Taking On 2013: Top Films (Q3 Quarterly Review)

So here we are once again, back to taking a look at motion pictures and the best ones of the year so far and how things have all changed since the summer onslaught of superheros and shit came a knockin' and right on the cusp of prestige Oscar picks and some things that might trickle out of Cannes before the end of the year. These ain't albums, these ain't songs, these are films and that's what we're all here for any way, right? Right. So let's get this road on the show, so to speak.

Taking On 2013: Top Albums (Q3 Quarterly Review)

So after taking a look at how this year has shaped up so far in terms of best songs, it's about time to mosey on over to more complete works. We're talking albums, paintings for the ears. Or I guess films for the ears since sometimes paintings can be smaller parts of a greater whole as well. Video games for the ears? What has changed since the last time? Some stuff. Music to my ears.

NFL Predictions - 2013/14 Season

The season starts tonight, and while I don't usually do sports stuff here I have predicted mostly everything this year below the jump. Check it out and let me know what you think in comments!

Taking On 2013 - Top Tracks (Q3 Quarterly Review)

Man, sometimes time gets away from you. Or me, I guess as this case may be. The days keep passing and I keep listening but I don't keep writing and then now I do start writing and it's like I'm just about to write. And I keep listening, still. And listening. And listening some more. But to what am I listening? Well, a few months ago it was these songs. But these past three months, I mean it's kind of all a Yeezus sort of thing. With summer coming to an end perhaps Kanye's vice grip on music is starting to fade. Or perhaps not. I guess let's look at the list.

Taking On 2013: Top Films (Q2 Quarterly Review)

With the holiday weekend over here in the states it took a little longer than I would have liked to follow up my look at the best albums and tracks of the year so far, but I am back in the saddle so to speak and ready to start getting all filmy up in here. Even though I haven't seen all the movies I would have liked to before constructing this list, I look at the upper portion of my master list and feel like 2013 has been pretty good so far. But what has changed since the last time? Let's find out!

Taking On 2013: Top Albums (Q2 Quarterly Review)

With the year in singles setting the bar fairly high for music, it's really up to albums to match it. Earlier in the year there were plenty of releases that had not dropped which I was anticipating. Some of them arrived. Some didn't. With Danny Brown, ScHoolboy Q, Willis Earl Beal, and many others still to drop their 2013 releases there are heavy hitters waiting in the wings. But there are some heaters already out there. It's weird that we look for heaters in the summer. Which bring the most heat? Let's take a look!

Taking On 2013 - Top Tracks (Q2 Quarterly Review)

With last year being so huge for music, it's kind of easy to look at the present as a kind of disappointment. I know only a few seconds ago I was thinking the same thing. But that's why I make these lists throughout the year, to kind of monitor the pulse of different forms of culture and get an idea of how the landscape has shifted. And comparing this list to April's it most certainly has, because even though I'm still not sure that 2013 has reached 2012 levels of greatness the number of certified bangers to be pumped out of the music industry across genres in only half of a year is astounding. As I continue to use a master Spotify playlist to help track tracks, feel free to also click on titles for Youtube links of all the songs where available. And, really, let's get on with the list!

E3 2013 Wrap Up

It's hard to imagine that only about a year ago people were still having debates about what the next Nintendo system was going to be called. Fast forward to today and not only has the WiiU been out for a number of months, but not we have new consoles from Microsoft and Sony on the not so distant horizon. It's pretty crazy to finally be approaching the start of a new generation (and by extension the end of another, though with games like GTA V, South Park: The Stick Of Truth, and even tomorrow's The Last Of Us still not out it's kind of hard to call it the end of one as well) after going through the longest console generation so far. But as E3 showed us once again this year, whether or not you're planning to upgrade consoles at launch or sticking to the older systems (original Wii not withstanding), there should be plenty to look forward to before we are here once again next year building the hype all over again.

Taking On 2013: Top Films (Q1 Quarterly Review)

I'm not sure if it's been a slower year for film, generally by this point in time a lot of the foreign films I wanted to see at the end of last year have finally gotten theatrical release, or if I just saw more foreign films than I had anticipated in 2012, but in the first quarter the world of cinema has been a bit lean. Still, despite that when compiling my five favorite films of the year so far, the most accomplished works in their field, some tough decisions had to be made. So, with summer nearly upon us, perhaps it has been a pretty good year so far.

