The 3rd Bernel Zone Awards for Big Screen & Small Screen

For your reference of my picks for the best TV shows and movies of 2014:

TV Shows - Top 10 TV Shows of 2014

Movies Part 1 - Top 10 Movies of 2014 That I've Seen So Far

Movies Part 2 - Top 20 Movies I've Seen in the Second-Half of the Year 

Movies Part 3 - Top 10 Movies of 2014 That I've Only Got to Watch in January

In accordance to this blog’s tradition (which started in 2013), whenever it’s Oscar season, I do my own informal awarding for random, ever-changing categories.  For this year, I decided to just merge the Bernels for cinema and TV (that’s why I didn’t write a Bernels for TV last January), and I think, this combined approach is going to be the set format from now on.   

Best Movie Hero: John Wick (John Wick)

 

I think John Wick is now my favorite Keanu Reeve’s character (yep, even over Neo).  The character’s not only a very skilled badass, but is also chock-full of personality.  I mightily like how the character was built up, forced into the conflict, and then his real reputation eventually revealed.       

Runners-up: Batman (Lego Movie), Captain America (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Chris “The Legend” Kyle (American Sniper), Joseph Cooper (Interstellar)

Best TV Hero: Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)

 

Duh.  This guy will probably always win this award whenever it’s a year that has a season of Sherlockon.

Runners-up: The 12th Doctor (Doctor Who), Raymond “Red” Reddington (The Blacklist)

Best Movie Heroine: Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)

It’s not only because she’s my second favorite female fictional character ever that I gave her this award.  I objectively don’t have any 2014 movie heroine in mind that was able to be more interesting than Veronica Mars.   

Runner-up: Black Widow (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

Best TV Heroine: Felicity Smoak (Arrow)

 

Arrows’ Felicity Smoak is based on a forgotten hacker character in the DC comics.  But I bet that the comics’ Felicity Smoak isn’t as awesome as the one Emily Bett Rickards is portraying in Arrow.  She’s easily the most attractive, the most fun, the most magnetic, and the most interesting female character in Arrow.  Her geeky charm, quick wit, winning personality, strong characterization, and mean hacker skills make her the female character I enjoy watching most in TV right now     

Runners-up:  Cosima Niehaus, Sarah Manning, Alison Hendrix, and Helena (Orphan Black)

Best Movie Villain: The Winter Soldier (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

 

I was initially wary to give this award to Bucky Barnes a.k.a. the Winter Soldier considering the fact that the character is expected to eventually return being a hero.  Nonetheless, Sebastian Stan’s performance as a brainswashed Hydra assassin was deliciously menacing and engaging. 

Runners-up: Koba (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Conrad Stonebanks a.k.a. Victor Menz (The Expendables 3), Terence Fletcher (Whiplash)

Best TV Villain: Harrison Wells (The Flash)

 

I adore Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen, but the most fascinating character of The Flash is Dr. Harrison Wells.  It’s kinda unique that the big bad is actually among the good guys.  And the character is wrapped with too much mystery, too much intrigued, as well as natural screen charisma, that Dr. Wells is the most engaging villain I’ve seen in 2014 TV.

Runners-up: Min Joon-gook (I Hear Your Voice), Deathstroke (Arrow), Captain Cold (The Flash)

Best Movie Villainess: Amy Dunne (Gone Girl)

 

I thought Eva Green’s Artemisia in 300: Rise of an Empire already had this award in the bag, that it was unlikely to top the ruthless Persian general.  Then I saw Gone Girl and Rosamund Pike’s psychopathic Amy Dunne made me forget Artemisia’s badassery.  Mrs. Dunne is a distinctive, captivatingly unsettling villainess.  Her cold-hearted, manipulative, and cunning personality is disturbingly chilling.

      

Runners-up: Artemisia (300: Rise of an Empire), Mason (Snowpiercer), Hammer Girl (The Raid 2: Berandal)

Best TV Villainess: Missy (Doctor Who)

 

I’m new to Doctor Who but I’m knowledgeable enough of the mythology to appreciate the twist that The Master had turned into The Mistress. 

Runners-up: Margot Al-Harazi (24: Live Another Day)

Best Movie Couple: Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)

Even critics of the movie would agree with me that one of the good things about it is the adorably corny, “lovey-dovey” chemistry of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy.     

