Top 10 Movies of 2013

The year 2013 didn't start off strong, but it has given us it's fair share of gems late in the year. And I got the pleasure to see a lot of them. However, let it be known that these aren't necessarily reviews of these movies; this is a biased list of the movies I enjoyed the most this year. So without further ado, let's get started with a couple honourable mentions.

Honourable Mentions:
Dallas Buyers Club
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Upside Down - This is a very little known film, which is actually a shame, because once I saw this movie I couldn't stop thinking about it. It's probably one of the most unique films I've seen in awhile and it was directed in such a great way, that I was immediately sucked in. Upside Down takes place on two planets that are literally so close to one another that if you look up, then you would see the people and buildings of the other planet. People and objects from each planet retain gravity to their respective planet, so if a person is on the other planet, they will be upside down, or fall back to their own. In that, the central plot is that of a love story of two people, each from the different planets. The writing is rather generic and the acting is good. But the special effects, directing, and camerawork are really what make this movie great. I wanted to learn so much about these worlds, because it was such a cool premise/setting. Upside Down is a relatively short movie, and it's on Netflix; so if you get the chance, I urge you to see it.
The Hunt - Another movie that's relatively unknown is The Hunt, a Danish film that I gave 9 out of 10 Noodles. And it rightly deserves that rating because it is a very well-crafted film. Mads Mikkelson gives a spectacular leading performance, as a kindergarten teacher whose whole life falls apart once a student tells a little white lie, leading to people thinking he molested her. The events of the movie play out so realistically and you feel like you know each of these characters. And the raw emotion of this film is astounding. It's not an easy watch, and doesn't have much replay value. But The Hunt is one of the best made films of the year, in terms of technicality, enticement, and talent. It's also on Netflix, so fill up your watchlist.

Man of Steel - Man of Steel really polarized audiences. Many people didn't like its focus on action and that veered away from being an inspiring tale. I, however, am not influenced by popular opinion, because my opinion is that I can probably watch this movie every week. I'm a huge Superman fan, and have a bunch of comics. I used to watch the old Christopher Reeve films when I was little; but those are really dated now. I think Man of Steel did a great job of introducing Superman and was casted very well in almost every character. The special effects are incredible, and the musical score by Hans Zimmer is probably my favourite of the year. I personally feel that this movie brings a lot of enjoyment; the action scenes, though plenty, are high-octane, intense, and awesome. The hero and villain were both portrayed greatly, and Man of Steel, to me, has proved itself to be a great comic superhero movie.

10. Prisoners
Prisoners didn't get the real buzz it deserved. It was oddly released in September, but boy was it still a great film. The story of two neighboring families whose little daughters have been mysteriously kidnapped one night, and the efforts taken to find them, has become one of the most emotionally investing and real modern stories I've seen in awhile. You really get the feeling of loss that the characters in the movie get, and that's great testament to the acting and writing. It's, of course, a very depressing movie, and it's very emotionally heavy. That's what it was going for and it perfectly hit its mark, because the emotional intensity of this movie really sticks with you after watching it. Just as well, this movie's Oscar-nominated cinematography by Roger Deakins is probably some of the best cinematography this year. The movie is shot so smartly, and in such a way that it makes you feel cold when watching it. That's how I'd describe the movie, in fact; Prisoners is a very cold movie. But that just might be why it's one of this year's best.

9. Despicable Me 2

Undoubtedly the funniest movie this year to me, Despicable Me 2 is another movie I can watch over and over again. I loved the first movie, especially the minions (c'mon, you know everyone loves the minions); and this one brought all the flair of that movie, with fresh laughs and situations, that I honestly can't choose which of the two I like better. This one really capitalizes on the minion humour, and that's something I can never stop loving. I just wanna keep watching minions doing stuff forever. The main character, Gru, is hilarious too though, as well as the situations he's thrown into. The humour in general is just all over the place; there's laugh-out-loud parts, scenes of subtle humour that you have to be quick to catch, scenes of slapstick comedy. Despicable Me 2 is a nonstop entertaining ride; because the few times when it's not utilizing comedy, it's either showcasing cool action/spy scenes or heartfelt family scenes that make you go "awww." It's a movie that essentially anyone can enjoy as long as they're open-minded, and it's the funniest movie of 2013.

