Tangled vs Frozen - Ancillary Characters

SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't seen Frozen.
     In terms of ancillary characters, obviously, they are the characters who aren't named Rapunzel, Anna, and Elsa. I'll be talking about all of the characters in both movies, some will get more detail than others.
     Mother Gothel is an interesting character. She has lived for hundreds of years due to the power of this

magical flower. When the flower is taken away from her, she then steals Rapunzel away all for her own personal gain. What I'm trying to get to is, does she truly care for Rapunzel. Mother Gothel does whatever she can to keep Rapunzel in the tower, but she takes care of her and does motherly things for Rapunzel. It's not like she keeps her locked up behind bars and treats her terribly. However, it is obvious to us that Mother Gothel is only using Rapunzel to keep her young forever. I just wanted to bring up an interesting topic for the character of Mother Gothel. Now let's get to the love interest, Eugene Fitzherbert (that's his real name, so I prefer using that instead of Flynn Rider). Eugene is basically just a common thief. We learn though, that he had dreams of being rich and wealthy and that stealing was his only way to get that because he didn't have much growing up. At first he too is using Rapunzel, but after getting to know her and to be around her, he starts to fall in love with Rapunzel. In his dying moments, he cuts Rapunzel's hair off to free her from Mother Gothel. His whole character development was great and fun to watch. Along Rapunzel and Eugene's journey, Maximus, horse of the royal guard, goes along with them. At first, Maximus is there to arrest Eugene, but they eventually becomes great friends. It is pretty comically that he is leading the soldiers with frying pans. Then we have the thugs who actually have bigger and better dreams. That's pretty much it for their characters and the same goes with the king and the queen. The king and queen don't really have any lines, they just yearn to have their daughter back.
     The king and queen of Arendelle are pretty much the same type of characters like the king and queen in Tangled. They have minor lines, but end up dying in the beginning of the movie. Also, in the beginning of Frozen, we meet younger versions of Kristoff and Sven. Kristoff doesn't have many friends. He was raised by trolls, talks to his reindeer, Sven, and sells ice for a living. He starts to get a turnaround when he takes

Anna to the north mountain and starts to realize that he is love with Anna. However, Anna falls for Hans, the prince of the Southern Isles. Hans has 12 older brothers, so he has to find his way to the top. He does that by trying to marry Anna, but events occur that lets him try to kill Anna and Elsa. This was the plot twist of the movie. Anna has to go to her true love because her heart has been frozen. We think that it is Hans, but he then reveals his actually plan. This was the plot twist of the movie, however, this was something that I sort of saw coming. Maybe this was just me, I have heard that people were genuinely surprised by this plot twist. Something that I was surprised about was how much I loved Olaf, the snowman. He was very charming and funny and brought even more excitement to Frozen. Some other minor characters that we meet are Grand Pabbie and the Duke of Weselton. They're not bad characters. You pretty much get what you are expecting.
     Which movie had the better ancillary characters? I will go with Tangled for this one. Olaf's song, "In Summer", was great and he is just a fun character. Kristoff and Eugene are similar characters, but there is more character development with Eugene. The same goes with Maximus and Sven, the animal characters. Maximus played a more important role in Tangled while Sven was only there to be the friend that Kristoff never had. The biggest edge that Tangled has is Mother Gothel. She is just a complex and sinister character who was willing to do anything for her own personal gain.
Tangled 3
Frozen 0

Tangled vs Frozen - Main Character(s)

SPOILERS!! For those who haven't seen Frozen yet, you have been warned.
     For this part of the Tangled vs Frozen breakdown, I decided to focus on the main characters instead of putting them together with the supporting characters because it would both be easier and would also be the proper way to examine the main characters of both movies. The main characters being Rapunzel from Tangled and Anna and Elsa from Frozen. If you're wondering why I'm not including the male characters, (Eugene and Kristoff) that's because I wanted to focus more on the Disney Princesses. They are the main draw for most Disney movies and are typically remembered as the main characters.
     Rapunzel, voiced by Mandy Moore, is a lost princess who is taken away by Mother Gothel and lives in isolation with her for about eighteen years. In the song, "When Will My Life Begin", we see that Rapunzel makes one friend in a chameleon, has learned to use her very long hair to her advantage, and more importantly, a very curious individual who yearns to learn more about the world around her. Mother Gothel then warns Rapunzel about the dangers of the outside world, but she won't budge and is willing to do whatever it takes to see the lights in the sky that only come around on her birthday. If you look at it from the outside, it is pretty foolish to trust a man who you just met to take you on this journey just to see some floating lights. However, pretty girls get their way and are pretty convincing, especially with the way she uses a frying pan. We see this in the " I've Got a Dream" song where these ruffians aren't as bad as they seem and are on board with Rapunzel. Rapunzel, at times, can be foolish and naive, but she shows strengths in being a kind, friendly person, who you just want to fall and love with and you do.
     Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, and Elsa, voiced by Idina Menzel, are sisters and are heirs to the throne of Arendelle. We see Anna and Elsa doing what normal sisters do, play and have fun. They take advantage of Elsa's snow powers and have a nice winter wonderland inside their palace, until Elsa accidentally strikes Elsa in the head. Anna's memory is then wiped out, but not completely. "I'll keep the fun", is what the trolls tell Anna and Elsa's parents. We then get into the "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" where we see Anna desperately wanting to have fun with her sister, but Elsa is afraid that she will end up hurting her sister. The rift in their relationship worsens when their parents tragically die. For years, Anna and Elsa have been separated until Elsa's coronation day. The gates open up and we see in the " For the First Time in Forever" song that Anna and Elsa are nearly complete opposite characters. Anna, like Rapunzel, wants to learn and explore the outside world, while Elsa has a "conceal, don't feel" mindset. One of my favorite moments of the movie was when we first see Anna and Rapunzel interact with each other during the party. It was awkward, cute, and great to see these sisters do what they want to do more than anything else, be together and be happy. Anna and Elsa have an argument about Anna wanting to marry a man she just met in Hans, which leads Elsa running away, and we see Elsa open up and quite possibly some of the best animations in the movie,  in the song "Let it Go". On the other side of the spectrum, Anna, like Rapunzel, entrusts a strange man in Kristoff to to her up the north mountain to find her sister. Madness and fun ensues and Anna and Elsa are together and happy.
     You would think that Frozen would get the edge with more characters, but the edge will go to Tangled. There is more character development in Rapunzel and it seems like Anna is another re-hash of Rapunzel. We don't learn more about Anna and Elsa. Elsa is a just a girl who has powers who struggles to control her powers until she learns that she can open up and be herself. From the beginning of the movie to the end, I sensed more depth to the Rapunzel character than Anna and Elsa combined.
Tangled 2
Frozen 0  

     
     

Ghost in the Shell Finds a Director

Please don't ruin this Sanders!

