American Horror Story: Coven Review

"American Horror Story" is one of those series that burst on to the scene a few years back, but I never got around to watch. I'm not exactly sure why, whether it had been my schedule or the fact that the initial reception wasn't particularly good. It always seemed like something I would enjoy though, so I decided to give it a try. My friend who watches the show suggested I just skip to the third season since each season is its own story and that "Coven" was the best one so far; and boy am I glad I finally gave it a try, this really is an amazing show. "American Horror Story: Coven" follows a group of witches down in New Orleans. Witches are a dying bread; hundreds of years of hunting have all but wiped them out. Many years before the story takes place, a school was set up in New Orleans for the sole purpose of helping young witches learn to control their powers. The current headmaster is a witch named Cordelia, an intelligent and caring woman who only wants the best for the young witches. Cordelia is the daughter of the current supreme (the most powerful witch who leads the coven) Fiona, a cruel and selfish woman who puts herself above all others. The events of Coven really start when a young girl named Zoe learns she is a witch, her parents then ship her off to the school where she starts to learn the true extent of her powers. There are three other young witches at the school, each of which is looking out for number one. Everything seems to be alright until sick Fiona shows up out of the blue and decides to take charge of the school. While out on a field trip, a young clairvoyant witch senses something. She finds the location of a trapped woman named Delphine, a wicked slave owner from the 1800's who had an immortality spell placed in her by a vengeful witch. Fiona is obsessed with finding a cure for her aging, so she decides to release Delphine in order to find out what type of spell was used on her to make her immortal; but doing so re-sparks a century old rivalry between another group of witches in the city, led by the same woman who put the spell on Delphine. So while teaching all these young witches, Fiona and Cordelia also have to worry about this other group who seem to want to start a war. What ensues is nothing more than death and mayhem. I'm actually mad at myself I didn't start watching this show until episode ten, I should have been on board since the beginning. I think what struck me so immediately would be the visual accepts of this show, the production value and cinematography are better than almost anything you'll see on cable TV. The show stars a number of actresses, from lesser known's to some major stars. All of them do a great job as their characters; whether they’re despicable characters you hate or kind ones you want to see succeed. The writing was great throughout the season, but there were a couple times where the writing didn't match the rest of the show. I think what I loved most was the setting, having it take place in New Orleans was a very smart decision. New Orleans has always been a bit of a mystic city, plus the voodoo elements and local legends work great with the show's vibe. I will say some of the later episodes weren't as great as the beginning of the season and throughout the season there was never a really coherent plot line; there's a lot of stuff that happens in the season and the main story can get a little muddled. I'd like to mention again that I haven't seen the first two seasons of "American Horror Story," so I can't really compare this one to the previous two; but I loved "Coven" from start to finish, and I'll certainly go back and watch the previous two seasons. While it may be a little too gruesome and dark for some, it's become the premier horror show on TV right now and can't wait for season four. 

Movies to Look for in the First Quarter of 2014

5. The Monuments Men
While I am nervous about this movie, I'll certainly give it a chance. What I don't find completely trustworthy about is that this was a movie that was supposed to be released back in mid to late December, which is typically a month when quality movies are released; but this movie has been pushed back to early February, which is not a good sign. This is usually done when a subpar movie was originally supposed to be released in December, but the studio realizes that it's not good enough to go against all of the other winter movies so they push it back to the bad months. George Clooney (who both directed and starred in the movie) claims that it was pushed back because the special effects weren't ready, but I'm not a hundred percent sure I believe that. Never the less, the movie has a really great cast and I will give it a chance.

4. Noah
I'm sure this is going to be a movie that's going to ruffle a lot of people's feathers, from both religious and non religious people. Christians will complain that the movie isn't exactly what it is in the bible, people of other religions will complain that the movie is about Christianity and not their own religion (blasphemy), and non religious people will just complain that the movie's being made in general. Part of me doesn't want to see and review this movie, because no matter what I'm going to end up pissing someone off. What makes me most interested in the film is that it's directed by Darren Aronofsky, who's one of the best directors to emerge in the past fifteen years. It's even scored by one of my favorite composers, Clint Mansell. So while somewhat hesitant in seeing it, the movie has a lot of promise.

