight. She was deceitful but it worked.
Don't get me wrong, everyone was good in this movie. Even the minor characters played by Chris Tucker and Jackie Weaver were great. I just think Jennifer Lawrence carried the movie and gave it heart.

The only gripe I had was with the ending. I thought it was a little too abrupt and predictable. It was a classic ending that we have seen a million times so that I wasn't too happy with, but again... it worked.


Overall I think Silver Linings Playbook was great. I don't really get why people were calling this movie a comedy, but whatever floats your boat. I recommend it!

2013 Academy Award nominations announced; Lincoln in the lead

Lincoln leads this year's Oscar nominations with 12 total while The Dark Knight Rises got snubbed completely. It didn't even get a nomination for visual effects or original score. I am also a little bummed The Avengers only got visual effects. I thought it had a decent shot at a couple other categories. Also among the snubs are Kathryn Bigelow, Tom Hooper, and Ben Affleck for Best Director and Moonrise Kingdom in just about every predicted category. John Hawkes and Leonardo DiCaprio were also left out of the Best Actor category.

So here we go:

Best Picture:
Argo
Amour
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director:
Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg - Lincoln
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Michael Haneke - Amour
Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Actor:
Denzel Washington - Flight
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actress:
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Quevenzhane Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts - The Impossible
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

Best Supporting Actor:
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook
Alan Arkin - Argo
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress:
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Sally Field - Lincoln
Amy Adams - The Master
Jacki Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

Best Original Screenplay:
Mark Boal - Zero Dark Thirty
Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained
Michael Haneke - Amour
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola - Moonrise Kingdom
John Gatins - Flight

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Tony Kushner - Lincoln
Chris Terrio - Argo
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
David Magee - Life of Pi
Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Foreign Language Film:
Amour
No
A Royal Affair
Kon-Tiki
War Witch

Best Animated Feature:
Frankenweenie
Brave
ParaNorman
Wreck-It Ralph
The Pirates! A Band of Misfits

Best Documentary:
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
Searching for Sugar Man
5 Broken Cameras
The Invisible War

Best Documentary Short:
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption

Best Production Design:
Lincoln
Life of Pi
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables

Best Cinematography:
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Lincoln
Django Unchained
Anna Karenina 

Best Film Editing:
Zero Dark Thirty
Argo
Silver Linings Playbook
Lincoln
Life of Pi

Best Original Score:
Dario Marianelli - Anna Karenina
Mychael Danna - Life of Pi
Thomas Newman - Skyfall
John Williams - Lincoln
Alexandre Desplat - Argo

Best Original Song:
"Skyfall" - Skyfall
"Suddenly" - Les Miserables
"Pi's Lullaby" - Life of Pi
"Before My Time" - Chasing Ice
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" - Ted

Best Visual Effects:
Life of Pi
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman
The Avengers

Best Costume Design:
Lincoln
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables

Best Sound Editing:
Skyfall
Argo
Zero Dark Thirty
Life of Pi
Django Unchained

Best Sound Mixing:
Skyfall
Lincoln
Life of Pi
Les Miserables
Argo

Best Animated Short:
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole 
Head over Heels
The Longest Daycare
Paperman

Best Live Action Short:
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow
Henry


As far as my predictions go, I expect Lincoln to win as many as it was nominated for because that is how these awards seem to go every year. However, I am really pulling for Quevenzhane Wallis to take home Best Actress. That girl pulled me in and didn't let me go and she deserves the best recognition in the industry for that. If she doesn't win I will be disappointed. I will also be upset if Hugh Jackman doesn't take it home. He was fantastic in Les Miserables.
And for once I think I will be happy with any winner for Best Animated Feature. I would prefer Frankenweenie take the statue, but I won't be upset if Brave or Wreck-It Ralph or ParaNorman beat it out. I don't mention the Pirates flick because I don't think it has a chance of winning. I think it was a filler nomination.
I also want to say that if Adele doesn't win for "Skyfall" I am going to flip my lid. And speaking of Skyfall, how did this not get nominated for Best Picture? That is a shock to me.