     DreamWorks has recently confirmed that the upcoming Ghost in the Shell movie, based on the manga written by Masamune Shirow, and the animated film directed by Mamoru Oshii, will be directed by Rupert Sanders, the director of Snow White and the Huntsman. A release date has not been confirmed (at least to my knowledge), but I would expect this to come out sometime around 2018, maybe, but what do I think about this directing choice? I'm personally not a fan of this. I was disappointed by Snow White and the Huntsman. It was poorly directed, and it failed to reach the expectations that I and many other people had for the movie had for the movie. Not everyone disliked the movie like I do. That is where I get an optimistic approach for this. I want this Ghost in the Shell movie to be amazing because I am a fan of this anime. For the people who enjoyed Snow White and the Huntsman, they'll probably like this directing choice. Time will tell on the state of this movie. We still need to wait on who will be part of this movie, especially in terms of cast. Some fans of the anime will probably want a specific people to be in this movie, more importantly, race. I personally don't think race matters. Fans aren't in love with what the character is, they care about who the character is. As long as the actor or actress capture the traits and the essence of the character, they can be any race. Check out the story on Yahoo News or what AMC Movie Talk has to say about the news, and if you don't know what Ghost in the Shell is about, check out the trailer for it.

Thoughts on Pro Bowl

     This year, the Pro Bowl format was changed. We had a team picked by Jerry Rice against a team picked by Deion Sanders. If you didn't watch the game, (you most likely didn't), I'll tell you this, it wasn't that bad. This year's Pro Bowl was much better than other Pro Bowls in past years. Defense was actually played and the game was fairly competitive. The first half of this game was better than any other Pro Bowl that I have

seen. The energy started to fade away in the third quarter and through the first half of the fourth quarter. The whole teammate vs teammate aspect was really interesting. We saw Derrick Johnson go at it to Jaamal Charles, who was recovering from a concussion, and we also saw Mike Tolbert go at it against Luke Kuechly. The game came down to the wire and it was a DeMarco Murray TD and a Mike Tolbert 2-pt conversion that gave Team Rice the 22-21 win over Team Sanders. On that last drive, it really seemed like a football movie. Team Rice got the TD and it was like that moment in the movie where the coach says, "so guys what do we do?", and the players tell the coach that we go for the win and that is what Team Rice did. What I will keep saying is that this Pro Bowl wasn't that bad, and that the NFL should keep this format because it seemed like the players were trying for one reason and one reason only. They didn't want to disappoint two legends in Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders. That's all I can really say about the Pro Bowl. It wasn't that bad, the players were trying, and the first half was pretty fun.

Weekend Box Office

5. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ($8.8 million)
4. Frozen ($9 million)
3. The Nut Job ($12.3 million)
2. Lone Survivor ($12.6 million)
1. Ride Along ($21.2 million)

Maybe this is what he thought when his movie didn't make more money?
Still good number though

     Really surprising that we see the same exact movies in the top five for this weekend's box office. The only difference is that Frozen jumped ahead of Jack Ryan. The only major movie opening this weekend was I, Frankenstein, which made only $8.3 million. Really disappointing for I, Frankenstein, but the movie has received negative reviews, but that hasn't stopped Ride Along, which stays number one at the box office, but it only made half of what it made last week. Again, Frozen stays in the top five and continues to make money. The Nut Job staying on top is not really surprising because usually kid's movies have better traction than serious movies like Lone Survivor. The only movie to look out for this weekend is That Awkward Moment. I'm curious about this movie. I like the talent in the movie, but I wasn't too impressed with the trailer. I'm expecting That Awkward Moment to get into the top five, most likely in the top three.
   

Tangled vs Frozen - Plot

First and only warning (will put this in blog description) is that if the movie has already been released on DVD/Blu Ray, then it is spoiler free, but if a movie is still in theaters, I will say SPOILER ALERT, so SPOILERS are ahead if you haven't seen Frozen yet.
     Tangled is based on the Brothers Grimm, but there are key differences. An enchantress, Mother Gothel, finds this magical flower that grants strong healing powers when the user sings a song. Mother Gothel uses the flower to keep herself young for hundreds of years. That is until the queen of the kingdom falls sick during her pregnancy. This flower is no secret, so the king sends his troops out to find this magical flower. Mother

Nice before and after

Gothel fails to hide the flower, and the flower is used to heal the queen. The flower is no more, but its magic is now within this little princess. Mother Gothel then steals the baby, names her Rapunzel, and hides out in a tower where most people wouldn't look. The king and queen, and the citizens of the kingdom release floating lanterns for their lost daughter every year on her birthday, hoping that she will see it and that she will return home. For 18 years, Rapunzel is stuck in the tower with her "mother" watching every year, on her birthday, the floating lights, wondering more and more about the world around her. By the time we see Rapunzel grow up, her hair is as long as ever for if her hair is cut, the healing powers that she received from the flower would be gone away forever. Mother Gothel denies Rapunzel's request to go outside and see the floating lights and tells her about the over exaggerated dangers of the outside world. This is when we meet  Eugene Fitzherbert (first introduced as Flynn Rider). Eugene isn't much of a prince to save Rapunzel from the tower. The memorable phrase, "Rapunzel, let down your hair", is mostly said by Mother Gothel. Eugene is a thief, and on this very job, he steals the princess's tiara. He runs away from the guards, his fellow thieves he betrayed, and Maximus, one of the best horses of the royal guard. Eugene eventually finds the tower where Rapunzel is. He thinks that it is empty, and then he gets knocked out by Rapunzel. Rapunzel hides the tiara in order to have leverage over Eugene. She requests that he take her to see the floating lights. He only agrees with the promise of the tiara back. Fun and madness ensues, and Mother Gothel, who Rapunzel convinced to go out on a 3-day trip, finds out about the tiara and what Rapunzel has been up to and does what she can to get Rapunzel back to her. While spending a lot of time with Rapunzel, Eugene falls in love with her, but Mother Gothel succeeds in her plan to get Rapunzel back. Eugene is sentenced to death, but with the help of Maximus, he escapes to rescue Rapunzel, but is killed by Mother Gothel! Rapunzel tries to heal his wound, but then cuts her hair, thus killing Mother Gothel. However, in true Disney fashion, love conquers all and a tear that Rapunzel sheds brings Eugene back to life, and then they lived happily ever after.