Runners-up: Dylan Kershaw and Rebecca Porter (In Your Eyes), Logan Echols and Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)

Best TV Couple: Park Soo-ha and Jang Hye-sung (I Hear Your Voice)

Because their story has kept me absorbed and made me swoon!

Runner-up: Richard Castle and Kate Becket (Castle)

Best Movie Duo: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and Hiccup

 

Probably the greatest “rider and his mount” tandem in fiction. 

Best TV Duo: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson (Sherlock)

Again, duh.  Few duos can ever match the compelling work that Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have done with their respective characters in Sherlock.     

Runner-up: Rusty Cohle and Marty Hart (True Detective)

Most Adorable Movie Character: Baymax (Big Hero 6)

I really get the vibes that Baymax – like everything else about Big Hero 6 – has been consciously, painstakingly designed to win everyone’s hearts.  And though it would feel “synthetic” if indeed so, I’m nonetheless fine with what resulted from the intent.  Baymax is awesomely adorable, and if there’s a real-life Baymax, I definitely want one.  “Bah-la-la-la-la.” 

Most Adorable TV Character: Bernadette Rostenkowski-Walowitz (The Big Bang Theory)

Last 2014, I got to marathon The Big Bang Theory, and I discovered that this show is extremely hilarious.  The last time I had fan-level enjoyment from sitcoms was during the days I was watching sitcom reruns of shows like Blackadder Goes Forth, Mork & Mindy, and Happy Days; I also occasionally watched 3^rd Rock from the Sun back in the 2000’s.  But I was never really into modern sitcoms.  So The Big Bang Theory is my first real fandom on a sitcom since Happy Days.      

The show has always been funny, but the early seasons were kinda plagued with negative social behaviors of the male characters.  However, once female characters Amy Farah Fowler and Bernadette Rostenkowski had been introduced into the show, the appalling stereotyping of geek social cluelessness and awkwardness have been smoothed off.  The girls – especially Bernadette – were great additions to the show, and definitely improved it a lot.    

Bernadette could be my most favorite Big Bang Theory character (next to Bernadette, I just equally like the other characters).  Not only is she the most attractive cast member, but her charming personality, small stature, and squeaky voice (especially this) makes her overwhelmingly adorable.

Best Dance in Movie: Baby Groot dance (Guardians of the Galaxy)

No contest. 

Best Dance in TV: Clone Party (Orphan Black)

The awesomeness of Orphan Black is summarized in this epic sequence. 

Best TV Smile: Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)

The smile of a “high-functioning sociopath.”

Best Movie Smile: Maleficent (Maleficent)

The best three seconds of the movie.

Best Movie Fight Scene: Rama vs. Hammer Girl, Baseball Bat Boy, and the Assassin (The Raid 2: Berandal)

Every fight sequence in The Raid 2: Berandal is incredibly badass.  But the most notable for me is Rama’s gauntlet against a couple of goons, then Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Boy, and then, finally, a “boss level” duel with The Assassin.

 

Runners-up: The highway fight between Captain America and the Winter Soldier, the elevator fight scene between Cap and those Hydra-S.H.I.E.L.D  troopers, and Cap vs. Batroc the Leaper (Captain America: The Winter Soldier); Shishio vs. Kenshin, Saito, Sanosukue, and Aoshi (Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends); John Wick vs. Russian mobsters (John Wick)

Best TV Fight Scene: Flash vs. Arrow (The Flash)

This terrific fight scene happened in the first episode of The Flash and Arrow crossover.  Considering the limitations and budget of TV programming, I applaud everyone involved in that fight scene for overachieving.  I think I have re-watched the scene at least a dozen times over.   

Runner-up: Agent May vs. Agent May copycat (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

Best Movie Ensemble of Characters: Guardians of the Galaxy

Seeing Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Groot stand together in the big screen is almost as exciting as seeing the Avengers assemble back in 2012.

Runners-up: The Lego Movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Best TV Ensemble of Characters: Castle

With Psych done, Castle is now the current ongoing TV series that I’ve followed the longest.  Hence, I’ve already grown invested and fond of all of the show’s characters.  So, in terms of volume of TV characters I like, Castlehas the ensemble I enjoy watching the most.

