Blog Update and 2014 Cinema Chat

Blog Update and 2014 Cinema Chat

Hello, friends, and welcome to 2014 cinema... in July! Please excuse my overlong absence from writing. During the past few months, I had been working on my own film (who would've thought) and didn't have much time to write. And then when the school year ended and summer began, I was on a furious hunt for an internship. (Fortunately, I have secured a good one!) Despite a pretty busy schedule, I always made time to go to my sacred place: the movies! Now that I have settled down, I finally have some time to write. 

But before I go any further, I want to thank all of you -- whether you are family, friends, or strangers -- for taking the time to read my reviews. I know that you can get movie info from other sources, but I am genuinely happy when you read my reviews or ask me for recommendations. And for all of you who have been asking why I haven't been posting, I am so grateful that you care that much!

Now, time to chat blog:

-- TEMPORARY CHANGE IN BLOG FORMAT

In an attempt to catch up to speed, I will be condensing my movies reviews for the months between January and June. Instead of individual movie reviews, I will put all of my January reviews in a "January 2014 Movies" post, all of my February reviews in a "February 2014 Movies" post, and so on. For most of the films, the reviews will be shorter than my average because I will boil the films down to the most essential components. (i.e. My "2013 Awards Buzz" Capsule Reviews Post)

This change in format will help me churn out the reviews faster, and will hopefully help you make faster decisions on what might be worth seeing or skipping. I also hope that these reviews will just help you get a feel for what I've been liking and disliking this year. If you have thoughts about this blog format, feel free to let me know.

And now onto the movies:

2014 THUS FAR: THE YEAR OF...

-- ... BIG BLOCKBUSTERS

Captain America, Spider-Man, X-Men, Godzilla, Transformers... so many blockbusters, so little time! Studio films have been ruling Hollywood this year. But what's also worth noting is that many of them have been underperforming. Sure, they have gigantic first week box office revenues, but with time, the films are unable to stabilize. Pretty sad, don't you think? Aside from Transformers (which I am planning on seeing in the near future), I have seen all of these. Stay tuned for my reviews- I think some of my thoughts will surprise you.

-- ... STUDIO COMEDIES

Neighbors, A Million Ways to Die in the West, 22 Jump Street, and Think Like a Man Too are some of the big comedies that have come out this past year, which is a refreshing change of pace from the rather dreary and serious 2013. While I don't want to give too much away, I have to say that I've been really pleased with the comedies so far this year. They take bigger risks than the average studio comedies, and the efforts are commendable. These films have been far funnier than most films of the past few years.

-- ... ECLECTIC INDIES

Grand Budapest Hotel, Nymphomaniac, Under the Skin, Locke, Palo Alto, and Only Lovers Left Alive are just some of the indies that I've seen this year. Most of you guys know my affinity for independent cinema. While some of these films are stronger than others, I really appreciate how different each of these films are from regular Hollywood cinema. Whether they took artistic risks or attempted to stretch the bounds of experimental storytelling, they strived to be unique, and for the most part, succeeded.

-- ... DISAPPOINTMENT

Despite a number of solid films, I've been really disappointed with 2014 cinema as a whole. Very few films have really impressed me. I've thought of many of this year's films as "fine" or "good." Only a few have been "great," and as you will see from my reviews, you will notice that there is a lack of highly positive reviews. I'm really hoping that the rest of this year is different, for if it isn't, this will go down as one of the worst years for the movies.

See you at the movies!

-Brett