The One Left Standing is the Winner: Best of 2013

Wisdom of the Sages Reviews
2013 Best of Stuff Lists

All right, here we go. Here we are at the past the last day of the Gregorian calendar for 2013. As always, I am here to recount for you Dear Readers what I thought to be “the best” of certain media. Why are we always looking back? Why do we only measure our lives in the “good” stuff that happens to us? We forget that the world will go on uncaring, and we will in times passing, be unremembered and unspoken of. But, as Joel Hodgeson says about looking back at the past “You always know what you’re going to say.”

So, in that spirit, let’s begin this shall we?

TOP MUSIC BUYS of 2013

I did not buy any mew music in 2013. Nothing interested me.

So, that’s it for music. I did not buy anything new but have been of late listening to old albums via YouTube. Maybe in my old age I am falling into that age-old condition called “Nostalgia.” But I can only recall the new Man of Steel theme having any sort of impact.

Shall we move on to the printed page? Again, this has not been a prosperous year. But I have been able, much to my enjoyment, been able to acquire new books. This year, as always, it is not about what came out this year but what I bought or received:

Top Books of 2013

World War Z: Max Brooks (re-read): I only reread this because my little girl, to whom I borrowed it to, returned it unread. She has so much other reading to do but she promises to borrow it again. But upon this reading, also done in preparation for the feature film adaptation, I came across ideas that helped formulate my own in other regards such as Native Art, hypocrisy, politics and education. For those who have not read this, it is written as a series of interviews done after World War Z, a large zombie epidemic that has raged around the world. It is the humanity of the survivors speaking that is at the forefront of the tale, done in contrast to other zombie media, which sort of celebrates the crumbling of humanity, the ability for man to kill other humans, guilt-free.

From the first outbreaks, to humanity’s solutions and final struggle, how that thread of humanity must remain. Great book. It is probably the only zombie media I enjoy.

A Song of Fire and Ice: Book Three – A Storm of Swords, George RR Martin – I got the first book as a birthday present and the second for Christmas, since it follows hard upon. And I breezed through both inside of two months. Back in February, while reading “A Clash of Kings” (Book Two) on the train, I noticed this fellow across from me with his own book and with the recognizable green cover of “A Storm of Swords” on the seat next to him. I thought the book was his. But he gets off after a few stops and leaves the book. I even point and ask if it was his. He said “Nope.”

The next guy that gets on and takes the seat simply takes up the book and puts it on the floor. So, I grab it, look it over, it is used but in good condition. So I take it home and once I finish “A Clash of Kings”, I read this.

Many consider “A Storm of Swords” to be the strongest of all the books because so much happens, the death of major characters, weddings galore and the rising of characters in the North and across the Narrow Sea. I do recommend the first three books of the series.

A Song of Fire and Ice: Book Four – A Feast for Crows, George RR Martin: This was the only book I purchased of the series. For what I know, this book came after a long period from the last book and while it does continue the stories in a very detailed and dense way, it does suffer from the typical thing when something becomes popular and is then rushed to cash in on the popularity while trying to satisfy fans. Probably the weakest book of the series as nothing major happens.

A Song of Fire and Ice: Book Five – A Dance with Dragons, George RR Martin: By the end of March 2013, I had finished this book, having read the five books of the series in four months, as well as reading “Three Kingdoms” again. This carries on the stories left out of the fourth book and is told in sort of parallel to it. The thing is that after much of the revelations and events of the first three books, everything seems to have come to a standstill. Every character is locked into a location and is unable to make moves or progress as character and is simply dealing with plot points to get to the next book “The Winds of Winter”. It could be that Martin is mentally prepping us for the long winter of the next book as, as the Starks constantly warned, winter comes and all the characters in the realm are stuck in their places. We’ll see. There are some revelations and new characters appear. I hope the next one regains that old tone and pomp.

Star Wars and History, edited by Nancy R. Reagan & Janice Liedl: This is a series of essays by various authors that tie Star Wars mythology to actual world history. I checked this out of the library and have been working on it for a while. Most of the lens is European and in its essays on the People’s War focus on the Vietnam and Revolutionary Wars without any insights into Native American resistance. I even checking the appendix and there are no listings for any kind of tribes, chiefs or Natives in general. All in all, it is a good read if you are into history. I will keep reading.

Three Kingdoms, attributed to Luo Guanzhong – Still reading this. This time the four-volume edition. I have not come across any new versions but am looking into buying the 2010 CCTV series and the series of graphic novels. I really enjoy this book. I will be buried with a copy….