8. Captain Phillips
While Despicable Me is the funniest movie this year, Captain Phillips is definitely the most suspenseful. This movie is a straightup thriller, conveying the true story of a cargo freight ship captured by Somalian pirates, and what the captain does to keep his crew safe. This movie kept me at the edge of my seat for pretty much its entirety. You care for these characters, especially Captain Phillips himself who's played excellently by my favourite actor, Tom Hanks. And style of tension is so great, as the movie can slow down but still keep you invested and in anticipation. Kudos to Paul Greengrass, because his direction is really what takes this movie to the next level. And it stays at that high level all the way until the credits roll; Captain Phillips is one of the most intense and realistic movies this year.

7. Star Trek Into Darkness
For a great chunk of this year, Star Trek Into Darkness was my favourite movie of the year. 2013 didn't start off greatly, but this movie signified the start of when this year finally picked up. I loved the first Star Trek in 2009; I thought it was a great reboot to the series, and it was greatly favourable to viewers who weren't fans of the shows. Star Trek Into Darkness plays off that, in that it's an incredibly awesome sci-fi action movie that's enticing even for those not familiar with the series; but it also has a lot of material there for longtime fans. I'm a Star Trek fan and I enjoyed every minute of this movie (besides the sort of abrupt ending). It's great to see everyone on the crew of the Enterprise, as their all beloved characters and have great chemistry and dialogue with one another. And Benedict Cumberbatch is menacing and perfect as Khan; that's all that needs to really be said. This movie has a great blend of action, excitement, humour, and heart to it. While it's no longer at the top of my list for this year, it still remains one of the best.

6. Gravity
One of the most talked about films this year is Gravity. And after seeing it, I had to agree that it is a very astounding film that should be talked about. Gravity is actually really simple; a medical engineer is in space with an astronaut, and then a catastrophe takes place resulting in them drifting off in space. Though space is big and the "vast unknown," Gravity has this ability to make you feel claustrophobic. Sandra Bullock's portrayal is impressive, as you can genuinely feel her freaking out and desperately doing anything to survive. However, I feel a connection with this movie to 2009's Avatar. Not because they're in space, but because of its cinematic value. The writing and dialogue are good but not great; but on a technical scale, this movie is an absolute marvel (much like Avatar was). The visual effects and sound editing are absolutely intense and on point. Alfonso Cuaron absolutely deserves to be called Best Director for this movie because it is his direction that really makes this film great. Unless you plan on becoming an astronaut when you grow (because this film will definitely dissuade you from that desire), I would recommend Gravity to anyone, because it's a very entertaining and intense film, with amazing special effects, convincing characters, and all encapsulated in a brief runtime of 91 minutes.


5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

We all know that The Lord of the Rings trilogy is my collectively my favourite movie of all time; so it's a given that I look forward to each Hobbit movie, since they're prequels to LotR. While the first Hobbit film was bit of a letdown due to its issues in tone and pacing. However, Desolation of Smaug turned the series around in the right direction as it had a tone more akin to the original trilogy, as well being filled with action and excitement that is intense, but also family-appropriate. It's a long movie but it's exciting and upbeat for almost the full runtime. The dragon, Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), is one of the best villains I've seen in a movies in awhile. All of the characters are growing more likable in this series, as well as the events. Desolation of Smaug is a definite improvement over An Unexpected Journey and is hopefully a sign that the finale will truly not only be an awesome Hobbit movie, but an excellent action fantasy film altogether.