Pretty valid point

     Like, Tangled, Frozen is loosely based on a source material called The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson. Disney had trouble making this movie because The Snow Queen barely had The Snow Queen in it. If you want to know more about The Snow Queen compared to Frozen. listen to The Disney Story Origins Podcast. Frozen starts off with Elsa, a princess of Arendelle who has the ability to create ice and snow, and Anna, younger sister of Elsa, playing in the castle, having fun with Elsa's powers. However, Elsa accidentally strikes Anna in the head, forcing their parents to go seek help from trolls. In order to save Anna, Grand Pabbie removes Anna's memories have Elsa having any powers. Grand Pabbie warns the king, build a snowman but Elsa is afraid that she will hurt her sister again. The sisters grow up lonely and distant, and their parents dying worsens their relationship even more. We move on to the coronation of Elsa. The kingdom is opened up, Elsa is about to become queen of Arendelle but only Anna is happy and excited about meeting all of the people visiting Arendelle. She bumps into Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. They connect so well with each other that they decide that they want to get married. Anna asks Elsa for her blessing and she refuses by saying, "you can't be in love with someone you just met". Anna and Elsa get into an argument that reveals that Elsa has magical powers. She runs off in fear, but in doing so, puts Arendelle in an eternal winter. Anna rushes to go rescue her sister in order to reverse the effect and eventually meets Kristoff and Sven (a reindeer), who were taken in by the trolls earlier in the movie. The 3 make their way into the north mountain, where Elsa is, and on their way, they meet Olaf, a talking snowman. Anna confronts Elsa, but get into another argument, and this time, Elsa strikes Anna in the heart meaning that she will turn into solid ice and can only be healed by an "act of true love". You would assume that Anna would go to Prince Hans, they kiss and its happy and sunshine right? Wrong! Prince Hans reveals that he was using Anna to become king for he has 12 older brothers ahead of him in the throne. Kristoff, distraught over the fact that he let the love of his life leave forever, goes back and try to save Anna. Prince Hans, thinking Anna died, tries to kill Elsa, but Anna rushes in to save her, but is turned to ice in the process. Elsa grieves for her sister which brings Anna back to her normal self. The key here being, it wasn't a regular act of true love that we normally see. It was the love that two sisters shared that conquered all.  
queen, and Elsa must control her powers or fear will consume her. Ironically, the king seals up the kingdom and separates Elsa and Anna. Anna, like any kid, wants to have fun and play with her sister, possibly
     After going through the plot, I'm going to give the edge to Tangled. There is a key plot hole in Frozen. Love was the key to controlling Elsa's powers, so I guess she didn't love her parents. Now we don't know much about her parents except for the small portion of the beginning of the movie. Maybe they weren't really good parents. A plot hole that Tangled has is, how did Rapunzel hide the satchel with the tiara in it without Eugene noticing? There are many others but I consider those minor plot holes. Despite that however, Tangled has a more thought out story than Frozen. With the magic flower, the Eugene back story, and Rapunzel finding herself in the outside world, we got the sense of a wide, vast world. Frozen just follows one trail, Arendelle to the north mountain and back. Tangled gets the edge in terms of plot because of the wider range of story that it presents.
Tangled 1
Frozen 0

Tangled vs Frozen - Intro

OK, I lied, there will be no Richard Sherman blog post. I just think I'm just going to regurgitate everything that everyone has had to say on the topic, so I won't waste your time.
   The 90s brought us the best Disney animated movies of all time. It is often called the Renaissance for Disney. We had Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan,

Shh, you're ruining the fun

and Tarzan. Just amazing movies that everyone knows and enjoys. Then there was a dark period for Disney. Not all of the movies of the 2000s were horrible, but they were just really forgettable. The only memorable movie is Lilo & Stitch, and that's only because of the memorable line, "Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten". The Princess and the Frog is a forgettable movie, but the twist in the classic fairy tail helped spawn a new era of Disney animation with the release of Tangled to kick off the 2010 era of Disney. Tangled is a great movie, and the box office numbers backed that up. Tangled became the 2nd most successful movie for Disney Animation Studios until the release of Frozen, before Frozen, there was Wreck-It Ralph. Again, a plot twist but this time involving a video game character. Many people enjoyed Wreck-It Ralph and it is a fun watch. Now we get to Frozen. Frozen easily shattered the records that Tangled made previously and is still continuing it's box office success.
   Where am I going with this? The 90s are the A movies for Disney Animation Studios, the 2000s are the C movies, and the 2010s are the B/borderline A movies. I recently watched Tangled and Frozen again, and they aren't better than the movies from the 90s (maybe 1 or 2) but I can't decide which one is better, Tangled or Frozen. Does it matter? No, but I will be dissecting each movie and grading which movie had the

If you didn't know, now you know

better plot, had better main characters, had better supporting characters, had better music, and other miscellaneous things, and that will lead us to a count of which movie is the better movie in my eyes. Stay tuned because the first aspect I will dissect is the plot.
Note: We may not get anywhere, and I might just decide that these movies are both equally amazing. Who knows, right?

Championship Reactions

New England 16 vs Denver Broncos 26

Peyton Manning needs to win a Super Bowl to "validate" his career
Spoiler: He doesn't!

   The AFC Championship saw Peyton Manning lay the butt-whipping of the Patriots defense. The score doesn't even emulate what I saw on Sunday. It got even worse with Aqib Talib leaving with an injury (Wes Welker should have been called for a penalty, but I did not see the play as malicious in anyway, just a regular football play). I felt during the game that I could've been a Denver WR and get at least 30 or 40 yards, that's how bad it seemed. Terrance Knighton was the key contributor for the Denver defense, providing the run stops and containing Tom Brady. That led to a forgetful day for the Patriots for they could do nothing throughout the majority of this game. Danny Amendola had a goose egg for the game, but he didn't "choke" like some Pats fans believe. That dropped pass means nothing. Give him and the the three rookie WR (Aaron Dobson, Kenbrell Thompkins, and Josh Boyce) another year with Tom Brady, I'm positive they'll be alright. LeGarette Blount was a no-show in this game because of Terrance Knighton, and the fact that the Patriots had to keep up with Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense. The better team won on Sunday. It was a miracle that the Patriots made it to the AFC Championship, but there were no miracles to be found in the game itself. Peyton Manning will now take his historic run and the #1 offense in the NFL to New York to try to win a 2nd Super Bowl in his hall of fame career.

San Francisco 49ers 17 vs Seattle Seahawks 23
   The NFC Championship was the highlight of the day. The 49ers started the game off with a uncharacteristic fumble from Russell Wilson, but scoring was tough against the Seahawks defense. The unsung hero of the game that is being overshadowed by teammate Richard Sherman, was Doug Baldwin. Yes, Marshawn Lynch rushed for over 100 yards, and yes, Richard Sherman made an amazing deflection in the final seconds of the game to clinch the victory, but you have to score points to win games, and Doug Baldwin helped the Seahawks do just that. He didn't score a TD in this game, but he helped move the chains and create scoring opportunities for Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch. An underrated player throughout the season has been Navorro Bowman who was robbed in his fumble grab near the goaline because the play was "un-reviewable". I hope Navorro Bowman will be healthy enough to play next year because he is one of my favorite players to watch. I'll do another post about Richard Sherman sometime this week, but what I will say is that Colin Kaepernick played a good game throughout. He made, what I

For some, he did.

thought, was a good throw, but it needed to go deeper to the corner. The throw did not do that and Richard Sherman showed why he is the best CB in the game by making a great play on the ball. I don't believe in a player "choking" or other things like "momentum" and things like that. Colin Kaepernick didn't "choke", he made the right play and threw a good ball but not good enough. Yes, you don't throw to Richard Sherman's alleyway, but you can't be intimated. You have to believe that you are the better player and step up. Jim Harbaugh has done a great job in San Francisco, I mean come on, 3 NFC Championship games in a row! He deserves a lot more credit than he receives other than getting hate for his sideline reactions. The 49ers did not do that, and now we will see the #1 offense vs the #1 defense in the Super Bowl. 

The Weekend Box Office

5. Frozen ($12 milion)
4. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ($17.2 million)
3. The Nut Job ($20.6 million)
2. Lone Survivor ($23.2 million)
1. Ride Along ($41.2 million)

Great songs, going to win best song at Oscars

   The biggest surprise of this weekend's box office, once again, is Frozen making $12 million. Ride Along won the box office, and it wasn't a huge surprise to me. Whether the movie was good or not, the fans of Kevin Hart would go to see this movie, and we can see how big of a fan base he has. Another kids movie, The Nut Job did pretty well, despite negative reviews, with over $20 million. Lone Survivor managed to hold strong making over $23 million, despite the lack of Oscar buzz the movie received. Devil's Due failed to make the top 5 but you could still say the movie did well for itself making $8.5 million. I say this because the movie was a found-footage movie and those are typically very cheap to make. I think Frozen will keep it's box office dominance with the negative reviews of The Nut Job and the only movie coming out this week to compete in the box office is I, Frankenstein, which looks horrible. What I'm saying is, you should watch Frozen at least 2 times because it is that good.

