11 Movies to Look forward to in 2015

This is going to be a HUGE year for movies. We're talking some of the biggest numbers the box office has seen in a decade. Sequels galore, two brand-new Pixar films, and a few others.

Really these are just movies that I'm looking forward to, but you should too.   Here are my picks, starting with least excited (although it's still in my top 11 movies to look forward to!)

2014 Film Awards

Recognizing the Year's Best Films... according to I AM HOLLYWOOD
Oddly enough, I actually had a lot in common with the Academy this year. Perhaps it's because I saw a lot of films that they ended up nominating, or perhaps it's because they selected some decent films this year. The greatest struggle I have in evaluating the art of film is in the difference between a museum and a home. Allow me to elaborate: in a museum we have relics, achievements in history, great and masterful works, but even if I could afford those paintings, photographs, and sculptures, there's very few I would ever want in my home. There's very few that would stick with me, inspire me, entertain me, and keep me looking at them to the point that I'd want them in my home. And this, for the most part is my criteria for what I see as the best picture of the year. There were many movies that were masterful works of art. Maybe they taught me, maybe they challenged me, but I'd never want to see them again. I'd never buy them and watch them again over the years, they're not tales that cause me to go forward in life. Stories I'd want my children and the following generations to cherish. I want to pick movies that I think should be remembered, not in a museum, but in a home. Not as a relic, but as a part of life. With that being said, here are my choices for the best (and worst) films of 2014:

Film Review - Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy
Directed by James Gunn

*This is a SPOILER-FREE post, so read away*

Summary: When the rogue outlaw, Peter Quill, comes across an item that has the power to destroy the universe, he is forced to team up with a group of renegade criminals to keep the item from the hands of an evil psychopath.

Sounds crazy, huh? It is, and you will love it.

10 of The Best Netflix Films You Haven't Seen

Netflix is often changing their lineup (for better or worse), so hopefully all of these will stay up for a while.  I think the problem that most of us run into with Netflix is that it has some good movies on there, but we've all seem them... recently and too many times.  And then there is this surplus of low budget indie films that no one's heard of and aren't worth the painful two hours that it takes to watch it.  HERE are 10 movies that I can guarantee will be worth your time (in no particular order... but the genre is listed to best suit your mood):

Film Review - How to Train Your Dragon 2

How to Train Your Dragon 2
Directed by Dean DeBlois

*This is a SPOILER-FREE post, so read away*

Summary: Picking up 5 years after "How to Train Your Dragon", Hiccup uncovers a plot of a mysterious deranged man bent on capturing all dragons to form a dragon army. In order to protect his home and their dragons, Hiccup and his pet dragon, Toothless, venture out to find this man and stop him before it comes to war.

10 Movies You Should be Looking Forward to in 2014

Really these are just movies that I'm looking forward to, but you should too.  I can almost guarantee that these will be the majority of the year's highest grossing films, as well as some of the highest rated (at least on IMdB - Rotten Tomatoes generally sucks).  Here are my picks, starting with least excited (although it's still in my top 10 movies to look forward to!)

2013 Film Awards

Recognizing the Year's Best Films... according to I AM HOLLYWOOD
Obviously the Academy and I don't quite see eye-to-eye (insert great song from "The Goofy Movie") so these picks do not reflect the decisions of the 86th Academy Awards, but what I found to be most valuable in films.  Often times people don't understand what I mean when I say "I thought it was a very artistic film and very well done, but I didn't really like it, and I would never watch it again." But it means just that. To me, the value of a film is not reflected in whether or not it is artsy, edgy, incredibly unique, brilliantly acted, or even written. The movies that I chose for best picture are based on how they affected, inspired, or connected with me. As you can see my pick for best picture was despised by critics, scored low by IMdB, and I will even admit was one of most flawed films listed in this blog, however, it spoke to me, inspired me, and had a stronger impact on me than any of the other films. And if that's not what filmmaking is about, then I don't know what the heck it is about.  And the beauty of filmmaking is that it reflects the beauty of humanity- that in spite of our incredibly flawed existence, we can still do great good and have great impact on this earth. Here are my choices for the best (and worst) films of 2013: