Hey y'all,
This year has been a crazy one, I'm sorry that I haven't posted more! To summarize: I've been crazy off my ass doing shows and festivals this year in addition to work. It's been cool- I've been on a board for a new theatre company (and performed in their first production), did a workshop for an amazing musical called 'Giant Steps: an Urbean Musical', in which I got to work with Billy Porter and several other incredibly talented individuals. I also did a production of 'A Chorus Line', complete with the original choreography- I was extremely proud of that show and the work I put into it.
I also got nominated for a B. Iden Payne award for Featured Actor in a Musical, which was pretty gratifying for only a year in the Austin theatre scene! It was so much fun and humbling to be nominated and it makes me want to continue to do good work and support the awesome city I'm in, which is host to awesome film stuff too! Speaking of, I did my first film, 'Zero Charisma', which was such an amazing experience and taught me that I love film and making movies, which I knew, but always expected to be beyond me. It was actually pretty natural and an incomparable experience! In October I got to attend the Austin Film Festival, which was another great experience. I learned so much and met such wonderful people, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next year!
For now, I want to talk movies. My schedule kept me from seeing a lot of movies, so before I get to my top films I've seen, I wanted to put together a list of films that I DIDN'T see, but I expect to be awesome, followed by a list of movies I recommend seeing but weren't in my top ten.
Top Ten Movies I Have Yet to See
10. Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (I love Dame Judi Dench)
9. Iron Sky (looks like a fun, interesting idea)
8. Hyde Park on the Hudson (Bill Murray; done)
7. Compliance (Not sure if I could make it through, I hear good things)
6. Lincoln (I feel like a bad American Studies degree holder, but I'm only seeing it for Oscars)
5. Argo (bad timing when it was out, really want to see it)
4. Perks of Being a Wallflower (hear rave reviews from everyone)
3. Zero Dark Thirty (Jessica Chastain Da Gawd)
2. Killer Joe (I like fried chicken, and I hear there's fried chicken in it)
1. Cloud Atlas (alleged racism aside, it looked fascinating and challenging)
Great Movies You Might Not Have Seen
Chronicle- I had so much fun watching this movie, and Max Landis is a really great screenwriter.
Dredd- The best, most fun film that nobody watched this year. I'm talking beautiful cinematography, energizing action sequences- and nobody saw it! WATCH THIS MOVIE.
Vampira and Me- A really fascinating documentary about a woman who ended up influencing my life and childhood without me knowing it.
Saturday Morning Massacre- Zoinks, a local horror, semi-parody of Scooby Doo! Incredibly well-done and a great homage as well as a scary standalone film.
The Muslims are Coming- Another doc, this time about Muslim comedians trying to assuage some of the Islamophobia that the US feels. Funny and poignant.
Ann Richard's Texas- I love Texas, and now I love Ann Richards. RIP.
Last Day at Lambeau- A doc about Brett Favre's 'last' season and the reaction of the fanbase. Really great.
My Top Ten Movies I've Seen This Year
Honorable mentions- The Hobbit, 21 Jump Street
10. The Sessions- A witty, surprisingly funny film about a handicapped, deeply religious man who wants to lose his virginity. My vote for Best Actor is between the lead in this, John Hawkes, and someone later on our list. Be prepared to see Helen Hunt's vagina.
9. Safety Not Guaranteed- An endearing, quirky movie featuring a terrific performance by Aubrey Plaza, who goes beyond her typical character. Clever, interesting, and a movie that keeps you guessing. Go see this movie!
8. The Last Man(s) on Earth- A comedic thrillfest with zombies, nuclear terrorists, and the incomparable EPIC MODE, this movie did so much with so little and really became one of my favorite movies of the year. I urge you to find this when it's released and watch it!
7. Django Unchained- Basically Tarantino being Tarantino, aka awesome. While I wasn't as enthralled as watching Kill Bill, that's like saying which 5 star meal I preferred over another. The detail and genius that Tarantino brings to each of his films, Django included was brilliant. Add in Samuel L Jackson in a part that I would like to see win an Oscar, and you've got a wonderful film.
6. Silver Linings Playbook- This movie really grabs you and takes you on a journey, and despite a somewhat shallow feeling end, it escapes the mundane cliches of a typical romantic comedy and really rises above the genre. Highly impressive.
5. The Avengers- This movie was exactly what I was wanting, and is perhaps my favorite movie of the year. Everything came together so well, and Joss Whedon made yet another masterpiece, doing what many considered to be impossible for so long. Excited to see the Avengers assemble in the next film!
4. Cabin in the Woods- I'm a fan of well-done self-referential horror films, and this one takes the cake. Perhaps defining all horror movies EVER, this film really smartly addresses the cliches and traditions that our culture has come to expect in the horror genre and challenges us to laugh at and examine ourselves and why we have them. Fantastic.
3. Looper - Instant Sci-Fi classic. Everything was well done- it was beautifully shot, well-written, had wonderful special effects, and JGL and Bruce Willis will always get me in a movie theatre. Beyond satisfying, and I don't want to spoil anything, though I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. Still, it was a great movie, enough so to make me not care about disliking the end.
2. Les Miserables- I'll say this- the music made me so angry because it didn't meet the scale it should have, but talk about a well done movie. Tom Hooper knows how to make films, and what the film lacked in musical prowress at times, it made up with quality.
1. Skyfall- EVERYTHING WAS AWESOME. Everything.