Divisional Recap / Championship Preview

This is what the divisional round brought us

New Orleans 15 vs Seattle Seahakws 23
   The Seahawks defense shut down Drew Brees for most of the game. The Saints were one Marques Colston pass away from at least tying the game. I think that is the takeaway from this game. Marshawn Lynch led the offense for the majority of the game. Russell Wilson made some key plays, but he only completed 9 of his passes.
Indianapolis Colts 22 vs New England 43
   The Patriots coasted their way to an easy defeat against the Colts. LeGarrette Blount led the way with 4 TD runs and that is the most interesting thing with this Patriots team. They used their run game and their defense, led by Aqib Talib and the emerging Jaime Collins. That is something we haven't really seen with the Patriots in recent years and that could be dangerous for the rest of the playoffs.
San Francisco 49ers 23 vs Carolina Panthers 10
   The 49ers proved that they are the most complete team in the playoffs with another road win against the Panthers. Cam Newton and Ron Rivera thought they were in good condition in the 1st half, but with silly personal foul penalties, lack of receiving talent, and coaching indecision led to the defeat of the Panthers. Anquan Boldin was amazing in this game and is continuing his playoff success from last year. The 49ers are my favorite to win the Super Bowl after this performance.
San Diego Chargers 17 vs Denver Broncos 24
   The Chargers tried to go with the running attack against the Denver Broncos, but that only slowed their game down and disrupted Phillip Rivers and the passing attack. Peyton Manning was great as always, but the Chargers nearly came back in this game due to the loss of Chris Harris Jr. Quentin Jammer could not cover Kennan Allen, but Peyton Manning iced that game with a big 3rd and 17 conversion in the final minutes of the game.

Don't mess these games up refs!

New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos

Like it or not, this a legacy game for Peyton Manning

   Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning. The classic rivalry returns in the playoffs once again. These two teams faced off before in the regular season, but now each team faces different circumstances. The Patriots are without most of their top players, and the Broncos are without top CB Chris Harris Jr. Parity in the NFL has shown itself in the playoffs. Teams who play good defense and have a strong run game tend to win the big games. Instead of Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning, we should look at LeGarrette Blount vs Knowshon Moreno. Blount had a career game last week against the Colts and expect him to continue his rushing success with the Broncos lack of depth at LB. Wesley Woodyard and Danny Trevathan will have a lot on their hands especially with the loss of Von Miller. On paper, the Patriots should not be in the Championship game with the loss of their star players on almost every level, but Bill Belichick and company have smartly changed the whole team around and kept themselves in the hunt for another Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks

Can the 49ers get Gandalf as a coach?

   Another rivalry is renewed when these NFC West foes battle off. It's Jim Harbaugh vs Pete Carroll and Colin Kaepernick vs Russell Wilson. The Seahawks have beaten the 49ers twice this year, but again, the 49ers have the team that they want and the Seahawks should be worried. The 49ers have the receiving threats of Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, and Anquan Boldin to deal with the tough, smash-mouth Seattle defense. We all know Richard Sherman, but watch out for guys like Earl Thomas and Bobby Wagner. They'l be the keys in stopping not only the San Fran receivers, but also Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore in the run game. Speaking of run game, that is what the Seahawks will rely on. The legs of Russell Wilson and more importantly, Marshawn Lynch will have to be the impetus of the Seattle offense because the receiving core of the Seahawks is very weak especially if there is not Percy Harvin in this game. The 49ers have their Pro Bowl linebackers in Ahmad Brooks, Navorro Bowman, and Patrick Willis to stop the Seattle rushing attack.
Picks
   These are going to be really fun games, so I suggest to hold off any plans for Sunday in order to watch these amazing games before we head to to New York for the Super Bowl. I think the Patriots will play smarter than the Broncos which will lead to New England victory. Also, this Patriots team kind of reminds me of the 2010 Packers who also lost most of their key players but still managed to go all the way. I said before that the 49ers are the most complete team in the playoffs and that will lead them to a win against the Seahawks. I think Seattle relies too much on the 12th man and last time I checked, the 12th man doesn't help you score points.
NE+4, SF+3
Overall: 6-0-2

What About the Razzies?

   With talk about the Oscar nominations, I wonder, what about the Razzie nominations? If you don't know, the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation is an award show that celebrates the worst movies of the year and is held each year the day before the Oscars. To see the whole list of nominations, check it out on Rotten Tomatoes, but I will just go over the highlights. Grown Ups 2, After Earth, the Tyler Perry Movies, and Movie 43 lead the amount of nominations. I haven't seen every movie that has been nominated (glad that I didn't), but if I were to give out the award for Worst Picture, I would give it to Movie 43. With the amount

Sorry Tyler Perry, you're movies are bad

of talent that this movie had, it had to be good right? Well, it was a train wreck and very insulting to movie audiences and even the actors/actresses themselves. There are stories going around that the people in the movie were blackmailed into being in Movie 43 and if you notice, no one actor or actress has ever hyped this movie up. I would give Worst Actor to Jaden Smith (After Earth). It's kinda sad to see where Will Smith's kids have gone with their careers. I'm still not convinced that Jaden Smith is a good actor. Maybe he needs to try to be in a big blockbuster movie that doesn't have his dad in it. Worst Actress will probably go to Selena Gomez (Getaway). As the title of the movie suggests, you should just get away from Getaway. Selena Gomez is just unconvincing and doesn't really immerse herself in her character and all I saw was Selena Gomez in a hoody. Worst director should go to the 13 people who directed Movie 43. That's actually the title of the nomination. If you have 13 minds, whether they are good or not. They should at least come up with something good, but they do not and they create the monstrosity that is Movie 43. Those are just the highlights from the major Razzie nominations. I think that the nominations are pretty good, I don't think Sylvester Stallone should have been nominated, but what do you think? Was a movie 'snubbed'?

Box Office Report

5. American Hustle ($8.3 million)
4. The Wolf of Wall Street ($8.8 million)
3. The Legend of Hercules ($8.9 million)
2. Frozen ($14.7 million)
1. Lone Survivor ($37.8 million)

Most likely true

   Lone Survivor had a limited release at the end of December, so it can qualify for the Oscars. Those who saw it, gave it high praise, which explains the movie's success in the box office. A movie that didn't receive high praise was The Legend of Hercules, which barely beat out American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street. What continues to surprise is Frozen. Again, making the top 5 in the box office. Now Frozen has grossed over $317 million domestically! (over 711 million worldwide). This movie came out in November and it continues to be a box office juggernaut. What is disappointing is the success of Her, or lack thereof. Her only grossed over $5 million. It's disappointing to her that since Her has also been generating Oscar buzz. The movie could improve next weekend, but I doubt it.