4. Elysium

The third movie in space on this list (fourth if you count Man of Steel in the honourable mentions), Elysium was perhaps one of my top 3 anticipated movies of this year. That anticipation paid off because it's one of my favourite movies this year. Neil Blomkamp's film debut District 9 was one of my favourite movies of all time, as it portrayed sci-fi in a very gritty and realistic way, while retaining drama and social commentary. Elysium did just that, and added world-building and some of the coolest action of the year. An increasingly engrossing film, Elysium had a knack for drawing me in. I was so sucked into this world where Earth was essentially a crumbling slum. The characters, too, are all enticing characters; as they're acted and written so well. Matt Damon's protagonist is incredibly likable and ambitious; while Sharlto Copley as the villain is so menacing and psychotic. The special effects are so convincing and on point that I sometimes couldn't tell if certain things (for example, a robot, or a spaceship) were actually made props or just really well-done special effects. The settings, too, were incredibly convincing. Everything about this film is convincing in its own way, especially the societal themes of it; being a metaphor for our real-world issues of immigration, healthcare, etc. This film's greatness is highly testament to the amount of love Blomkamp pours into it. He wrote the script personally, he directed every shot to fulfill his vision. And even if this film isn't perfect for you, you still gotta appreciate how passionate of a filmmaker he is. That's what makes this movie awesome. It's an epic sci-fi action movie with awesome special effects and a unique story; but it's also a passionately made film, that I happen to love.


3. 12 Years A Slave

This is probably the most well-made film of 2013. Years from now, I wouldn't be surprised if 12 Years A Slave is considered a classic. It's this generation's Schindler's List (which, to me, is probably the most perfectly crafted movie ever made), in that it digs deep into a terrible time in history and conveys it to us without holding back. Undoubtedly, 12 Years A Slave is an incredibly emotionally heavy film. You get connected to all these characters, and then wonder how such hatred and bigotry could've ever existed. The movie tells the disturbingly true story of Solomon Northup, who is played excellently by Chiwetel Ejiofor (my pick for this year's Best Actor), a respected successful free black man living in New York. He is, however, captured one day and sold into slavery; resulting in the most brutal 180 turn a person's life could take. The acting is so fantastic in this film. Ejiofor is so compelling and really carries the movie because it is, in fact, about his character's life. The supporting cast is amazing: Michael Fassbender is the absolutely menacing slave-owner; I just wanted Django to come in and shoot him down at so many points. New actress Lupita Nyong'o plays another slave and is incredibly impressive in the role; we got Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson. The acting is amazing, and there's the writing, too, that helped bring these true characters to life. It's written in such a way that you know it's taking place in the 1800s, but you still understand what's taking place. Steve McQueen's directing was astounding, and he did a great job of turning a $20 million budget movie and making it look like it cost $100 million. The setting was spectacular, you really felt like this is what it would look and feel like.

While this film has so much going for it, I have to say the best thing about it was its absolute and disturbing realism. It displayed the travesty of the slave days in America in such an unapologetic manner. 12 Years A Slave completely accurately captures the brutality of it, and it does it so well that it still left me speechless when I was driving home after the movie. This movie is by no means an easy watch but definitely one that everyone should see at least once. It's a tough and emotional ride, but one of the most intense and astounding movie experiences I've ever had. I normally say that each decade has one absolutely perfectly crafted film; not necessarily my favourite, but made in such a way that it's essentially an engrossing and emotional story that really gets you in every way. 70s has The Godfather. 80s has Amadeus. 90s had Schindler's List. 2000s have got There Will Be Blood. The 2010s are still just starting, but I have a feeling that this decade's perfect film is 12 Years A Slave.

2. Her

This is the most recent film on the list that I saw, and I'm glad I saw it before I made this list because it's (obviously) one of the best of the year. The story of a guy falling in love with his computer sounds quirky, and this story kind of is quirky. But it's also incredibly engrossing; it really draws you in and makes you believe that this is happen. I was totally on board this whole film and in support of this weird relationship between Theodore and his OS system, Samantha. Joaquin Phoenix's performance in this film is so likable and so realistic; it's one of my favourite acting performances of recent years. Scarlett Johanssen, too, as the voice of Samantha, was so great, and played a big part in making this relationship convincing. Even though she was a computer, she felt so human. And that's a big thing about this movie: it tells a futuristic story about a quirky relationship between a guy and his computer, but it has such a human theme to it. Her has such a great feeling of humanity and love, and it's a great social commentary about these subjects. But it's also an entertaining film, because the drama and weirdness going on with the characters was so compelling; and then there was also comedy that was gut-bustingly funny. Something I forgot to mention in my review of this film was the production design. This is one of the best portrayals of the future I've ever seen in a film, because it had a sense of awe in its futuristic features, that were cool and desirable; yet, it also seemed like a possible future, like it could be attained in maybe a couple decades. It was a believable depiction of the future, and I loved that; which probably helped to make the overall story so convincing and engrossing. Her is definitely one of the best written films I've seen in awhile, and it's got great performances, passionate directing, and spectacular charm to complement that.

