2013 Movies, So Far

For the first half of 2013, I was looking forward to Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing. I thought it would be my favorite film of 2013 and it is an excellent film. If you missed my extensive review, read it here. But on a visceral level, I think I like Pacific Rim better. Maybe that's because I only got to see Much Ado once (but I did just pre-order the BluRay!) and I'm thrilled to be able to go see Pacific Rim for the second time tonight, this time with my husband. Maybe it's the difference between brain-food and gut-food. Maybe I just need to watch both of them 5 times each and then decide. We don't buy a lot of BluRays, but I think we'll have both of these by Halloween.

In other movie news, if you know me, you know I watch a lot of movies and read movie reviews, for every film opening, every Friday. Rotten Tomatoes is my friend; I even have the app on my phone. I almost always read Roger Ebert's reviews before seeing a film, even though we only agreed about half the time (he was a huge Scorcese fan and I've never managed to find a Scorcese film I like or even admire). It was very difficult for me this spring and summer to know that Roger was gone, that there would be no more reviews from his pen. I have yet to find another reviewer that I like as well.

Okay, now the list:


January 11
Zero Dark Thirty (I went to see this with my father, at his suggestion, and was so impressed, even though I expected Kathryn Bigelow's film to be good because I am a fan of The Hurt Locker. And Jessica Chastain is as good as advertised.)

January 18
The Last Stand (I tried to watch it on DVD but only made it half an hour in before the excessive body count turned me off. Sorry, Arnold.)
Broken City (I would still like to see this because Russell Crowe's performance is supposed to be better than his Les Miz embarrassment. And I've always liked Wahlberg.)

January 25
Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters (I know, it looks awful, but it does have Jeremy Renner. I keep thinking Renner might be worth it, but I have yet to check out the DVD.)
Parker (Saw it on DVD. Jason Statham and J-Lo were interesting together, but it was very bloody. Not my favorite Statham film.)

February 1
Warm Bodies (This is an amazingly charming take take on Romeo & Juliet. We saw it on DVD and highly recommend it, although the zombie stuff was a little gross for me.)

February 15
A Good Day To Die Hard (The reviews were so bad I never went to see it. I only made it through the first half hour of Live Free or Die Hard before I got bored and turned it off, Timothy Olyphant notwithstanding.)

March 1
Jack the Giant Slayer (I never saw this but still want to; Nicholas Hoult is a new favorite of mine after Warm Bodies.)

March 8
Dead Man Down (I watched this recently on DVD. It reminded me of Spartan in that its plot was, well, spartan, and difficult to follow. I never realized, through the whole film, that it takes place in NYC. I thought it was just a large city in Europe. Farrell and Rapace are good, but I already like them.)
Oz the Great & Powerful (I saw this in the theatre with my mother-in-law and we liked it. Visually stunning, to be sure.)
Emperor (Never managed to see this; still want to.)

March 22
Olympus Has Fallen (Never managed to see this; still want to.)

March 29
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (I liked it. Byung-hun Lee and Ray Park were amazing.)

April 12
42 (Never managed to see this; still want to.)

April 19
Oblivion (Never managed to see this; still want to.)

May 3
Iron Man 3 (Really enjoyed this. Robert Downey Jr. just keeps getting better.)

May 10
The Great Gatsby (Did not see it. Might still.)

May 17
Star Trek Into Darkness (Totally awesome! Benedict Cumberbatch was so good I might actually watch him as Julian Assange just to see what he'll do.)

May 24
Fast & Furious 6 (I enjoyed it, but I still think Fast Five was better.)
Epic (Never managed to see this; still want to.)

May 31
Now You See Me (I saw this at the recommendation of friends and really liked it. Mark Ruffalo was excellent.

June 7
Much Ado About Nothing (See above.)

June 14
Man of Steel (I enjoyed it and still want to see it again.)

June 21
Monsters University (Never managed to see this; still want to.)

June 28
White House Down (Never managed to see this; still want to.)

July 5
Despicable Me 2 (It was delightful.)
The Lone Ranger (Never managed to see this; still want to.)

July 12
Pacific Rim (Awesome! See above.)

July 19
Red 2 (Never managed to see this; still want to.)
R.I.P.D. (Saw it with my parents and it was okay. Ryan Reynolds is good, but he was much better in Safe House.)

July 26
The Wolverine (I liked it; Jackman is always good.)

August 2
2 Guns (This is getting interesting reviews. I might get my dad to go see it with me.)
Europa Report (My husband is interested in this; we may try to see it VOD.)

August 9
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (I'm hoping to see this Friday because I love Percy Jackson, even if the first film wasn't perfect.)
Planes (Since Cars is one of our favorite Pixar films, I'm sure this will be date film for us.)

August 16
The Butler (Looks fascinating.)
Paranoia (Looks fun and twisty.)

August 23
Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (I read the first 2 books and was really disappointed with their quality, but the film might be pretty. Or pretty awful.)
The World's End (Not my usual fare but the trailer makes it look hilarious.)

September 6
Riddick (I was going to pass until I saw Katee Sackoff is in it. But I'm not seeing it alone!)

September 27
Rush (Very appealing trailer.)

October 11
The Fifth Estate (Just interested because of Cumberbatch.)

November 1
Ender's Game (I read the book for the first time last fall and found the kid-on-kid violence pretty hard to take, but it is a compelling story.)

November 8
Thor: The Dark World (More Tom Hiddleston as Loki? Sign me up!)

December 13
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (I liked the first Hobbit movie; it just wasn't as breathtaking as The Fellowship of the Ring. But few films are.)

December 20
Saving Mr. Banks (Mary Poppins is still one of my favorite movies, even if my children refuse to watch it.)

December 27
Jack Ryan (I loved the books when I was much younger, but disliked every film adaptation after the first one. However, I love Kenneth Branagh's films, so I will probably give him the benefit of the doubt.)

And that's the list, as of August 7, 2013.