2014 in Film

Friday, 26 December 2014Wednesday, 31 December 2014 Starr2 Comments

It’s that time of year again! I hope you have all been having a lovely holiday season! I somehow managed to get myself to write way more movie reviews this year than I have in previous years, thanks in part to my discovering a decent system for finding free early screenings.

Criteria for this list are as follows:

I saw it between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2014
It was released between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2014
- Exceptions will be made if they were released internationally this year
  - Snowpiercer was first released internationally last year but was released here this year so this is an exception to the exception
- The Wedding Ringer will be on next year’s list (if I don’t forget)

Without further ado, here is my 2014 movie roundup, in the order provided by Wikipedia:

* = early screening
** = not seen in theaters (streaming service/in-flight movie/DVD rental, etc.)
No notation indicates that I saw it in theater during its release

Ride Along*
From Vegas to Macau
Ex-Files
The Lego Movie**
The Grand Budapest Hotel**
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Right Kind of Wrong**
Divergent
The Trip to Italy
X-Men: Days of Future Past
The Fault in Our Stars
Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy
Snowpiercer**
The Maze Runner*
The Imitation Game
Gone Girl
Big Hero 6*
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Into the Woods*
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies*

Total = 21*

*Updated 30 December with a last-minute addition to the party!
*Updated 31 December because I forgot I went to the movies in China!

I’m realizing I missed a lot of films that I really wanted to see this year. It was a really crazy year for me, and seeing movies was one of the things I sacrificed in the midst of all that chaos. (I mean, I had been wanting to see Snowpiercer since last year and I watched it yesterday so…)

Previously: 2013 in film || 2012 in film

(Do I watch fewer and fewer new releases every year, what’s going on…)

I may watch more between now and December 31, but here’s what I’ve got for you all.

What did you watch this year?
What movies that I missed do I have to make sure I see? (I know there are a lot, so I need help prioritizing.)

2013 in Film

Wednesday, 1 January 2014Friday, 3 January 2014 Starr2 Comments

It’s time for my annual round-up of films that were released this year that I saw. (2012 here) It was a lot fewer than I usually see. The fall-winter season saw a marked decrease in theater visits, aside from my holiday between Christmas and the new year, where I saw 3 movies at the theater in one single week.

KEY:
Without denotation = seen in theaters
* = seen on Netflix/some other service (e.g. Redbox, Amazon)
** = seen on a plane/ship

These are listed in order of the release dates as provided by Wikipedia.
However, it is not the order in which I watched them. I did not enjoy all of these films, but oh well!

The Grandmaster
Movie 43*
21 and Over*
Jack the Giant Slayer**
Oz the Great and Powerful**
Olympus Has Fallen
Iron Man 3
Star Trek Into Darkness
The Great Gatsby
Fast & Furious 6
Now You See Me
The Internship
This is the End*
The Heat
Coffee Town
Thor: The Dark World
Saving Mr. Banks
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Wolf of Wall Street

Total = 19.

Which 2013 releases do you think I should still try to see?

If you would like to know whether I’d recommend any of the movies I watched, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and I’ll try to keep it brief with a yes or a no. 🙂

2013 Year-End Survey

Wednesday, 1 January 2014Wednesday, 20 April 2016 StarrLeave a comment

What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before? – I mentioned this in my reflection post. To add to that since publishing: I visited Costco, ate a churro, and went inside a Wawa. Weird firsts to add, right?
Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? – I kept a few of them, and I am publishing my resolutions post very soon.
Did anyone close to you give birth? – No.
Did anyone close to you die? – No.
What countries did you visit? – As mentioned: England, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, and France
What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? – Discipline. Much more discipline. Most of my unhappiness stems from a lack of discipline.
What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? – I’m not sure if any specific dates from this past year will be etched into my memory forever. I’ve never been one to remember many dates. I can barely remember my graduation date. I do remember that my vacation was 26 July to 12 August, but I doubt I’ll remember that a year from now.
What was your biggest achievement of the year? – Graduating college? Although it didn’t feel like a very big accomplishment in the moment.
What was your biggest failure? – Trying to defend my lack of life direction while I watched my friends start out on their journeys to achieve their dreams.
Did you suffer illness or injury? – Not really. I bruised my butt skiing last week, but otherwise nothing big. I had my wisdom teeth removed? Does that count?
What was the best thing you bought? – The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition was one of the purchases that made me happiest this year, to list one off the top of my head.
Whose behaviour merited celebration? – Many of my friends, who have gone on to do such amazing things, truly
Whose behaviour made you appalled? – My own? My roommate? The administrative coordinator at work?
Where did most of your money go? – My new computer (RIP old computer), gifts, new clothes, and food
What did you get really, really, really excited about? – Visiting Europe, The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition, red pants, getting a local Yelp job
What song will always remind you of 2013? – As far as if I hear it I’ll remember that it came out in 2013?
Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? – (a) Neutral, I don’t think I’m happier or sadder than I was at this time last year, I’m about the same; (b) Fatter; (c) Richer by a bit, since I worked almost all year this year
What do you wish you’d done more of? – Dancing, karaoke-ing, smiling
What do you wish you’d done less of? – Crying, yelling, punishing myself and others
How did you spend Christmas? – Eating food with my family and watching The Wolf of Wall Street, then back to the house for some more food and more movie-watching
Did you fall in love in 2013? – With a person, no. With a thing or a movie or a character or a place or a moment or a song or…? Yes
What was your favourite TV program? – Once Upon a Time was easily my favorite show this past year, although I did get quite into Doctor Who as well
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?– Hatred, hatred. Hate is such an intense emotion that I don’t know who would matter enough to warrant it. I’ve spent quite some time wondering if I truly hate anyone.
What was the best book you read? – Oof I didn’t do a lot of reading this past year. I read a handful of mediocre books and stopped reading another handful. Dommage.
What was your greatest musical discovery? – I think I added some new stations to Pandora: Always on Time (by Ja Rule), Ludacris, House music, Video Game music; these are more like rediscoveries?
What did you want and get? – To visit Europe, to graduate, Funko POP! vinyl toys, tickets to see The Nutcracker
What did you want and not get? – A sense of purpose in my life
What was your favourite film of this year? – That came out this year, the movies that I enjoyed most were Thor: The Dark World and Saving Mr. Banks
What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying? – Not being a student anymore, even though I do miss it, is a huge relief to me. The weight of my virtual unemployment has obviously not quite set in yet 😛
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?– Not bad when I tried, I finally got to incorporate more blazers & cardigans, I let myself bare my legs, but when I didn’t try well…
What kept you sane? – My boyfriend, this blog, strangers talking to me through Youtube
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? – Hahahahahahaha. Well, I went through a pretty big Tom Hiddleston and Chris Evans phase, as well as some major adoration for Josh Dallas & Robbie Kay
What political issue stirred you the most? – Gay marriage, as per always, but I did get myself into a few debates about things like healthcare
Who did you miss? – I think I missed people less this year, but there are some friends to whom I still cling to the frayed threads of our relationships. I also quite miss my family, but I know that missing my family and wanting to see them don’t go hand-in-hand 100% of the time
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013. – If you want to do something, you have to clear that path to do it. If the obstacles are external to yourself, avoid them or annihilate them. If the obstacles are part of who you are, you must try extra hard to work through them. Talking is not the same as action.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. – I’m pretty rubbish at song lyrics, sorry!