1. The Wolf of Wall Street

Was there any doubt? This was my only 10-Noodle movie this year and it rightly deserved that as it broke my Top 50 Movies of All Time list! Wolf of Wall Street is another true story on this list, and it's brought to life by one of the all-time greatest filmmakers, Martin Scorsese. He again does a legendary job in bringing the exciting life of stockbroker Jordan Belfort to the big screen in such an amazing way. This is a three-hour movie, but it went by so quickly because this movie's pace is so high-octane. Dialogue is witty and realistic, situations are eccentric and extraordinary, comedy and drama alternate seamlessly. This movie is entertaining, especially the first two thirds, that showcase Belfort's rise to power and the things he does when he's at the top. It's so fun and filled with such vibrant characters that I couldn't help but appreciate it. DiCaprio is perfect in this role, as he is in many movie; Jonah Hill gives his best performance of his career; and everyone else is so great and real. The events of this film were real, and probably terrible, because these characters were living such lavish and bizarre lifestyles by essentially ripping off investors. And like 12 Years A Slave, this movie doesn't shy away from anything. However, the movie is laugh-out-loud; you can't help but laugh at the things some people say or the way situations play out. And the genius of this film's writing and directing, is that you feel like you shouldn't be laughing at these things, but you just have to anyway. But Wolf of Wall Street also displays the dire consequences, in the last third of the film that depicts Belfort's fall from grace. The movie may slow down and start to veer away from comedy, but it remains absolutely compelling because it's also such a great drama. The movie's momentum never stops, and it keeps such a consistent focus throughout while blending so many great cinematic elements together; and still remains incredibly entertaining. The Wolf of Wall Street is undoubtedly my favourite movie of 2013.

Short Reviews from January 2014

I haven't gotten the time to write up reviews lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't seen the latest films of the past month. However, I somewhat feel I like I shouldn't have made time to see January releases, because we know January to normally have the cinematic diarrhea of the year. In spite of that, though it's not usually fun to have to watch them, sometimes it's fun to review a crappy movie; so I've compiled some short reviews for the movies I saw in January. So here are the 5 films I saw this past month, in order of when I watched them.

Legend of Hercules
2 out of 10 Noodles
This was one of the first movies of 2014. And the only way that this year could start off with a bang is if somewhat shot themselves after watching this film. This is movie is actually sort of laughable, because it attempts to convey a sense of epicness, but completely misses that mark. And I knew even from the trailers that it would miss that mark. Legend of Hercules started off terribly. It was stupidly cheesy and had awful CGI/special effects. And the tone of it didn't improve or change at all. The writing, acting, and lighting never seemed to go right in this movie, as there was always something bad about it that I could point out. The set was sometimes cool or felt like it matched the time period. But the costume design absolutely ruined that. This movie is supposed to be filled with grit and action, but virtually everyone's outfits are clean and ironed. It seriously looks like they literally bought them from a party store and were wearing their togas and armor for a history project. And the acting, too, seems like that which would come from a mentally retarded student presenting the aforementioned history project. It's so offbeat, and many of the characters grunt for no reason whatsoever. It's horrific. Watching this movie, I was thinking that it could be given some slack because it was probably a low budget movie that was trying to show it had artful value or whatever. But after looking up this movie, I came to find out that it had a budget of $70 million. 70 MILLION DOLLARS went into a movie with 1980s CGI, elementary school acting, and costumes from Party City. There's pretty much nothing to like about this movie. My mom wanted to see this movie because it looks like a cool action movie. Oh, I forgot to talk about the action! Literally every single fight scene is drowned in slow-mo. Maybe the first use of it was cool because it was obviously ripping off of the stylistic action from 300, but then they just started overdoing it and using it every five seconds. It grew increasingly irritating, just like everything else in this movie. I wouldn't recommend it at all, and it gains its few Noodles because I liked Liam McIntyre, the actor who played Hercules's buddy; and that's expected from him because he's Spartacus. Other than that bright spot, Legend of Hercules doesn't have anything going for it.

