Blackfish (2013) - ★★★★★

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Writers: Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Eli B. Despres

Blackfish is one of the most engrossing, well made documentaries I've ever seen. Its style, consistency, and powerful message is what separates it from other great documentaries. There's sentimentality, but only enough to make one really passionate about the subject. There's hard-hitting facts and opinions from respected killer-whale specialists, making it both educational and thoroughly interesting. There's awe-inspiring testimonies from actual Sea-World employees, who have all had plenty of experience handling killer-whales, and dealing with the corruption of the company. There are jaw-dropping stories that made my blood boil with anger, but also extremely saddened. If I had to pick one film to use as an example of "what makes a good documentary," I'd pick Blackfish without even batting an eye. It is also my choice for Best Documentary, 2013.

12 Years a Slave (2013) - ★★★★½

Director: Steve McQueen
Writers: Solomon Northup (novel), John Ridley (screenplay)
Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti

12 Years a Slave is one of the most important films ever made. It has brought to life a terrible period of history that hasn’t been explored in such a way for a very long time. It’s a remarkably emotional film, that left me swamped with tears and feeling better for having seen it. It’s not quite the masterpiece I expected it to be, but it certainly deserves praise for being one of the best films of the past few years.

It is the true story of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an educated free man who lived in Washington with his family. He is kidnapped and sold into slavery, where he ends up working on the plantation run by a ruthless owner, Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender). 

Last Minute Golden Globe Predictions!

I'm sitting here watching the red carpet right now. I can't help but be super excited (award season does that for me). So here we go, I'm going to predict the winners!

Best Picture - Drama: 12 Years a Slave

Best Picture - Comedy/Musical: American Hustle

Best Performance by Actor in Drama: Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave

Best Performance by Actress in Drama: Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine

Best Performance by Actor in Musical/Comedy: Leonardo DiCaprio - The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Performance by Actress in Musical/Comedy: Meryl Streep - August: Osage County

Best Performance by Supporting Actor: Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave

Best Performance by Supporting Actress: Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine

Best Animated Film: Frozen

Best Foreign Film: Hard to predict, but I'll go with: The Hunt

Best Director: David O. Russell - American Hustle

Best Screenplay: American Hustle

Best Original Score: Gravity - Steven Price

Best Original Song: Please Mr. Kennedy - Inside Llewyn Davis

American Hustle (2013) - ★★★½

Director: David O. Russell
Writers: Eric Singer, David O. Russell
Stars: Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K, Robert De Niro

I really liked American Hustle. It has a flare for great music, great style, and great performers. We haven't really seen a film such as this since the peak of Tarantino, yet I can't help but feel that it's not on par with his greatest films, nor is it on par with the films of Scorsese. It falls short because we never truly get to know the characters and form real attachments to them. It's over two hours long, yet it lacked the character development that should have brought heart and soul into the crazy plot. Sure, we see the surface value of these people, and then some... but I left feeling like I still didn't know anyone. There were elements of greatness in American Hustle that deserve credit, but it was lacking the key ingredient that would have made it a masterpiece. In my opinion, it is the most critically overblown movie of 2013.

August: Osage County (2013) - ★★★★½

Director: John Wells
Writer: Tracy Letts
Stars: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Julianne Nicholson, Margo Martindale, Chris Cooper, Juliette Lewis, Ewan McGregor, Abigail Breslin, Dermot Mulroney, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sam Shepard, Misty Upham

There have so far been only two movies from 2013 that have left me with a feeling of elation after watching them. The first was Frances Ha by Noah Baumbach. The second is August: Osage County. It really is one of the most riveting, unforgettable dramas I've ever had the pleasure of watching. It has such a beautiful, indie feel to it because of the humble cinematography and soothing score by two time Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla. What astounds me is the phenomenal cast that makes up the characters. There are truly dynamic and powerful moments in this firecracker of a film, but there are also soft touches of reflection and human feeling that really bring the character's to life. Though it has mixed reviews, I found August: Osage County to be one of the most impressive drama's in the history of cinema.

Top 50 Best Songs of 2013

Hey everyone! Sorry about the lack of reviews recently. Work has been pretty hectic, but I've still been watching movies here and there. There will be new reviews of award nominated movies, and also some classics (like 'Now, Voyager,' which I absolutely adore). During my break from reviews, I made a tribute to the Top 50 Best Songs of 2013. It is compiled of my personal favourite songs of last year, not of music that is deemed 'popular.' Hope you enjoy it! Peace.

A Tribute to The Best of Anime

These are the best anime movies I've ever seen. Hope you enjoy my tribute video. 

Dedicated to Satoshi Kon and Hayao Miyazaki, whose works continue to inspire me. 

Top 10 Disney Mentors

I, like many, grew up watching every Disney movie under the sun. To me, a "Disney Mentor" is a wise character that helps the main heroes of the story reach a happy ending, or at least try their best to keep them safe from harm. So to me, a 'mentor' can't be the leading character, nor can it be a character that doesn't offer useful help. Here are my Top 10 Disney Mentors!

Mulan (1998) - ★★★★★

Director: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook
Voices: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, Miguel Ferrer, Lea Salonga, Harvey Fierstein, Donny Osmond, June Foray, James Hong, Miriam Margolyes, Pat Morita, George Takei

Mulan has been my undisputed favourite Disney movie since I was a child. It's an absolutely phenomenal film that brings so much more than any Disney princess movie before it. Its soundtrack is one of the greatest I've ever heard, the animation is stunningly beautiful, the character's are hilarious and interesting, and the story is just so grand in scale. There are two things in this movie that make it stand as one of the all time greats of animation. One is its leading character Mulan, who goes through what I consider the greatest challenge any female Disney character has ever had to face. The other is her mentor and friend, Mushu, who is by far the funniest Disney character I've ever seen. This exquisitely crafted film deserves to be praised as one of the all time greats of animation.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - ★★★

Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: J.R.R. Tolkien (Novel), Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro (screenplay)
Stars: Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Ken Stott, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Aidan Turner, Luke Evans

The Desolation of Smaug was quite an entertaining, action-packed, epic adventure. It is a story that should have been adapted into a masterpiece, something as good (if not better) than the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The thing is, Peter Jackson added so much schmaltzy crap that it pretty much ruined any chance of it becoming a masterpiece. This film left out some of the greatest moments in the book, and replaced them with ridiculous sub-plots like a love-triangle and an old vendetta between orc and dwarf. Everything felt cheaper and less exciting in this chapter, save for two exquisite sequences. This movie just didn't have the heart and soul of the other films.