  

Expression of the Year:

   

Twist of the Year: X-Men: The Last Stand is erased from continuity (X-Men: Days of Future Past)

It was not necessarily a mindblowing twist, but the knowledge that the deaths of Jean Grey and Cyclops are negated and that everyone is blissfully together in Xaviers’ School for Gifted Youngsters, really provided a warm-hearted, delightful feeling.

 

Runner-up: The story is being “imagined” by a boy while playing with his father’s Lego collection (The Lego Movie); Skye is the MCU’s Daisy Johnson a.k.a. Quake, and Ward is Hydra (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.); Mary is a spook (Sherlock)

Most Memorable Quote of the Year: Rust Cohle (True Detective)

“This is a world where nothing is solved. Someone once told me, 'Time is a flat circle.' Everything we've ever done or will do, we're gonna do over and over and over again.” 

Speech of the Year: Sherlock’s speech during John and Mary’s wedding (Sherlock)

Sherlock Holmes’ best man speech was hilarious, touching, memorable, and just plain awesome.  An important excerpt:

“If I burden myself with a little helpmate during my adventures, this is not out of sentiment or caprice. It is that he has many fine qualities of his own he has overlooked in his obsession with me. Indeed, any reputation I have for mental acuity and sharpness comes, in truth, from the extraordinary contrast John so selflessly provides. It is a fact, I believe, that brides tend to favor exceptionally plain bridesmaids for their big day...
“There is a certain analogy there, I feel - and contrast is, after all, God's own plan to enhance the beauty of his creation. Or it would be if God were not a ludicrous fantasy, designed to provide a career opportunity for the family idiot.
[awkward pause]
“Point I'm trying to make is that I am the most unpleasant, rude, ignorant, and all-round obnoxious arsehole that anyone could possibly have the misfortune to meet. I am dismissive of the virtuous, unaware of the beautiful, and uncomprehending in the face of the happy, so if I didn't understand I was being asked to be best man, it is because I never expected to be anybody's best friend, and certainly not the best friend of the bravest and kindest and wisest human being I have ever had the good fortune of knowing.” 

Make-Up Job of the Year: Tilda Swinton in Snowpiercer and Grand Budapest Hotel

It was a considerable time after I’ve seen Snowpiercer and Grand Budapest Hotel that I only learned that Tilda Swinton was in them!  I was blown away; I never recognized her at all.  Uncanny.   

Actor That I Got to Like for the First Time in 2014: James Spader

I had encountered James Spader before in films like Stargate and Secretary, but he never struck me as a versatile and captivating actor then.  Only when I started watching The Blacklist did I get to see how great John Spader is.  His performance as Raymond Reddington in The Blacklistis extremely enthralling – his voice is magnetic; his control and delivery of emotion is convincing and defined; he lights up every scene he’s in; and, just like his character, he seems to be always in control. 

Actress That I Got to Like for the First Time in 2014: Tatiana Maslany

Portraying distinctively the different clones in Orphan Black makes her the epitome the versatility.  Can’t help but be mesmerized by her prowess.

Best Movie Posters of 2014: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The most awesomely badass and gorgeously designed posters ever...

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The "Bernels" for 2013's Big Screen

The Oscars are just a few days away, and as I’ve mentioned in my “Bernels” for the Small Screen of 2013, the “Bernels” for movies of 2013 is set to tie-in with the Oscars’ seasons.  So this is it.  It’s time for another informal movie awards based on my movie standards and tastes.  You might notice that the categories are mostly different from last year’s.  That is to be expected, since the “Bernels” is inconsistent and informal, merely catering to my personal whims, biases, and preferences; it’s just for fun!      

Also, as what was made precedent in the last year’s “Bernels”, movies of the previous year that I’ve only been able to watch after I’ve already made my list for the year’s top movies are qualified for the awards.  Hence, 2013 movies like Frozen, Grudge Match, 47 Ronin, and About Time, which I was only able to get the chance to watch in early 2014 (from January 1 up to the time of writing), are all included in the considerations for the “Bernels” along with the 2013 movies that I’ve got to see in 2013.    

BEST MOVIE: Frozen

If I had been able to see Frozen during 2013, it would have been number one in my “top movies of 2013” list.  Yes, it’s my favorite 2013 film.  I like it so much that, as of writing, I have seen it thrice already.     