So, now we move from the printed page to motion pictures. Before I get into this year’s list of Best Movies, I like to look at the DVDs I acquired this year, not only new ones released this year but anything I bought as well as a way of revisiting movies from past years and give them a second look or a more thorough review. And, here we go:

Top DVDs of 2013

Game of Throne – Season Two (Purchase) – Being such a fan of the books came only through a love for the series first. Meaning, I am no true ASOIAF fan. But I am a fan of the books and TV series. This was a long awaited purchase, as I do not have cable or satellite to view “Game of Thrones”. SO, I have to rely on the DVD’s to catch up. This was a good season but we also start to see the parting of the ways from the books, which are so dense in detail and storylines that a full season of a series can scarcely keep up. The episode that many enjoy is the Ninth Episode (Which is the crux of every season) and the Battle of Blackwater Bay and Tyrion’s defense of King’s Landing. Filled with great characters, spectacle and drama. I am looking forward to the third season. So, look for it here in next year’s Best Of post.

X-Men 2: X-Men United (Purchase) – Just another re-purchase. I missed this one. It is one of the best superhero movies out there. Seeing it again re-ignites my joy for it.

U2: Live from Boston (Purchase) – I never owned this DVD and only got this recently. I have always enjoyed U2 and any phase they were in. For me, the best of U2 is always the current album. But it is great to see their older stages like the Elevation Tour.

Coriolanus, rental – I love this version of Shakespeare and Ralph Fiennes’ direction. A great movie.

On the Ice, festival – One of the best films I saw in 2012. Once I got the DVD via the FNFVF submissions. I played it non-stop in my place. I watched it several times before having to send it back to its producer. Look for it on next year’s list.

Beasts of the Southern Wild, rental – The other best film of 2012. I rented the video and watched it many times before returning it. Look for it on this list again next year.

I did rent a lot of current releases on DVD such as  “A Place Beyond the Pines”, which was boring, “Gangster Squad” which was also boring and indie stuff like “The To-Do List” which had a sweet message at the center of its crude humor but nothing really stood out to me enough to make the lists. All right, now that we have those out of the way. Let’s recap some of the movies I was looking forward to this past year. It is always a good excuse to revisit some that you enjoyed but didn’t think were the best and to critique the films you thought to be pretty bad. So, without further ado:

THE TOP 10 FILMS I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO FOR 2013 – A RECAP:

1. Man of Steel, dir. Zack Snyder – (See Below)

2. Gravity, dir. Alfonso Cuaron – (See Below)

3. Pacific Rim, dir. Guillermo Del Toro – A movie about a world that builds giant robots to fight kiaju? What is not to love? Apparently… A lot.

4. Unforgiven, (Yurusarezaru mono) dir. Lee Sang-Il – Did not get a US release. Looking forward to seeing this get a US release without the Weinsteins getting their re-editing hands on it.

5. Stand Up Guys, dir Fischer Stevens – It was good to see Walken and Pacino try acting again for a change. It was fun and warm.

6. The Grandmaster, dir. Wong Kar-Wai – (See below)

7. Star Trek Into Darkness dir. J.J. Abrhams – I was right. He is Khan. And, it sucked.

8. Much Ado About Nothing dir Joss Whedon – I was disappointed.

9. To the Wonder dir Terrence Malick – I was bored.

10. Journey to the West dir Stephen Chow – Don’t know if this will ever get a US release. Oh well. Another Asian DVD purchase to add to the list.

The Maybe’s of 2013:

The Assassins – Zhao Linshan, Haven’t seen this one. It will be a DVD purchase, though it is on Netflix.

Evil Dead – The remake no one wanted. While I did enjoy this one on a visceral level, it was a typical horror movie – but a well-made, gory horror movie. There are those typical Raimi sycophants that think that the originals were erased from existence because this one didn’t have the “low-budget charm”. Then, don’t watch this and watch your Blu-ray for the hundredth time. Geez.

World War Z – Zombies are the most useless of horror creatures. This movie became the zombie equivalent of zombie movies. Useless.

Monsters U. – Didn’t see this once and lost interest in it once it came around to theaters. Pixar needs to up its game again beyond sequels. Please, NO ‘The Incredibles’ sequel. Do a different superhero story.

Despicable Me 2 – Char and I were right. It was about Gru getting a girlfriend and completing their family. As much as I enjoyed it, I wish there could be a story about an adopting dad that is just about an adopting dad and how he comes to balance his career and children. The idea of what constitutes a family is changing. But most of the time, it forces fathers out of the picture. Gru should have been trying to raise his girls in light of his super villain career maybe even trying to integrate them. That would have made a richer sequel to see how his girls at first embrace the villain lifestyle then begin to change Gru into a super hero. I don’t know.

The Wolverine – This is the SIXTH film to feature this character, this time transporting him to Japan. I lost interest when the series got science-y and shiny. I would like to see a down and dirty Wolverine movie, where he is the anti-hero we have come to know in the comics. Not the angst-filled, mopey crybaby he’s become. From what I hear, the fight with the ninjas wasn’t all that it was hoped to be. Now, Wolverine will be the main focus the “X-Men: First Class” sequel, “Days of Future Past”. Man.

