"This is like Spike Lee saying he's white."- FAVOURITE EVERYTHING ELSE OF 2014

          Okay since lists are awesome and I am a lazy ass, I am going to give you guys a condensed but hopefully fun version of these other "Best of 2014" superlatives. My favourite Performances and Films are yet to come but this is, as the title says, everything else :)

• ScarJo in Under the Skin and Lucy- Both very different yet completely effective types of sexy. ScarJo is basically a sex goddess and we should all worship the ground she walks upon.
• Wallace in What If- It's funny and adorable DanRad being funny and adorable. Ovaries = Obliterated.
• Hot Saxophone Player in Ida- I don't care what his name was. He made a to-be nun horny AND he plays the sax *fans herself*
• Peter Quill aka Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy- Because there weren't enough shirtless scenes.
• Jerome in Nymphomaniac, part 1- I really did not want to find him attractive but the way the present him, hands and all, I couldn't help myself. Also, I feel like that's tmi but I needed to explain this one.
• Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Tadashi in Big Hero 6- Because HELLO hot animated characters!
• Rita Vratasky in Edge of Tomorrow- Because look at those biceps!
• Mahabir in Highway- He's a truck driver who wears a lungi aka the fugliest item of clothing in the whole wide world, and STILL manages to look hot.
• Adam in Only Lovers Left Alive- Marlowe wanted to use him as inspiration for Hamlet. And he's a rockstar. And he looks good naked.

Sexiest Character of 2014- David in The Guest

Yeah, so I made this list so he could top it, *obviously*. The filmmakers deliberately objectified him. I mean, come on! And it's not just the body but also the eyes and the voice. Yeah okay, I get that he's like a lean (oh god, soooo lean!), mean, killing machine but nobody's perfect.

• Dave Skylark in The Interview- He's such an idiot but god he's hilarious.
• Anna Morales in A Most Violent Year- She had me at "This was very disrespectful." *swoons*
• Donna and Nellie in Obvious Child- I adored both of them. Yes, Donna is more fun but Nellie is so no-nonsense.
• M. Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel- Both delightful and heartbreaking.
• Bobo, Klara and Hedvig in We Are the Best!- Because they remind me of the kind of friends I have had, but with mohawks.
• Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy- I never expected that he'd end up being my favourite but I just get his sense of humour. He's fucking badass.
• Detective Rhonda Boney in Gone Girl- I had found her super annoying in the book but Kim Dickens brought such humour to the role. Plus, she's efficient and I like that.
• Batman in The Lego Movie- Best. Batman. Ever.
• Rani in Queen- I just think we can be best friends, that's all.

Favourite Character of 2014- Eve in Only Lovers Left Alive

Okay another bit of information about me none of you want- I really wish I was a vampire. I think they're cool as fuck and Eve might be the coolest, nicest, most magical one ever. I love that she's not jaded because of the amount of time she's lived on earth, rather she's constantly amazed by things around her. It's a beautiful quality to have.

• Gone Girl- I love each and every casting decision made for this film. They are all perfect for the roles they play, big or small.
• Calvary- The first time I saw it, I couldn't stop gaping every time a new totally excellent Irish actor popped up. This film has Mad-Eye Moody, Roy from The I.T. Crowd, Littlefinger and Bernard Black- if that's not awesome, I dunno what is.
• Pride- The film is such a collaboration. No one really outshines anyone else because everyone is so lovely.
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy- I always love the ensembles Marvel picks out and last year was no different.

Favourite Ensemble of 2014- Birdman

Everyone is just soooooo good in this film! Sure, I have my favourites but all the actors did fantastic work in the film and they all get their moments to shine.

• Eleanor's hair in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby- I have such a crush on that hair. It's gorgeous.
• Food in Chef- No explanation needed.
• The tank in The Interview- *in a valley girl accent* Uhh, it plays Katy Perry.
• The hotel in The Grand Budapest Hotel- How I wish it was real!
• The blood goblets in Only Lovers Left Alive- Has blood ever looked more delectable? (Don't answer that, please).
• The hot sauce in Top Five- If you've watched the movie, you know what I'm talking about. I cried laughing.
• The clothes in God Help the Girl- I just want all of them. Even James'.
• The cheekbones in Maleficent- #cheekbonesgoals 

Favourite Object of 2014- the Train in Snowpiercer 

A world inside a train. Of course, it isn't a very good world and I don't particularly like the train or what it stands for but I loved what they did with it. The way it reveals itself was one of the greatest joys of watching this amazing film.

