2013 The Year in Film Review: Best Movies

2013, regardless of how it was for you, was a tremendously successful year for the many movie studios that are in operation today.  The box office record that was just recently set last year has been broken again in 2013 thanks large in part to the heavy hitters of cinema:  Disney, Warner Brothers, and Universal studios.  These studios have given us some of the most profitable and memorable movies of the year, and we as film fans are in debt to them; due to the fact that our lives would be much more boring without them.  Despite the numerous number of box office successes, there were inevitably a large amount of proverbial "busts"(Lone Ranger, Runner Runner, Fifth estate).  Todays post I felt was appropriate as today is the last day of a historic 2013, and I wanted to run down my top 5 favorite movies of the year.  This is where many of you will disagree with me, but that is a good thing as the overall subjectivity of cinema is its greatest quality in my opinion.  With that said, here are my 5 favorite movies that came out this year.  Enjoy.

5.  Don Jon

 This pick might be based solely on my fondness of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL), but for whatever reason I really enjoyed this movie.  If any of you have seen it then you know the subject matter is rather.......graphic?  But if you have not, the plot revolves around JGL trying to find a woman that can basically satisfy him more than his porn can.  The idea is very unique and original, and it really shows throughout the film.  I believe I enjoyed this movie so much because this kind of story arc was rather unprecedented at the time, and showcased a very realistic situation that is probably more relevant in todays society than we realize.  Throw in the fact that JGL also directed this movie goes to show the level of talent that this man has.  He may never get the chance to direct a big blockbuster, but if he gives us a few movies about socially relevant subject matter every couple years; than I would be very satisfied with that.  This film also benefited from the sheer beauty of a miss Scarlett Johansson; which is never a bad thing.  Overall this may not be one of the best "films" of 2013, but it did stick with me well after seeing it due to its great blend of charm, humor, and social commentary; which in turn resulted in one of my favorite movies of 2013.

4.  IronMan 3

This one may have been the hardest decision to make on the entire list.  I only wanted to put one superhero movie on this list in some attempt to keep this fairly diversified.  I LOVE superhero movies, and could easily have put Man of Steel, Thor: The Dark World, and The Wolverine in place of IronMan 3, but overall I believe that the spot ultimately belongs to Tony Stark.  Take this into consideration.  IronMan 2 had a production budget around 200 million dollars.  That is pretty average for a superhero movie of this scale nowadays.  IronMan 2 grossed about 620 million dollars at the worldwide box office.  That is a pretty damn good return on your investment if you ask me.  Now IronMan 2 I believe is the weakest of all the marvel movies made to this day, and it grossed A LOT of money.  Likewise, I assume if you have a pulse; that you saw The Avengers in the summer of 2012 which was my favorite movie that year.  That movie made 1.5 billion dollars at the box office.  Wow.  But what The Avengers did for Marvel was more important than just grossing that 1.5 billion dollars.  The Avengers brought in a whole new crop of marvel fans that will pay to see any movie that has that Marvel logo.  Whats my proof?  Well, how about the fact that IronMan 3, which was the first Marvel movie to be released after the Avengers, had the same production budget as IronMan 2 at 200 million dollars.  The difference?  IronMan 3 made 1.2 BILLION dollars at the box office compared to IronMan 2 at 620 million.  Was IronMan 3 a better movie than IronMan 2? Absolutely.  Was it 600 million times better?  Absolutely not.  The Avengers effect is inflating the box office gross of every subsequent Marvel movie whether it be IronMan, Thor, and even the lowly Captain America.  The Movie itself was great based solely off of Robert Downey Jr playing the role he was born for, and that was enough for me to say it was awesome.  The twist in the middle of the movie regarding the Mandarin I was not a big fan of, but I did admire the courage Marvel showed in doing it.  Overall I give IronMan 3 the nod based on its success, and the humor employed by the charismatic RDJ in conjunction with the rest of the cast.

