Favorite movies of the year

This was a great year in movies.  I was very excited, and curious, about the myriad of films that came out this year. Some of them turned out really well. But there were some bad ones that just didn't impress. It was difficult but I managed to narrow my favorite films down to three.

1.  The Avengers.

 This is probably everyone's favorite movie of the year.  It blew away all expectations and raised the bar for future superhero films.  This is a movie that has been in the works ever since the first Iron Man came out back in 2008.  We've been waiting anxiously for years for this ultimate superhero film to finally hit theaters.  I saw it with my brother and best friend the day it came out.  I was so ecstatic! We went to a sold out showing at Tinseltown. After all the previews, the movie finally came on. From the first action scene to all the character introductions, you got a great sense of what this movie was going to be like.  Joss Whedon, the director/writer, made a terrific movie that balanced humor, action, and intelligence in every scene.  Each character had his/her moment in the film.  I was so impressed with what Joss was able to accomplish.  He knew the expectations were high and still delivered a great superhero film, and in my opinion the best one of all time.  Robert Downey Jr, Tom Hiddleston, and Mark Ruffalo were the major standouts in the film.  They were just amazing.  Overall, the movie kept you entertained the entire time. I wasn't bored at all.  The writing and acting was that good that you just kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. I can't wait for the sequel in 2015.  I just hope Joss realizes what worked in this one and can hopefully make an every better one the second time around.  

2. The Dark Knight Rises

A great trilogy is hard to make.  I mean there are few great trilogies out there.  The Star Wars trilogy (original) and the Lord of the Rings trilogy come to mind when I think of great trilogies. There really aren't many good ones out there.  It's easy to think of some pretty bad ones.  The Matrix trilogy comes to mind or maybe the Pirates of the Caribbean films.  It's hard to make worthy sequels.  Enter Christopher Nolan. This man is a genius.  What he was able to do with the Dark Knight trilogy was simply spectacular.  Batman Begins felt so fresh and amazing that a sequel was inevitable and highly demanded.  The Dark Knight came out a couple of years later and made cinematic history.  With an indelible performance from Heath Ledger, that movie became one of the greatest sequels of all time.  And it obviously raised the bar for the third movie.  The Dark Knight Rises came out this past summer. The expectations were enormous. Probably the highest ever for a third movie other than Return of the Jedi.  I saw this one opening night as well and was completely impressed by it.  This movie had everything in it and gave us a very satisfying ending to one of the greatest trilogies of all time.  I will say that the Dark Knight was written better and still has the greatest performance, in Heath Ledger, of the trilogy. But this movie is my favorite of the series.  It was just filled with emotion and drama and excellent heart-pounding music in every scene. Christian Bale delivered his best performance of the trilogy in this movie. With a strong cast that included Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway and Gary Oldman, Nolan was able to utilize all this talent into creating a moving action packed spectacle that will go down as one of the great superhero movies of all time.  

3.  Skyfall

This year is the 50th anniversary of Bond.  So that already creates enough pressure for the 23rd Bond film to deliver.  I knew as soon as Sam Mendes was hired to direct the next bond movie, that it was going to be great.  Mendes directed some great films like American Beauty, Road to Perdition, and Jarhead. His filmography is eclectic and shows the kind of range he has.  He knew this movie was going to be highly anticipated.  So he got a great group of writers and selected a terrific cast and began a great journey to create a worthy Bond film.  Once the movie was viewed by critics, word was spreading that this was one of the best Bond films of all time. The critics were bragging that this the Bond film that we've been waiting for so long. I had high expectations coming into this movie. And just like with the Avengers and Dark Knight Rises, I walked out of the theater completely satisfied and wanting to see it again.  Everything about this film was incredible.  It begins with an intense chase and doesn't let up.  The chemistry between Daniel Craig and Judi Dench is just outstanding and provides some good laughs and superb wit.  Javier Bardem steals the show as the villain.  He delivers a performance that is chilling and will go down as one of the greatest villains in the entire franchise. But the movie once again works thanks to Craig. He is just cool. He owns the role and makes it seem effortless.  Like Casino Royale, Skyfall has a great story that entertains and challenges the audience and wows them in every scene with breathtaking locations and terrific action sequences.  Skyfall is not only a great Bond film, but a great action film that will become an instant classic.