NFL Divisional Playoffs Preview

Let's hope the refs don't play a factor in these games

New Orleans Saints vs Seattle Seahawks

    I'm sure that most people think that the Seahawks will destroy the Saints kinda like the last match-up between these two teams on Week 13. However, most NFL fans know that there is at least one upset in the Divisional Round. Most of us remember the Joe Flacco hail mary that helped bring the Ravens back and beat Peyton Manning and the Broncos. I expect this to be a closer game than week 13. Drew Brees isn't the same QB on the road like he is at home, but I don't think he'll be that bad. Expect to see a similar game that to the Philadelphia game that Brees had, but just a slight bit better. Percy Harvin is expected back for the Seahawks, and I think that he will be a big help to the reason why the Seahawks get a win against the Saints. 

Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriots

   A game that everyone expects to be a blow out just might be a blow out. Each of these teams has lost a lot of it's key members. Most recently, for the Patriots, LB Brandon Spikes. This is key because normally, the game plan would be to go run heavy against the Patriots, but that game plan is not an ideal way to go for the Colts. It's a dilemma for all Colts fans. It's clear that the offense is better when they go Andrew Luck heavy, but will Chuck Pagano trust Trent Richardson and Donald Brown to go up against a depleted Pats defensive line and linebacker core? For Pats fans, yes, but for Colts fans, they better not or they'll riot. I see Aqib Talib covering T.Y. Hilton forcing Andrew Luck to trust his TE, Colby Fleener (The Stanford Connection!) and his receivers Griff Whalen, Da'Rick Rogers, and Deion Branch! Yes, the Colts signed Deion Branch for some strange reason. The Patriots are a completely different team from last year so I don't see why they would need him. I think that the injuries and lack of talent in the secondary for the Colts will be the downfall for them.  

San Francisco 49ers vs Carolina Panthers

   A rematch between these two teams that saw the Panthers winning in Week 10. It was a very low scoring game (10-9), and expect something similar. Something that we didn't see was Michael Crabtree. He was clearly a factor in the Green Bay game, and it is clear that he is Colin Kaepernick's favorite target. There is a question whether Cam Newton's favorite target, Steve Smith will play in this game. It's mostly likely that he will play, with the time off, but if he doesn't play, The Panthers are in trouble. That leaves only Greg Olsen has the #1 target for Cam. Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn aren't bad wide receivers, but I trust that the 49ers' secondary can keep them in check. I also trust NaVorro Bowman and/or Patrick Willis to cover Greg Olsen. The only viable weapons that the Panthers have are Cam Newton and their pass rush led by Greg Hardy. Greg Hardy has been widely underrated throughout the year and the 49ers' offensive line will be tested by this Carolina pass rush. Also, Luke Kuechly is a monster. That is not a hyperbole. Kuechly will do what he can to slow down Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick in the run game. If Steve Smith doesn't play, I expect the 49ers to win handily. 

San Diego Chargers vs Denver Broncos

   Remember when I said there is at least one upset in the Divisional Round? This is the game where it's going to happen. Come on it's perfect. Last game of the Divisional Round, the Chargers are clearly the "Nobody

Believes in Us team", the Broncos are the "Everybody Believes in Us team", Phillip Rivers is undefeated on the road when he wears his bolo tie, and it's Peyton Manning and Wes Welker in the playoffs, they'll find a way to mess it up. The Chargers need their offensive lineman to be healthy in this game to assist Phillip Rivers and the run game. The loss of Von Miller will be present in this game when the Broncos will struggle in the pass rush and in trying to stop Danny Woodhead in the open field. The Chargers have played close against the Broncos before. Losing by 8 in week 10 and winning 7 in week 15. Expect to see a similar type of game, somewhere in the 20s, and the Chargers beating the Broncos. 

Picks

NO+8, NE-7.5, SF-3, SD+9

Last week: 3-0-1

Paul Walker and Fast & Furious 7 Update

   It has been announced that Paul Walker's character, Brian O'Conner will not die in the next Fast and Furious movie. Instead, he will be 'retiring'. What does this actually mean? Anyone who isn't part of this movie has no idea. I am glad that Brian will not die and that there will be a different way to write off the

character. What we know is that Paul Walker shot half of the scenes that he was supposed to be in, so they have something that they can use, we just don't know exactly what. Maybe there will be a short phone call that Dom (Vin Diesel) will get and we just hear Brian's voice saying, "Dom, I'm out". Maybe Mia (Jordana Brewster) dies forcing Brian to leave and take care of their son. The possibilities are endless, but all I know is, that Facebook post going around about the "smart" ending for FF7 won't happen. Whatever happens, just look forward to FF7 in 2015.

Dennis Rodman and North Korea

 If you don't know, Dennis Rodman invited his NBA buddies to play an exhibition game against North Koreans for Kim Jong-un's birthday. For some strange reason, this event has nothing to do with politics but instead, trying increase the "sports venture" in North Korea. Really? Dennis Rodman talks about how his NBA buddies left their families in order to be there. Well, I'm sure those guys are getting paid a good amount to be there or no one would have agreed to go to North Korea with Dennis Rodman. Just see what Jalen Rose has to say about this. Does Rodman mean well? Maybe in his mind yeah. It seems like he has no idea what goes on in North Korea. When asked about Kenneth Bae, all he did was scream and yell for no reason at all. Read this article about Bae and you tell me North Korea is a nice place to live. People blame American for slavery and corruption. North Korea puts you in labor camps for any reason at all, especially if you speak badly about the leader and you are in that labor camp forever! That's not an exaggeration, you are in there, you're kids are in there, you're grandchildren are in there, and so on and so on. I have no idea what Dennis Rodman thinks he's doing. Sure, there are rappers and very few people who say that North Korea isn't that bad and that America is just blowing it all up. I assure you, it's not true.

Should this event involve politics? Probably not, but I don't think people realize how bad North Korea is. Sure, America isn't perfect, but have you not seen a movie or read a book where a utopia is corrupt or something so perfect isn't so perfect at all. American isn't perfect, but I'd rather live in America rather than the Congo, North Korea, or Afghanistan. People hate on Obama, but at least he doesn't have a bunch of 'yes men' around him or killed his uncle due to political reasons! You tell in that CNN video that all the people behind Dennis Rodman were already regretting their trip to North Korea. Just goes to wonder, who makes more sense, Jameis Winston or Dennis Rodman?