Frozen was something fresh and different as it avoided most of the obvious clichés and tropes one would expect from such kind of animated feature.  Therefore, there was the presence of legitimate, unexpected twists which added to the overall amazing quality of the movie.  I found it a bit more sophisticated than previous Disney animated movies.

In a thematic level, this movie contains enough depth that different metaphors – ranging from Christianity to homosexuality – have been derived from it.  Moreover, it has been refreshing to be reminded that “finding true love” is not always about the romantic variety and how “love at first sight” is usually superficial and unreliable. 

Frozen was a stunning and delightful film that has a fascinating story, appealing characters, fine humor, fantastic visuals, and stirring musical numbers.  If ever I have included some BEST ANIMATED MOVIE and BEST MUSICAL categories, the “Bernels” for those will go to Frozen as well.       

A Frozen 2 NEEDS to happen!

BEST MOVIE HERO: Odd Thomas (Odd Thomas)

I thoroughly enjoyed Anton Yelchin’s portrayal of the “Odd One” – that in a year that gave us great and memorable male movie heroes like Asa Butterfield's Ender Wiggin, Martin Freeman’s Bilbo Baggins, Robert Downey’s Iron Man, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s  Roadblock, Brad Pitt’s Gerry Lane, George Clooney’s Matt Kowalski, and Vin Diesel’s Riddick – my pick is still  Yelchin’s Odd Thomas.  Yelchin has fantastically did everything right in bringing to life in the big screen all the necessary character elements that made Odd Thomas the fascinating and loveable character I’ve encountered in the novels.   

Runner-ups:  Tony Stark/Iron Man (Iron Man 3), Roadblock (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Riddick (Riddick), Gerry Lane (World War Z), Matt Kowalski (Gravity), Ender Wiggin (Ender’s Game), Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug)

BEST MOVIE HEROINE: Elsa (Frozen)

As soon as I’ve finished watching Frozen, it was clear to me that Elsa is not only a unique Disney princess and one of the most fantastic ice-powered fictional characters ever, but that I also find her a more interesting character than Katniss Everdeen, last year’s winner and who was set to repeat if it wasn’t for Elsa. 

Runner-up: Katniss Everdeen (Catching Fire)

BEST MOVIE VILLAIN: Khan Noonien Singh a.k.a. John Harrison (Star Trek Into Darkness)

I like Benedict Cumberbatch’s Khan more than the original one; his portrayal was more charismatic, badass, and engaging.   He was one of the major reasons why Into Darkness has been awesome.  Khan has been an enjoyably magnetic villain, and no other male movie villain in 2013 ever came close of becoming as interesting as Cumberbatch’s Khan.   Not even Tom Hiddleton’s charismatic Loki or Lee-Byung Hun’s badass Storm Shadow.           

BEST MOVIE VILLAINESS: Faora-Ul (Man of Steel)

In Man of Steel, Faora is a ruthless and skilled warrior that serves as General Zod’s lieutenant.   But in spite of being a secondary villain, she proved to be more captivating, more menacing, and more kickass than Zod, the actual main villain.   Heck, she was even probably the most interesting character in the entire movie.  Seriously.  Kick Ass 2’s Mother Russia might be a brutal, badass villainess like Faora but she’s far from being as appealing and dominant. 

Runner-ups: the possessed Mia Allen (Evil Dead), Mother Russia (Kick Ass 2), Mizuki (47 Ronin)  

BEST MOVIE DUO: Roadblock & Duke (G.I. Joe: Retaliation)

Even if the movie had turned out revolving around these two characters, I would have been okay with that.  The Rock and Iron Mike possessed great chemistry together; they were awesomely funny.  Too bad, Duke got killed.   I wish they will revive him for the 3^rd movie. 

Runner-up: Burt Wonderstone & Anton Marvelton (The Incredible Burt Wonderstone); Special Agent Sarah Ashburn & Detective Shannon Mullins (The Heat)

BEST CAMEO: Captain America (Thor: The Dark World)

 

I greatly appreciate this cameo.  Seeing Chris Evans mimicking Tom Hiddleston’s Loki mimicking Chris Evans’ Captain America (that’s how that scene was shot) was a real treat.  