3.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

I just did a very extensive review on this movie a couple of days ago, so I won't go too deep on this one, but I will reiterate that I was really impressed by this movie upon seeing it.  The first Hobbit was a bit underwelming to me to some extent.  I liked it, but was expecting the next Return of the King; which was an unfair expectation, but a real one nevertheless.  The Desolation of Smaug was a surprise in that it boasted the BEST action sequence of the year.  That 15 minute or so scene where they are escaping the elves and Orcs in the barrels was absolutely amazing.  I wish I could have seen the smile on my face throughout that whole sequence because I am sure it would have been interesting.  Also it boasted one of the most memorable movie villains in recent history in the form of Smaug himself.  Bennedict Cumberbatch really made that role his own.  Perhaps the thing that led to the Hobbits hype was the way it ended, and that it left that audience wanting another movie at that very moment.  I love when movies do that, and this film is no exception.

2.  12 Years a Slave

Okay.  Its time to get serious.  No movie this year tugged at my emotions quite like this one did.  To me as a film fan, I like different kinds of movies for different reasons at different times.  Sometimes ill go through periods where all I want to watch is comedies, or all I want to watch are fantasy/ sic-fi flicks.  But movies like 12 years a slave will always be a priority for me to watch regardless of what mood I find myself in.  For some, movies are just entertainment.  To others, movies are art.  This film is art.  It depicts the true story of a free black man living with his family in New York about 20 years prior to the civil war.  In short, he is kidnapped and sold into slavery eventually winding up in the deep south.  The dialogue in the movie is superb, and really captures the tone of the time period and the overall feeling towards black people living in that era.  I think the best aspect of the movie is the acting performances.  Chiwetel Ejiofor gives the performance of a lifetime in the leading role and better be nominated for an academy award.  The academy loves films like this, and I believe the director and actors will be rewarded accordingly.  I also believe this might be the best film of the year, but it is not number one on my list because I view best film and favorite film as two entirely different things.  The acting performances from Ejiofor to Michael Fassbender to Paul Dano were all better than the ones in my number one film but I just had too much fun when seeing number one to put 12 years a slave above it.  That said, I think12 years a slave is an excellent film and beautifully depicts the hardships and injustice that plagued our country for hundreds of years.

1.  The Wolf of Wall Street

Oh Leo.  You might be the unluckiest actor in the history of cinema.  Clearly one of the best actors in hollywood today, Leonardo Dicaprio has been nominated for best actor at the academy awards 3 times and has never won.  What a shame.  He is a prime example of how hard it is to win an oscar.  You could be the best actor of the last 10 years, and have consistently knocked it out of the park every time; but if you are not the absolute best any particular year then i'm sorry:  you will not win.  Leo should garner another nomination this year for his portrayal as Jordan Belfort the corrupt stock broker, but I do not think he is going to win unfortunately.  Enough of Leo for now; lets get to the movie.  The initial reviews for Wolf of Wall Street were a bit disappointing considering the people involved.  This scared me because this was the only christmas day release that I actually wanted to see.  So I will admit, my expectations were lowered upon walking in to see the movie.  Boy was I impressed.  From the first scene until the credits started rolling, I was very very entertained.  Wolf of Wall Street to me was the most entertaining movie of 2013, and that is what I look for when determining my favorite movies.  The trailers do make the movie look like it will be funny, but when you see the actual film it is absolutely hilarious!  Totally was not expecting that.  Sure the movie was laced with borderline pornography, but if you want a true interpretation of the story then you would be doing a dis service in not including the graphic material.  The whole point of including the sex scenes, excessive drug use, and profanity is to highlight the realness and severity of the situation that the characters were in.  This movie is NOT for children, NOT for the easily embarrassed, and NOT for the easily offended.  This film is made for the people who want an inside look into the real life situations that the Wall street elite found themselves in on a daily basis.  If you want to clean it up and make it more tasteful; then you will not get the true meaning of the story.  Wolf of Wall Street is a high octane ride that is fast paced and filled with explicit material that only builds up the lavishness that is thrusted upon Belfort; which makes it even more powerful when it is swiftly taken away from him.  Do not be intimidated by the  3 hour length.  It absolutely blows by, and I was totally engaged throughout the entire film.  Was it the best made film of the year? One of the top 5 at least.  Was it my favorite? Yes.....Yes it was.

