The Great Gatsby (2013) review

(8/10)

   Compared to the attempts made in the past to personify the brilliant novel, this adaptation shows the source material at least a bit more respect. In fact, the whole way this film is made seems to celebrate and glorify the book in its near entirety. The performances are excellent and the vibrant, musical moods are jumping. However, the film doesn't match the time period as well as some would expect, and some important scenes are greatly left behind.

PLOT: Nick Carroway (Tobey Maguire), now in a mental institution, is told to write about his experiences with Gatsby to express all of his thoughts and emotions. Nick tells the story of how he moved to New York in the portion of West Egg, near his cousin on East Egg, Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her husband, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). Nick reveals later on that he lives next to Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), the millionaire who he sees as a mystery at first until one day when he gets invited to one of Gatsby's wild parties. Nick eventually finds out that Gatsby and Daisy used to be lovers before the war. At Gatsby's request, Nick invites Daisy over and they meet up again, falling in love again almost instantly. However, their love won't be long-lived, for Tom, who is also cheating, gets suspicious of Daisy and her doings. The excellent plot of the novel is brought to a new life in this adaptation. The execution is very good, adding dramatic emotion and personality in each scene, as to catch the true meaning and impact it means to bring on. The stylized, fast-paced mood of Baz Luhrman's direction may change a few details, but it definitely brings a new sense of life into the classic source material.



ACTING: The performances in this film are excellent. Tobey Maguire plays very good part of Nick Carroway, adding a hint of lost time to the story's narrative view. Carey Mulligan also played her part as Daisy about as well as Maguire did for Nick. The two shining performances of the show would definitely be Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan. The two not only breathed vivid life into the characters the novel fans have grown to know, but they also played off each other excellently, bringing both fantastic realism and emotional drama to the table. I had to say that I was most entertained and kept tense by DiCaprio and Edgerton's performances. No performance was truly bad in the film, and a lot of the cast along with these few are is all-star, including Isla Fisher as Myrtle, and Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker.

SCORE/SOUNDTRACK: The soundtrack in this film is lively and jumping, with artists such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Florence + the Machine, Lana Del Ray, Jack White, Gotye, and many others. The songs are all nice and fit the mood well, but not the time, however. The score itself was very excellently done, with emotional, dramatic, and intense themes to glorify the mood of the moment. Luhrman's style of coordinating modern with classic in music was not fully effective here, however, as it has been done in his past works.



OTHER CONTENT: This adaptation of the film isn't as blasphemous as some critics see it to be. The style of the film may be suited a bit more for modern times, but that doesn't always ruin the emotional impact the source material has. This is more of a celebration of Gatsby. The most memorable lines are kept memorable within a bout of stylized film-making and inserted into the modern background as a symbolism of the novel's living meaning today. However, this isn't the perfect version of the novel most have been looking for. The flaws aren't many, but they are major. The music and choreography of the film didn't match the time that the film took place in at all. The utilization of hip-hop music and dance moves to style the source material to modern times, as Luhrman often tries to do, doesn't succeed in this film. The overall feeling just comes off as more distasteful than anything else. Also and like the version from 1974, some important details were left out in the conversion from literature to cinema. Likes of Myrtle's speech about when she first met Tom to the moment we meet Gatsby's father at the end are just lost and forgotten in the wild hustle and bustle of the film. These two flaws set the film back and definitely didn't show it the honor it deserves, but this film is the best we have so far for film adaptations of the Fitzgerald classic.

   This adaptation isn't as blasphemous as it's believed to be. In fact, it's a sort of celebration for the mass readers. The performances are excellent, the music is lively, and the execution is marvelously emotional, breathing life we have not yet seen into the beloved classic. However, matching up the times and including all of the important scenes from the source are major factors that fail.

Room 237 (2013) review

(7/10)

This documentary wasn't particularly my cup of tea, but I enjoyed hearing the different perspectives from different film buffs as well as hearing the possible glorification of Kubrick's master brain.