Favourite Quotes of 2014

(The first one is my #1 and all the others are in random order.)

Phew, that's a lot! Do you guys have a favourite or sexiest character or most loved object or ensemble or quote of last year? What are they?

Also in Best of 2014:
My Favourite Shots
My Favourite Scenes
My Favourite Heroes and Villains

Podcast Time!

The last time I was on Ryan McNeil's The Matineecast, he randomly suggested starting an international all-female podcast. And yeah....

This time 'round, we spoke about the super-cool new entry into the vampire movie genre, Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive, along with Thirst and Sid and Nancy. Ryan also found out about my deep admiration for Space Jam among other things. Obviously, I had a lot of fun and I hope you guys enjoy it too!

Listen: The Matineecast Episode 111: Only Lovers Left Alive

Hello 2014!

With a new year, we have a whole set of new films to look forward to. Of course, if you are like me, you still have a huge number of 2013 to get over with. But as it is becoming a tradition on this blog, I give you my most anticipated films of the coming year on 1st January (even though I'm failing my exams for writing this).

Honorable Mentions- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Sils Maria, The Monuments Men, Beauty and the Beast, The Boxtrolls, Cuban Fury, Fury, Chef, 22 Jump Street, Tammy, The Interview, Dark Places, Madame Bovary,  The Imitation Game, Tom at the Farm, Maps to the Stars, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, Unbroken, The Cobbler, Noah (still not sure on this one, but then, Aronofsky), Life Itself, Jupiter Ascending (again, for the directors), Jane Got a Gun, untitled Cameron Crowe, Neighbours, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Stretch, The Maze Runner, Under the Skin, Annie, Get On It, The Search, Dumb and Dumber To, Horrible Bosses 2, Veronica Mars, Exodus, Cymbeline, Every Thing Will Be Fine, Happy Christmas, Frank, Brooklyn, Midnight Special, Need for Speed and any Terrence Malick film if he decides to release one this year.

The 25:

25) X-Men: Days of Future Past
This would have been higher on my list were it not for that gargantuan cast. Seriously, too many characters. There is big chance of this film not working, but I'm still quite excited. Also, that picture is hilarious.

24) Far From the Madding Crowd
Thomas Vinterberg made one of the most acclaimed movies of last year, The Hunt. This will be his English language debut. The material is great and so is the cast. I'm happy to see Tom Sturridge bagging such roles.

23) The Lobster
The concept is kind of genius- people forced to find their soulmates or else they turn into animals. The cast is exciting and I have become quite a fan of Yorgos Lanthimos over last year.

22) Muppets Most Wanted
The Muppets was one of the biggest surprises of 2011 for me. It was the happiest movie of the year and so I have high hopes for its sequel.

21) Nymphomaniac
I don't think any film has me equally intrigued and scared like this one. It is going to be something.

20) The Trip to Italy
I thought the first one was totally brilliant and super hilarious and I have a feeling this one will be too. And I love Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon!

19) Maleficient
Though the teaser did little for me, I have been excited for this film since day 1. Angelina Jolie is PERFECT for a role like this. And gotta love Elle Fanning.

18) Godzilla
Talking of teasers/trailers, Godzilla's absolutely rocked! Plus the cast and the visuals have my attention completely.

17) Transcendence
The trailer was absorbing enough and that cast is quite amazing. Curious to see how Wally Pfister fares as a director. Also, so nice to see Johnny Depp looking normal in a film... sorta...

16) Into the Woods

I love Chicago. That alone guarantees my interest in this film. But then we have fantastic actors like Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp, James Corden (!), Chris Pine, Anna Kendrick in big and small roles playing fairy tale characters- oooooooooooo!!

15) Gone Girl
I'm sorry, David Fincher. I just hate Ben Affleck's chin so much! Otherwise your film would have been higher on the list, I swear on Jack's everything! I do love Rosamund Pike though.

14) How to Train Your Dragon 2
I regret not having watched How to Train Your Dragon in the theatres in 3D. Not making that mistake with its sequel, which looks quite breathtaking too.

