DUE MONDAY JUNE 9th, 2014
In honor of the Tony Awards this weekend:
The Academy Awards, and many other organizations like it, were created to honor
achievements in film. To win an Oscar is considered the highest honor in the
industry, especially for whoever takes the Best Picture Award, which was taken
most recently by “12 Years a Slave”. Although this was a phenomenal movie by the
standard of the Academy, what was your favorite movie released in 2013? What was
it that you liked about it? Was it Oscar-worthy in your opinion? Also, what is
your favorite movie of all-time? Why? Make sure to give enough detail, emotion and description to validate your choice. Complete one paragraph on the movie you enjoyed this year, and one for all time favorite.
ReplyDeleteThere were many great films released last year, including the above mentioned 12 Years a Slave, Catching Fire, and even Frozen was a good movie (just severely overrated). It’s because of this I have trouble picking my favorite. However my favorite movie of the year, just barely beating the Oscar winner 12 Twelve Years a Slave, is Gravity. This is a science fiction thriller directed by Alfonso Cuarón, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. This film took home seven awards on Oscar night, including one of the Big Five awards ( Best Lead Actor/Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture) with Best Director going to Cuarón, who meticulously crafted this masterpiece over four and a half years. The time put in was well worth the wait, as the movie has beautiful effects that you can’t look away from. Being that the movie is set in space, the viewer also gets the feeling of loneliness of the astronauts, as Gravity does something unorthodox in filming, by having a minimalist cast. Making very good use of their two stars, the movie follows Bullock and Clooney, (cough, mostly Bullock) and their frantic race to return to Earth. Another thing, although its directed by a man, this movie is very good at including both genders, as Bullock receives the lead in an Oscar nominated performance, which is something most successful movies don't do. This is a great example for the gender barrier being broken, and my favorite movie of 2013, which definitely should have won the Oscar for the Best Picture.
Here’s the big one, my favorite movie of all time. If you know me well, you can guess, or already know my choice. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire strikes Back. I can already hear the groans, shut up and I’ll explain! (Not you Ms. Ell :) ) Not only is this the best Star Wars movie, this cinematic landmark set the standard for movies to come, with its perfect blend of practical and special effects, perfect direction, and the immortality status the villain Darth Vader has, makes for the best movie of all time. Although the whole original trilogy was snuffed at the Oscars (still mad about that) empire more than the deserved the award, and remains my favorite movie after all my years at the theatres.
Jonathan Meyer
ReplyDeleteBlog 24
Although I enjoyed many movies this year, as I am a movie fanatic and usually see every mentionable movie that comes out each week, my favorite was “Pacific Rim”. Now, by no means was “Pacific Rim” a realistic or incredibly well made movie that is a classic and everyone will love, but I thought it was fun. It really was a good 2 hour giant robot versus monster fight with a plot good enough to keep me interested. It was very fun to see huge metal creatures punch the crap out of giant beasts. Also, all of the interesting Jaeger designs and cool weapons, such as Gypsie Danger’s blue cannon arm thing, were very cool. However, this movie is not Oscar-worthy. It doesn’t really have a good enough plot or a good enough script to deserve an Oscar. It is just a fun time that brings out the child in some of us.
I must say, picking one movie out of all the movies in the world, as being my favorite movie is a struggle. I can only think of certain movies that I really do enjoy and watch multiple times. My favorite movie is always changing. Right now my favorite movie may be “Gladiator”. This is a really good movie set in the Roman era, where a Roman general is betrayed after the Caesar’s son kills the Caesar and sends people to kill the general. This is a result of the Maximus, the general, being loved more by the Caesar than the Caesar’s son. Russell Crowe plays the main character Maximus as he sees his crucified wife and son and is forced into slavery as a gladiator while fighting his way to the new Caesar’s attention, and exacting his revenge. This movie is just amazing. Firstly, Russell Crowe plays the main character and is amazing. His emotions and chemistry with the other characters and how he portrays Maximus is just amazing. Also, there are many awesome battle scenes that are gripping and intriguing. The first scene of the movie is the Roman army defeating a Germanic barbarian tribe. Then there are the fights in the gladiator arenas, which are brutal but tactical and interesting to see because untrained slaves are led by a general made gladiator. The plot about the Caesar and his struggle to keep power and the love of the people while dealing with treachery among the people closest to him adds a second interesting storyline to go along side Maximus’ story. The best part is the ending which is just spectacular and made me feel really happy but also angry. It is just a great movie.