SUBJECT:Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining deviates away from Stephen King's novel a great handful of times, but is it all for a good reason? A group of film buffs that have seen this film countless times have developed many arguments and theories about what the purpose of Kubrick's adaption of the film mean, deviations and all intact, including hidden messages, mistaken imagery, and subtle hints toward certain subjects. However, is this more a study of the film or critics' obsession with the film? It's great subject discussed fairly well.



PEOPLE:The people chosen to be interviewed for this subject aren't that widely known, from the names of Bill Blakemore to Juli Kearn, which gives the documentary an even more mysterious approach to the film and its possible messages. I believe the opinions of the interviewed persons were very well discussed and very well justified overall. However, I feel that some of their theories are the offspring to blind paranoia and tripped-out minds. The conclusions just seem a bit preposterous overall, but supported with excellent accuracy, along with the discussions of symbolism over the deviations in the film.

SCORE:The score of this documentary is mainly composed of previous themes from Kubrick's films, including this one alike, with a few interesting variations of the classical work Dies Irae by Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson, as well as other interesting themes by them.



OTHER CONTENT:This documentary is enlightening to those who enjoy it in more than one way. If the opinions of the many critics don't please or convince you, the hidden meaning in the whole film will. This documentary could also be seen as a raging cinephilic obsession with the subject film and the obsession of film buffs in general. I found the film to be a very stimulating documentary, but with opinions I don't agree with for the most part. It was enlightening to see the "carefully placed" items in the background I hadn't noticed before as well as hearing the discussion of symbols not included in the King novel. I also enjoyed watching the subject film overlapping itself near the end. The product was pretty shocking. However, I overall found this film to be an over-thought study of cinephiles general deriving mind.

OVERALL,a good documentary with great subject matter, obscure names with seemingly-true theories discussed, interesting original themes by Snipes and Hutson, intelligent hidden meaning, and enlightening opinions, but I don't fully agree with the opinions withheld in this documentary; I'd almost deem them preposterous if I didn't respect Kubrick's eye for detail so much.

I Give It a Year (2013) review

(6/10)

This reverse rom-com may offer a more fresh idea to the table with some pretty great laughs, but it still seems too familiar with some crude jokes falling flat.

PLOT:Nat (Rose Byrne) and Josh (Rafe Spall) have just been married with intent on having a great life ahead of them. However, due to their hurry to their marriage, a profound doubt is found in their friends that it won't last past the first year. This starts to show when Josh meets up with an old flame, Chloe (Anna Faris), and Nat meets a new interest through her business, Guy (Simon Baker). The two are secretly in love with their old and new flames, and their marriage is failing. Will their marriage be saved before the first year is up, or do they even care? It's a good plot executed fairly well.



ACTING:The performances in here weren't anything truly special, but there were a few entertaining moments for each character. Rose Byrne and Rafe Spall were okay as their roles as Nat and Josh, with Spall doing better than Byrne. Anna Faris and Simon Baker were also pretty good in their roles as Chloe and Guy. There were some good and some bad performances in this movie, but my favorites would have to have been Rafe Spall and Anna Faris. They seemed to know the role well enough.

SCORE:The score wasn't anything too special. The soundtrack contained a few cool pop songs that helped the movie along.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie was supposed to go against the common rom-com formula, but I felt that it still followed the formula in certain areas, so it wasn't as fresh as I had hoped it to be. However, there were a great bit of laughs throughout. A lot of the jokes were really funny and entertaining, but for the most part, the crude and embarrassing jokes just fell flat. This was an entertaining movie, but it wasn't anything new or special.

OVERALL,an okay comedy with a good plot, entertaining acting, a cool soundtrack, and laughs throughout, but this still felt very formulaic and had a bunch of jokes falling flat.

American Mary (2013) review

(5/10)

This medical horror movie is a bit stylish and scares with a few intense moments, but for the most part, this movie is pretty bland and not entertaining.