MOST OVERRATED MOVIE: This is the End

 

This movie was generally well-received by critics, but I found it awful.  Oh, I admit, that there were a couple of things I found hilarious about the movie (e.g. the respective cameo scenes of Michael Cera and Emma Watson).  Still, overall, I found that the humor of this movie was seemingly dependent on the narrative getting too vulgar and undignified, which I found appalling and disgustingly desperate for laughs.  

MOST UNDERRATED MOVIE: Now You See Me

Critics hated it.  But I loved it.  It was my choice for best movie of 2013before I got to watch Frozen.  I found Now You See Me a smart, entertaining, and thrilling “magic show.”  I’m at a loss why the critics didn’t like it.  Really.  Every second of this movie has been pretty engaging. 

BEST “MORE-THAN-I-HAD-EXPECTED” MOVIE: About Time

The widow of Henry DeTamble hooks up again with another time traveler, this time, a clone of Bill Weasley in possession of a Time Turner. 

That’s what I originally thought how the movie will look like. 

I thought that this was to be your usual RomCom with time travel as plot device.  But I was mistaken with that presumption.  About Time is actually something that has more depth than that.  It was thoughtful and witty, and I greatly enjoyed it.   

In fact, the romance, and the protagonist’s usage of his abilities to win the girl of his dreams, though it was an integral part of the narrative, was never the real heart of the story.  The main theme was basically about family, living life with no regrets and getting the most out of it, and the importance of wise decisions.       

BEST “EQUALLY-GOOD-AND-BAD” MOVIE: 47 Ronin

47 Ronin received negative reception from critics but I was never the kind of guy that agrees with critics anyway.  I have my own standards.  And by my own standards, I can’t exactly tell what I feel about this movie.  I certainly do not hate it.  But I’m not praising it either.

It got great swordfights and visuals.  But it also felt lacking, untidy, and having too much of Keanu Reeves’ character being forced on us.  The story was merely passable – it had unnecessary and uninspired parts, but it also had some traces of the script being one to two re-writes away from becoming epic.  

It felt both compelling and annoying.  I can’t really explain it properly, except that, to me, it felt like the awesome and the awful in this movie just cancelled each other out.  It was equally good and bad.  

Overall, it is still a movie worth watching, if you have some extra time, but not the kind of movie that needed to be prioritized.         

MOST DISAPPOINTING MOVIE: The Lone Ranger

I really wanted this movie to be good.  The Lone Ranger is such an iconic character and it would have been great for him to have a healthy movie presence in modern pop culture.  Unfortunately, Lone Ranger has been a big, insane mess. Oh, I found it entertaining overall – having Johnny Depp as Toto guarantees that it’s going to be weird but entertaining – but it was still some messy entertainment.  I found the movie confused on what kind of mood it would want to go.  It was underwhelming at times, and then overwhelming at times.  There were instances in which it seems to be treading on the path towards something epic, but there were also significant instances wherein it was purely crazy – and not the good kind of “crazy” but the awful kind.  It was constantly fluctuating between extremes, that in the end, it just felt mediocre.        

MOST HILARIOUS MOVIE: Grudge Match

There was no other 2013 movie that made me laugh as hard as Grudge Match.  Really.  Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro had wonderful comedic chops, and with the help of funny supporting cast members Kevin Hart and Alan Arkin, this movie was enriched with several hilarious scenes and dialogues.  There is a good possibility that this movie could have made my top movie lists for 2013 if I had just been able to see it last year; for not only was it packed with hilarity, it also has a good story that is chock-full of heart.      

Runner-Ups: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Despicable Me 2, The Croods, Monster University 

BEST “IT’S-SO-BAD-THAT-IT’S-GOOD” MOVIE: Sharnado

I guarantee that this movie is going to be one of the most god-awful movies you will ever watch.  But I don’t think you will be bored nor regret watching it.   

Sharknado’s quality is your typical Asylum – cheap, nonsensical, and, most importantly, deliberately intended to be bad.  The narrative pace and scene transitions are messy, inconsistent, and disorganized.  The CGI is horrible.  The script, directing, and cinematography are very poor.    The premise of sharks being brought by storm surges and then tornadoes is just too ridiculously crazy, and it’s loaded with batshit, implausible happenings.