Honorable Mentions:

- Thor: The Dark World
- American Hustle
- Gravity
- Captain Phillips
-  Man of Steel

Thanks for reading my top 5 movies of 2013!  Let me know what you think, and if you agree or disagree; i'd love to hear your opinions.  Stay tuned, I promise to do the review for Thor very soon; I have just been very busy lately.  I hope you enjoyed todays post, and until next time: have a happy new year!

- Big D

Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Its good to be back! I was starting to go through some movie withdrawals as it had been a whole week since I had been to the theater.  But now that the Holiday season is pretty much over, it'll be much easier to focus on cranking out posts everyday.  There are lots of good movies out, and I have been especially busy in the last 24 hours.  Last night I had the pleasure of taking my wonderful Grandmother to our local AMC to see Grudge Match with the only two actors I think she still recognizes ( DeNiro, Stallone).  It was a nice little film, review coming later, but lets just say I wasn't expecting the next Godfather upon entering the theater.  But I was pleased with what I saw just a few hours ago.  The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was in short - spectacular.  And to make things even better; I am leaving to see The Wolf of Wall Street in just a couple of hours.  So I will have seen about 8 hours of new movie in a 24 hour time period.  Its the life.  As a reminder, all of my reviews will be split into two different sections.  The first section will be for people who have not yet seen the movie and would like to know if I think it is worth seeing or not.  It will be more vague and generic and will not give away any important plot points or details.  The second section will be the bulk of the review, and will be much more detailed.  I must warn you that the second section may contain information that can be taken as a spoiler of sorts; so tread lightly.  With that said here is my official review of  The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug.

Peter Jacksons latest installment of The Hobbit series, I believe, is vastly superior to its predecessor which came out late last year.  This film successfully continues the story that was established earlier and also brilliantly connects us to each of the characters despite their great similarities.  It also boasts one of the best action sequences of the year and the most memorable and terrifying villain in any of the Lord of the Rings movies to date.  The pacing and tempo of the film makes the near three hour movie breeze right past you, and the visual effects are easily some of the best to have been put out this year.  Overall, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a tremendously fun film experience that will make even the most novice LOTR fan geek out.