The next Spielberg

All of us have seen at least one of Steven Spielberg's films.  Most of us have seen more than one.  The guy has given us some of the best movies over the last four decades.  Here's a list of some of the movies he has directed: Jaws, Indiana Jones films, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and ET. These are some of the most popular and admired movies of all time.  This guy is the best at what he does.  Few directors have come close to him. But some people have made a list of directors that are considered "the next Spielberg." Some of them are James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Michael Bay(yea I gasped too), and JJ Abrams.  Now some of these guys have made some extraordinary movies that have become extremely popular in our culture.  But I'm going to make the argument for one guy I believe is the closest to Spielberg.  His name is Christopher Nolan.

Some of you make recognize his name and some of you don't. All you need to know is that this guy is responsible for the last two Batman movies.  Need I say more? But yea this guy has made some amazing movies over this last decade.  From Memento to Batman Begins to The Dark Knight to Inception.  Not only has he directed these movies, he also wrote them.  Brilliant dialogue mixed with stunning action sequences and visuals have made these movies classics over the last decade.  Mr. Nolan is a director that really loves the audience and knows that they're intelligent and aren't just looking for explosions and entertainment.  He knows they're looking for an experience.  Other directors give us great action and loads of humor, but then there's nothing else.  Nolan's movies have depth. They have characters that people really identify with.  Spielberg accomplished this especially with movies like Jaws, Indiana Jones, and Saving Private Ryan. 

Both of these directors really want to give audiences an experience.  With rising costs in movie tickets people don't want to just sit in a two hour movie watching explosions and listening to mediocre jokes and shallow acting.  They want something more.  Spielberg gave us stories and scenes that have become part of movie history.  Nolan has also given us amazing stories in the Batman films and in the thought provoking film Inception. 

The Dark Knight Rises comes out on Friday and the expectations are arguably the highest ever for a third film.  This could go down as the greatest trilogy of all time challenging the likes of Lord of the Rings and dare I say....Star Wars( I doubt it will though).  It's comforting to know there's a director like Nolan out there who will make good films that will not only entertain us but will provide us with an experience that we will remember for years. 

This weekend I'll give my review of the Dark Knight Rises.

What about the Thunder?

This has been one crazy offseason for the NBA. From Deron Williams deciding to stay in Brooklyn for a hefty 98 million dollar deal to Ray Allen going to the dark side in Miami.  Then came Steve Nash's decision to leave the desert and join rival Kobe Bryant in the quest for a championship(his first).  Yes with the addition of Nash, the Lakers are suddenly a better team.  Nash is one of the best point guards of all time. We all know that.  But what bothers me, and a lot of other people, is that the Lakers are now being labeled as "the big threat in the West" or as the "only team to dethrone the Heat."

Have they completely forgotten about the Thunder? The team that came out of the Western Conference this year? The team that just beat the best West teams of the last decade in the playoffs? The team with the BEST player in the NBA? I could go on and on.  These people on ESPN are saying that the Lakers are the only team who can beat the mighty Heat.  Yes the Lakers are a good team. They have Kobe Bryant who is one of the greatest players of all time.  There's no dispute there.  But the guy is 34 years old and is now teaming up with another legend in Steve Nash, who is turning 38 this year himself.  So yes they do have experience on their side.  A lot more than the Thunder.  But who really expected the young Thunder to be this good? I don't think anyone did.  We all knew they were talented and that Durant could be an amazing player.  But reaching the Finals in their fourth year playing together? That's crazy.  What's even crazier is that most of these guys are in their early 20s. They're very mature for their age, especially Durant.  America has fallen in love with these guys.  They are the future of the NBA.

My point with all this is that I wish the Thunder would get more respect.  Is it still because they play in Oklahoma City and not in some big city like LA or Miami? I don't know.  I just don't think we'll really get the respect we deserve until we win a championship, which will be next year.  I hope these guys on ESPN will realize how good we really are and keep us in the contender talk each year.  Miami is very good and it's going to take a very good team to beat them.  I don't think it's the Lakers.  The Thunder is the team to beat in the West and will dethrone the Heat next year.  That will start the Thunder dynasty.