3. RoboCop
Remakes are always very controversial when it comes to movie goers; especially really beloved movie like RoboCop. I didn't actually see the original RoboCop movie until a few years ago; while it's an awesome action movie and see why people love it so much, it's not a movie I grew up with (which are the fans to be most upset by the remake). I'm not a huge fan of remakes, especially of good movies, so I am rather skeptical on this one; but I feel if the people behind this movie have decided to put the effort into it, this could actually be a really cool movie. I just hope they don't overdo it with the CGI (since the original film is famous for its practical effects). So while this movie could be a total miss, it has a chance of being really entertaining.

2. Veronica Mars

Words cannot express how excited I am to see this movie, I've been waiting four years for this and am still having trouble believing that it's real. A couple years ago I decided to watch the Veronica Mars TV show since I was a fan of lead actress Kristian Bell, I wasn't sure how I'd like it since it is meant to be more of a chick show; to my surprise I loved it, and to this day it is still my favorite show of all time. I attribute it mostly to the character of Veronica Mars, I love empowered women in shows and movies and Veronica is one of the best lead females ever put into a TV show. After the third season the show was canceled, but the movie was put up on Kickstarter and was funded by thousands of fans within a few hours (I was one of them). I am so excited that this movie is finally being made; at this point I can only hope it's good.

1. The Grand Budapest
As excited as I am to see the Veronica Mars movie, this is obviously the most promising movie being released before April. Written and directed by one of my favorite directors, the brilliant Wes Anderson, this is one of the most fascinating looking movies to be released all year. Wes Anderson is one of the most unique and genius directors currently working in the industry, he also has one of the most recognizable styles out there. Watching one of his movies almost feels like watching a play, every seen is painstakingly detailed. His writing is characterized by a type of dry humor, but manages to be absolutely hilarious. While some people say liking Wes Anderson is a hipster thing, he really is a fantastic director. If I were to take a guess what movie released in the first quarter of the year would most likely be great, it would be this one.

Sherlock Season 3 Review

Note: This review contains major spoilers from season two, and minor spoilers from season three. If you plan to watch Sherlock at any point, do not read this review and just go watch the show; it is easily one of the best series currently on TV and a much watch. 

Sherlock was a series that I completely missed the first couple years it aired; it premiered back in 2010 and I didn't start watching until late 2012. After the first episode I was instantly hooked and quickly marathoned through each episode. After I finished I was left with a hole, deep in the pit of my stomach; I wanted to watch more of the show because it really is one of the most brilliant series on TV. It pained me knowing I would have to wait another year or so for new episodes, finally on New Year’s Day the long awaited season three finally aired and ended on the twelfth; and it was glorious. We ended season two with Sherlock facing off against Moriarty on the roof of a hospital, Moriarty is determined to absolutely destroy Sherlock and demands he kills himself or all of his friends will die. Sherlock calls his bluff and says that as long as he's alive Moriarty will lose and his friends will be safe, realizing the flaw in his plan Moriarty kills himself so the assassins he hired can't be called off and will only stop if Sherlock kills himself. Rushing to his aid, John Watson arrives at the hospital only to receive a call from Sherlock who uses the call as a suicide note. We then see Sherlock hurl himself off the roof of the hospital, by the time Watson gets to him it is too late. Everyone is devastated, especially Watson who leaves Baker Street and essentially cuts off all contact with his past friends and starts a new life. Two years later and everyone has seemed to move on, including Watson. He has a new job, a long term girlfriend, and has seemed to have finished grieving over the loss of his best friend. One night Watson has planned a very special evening, he takes his girlfriend Mary out for dinner and will ask her to be his wife. But right before he can ask the big question, they see a rather unexpected face; Sherlock Holmes is alive. It turns out with the help of his brother, Sherlock faked his death and has spent the last two years traveling the world and dismantling Moriarty's criminal network. While Sherlock expected Watson to be ecstatic about his return, in reality he is rather upset that he was led to believe that his best friend was dead for two years. While furious, he is curious about why he's back. Sherlock explains that he was contacted by his brother, a recently killed MI6 agent found intelligence of an oncoming terrorist attack of unimaginable proportions. Sherlock has been pulled back into the game to figure it out, and he needs Watson's help. While reluctant at first, he ultimately agrees to help; so after two long years, the team's back together. I know by this point it has been said to death but I can't overstate it, Sherlock is one of the best shows on TV. The show's creators Steven Moffat (the same man behind the revitalization of "Doctor Who") and Mark Gatiss (also one of the stars of Sheerlock) have done an amazing job with the series by brilliantly bringing the stories of Sherlock Holmes into the 21'st century. Sherlock is formatted differently than most shows; each season consists of three one and a half hour episodes. So it almost feels like you're watching a movie and not just a show. The directing, cinematography, visuals, and editing are also of a much higher caliber than anything you'll see on a show that isn't produced by HBO. One of the biggest draws to the show would have to be the top notch acting from the entire cast, especially from the stars. Martin Freeman does a fantastic job as John Watson, and brings a style that is really complimentary to Sherlock Holmes; but the man who steals the show every second he's on the screen is obviously Benedict Cumberbatch. Cumberbatch's performance as Sherlock is one of the greatest we've ever seen on TV, the guy just brings something special to the character and plays the role perfectly. One major improvement over the previous two seasons that I greatly appreciate is that the middle episode is much more interesting. In season's one and two, the middle episode wasn't overly intriguing and felt more like filler than anything else; but in this season you didn't get that feeling, it felt like an important episode. To be honest I only have one problem with the series, and that's in comparison with the American spin off "Elementary." In "Elementary," the characters are a lot more flushed out and you get to know them on a much more personal level. You hear a lot more about their backgrounds, their personal lives, and how they got to where they are know. In "Sherlock," you only get to the bare minimum about the characters past. For example, in "Elementary" you learn that Sherlock came from a very wealthy family where he and his brother were neglected by their father and Sherlock wasn't as loved equally by his mother. Realizing his gift, he spends much of his early career helping Scotland Yard but becomes a heroin addict after his girlfriend is killed. He is sent to a rehab clinic in America by his father who hires him a sober companion, once he finishes the program. His companion, Joan Watson, was a brilliant doctor that left her field after she lost a patient that she shouldn't have and decides to help former addicts since she herself had a loved one addicted to drugs. So she ultimately gets roped into Sherlock's work. That's one thing I love about "Elementary," there's a lot more to the characters and you learn why they do what they do. Even the minor characters have much more of a back story than we see in lots of shows. That's something I want to see from BBC's "Sherlock," it would be nice to know more about the characters background than what we've been getting. That aside, I love everything else about "Sherlock." The show is filled with twists and turns like few others, you can keep guessing but you'll never get it until they want you to. If you haven't already seen this "Sherlock," you need to fix that. The first big show of the year, I hope this is an indication of what's to come in 2014.