PLOT:A medical student named Mary Mason (Katharine Isabelle) is running out of money to live on and is getting bored with medical school in general. One day, Mary comes up with an idea to get easy money by applying for strip club. However, something goes wrong and Mary is led to do her first real surgery for a large amount of money. Since that night, people have been coming to her asking for over-the-top body modifications, starting with the Betty Boop-like, Beatress Johnson (Tristan Risk). However, the more she gets into this weird art of body modification, the more twisted her mind becomes. It's a great plot executed decently.

ACTING:The acting in here is okay. It's good at some moments and bad at others. Katharine Isabelle played a pretty alright part as the young, twisted Mary Mason. She could have added more emotion to the part, but she was decent enough to settle with. The other performances were just okay and no one truly stood out, I'd say, except for some of the victims and past surgeries.

SCORE:The score was pretty good. There were some normal, freaky horror themes, but there were also some really beautiful piano themes as well as a few indie songs for the soundtrack.

EFFECTS:The effects in here had me convinced for the most part. The blood effects looked pretty real for the most part up to the end. The effects of the surgeries and their aftermaths were pretty good. There were a few scenes where the effects really failed, however. I enjoyed seeing the end results of some of these weird body modifications.

OTHER CONTENT:This body horror movie was just pretty bland overall. The suspense didn't build up to much, the story seemed a bit too generic and unrealistic (even for a horror movie), and the movie didn't entertain but in a few scenes were the girls are present and the violence occurs. However, there were a few key moments that I was convinced that Mary was really insane, and it almost scared me. The more intense parts were well done but seemed to be almost a shock after the rising suspense that was unconvincing. The movie was pretty bland overall, but it had a few key points and moments in it to save it from sucking much worse.

OVERALL,a neutral body horror movie with a great plot, okay acting, pretty good score, almost-convincing effects, and a few key moments that tied the movie in, but the suspense didn't build up to much, the story seemed too generic and unrealistic for a body horror, and the movie wasn't real entertaining.

Evil Dead (2013) review

(7/10)

This remake of the original horror classic is an amped-up blood fest that adds modern horror cliches while still paying homage to its source material. The performances were really good and the blood poured freely, but it's missing the dark humor that made the original a classic.

PLOT:On a road trip turned intervention, David (Shiloh Fernandez), his girlfriend, Natalie (Liz Blackmore), his best friend, Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), and other friend, Olivia (Jessica Lucas), meet together at a cabin in the woods to cure Mia (Jane Levy) of her drug addiction. However, things start turning dark when the group discover a former site of witchcraft in the basement of the cabin. There they find a mysterious-looking book with strange passages and incantations, which Eric reads aloud. Eric doesn't know, but he's summoned an evil spirit prepared to take all of them down, one-by-one, starting with Mia. It's a great plot executed pretty well.



ACTING:The acting in here was actually very good. A few of the performances really convinced me. Jane Levy played an excellent part as Mia, the possessed junkie reaching sobriety. I saw the fear and horror in her most. Shiloh Fernandez also played a pretty decent part as David, as did Lou Taylor Pucci as Eric and everyone else. There really wasn't a bad performance in the movie, from the few in the very beginning to the special cameo at the very end.

SCORE:The score in here was very intense and horrific. It was almost as generic as most modern horror movies, but I though it fit just right.

EFFECTS:The blood flows endlessly in this horror movie. The effects were pretty well done in my opinion. You could tell they were fake, but I believe the make-up effects of the demons, the visual effects scattered throughout, and some of the blood effects were really detailed and close to the original. They still succeeded at making the demons look scary in this one.



OTHER CONTENT:This remake actually wasn't as bad as it could have been. Though it added modern cliches to what used to be a classic, the movie still payed a thoughtful homage to the original by adding in scenes directly referencing to the original and its sequel. The main problem I had with this movie is the surprising lack of dark humor that the original had. There were little to no overdone, campy laughs as there were serious horror cliches. One of the things that made the original such a cult classic was its humor, which this lacks minus a few key moments and the very, very end. However, it was still pretty good for a modern horror remake.

OVERALL,a good horror remake with a great plot, very good performances, intense score, detailed yet fake effects, and a few modern horror cliches, but the cliches and bloodflow seem to take the place of the raging dark humor and camp the original had.