Her

9.5 out of 10 Noodles
Her is officially a 2013 movie, but it came out at my theatre in the beginning of January, so I didn't get to see it until recently. But better late than never, because Her is one of my favourite movies of 2013. This movie is a gem, and it's so impressive because it seems so simple, yet it's so profound and layered. The premise is that of Joaquin Phoenix's character, Theodore, who is a recently divorced writer. Well not exactly a writer; he writes love letters from a client's perspective. And he lives in the recent future; not very distant, but they have a little more advanced technology and architecture. Theodore purchases a new OS system that organizes his stuff, reads him his emails, sets alarms and schedules, etc., and has an artificial intelligence (voiced by Scarlett Johanssen) in that Theodore can have conversations with it. However, as he spends more time with this OS, he starts to sort of develop feelings for it; and the computer, via it's artificial intelligence system, starts to do the same for him. They start to date. You might be thinking right now: wait, this movie is about a guy who starts dating his computer? Um, yes. The genius of this film is that it makes you believe it all. All these characters seem so real and you get so invested in them. You see this love story from many perspectives, and you actually kinda get into Theodore's head. He's falling in love with a computer, and you're totally behind it. Watching this movie, I was just so invested in this relationship and it's truly compelling and emotional. The writing is so perfect, wherein everything that takes place seems so fluid and has purpose. The conversations are real, and the way they're spoken have enthusiasm and feeling to it. The acting is on point. Joaquin Phoenix gives one of the year's best performances; he was so great at playing this eccentric guy while retaining such an immense amount of likability. And his loving computer, Samantha, was voiced with such awe by Scarlett Johanssen. It's amazing how just her voice actually brought so much to this movie Then we have the supporting cast which was all great: Amy Adams, Chris Pratt, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde. But a star in this movie was the director, Spike Jonze; he really put his stamp on this film and shows that he's really a great filmmaker. He sprinkles in great commentaries on things like love, misunderstanding, and humanity; it had a nice little share of big Hollywood moments; and his direction makes this movie so vivid and engrossing. Her is one of the most original and unique movies I've seen in awhile. It had a really fresh feeling to it, but was also enticing and sucked me into the world and the characters. I really wish more movies could be like Her.