Her Review

There are two types of directors; there are those who decide to work constantly, and those who work very sparingly. Personally, I rarely enjoy the works of those who make movies constantly. The problem with the busy bees is that they often don't seem to care about the quality, they'll spit out any movie that's thrown their way; but getting to see the movies of those who don't do a lot is usually a treat. You have directors like Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan who make a movie only once every few years, so whenever we get a new movie it's usually a celebration. So of all those who don't often work, Spike Jonze might be the king. One of the most talented directors in the industry, the guy's only made four movies in the past 14 years. While his filmography might not me as extensive as someone like Steven Spielberg, he manages to make each of his films great; and his newest movie "Her" is no exception. Taking place in the near future, "Her" follows a recently separated man named Theodore. Theodore is pretty anti-social, and seems to have trouble around people. One day he learns of a new type of operating system for his computer, an artificiality intelligent OS. Theodore decides to install it, once done he ends up with an OS that calls herself Samantha. At first he's not sure how to act around Samantha, finding the whole situation a little strange but he learns to cope and becomes rather fond of her. After a while they both start to develop feelings for each other, feelings neither one of them know how to handle. So while confused, they decided to enter into a relationship with each other (which isn't the first time this has happened to someone). They quickly fall madly in love with each other, but are often challenged with the fact that Samantha doesn't have a body and feels very distant from Theodore. So while it's not easy, both set out to make it work but are met with obstacles at every corner. "Her" is a surprisingly brilliant movie, and one of the best love stories we've seen in the past few years. Spike Jonze is a very unique director, I can't really think of anyone else like him. "Her" is his first movie he actually wrote himself, and he did a damn fine job; the movie manages to be both sincere and funny throughout. I will say that some scenes can be rather awkward for movie goers at times, and the movie also manages to get rather slow every once in a while; while there are a number of very interesting scenes, the time in between them can get a little boring. And at times, the movie can feel a bit pretentious. It's not as in your face as some other artsy movies, but you certainly get the feeling. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, and while he is somewhat of a nut job the guy is a super talented actor and gives a really great performance; but surprisingly, the real show stopper is Scarlet Johansson as Samantha. She manages to put an amazing amount of passion and emotion into just a voice role. If we are ever going to see someone get nominated for an Oscar because of a voice role, it might actually be Johansson. One of the most interesting aspects of the movie would have to be the setting; it takes place in a very plausible future. It even manages to touch on some very interesting moral ground, can you love a computer even if it is sentient and manages to love and feel just like any person. While "Her" was only just released in my area, it was originally released in December of 2013. If I had seen this last year, it certainly would have made it on my top ten list. "Her" is one of the most unique and best movies I've seen in the past few years. It certainly not for everyone, I'd suggest this more for the hardcore film fans who like the artsy movies. If that's something you might be interested in, this is a must see and has my highest recommendation. 

