Our Oscar Picks

Top Ten Tuesday: Sara's Most Anticipated Movies of 2013 | Part One

Happy Tuesday everybody!!! Vanessa did her most anticipated books of 2013 last week, so today I'm going to do my most anticipated movies of 2013.

This is in no specific order other than by release date. Buckle yourselves in, here we go.


Title: Jack the Giant Slayer
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, and Bill Nighy
Release: March 1

Synopsis: A modern day fairy tale in which the long-standing peace between men and giants is threatened, as a young farmer leads an expedition into the giants' kingdom in hopes of rescuing a kidnapped princess.

You may remember Mr. Hoult from Warm Bodies and X-men: First Class. I've loved this story forever so this movie is a huge must-see for me. Plus Bill Nighy! I mean come on, who doesn't love The Science Guy?

Jack the Giant Slayer - Trailer

Title: Oz the Great and Powerful

Starring: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, and Mila Kunis

Release: March 8

Synopsis: A small-time magician with questionable ethics arrives in a magical land and must choose between becoming a good man or a great one.

I have been waiting for this movie since it was announced. It looks brilliant! The screen pictures look fantastic. 

Oz the Great and Powerful - Trailer

Title: The Croods

Staring: Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener

Release: March 22

Synopsis: The world's very first prehistoric family goes on a road trip to an uncharted and fantastical world.

FIRST OF ALL the synopsis has the word fantastical in it so it MUST be good. The trailer sold me. I don't care if it's for small children, I will see this film. 

The Croods - Trailer

Title: jOBS

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Josh Gad, Annika Bertea, J.K. Simmons

Release: April 19

Synopsis: The story of Steve Jobs' ascension from college dropout into one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century.

Things you should know about Sara: she is obsessed with anything to do with Steve Jobs. I own his biography and a whole bunch of films about him. I've done countless school presentations about him and Apple Inc.. If this movie isn't perfect I'll cry. I'm counting on you Mr. Stern. 

jOBS - Exclusive Clip

Title: Iron Man 3

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle

Release: May 3

Synopsis: When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man. 

OKAY more stuff you need to know about Sara: she is obsessed with Marvel Comics. I live for these movies. I've watched Avengers far too many times. I've found all the easter eggs and I've already got a plot in my head for the second movie. 

Iron Man 3 - Trailer

Okay, can we just talk about the beauty of this trailer? I'm a huge film geek, and this is the best trailer I've seen in years. The music is brilliant, RDJ's narration is spot-on, and the visuals are stunning (as usual). We've got a new director which means an entirely new angle on Iron Man, which is definitely a good thing. If you're a huge Iron Man/Marvel fan like me and you want to know exactly what is happening in this trailer (because there's a lot going on here) head on over to Den of Geek where they break the whole thing down for you. 

Title: The Great Gatsby

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire

Release: May 10

Synopsis: Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavis lifestyle of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. His is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy. 

First, if you haven't read the book you're missing out on good-old-fashioned-really-hard-to-understand-and-read-all-the-way-through American classics. I've read it. It's good, difficult, but good. 

The Great Gatsby - Trailer

Leonardo DiCaprio is God and deserves a darn Oscar already. The backtrack of the trailer is really good too. 

Title: Star Trek : Into Darkness

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch

Release: May 17

Synopsis: After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. 

I'm a major Star Trek: Next Generation fan so I love this stuff. Plus. BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH. He's my man. 

Star Trek : Into Darkness - Trailer

I think J.J. Abrams is a fantastic sci-fi director. He knows exactly how to shoot films like these. And Benedict at the end. Just wow. 

Title: Epic

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Beyoncé Knowles, Colin Farrell

Release: May 24

Synopsis: A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group of characters in order to save their world.

Because of reasons (this opinion may change in the future). 

Epic - Trailer

Title: After Earth

Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Isabelle Fuhrman, Zoe Kravitz

Release: June 7

Synopsis: After a crash landing, a father and son explore a planet that was evacuated by humans 1,000 years earlier. 

Who doesn't like Will Smith? Who doesn't like Will Smith in post-apocalyptic settings? In addition, his son is in this, as well as Isabelle Fuhrman. 

After Earth - Trailer

Title: Man of Steel

Starring: Henry Cavil, Russell Crowe, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon

Release: June 14

Synopsis: A young journalist raised by his adoptive parents after he was transported to Earth in infancy from the dying planet of Krypton finds himself in the positive to save humankind after Earth is attacked.

Well, it's not the best synopsis, but can't give too much away. According to everyone at Comic Con it's pretty good. I'll take their word for it. 

Man of Steel - Trailer

There's another, more recent trailer up for this movie. But I'm in love with this one. 

Title: White House Down

Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Richard Jenkins

Release: June 28

Synopsis: A Secret Service agent is tasked with saving the life of the U.S. President after the White House is overtaken by a paramilitary group. 