Reactions From NFL Wildcard Weekend

Chiefs 44 vs Colts 45
   Going into this game, many people knew that Jamaal Charles was going to play a big part in this game. Well, he left the game with a concussion and that left Alex Smith to lead the Chiefs offense and for the first half, that's what he did. The game looked over when the Chiefs led 31-10 at the half. Andrew Luck looked good on the opening drive of the game, but cooled down for the rest of the half. That was when Andrew

Probably a few more now

Luck led the Colts back on an amazing 28 point comeback. T.Y. Hilton was a big part of that with 13 catches, 224 yards, and 2 TDs for the whole game. The loss of Jamaal Charles was present in the 2nd half. Knile Davis did well, but I'm sure Alex Smith would have felt better with Charles in the back field. Andrew Luck pretty much did what he does best (do more with less and carry his team week in and week out).
Saints 26 vs Eagles 24
   It was a funny story going into this game. The Saints aren't known to be a great road team, but the Eagles are quietly, not a good home team. Drew Brees looked good in this game, not a Drew Brees type of game, but was well enough. Mark Ingram was a big help with his 18 carries, 97 yards, and 1 TD performance. It seemed like the Saints out-willed the Eagles and managed to get the ball last for the game-winning FG.
Chargers 27 vs Bengals 10
   Unfortunately, for the Bengals, they had the bad Andy Dalton game. The Chargers, despite being a bad pass defense throughout the season, kept A.J. Green in check and let Marvin Jones beat them. The dynamic

Enjoy those pizza rolls Phillip Rivers

duo of Phillip Rivers and Danny Woodhead led the Chargers to the upset with not an amazing performance but an efficient one. Also, now the Chargers continued to be undefeated on the road whenever Phillip Rivers wears his bolo tie. Fear the tie!
49ers 23 vs Packers 20
   I predicted that the 49ers would win this game because of the way their team is built. A tough, smash-mouth defense and a strong run game. However, the only thing swaying me away from that would pick would be Aaron Rodgers in Lambeau. The cold weather was a factor in this game. Both teams went run heavy, but the QBs would get their own, but it was Colin Kaepernick that was the factor in this game. The scramble runs killed the Packers especially on that last drive. It goes to wonder what the game would have been like if Clay Matthews was healthy and playing. However, you can't play "what ifs" in the playoffs and the 49ers got the game-winning FG leaving the Packers under .500 in Lambeau in the playoffs since the early 2000s.

Weekend Box Office Report

All box office numbers taken from Rotten Tomatoes
5. American Hustle ($13.2 million)
4. The Wolf of Wall Street ($13.4 million)
3. The Hobbit: The Desolaiton of Smaug ($16.2 million)
2. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones ($18.2 million)
1. Frozen ($20.7 million)

My reaction when I saw that PA made over $18 million

   So who fell from the top 5 from last week's box office? That was Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. It fell from 3rd to 6th making $11.1 million this weekend. Nothing wrong with that, Anchorman fans probably had their fill of Ron Burgundy and went to see other movies. The new Paranormal Activity opened 2nd in the box office making a lot of money, something that I was sadly expecting. I haven't seen The Marked Ones yet, but I can tell that it's horrible. The biggest surprised in the box office was Frozen. Coming out around Thanksgiving, this movie continues to be on top of the box office week after week and deservedly so. I didn't know what to expect when I was going to watch Frozen. I tend to avoid trailers so that I'm not spoiled by anything. Frozen is an amazing movie that is just as good as Tangled. If you haven't seen Frozen yet, I strongly recommend it, especially if you are a fan of Disney movies. All I can say is, this movie deserves every penny it's getting, unlike Paranormal Activity.
   Her and Lone Survivor are getting their wide-releases while The Legend of Hercules opens up for the first time this weekend. I've heard many good things about Her and Lone Survivor so hopefully they get good box office numbers. The new Hercules movie doesn't look very good, but as long as Paranormal Activity doesn't make anymore money, I'll be happy.

What if the College Football Playoff was This Year?

 

 This year's national championship features #2 Auburn playing #1 Florida St. It also marks the end of the BCS system. Most college football fans know that college football will introduce a 4-team playoff in the first time in college football history. Oliver Luck and Archie Manning highlight the selection committee for the College Football Playoff (hopefully they didn't come up with the name), but the biggest highlight that got national attention was politician Condoleezza Rice as a member of the selection committee. There is a required rotation for the committee for at least 3 years.
   Let's pretend that the College Football Playoff was this year, and that I am in the selection committee. I'll tell you who I think deserves to be in the running for the national championship. I'll only be naming the teams and why I think they deserve to be a part of the College Football Playoff. No predictions or anything like that, remember I'm only apart of the selection committee, I'm not getting paid to make predictions. Also, I will not take in consideration of the results of the bowl games this year. I will go off the end of the regular season and go with the team's credentials at that point in the season. Let's get started.
Florida St.
   I think it's obvious that Florida St. should be in this playoff. They ran the table, have the best player in college football, have a great coach, and have one of the best defenses in college football.
Auburn
   Only one loss, but to a good LSU team. Auburn has many key wins against Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri. Nick Marshall and Heisman trophy candidate, Tre Mason, led the Tigers to the country's top rushing team. Gus Malzahn won coach of the year for leading the Tigers from worst to first in the SEC, definitely one of the best teams in the country.
Alabama
   Can it be a rule that the defending champions get an automatic bid in the College Football Playoff? Of course, if there is a more worthy team, put that team in their for a not so great defending champion team. That is not the case with Alabama. AJ McCarron has proven to me that he is not just a game-managing QB and T.J. Yeldon has been great in his 2nd year as the starting back. Nick Saban has done a fine job coaching this team, except for the last play of the Iron Bowl where he tried to kick a near impossible FG instead of going for a Hail Mary with McCarron, where you might not have scored, you wouldn't have one of the craziest, greatest plays in college football, unless you're an Alabama fan. Despite that Iron Bowl loss, Alabama has been great throughout the season and is without a doubt, one of the best teams in the country.
Stanford
   The first three teams were obvious choices, for me anyway. The 4th team was tough for me. Some teams that you could consider are Michigan St., Stanford, Missouri, Ohio St., and Baylor. I decided to give it to Stanford. To me, Stanford beat better competition than the other teams that were mentioned. Sure, there's Missouri, but Stanford could easily best Missouri. Kevin Shaw is one of the best coaches in the country, who will probably get some calls for NFL head coaching jobs. Tyler Gaffney has been a really good running back for Stanford's style of play, grind it out defense, tough lineman, and run the ball down your throat football. Yes, Stanford had a bad loss against Utah, but they have two impressive wins against Arizona St., wins against UCLA, Oregon St., and Oregon, in three straight weeks! I'm willing to bet that those other teams can't do that.
   There you have it folks! I have Florida St., Auburn, Alabama, and Stanford has my four playoff teams in the College Football Playoff, if there was one this year. Like I said before, I'm not making any predictions. You decide! The probable match-ups would probably be Florida St. vs Stanford and Auburn vs Alabama.

 

NFL Wild Card Preview

   That's right Bruce Buffer, it's time for some NFL playoff action! I'll take you through game by game in the wild card part of the playoffs and give you my predictions/bets.
Kansas City Chiefs vs Indianapolis Colts
   The Chiefs took the NFL by storm by starting the season off 9-0, but then things started to all apart with the losses of Tamba Hali and Justin Houston. Since then, they've been 2-5. Fantasy owners were happy with the performance of RB Jamaal Charles who is the 3rd leading rusher in the NFL (1,287 yards) and helped the Chiefs become the 10th best rushing offense. Alex Smith has been OK this season. He does Alex Smith things under Andy Reid's system which gave him a total QBR ranking of 22. The defensive numbers have dropped for the Chiefs, being in the bottom 20 in total defense and pass defense. However, they are 6th in scoring (26.9 ppg), and 5th scoring defense (19.1 ppg). The Chiefs are also 7th in DVOA (stat that measures defensive efficiency) and 1st in special teams DVOA. The Colts won the first meeting in week 16 with a 23-7 victory in Arrowhead. The Chiefs may be 6th in sacks, but Robert Mathis has lead the league in sacks with 19.5. Indy is 9th in scoring defense (21 ppg). Andrew Luck has beaten the good teams (SF, SEA, DEN, KC) but have struggled against the bad teams (OAK, HOU, TEN). Justin Houston is expected to play in this game with Tamba Hali and Eric Fisher questionable. The paradigm is that Indy has a bad run defense, but they've been around league average. I think Jamaal Charles will get his, but the pressure will be on the QBs. If Indy plays the way they've been playing (Andrew Luck heavy) then the Colts will run away with this game like they did before. Vegas has this game at a 'pick'. I say take the Colts because Andrew Luck got his beating last year against the Ravens and now 2nd time around, he'll get past the first round.
New Orleans Saints vs Philadelphia Eagles
 

Are Oregon fans rooting against the Eagles?