So, there you go, my thoughts on films that I was looking forward to this last year. I was about 30% on the films I liked in the Upcoming Films of 2013. Poor showing 2013. But, there are many not on the list that I did see and whom others had great opinions about. What did I think of them? Well, here you go:

The Others of 2013

Well enough of that. So, what did I think were the best films this past year? Okay, here’s what you are waiting for. (I think.):

The Disappointments:

Pacific Rim (See above)

World War Z (See above)

The Worst of 2013:

The Life of Pi: What a crock of shit. Great visuals and 3D, but what a load of shit. I am not afraid to say that aloud.

NTL: Macbeth:  Not really worth it. I should have tried for the HAMLET projection instead. But the sexy Alex Kingston made it interesting even though in this version of the play, Lady Macbeth really doesn’t do anything.

Star Trek Into Darkness: They really dumbed down Star Trek into a typical sci-fi action movie. Now I get what the diehard Trekkies were mad about. Star Trek has de-evolved into high gloss trash. You ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO “TURN OFF YOUR BRAINS” TO WATCH STAR TREK. You are supposed to engage them. To waste all that creativity and good will bought by the 2009 movie on a Khan rehash and junk science. Then, to have Simon Pegg tell me to fuck myself for not liking this shit? Another Ego thinking they know “what Star Trek is.” Brand packaging at its finest and we all fell for it. I am done with Pegg’s future efforts. Sorry.

Good Day to Die Hard: Bruce Willis has successfully rebooted the Naked Gun Series already, thank you very much….

Spring Breakers: It thought it was all right. Nothing but the typical crime story but with the added novelty of Disney Starlets running around in bikinis and a strong performance by James Franco, there really was nothing more to it. Sorry. I was one the fence about this one. But after much consideration I cannot really care about this movie.

EW3’s Top 8 a’ Twenty Thirteen Movies

Sorry, I didn’t see “Her”, “Fruitvale Station”, “12 Years a Slave”, “Inside Llewyn Davis”, “American Hustle”, “Before Midnight”, “Upstream Color”, “Blue is the Warmest Color”, or “Francis Ha”, so maybe I lost all my credibility in picking the “best” movies of the year. But, I also did not watch “Iron Man 3”, “Thor: The Dark World”, “Catching Fire”, “Monsters U”, “The Hangover III” or “The Wolverine” either. I guess what I’m saying is that it is all subjective at some point.

This has been a pretty slow year for me, movie-going-wise. I haven’t the funds or the interest in general to see much of the fare put out there. Plus, the big disappointments of Pacific Rim and Star Trek Into Darkness put me off of the summer blockbuster. So, without further ado, here are the Top EIGHT movies I saw this past year:

8. Based on theatrical experience:

Rifftrax Live: “Starship Trooper”

Rifftrax Live: “Night of the Living Dead”

Rifftrax Live: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

The primary reasons these are bundled together is the sheer enjoyment and participation of the audiences. You have had to have seen these with an appreciative audience. To hear the laughter of the Rifftrax events, to hear the gasps and cheers for The Doctor is something that cannot be forgotten. I really enjoyed these events in the theater. “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” now holds a special place in my heart for both taking place on my birthday and seeing it with Bonnie and Char. That is a great memory.

7. Man of Steel directed by Zack Snyder: After seeing Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole I was a bit reassured that Zack Snyder could handle a mythology and flying. The trailers look great. I cannot believe people are dismissing this because he isn’t wearing red underwear over his suit. Look, I enjoyed it more than any other blockbuster because I enjoyed the mythology and the ending, where it looked like something that would happen IF two super-powered beings fought in the middle of a large city. I love the fanboy hypocrisy of their crybabying for a Superman that punches something, then crybabying about how boring it is and that all they really wanted was a good story and characters. Sorry fanboys. You got what you wanted. Choke it down.

6. Deceptive Practices: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay directed by Molly Bernstein: An excellent documentary about the career of magician Ricky Jay. It was great to follow along in his career and see the old footage of the masters he studied with. A great little film.

5. Jurassic Park 3D (20^th Anniversary Re-release) directed by Steven Spielberg: Now, this, this, is how you do a Special Anniversary Rerelease. The 3D was great and they did not update any effects. Char, who went with us, and never saw it in the theater, was struck with how scary it actually is on the bi screen, which is a great testament to the power of the big screen.

4. Gravity IMAX 3D directed by Alfonso Cuaron: I have been ever impressed with Mexican filmmaker Cuaron. He made me a fan of the Harry Potter series, his Y Tu Mama Tambian made me feel I can still make it as an “ethnic” moviemaker and his Children of Men is an unsung masterpiece. You can read what Ithought about it here.

