So it’s another week where I failed to this and am forced to make a two week filled edition. A lot of movies seen this time around, or is just because I waited two weeks to write this? There was a sick day somewhere in this who thing and me being in Jamaica for a bit… but overall generally a lot of films consumed, some reviewed some not. Let’s just skip to the movies:

CELESTE & JESSE FOREVER (2012)

It’s clear that the acting surpasses the script, but I find it weird that a film with this much comedic talent couldn’t find a way to be earnestly funny like how it wanted to be. It was just weird. Like the friends who have to stop the dinner to walk away because they can’t understand why these two people can continue being besties after divorce and all. It’s just weird and never really turns to the funny like it wants. Or maybe I just didn’t sync up with it’s brand of strange is all.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013)

“Let me be the first to proclaim this film as imperfect. However, that is not a bad thing. Movies are not supposed to be this intricately constructed being that makes the best of sense all the while. When a film exists it is to tell a direct idea/story and does all in its power to benefit that singular idea so much that it ignores everything else. In this case, with Monsters University, we’re here to follow Mike and Sully as they go through this time period where their rivalry actually ends up creating their friendship and the film gets that so right that any critiques one could bring up against the college frat comedy or even the few non Mike and Sully gags that don’t quite land (as few as they are) would be completely missing the point.” – Read my full review here.

THE SILENCE (2013)

A pretty methodical boring investigation drama where I really don’t care for any of the people involved, even the bad guys. It’s just meh. Listen to me and my co-hosts discuss it on TUMP.

THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE (2013)

A perfectly normal movie. I’ve said it before, I’m a lover of magic, I’ve always been since a child. Back in those days I used to love to watch some of the big magic shows on TV and I’ve seen these kind of acts before and I think Carrel and company got the tone just right. But when you throw in all these other relatively run of the mill story lines (romantic comedy included) it just comes off as okay at the end. It didn’t hurt you but it also didn’t really leave that much of a mark either.

WORLD WAR Z (2013)

“It’s not coincidental that I quote two of the most popular, in recent memory, zombie properties to be released into the world in comparison to this film. Mainly because when I think of the parts of this movie that worked the best they evoke the best parts of those properties. In the first twenty minutes with Gerry traversing the streets of Philadelphia and then the stairwell in an apartment building in Newark trying to save his family, where he and his loved ones are in close proximity to the infected there are some high stakes set up very quickly and every moment that we see the zombies biting at the ankles of Gerry and his family we’re as frightened and heightened as Gerry is. Within those first twenty minutes we get not only these heightened sequences but there’s also some clear delineation showing us how society has quickly ended. When we see Gerry surrendering to a police officer after having killed a man, with just cause, and the police officer walks right by him for his own selfish reasons we know all structures of current society have ended and it’s time for a new slew of morals and ethics.” – Read my full review here.

WHITE HOUSE DOWN (2013)

Here’s another film I didn’t want to actually review officially because I’m at different trains of thought of it. I enjoyed it for its stupidity but it’s so damn dumb sometimes it hurts. Also I loved all of the characters in the film so much, they all know the stereotypical character their running with and the run with it so hard it just shifts ever so slightly from cliche to something else and I like it for that.

BULLET TO THE HEAD (2013)

Talking about dumb movies, here’s one that I wouldn’t wish on the world. It’s not bad as much as it’s inconsequential. I do want to give it a couple extra points for having Sung Kang (better known as Han from the Fast & Furious franchise), but that would be me entering complete and utter bias just for the sake of defending the fact that I spend two hours with this dross.

SAVE THE DATE (2012)

I actually really like this movie. Between Alison Brie, Lizzy Caplan, Martin Short and Marc Webber everything just fit into it’s awkwardly designed places as relationship dramedies about manic pixie characters go. This film feels like every character is the other’s manic pixie dream something and I like that.

SPRING BREAKERS (2013)

Hmmmmm…. There are things I loved, things I didn’t quite get, and things that just seemed like I needed another run around to decide how I really feel about this. This will sound like disappointment to some since this is a film I was truly looking forward to and am refusing to out and out say “I didn’t like it” but I’m going to go there. I don’t know what to think and hope in coming weeks I’ll revisit and have a more concrete idea as to what this movie really is to me.

REWATCHED

I got a chance to rewatch Close-Up and introduce my TUMP cohosts to it. Sadly they didn’t see the brilliance that I know this movie to be… so listen to the episode and then tweet at them and say they’re wrong guys. Because I’m always right — aren’t I?.

With some time to burn I decided on a science-fiction double-feature of Looper and Inception. They’re both still amazingly entertaining films which say a lot more than just their attempt at convoluted narrative. The emotion that both portray kind of help me appreciate them more and more. These are two films which prove the theory that nitpicking in movies is irrelevant most times.

I also rewatched Man of Steel and I think I skipped writing a review on this movie because everytime I read a negative review on the movie I wanted to punch my laptop screen so hard but at the same time I understand. I can see where people didn’t quite get into it. I’m even trying really hard to reconcile these opinions and asking myself if it’s that I was so happy with seeing this well done a Zack Snyder action film that I started to block out everything else when it was over. But seriously guys… I love this movie. I’ve seen it twice so far and if I find a boring weekend where nothing interesting is out I may watch it again for good measure. Laser eyes defeat all.

I also rewatched Martin Scorsese’s After Hours for a podcast, y’all will get to hear it very soon, promise.

My count for the year of 2013 is updated to 116 First time watches (38 from 2013); 97 Rewatches; 213 Total Films