Although this is not required in the response I really want to complain about “Her”. I believe this movie won best writing and screenplay. I however cannot fathom how anyone enjoyed this movie. Joaquin Phoenix play the main character who is suffering from a divorce and Scarlett Johansson voices the computer program he falls in love with. This movie is so ridiculous, in my opinion. It is two hours of one man talking to a computer with maybe 5 different settings and 6 visible actors and actresses. By the end of the movie I was so sick of Joaquin’s stupid moustache, because half of the movie was a zoom in on his face. One example of how dumb this movie was at times was when Joaquin Phoenix’s character and the computer program have verbal sex, AND ORGASM! Just why? Who wants to hear that? I actually took my phone out mid movie I was so bored. I don’t think this movie deserved any nominations, awards, or positive critic reviews. I just wanted to complain about this movie and how I think it shouldn’t have won an Oscar.
DeleteUnlike most people, I am not much of a movie guy. Rarely will I critique a movie. I just watch the movie and don’t bother to analyze it. It seems that there isn’t a single movie where someone will point out a flaw in it. Seriously, just enjoy the dang movie! You think they purposely made it awful? If that is the case then why would they have made the movie in the first place? Sure, there are some movies that are just plain awful (A perfect example is Sharknado), but not every movie is going to meet every single one of your expectations. Anyway, continuing on to the main point of the blog, my favorite movie of 2013 would probably have to be Iron Man 3. As I said before, I don’t judge movies so critically as much as everyone else. Overall I just thought it was great. It did a good job at rapping up the story of Iron Man. As for winning an award I wouldn’t say it was the best movie of all time. I didn’t watch too many movies in 2013 so my choices were limited for this blog. Frankly, I barely know the name of any actors. I could also name about 20 movies that would consider me “culturally deprived”. You can call me culturally deprived, but I like to think myself informed of a different culture.
ReplyDeleteAs for my all-time favorite movie, I don’t really have one. I haven’t seen many movies, but there are certain ones that stand out to me (i.e. Finding Nemo, Up, Toy Story 1 & 3, Life is Beautiful, The Dark Knight, etc.). Of course these are just a few and I have seen more. The movies were just very well made and I would definitely watch them multiple times. Most of the time it is for the plot and sometimes the art style. Something I have noticed is that I prefer real-life movies rather than animated ones. However, there are exceptions. Due to the fact that I don’t analyze movies as much as others do, I don’t really have any real reason to support why I like the aforementioned movies. Fortunately, though, some of the movies that I like are self-explanatory.
I will have to admit that I am not a huge movie person. Heck, the last movie I’ve seen in theaters was Frozen. But I know a good movie when I see it, and according to the Academy Standard, so do they. ‘12 Years a Slave’ is, by far, the best movie of the year. There, I said it. The realism they placed in such a touchy subject of slavery was phenomenal, and I don’t believe any movie could ever compare. It’s that realism that I adored in it. And, yes, it was, in my opinion, Oscar-worthy. It put all other movies to shame.
ReplyDeleteBut, still, it is not my favorite movie of all time. That would have to be ‘Spaceballs’. That is due to the fact of it being just such a comedic…. comedy that has unlimited replay values for me. The laughs, the cries, the big, huge space balls, oh, so good. I can, at any time, watch that movie and still laugh non-stop. Let me tell ya, that movie should’ve won an oscar itself.
Blog #24
ReplyDeleteThere were two movies that came out in 2013 that really caught my eye and I enjoyed them a lot after watching them. One of them actually won an award while the other was nominated in many categories. These two were “The Great Gatsby” and “The Wolf of Wall street” and which both movies also had Leonardo DiCaprio. “The Great Gatsby” won best achievement for costume design, while “The Wolf of Wall street” was nominated for many awards in which, sadly, it didn’t win none. Both movies were excellent in my opinion, but I would have to say “The Great Gatsby” was my all-time favorite so far. “The Wolf of Wall street” was more of a comedy, but did show off the life of millionaire who cheated his way to his fame.
Furthermore, “The Great Gatsby” was based on the book “The Great Gatsby” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “The Wolf of Wall street” was based on the life of Jordan Belfort. Funny how both movies had Leonardo DiCaprio as the successful millionaire who has parties all the time. Moreover, I loved watching Gatsby especially since I finished reading the book the day before the movie came out. With a fresh memory on “The Great Gatsby” I could easily compare the book to the movie and determine whether the movie portrayed it correctly. When finished watching the movie, I absolutely enjoyed it. The movie was accurate and did not side track off. “The Great Gatsby” even decided to make a risk music wise. They combined today’s hip hop with some jazz in the roaring 20’s but it came out to actually work out well. All in all the movie was very well made and deserved the best achievement for costume design since many of Gatsby’s party scenes were pictured accurately to everyone who read the book. The people were well dressed according to how the roaring 20’s were.