[UPDATED] 2013 SAG Award nominees revealed

The 2013 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards have announced their nominees. Not only is this list almost identical to the Critics Choice nominees that were announced yesterday, but I guarantee it will also be identical to the Golden Globe nominees. I am seeing a trend and I bet you the same names will be on the nomination list for the Oscars. It's pathetic. Although I must admit I am surprised SAG completely stiffed Beasts of the Southern Wild. Everyone else is putting that movie at the top of their lists.
The SAG Awards will air on January 27, 2013.

UPDATE - The winners are highlighted in red.


Best Ensemble:
Argo
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actor:
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
John Hawkes - The Sessions
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Denzel Washington - Flight

Best Actress:
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren - Hitchcock
Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin - Argo
Javier Bardem - Skyfall
Robert De Niro -  Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

Best Supporting Actress:
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Nicole Kidman - The Paperboy
Maggie Smith - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Best Performance by a Stunt Ensemble:
The Dark Knight Rises
Skyfall
The Bourne Legacy
The Amazing Spider-Man
Les Miserables

Best Ensemble in a Drama Series:
Boardwalk Empire
Homeland
Mad Men
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey

Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series:
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie
The Office

Best Actor in a Drama Series:
Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels - The Newsroom
Jon Hamm - Mad Men
Damian Lewis - Homeland

Best Actress in a Drama Series:
Michelle Dockery - Downton Abbey
Maggie Smith - Downton Abbey
Jessica Lange - American Horror Story: Asylum
Julianna Marguiles - The Good Wife
Claire Danes - Homeland

Best Actor in a Comedy Series:
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Ty Burrell - Modern Family
Louis C.K. - Louie
Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory
Eric Stonestreet - Modern Family

Best Actress in a Comedy Series:
Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation
Sofia Vergara - Modern Family
Betty White - Hot in Cleveland

Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries:
Clive Owen - Hemingway & Gellhorn
Ed Harris - Game Change
Woody Harrelson - Game Change
Bill Paxton - Hatfields & McCoys
Kevin Costner - Hatfields & McCoys

Best Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries:
Alfre Woodard - Steel Magnolias
Julianne Moore - Game Change
Sigourney Weaver - Political Animals
Nicole Kidman - Hemingway & Gellhorn
Charlotte Rampling - Restless

Best Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a TV Series:
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Breaking Bad
Sons of Anarchy
The Walking Dead
Boardwalk Empire

Zero Dark Thirty named best film of 2012

The National Board of Review, the second major critics organization, released their list of 2012 winners for achievement in film. Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) took home Best Film for Zero Dark Thirty. Bigelow also took Best Director for the same film. Zero Dark Thirty also took Best Actress for Jessica Chastain.

Aside from the major success of Zero Dark Thirty, Bradley Cooper took Best Actor for Silver Linings Playbook, Best Animated Feature went to Wreck-It Ralph, Best Adapted Screenplay went to David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook, and Best Original Screenplay went to Rian Johnson for Looper.

Click the jump for the full list of winners and top lists:

2012 Governors Awards draw in Oscar hopefuls

This weekend was the Governors Awards in Los Angeles. It is an event that gives a lot of foreshadowing to the Academy Award possibilities and gives potential Oscar hopefuls the chance to expose themselves to the press and promote their films.
According to EW there was a general consensus hinting at Best Picture possibilities; those being Life of Pi, Argo, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, and Silver Linings Playbook. Personally I think those are all possibles just due to the media buzz around them, specifically Life of Pi and Lincoln, but I would like to at least see The Dark Knight Rises on the list. It deserves to be there. I'm going to be pissed if The Hobbit swoops in at the last minute and takes it.

Apart from Best Picture buzz there is a lot of speculation for the actor and actress categories, both lead and supporting. In attendance were Kristen Stewart, Tom Hanks, Bradley Cooper, John Hawkes, Amy Adams, Helen Hunt, and quite a few others who have Award buzz movies out. Stewart and Adams have On the Road, Hanks has Cloud Atlas, Cooper has Silver Linings Playbook, and Hunt and Hawkes have The Sessions. I am still kind of baffled at the fact that Kristen Stewart could potentially be nominated for On the Road, but I still haven't seen the movie so I can't really comment. She should have been nominated in 2010 for Welcome to the Rileys but that's just me. Same goes for Bradley Cooper. I guess I just never figured him for an Oscar nominated actor. That is if he is nominated.


Awards season is starting!