2013 Movie Wrapup

I thought this was a great year for movies, I saw a total of 13 movies in theaters that were released in 2013, and 2 more movies at home that I didn't have a chance to see in theaters here in Green Bay. As you will see from my list at the end of this post, there are actually dozens more movies that were released this year that I would love to see at some point, and yes I spend a lot of time reading about movies on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB.

I want to say that these are rankings according to my taste in movies and my taste alone, and not everyone will feel the same way that I do. I tend to value humor in a movie even if the movie is not a true comedy. If the movie is a flat out drama with little humor, I probably won't enjoy it quite as much. I tend to lose a little bit of interest if I don't laugh once in a while at a movie, and it isn't at all difficult to make me laugh a bit.

Unranked movies I saw that came out this year:
Kings of Summer- I really liked this movie, It is available through Red Box, and possibly on demand through certain services, but at this moment it is not available on Netflix Instant. The movie is about how a small group of young high schoolers spend their summer, I don't want to give too much away, but it is a bit of a coming of age tale, while also bringing in elements of dealing with family, and friendship. I really enjoyed the movie, but I had a hard time writing about it, possibly because I have been making myself write a bit more than I have in the past by seeing more movies in the last week. I especially enjoyed the performance by Moises Arias in this movie, he is funny and a bit off beat. There are a lot of known actors that people would recognize in smaller roles in this movie, and some good performances by lesser known younger actors. If you want something that is a bit different than the mainstream selections take a chance on this movie, I think you will enjoy it.

Blackfish-This was the only new documentary that I saw this year, and it was really eye opening. I have never been to a Seaworld, at least I don't remember going to one at any point in my life, and after watching this movie, I highly doubt I will ever go to one. This movie documents the history of a whale named Tilikum, and all sorts of incidents that have taken place involving Orcas at Seaworld, showing from the actions taken to capture orca calves in the wild, to the breeding of them in captivity. If you don't feel like you can handle this subject or don't want to know about it, I understand. I found this movie eye opening, and I had a visceral reaction to certain parts of it, I really had no idea of all of the incidents, if you love animals, I would say that this is a must see to just show you the kind of things that have happened at Seaworld. I watched this movie when it was played on CNN, I have no idea if it is streaming anywhere, but there is a lot of interesting information that I had no idea about that is given out in this movie, I highly recommend it.

And Now the List of Movies I Saw in 2013:


13. Pain & Gain-I saw this movie, I paid to see this movie, why oh why did I pay to see this movie? I don't know of any other examples in recent history where I regretted not walking out of a movie. I wan't to say that I will never see another Michael Bay movie in my life, but I will probably see him ruin Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before I am ballsy enough to really make that vow.

12. Thor: The Dark World-I was really bored during this movie, I can't pinpoint the reason. It may have just been the fact that the movie didn't do a good enough job of trying to get my to care. Loki was entertaining, but he wasn't in enough of the movie. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't see this movie again, there are numerous other Marvel movies I would rather be watching.

11. World War Z-This wasn't a great movie by any means, and it definitely wasn't a very good adaptation of the book, it is entertaining in parts, it was a good popcorn movie, and not much more. I don't know how excited I am about the upcoming sequels, they seem like a complete moneygrab, but that seems to be what a lot of the movie industry is doing right now anyway.

10. Pacific Rim-I thought this movie was so much fun, I think the idea is really cool and creative. Some elements of the plot somehow seem to be set up for convenience and there are some pretty bad fake accents in this movie as well, but it is still entertaining, and the monster battles are really well done. I tend to like the work of Guillermo Del Toro, he does monsters especially well. He was originally in line to direct the Hobbit back when it was still being planned out.

9. Anchorman 2-This was a funny movie, but it didn't really stand out in any other way than humor. I am not sure I expected much more than humor, I don't think there were quite as many quotable lines in this one as there were in the first, which might make it have less cultural staying power than the first.