Pros: Fantastic screenplay, great performance by Joaquin Phoenix, Johansson puts a lot of emotion into a voice role, interesting look at the future, several very funny scenes. 

Cons: Rather pretentious, often slow, some scenes can be awkward for movie goers. 

4.5/5 Stars

My 5 Favorite Movies of 2013

Honorable Mentions: Gravity, Mud, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Elysium, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Runner Up: Much Ado About Nothing
Nine out of ten times, anything by Shakespeare would put me to sleep within a matter of minutes; and yet somehow "Much Ado About Nothing" defied those odds and kept me engaged throughout the entire run time. A passion project by Joss Whedon (director of "The Avenger's," and creator of "Firefly," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Dollhouse."), the movie was filmed in about a week, stars all of Whedon's friends, and was filmed at his house. Supposedly everything was put together at the last second; some of the actors weren't even told that he was making the movie until a few days before filming started, Joss just called them and said "Hey I'm making a movie, you in?" One the best modern adaptation of Shakespeare's work, "Much Ado About Nothing" is easily the most delightful film of 2013.

5. In A World...
For me anyway, this was probably the biggest surprise of 2013. I remember seeing the trailer for the first time and being rather unimpressed. I started hearing good things about it so I decided to go see it in theaters and I absolutely loved it. It's a story of a young woman working as a vocal coach who wants to follow in the footsteps of her father and work in the voice over industry, unfortunately for her the industry is a real boys club and she has trouble getting into it. One of my favorite things to see in a movie is a strong independent woman, and that's what this movie does such a great job at. Writer, director, and lead actress Lake Bell does an amazing job at giving women a voice, and did so by making one of the best movies of the year at the same time.

4. The Worlds End
Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright make an amazing team. They first made waves with the fantastic British series "Spaced," but became legends with the "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy. The first installment was "Shaun of the Dead" and then "Hot Fuzz," both of which are some of my favorite movies. "The World's End" is the final installment in the trilogy and lives up to the previous installments greatness, "The World's End" is easily the funniest movie released in 2013. The plot of the story is a little ridiculous to say the least; it involves drinking and aliens, it's better not to go into detail in case you haven't seen it (which you should definitely do). "The World's End" is one of my favorite movies of the year; it's a laugh riot start to finish that contains a surprising amount of sincerity when it needs it.

3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Honestly, I was not a big fan of the previous Hobbit movies "An Unexpected Journey." It's not that I didn't like it, but it had such a different feel from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and wasn't exactly what I was expecting. "The Desolation of Smaug" reminded me of what I loved about the original trilogy. It was darker and more serious, had a lot more action, and even brought back a character or two from TLOTR. I also found the movie much more entertaining than the last movie; it was filled with scene after scene of excitement. Plus, the dragon Smaug finally made his long awaited debut and he was as awesome as we were all hoping for. Seeing this movie has got me pumped for the final installment in the trilogy, the only problem is I have to wait another year to see it.

2. Pacific Rim
It may be the 10 year old inside of me, but "Pacific Rim" is awesome. It's giant f*cking robots facing off against giant f*cking aliens, what more could you ask for? Pulled directly out of the genius mind of Guillermo Del Toro, "Pacific Rim" is nothing short of a visual feast. The fight scenes are downright epic, with some of the best CGI ever put into a movie. If a movie entitled Gravity wasn't released in 2013, "Pacific Rim" would win best visual effects at the Oscars. "Pacific Rim" doesn't have a great story or exceptional writing, but it's just so much fun. You can't help but watch the fight scenes with just a big dumb grin on your face. Going into 2013, this was one of my most anticipated films of the year; and "Pacific Rim" did not disappoint me.