Monsters University (2013) review

(7/10)

This prequel to the popular Pixar favorite was actually a pretty fun ride through the origins of the popular monsters with college humor laid throughout. However, a lot of cliches and borrowed elements were used to make this movie.

PLOT:Ever since he was little, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) has wanted to work as a scarer at Monsters, Inc., the biggest company in their world. So, he goes to the best college in their world for the job, Monsters University. While there, he meets and rooms with a younger and much friendlier Randy Bogg (Steve Buscemi) and forms a rivalry against young Jimmy Sullivan (John Goodman), the slacker with a praised family name in scaring. They enroll in scaring class but due to their weaknesses, Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) kicks them out. Mike is devastated and Sulley's mad, but then Mike gets the idea to enter the Scare Games, the college's most famous event, and prove himself to the Dean that he can be a scarer. However, Mike must deal with Sulley's attitude and turn his loser sorority, Oozma Kappa, into a winning team. It's a good plot executed very well.



VOICES:The voice acting for the most part was about as good as the first movie. Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi all played very great and still-fitting parts of Mike, Sulley, and Randall. The new voices were really good also. Helen Mirren played a great part as the strict Dean Hardscrabble. There really wasn't a bad performance in the movie. The other shiners would be Joel Murray as Don, Sean Hayes as Terri, Dave Foley as Terry, and Charlie Day as Art.

SCORE:The score in this movie is mainly made up of borrowed score from the first Monsters movie. It's still good though, with a few new and cool themes throughout done by the great Randy Newman.

ANIMATION:The animation in this movie is very colorful and pretty detailed for the most part. The animation of the various monsters was pretty cool, especially on the freaky-looking Dean Hardscrabble.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie was a pretty good addition to the Pixar canon of movies and pretty fitting prequel to the older classic, Monsters Inc. This addition added a lot of color, college humor, unique perks, and interesting points as a Pixar movie. I loved some of the dialogue and the big climax near the end; not to mention, the movie was pretty funny by itself. I also enjoyed the references the the first movie this made. However, some of the jokes and plot elements seemed a little cliched at times and it made this seem like just another animated movie at times.

OVERALL,a good Pixar movie with a good plot, good and fitting voice acting, borrowed but good score, colorful and detailed animation, some funny moments, good dialogue and a good climax, but this seems to borrow a lot of familiar cliches and plot elements from past movies.

Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) review

(8/10)

This new installment to the Star Trek franchise is action-packed, visually impressive, and a treat for most Trekkies out there.

PLOT:After an attack on Star Fleet killing off many innocent lives, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) is sent on a mission, accompanied by his Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the rest of his crew, in the Enterprise to go destroy this madman in enemy territory known only as John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). However, Kirk and the crew decide to bring this criminal back to Earth for a fair trial and eventfully take him from the planet. This move, however, sparks a rebellion against Star Fleet and an interesting story involving Kahn. It's a great plot executed greatly.



ACTING:The acting in this movie was very good. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto did a great job reprising the roles of Captain Kirk and Spock. Benedict Cumberbatch also did a fantastic job as (SPOILER) John Harrison/Kahn. There really wasn't a bad performance in the movie, but Quinto's Spock still doesn't hold a candle to the original. The other shiners were Karl Urban as Bones, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Simon Pegg as Scotty, John Cho as Sulu, Anton Yelchin as Pavel, Alive Eve as Carol Marcus, Bruce Greenwood as Christopher Pike, and Leonard Nimoy as older Spock.

SCORE:The score was very well done by the great Michael Giacchino. Not only did the score match the mood, but it was very intense and intricate. I liked it.

EFFECTS:The visual effects of this movie were very stunning and impressive. From the first scene to the last frame of the movie, the effects were just brilliant. The effects for the foreign planets, big spaceships, eventful dogfights, and futuristic equipment were just sleek and impressive overall. I bet it took a long time just to get the effects right.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie was a really great modern adaptation. There's plenty of action and humor accompanying a familiar story. For the Trekkies who have seen it, you would notice the story is heavily inspired by (SPOILER) "The Wrath of Kahn". However, there are a few drastic changes that throw the movie off for them. Also, the new modernized look for Star Trek may not be agreeable to some of the hardcore Trekkies.