There were many movies that came out in 2013 that were popular and caught my eye I enjoyed "The Great Gatsby" the most. What I liked about it was the accurate depiction of the book. The movie portrayed the characters of the book actually. What I also liked about “The Great Gatsby” was that the setting was of early 1900’s New York. This was actually shot and was amazing. The characters were also dressed liked people from the time period, which made the movie realistic and believable. The Great Gatsby was Oscar-worthy in my opinion but it did win an Oscar for best evanesced in clothing and best in acting.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie of all time was the movie we were soldiers it came out in 2005. It is an accurate depiction of the Vietnam War and how we got involved. The acting was precisely what it would be like in a real battle. They used real plans and helicopters in the movie which made it realistic. The main actor was Mel Gibson who plays the main general that made one of the most military strikes in history “Broken Arrow” which has only been used once in America’s history. It means an American battalion has been overrun calling for every battle ready aircraft and artillery to open up there fire. This movie won A few Oscars for military historical accuracy. This is why this movie is my favorite movie of all time.
It is difficult to choose one out of several, but a movie from this previous year that stood out in my mind was “Iron Man 3.” In this movie, Tony Stark has to deal with his inner demons after the battle of New York against aliens in “The Avengers.” Therefore, he starts building several marks of his Iron Man suit. However, Tony Stark is forced to face more challenges in his life. A terrorist named the Mandarin hijacks the airwaves and threatens to bring America to its knees with a painful series of "lessons". Being forced from his luxurious home in Malibu, Tony Stark tries to find the Mandarin and save his girlfriend Pepper Potts. I liked this movie because it’s the first with any of the Avengers I’ve ever seen in theatres and it was amazing. They did a nice job, unfortunately, in ending Tony Stark’s days as a superhero since Robert Downey Jr. is now in his fifties. Speaking of him, he does an amazing job in this movie. It comes to show that no one else can replace him as Iron Man. Another thing that was cool about the movie was seeing all the different marks of the Iron Man suit, especially at the end during the final battle. Even though I liked the movie a lot, it isn’t Oscar worthy. Other movies such as “Captain Phillips”, “12 Years A Slave”, “Gravity” and “American Hustle” had better graphics, acting and screen play, but that won’t prevent me from having this movie on my top favorite movies from 2013.
ReplyDeleteAgain, we are challenged to face another impossible question. What is our favorite movie-of all time? There have been several extraordinary movies that have been released. There are classics such as “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz.” Then there are spectacular movies from the 80s like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Back to The Future.” There are also adorable Disney movies such as “The Lion King” and “Beauty and The Beast.” Obviously, there are several other categories of movies that I could list, but I don’t want to make this blog response too long. In other words, choosing your favorite movie or your favorite anything in that matter is like choosing your favorite child. It’s impossible. Personally, I have several favorite movies and to answer your question Ms. Ell, I’m going to say my current favorite movie is “The Fault in Our Stars” which I literally just saw an hour ago. For those who don’t know about “The Fault in Our Stars” it was originally a book by John Green, published in 2012. It tells the story of a 16 year old girl named Hazel Grace Lancaster who has thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs. When she goes to one of her cancer support group meetings, she meets Augustus Waters. He is a seventeen year old boy in remission with osteosarcoma, but lost his right leg in the battle against cancer. At first Hazel and Augustus are friends even though Augustus wants to be more than that. However, Hazel doesn’t want to hurt him because she has a terminal cancer and her chances of dying are very likely. Eventually, Hazel allows herself to fall for Augustus. She says that falling in love is like falling asleep, slowly as first then all at once. The reason why this is one of my favorite books and movies is because it is realistic. Both medias show people are vulnerable. As much as we like to think we can overcome anything, we’re vulnerable, especially against nature. The movie and book show an aspect of life like cancer which we don’t see a lot of in pop culture. It is a very touchy subject, but the movie does a great job portraying teenagers and the book. I’m literally still crying.