8. Iron Man 3-I thought this movie was a great return for form, while also creating a new and enjoyable feel to the character that already had 2 previous movies. I like what director Shane Black added to the tone of the movie, I really liked the introspective take on Tony Stark in this movie. It would normally rank much higher, but I really liked many other movies this year.

7. Hunger Games: Catching Fire-I thought this was quite a bit better than the first installment, and I loved what they did with the arena especially, it looked just like it did in my mind, well except with better computer animation. I am cautiosly optimistic for the remaining movies, although turning one book into 2 movies always bothers movie, just another money grab.

6. Frozen-This, for me at least, felt like a return to the Disney movies I grew up with, it was a great movie to attend with my family. The vocal performances in this are great, and even though its not that similar to the original story, I thought they did a great job of getting some humor into the film, I especially liked Josh Gad's role in the movie.

5. Star Trek Into Darkness-I have to admit that I am not the biggest Star Trek fan, I haven't seen as much of the original series of the movies to be able to claim that about myself.  I know that this movie takes a lot of different stories from previous Star Trek iterations and changes them in ways to reflect the alternate universe. I do think that there could be a little bit of creativity put into writing any of the additional Star Trek movies, if there are going to be any.

4. This Is the End-I loved the sense of humor in this movie, and how all of the main actors were making fun of themselves in some way, I also really liked the wide variety of people they got to appear in this movie, there were very few of the extended group that they didn't get for the movie. I thought it was generally a fun idea, and the movie was hilarious. I am interested to see the movies that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg write and direct in the future.

3. The World's End-I really liked this movie, it was the frontrunner for my favorite movie for a few months there. I think this movie is just so well directed and edited, some of the best transitions and fades I have seen in a long time. It was not my favorite movie made by the core team of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and director Edgar Wright. Edgar Wright has directed 4 movies that I love so I am excited to see what he can do with Ant-Man and join the Marvel universe. I would imagine it will have quite a bit of humor along with lots of well shot action scenes. If there is one thing I can say it is that Edgar Wright is the anti Michael Bay. Michael Bay edits so that his action is too fast, whereas Edgar Wright goes with longer shots and fewer cuts, not forcing the eye to adjust so much throughout a sequence, sorry I didn't plan on ranting about Michael Bay outside of Pain & Gain.

2.Gravity-This movie is probably the most technically and visually amazing film I have seen in a long time. It used CGI but it didn't feel like CGI at all. I think that Cuaron is likely going to win the best director Oscar this year for the simple fact that he was able to do so much with  just actors in a room by themselves. I think that Sandra Bullock proved that her Oscar was not a fluke with her performance in this movie. I don't think watching it at home will do it nearly enough justice, this movie was made to be watched on a big screen and in 3D and I loved it in that situation.

1.Her-I was excited heading into this movie, and the movie was still able to exceed my expectations. I loved everything about this movie, from the idea, the performances, and the execution of those ideas. It is almost a bit of a fable for the cyber age that we are in. I think the main things that set this movie above Gravity are my belief that Her will be much more rewatchable than Gravity, and the sense of humor in Her. I stated before that I really value a sense of humor in a movie, and this movie really hit me in the perfect way on so many different levels.

Well I forced myself to power through all of that writing, now it is a new year, and I will have to start a new list from scratch, time for a fresh slate.

If I had felt like taking a lot of extra time I would have linked all of the movies below this to their IMDB pages. I may still go back and add the links in at a later time. But below is a pretty extensive list.

Movies I didn't see but probably will at some point in the future:
12 Years a Slave
Short Term 12
Fruitvale Station
The Spectacular Now
Inside Llewyn Davis
The Way Way Back
Blue Jasmine
The Wolf of Wall Street
American Hustle
Kick-Ass 2
Captain Phillips
In a World
Don Jon
Nebraska
Hell Baby
Bad Milo
We're The Millers
Elysium
The Wolverine
Man of Steel
The Heat
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Monsters University
Despicable Me 2
The To Do List
Ass Backwards
The Place Beyond the Pines
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Sound City
Muscle Shoals
Drinking Buddies
Enough Said

Her

I was a bit disappointed when the movie started and there were only about a dozen people in the theater, but it was a balmy 30+ degrees in Green Bay today, so people may have wanted to enjoy the warm weather outside of the movie theater, this was really my only complaint about the whole experience, well that and the lackluster trailers beforehand, I guess with a movie that doesn't automatically fall into a specific archetype they don't know which trailers to play before it.