OVERALL,a great movie with a great plot, very good acting, intense score, impressive visual effects, lots of action, some humor, and a well adapted story, but some hardcore Trekkies may not appreciate it as much do to some drastic changes in story and time period.

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) review

(8/10)

(MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS)

Though the effects are dazzling and the performances are strong, this is a living definition of the phrase all flash, little-to-no substance. Still, Raimi did a pretty good job of this.

PLOT:Oz (James Franco) is a conman, player, and carnival magician in Kansas. After a bad show, he steals a hot air balloon and flies away, running straight into a tornado. This tornado spirals him into the land of Oz, where he meets two witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis) and Evanora (Rachel Weisz). They currently rule over the Emerald City and tell him that he must slay the Wicked Witch to rule over Oz and all of it's riches. So, he sets out on a journey with his new monkey-assistant, Finley (Zach Braff), to kill the Wicked Witch. However, he runs into Glinda the Good (Michelle Williams) and finds out that things aren't always as they seem. He must now figure out which witch is the Wicked Witch and save Oz. It's a good plot executed greatly.



ACTING:The acting in this movie is very great. James Franco plays a great part as Oz, as did Mila Kunis as Theodora/The Wicked Witch of the West. She played a very interesting part as the Wicked Witch. There really wasn't a bad performance in this movie. The other shiners would be Rachel Weisz as Evanora, Michelle Williams as Glinda, Zach Braff as Finley, Bill Cobbs as the Master Tinker, Joey King as the China Girl, and Tony Cox as Knuck, with special cameos by Bruce Campbell, Theresa Tilly, Betsy Baker, and Ellen Sandweiss (All four were the main characters in Rami's original Evil Dead).

SCORE:The score in here is very detailed and magical. The great Danny Elfman supplies his unique sound to the movie, and it sounds just as good.

EFFECTS:The effects in here are dazzling and very detailed. You can see the details from the flying babboons to the emerald flowers. This movie is mainly composed of special effects, but they're really good.



OTHER CONTENT:This was actually pretty great. This was a special prequel to the original. Director Sam Raimi actually attempted his best to keep everything as magical as the original, from the color-changing horses to Kansas being depicted as black-and-white. However, all of these effects and good acting don't make up for the magic lost. This doesn't contain as much free wonder and such as the original does, and a lot of the true cinephile's will dislike it. I, however, think it's a pretty fair attempt at prequeling the original.

OVERALL,a great fantasy with a great plot, very great acting, magical Elfman score, dazzling effects, and a good attempt to keep things even, but it's missing a lot of the old wonder the original had.

Mama (2013) review

(8/10)

This kind of horrific, melancholy fairy tale of two girls is definitely worth seeing. Del Toro definitely knew what he was doing when he made this.

PLOT:Five years after a tragic murder involving a family of four (a dad, mom, and two girls), two little girls are found in a cabin living by theirselves, or so it seems. Once the girls are returned to civilization, they are placed in the care of their uncle, Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and his girlfriend, Annabel (Jessica Chastain). However, a presence from the cabin seems to have followed the girls back home; this presence is the spirit that has raised them the past five years, named Mama. Now Luc and Annabel must try to protect the children from the jealous hands of Mama. It's a good plot executed very well.



ACTING:The performances in here were excellent. I think this film lived off the acting aside from the scares. The best performances were done by Jessica Chastain and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Annabel and Lucas/Jeffrey. They really led the cast on. The other shiners would be Daniel Kash as Dr. Dreyfuss and Megan Charpentier as Victoria. For a child, she did a pretty great job.

SCORE:The score was very good. It set the mood of the film off in the right direction every time, and it contained a truly haunting theme that I hope becomes more familiar in time. Thank you, Fernando Velazquez.

EFFECTS:The effects are really what set the scares in place next to the supsense. Though all of the effects were CG, they never failed to scare. The effects used to make Mama look and move in scary angles were pretty great. I, as a animation/special effects geek, have always wanted to pull off something like this.