Where I want to go

We all have places we want to go someday.  Maybe you want to go to Africa and see all the wildlife or maybe you want to see the Great Wall of China or Buckingham Palace.  There's so many destinations to go to.  Which ones are worth going to see? It really depends on what you're interested in....and what you can afford.

These are some of the places that I want to visit someday.     

Italy 

From Florence to Rome to Venice, there's a slew of places to travel to in Italy.  I've always been fascinated with this country because of its scenery and rich history.  Ever since I saw Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade I've wanted to go to Venice.  The elegant architecture, combined with the Grand Canal, makes it a hot spot for tourists. Rome is another city I would love to visit.  The colosseum alone is enough to lure anyone.  I can't help but think of the movie Gladiator and all the epic battles that took place in the arena. Phenomenal movie. The Vatican would be another interesting destination to visit.  It's filled with history and extravagant churches that dazzle the eyes. The Renaissance began in Florence during the 14th century.  This period in history gave birth to huge changes in art, music, philosophy, and many others that still have an affect on people today.  It would be so cool to be able to visit all the museums in Florence and see all the artwork by people like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Greece

Not too far from Italy is Greece, which sits right along the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. Yes we all know this country is going through a bit of a debt crisis(another temporary bailout was just given).  But once all that blows over I would love to go there.  Once again, the history and the architecture are the big reasons why I would want to go here.  Plus the view isn't that bad either- see the picture below.  It's a place I would love to take my wife to.  She's crazy about places like Santorini, which is located near the prettiest bay of water you'll ever see.

New Zealand

The Lord of the Rings films are some of my favorite movies of all time.  The films not only have great stories and superb acting, they have some of the best sceneries in movie history.  I remember watching these films and just being in awe of the mountains and the landscape.  I just want to spend a week hiking and climbing the mountains.  If I had to pick one of these amazing destinations it would definitely be this one.  It's just amazing.

These are just some of the places I want to visit someday.  I hope to have the funds and the time to go to at least one of these places.  I'm going to work hard in life so I can go on trips like these with my wife and our kids someday.

Enjoy these awesome pics and have a great weekend!

                                                                             Greece

Florence

New Zealand

Big year in movies

If this is our last year on Earth, we're going out with a bang.  That is....with movies.  The movie lineup is very impressive this year.  Each month has a myriad of movies waiting to be seen.  Here are some that I'm most looking forward to.


Star Wars Episode I in 3D

I'm excited to see this back on the big screen.  It's not the best of the series, (arguably the worst) but it's worth going just to feel like a kid again. Still the best saga of all time.

Wrath of the Titans

Yea the first was wasn't that good. It lacked a good story and the acting was mediocre. Even Sam Worthington himself apologized for his performance.  He vowed to make this one better.  The trailer makes this movie look really good. But then again the first one had a great trailer as well. So we shall see if this one will be an improvement over its predecessor.

The Avengers

The wait is almost over.  All the marvel movies these past few years have been leading up to this epic film.  It's going to be awesome seeing Iron Man and Thor and the others together.  The action, combined with humor and drama, are going to be plentiful. It's the first movie of the summer. As it should be.

The Dark Knight Rises

It's the highly anticipated finale to one of the greatest trilogies of all time.  The expectations will be incredibly high for this film.  The Dark Knight was such a huge hit and is, in my opinion, the best superhero movie of all time.  But with Christopher Nolan once again writing and directing, we know the movie will deliver.  This really has a shot at being the greatest ending to a trilogy ever.

The Bourne Legacy

Without Matt Damon returning, many people saw this as an unnecessary addition to a great franchise.  But with Jeremy Renner as the new "Bourne" and a cast that includes Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton, this movie suddenly has potential.  Even the writer of the previous Bourne movies is directing.  It has all the right ingredients to be a successful film.  The big challenge is replacing Matt Damon in a franchise that made him a worldwide action star.  We will find out soon enough.

The Hobbit

Other than The Dark Knight Rises, this is the one I'm most looking forward to.  I loved the Lord of the Rings movies.  They were great adventure films that really captured your imagination with interesting characters, powerful music, and a story that kept you engaged until the very end.  Now the prequels are coming out.  They will feature some old faces and some new ones.  Peter Jackson and many other people involved in the other films are returning.  It doesn't come out until around Christmas, but it will be a fitting ending to a great year in movies.