My favorite movie that recently came out in 2013 would have to be “The Book Thief.” Even if I infrequently watch movies that doesn’t mean this movie was bad in anyway. Actually, this movie was phenomenal. It brought tears to my eyes, as its sentimental value and articulate design penetrated deep into my emotions and allowed me to fully connect to the characters. I don’t ever cry when I watch movies, not only did this manage to make me cry, but I had to hide my face blurred with tears from everyone else in the theatre. It included breathtaking scenery along with extraordinary acting from actors of all ages. Its details were precise in every manner. Death, which was the narrator, was brilliant. Death did what it was it was meant to do, take the lives away from blameless people due to unethical actions. This movie only goes to show what the human race is capable of, and how our delinquent behaviors and actions can negatively bring us down, along with others. Death is what made me cry, the narrating bit and also that characters I got attached to, were to be taken away from me violently and with great haste. “The Book Thief” shows all the realities of life, and how it can be taken away from anyone at anytime. It shows the Holocaust as it really was, and all its informalities as they were effectively resembled this movie. Most certainly Oscar-worthy.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I need to watch more television. How often do you hear that from a teenager? I say never but yes, I never watch TV. Why I need to watch it more is because my current favorite movie is “Burlesque,” and I’m embarrassed to state that. But since all the other movies I have watched throughout my entire life for some reason flooded out of my memory I can only vividly remember “Burlesque” as one movie I have watched that I not only enjoy, but remember enough to write a review about. So, why am I embarrassed this is my favorite movie? It’s something that I can picture teenage boys being into just for the “entertainment,” and girls most likely getting sick over it. It’s a movie based on a strip club basically with loads of dancing and singing. “Burlesque” does have amazing entertainment though, and phenomenal dancing and singing even if it is a strip club. My favorite movie is “The Book Thief” but since I have to have a second paragraph I chose “Burlesque” as my second favorite. Its acting is pretty good but it’s more of a movie for entertainment as I don’t feel it has that great of a plot. Even still, it goes to show a main character rising to the top which I love about the movie. Almost like an underdog coming to fame and surpassing all obstacles.
My favorite movie that was released in 2013 was Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain. It was a stand up comedy film that included the performance by Kevin Hart at Madison Square Garden. It was the funniest thing ever. He made jokes about himself and his own experiences that made it funnier. Although I can’t say some of his jokes because they might be inappropriate it was still the funniest show ever. In my opinion it should of won an oscar for best picture and best screenplay.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie of all time is Transformer: Dark of the Moon. It is the best movie ever!!! It has endless action and explosions and transforming robots killing other robots. Its about threat of war because earth’s past and the threat is so big that the transformers can’t do it themselves, they need to recruit their former leader Sentinel Prime. It has action, romance, and some comedy to make it the best movie of all time. It came out in 2011 and should of won every oscar, academy, and every other stupid award show their is.
Tyler Medina
ReplyDeleteBlog 24
6/8/14
I think that the movie Gravity should win an Oscar. I think this because of the incredible acting by the only two characters in the movie, which was George Clooney, and Sandra Bullock. Sandra Bullock played an astronaut that was stuck and stranded in the horrors of zero gravity and trillions of miles of open space. There were so many events where she could have died or lost grip of the only thing keeping her safe. It constantly kept me on the edge of my seat and the amount of sorrow I felt for her is unexplainable. Her journey has ups and downs, but in the end, she fought her way through it all and made it back home. Making it the perfect happy ending.
I don't really have a favorite movie of all time. There are way too many to choose from, there are plenty of combat movies, dramas and horror movies that I greatly enjoy watching. But if I were to choose one movie out of them all, it would be Shrek. I choose Shrek because it's a movie that I have enjoyed since I saw it. No matter what mood I'm in, I will always want to watch Shrek. It teaches lessons, and is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie genre is without a doubt comedy. Simply put, I love to laugh. 2013 was a great year for comedy movies and a great year for me to find new movies to laugh to. 2013 was home to extremely successful movies like Her, This is the End, We’re the Millers, and Frozen. However, out of those my favorite would have to be This is the End. I couldn’t get enough of the comedy and hilarity of the movie. There just wasn’t a dull scene. If they gave Oscars for movies that literally made you cry it would have to go to This is the End.
Although, This is the End was in my opinion the best movie of 2013, my most favorite movie of all time would have to be 21 Jump street. That movie is just sheer comedy. Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Ice Cube take the prize for that film. It had a brotherly bond between an unorthodox pair of friends that pieced the whole movie together. The two cop friends have to pose as high school students to bust a drug trafficking teacher and student. However, neither of the two were ready for the new experiences they would face going back to high school that had completely changed since their graduation.
Edwin Unsihuay
ReplyDelete6/9/14
My favorite movie from 2013 would have to be Iron Man 3 simply put, I didn’t watch many movies that came out on 2013 but this year I hope to get back right on track with the movies to be released. Anyways, Iron Man 3 for me was full of intense action and there would be some part of comedy, which I liked because I like movies that can make you laugh. As people say sometimes the sequels are not better than the original but this one was a nice way to answer those critics in my opinion at least. The parts of when clashing between the protagonist and the antagonist kept you at the edge of your seat because you want to know would Iron Man make it through unharmed and safe. I decided to watch Iron Man 3 because I liked The Avengers would made me ready for this movie to premiere. I do think this movie is Oscar worthy for the effort portrayed in the movie and it was entertaining for the audience especially for the children.