OTHER CONTENT:This was actually a really good film. Del Toro decides to put old-school jump scares and suspense-buliding techniques to win over its audience instead of just mindless gore and killing. It also contained a very compelling storyline and told it as if it were a sick, melancholy fairy tale instead of a horror film. Even for being a modern horror film, this was truly a beautiful film with balancing emotions and plenty of scare in it. However, I found it to be a little derivative in some of the scares and ideas it contained. Also, I didn't really agree with the ending; I could've seen it going in a completely different direction, even if it was an emotional end.

OVERALL,a great horror film with a really good plot, excellent acting, very good and haunting score, pretty great effects, old-school scares and suspense-builiding, and beauty by balanced emotions, but it was a bit derivative and I didn't agree with the ending.

My Most Anticipated Movies of 2013

The year 2013 has come upon us maybe a little quicker than we thought, but nevertheless, there are still a lot of movies to be released this year that we will all want to see. This, my friends, is my most anticipated movie list of 2013, so far.


Title: WARM BODIES
Release Date: Feb. 1
Directed by:Jonathan Levine

As preposterous as a movie about a zombie falling in love with a girl sounds, this has somehow hooked me to see it. It goes against the formula of zombies being unfeeling, undead servants and delving into one zombies mind as if he were a captured soul being controlled by zombie impulses. Could this actually be a decent movie? We'll just have to see because this has me hooked.


Title: BEAUTIFUL CREATURES
Release Date: Feb. 13
Directed by: Richard LaGravenese

All my friends have read or are planning to read this book in school, and from what they've told me about it, it sounds really interesting. It involves some paranormal/mythological stuff mixed in with an interesting love story, as most teenage books nowadays. However, seeing the trailer for this one actually gave me hope that it won't be another generic teenage sleeper. I'll keep open-minded.


Title: OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
Release Date: March 8
Directed by: Sam Raimi

I've always loved the Wizard of Oz and I was thinking about how it could eventually use a re-vamp. Well, I finally got it from none other than the great Sam Raimi of the Evil Dead and Spiderman. I'm sure he'll do good to the near-lost franchise, especially with performances from Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and James Franco. I'm sure this one will be really good, and I can't wait until it comes out.


Title: THE ABC'S OF DEATH
Release Date: March 8
Directed by: Kaare Andrews (mainly)

This one really appeals to the horror fan in me. This horror project is made up of 26 individual chapters done by 26 individual directors. With all of this production, I'm hoping it's as good as it can get.


Title: SCARY MOVIE 5
Release Date: April 12
Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee

They've been teasing us about this one for a really long time, but now, they're finally talking about releasing it! I've been a decent fan of the Scary Movie franchise and have been waiting for this one to finally come out. Maybe it won't be as dreadful as some of its predecessors, especially with Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan.


Title: THE EVIL DEAD
Release Date: April 12
Directed by: Frederico Alvarez

The original classic by Sam Raimi is a favorite of mine and my overall favorite horror film, but a remake of it? I don't think it's really necessary, but since they're remaking it, it'll be interesting to see how they do it. At least it still has the original producers, so it can't be that bad....hopefully.


Title: STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS
Release Date: May 17
Directed by: J. J. Abrams

I never really got into the old Star Trek movies as I did with the old series, but I really did like the new movie in 2009, so this should really be interesting to see. It makes me wonder what's going to happen.


Title: THE HANGOVER, PART III
Release Date: May 24th
Directed by: Todd Phillips

I loved the first two Hangovers, and a third one was just inevitable to be made. With all the same actors, I'm sure it'll be somewhat of a riot even if the idea isn't as fresh as it originally was.


Title: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
Release Date: June 21
Directed by: Dan Scanlon

I said something about this one in one of my past blog posts, but I want to bring it up again because it's being released this year. I really liked the first Monsters Inc. movie and I've always wanted a sequel. I still didn't get one, but this is better than nothing, I'd say. I can't wait to see how this one will turn out.