I don't believe that I am spoiling anything with this, but Her takes place in a near futuristic version of Los Angeles, and writer/director Spike Jonze does a great job of both imagining and creating this world, the colors, the visuals, as well as the technology and analysis of how people would interact with such things. I need to start off saying that this movie is not a movie I would want to see with my parents, there are a few different scenes in it that I would find too awkward.

Not very often does a movie really connect with me on an emotional level, especially as much as this movie does. I was defintitely on the same wavelength as this movie the entire time, there were times where I was choked up, if I wasn't such a robot I probably would have cried a few different times, but that doesn't mean this a sad movie by any means.

The thought that was put into this movie is just so evident, and there are many different ways. The main character's job is to write personal messages for other people who are too busy to do it themself, and he actually develops a relationship with his repeat customers adding his own touch to the relationships he really isn't even involved in. In this future it really seems like trains have replaced a lot of the transportation to and from LA which is notorious for its horrible car traffic. The details of the style in this movie is also a nice touch, no explanation of why, but the characters all wear extremely high-waisted pants. There are other elements of it that I can mention, but I don't want to ruin some of the smaller things that people do in the movie, that is quite possible in the world created in this film.

I really enjoyed the adventure that the movie takes the viewer on, its funny, its sad, its happy, its hopeful, and a wide variety of other emotions. There is a great deal of whimsy and fun with the ideas in this movie as well, not only is it a look at a possible future, but it also is quite the reflection on our society as it is today, the disconnection that people feel from one another because they are stuck with their faces in their devices as they go about their day. I really wish I could get some wireless ear buds that are used in this movie, then again I would be afraid of losing them in my ears or when the aren't in my ears. There is also a look at what video games will be like in the future, by adapting some of the current technology into what could be done in the future, with a little bit of a joke about their content and vulgarity.

The performances in the movie are really great, there are really 2 main characters with a few others thrown in some. Joaquin Phoenix was amazing in this movie, he did a great job of showing the wide range of emotions in this movie. I can't say I have been his biggest fan, there have certainly been roles of his I have liked, such as his portrayal of Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, but this has to be one of best performances if not the very best performance. I don't think that there are that many actors who could have done such a great and nuanced job in this movie. Scarlett Johansson plays the female lead in this movie so to speak, although its only through voice acting. I think she did a great job with the role, and a great job a showing emotion, which is a weird thing to say about a computer operating system. I must have missed it in the trailers or maybe it just wasn't in there at all, but Amy Adams is in this movie, and her appearance is really toned down in this, after everyone was talking about her appearance in American Hustle.

I really was just blown away by this movie, it reminded me a lot of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind which is one of my favorite movies in its pacing and tone. Like Eternal Sunshine it really was the type of antiromantic comedy that I really enjoy, its not a stereotypical love story, obviously, but there are many elements of a love story. I am one who appreciates originality in movies, I don't like seeing the same story over and over and will support things that i see as interesting and original. This movie might not be seen as conventional independent film, but it had a fairly low budget, and it is able to create a brilliant world without having the cost of the effects be too high.

I would highly recommend people go see this movie and support it, its funny, emotional, creative, and all around entertaining.

I won't be attaching my movie rankings in here, but I will be going a little write up about the movies of 2013 later this week.

Anchorman 2

This movie was not one of the top movies on my list of movies to see in theaters, but because of the time it was playing on bargain Tuesday I ended up seeing it anyway. It wasn't that I wasn't interested in the movie at all, it was just that I thought there were many other good movies in theaters right now that I would have preferred to see, I don't really think seeing Anchorman 2 was improved all that much by being seen on the big screen.

Coming into this my expectations were moderately high, at least for the laughter quotient provided from the movie, I didn't expect the movie to have an amazing plot, the first one certainly didn't have a great plot, but did provide quite a few laughs.

I liked this movie, it met my expectations, but it didn't really exceed them. The movie provided laughs, but it wasn't mindblowingly funny, like part of me had hoped it would be. There were quite a few good scenes, and they actually gave a non Ron Burgundy character a bit of a story in this movie, where as the last one was really just following Ron and the other characters only were in the movie with him. I will say that I had wished there had been more of both Paul Rudd and David Koechner in this movie. Like the first movie, I would imagine there were a lot of scenes that were cut from this movie and a lot of funny outtakes, that will probably be released with the movie. In the case of the first movie they actually edited the scenes that were cut into a completely separate movie.

Not only did the cast from the first movie return, but they added in all sorts of other people to this movie even if they were in small parts, and of course there was another fight scene, and this one got a little out of hand. I enjoy seeing random cameos, but I didn't feel like having Harrison Ford in this movie really added anything, it almost seemed like a bit of a power move by these people to show who they could get. I guess if I was making a movie and I could get Harrison Ford in it, I probably would though, why not?

There was only one real issue that I had with the movie, and I think the issue was the result of the format that Anchorman first created. There were a few times where there were cuts from one angle to the other and it just didn't match up, one of the times specifically there was a lot of laughter and when they cut to the other angle it had abruptly stopped, which was just a bit unusual. What the first Anchorman started was allowing actors to ad lib all sorts of different lines and taking the version that was the funniest and put it into the film. I guess the major drawback is that it can be hell to get things to always match up when you are doing several takes with different lines and different results, and editing elements of them all together. It wasn't a major thing in the movie, but I just kind of saw the strings of it in a few different situations, and I can't remember having noticed in other movies that have been done this way.

I would say that anyone who enjoyed the first one will enjoy this one as well, I wouldn't go into it expecting a great plot, but you will get laughs out of it. It was fun seeing it in the theater, but it really wasn't necessary. I think this movie might be best suited to being watched at home with a bunch of friends.

I am putting Anchorman 2 in front of Pacific Rim in my rankings, it was fun, but nothing all that amazing. I think it edges Pacific Rim out because I think it will be a bit more rewatchable in the future.

12. Pain & Gain
11. Thor: The Dark World
10. World War Z
9. Pacific Rim
8. Anchorman 2
7. Iron Man 3
6. Hunger Games: Catching Fire
5. Frozen
4. Star Trek Into Darkness
3. This Is the End
2. The World's End
1.Gravity

Peter's Cooking Diary #13

This may have been the most labor intensive day when it comes to cooking, I was able to prepare one protein dish, 2 veggie side dishes, and a then a nice chilled salad. I also think this might have the most pictures of any of the blogs I have ever written. I also just wanted to share that I am going back on my slow carb diet, because what I was doing right now wasn't working for losing weight. I was maintaining the same wait, but I wasn't losing any. I decided this would be the best way to lose weight because it worked for me before. The cooking diaries may also double as updates on any weight loss. 

I know I always start with bacon, but this recipe called for it, I swear!!!

The bacon once it has rendered out all of its deliciousness. Half of this bacon was called for in the recipe that we are following right now, and the other half was used in the chicken salad I made.

This is my bacon grease can, my way of saving its goodness for times I might not have the chance or the need to cook some actual bacon, it is definitely something that I learned to do from my father, and I think he learned it from his, just a family practice passed down through the years.

My bowl of 2 onions and 3 carrots. You can't really tell that there are carrots in this bowl, but they were underneath the onion.

The spices I was using in this recipe, red pepper flake, oregano, and some Italian seasoning. The garlic I was using was just crushed, because I was not eating the actual garlic I decided to save some time and  just crush it, the favors still game through in the final product.

Onions, carrots and garlic on the stove cooking in bacon grease.

I added the spices and some tomato paste to the vegetables. Then I scraped up all the bits from the bottom of the pan using some chicken stock.