13) Foxcatcher
Love it when an actor tries something different. Steve Carell looks set to wow us in this and, having read up on the whole incident, I think this might be a helluva movie.

12) The Fault in Our Stars
I absolutely loved the novel and Shailene Woodley has been fantastic in everything I've seen her in. I seriously hope and pray the film does John Green's beautiful, hilarious and heartbreaking book justice.

11) Guardians of the Galaxy
I think this is going to be a very atypical superhero movie, and we need some of those now. And wowsers Lee Pace, Chris Pratt and Karen Gillan in a movie together!

10) Magic in the Moonlight
Statistically, observing the trend in Woody Allen's recent films, this *should* be a dud. But I absolutely adore the idea of Emma Stone being in one of his films and this looks and sounds quite lovely.

9) Inherent Vice
It's probably a lazy reason but it's a Paul Thomas Anderson film. It's bound to be good if not great. Joaquin Phoenix is also in top-form right now and the story is very interesting.

8) The Raid 2: Berandal
Because The Raid is a perfect film. 'Nuff said.

7) The Double
Submarine is one of my most favourite films ever. This looks v.v.v.v.v. different, but that's not a bad thing, especially with some people talking about its similarities with Fight Club. Also, bless Richard Ayoade for bringing Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska together in this film!

6) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
I am a huge fan of the first one and I like the fact that it seems to be merging superheroes with spies. Chris Evans is so great in this role too.

5) Only Lovers Left Alive
I like vampires. I like vampire romances. I like off-beat romances. I like John Hurt. I like Anton Yelchin. I like rockstars. I love Mia Wasikowska. I looove Tilda Swinton. I looooove vampire Tilda Swinton. I looooooove Tom Hiddleston. I looooooooove vampire Tom Hiddleston. I looooooooooove vampire rockstar Tom Hiddleston.
I think I will like this film.

4) Interstellar
I love a smart blockbuster and Christopher Nolan is just about the king of those. Excited to see what he does now, with the Dark Knight trilogy behind him. And then there is that cast which includes Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway and like a million other amazing people and basically, this might be brilliant.

3) Carol
Todd Haynes directing Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in a film based on a Patricia Highsmith novel about two women in a relationship in the 50s on the run- YES PLEASE!

2) How to Catch A Monster
I *did* call this my most anticipated film of all time, but I am a bit scared about the surreal aspects of the film and obviously, how good the Gos will be as a director. Still, that's a picture of Ryan Gosling directing a shirtless Matt Smith. I'm ready to sell my soul to be able to attend the premiere.

1) The Grand Budapest Hotel

Look at that poster! This film is going to be gold. Don't you just wish that Wes Anderson was God so that the whole world would be as pretty as his films and everyone would be as fun as Ralph Fiennes's Gustav H. seems to be? Jokes (existential jokes? Idk) aside, my favourite thing about Wes Anderson's films are the darker layers hidden beneath their gorgeous exteriors and as delightfully screwball-like as The Grand Budapest Hotel's trailer seems to be, I think the film will have much more to offer. Cannot wait!


And there you have it. I hope all of us have a fantabulous 2014 :D

Thoughts

       Another late Thoughts post and I have nothing to say for myself except that I have been lazing around in my house ever since my summer vacations began last week. I haven't even started preparing for the exams that will start once the holidays are over. Sorry folks!

1) The Across the Universe Podcast that I have started with Mette and Sofia released its first episode and the feedback has been excellent so far. We are also on iTunes now where you can subscribe to the podcast and download and listen to the episodes, which are all free.

2) Andrew Garfield and Ken Watanabe will starring in Martin Scorsese's next, Silence. The film will follow Garfield's character, a 17th century priest who goes to Japan to find his mentor, but is instead faced with religious persecution. Watanabe will play his interpreter. Scorsese has been working on its script since 1988 when he read the novel of the same name by late Japanese author Shusako Endo, but has had trouble filming it due to its sensitive nature. I think this sounds excellent and so does the cast.