Title: DESPICABLE ME 2
Release Date: July 3
Directed by: Chris Renaud

I really enjoyed the first Despicable Me movie, but I really didn't think they would make a sequel to it. I didn't think it was necessary either. However, the trailer poses a pretty interesting twist mystery that could really set it off, plus it seems to keep some of the same hilarity the original had.


Title: PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS
Release Date: August 16
Directed by: Thor Freudenthal

I actually kind of got into the first Percy Jackson movie, even if it did have a lot of flaws in it. I've actually been waiting for the day they finally turn up a sequel to it. Now the wait is over. Will they improve or not?


Title: THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
Release Date: November 22
Directed by: Francis Lawrence

I really liked the first book and movie of the Hunger Games series and I've been looking forward to the next one ever since. I can't wait until this one comes out, especially now that they gave it a different director. It might actually be a little more well shot this time.


Title: THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
Release Date: December 13
Directed by: Peter Jackson

I really, really enjoyed the latest Hobbit movie in theaters and enjoyed the fantasy Jackson put into it. This title implies this is where a lot of the action occurs, and I hope so. I actually can't wait to gather up my friends and spend another late, three-hour night of watching this in theaters.


Title: THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
Release Date: December 25
Directed by: Ben Stiller

I had to read this short story in school one day and I kind of enjoyed it. I'd like to see a movie adaptation of it in more modern times, especially sporting a cast of Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley McLaine, and Kathryn Hahn. I've heard there was an older adaptation on film, but this ought to be interesting.

There you have it, readers! You've just read my starting list of films I'm looking forward to in 2013.

My Thoughts on the Upcoming Animated Films

There are a lot of interesting animated films coming out later this year and possibly next. I'm only doing the ones which have already had a trailer released. We have more from Pixar in the future and even some stop motion from the likes of Tim Burton. So, without further ado, here's my thoughts on the future animations.

PARANORMAN
Release Date: August 17th
Directed by: Chris Butler

This movie from the creators of Coraline (one of my favorites) is about a boy named Norman. He's always been the weird kid in school, but there's a reason for that. Norman has the spectacular power to see ghosts and the dead. One day when he's warned by one of the dead that something bad's going to happen, he must band with a few unlikely heroes to save the town from an evil witch. This one looks like it's going to be pretty good. The animation looks just as good as it did in Coraline, but it may be better. It looks like it might be a little more juvenile, however. I have high hopes for it, considering the fact I loved Coraline.

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA
Release Date: September 28
Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky

In this creature-themed movie, we learn that all monsters, from Frankenstein to the Wolfman, all go to one place to rest up and that's Hotel Transylvania, owned by Count Dracula (played by Adam Sandler). On this particular night, it happens to be a celebration for the daugther of Dracula, Mavis's (played by Selena Gomez) 118th birthday. However, the unlikely happens and a human wanders into the castle. To keep things cool, Dracula tries to give the human room and board, as promised. Yet, the human starts to fall in love with Mavis. Obviously, things don't go too well. This looks ok. It really is a great idea, but it looks like a hit-or-miss, especially with Adam Sandler doing the voice of our lead. Along with the two I mention, the other celebrity voice talents are Kevin James, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Cee-Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, Andy Samberg, and David Koechner. If the all-star cast can't make up for the mistakes this might make, than it's obviously doomed. However, I still have some high hopes for this one as well.

FRANKENWEENIE
Release Date: October 5th
Directed by: Tim Burton

Tim Burton decides to revisit his days of animation in this adventure about a young boy who develops a friendship with his dog. However, one day the dog dies, and he's left sad. He gets an idea later on to try a Frankenstein move and bring his dog back to life. He succeeds and now he must keep it secret from his friends and neighbors. Of course, somebody finds out and everything goes wrong. This one looks very retro in its looks, for it's all in black and white and the trailer advertised it as that of a midnight horror movie in the '50s. The voice talents are laced with some of Burton's usuals: Winon Ryder and Catherine O'Hara. However, there are a couple newer faces, such as Martin Landou and Martin Short. The animation brings back the feeling of the Corpse Bride and Nightmare Before Christmas quite well, for Burton's animation is quite distinctive. I believe this one is a true hit-or-miss, but with all the retro-hype surrounding it, and the seemingly-improved animation, I expect it to be loved by a good audience.