Congrats Chip Kelly! You made the playoffs and proved that your style of play can work. The Eagles are top 10 in almost every offensive category. That sounds good right? They have the 10th best rushing defense, but they are 29th in total defense and 32nd in pass defense. That's not good when you're playing Drew Brees who is 2nd in the NFL in passing yards (5,162). LeSean McCoy won the league rushing title with 1,607 yards. Brandon Boykin surprisingly is 2nd in the NFL in INTs with 6. Mychal Kendricks has been a surprise for the Eagles. He has been playing well forcing turnovers, something the Eagles will have to do in this game. Philly is 8th in DVOA and 2nd in offensive DVOA. If you look at the season stats for the Saints, they shock you. The Saints are also top 10 in almost every offensive category, but, unlike the Eagles, are top 10 in almost every defensive category as well. Just wow! Sean Payton and Rob Ryan are doing great for New Orleans. Rookie Kenny Vaccaro has been great and is a front-runner for defensive rookie of the year. He is definitely a player that they need healthy for not only this game but the playoffs as well. Cameron Jordan is 5th in the league in sacks with 12.5. The Saints are 4th in DVOA, and 5th in offensive DVOA. Vegas has this game at Philly favored by 3. Go with the Saints+3 on this one. The Saints aren't amazing on the road, but the Eagles aren't great at home either. I still think the Eagles are going to win this game, but if you are betting on this game, take the Saints.
San Diego Chargers vs Cincinnati Bengals
The Chargers found their way into the playoffs, controversially, but they're still in it. The struggles of the Chargers have been on defense. Phillip Rivers has been great for the offense (5th in passing yards), with the help of Danny Woodhead and Keenan Allen, but the defense is not helping them out. San Diego is a top 10 offensive, especially passing, and 1st on third down conversions, but 29th against the pass. The Bengals record says they are good, but to me, they seem inconsistent, mostly Andy Dalton. However, the Bengals also have a top 10 offense. They are also equipped with a top 10 defense that is especially good on opponents' third down conversions. Expect to hear about Vontaze Burfict who led the league in tackles (171) and of course A.J. Green who is 5th in receiving (1,426 yards). Vegas has this game at Cincy favored by 7. I say go with the Chargers+7, but I think the Bengals squeak this game out.
San Francisco 49ers vs Green Bay Packers
The 49ers are healthy once again with the return of Michael Crabtree, their top receiver of last year. This is important because without him, the 49ers are one of the bottom teams in passing. However, Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick have helped them become a top 5 rushing team, a point where the Packers have struggled with, as of late. The 49ers have continued to be a top 10 defense that will go against a top 10 offense in the Packers who get QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Randall Cobb back. With the weather in Green Bay being

A repeat of last year's playoff match-up?

really cold (an understatement), most people would pick Green Bay. However, I don't think that is the case. The 49ers are a tough, grind it out team, something that has continued to shown success in the NFL. Watch out for NaVorro Bowman, (5th in the NFL in tackles). He has continued to be an underrated player and I expect him to show his impact come Sunday. The last three match-ups between these two teams saw the 49ers winning. Eddie Lacy will play a factor on whether the Packers pull thorough or not, more than Aaron Rodgers will, but the loss of Clay Matthews will hurt the Packers because they'll need whatever they can get to stop the read-option that the 49ers run. They haven't used it much this season, and I think they did that on purpose. Their offense wasn't healthy all season, and they wanted to keep Colin Kaepernick as healthy as possible. The read-option hype will come back and I would take SF-3 for the bet and the game.
Picks: Indy (pick), NO+3, SD+7, SF-3

Movies That I'm Not Looking Forward to in 2014

I posted a list of movies that I'm looking forward to this year. This time let's go through the movies that I am passing on and hope that you do the same as well. There's no top 10 list just a group of movies that I'm not looking forward to. This list of movies will ordered by release date.

• Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - A "spin-off" of the PA franchise...just forget about. DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE!! If you want this franchise to die like I do, then don't pay to watch this movie. These movies are inexpensive to make so every dollar counts. 
• I, Frankenstein - This looks like the Twilight movies and movies like that all bunched up into one movie having nothing really to do with Frankenstein. Whether they want to call it "new" or "fresh", this looks like a box office disaster. 
• That Awkward Moment - You mean that awkward moment when I thought Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan were gonna have good careers? Michael B. Jordan has been great and Miles Teller has been growing himself as an actor and Zac Efron is Zac Efron. This just looks dumb, not funny, but I'm sure the ladies will like looking at these three guys.
• Pompeii - When I first heard that they were going to do a movie about Pompeii, I thought, "this could be interesting". Well, this doesn't seem to be anything about Pompeii. I guess the volcano is the villain in this movie? Just looks like a love story in Ancient Greece that just so happens to include the eruption of Pompeii.
• Welcome to Yesterday - Does no one not watch Doctor Who or know anything about time travel? We all know the butterfly effect. When you change something in the past, it affects something else in the future. I guess these teens don't know that. Just looks predictable. Teens build time machine, teens have fun with time machine, two teens find each other attractive, teens are too stupid to realize the ramifications of their actions, and so and so forth. 
• A Haunted House 2 - Were people really asking for a sequel? Why can't black people get GOOD movies? They always get these dumb comedies instead of any good roles like Fruitvale Station or 12 Years a Slave. 
• Blended - Another Adam Sandler comedy of today, need I say more?
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Apparently, they're not turtles, they're ALIENS!! Michael Bay tried to save himself, but he could care less about what we think. As long as people pay to watch his movies, he'll bring us these silly movies. Don't guys, Megan Fox is in this movie, you know where else she is, the Internet.
• Paranormal Activity 5 - I actually enjoyed the first 3 movies, but then they ruined everything with PA4. Like I said before, DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE!!

What is a "New Year's Resolution"?