Verdict:  Must See

Now to the fun part.  I was the victim of a form of middle earth sickness upon going in to watch the first Hobbit film last year.  The friday it came out was also the last day of the semester for that school year.  So after school me and a bunch of people went to our friend Brian's house to watch some Lord of the Rings before seeing the Hobbit that night.  I don't know how many of you are big LOTR fans, but you all must know that each of the movies are very very long.  And Brian happened to have the extended version of each.  The three days leading up to the Hobbit showing we had watched the extended version of each of the original LOTR films; which totaled about 12 hours of middle earth goodness.  That friday we had taken two finals, watched the extended version of Return of the King, ate some Chipotle, and were about to see the Hobbit at 10:30 at night.  To say the least, I was tired and was struggling to keep my eyes open after the first act of the Hobbit which was uneventful at best.  The second time I saw it, I loved it.  So there is no doubt in my mind that it was a good film.  This is all relevant because as I walked into Desolation of Smaug; my mind was fresh and I was eager to return to this fantasy packed world, and I could really tell the difference between todays experience and last years debacle.  Now to the movie.  The one thing I thought I could predict about the Hobbit trilogy is that all the movies would be primarily focused on Bilbo Baggins.  After today I think it is clear that these films will be more about Thorin Oakenshield and the dwarves.  I, like many of you, have not read any of the books, and have no idea how the story is supposed to go or end.  Personally I prefer it this way, but others of you might feel differently and that is perfectly alright.  Overall I really enjoyed the movie, but no movie is without flaw and there were some things that I took issue with.  First, I believe Gandalf was underused.  I understand that they might just be trying to follow what happens in the book, but Gandalf is easily their most recognizable character and should have been in more of the movie.  It was pretty cool to see him actually use some magic and throw down with some Orcs.  Also I did not like how they kept going back to Kili the dwarf who was injured during the barrel scene.  I assume he will have a greater role in the next film, but if he does not; I don't understand the focus on him at all.  If he ends up doing something heroic like killing Smaug, then I understand his importance.  But if he is just another dwarf, then I find his scenes to be rather pointless.  Those were really the only problems I could think of when it came down to it.  I have to say something about the terrific barrel chase seen as the men attempt to escape the elves and Orcs.  That whole 15 minute sequence was just awesome; maybe the best action scene of the year.  The only one comparable might be Superman vs General Zod at the end of Man Of Steel.  Anyways The Desolation of Smaug benefits from a trend I have recently seen in trilogies.  The first part of a trilogy has the burden of establishing characters, a plot, and laying groundwork for future films.  Likewise the third part of a trilogy has the burden of making sure the trilogy ends on a good note, and that the characters all fulfill their original purpose.  The middle film has no such burden.  It has a bank of already established characters, an ongoing plot, and a clear path that the franchise has already created.  The second movie just has to focus on being a good movie.  Nothing else.  This is why some of the best movies of all time are sequels in a trilogy.  For example:  The Dark Knight, The Empire Strikes Back, Toy Story 2, and The Godfather II to name a few.  Obviously there are exceptions, but generally I find this to be true.  Other notable things about the movie include the titular character Smaug himself.  He looked great, sounded great, and was just an amazing onscreen presence.  I already like him more then any villain from the original trilogy by far.  Bennedict Cumberbatch was excellent in his portrayal as Smaug; most notably the voice.  Perhaps the thing I am most looking forward to in the next movie is not how the story ends, but how this Hobbit trilogy connects to the LOTR trilogy.  The one ring is heavily present in this film and we can already see Bilbo start to become overly fond of the ring, and it will be interesting to see if that becomes more relevant in the next film.  Also we were introduced to the father of Gimli and Legolas himself, who was absolutely bad ass in this film if I must say.  The visuals were superb as has come to be expected, and the cast acted beautifully.  Overall, I must say that this film is much better than the first Hobbit movie, and set it up nicely for the final installment.  The theater I was in went into a bit of an uproar when the film ended the way it did; and I like it when that happens.  To anyone that likes action, fantasy, or just a great movie; I would easily recommend seeing The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug the first chance you get.

Rating:  8/10

Thanks for reading today, and stay tuned tomorrow for another movie tomorrow as I delve into the details of the film Thor: The Dark World.  I hope you enjoyed todays post, and I would like to personally thank you for your support.  Until tomorrow, have a splendid day.

- Big D

First Movie Review: GRAVITY

Hey everyone! Hope you are all having a great day, and I would like to thank you for taking a part of your day to hear what I have to say.  It means a lot.  Today I have for you my first movie review of the year, and I am extremely excited to begin discussing the movies of today with all of you.  As a reminder, all of my reviews will be split into two different sections.  The first section will be for people who have not yet seen the movie and would like to know if I think it is worth seeing or not.  It will be more vague and generic and will not give away any important plot points or details.  The second section will be the bulk of the review, and will be much more detailed.  I must warn you that the second section may contain information that can be taken as a spoiler of sorts; so tread lightly.  With that settled, I give you my blogs inaugural movie review; and it is for the science fiction thriller:  Gravity.

There are a lot of things that Gravity does not do well.  The script is very poor, there are only two characters (one really), the acting is sub-par, and the concept is far fetched to a great extent.  That being said, Gravity is a beautifully put together film.  Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity is not so much a movie as it is a ride.  The visual experience is unlike anything I have ever experienced in a movie before.  Make no mistake, this movie was made to be shown on the big screen, in IMAX, and in 3D.  Watching it on tv, a laptop, or on any other media, and Gravity instantly becomes one of the most boring movies ever made.  Seeing as how I did see this movie in IMAX 3D, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone capable of seeing it in the same fashion I did.  Trust me on this, if you ever see this movie; the least you will be able to say is that it definitely was a unique experience.
Verdict:  Dont watch unless it is on the big screen.