WRECK-IT RALPH
Release Date: November 2nd
Directed by: Rich Moore

Disney tries again with their own brand of computer animation with this tale about a classic '80s, video game villain, Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly), getting tired of always being the villain in the game and not being loved by the kids who play these games. So, he sets out game-jumping to find a game he can stay in and be the hero. However, this is not easy with today's games, considering he gets stuck in a kind of war game that's completely new to him. It sounds like a great plot idea, and it looks like it's going to be pretty clever from the trailer. In the trailer, we see villain-cameos from that of Bowser (Super Mario), Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog), and the ghost from Pac-Man as well as others. Besides Reilly, we also have voice talents from Jane Lynch and Sarah Silverman. The animation actually looks pretty good too. I have high hopes for this one, but I'm a little worried about it considering that Disney's last new idea for a new animated film, Mars Needs Moms, fell flat. I still am looking forward to this one greatly.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS
Release Date: November 21st
Directed by: William Joyce & Peter Ramsey

In this animated film, the beloved guardians of childhood, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Jack Frost, and the Sandman, all band together to protect the children of the world from the nightmarish ways of the boogeyman known as Pitch. It's a very good idea for a plot, but it could easily fall flat on its face. However, with voice talents of Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, and Chris Pine and with Guillermo Del Toro producing it, I believe it's going to be quite epic. The trailers are making it out to look epic anyhow. The animation looks pretty stunning just from looking at the trailer, also considering they gave some of the childhood icons a new look. I'm looking forward to it, but who knows how good it's going to be? It's still a DreamWorks movie.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
Release Date: 2013
Directed by: Dan Scanlon

The much-awaited sequel for the 2003 hit, Monsters Inc., has finally arrived. However, it's not in fact a sequel, but a prequel. This movie documents Mike and Sully's college days: how they met, how they became friends, and how they became the top scarers they are today. This one is another true hit-or-miss. I don't think a prequel would've worked as well as a sequel. You had more to do with a sequel than you would with a prequel to the original Monsters. Of course, we still have our two lead voices coming back to reprise their roles as Mike and Sully, Billy Crystal and John Goodman, and we also have Steve Buscemi, Dave Foley, Jennifer Tilly, Frank Oz, and (of course) John Ratzenberger. If they do this right, it could be a pretty good sequel. However, this could suck a lot if they don't put in the right amount of spirit as they did in the last one. Come on, Pixar, let's do this right!

EPIC
Release Date: May 2013
Directed by: Chris Wedge

This is the one I know the least about, for I only saw the trailer in the new Ice Age movie, but from what I've gathered, it's about a herd of bugs that have summoned these small people called Leaf Men to protect them from an evil spider queen. This one, like Rise of the Guardians, was based on a book series written by William Joyce. The animation looks quite dazzling to say the least, but is it going to be good? Well, it's from the makers of Ice Age and Rio, so it's another hit-or-miss. It's really hard to tell how this one's going to be, but I predict that it's going to be quite magical. The voice talents in here are pretty diverse, including Beyonce, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Knoxville, Aziz Ansari, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, and even Steven Tyler. With that voice cast, what could go wrong? Lots, if used wrong.

FINDING NEMO 3D
Release Date: September 14th
Directed by: Andrew Stanton

This one's really not new, I just wanted to include it because I'm also looking forward to it. I saw the 2D version in theaters when I was a little kid and I always wonder what it'd look like in dazzling 3D, with all the colorful reefs, menacing sharks, a sharp-toothed barracuda, and even a scary anglerfish. The animation has and always will be magical, stunning, and brilliant, but in 3D, unless the go all digital wash-out on it, it'll be even better. Those are my hopes, at least.

...And there you have it. Those are my thoughts on the upcoming animated films in this year and early next year. I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on each. Thanks for reading and stayed tuned for reviews!