Devil's Due

1 out of 10 Noodles
Hollywood just needs to stop making found footage movies, because they just have absolutely no cinematic value anymore. The last found footage movie to actually work well was the first Paranormal Activity, but Hollywood realized that a lot of people (normally teenagers and date-goers) like to watch these "scary" movies, so with such a small budget that found footage films cost, they can definitely make big money. But even then, they should at least try to make these movies have plausible stories, instead of just throwing in possessions and apparitions for shits & giggles. The writing in this movie is so bad, and the characters are so unrealistically stupid. The movie centers around a newly married couple, but before I get to them I have to speak about the totally unrealistic cop. The guy calls 911 because of all the shady and creepy stuff going on and the cop comes but literally is no help at all. He just leaves and says he'll write a report, instead of giving any type of solution to this helpless guy. I dunno, that just got to me how unrealistic this cop was, but anyway, back to the main couple. The main couple of the movie is on their honeymoon, and a really shady cabdriver tells them he'll take them somewhere special. He takes them to a creepy alley in the middle of nowhere, and it looks so sketchy. But they still continue to follow him! If it even got that far, any sane individual would turn around and get the hell outta there. But nope, this is a found footage movie; our characters have to be dumb enough for our scary stuff to happen. Anyway, they go into this underground club. Let me tell you, this whole creepy club and society there was actually a tad interesting in how it existed, and was honestly scarier than the actual happenings in this film. That's another flaw of the writing, which I cannot seem to bash enough. Also due to the writing, and probably the directing, was that this movie was unbearably boring. It's an hour and a half, but still felt so long. Sure, it was had a couple of scares, but all of them were predictable and cliche, much like this whole movie. And while a cliche found footage is bad, Devil's Due absolutely sucked.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
6 out of 10 Noodles
This is technically a prequel to the previous Tom Clancy movies, The Hunt For Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and Sum of All Fears. All of these movies are centered around the character, Jack Ryan (portrayed by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, and Ben Affleck, respectively) and his ongoing espionage conflicts. The first is considered a classic, and the others are also considered excellent spy thrillers, so Shadow Recruit had a lot to live up to. Does it? Eh, kinda. This movie chronicles the genesis of how Jack Ryan became a CIA analyst and ended up getting caught up in international crises, it's an origin story. But in spite of that, it's a pretty generic spy movie. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit tended to play it safe in that it didn't try anything new that could end up being only either great or bad; it just stuck to what most people like to see in a spy movie. You like intense chase scenes? It's there. How about conversations between the protagonist and the bad guy? We got it. Cliche secret spy life that the main character can't tell his girlfriend? Yup. There's nothing really bad to say about this movie, but nothing very great either. It's entertaining and it's a cool spy movie that sticks to the roots of spy movies. Plus, I really liked Kenneth Branagh as the Russian bad guy. Gotta love Russian bad guys. It's a good movie but not one that's highly memorable. I'd say it's the best movie of January, but is that even saying much?

I, Frankenstein 

4.5 out of 10 Noodles
Let's get something straight. Frankenstein is NOT the monster. He's the guy who created the monster, he's the crazy scientist. The monster is simply Frankenstein's Monster. Or in this movie, his name's Adam. However, some people still call him Frankenstein. You think that's sloppy? Wait till you actually see this movie. It is sloppy from the start; the tone, the story, it's all sloppy. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. I'd say that I, Frankenstein is purely just a guilty pleasure movie. It has some pretty cool action sequences, among them that have somewhat bad CGI, but it's still entertaining. Aaron Eckhart, as Frankenstein's Monster, you can tell he's acting his ass off in this movie. He's trying hard; is he overacting a lot? Yes, of course, but it's a guilty pleasure movie so it's fun. His character's morality was interesting too, probably the best point of the writing in this sloppy script. He's sort of a wild card in this ongoing war between Demons and Gargoyles. The Gargoyles looks really cool sometimes, especially one scene where they fly to a rooftop and change into human form. The Demons, though, looked really weird; the makeup done on them was almost laughable and they didn't look intimidating at all. Even their first scene where they try to gang up on Adam, it's cheesy and unformidable because you know the main guy is gonna look badass and then beat all these guys. That's what we get for a lot of this film. Coming out at the end of January, though, was a good marketing scheme for this film, since it came out after all the shit movies so it would comparatively seem better. I, Frankenstein is by no means a gem, or even a remotely good film; but it's definitely a guilty pleasure.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2014

2013 has come to an end. While a lot of the hollywood juggernauts are being saved for 2015, we still have another year before that. But, 2014 does have its fair share to offer us moviegoers as it's going to bring a plethora of awesome sequels as well as some unique flicks. So let's get started.

Honourable Mentions:

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Guardians of the Galaxy

The Expendables 3

10. The Edge of Tomorrow (June 6th, 2014)

Edge of Tomorrow is an action about a soldier played by Tom Cruise named Lieutenant Cage. He's fighting in war against an invading alien race and this battle could be the determining point in who wins the war. However, Lt. Cage dies pretty quickly but ends up waking up at the beginning of that day again and starting the whole day over. He finds himself caught in a time loop of this last day and becomes increasingly more skilled along the way, while trying to figure out how exactly to defeat the alien menace. This movie looks really unique and looks to give a cool and gritty take on sci-fi. It stars one of the most consistent actors in the business and is directed by the director of The Bourne Identity, which is known for its immersive action sequences and suspense. If director Doug Liman can bring that to this flick, then this could really work. Plus, the special effects and costume design look awesome, especially the huge mech-looking armor suits that the soldiers wear.

9. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2nd, 2014)

I wasn't a big fan of the first movie. It was entertaining and had some cool web-slinging moments, but for some reason it just didn't feel right. I was still attached to the earlier Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy. Hopefully, this sequel can veer the audience towards believing in this Spider-Man. What it really is that I'm anticipating is Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn; he's a great new actor and looks like he can bring something much needed to this franchise. From the posters and new trailer, it looks as if he's going to don the persona of the Green Goblin, Spidey's most well-known nemesis. That would total this movie's supervillain count to three, when you add that to Electro and Rhino. One problem that Spider-Man 3 had was that it lost focus because it was too overcrowded with big bad guys. It'll be interesting to see if they can get it right this time.

8. The Wind Rises (February 21st, 2014)

This movie probably isn't as well-known as the rest on this list; but it's already been nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, and that's quite feat for an animated movie. The Wind Rises has already released in Japan and gained critical acclaim. That's expected because it's the newest film of Hayao Miyazaki. If you don't know who that is, he's basically the king of anime when it comes to story, emotion, and immersion (Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Way). But this time around, his cartoons tackle the true story of the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed Japanese fighter planes during World War II. If it's everything it's being hyped to be, The Wind Rises could be one of the best animated films in a long time.

7. The Monuments Men (February 7th, 2014)

From the trailers for this movie, it looks like one of those high-profile Oscar movies, almost like last year's Argo (which ended up winning Best Picture). But the release date of this movie kind of scares me, because February is not normally the movie season for gems. If we're looking at it optimistically, the film has already been released to critics and is being considered in this year's awards. Otherwise, it would be forgotten next time around since it's coming out so early. Nonetheless, Monuments Men looks to be an entertaining yet engrossing movie, as it tells the true story of a group of soldiers who actually aren't even soldiers; they're just in the war to recover all of the art that's been taken by the Nazis in order to preserve them or return them to their rightful owners. It's got a really credible cast, starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, and Cate Blanchett. Also directed by Clooney, it looks like it could end up being quite a memorable World War II movie.

6. Noah (March 28th, 2014)

The biblical story of Noah's Ark looks to be one of the most epic movies of 2014, as it features such a huge scale. It looks like one of those movies that will inevitably have awesome sweeping cinematography, complemented by an epic musical score. And that should be the case, as a huge budget has been poured into this film; which should help it to have great special effects. Noah, himself, is played by Russell Crowe who is one of my top 5 favorite actors. He's supported by a cast of Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Kevin Durand, Logan Lerman, and the legendary Anthony Hopkins. Add to that one of the most experienced directors in the fields of character development and engrossing narratives, Darren Aronofsky, and we should have a breathtaking film to look forward to.

5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (July 11th, 2014)

A sequel to a prequel of one of the most classic movies in American cinema. Rise of the Planet of the Apes blew away my expectations and is one of my favorite movies of 2011. It was engrossing, and you never knew what to think. Just as well, Andy Serkis's motion capture portrayal of Caesar, the main ape, was groundbreaking. (Spoilers for Rise ahead!) At the end of that movie, we saw the apes becoming dominant and the human race dying away from a plague-like disease. In Dawn, years later, we see Caesar as the leader of warrior-like apes and the human race as struggling to survive. This movie looks so appealing because it looks as if it can capitalize on everything in the first movie, as well as even further tie it to the original Planet of the Apes. Also, it's technically a post-apocalyptic film; and I'm a sucker for those.

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4th, 2014)

To me, Captain America: The First Avenger was probably the weakest film in phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (besides Iron Man 2, but we pretend that that one didn't happen). It was an entertaining movie and Chris Evans is good in the role, but it just didn't capture the essence of importance and is sometimes forgotten as a movie. However, the trailer for this sequel utterly blew my mind. Winter Soldier takes place in present day, and I imagine it will further deal with Cap still getting used to how the world is now (which shouldn't be easy since he went straight from the 1940s to 2012). Also, the trailer touches upon the concept of freedom and fear in the country, and that's what really got me. I mean, it had all of its awesome money shots, action sequences, and cool moments; but what got me was the possibility of this movie having that kind of social layering. Captain America should be an icon, and he truly cares for the people; he's not just a soldier for the government. That's why his line in the trailer, "This isn't freedom, it's fear," is so great. Add to that what looks to be an awesome villain, the Winter Soldier, and we could have the best movie of the franchise's second phase.