Now to the fun part.  Gravity, to me, was the first time I ever experienced motion sickness while at the movies.  Throughout the entire first 20 minutes or so, I was sick to my stomach.  The Buffalo Wild Wings that I had just ate 15 minutes prior to seeing the movie might have had something to do with it, but I had had BWW many times before.  It was clear that the cause was Gravity.  My god was that opening seen beautiful.  I remember witnessing it, and just thinking to myself, " This is crazy".  The entire theater was silent, and if you looked around you would undoubtedly find a theater full of dropped jaws.  Now, as good and unique the visual effects/cinematography was in that movie, I do not think that it was that great of a "movie".  Take away the shock and awe you get upon seeing this beautiful portrayal of space, and what you have left is Sandra Bullock doing cartwheels for an hour and a half.  I understand that the director was limited in what he had available to him story wise.  The cast he had in Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, who are both Oscar quality actors, were put into a rather awkward situation in this movie themselves.  Once Clooney is taken out of the picture, we have about a full hour of Sandra Bullock by herself trying to get to another countries space station in hopes of getting back to Earth.  Like what the hell.  As soon as I found out her plan, my first reaction was: you have to be kidding me.  You're telling me, that an antisocial scientist on her first spacewalk is going to be able to survive this?  Usually I try not to think this way and focus on the story that has been presented.  For whatever reason I just could not do that with this movie.  Lets keep this in perspective, I think Cuaron directed this movie masterfully, especially with all the circumstances surrounding this film.  Did I enjoy this film? Yes.  Was it an unforgettable movie experience? Yes it certainly was.  Was it best picture worthy? Absolutely not.  Gravity does deserve a nomination based upon its unprecedented achievements in visual effects, and Cuaron should garner great recognition for his directing in this movie.  But it lacks the excellence in aspects like script, acting, and just overall story that I ultimately look for when deciding best picture of the year.  Now just because it's not best picture worthy, does not mean it was a bad film by any means.  My favorite movie of all time, The Dark Knight, did not even get a best picture nomination the year it was eligible.  I still expect a letter from the academy apologizing for excluding the Dark Knight from contention that year in favor of.......it hurts me to say..................The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?  Blasphemous! But that argument is for another day sadly.  Anyways, I believe that we should not judge Gravity as a movie but rather as an experience.  It was never meant to blow us away with its acting or script, and I don't believe we should judge it for that.  Take Gravity for what it is, and that is a spectacle made for the big screen.  Do not compare it to other movies.  Gravity is its own entity and should be respected as such.
Rating: 7.5/10

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed our first review!  Comment and let me know what you think of the setup or if you have any suggestions on how to make it better.  I would greatly appreciate some feedback.  Until next time, thanks again and have a splendid day.

- Big D

The Jennifer Lawrence Situation

First, i'd just like to acknowledge that I know I said I was going to post yesterday, but I had the opportunity to go see American Hustle before going to work and that offer was just too tempting.  So in short, I would like to apologize to the handful of people that might have been looking forward to hearing from me yesterday.

As for today, I have the great pleasure of writing about my favorite actress (by far):  the beautiful, the charming, the talented Jennifer Lawrence.

I mean come on.  Look at her, and tell me with a straight face that she is not beautiful.  Now, that last sentence may hurt my credibility in that some might think I chose her as my favorite actress solely based on my fondness of her appearance; which couldn't be farther from the truth.  But, I firmly believe that the love I have for her is based on my infatuation with her acting ability just as much as her looks.  If I saw her randomly walking down the street, and I was unaware that she was one of the most popular working actresses in hollywood today; I have no doubt that I would find her attractive.  But the factor that causes her, in my mind, to go from another pretty face to my full blown celebrity crush is her acting ability.