Many movies have caught my eye and I still remember it to this day although it is hard to choose a favorite. My favorite movie of all time is so far Toy Story 3; I remember watching it at the age of 13 or 12 I believe. Toy Story had that theme of friends being by your side and that they’re there for you when your not feeling at your best. Toy Story 3 started off well with the setting being at the day care center and you kind of felt for the toys when they were getting tossed and beaten up by the children who were crazy since they are little. The adventure that went on was exciting and seeing Andy (the owner of the toys) going off to college made it kind of emotional. Giving away the precious toys to be played again created a happy feeling for the audience but sad to see Andy leaves his toys behind as he heads to college knowing everything will be just fine.
Unlike most people in world or at least in my surroundings, I watch movies on a rare occasion. I’m not the type to count the days down until a movie comes out in the movie theaters. To be honest, I could care less about the movies that are created these days. I prefer shows or movies consisted of murders and crime scenes which is something rarely used in productions. So instead of taking the time out of my life for “movie time”, I will consume my time by exercising in my room or staying active outside. I hate being lazy, lounging around so I barely have time to squeeze a move in due to my drowsiness at the end of them from all of energy required things I do.
ReplyDeleteI have watched a few movies throughout my lifetime. My all-time movie is The Mask starring Jim Carrey. I think it is very amusing and entertaining. One of the reasons why I love this movie is because I am a huge fan of Jim Carrey as an actor. All of the movies I’ve seen with him in it, I like. I love this movie because it makes me laugh and I can never get sick of it. When I first watched it when I was younger, I used to mimic all of the comical quirks of the main character Jim Carrey. In a way this movie choice is special because my silly Grandma I used to have a strong bond with introduced it to me. Ever since I viewed The Mask on TV, I immediately bought it on DVD. Out of all of the few movies I have seen, this is always be my all-time favorite.
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DeleteAdam Diaz
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie of 2013 was "The Wolverine". I usually enjoy movies about the x-men or wolverine and this one did not disappoint. The movie was action packed and had major plot twists. I like action movies, they are one of my favorite genres of movies. "The Wolverine" was an overall excellent movie that entertained me the whole way through. I also enjoyed Hugh Jackman's acting in the movie, I think that he is a great actor.
I love a ton of movies, it is almost impossible to choose from. I love movies like Forest Gump, The Mask, and pretty much every Adam Sandler movie, but the movie I counld'nt stop laughing during is 21 Jump Street. 21 Jump Street is absolutely hilarious and it's not funny for parts of the movie it's funny for the entire movie. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum is an awsome duo and they are insanely funny in 21 Jump Street. It is very close on which movie is my favorite but I think this takes the cake. It is very uncommon to come by a movie this funny but i'm happy I came by this one.
My favorite movie of 2013 was Man of Steel. It was the latest production of a Superman movie, with the last one being Superman Returns in 2005. It is set in a dark, almost dystopian Metropolis in present time. I love comics so it was pretty easy for this one to make the top of the list. Its a great movie that keeps the audience constantly entertained. The only problem I had with it was that Superman, who is usually very against killing, kills Zod. Although even this was done well, because he did it to save an innocent family, and you could see the struggle he had in doing it.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie of all time though is the Breakfast Club. It is a timeless classic with a great plot and all star cast. Every teen can relate to this movie and it really shows that no matter what group you think you are in in high school, you are not that different than anyone else. This movie should have won every award ever. It even should have one awards for things it was not even competing in. The Breakfast Club deserves a grammy for best gospel song is all I'm saying. ITs versatile and amazing like that.
I dont actually in fact have a favorite, i mean i do but not one from the past year of 2013. But not to say that i don't have a favorite genre in movies, and that would be without a doubt comedy. And there was a wide variety of movies that came out during that year. Some that i enjoyed would be Frozen, This Is The End, 21 Jump Street, and We Are The Millers. The actors that were casted in these movies were beyond hysterical. And i enjoyed because of the different types of humor they was involved such as: corny, dry, and adult. But my favorite movie of ALL TIME, hands down is and will always be The Breakfast Club. This movie is everything, it has comedy, drama, and romance. Just about any person in the world can relate to movie. Regardless of the fact that it takes place at a High School, it shows how no matter what kind of people you associate yourself with, no one is different from one another. That there is always out there going through the same thing that you are.
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