   At the beginning of every new year, many people want to change something with their life. Whether they want to weight, find love, or quit smoking, everyone wants to something new in their life, not just a change on their calenders. This is what everyone knows as a "New Year's resolution", but what exactly is a New Year's resolution? Is it just a promise people make that they never commit to? Is it an ad campaign where businesses like Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and even your local gym can make a quick buck out of your expense, or is it a fun, innocent, sometimes even depressing look at one's own self being in order to evaluate our own life? Well, let's explore what a New Year's resolution is and some statistics that go along with this tradition.
   From our good buddy Wikipedia, a New Year's resolution is a common tradition, typically found in the

Pretend that says 2014 alright? ;)

West but sometimes found in the East, where a person makes a promise to themselves to do something nice for their own well being or for others. The New Year's resolution has its religious origins dating back to the Babylonians, the Romans, the Medieval knights, Christianity, and even Judaism. Each of these groups had their own reasons of course, but how did Americans get so hyped about New Year's resolutions? Maybe it started around the Great Depression? About 25% of Americans made New Year's resolutions by the end of the Great Depression. By the 21st century, that number rose to 40%. Staticsticbrain.com has a bunch of different and interesting facts on New Year's resolutions. The trend, no matter where you look, seems that most people make their resolution, commit on it at first, but then notice that greasy food tastes good and just give up on their New Year's resolution.
   Is a New Year's resolution bad for us as people. Big picture wise, no. There's nothing wrong with people wanting to change their lives if they feel that it needs changing. Are they wasting their valuable money on something that they'll commit on? Most likely so, but that's okay. We live in capitalist society, supply and demand. Let's have people be who they want to be, and let them learn from their mistakes. I'll take the stance saying that New Year's resolutions are fun and innocent things that get us going for every new year. I may be wrong, but who cares, right?

Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2014

Note: This is a list of movies that I can't wait to see. Obviously, everyone has different tastes in movies, so not everyone's list will be the same. Also, not all release dates are set in stone and other movies have not announced their release date so keep that in mind.

   With the start of the New Year, I thought I would talk about the movies that I cannot wait to see in 2014, but first here are some honorable mentions:

•  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - I haven't seen Rise of the Planet of the Apes yet, but I have it on Blu-ray, just haven't gotten around to it yet. 
•  The Expendables 3 - You pretty much know what you are going to get with this movie, an awesome popcorn action flick.
• The Hobbit: There and Back Again - Again, haven't seen the latest Hobbit movie yet, but am working on watching it.

Now to the top 10 (Movies are in order of release date):

10. Hercules: The Thracian Wars – There is already another Hercules movie, The Legend of Hercules, coming out this month, but this is a different type of movie, from the description of the two movies. Also, for the fact that this movie stars Dwayne Johnson, while the other stars Kellan Lutz, and the release date for the Dwayne Johnson Hercules movie is in July. Odds are that this will be the superior of the Hercules movies and I’m excited to see Dwayne Johnson in movies. Ever since Fast Five has established himself as an up and coming action star, so it will be fun to see him in a summer action movie.

9. Godzilla – Run! It’s Godzilla! Don’t worry this isn’t the Matthew Broderick Godzilla movie, this is a reboot of the Godzilla franchise and it looks pretty good so far. If you are a fan of monster movies, this is definitely the movie for you. This version of Godzilla looks better way better than the 1998 version (most likely due to the better technology of today). This movie also features a stellar cast. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen play lovers in this movie (they are also Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch in Avengers 2: Age of Ultron, a brother - sister duo) and also feature Bryan Cranston (Heisenberg!) and Ken Watanabe. I’m only hearing good things from this movie so far, so I hope it does pan out.

8. A Million Ways to Die in the West – Now I know you’re asking yourself, what is this movie? I wondered this myself, but I don’t really care because the director of this movie is Seth McFarlane. Yes, the man who brought you Family Guy, Ted, and a wonderful Oscar hosting performance. Essentially, this is a comedic, western. The cast alone should get you into this movie. It stars Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris, Seth McFarlane, and Sarah Silverman. Wow! All I can say is, if you’re a fan of Seth McFarlane (like I am), then you’re going to watch this movie.

7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – The sequel to the first Captain America movie brings us sort of a spy, political type of movie, something that suits the character of Captain America. I’m a huge Marvel fan boy (more of the Disney Marvel) so I’m curious to see what’s in store for this movie. Definitely, a lot more character development for Steve Rogers, especially if you know who the Winter Soldier is. I’m hoping we get to see a lot more of S.H.I.E.L.D. because they are important in the Marvel universe and I want to see more of Captain America adjusting to the way things are now. Both of those seem present in the trailer, so it should be a good Marvel movie.

6. 22 Jump Street – 21 Jump Street seemed to take everyone by surprise. It was one of the best comedies of 2012 and gave a lot more hope to the career of Channing Tatum. I think now he has found his niche in movies and is sticking by it. 22 Jump Street just seems to be the same as the first movie, but I find nothing wrong with that. Some story elements have changed, but the chemistry that Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill have is so great to watch on screen.

5. Interstellar – Director Christopher Nolan is back and this time he isn’t doing a super hero movie. Nolan explores space and time and is bringing Matthew McConauhey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, and Topher Grace along with him. Yes, you read that right Topher Grace! I have enjoyed nearly every single film Christopher Nolan has directed so I can only expect greatness from the man.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy – The movie before Avengers 2: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy takes us to a world we have never seen in the Marvel cinematic universe. I’ll just give you the round-up of the guardians. Chris Pratt plays the leader, Peter Quill aka Star Lord, and is the main protagonist of the movie, Zoe Saldana plays Gamora, a green alien, Dave Bautista is Drax the Destroyer, pretty obvious who is just by the name, then we have Vin Diesel who will “voice” Groot, a talking alien tree, and finally, we have Bradley Cooper who will voice Rocket Raccoon, yes a real raccoon. I put “voice” for Vin Diesel because in the comics, Groot talks in his native language but to everyone else, he just says “I am Groot”. This just has a wild card feel to it, and it’s mostly just curiosity with this movie. I want to see how this is portrayed in the big screen and whether audiences can buy into these new heroes.

3. X-Men: Days of Future Past – It’s the X-Men Avengers! Fox has combined the original X-Men cast along with the cast of X-Men: First Class in order to create a super movie that will blow everyone away. My worry for this movie was that there wasn't going to be enough screen time for everyone and that this giant cast would not be able to withstand just one movie. We've learned that Anna Paquin (Rogue) has been cut because he didn't play a big role in the movie anyway and that there will be a sequel in 2016 named X-Men: Apocalypse. That has helped ease my tensions about this movie and this will be an awesome movie experience watching the younger X-Men and the older X-Men interact with each other.

2. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 – I read all of the books, enjoyed the 1^st movie, really liked the 2^nd movie, so I’m interested to see how the series will be portrayed especially since the 3^rd book is being brought out into two different movies. Expect to see a ton of character development and more driven out story. Julianne Moore will enter the Hunger Games franchise has President Alma Coin, the ruler of District 13. I can’t wait to get back into this world and see what Francis Lawrence has for us.

1. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – The first Spider-Man movie was love/hate for most people. I really liked the new portrayal of Spider-Man and think that Andrew Garfield is a superior Peter Parker and Spider-Man than Tobey Maguire. The problems that many people have with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 so far is that number of villains that are present in the trailer. We have The Rhino (Paul Giamatti), Electro (Jamie Foxx), and The Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan). Also, the trailer shows us The Vulture and Doctor Octopus (the wings and the metal tentacles). Comic book fans know this villain group as the Sinister Six. We don’t know who will be the 6^th member of the group will be but there is already talks of a Sinister Six movie coming out. If this movie works, and a possible Sinister Six movie works, then Sony would have set an enormous precedent for future super villain movies. There was always talks of a Joker movie or a Loki movie, but Sony needs to play their cards right if they want to stay successful in the super hero business. Spider-Man has been my favorite super hero since I was a kid, so I can’t wait to watch The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and I’m curious on how this movie plays out for the franchise.