Best of 2013 (so far)

The silver screen seemed to suffer from a lack of on-screen romance this year. Very few couples caught my eye. One of them being Jackie and Rachel Robinson. An entertaining and enlightening biopic of how Jackie was the first African American player to break the color barrier in baseball. Portrayed by Chadwick Boseman and Nicole Beharie, the relationship between Jackie and Rachel was a simple refreshing romance - one that would be worthy of its own biopic.


Having marathoned the first two seasons of Scandal prior to the third season in October, I thought by now I would've written I've Been Scandalized Part 9. That turned out not to be the case. Gone away with the addictive monologues and crazy cliff hangers that made me so hung over to watch the next episode immediately, this season took a tamer - may I say - confusing and almost infuriating turn. What I realized is: the relationship between Olivia and President Fitz is nothing short of emotionally abusive, the First Lady's past has to be a complete joke (I love you Bellamy Young!!!), and Scott Foley is very attractive - so there is that latter to maybe watch how this season ends....


The "Please Watch This Show Because Jonathan Rhys Meyers is Shirtless Every Week" Show

I'm not sure how else it can be said. Dracula. NBC. 10 PM est. We can't get canceled. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is shirtless - every week. And, NO I don't really know what else happens on this show.






Tom Hiddleston is one entire moment that I love 2013. It seems Robert Downey Jr earns a zillion cool points for being so much like Tony Stark in real life we can barely tell the difference who is who. But truthfully, Hiddleston outshown all of his Avengers costars appearing at Comic Con dressed as his Loki. If I had to rank a specific moment - that one is it. He also does an Owen Wilson impersonaion AS Loki. COME ON. BE MY HUSBAND ALREADY.


72 Reasons to see Star Trek: Into Darkness - Looking back on this anticipatory post, I'm wholly shocked that I actually came up with 72 reasons to actually see this film. Re-watching it months later, the time and mindboggling it took to create was quite worth it.

A Gif Guide to Movie Reviews This post was a therapeutic way of expressing the odd nonsense of bloggers' block while writing movie reviews. I'm not sure if this post sparked 391 blogs, but I'm happy that perhaps some bloggers left the page feeling they weren't alone. Movie reviews are a funny business.

The Bling Ring. Most stunningly, my post The Bling Ring is at the highest viewing for a pure movie review so far - 906 hits. Not a top favorite here on my list for the year, but the Sofia Coppola film about a ring of teenagers that stole from Hollywood elite was definitely entertaining and enlightening about the changing views of celebritydom.
It's an absolute shame to the television medium that this show is never nominated for Emmys based on performances and writing, let alone Oscars. Yes, I believe if there is a show worthy enough of the highest honors given to film it's Andrew Lincoln and The Walking Dead. How the series compares to the graphic novels eludes me but what I know is that we needed an actor who played Rick Grimes as a protagonist leader we question, doubt, root for, sympathize, and even hurl disagreements at. Andrew Lincoln gives all that and more.

For as franchise happy as AMC has made this show out to be, and the growing popularity it seems to gain every season, this show doesn't feel like a franchise player in the trendy zombie genre. For its fourth season, the writing - though agonizingly slow some episodes are - keeps me hooked every year to see how this tight knit group of survivors are tested through their tragedies and humanity. (I honestly love it so much - I could cry.)

I guess it could be said that I was trying to just put this movie anywhere because I think it needs to be shouted from the rooftops: this movie would not have worked without the young adult cast. I'm even inviting you to just skip my review. And just see this.


All eyes are on the trio of The Hunger Games like Jennifer Lawrence, John Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth who portray more popular characters. For me, there was one gal that stole the entire show from the latest sequel Catching Fire: Elizabeth Banks. From a trailer to any non-reader she may just look like an adult that somehow wandered outside the whimsical Willy Wonka Factory but she is truly a victim of the Capitol's misdirection and corruption. Facing the inevitably of losing everyone around her, Banks as Effie Trinket was gifted with a storyline to prove there was a real person underneath her fake eyelashes and plastic smile. And, she did no wrong.


It's a verbal - or writing - hurdle to describe Leto's performance in The Dallas Buyers Club as anything more or anything less than authentic. As Rayon - a transgendered woman - who becomes friends with a homophobe selling unapproved drugs for AIDS, Leto is Southern sweet, heartbreaking, stunning, heavenly, heartbreaking, and again and again: authentic.


Something I came to realize this year is that perhaps the most simplest "boring" films are perhaps the most unique and have more to express than the obvious. And, maybe most importantly Oscar performances don't have to be the most transformative in terms of an "emotional journey", "story of triumph or tragedy", or hidden under impressive historical-era make-up and prosthetics. My pick for Best Actress - even my top three picks - don't fall into any of those categories.

Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha is one of those performances. She's an aspiring dancer who laddens around New York City trying to make it on friend's couches, dealing with the growing separation of her very best friend Sophie, and looks at life rather optimistically if not with supreme naivete. If it wasn't for Gerwig's seemingly spontaneity as Frances, I'm not sure the film would be as a joyful watch as it was. Funny, not too complex, but filled with heart - simple.


In The Dallas Buyers Club, McConaughey portrays Ron Woodroof, a homphobic electrician who is diagnosed with AIDS. Playing someone who in his heart of hearts believes strictly in that being man is to be heterosexual, it's hard to believe that by the films' end his heart does a complete 180 to defend and try to cure those he condemned most. Swinging from hotheaded Texan backed into a corner to a regretful soul confessing he missed out the most on life by drugs and countless unprotected encounters with women, McConaughey is utterly brilliant. And, nothing but one of the best actors in Hollywood. Holy **** I love this guy.