Taking On 2013: Top Albums (Q1 Quarterly Review)

Well, it was a futile attempt to try and squeeze in a few more albums before creating this post. Despite some I've been meaning to check out, I haven't carved out the Spotify time for them as I thrust myself in to a bit more relistens since taking a look at the year's best songs so far last week. Regardless, it's still been a kind of strong year for music at the top. Assuming some of the spots I want to fill in turn out to be as good as I hope. Or not. Who knows. There are some good albums, there are also bad ones. I'll probably write about five of them because it's still so early in the year and (hopefully) this list will radically change by the time we get to the end of June. Music.

Taking On 2013: Top Tracks (Q1 Quarterly Review)

Sure it has only been a few months, but we are presently DEEP into the year marked on calendars with the number 2013, which also means that I have been listening to some stuff (not enough though), watching some other things (not enough though), playing some games (more than this time last year, still not enough), and even reading some books (or book, and even that up and down). Still! Time moves like the bare branches on the trees as mother nature refuses to take winter back, and since we are through the first three months that means it's time to begin Quarterly Reviews once more. And, as usual, we start off with the best tracks of 2013. I've linked to Youtube, and I'm continuing to update my longlist of considerations on this Spotify playlist, so subscribe to that to track everything. But that's enough set up, let us get to the damned list!

And I'm Sick And Tired Of Wondering What Your Presents Mean

Stoker (Park, 2013)

It's always interesting to see how an artist transitions from one medium to another, whether it be a painter stepping behind a camera or a novelist turning in to a screen writer. Yet with Stoker, director Park Chan-wook is not moving mediums but is actually breaking language barriers. If that isn't already a massive challenge to take on in what is the first English language film from the Korean visionary, then why not add in an extended metaphor of the physical and sexual awakenings that define the adolescent experience? If there's one thing that everyone can universally understand it would definitely the teenage psyche.

And Do It All Although You Can't Believe It

Spring Breakers (Korine, 2013)

I've never really been on a spring break before. Technically I guess I have since my college had a week a year that was called Spring Break, but I never went on trips. Actually, I probably have more vivid memories of MTV's Spring Break coverage as a kid than I do of my college spring breaks which tended to be occupied by paper writing. So as I entered Harmony Korine's latest fever dream of a film, Spring Breakers, there was a part of me that wondered if I would be too far out of my element. Thankfully all those years of MTV watching paid off though, but filtered through the kinetic, frantic party montages Korine creates a sense of clarity, a sense of dread. And it's in this storm that the genius of Spring Breakers emerges.

STATUS UPDATE - Updated

UPDATE - My keyboard seems to be working again, but I'll leave this up as a reminder to myself that things can always fall apart at any moment. So is the beautiful fragility of life. Can I build a future-proof (enough) gaming PC for between $600-$700? If so, please let me know what to look for in the comments section or send me an email because I definitely need to upgrade sooner rather than later.

Here's THe THing, my keyboard (as of rigHT now anyway) is noT working all THaT well. All THese inappropriaTe Caps are being used beCause THe leTTers are noT Typing rigHT now in lower Case. So, despiTe finally geTTing baCk in THe blogging swing (in THe proCess of reViewing SPRING BREAKERS, THE WIZARDS RETURN: ALEX VS ALEX, STOKER, and NO wHen THis sTarTed, so I Ceased doing so sinCe THere is no way I would reView/wriTe abouT THings like THis.

EiTHer way, I'm going To geT THis looked aT wiTHin THe nexT Couple of days. Hopefully iT Can be fixed, buT if noT THen I may end up upgrading To a beTTer lapTop or a lower end deskTop. We sHall see. PreTTy bummed ouT. Hope To be baCk soon, and sorry, To THose reading, abouT your eyes.

RiCH

Oscar Predictions 2013: Zero Hour

Well, it's that time of the year again where the Academy gets together to honor the most inoffensive underwhelming films of the year and give tangential recognition to the things that are kind of out there but not too out there Mr. Paul Thomas Anderson! As such, I sit down the day before the big ceremony to make my final predictions. Even the categories no one seems to care about. Go behind the politics, behind the machine, put all my analytic credibility on the line for a bunch of little statues. As usual, I have ranked the nominees in each category from most likely to win to least likely. So who will win? Lets find out!