☺ | via Tumblr

Looking Back on 2013

Monday, 23 December 2013Tuesday, 31 December 2019 Starr1 Comment

I am currently writing my annual resolutions post. Often, resolutions blog posts make me feel really frustrated with what I haven’t yet accomplished. They’re rarely things like “Continue to be awesome!” or “Keep being perfect!”

Even though this was another admittedly difficult year, I am more than aware of how many wonderful things happened this year.

So, without further ado, a quick little rundown of the things I accomplished this year that made me happy and/or proud:

I took a voice class
I played intramural basketball
I had an A+ in a biology class, if only for a brief moment
I produced, directed, and starred in a short film for class
https://vimeo.com/65606058
I graduated college
I watched my brother graduate high school
I quit being pre-med
I saw Saturn
I started getting help
I began blogging more regularly
- I made new friends as a result
I had my wisdom teeth removed
I got a smartphone whoa
I became Yelp Elite
I went to Europe, where I was able to check off bucket list places like:
- London
  - I took my first-ever bike tour
    Helmet = ready!
- Paris
- Berlin
- St. Petersburg
  - I learned that I should not be THAT scared of vodka
    Coming soon in my St. Petersburg posts!
- Copenhagen
- Helsinki
- Stockholm
- Tallinn
I experienced a cruise ship for the first time
The views were unreal.
I sang karaoke in front of strangers
I attended the Maryland Crab & Beer Festival
I attended two free, very different, movie screenings and thoroughly enjoyed them both
I finally walked along the Brooklyn Bridge
I ran my first-ever 5K (and lived!)
I attended my first-ever real concert

Muse!
I took a ballet class
My ballet classmates, instructor, and myself on the right.
I met Buzz Aldrin
Getting a signed book (and a compliment!) from Buzz Aldrin
I sort of met Ice Cube
Yeah, I could’ve touched him, no big deal.

I had my Snow White costume featured on the Disneybound blog

I visited the Wall Street bull for the first time

I revisited Lady Liberty after more than 10 years
I was able to help out with the production of another short film
I attended my first-ever real ballet

All in all, I was so incredibly fortunate to have all of these experiences and more this year. I’m happy to have been able to experience these wonderful things and that I was able to share almost all of them here with my small bunch of readers.

I think that 2013, with its extreme ups and extreme downs, has made me a better person than I was in 2012. I’ve become more of a person of action. Mind you, I still have a long ways to go with this, but I didn’t say no to as many opportunities that I wanted so badly to say yes to. Resume vocal training? No more talking about it, time to register for a class and sing. Take up ballet again? Oh, maybe I could… or maybe I’ll just register for a class and dance.

I tried to not just talk about doing things with the false air of being too busy to actually do them. In truth, I was, and often am, too embarrassed to do things, Singing in front of complete strangers without a spotlight blinding me to their presence? Biking around a city that I don’t know? Paying MONEY to RUN even though I am slow and have poor endurance?

What’s more is that many of these experiences are actually the result of my own agency. Yes, my dad booked us for the bike tour, but I’m the one who called it to his attention and suggested it. He bought my tickets to The Nutcracker but only because he knew how badly I wanted to see it. (So badly that I was actually vocal about it, instead of willing people with my non-existent psychic powers to know.)

I am proud of myself for many of the things I accomplished, but maybe I’m most proud that I acted on things I wanted to do. Instead of “Oh, I wish I could do this…” I actually got up and did. I feel empowered by my newfound sense of agency.

This is what assures me that I will be a better person in 2014.
This is why I am grateful for 2013.