3) Charlie Kaufman is set to co-direct a stop-motion animated film Anomalisa which is, as its Kickstarter page reads "about a man crippled by the mundanity of his life". It will follow a character named Michael who is a celebrated motivational speaker who has, so as to speak, lost the motivation in his life, but all that changes when he meets a girl called Lisa. Sounds quite Kaufman-ish, and hence awesome. Voice cast so far includes David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Cannot wait.

4) Scarlett Johansson is going to direct her first film. Summer Crossing is based on the lost first novel of Truman Capote. It's a film that has been close to her for a long time now and it will be out in 2015. The story follows a 17 year old girl who falls in love with a Jewish parking attendant in 1945 New York.

5) Speaking of directorial debuts, my favourite one is well into its shooting now. How to Catch a Monster better be good, especially seeing how Matt Smith has shaved off his gorgeous, gorgeous hair for it. It is an interesting look overall though, and it doesn't hurt that he's shirtless throughout most of it. He is playing the antagonist Bully in the movie, and after the last Doctor Who episode "Nightmare in Silver" where he got to be a villain and was extremely effective at it, I cannot wait to see what he does.

6) Cannes Film Festival is also in full swing now. I did not know that Vidya Balan is in the jury. She is easily the best working Indian actress right now and I couldn't be happier. Plus I love her outfits. She and Christoph Waltz need to come in a film together. Also movie-wise, Asghar Farhadi's The Past is getting rave reviews so far, which is great because his A Separation is one of the most flawless films I have ever seen.

7) Jesse Eisenberg, Isabelle Huppert and Gabriel Byrne are going to star in Joachim Trier's Louder than Bombs. I have seen one film by Trier and it was Oslo, August 31st, which was a very well-made and affecting film, so I have high hopes for this. The official synopsis says that it is a Rashomon-style drama that "revolves around the character of a famous, late war photographer played by Huppert. On the eve of a retrospective of work, some three years after her untimely death, her husband and two sons discover an unsettling secret from her past." It sounds intriguing to say the least.

8) Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep and the ADORABLE James Corden are slated to star in Rob Marshall's adaptation of the musical Into the Woods. Joining them is the lovely Emily Blunt and also, scruffy gods Chris Pine and Jake Gyllenhaal are said to appear as princes. The last two are small parts but it feels like Hollywood is hacking my brain because good lord, aren't they like princes already? I am getting excited about this.

9) Reese Witherspoon is going to join her Walk the Line co-star, the great-faced Joaquin Phoenix in Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice. I really need to watch Walk the Line, but I guess this is a good choice. I have faith in PTA.

10) Nymphomiac is going to be some film. The first cast photo has been released and everyone's doing weird shit in it, as one would expect from a Lars von Trier movie. He is in the photo too with duct tape over his mouth. Read the text he sent to Nicolas Winding Refn. Read the entire interview while you're at it. It's hilarious.

11) Btw, the Doctor Who series finale is today and I am going CRAY CRAYYYYYYYYYY!!!

12) LOADS of trailers- August Osage County which looks fairly typical but I do like the idea of seeing Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts as a bickering mother-daughter pair. Also, what is up with Benedict Cumberbatch's hair? The Butler has that annoying uplifting music playing throughout which really distracts me from the trailer. Although that can be a blessing in disguise because who really wants to see John Cusack playing Nixon... sober? Still, I kind of want to watch it for Oprah. Pacific Rim has another fucking awesome trailer out. Jean-Pierre Jeunet has a delightful new movie out called The Young and Prodigious Spivet which has a lot of his characteristic elements in it. Jim Jarmusch's vampire flick Only Lovers Left Alive has two clips out (both of which are in that video). I think it looks amazing and Hiddles and Tilda Swinton have insane chemistry together. Richard Curtis is back with another awesome-looking romcom About Time which has time travel in it so huzzah! It stars Domnhall Gleeson, who looks adorbs in it, and Rachel McAdams and Curtis-regular Bill Nighy. I already wrote a whole post on the trailer of my most anticipated film of 2013, The World's End. Finally, the king of trailers this week is the one and only Gravity. It looks mindblowingly spectacular and I really hope they don't release anymore trailers because this is perfect. I want this film. Give it to me!!

13) Finally, my ultimate girl-crush Emma Watson is wowing everyone at Cannes. Her W Magazine shoot, entitled "The Prime of Miss Emma Watson" is stunning-

Just... wow.

Toodles!