Channing Tatum running about in a suit with a gun. What more do you need. Plus, I like the premise. Bit like Red Dawn...hopefully better. 

White House Down - ET First Look

Title: Despicable Me 2

Starring: Steve Carell, Al Pacino, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove

Release: July 3

Synopsis: Gru, the girls, Dr. Nefario and the unpredictably hilarious minions return, along with a host of new characters.

Welp, the synopsis is crap. But the trailer is golden.
Secondary trailer is out as well. 

Despicable Me 2 - Trailer

These are mostly just the mainstream movies that I'm excited for. I realize that there are 12 on this list. I lost count. Whoops. 

Part Two will be materializing in the near future with movies for the second half of the year. 

[Source: IMDB]

Savvy Saturday: Pioneers in Film

Earlier this year I had posted about a man named Georges Méliès. I promised that you would hear more about him soon. I've been a immense fan of film since a was very little. I think that movies are one of the best art forms. They combine visuals with stories and touching music to create emotions (if done well). You can walk out of a theater a changed person.

So I thought I would give ode to one of the pioneers of film making. Georges Méliès. He was the first to create a narrative movie (a movie with a plot). He was the leader in special effects and discovered the substitution stop trick. He was the first to manipulate reality through film. The first the realize the power of cinematography.

Two of his most well-known films are A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904). Both stories involve strange, surreal voyages, somewhat in the style of Jules Verne, and are considered among the most important early science fiction films. Just think low-tech Doctor Who.

Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès was born 8 December 1861 in Paris. He worked as a boot maker for his parents where he learned to sew and was then sent to England where he discovered a love for magic. Against his families wishes he secretly worked at a magic theater. He was director, producer, writer, set and costume designer as well as inventing many of the magical tricks.

When the Lumière brothers unveiled their film, La Sortie de l'Usine Lumière à Lyon (Workers leaving the Lumiére Factory), to the public on December 28 1895 Méliès was a member of the audience. This piece of film is referred to as the first film ever made. The film used was 17 meters long and was hand-cranked through a projector. It lasted approximately 50 seconds.

The Lumière brothers stated that "the cinema is an invention without any future" and declined to sell their camera to other filmmakers including Georges Méliès. This made many film makers upset. Consequently, their role in the history of film was exceedingly brief and they continued on to things like color photography.

Luckily, Méliès saw the promise of film. In 1896, Méliès was filming a simple street scene when his camera jammed. It took him a few seconds to fix the problem. Thinking no more about the incident, Méliès continued with the film. He was surprised by the effect the few seconds had on the film when he processed it. Objects suddenly appeared, disappeared or were transformed into other objects.

Méliès directed 531 films between 1896 and 1913, ranging in length from one to forty minutes. In subject matter they were often similar to the magic shows that Méliès had done earlier, containing "tricks" and impossible events, such as objects disappearing or changing size. These early special effects films did not have a plot. The special effects were used only to show what was possible, rather than enhance the overall plot.

"In May 1902 Méliès made his most famous film, A Trip to the Moon. The film includes the celebrated scene in which a spaceship hits the man in the moon in the eye; it was loosely based on Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon and H. G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon. In the film Méliès stars as Professor Barbenfouillis, a character similar to the astronomer he played in The Astronomer's Dream in 1898. Professor Barbenfouillis is president of the Astronomer's Club and oversees an expedition to the Moon. A space vehicle in the form of a large artillery shell is built in his laboratory, and he uses it to lead six men on a voyage to the moon. The vehicle is shot out of a large cannon and hits the Man in the Moon in the eye. The six men explore the moon's surface before going to sleep. As they dream, constellations dance around them and they are attacked by a group of moon men, played by acrobats from the Folies Bergère. They are chased back to their space-ship and then somehow fall from the moon back to earth, landing in the ocean (where a superimposed fish tank creates the illusion of the deep ocean). Eventually the six men return to their laboratory and are celebrated by adoring supporters. At 14 minutes, it was Méliès's longest film up to that date and cost 10,000 francs to produce. The film was an enormous success in France and around the world, and Méliès sold both black and white and hand-colored versions to exhibitioners."  -Wikipedia

You can watch the film in its entirety here.

This film was so immensely popular that producers such as Thomas Edison, Siegmund Lubin and Carl Laemmle pirated copies (yes, it existed back then too) and made huge amounts of money off them.

When the war came, his films became less popular. People were more concerned with other things. His films were melted down and used to make soles for shoes

In 1923 he was declared bankrupt and his beloved Theatre Robert Houdin was demolished. Méliès almost disappeared into obscurity until the late 1920’s when his substantial contribution to cinema was recognised by the French and he was presented with the Legion of Honour and given a rent free apartment where he spent the remaining years of his life.

Georges Méliès died in 1938 after making over five hundred films in total - financing, directing, photographing and starring in nearly every one.