13 For '13: Most Anticipated Movies

Okay, so I might be about a month late, but for the most part not too much comes out in January anyhow (though one should note that The Grey released in January last year and already we have seen Kim Jee-Woon's first English language film, the surprisingly enjoyable The Last Stand hit theaters along with the Chastain vehicle MaMa), which means that it's still perfectly acceptable to do a 2013 film preview still. Right?

Right.

In the past I have gone month by month, mostly in an attempt to not back load everything with what is sure to be a slew of high profile releases slatted for November and December, but including thirteen titles (and fourteen next year and so on) that has become less of a concern. Also a lot of these don't have release dates, so I'm kind of left just hoping they manage to get a distribution deal at some point. But others have dates. There's no particular order for these, just a collection of things I hope will be great. I've attached trailers in the write ups where trailers were available. Get excited!

Taking On 2012: Top Films

We have, after a long road, finally arrived at the end of the year known as 2012 in the world of culture. With supporting actors, actresses, and lead performances all taken care of I really only have the best collective works of the year to go through now. Am I completely done with the year on a personal level? Probably not, but sometimes we all have to move on. The long road calls, and we all have to walk the path in to the future (note: I did not see The Future in 2011 or 2012, so it won't be on this list. I really dropped the ball there). Some of these titles have links, which you can click for my full reviews.

Taking On 2012: Lead Performances

With the best supporting performances out of the way, actors and actresses getting their just dues, I have decided to revert back to last year's formula and go through the best lead performances in one post rather than breaking it up in to two. Again, as with each list, there are certain blindspots that I have been unable to fill prior to making this list. At this point I'm just going to count Amour as a 2012 film. So, theoretically, we'll end up seeing Riva appear on this list in a year's time. And with that caveat, let us get on to the list!

Taking On 2012: Supporting Actors

Took a little while longer than I thought, but with the Golden Globes now over and Oscar season in full swing I reckon it's about time that I finish my 2012 wrap up. Hot (or cold, as the case my be) off the heels of the best supporting actresses of the previous year, I have compiled a list of the best supporting performances as well. Unfortunately I have been unable to see Magic Mike and End of Watch, both of which apparently feature some of the year's best work. So take that for what you will and let us get on with the celebrations!

Taking On 2012: Supporting Actresses

It is finally time to begin putting the finishing touches on 2012. After looking at the best video games, albums, and TV shows, it's time to turn an eye to the world of cinema. Though there are still a few major releases I haven't had a chance to see because of release schedule (namely Amour and Zero Dark Thirty) I don't really want to push this off too much longer and get bogged down in 2012 when 2013 is already happening. So with that how about we take a look at the best supporting actresses of the past year!

Taking On 2012: Top TV Shows

In what is a first for Processed Grass, we have pulled our (my) minds together and decided that, given the number of television shows I regularly watched this year, that it would be wise to include them in my year end listmaking process. At first I thought about combining them with my film list, but the forms are different enough that it seems more fitting to give it its own spotlight. So, in this transition between my top albums and songs lists to my film coverage, let us take some time to appreciate the best that the small screen had to offer in the past year!

Taking On 2012: Top Albums

After yesterday's look at the best songs of 2012 and seeing just how much changed and shifted, as I started looking over my list for albums I wasn't sure exactly how much was going to change since I last updated in October. There were ultimately some movements, a few new additions, and even a few personal surprises. Once again I cannot stress enough that, despite 2012 not being the greatest year for all genres of music, it was definitely one of hip-hop's best years in recent memory. And with that preface, on to this year's list of the Best Albums of 2012!

Taking On 2012: Top Tracks

After wrapping up the year in video games yesterday, it's time to start turning attention to all of the great music that came out this year. While there were many great albums, I actually found myself listening to more playlists and individual tracks this year. I'm not sure if that says that, ultimately, it wasn't a great year for albums or if it was just a great year for songs. Read in to it what you will. What I do know is that there have been some changes to the list since we last checked in during October's Quarterly Review. So what has arrived? What disappeared? Well, we can have a look, and a listen if you click on the titles. Additionally, check out my Top 20 songs in order over here on Spotify!

Taking On 2012: Video Games

And with the clock striking midnight last night we have finally stepped out of the year 2012 and entered the magical world of 2013. It also means that I get to start doing all of my wrap up lists whereabouts I process all forms of culture that I ingested. The best rise to the top, the forgettable fall by the wayside. Certainly tough decisions needed to be made, especially in a year where the biggest releases were mostly disappointments, but each cut only makes me stronger. And with that strength this list rises from the ashes. We finally have our own Game of the Year!