The Films That I Saw: January 2014

The new year has officially begun and so has a new year to watch all sorts of different films and also to do some different things outside of the world of film. So far, it’s started off alright despite the snowstorm that is rampant in Atlanta though I think it could’ve been much worse. Though it did change some of my plans for the weekend, at least I have some films to watch for the weekend and stay at home. After all, I prefer to be safe than deal with the cold and be stranded on a road and the highways. Besides, there’s a lot of things that I have to write about not just in the world of film but also in the world of professional wrestling as I finally found that outlet in my new blog called Wrestling with theVoid.

The reason I started the blog wasn’t because of my love for professional wrestling but also my frustrations and discontent with the current WWE product. This entire week for me in professional wrestling is certainly the craziest but also one of the most sobering in not just the ways things are going but how bad they’re becoming. 2013 was an awful year for me personally as far as being a wrestling fans and rooting for guys like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Dolph Ziggler. Based on what might be coming and some of the stuff that’s happened in the past few days. It looks like 2014 will be even worse. I know I haven’t gotten a lot of readers at this moment which is fine but for those who have read my blog including my review of the 2014 Royal Rumble. Thank you.

For months, I’ve been contemplating about giving up watching WWE wrestling altogether because of my disillusionment with the product and the direction things are going. With the recent rumors that CM Punk has left the WWE for good and for some reasons involving backstage politics and the way things are going. If Punk’s reasons for leaving are true, I don’t blame him. It just feels like I’m watching WCW circa-1999/2000 all over again and for anyone who has been through that awful period. It looks like things are just going to get worse. It pisses me off as a fan who not only likes Punk but also wants to see Daniel Bryan at the main event of WrestleMania and there’s rumors that he won’t be doing that and it showcases how disconnected the WWE is with its audience and if they do have Batista vs. Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans as the main event. Then WWE will lose not just money but also the audience that had been sticking with them for so many years. If they do decide to do that and not put Bryan where he belongs, I fucking walk out and never return.

OK, back to the world of cinema. In the course of January, I saw a total of 38 films. 24 first-timers and 14 re-watches. Five of which were wrestling pay-per-view events. Not a bad start as I concentrated mostly on silent films as it would play into my Blind Spot assignment in The Birth of a Nation. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for January 2014:

1. Her

2. Limelight

3. Upstream Color

4. Safety Last!

5. The Past

6. The Gold Rush

7. The Kid

8. Shoot the Piano Player

9. Monsieur Verdoux

10. Land Without Bread

Monthly Mini-Reviews:

Oblivion

The concept of the film is very interesting and it could’ve worked. It had a nice look as well as a thrilling score from M83. The cast was also good but there were a lot of things about the film that didn’t work. It felt like a typical sci-fi film that didn’t take any chances nor carried a lot of stakes. Another problem with the film is Tom Cruise where it’s obvious that he’s playing the same role that he’s done with most of the films he’s been in for 15 years. He doesn’t really do anything and it just ends up being a very mediocre film.

Top 10 Re-watches:

1. Being John Malkovich

2. The Incredibles

3. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure

4. Tootsie

5. Strange Days

6. The Rocketeer

7. Adaptation

8. Ocean's Twelve

9. The Patriot

10. Cloud Atlas

Well, that is it for January. My focus on February will be on some 2013 releases like Short Term 12, This is The End and a few other films currently nominated for the Oscars as well as 2-part predictions list on what films will or should win the Oscars. The only theatrical releases I’ll be covering are Labor Day and Monuments Men as the former will be part of the next Auteurs profile for Jason Reitman. Other films I plan to cover will be more films by other Auteurs subjects like Pedro Almodovar, Steven Soderbergh, Terry Gilliam, and Francois Truffaut as well as a continuation of my 30 Years of WrestleMania series on my wrestling blog. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off.

© thevoid99 2014