But because of these, it ironically became watchable.  I couldn’t stop groaning and snickering with every scene, but I couldn’t stop watching either.  Its awfulness, dumbness, and insanity made it hilarious.  This is the kind of stuff Mystery Science Theatre 3000 can lampoon the best and mine comedy gold from.  And that’s the charm of this movie.  You could almost hear the sarcastic and ridiculing commentary from the MST3000 guys… and then you’ll realize that you’re the one actually doing it

BEST DANCE SCENE: New Year’s Party Dancing (About Time)

This scene was during the early part of the movie, in the New Year’s Eve Party – the evening before the protagonist learned from his father that he can travel back to the past.  This was definitely one of the funniest scenes I’ve encountered in 2013.  Domhnall Gleeson’s character found himself with an undesirable dance partner as Sugababes’ “Push the Button” plays in the background.  The awkward dancing and troubled look on his face were just priceless.     

 

MOST BADASS MOMENT: A chained Riddick beheads someone using just his foot! (Riddick)

To merely describe it, won’t do it justice.  You have to watch it for yourself to see how awesome it was.  But here’s what transpired:  Among the bounty hunters that went hunting for Riddick, the leader of the first group of bounty hunters (there were two) was big A-hole, who earned Riddick’s wrath after he killed Riddick’s dog-like pet and by just being a constant A-hole.  Riddick was eventually captured, and while he was chained, he threatened the Big A-hole bounty hunter that if he ever gets off his restraints, within five seconds (I think, I forgot the exact number), he would cut off his head, and then put it in the container that the Big A-hole intended for Riddick’s severed head.  All within his promised five seconds.  Indeed, later on, with just the shackles on a foot taken off, Riddick was able to make true of his threat.  Again, describing it won’t do it justice.  You have to see the entire sequence to understand its epicness. 

BEST ACTION-PACKED MOMENT: Jaegers vs. Kaijus (Pacific Rim)

This is self-explanatory.  Every monstrous, badass battle between Jaegers and Kaijus were simply unmatched and tremendously gratifying.

Runner-ups: House Party Protocol (Iron Man 3); Jack Wilder vs. Dylan Rhodes and the FBI – especially the part the part where Wilder weaponized some cards into projectiles (Now You See Me)

BEST MUSICAL NUMBER: “Let It Go” (Frozen)

“Let It Go” is a powerful song.  But it was only in its rendition by Queen Elsa in Frozen in which I find it extremely moving.  I checked out Demi Lovato’s version, both the music video and the live performance, and found it unremarkable; its arrangement sounded synthetic and inferior to the brilliant arrangement of the rendition done in Frozen, which wonderfully articulated the musical emotion appropriate for the song.   And even when Idina Menzel – speaking and singing voice of Elsa – sang it live, it doesn’t measure up to Elsa’s performance in that iconic Frozen sequence; probably because the glorious visual display of Elsa’s ice magic was accompanying the music and it significantly enhanced the impact of the song. 

I totally adore Elsa’s “Let It Go” scene.  As I’ve mentioned earlier, I’ve watched Frozen thrice already.  But I’ve gone to watch the “Let It Go” part of the movie at least a dozen times. 

MOST UNEXPECTED TWIST: The “Mandarin” was a stone-head actor hired by the main villain to be a dummy (Iron Man 3)

This development has been pretty controversial.  Reception has been polarizing.  My very own feelings about it were mixed.  I’m kind of disappointed that a real Mandarin with powered-rings has not been portrayed in the big screen.  On the other hand, I also enjoyed and appreciated how this astonishing and amusing development came out of nowhere and blew everyone’s mind.  

MOST SHOCKING MOMENT: Kal-El breaks Zod’s neck (Man of Steel)

“SUPERMAN DOESN’T KILL!!!” I wanted to scream that out when I saw it.  I was legitimately stunned.  I had to calm my excitement by mentally reminding myself that Man of Steel was an “Elseworld”-kind of tale.   

BIGGEST MOVIE-RELATED NEWS: Batman vs. Superman!!!

There’s probably no bigger movie news in 2013 than this.  Or, at least, no other movie news in 2013 that got me more excited than this.  I’ve always wanted a Batman/Superman movie to happen.  (I’ve already discussed more about this, along with other Justice League-related developments) 

Runner-Ups: Veronica Mars movie was made possible by Kickstarter, Warcraft movie

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