Nerd in the 'Noke

Holy cow, it's that time again!  Time for my now yearly (thanks for screwing things up 2011) Top 10 list.  I found myself having a more difficult time compiling my list this year than I thought I would.  As has become customary, here are the parameters I use while making my list: The list is pulled only from the movies released in 2013 that I actually saw (a second list comprised of the films from 2013 that I would still like to see appears after my Top 10). These are the films that I enjoyed the most when I saw them not necessarily the best based on their award winning potential (although that may be a happy coincidence in some cases). All of these films have had a full review posted here on the blog. If you have more interest in a particular film, click on the movie title and follow the link to my previously posted review. Just as last year, there were a few films that I wasn't able to see that probably could make an argument for inclusion on this list.  Som...

Pacific Rim (2013), PG-13, 131 minutes - Giant monsters. Giant Mechs.  Guillermo del Toro's imagination and direction.  For these reasons, Pacific Rim was at the very top of my Most Anticipated Films of 2013 list and I'll tell you right now, it was spectacular.  As far as I'm concerned, it didn't disappoint on any level, which, considering how long I've been looking forward to this film and how excited I was for it, is pretty impressive. The film takes place in Earth's not-to-distant future (the prologue actually places the initial events in the present).  A rift has opened on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, creating a portal to another universe inhabited by giant monsters called Kaiju (Japanese meaning 'giant beast').  Kaiju begin to periodically make their way through the rift and in order to combat their devastation, the world's nations unite to construct giant humanoid mechs that come to be known as Jaegers (German for hunter).  The Jaegers...

The only problem with producing a list like this so early in the year is that there are always films that would be more than worthy of inclusion that haven't been announced yet.  I have no doubt that something else will pop up as the year goes on that I'll get wicked psyched for, but right now these are the movies that I'm most looking forward to in 2013 (trailers provided where available along with tentative release dates): Honorable Mention: The Lone Ranger, The World's End, Anchorman: The Legend Continues, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, The Wolverine, Monsters University, Much Ado About Nothing, Warm Bodies, A Good Day to Die Hard. 10) Despicable Me 2 (July 3) - Despicable Me was a very pleasant surprise in 2010.  The characters were great, the story was fun, and the minions!  Can't forget the minions!  The trailers thus far have been the same as the trailers for Despicable Me - short and fun, but not giving us any idea of what to expect for a plot.  I...

Mechs!  Monsters!  Guillermo del Toro!  Idris Elba!  Ron Perlman!  Can it get any better?  Seriously though, this has been a greatly anticipated and discussed project from Guillermo del Toro for the last year or two.  And to finally see footage, gorgeous footage at that, really is exciting. The trailer gives us the basic premise: giant monsters rise up from within the Earth and mankind takes to piloting giant mechs to fight off the threat.  It may be a very basic and nerdy plot, but with previous films like Blade II, the Hellboy movies, and Pan's Labyrinth under his belt, Guillermo del Toro has proven to have an unbelievable creative mind, both story and design-wise.  I love that his cast is littered with great character actors such as Idris Elba and Ron Perlman (even Charlie Hunnam, Burn Gorman and Clifton Collins, Jr for that matter). There are already quite a few movies on the slate for next year to get excited about, but after seein...