Lets be honest, I like many of you saw Jennifer Lawrence for the first time in a leading role in the first Hunger Games movie in the summer of 2012.  I really enjoyed the movie.  I did.  I walked out impressed, most likely because I had low low expectations for the movie as a whole.  But, I will admit that I was not a Jennifer Lawrence fanatic upon seeing The Hunger Games.  I was now full aware of her presence and put on notice that she had some talent.  I did remember seeing her in X men: First Class the previous year as she portrayed Mystique alongside James Mcavoy and the great Michael Fassbender, but she was an afterthought once it was all said and done; mostly because I could not stop focusing on the Professor X- Magneto dynamic.  After these two movies, Lawrence's popularity was rising fast, and I as a movie enthusiast was aware of this. But.......the film that changed everything for me......was Silver Linings Playbook.  My god, what a great movie.  It was the perfect storm.  Bring in a quality leading man:  Bradley Cooper. Check.  A leading actress whose stock is rising ever so highly:  Jennifer Lawrence.  Check.  Throw in some complimentary actors and a great director:  Robert De niro, Chris Tucker, and David O Russell respectively.  Check check.  I was really looking forward to it due to the cast and the oscar buzz that was surrounding it, and boy did it not disappoint.  Cooper had me convinced he was mentally insane through the first 30 minutes or so based solely off his demeanor and dialogue.  De niro was vintage and brought a great complimentary piece to the Cooper and Lawrence relationship.  But lets be straight here, this was the coming out party for Jennifer Lawrence as a fantastic, Oscar worthy dramatic actress.  She absolutely stole the show. Her performance as the sarcastic, unemotional yet clearly troubled widow was the perfect compliment to Coopers character who had clear issues of his own.  As the movie goes on, the progression of their relationship is so magnificent that it makes you want Cooper to just stop worrying about his damn ex wife and just pick Lawrence up and carry her off into the sunset.  I love when actors give performances that make you, the viewer, develop an emotional connection to the character.  The best actors and directors are the ones that can make the audience feel emotionally invested in a person that doesn't exist.  Lawrence, to me, did that to a great extent in this film, and I have been the biggest Jennifer Lawrence fan ever since.  It was no surprise to me that she won the academy award for best actress of the year for her role in that movie.  I'll also contend that Cooper should have won the Oscar for acting that year, but lost to Daniel Day-Lewis simply because Daniel Day-Lewis is Daniel Day-Lewis and was in a period piece about one of the most famous historical figures of all time in a movie directed by Steven Spielberg.   But that argument is for a different time.  Back to J-Law.  Ever since her Oscar, she has continued to knock it out of the park with the second Hunger Games movie and the recently released American Hustle(both of which I will be doing a review on).  I'll let you in on a secret, Lawrence will be nominated for another academy award for American Hustle, and she will win.  I say this not because she is my favorite actress, but because she will truly have deserved it.  Overall, as long as she continues to make movies you will be hearing me talk about her, and I believe that she will continue to remain one of the most popular and well respected actresses in Hollywood; and the fact that I can say that confidently....puts a smile on my face.

Okay! From here on out, I will start posting movie reviews a couple times a week, while trying to post at least something everyday.  The movie reviews at first will be more frequent because I want to review a couple that have been out for a while.  The reviews you can expect include, Gravity, Thor: The Dark World, Bad Grandpa, Catching Fire, Frozen, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, 12 Years a Slave, and many more.  My reviews will be separated into two different sections.  The first will be for people who have NOT seen the movie and would like to know if I think it is worth seeing.  The second section will be much more detailed and very SPOILER FILLED, and should only be read if you have seen the movie already.  I'm very excited to start talking about these movies, and engage in some friendly debate.  Until next time, I hope you have a splendid rest of your day.