1. Frozen
No movie released during 2013 game me the joy I got from watching Disney's "Frozen," it is easily my favorite movie of the year by a long shot. I always loved Disney's animated movies, especially the movies we got in the 90's like the "Lion King," "Aladdin," and "Mulan." What I loved so much about "Frozen" is that it is a throwback to those movies. The singing, the princesses, and the story are everything I've wanted from a Disney movie for the past few years. Disney hasn't been their best for quite a while, we had "Tangled" back in 2010 which was great but was not classic Disney. "Frozen" is classic Disney, and it is fantastic. If this doesn't win best animated feature at the Oscars I swear I will punch a wall. There are a lot of movies that came out in 2013 that I loved, but none more so than "Frozen."

10 Best Movies of 2013

Honorable Mentions: Stories We Tell, Captain Phillips, The Way Way Back, Pacific Rim, Elysium, Prisoners, In A World, Star Trek: Into Darkness, The Dallas Buyers Club, Frances Ha, The Spectacular Now, Escape From Tomorrow, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Saving Mr. Banks, Rush, All is Lost, Lone Survivor, Blackfish
Note: This list is based solely off of my own personal opinion of what I thought were the ten best movies released in 2013 and is ordered alphabetically (not including the runner-ups which are listed first); I would like to mention I have not been able to watch every movie released in 2013, including several movies that aren't set to be released in my area for another few weeks.

Runner-Up #1: Much Ado About Nothing
I'm not a huge Shakespeare fan, I remember having to read "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet" and falling asleep in class each time; his only play I've really like is "King Lear." So another movie based of Shakespeare's work usually wouldn't catch my attention, but when I heard that this movie was directed by Joss Whedon I decided to give it a chance. "Much Ado About Nothing" has become one of my favorite movies of the year, it was the single most delightful film released in 2013; it's also probably my favorite piece of Shakespeare work. It's funnier than almost every other one of his plays but manages to keep all the drama and scandal from his more serious works. This was a passion project by Whedon that he essentially mad in his free time, he shot it at his home and cast all his friends; and what he produced was some of the best film making of the year.

Runner-Up #2: The World's End
Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright make an amazing team. They first made waves with the fantastic British series "Spaced," but became legends with the "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy. The first installment was "Shaun of the Dead" and then "Hot Fuzz," both of which are some of my favorite movies. "The World's End" is the final installment in the trilogy and lives up to the previous installments greatness, "The World's End" is easily the funniest movie released in 2013. The plot of the story is a little ridiculous to say the least; it involves drinking and aliens, it's better not to go into detail in case you haven't seen it (which you should definitely do). "The World's End" is one of my favorite movies of the year; it's a laugh riot start to finish that contains a surprising amount of sincerity when it needs it.

12 Years a Slave
This movie has been called a modern day masterpiece, a front runner at the Oscars, and the one of the best movies of the year; and it's hard to argue with those statements. "12 Years a Slave" is based off the true events of a man named Solomon Northup, a free man born in the north (pre-civil war) who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. This is a powerful story that hits harder than you could ever imagine. Award winning director Steve McQueen has crafted a stunning depiction of one of the worst times in American history. This movie works on just about every level: the writing, acting, cinematography, ect. Certainly one of the most uncomfortable and difficult to watch movies in years, "12 Years a Slave" is damn near perfect. Expect to see this nominated for just about every Academy Award come February.

The Act of Killing
This movie almost stands in a league of its own, it might be the greatest documentary ever made. Back in the 1960's, the American government helped fund a military coup d'etat in Indonesia in an attempt to prevent the spread of communism. The result was para military groups and gangsters massacring over a million people that the new government labeled as communists. Now almost fifty years later, instead of facing war crimes the people that helped lead these killings are celebrates and political figures. This documentary follows them and gets there opinion on their former actions, and they're proud of themselves. At the same time, these men are shooting a propaganda piece about the coup. This is an amazing film that everyone should see, and the front runner for best documentary.

American Hustle
With the year almost over, I've been scrambling going through every movie I've seen this year and putting this list together. I was actually finished but there was still one movie released this year that I needed to see, and I promised myself I wouldn't publish this list until I saw it. That movie was "American Hustle," and I'm glad I waited. From one of my favorite directors David O. Russell, "American Hustle" is a "con" movie for the ages. Following a couple con artists being forced to assist the FBI in taking down white collar criminals, this is easily one of the best movies of the year. Complimented by what is possibly the best ensemble cast of the year, "American Hustle" has already garnered near universal critical acclaim and might be the last great movie of 2013.