2. F for Fake (Rescreening) directed by Orson Welles/Hamlet (Rescreening) directed by Kenneth Branagh: I know, I know. But in a year of BIG disappointments at the movies, seeing these both for the first time ever on the big screen in a huge 70mm projection are true highlights of the year. I loved the scope of HAMLET and “F For Fake” is one of my all-time favorite films. I recommend seeing them on any screen.

1. The Grandmaster directed by Wong Kar Wai: What more can I say about this film? Most certainly will not be nominated for Best Picture, or even Best Foreign Language Film. Of course, all of the so-called action aficionados will bitch but who cares? It is an excellent film. Read my review here.

Top Ten Films I am Looking Forward to in 2014

1. Big Hero 6 – November 7, 2014: I know absolutely nothing about the MARVEL COMIC Big Hero 6. But the animation in this teaser trailer looks absolutely amazing. This is probably my most anticipated film for 2014. I cannot wait to see it on the big screen.

2. Interstellar, dir. Christopher Nolan – November 7, 2014: With the recent teaser trailer. As one review put it, if you are already asking questions, not only about the film but the state of the world, then you have to look forward to seeing this film. I am an unapologetic Nolan fan and every film seems to be an event in itself. Hoping he dazzles us again.

3. The Wind Rises directed by Hayao Miyazaki – February 28, 2014: Reportedly Miyazaki’s final film about one of Japan’s pioneers of aviation. This looks touching and deeply personal. If it is his last, I hope he goes out on top.

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past – May 23, 12014: Enjoyed “First Class” more so than any other X-Men movie and I have some good hopes for this one though I am a little tired of Wolverine, the movie Wolverine that is. But how can you not want to see the bridging of all the X-Men movies? I am there.

5. The LEGO Movie – February 7, 2014: The Lego video games have brought Char and me great enjoyment and we find their humor something charming in the games. This movie looks incredible, with some great voice talent Morgan Freeman AND Will Arnett in one move? The voiceover world will explode with the awesome! Plus, the computer graphics are so good, it looks like they were using actual Lego pieces! Looks fun.

6. The Monuments Men, dir. George Clooney – February 7, 2014: “Ocean’s Eleven” set in WWII based on a true story. Clooney as a director is hit and miss with me – enjoyed “Good Night and Good Luck” and some things in “The Ides of March” but never saw “Leatherheads” or “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” because they never interested me. But since not a whole lot of movies are really interesting me in 2014, then this will have to do for now.

The Maybes:

Guardians of the Galaxy – August 1, 2014: Of all of the connected Marvel Superheroes movies, this is the one I think I am actually looking forward to, because it is a superhero team because it is not yet attached to the stinking "The Avengers". Let’s face facts: after The Avengers, what’s the point of single superhero movies anymore?

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – August 22, 2014: I may see this because I would like to think that Robert Rodriguez still has SOME passion for making movies. Though I would like to see something a bit more personal form him one day….

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – July 18, 2014: Liked the first one and am looking forward to the eventual rise of LAWGIVER!!! (Oh, Lawgiver….)

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – January 17, 2014: I liked the old Jack Ryan series with Baldwin and Ford. Seeing the new reboot directed by my fave Branagh is something pretty cool. Branagh tries everything, which is why he is my favorite.

The “I Don’t Knows”

Godzilla: I hope they don’t miss the point and make this fun and thrilling. Every Americanized film seems to lose its heart. But what most want is seeing Godzilla destroy a city, breathe fire and fight another monster. I’m sure they will get what they want with this one.

A look forward to 2015

A far-seeing look to NEXT YEAR:

Batman versus Superman AKA Man of Steel 2

Star Wars Episode VII AKA NERD RAGE EXPECTANCIES

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD! AKA “No Mel, No Max” fanboys angry because their mancrush is not returning to a beloved series about murdering people with cars.

Ant-Man: This one looks interesting and fun because, like the “Guardians of the Galaxy” it is not fucking attached to any “The Avengers” movies yet, meaning it has potential to be some other than a fucking half-finished prequel.

The Fantastic Four: Another Marvel comic book movie to succor the movie snobs.

Jurassic World: Another sequel to succor the movie snobs.

Terminator: Another reboot to succor the movie snobs.

Avenger 2 AKA The Most Awesome Thing Ever, Shut Up! To succor the movie snobs.

Question: “Does ANYONE see a pattern here?”

Thanks for sticking with it this far. I know some pretty expected selections, but hey, maybe I threw a curve at you here and there. Let me know what you think. I’ll see you here next year.

Until Next Time…

2014 Ernest M. Whiteman III