- Big D

The Great Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender is my favorite actor working in Hollywood today and I am not ashamed to admit it.     If I were asked who my favorite actor of all time is, I would give a different answer in the form of Morgan Freeman however.  Freeman is not as relevant for his acting as he once was, so Fassbender gets the nod here.  I did have some internal conflict when thinking about this, so  I narrowed it down to a list of five which included Fassbender, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Robert Downey jr., and Brad Pitt.  All of them are inarguably A list quality and have turned in some of the greatest acting performances of the past decade.
 Christian Bale played my favorite superhero (Batman) in one of my favorite movies of all time in The Dark Knight.  I will always have special feelings for Bale as he was the first of the five to connect with me in theaters, and there will always be a place in my heart for him because of it.
  Bradley Cooper I have adored since his small role in one of my favorite comedies of all time in Wedding Crashers.  His likability ended up creating a sort of man crush on him after seeing The Hangover, and he since has turned into one of the most diverse actors working today.  Out of the five, I think he gave the greatest dramatic acting performance in Silver Linings Playbook just last year.  I highly recommend the movie if you haven't seen it, and are a fan of great acting performances.  Coopers turn as a borderline mental patient is fantastic, and his chemistry with (my future wife) Jennifer Lawrence is superb.  It's going to be interesting to see what he brings to the superhero genre when he plays the voice of Rocket Raccoon in next summers Guardians of the Galaxy.
 Speaking of superhero movies, mr Robert Downey Jr just might play the most memorable character of the bunch in Tony Starks Iron man.  The humor and humanity he brings to the role is just perfect and he is the backbone of that entire marvel franchise.  Its why his charm is so present in every movie he appears in whether it be Avengers or Sherlock Holmes. This all might be because of his prior drug addiction, but nevertheless he is a very talented actor.
 Brad Pitt to me is the funniest of all them all.  His subtle humor in movies like Oceans 11, Mr and Mrs Smith, and Inglorious Basterds is pure gold.  Don't get me wrong, he is a great dramatic actor as well; just look at Moneyball, Benjamin Button, Fight Club, and Seven.
Despite all this, I still prefer Michael Fassbender as an actor.  First, you could make a movie of him just speaking pure German for two hours and I would pay 12 dollars to see it.  He stole the show in Inglorious Basterds playing the fake German Lieutenant; he probably got the part because of his ability to speak German but nevertheless it gave him great exposure to the Hollywood community.  I think this performance landed him the role of Magneto in "X men: First Class".  He was fantastic in that film and only increased his popularity amongst everyday movie audiences as this was his first big budget film.  I have yet to see him do a strict comedy, but his acting ability he has displayed in other films lead me to believe he is very capable.  The way he speaks and conducts himself during a movie for whatever reason simply draws me to him in a way that hasn't happened to me before.  It may just be his overall demeanor and suave, but nevertheless my eyes are glued to the screen every-time he is on it.  It warms my heart to know that he is getting more leading roles these days.  He played the title character in Ridley Scotts "The Counselor", and although the movie was a disappointment I found Fassbenders performance to be superb despite the poor script.  This wont be the last time I rant on about certain actors, especially Fassbender to be quite honest.  Its a shame so many people view the art of acting as something anyone can do.  It requires, in my mind, a god given talent that few people possess, and it is why I view people like Michael Fassbender in such high regard.

Check back tomorrow as I discuss my favorite actress of today, and favorite actress of all time.  This post was a little lengthy, but I just had a lot to say I guess.  Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a splendid day.

- Big D

Big D... The Movie Blog

Welcome fellow movie enthusiasts and critics to my brand new movie blog! My name is Dominick Summa aka Big D, and I am a longtime movie lover who has a deep appreciation for the art of filmmaking.  This is just an introductory post to get myself situated, but my constant stream of movie reviews will begin uploading within the next week.

A little bit of background about me.  I am 18 years old, live in southern California, and go to school at the University of California, Riverside as a political science major.  I have always been able to debate and argue my viewpoints about movies, sports, and politics very well and it has impacted my life to a great extent.  I will go to my grave arguing that "The Dark Knight" should have been at least nominated for best picture that year, and anybody who wishes to debate me on that:  I welcome you to try.  Anyway, the next couple days I'll upload small posts about topics like, My favorite actor/actress, favorite genre of movie, least favorite movie, best movie franchise, etc.  All leading up to my post about my favorite movie of all time.  After that i'll begin posting reviews about recent movies like Gravity, Thor: The Dark World, Catching Fire, and The Wolf of Wall Street.  I intend to review all the movies that will be nominated for best picture, and predict the winners for all the major categories.  Hopefully this thing builds up some sort of following and we can debate about movies amongst each other cause thats what the best part of film is.

Until next time, have a splendid day.

- Big D