Before Midnight
This movie made me sad, not because it was sad itself but because it was the end to one of the greatest trilogies ever. Eighteen years ago an independent romantic drama called "Before Sunrise" was released to high critical praise, nine years later the sequel "Before Sunset" was released to similar reception and was even named the best of the year by multiple critics. But like all great trilogies it had to come to an end eventually; fortunately, director Richard Linklater ended this series with its best installment. Following a couple over an eighteen year period, we see them go through a fairy tale like love story to a seasoned couple at each other throats just trying to hold on to whatever they have left. As far as straight up dialog goes, no movie from this year can even touch "Before Midnight." So while I'm sad to see this trilogy end, it was a fitting end to a perfect love story.

Frozen
"Frozen" was easily my favorite movie of 2013, not even a competition. I grew up watching classic Disney movies, they were some of the earliest movies I remember seeing and I absolutely love them. But the past couple Disney movies lacked the magic that the classics had. "Frozen" has that magic, it is a perfect throwback to the Disney movies we all know and love. With both funny and sincere writing, likable characters, and great songs, "Frozen" is a gem. I'd say this is probably the best animated Disney movie since the Lion King. I'll admit the movie's not for everyone; it's aimed more at kids than anyone else and there is lot of singing. But All I know is that I loved it. It's a perfect family movie, anyone who loves classic Disney will love it, and it's the front runner for best animated feature at the Oscars.

Fruitvale Station
This movie almost brought me to tears, possibly one of the most heartbreaking movies I've ever seen. "Fruitvale Station" is based off of the true story of Oscar Grant; a former convict, father, and grade A screw up. On New Year's Day 2009 while he was trying to get home after partying with some of his friends, he was fatally shot in the back while handcuffed by a police officer who was arresting him. The story drew massive media attention and controversy, both for the police officers actions and the fact the who incident was caught on camera. "Fruitvale Station" is the debut movie of director Ryan Coogler who knocked it out of the park and has already won several well deserved awards for his work. As far as debut movies go, this is one of the best I've seen in years.

Gravity
"Gravity" has been the sleeper hit of the year, making over 400 million dollars and has been met with near universal critical acclaim. Possibly the most visually stunning movie ever released, "Gravity's" shock and awe value has left both critics and audiences with their jaws on the ground. I haven't seen a movie this year that has pulled me into it like this one. Following some astronauts that get stuck up in space after some debris hits their shuttle, they must somehow survive in the most hostile environment known to man with the hopes they can reestablish communication with their people on the ground. "Gravity" is the thrill ride of the year, it's one of the single most heart pounding movies you will ever see. This is the must see movie of 2013, if you haven't seen it clear your afternoon and make sure to see it in 3D.

Mud
If I had to choose what was the best movie of the year, I'd choose this one; the reason I think "Mud" is the best movie of the year is because it brought every aspect of film making together better than any other film released in 2013. Matthew McConaughey's Oscar worthy performance, Jeff Nichols directing and perfect screenplay, beautiful cinematography, a great supporting cast, and a story that captures the American spirit; "Mud" stands head and shoulders over almost every other movie this year. Only his third movie, Jeff Nichols has quickly become the director to watch out for; he might not win best director for "Mud," but he'll win it one day. This is an incredible movie and one I'll personally remember for years to come. While 2013 had plenty of great movies, none are as good as "Mud."

The Place Beyond the Pines
I don't believe any other movie this year had "The Place Beyond the Pine's" ambition or confidence. A bold cinematic vision, this movie continually shocked the audience throughout its three act structure and left everyone watching speechless on more than one occasion. The movie is much deeper and more philosophical than it may appear, a dark story spanning multiple generations telling the story of how a fathers actions can ruin his son's life. This movie has fantastic acting from the whole cast, a clever and powerful screenplay, audacious directing, and some of the best cinematography we've seen all year. While some have watched this and called it a long and pompous art house piece, I see a misunderstood and one of a kind film that years from now people will be calling a masterpiece.

Wadjda 
This is a landmark piece of cinema, maybe more so than any other movie on this list. Not only is it the first movie to be shot completely in Saudi Arabia, it's also the first film ever made by a female Saudi director. The story revolves around Wadjda, a young girl who's part of this new generation of Saudi's who are looking for some change and don't necessarily agree with the rules of the country's current administration. Wadjda wants one thing, a bike; unfortunately girls aren't supposed to ride bikes, it's almost taboo. But Wadjda doesn't care; the problem is that a bike is way out of her price range. So she decides to enter a Quran trivia contest which has a SR1,000 cash prize. "Wadjda" is the feel good movie of the year, plain and simple. Heartfelt and sincere, "Wadjda" is a serious contender for best foreign film.