Once the vegetables were done I added them to the crock pot with some crushed tomatoes, and some bay leaves, and a little bit more chicken stock to loosen it all up a little bit.

This was the beef pot roast that I was going to be using, I salted this side some before putting it down into a hot pan for searing.

While the first side was searing I salted the second side of the beef, this might have been the best quality meat I have ever used. There was some great marblization in it and it was actually USDA choice beef, which I am not sure I have ever used before.

This was after the first side was browned, it smelled so good in the pan, and it got very nicely browned.

I let the roast rest for a few minutes before adding it to the crock pot. I nestled it into the tomato mixture before covering it and cooking for 5 hours on high.

This is the roast when it was done, I removed the fat and returned it to this container.

I let the sauce settle before spooning a lot of the fat off of the surface, once I was satisfied with the amount of fat I had removed from the pot, I spooned a lot of the sauce over the meat to keep it from getting dry throughout the week and to add flavor as well.

The next thing I did was chop up a head of cauliflower and boil it in some water until it was tender. This cauliflower was going to be used for smashed cauliflower.

this was me coking some garlic through in butter to add to my smashed cauliflower for flavor. I also added a little bit of salt and pepper to the cauliflower. It is my replacement for mashed potatoes on this diet, not quite the same, but it is filling because of the fiber in it.

My other side dish was my oven roasted broccoli, broccoli tossed with some vegetable oil, salt, garlic, and some black pepper and then roasted in the oven.

This was the finished product when I had transferred it to a bowl, it should be fork tender when finished. I baked it for 20 minutes at 425, but each batch might be a bit different, bigger pieces will take a bit longer to cook of course.

The final recipe I made today started with this bad boy. I actually go this for free with a coupon, but I have been wanting to make chicken salad with it. The recipe I ended up making is very simple.

I used my hands to just completely dismantle that chicken, and then I chopped it into pieces to make them more bit sized, but also a bit rustic.

To the chicken I first added some bacon pieces that I had chopped into tiny bits to spread the flavor out a bit more in the recipe.

On top I added some dried cranberries and some little pecan pieces, I wanted to add the nuts for their crunch and the cranberries for their chewiness and sweetness.

I finely chopped some celery to add that crunch that only celery can add to a recipe. I mixed in just a little bit of mayonnaise to hold it all together. I thought about adding some curry powder to the recipe, but thought all of the ingredients already tastes great and didn't need anything else added. This recipe would be a great use for almost any leftover chicken, and it is the best chicken salad I have ever had.

Well it has been a busy day of cooking for me, I need to relax and put my feet up now.

Peter's Cooking Diary: Christmas Edition

Well this is definitely a bit of a belated post, I just haven't felt like sitting down and writing about my Christmas until today. Because of Christmas falling on a Wednesday, I didn't really feel like traveling too far for it. I had also seen all of my family members quite recently, so I thought I would have a more laid back Christmas with my friend Shealaina, because we both enjoy cooking. We were brainstorming ideas of what to make for the meal, and ended up with an interesting combination, that thankfully was not too heavy!

I started off with some sparkling cider, and my friend had some wine. I don't drink so sparkling juice of some kind is my celebratory drink of choice.

The snacking spread of veggies, cheeses, crackers, and smoked salmon dip. It was a good set of foods to snack on before and while we were preparing the actual food.

Sauteing some onions and garlic for the start of the pasta sauce, then added a little bit of red wine to deglaze the pan. To the pan I added a can of crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and some fresh basil and let it simmer on low for about an house to let the flavors combine. After the simmering I added some Romano cheese to the sauce and it was ready.

I really wish I would have taken more pictures of the actual process, but this is actually homemade pasta under the sauce. My friend has a pasta maker so she mixed up some pasta and ran it through, I helped just a little bit. The pasta and sauce were great together, and like I said before it wasn't too filling of a meal, which left enough room for dessert.

My friend is the best, she also has her own brule torch, so for dessert we had some homemade creme brule which was my first time ever having it.

My creme brule, and it was amazing! I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I definitely enjoyed mine and enjoyed that it was nice and relaxed as well.