3. X-Men: Days of Future Past (May 23rd, 2014)

X-Men is one of my favourite movie series, X2: X-Men United is one of my favourite superhero films of all time. The first X-Men movie is what opened up to us that we could have so many successful and awesome superhero movies. Before then, all there was that Hollywood wanted to count on was Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. Who could blame them? Those three are arguably the best known heroes with the highest likability factor. However, X-Men opened up the door to further vary the superhero genre. While it had a bit of a dip in quality with X-Men Origins: Wolverine (which we don't talk about, ever), the franchise quickly got back on its feet by releasing one of the best superhero movies of all time, X-Men: First Class, which served as a prequel and dealt with the characters of the series in a much earlier time period where they were younger. Days of Future Past looks to be one of the most unique movie moves ever as it's going to bridge the gap between the original movies and the prequel movie; in that, the older cast will meet the younger cast as their younger counterparts. We'll get virtually the best of everything, as the story is adapted off of one of the best X-Men comic book story arcs, the massive cast of stars will be giving their all, director Bryan Singer of the first two X-Men movies returns, and hopefully everything will blend swimmingly to give us a complex, yet fun comic book movie to start the summer right.

2. The Hobbit: There And Back Again (December 17th, 2014)

The opposite from starting the summer could be ending the year. And if it goes right, 2014 could end with a bang. This is the third movie in The Hobbit trilogy, as well as the final film in the Lord of the Rings series. If you didn't already know, the Lord of the Rings trilogy is collectively my favourite movie of all time, and so I was greatly looking forward to The Hobbit movies as they serve as prequels to the series, and offer a chance to get back into the amazing world of Middle-Earth. Having read the books, I have knowledge of what will go on, but Peter Jackson has taken his own liberty in adding a ton of content taken from all of J.R.R. Tolkein's Middle-Earth related works. This gives us the chance to not know what's fully coming and ultimately not know what to expect. While the first Hobbit film was good, I felt it didn't fully capture the essence and epic value of The Lord of the Rings, but the second did go into the right direction. If they're consistent, There And Back Again could end up being an epic fantasy classic that's fun for the family while offering service to fans and critics alike. The second movie left us off just wanting so much more, so this movie could get it right off the bat and offer the flawless special effects and action that the second film had, as well as the acting and directing that the whole series has flourished upon. Regardless, I know for sure that I'll be back again for it.

1. Interstellar (November 7th, 2014)

There's not a lot that anybody knows about this movie. It looks to be an incredibly ambiguous film that can't really be explained to its full potential unless you actually attentively watch it. That's not uncommon, coming from arguably the best filmmaker in cinema today, Christopher Nolan. Some will argue that he's not a classic filmmaker yet, but he is my favorite as he's consistently released films that could almost all be considered classics in their own respect, as well as a great number of my favorite movies of all time. Just put Nolan's name on something and I will flock to the theatre to see it. Interstellar is written by Chris Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan, who co-wrote The Dark Knight trilogy, Memento, and The Prestige (all incredible and engrossing films). There's not much known about the story, except that it features a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole in order to surpass the limitation on human space travel. Even from that synopsis, we can't really tell much about the plot, other than the fact that it will be a complex sci-fi movie that will really require the viewer to use their noggin and remain invested. It stars Matthew McConaughey (who's recently gotten back on his game), Anne Hathaway (fresh off of her Oscar win), Jessica Chastain (a powerful leading lady), Casey Affleck (probably one of the most consistent actors in choosing the movies he acts in and one of my personal favourites), and Michael Caine (who's come to be a Christopher Nolan staple). Though there's not much known about Interstellar, I'm certain that it's my most anticipated movie for the year, as just the little that is known has piqued such great intrigue.