At the end of 2011, I listed the 12 Things I was Looking Forward to in 2012. Admittedly, I picked the number '12' simply because it was going to be 2012. If I were to continue in that vein of consistency, I would have to pick '13' for 2013. '13' isn't a lot of things, in all fairness. But, in the event (however likely or unlikely) that I continue blogging up till, say, 2030, for example, I'd have to list 30 things. 45 things in 2045. And, quite frankly, I don't look forward to THAT many things in general. So, there's another form of consistency - keep it at 12! So, 12 it is. As per last year, it's heavily movie-based.
12. San Antonio Spurs playing exquisite basketball
I watch a fair amount of NBA games throughout the season, thanks to NBA Broadband League Pass. I've seen the Heat play, I've seen the Thunder play, I've seen the Clippers, I've seen the Grizzlies and, of course, I've watched a heckload of Boston Celtics games. But only the Spurs can make me feel that when I watch them play basketball, I'm watching artists paint a masterpiece. Pure unselfish, team-oriented basketball - everybody knows what they're supposed to do, what they're not supposed to do and how they can contribute. The ball moves, people set screens, resulting in wide-open jumpers. This is really the most beautiful and elegant basketball I've seen from a team, ever. If the Celtics are going to crash out (more on this in a bit), I'm rooting for the Spurs to win the title. Tim Duncan (21) is one of my 3 favourite current NBA players alongside Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo in some order, and I would love to see him get another title before he retires. Anyway, some evidence of Spurs passing in the Youtube video below. It's worth watching even for those of you who don't really follow basketball - it's good to see what beautiful basketball is like.
11. Gangster Squad
Pretty sure I don't need to explain why I'm looking forward to this.
10. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
Loved the series. Gotta catch the movie. I really did quite like the first movie - Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. I thought it was good fun and great entertainment. Granted, I'd only watch it once in the theater, but I've seen watched it a couple of times after on DVD and I still really enjoy it. If the second movie is anything like the first, we should be in for a good time. Also, Logan Lerman looks to me like a young Jim Sturgess - for those of you who know me, you should know what that means.
9. Kick-Ass 2
I know this is super unoriginal, and I know this is quite terrible, but the first movie kicked ass. It was such an obvious statement to make that I just had to get it out of the way. That aside, the first movie completely blew my expectations away - it was a hell of an action-comedy type movie. Violent as anything, sure, but great fun. This movie should be rated R and, if it's based on the Kick-Ass 2 Graphic Novel, there will be some serious violence in this and some really messed up shit too. We should be in for a rocking time.
(Hopefully the Censorship Board in Malaysia doesn't ban it. It really is super duper violent and super duper disturbing. But, Malaysia tends to be okay with violence - decapitations totally okay - but bans even a simple kiss. Go figure.)
8. Paranoia
Commissioner Gordon, Thor and Indiana Jones as your leading men. Wicked. The last time Gary Oldman played an espionage-type character, we got Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which is a really quite brilliant movie. That said, I am rather biased towards this movie because aside from coming-of-age movies (see: Dead Poet's Society, October Sky, Stand By Me, Hugo, Super 8 etc etc), my favorite movie genre is Spy Thriller (my other favorite genre is crime movies). Not in the James Bond sense, but in the mould of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Where it's super dark, there's limited action, and you feel like you're watching a chess game unfold, but your interest in the movie is piqued up by the suspense of the espionage game. I hope Paranoia will live up to this.
7. Lebron's Quest for Immortality
This man completed a brilliant 2012 where he won MVP, the NBA title, the Finals MVP and a Gold Medal. I'm looking forward to him continuing his path of evisceration towards taking his place as one of the game's all-time greats. If he has any real Michael Jordan-Bill Russell type DNA in him, we're set.
6. Carrie
Stephen King is my favorite fictional author. One of these days, I will rank my favorite Stephen King books. Carrie will be somewhere on the list. The first Carrie was a classic. And, sure, classics should be allowed to remain classics, but I see no harm in a remake, and I may even look forward to it when Chloe Moretz is involved. For those of you who are horror-movie averse, this isn't really a horror movie. I promise you. Fire-y times ahead.
5. Celtics Blood Basketball
The Boston Celtics play with an us-against-the-world attitude, a real Eff-You attitude that I absolutely love. The players don't care if they're assholes to the opponents, as long as they fight for each other. Yes, the Celtics aren't doing that great right now to my immense frustration, but you would not want to play them in the Playoffs. The 2012 Celtics was my favourite Celtics team because you knew that if they were going to go down, they would go down having given everything they had. I don't think they will be NBA Champs again this year, but I'm looking forward to the Playoffs when they battle through everything. Go Celts.
4. Man of Steel
Superman is in the building! Superman is my favorite superhero and this remake looks to be very promising. Especially if it's benchmarked against Superman Returns. I mean, there's no way it can be that bad, right? Also, we have Amy Adams as Lois Lane. I adore Amy Adams. Evidence:
3. Mad Men - Season 6
The ongoing development of Don Draper - where he becomes the original Don Draper again. Season 5 was like most Mad Men seasons - it built towards a real climax at the end based on small nuances and scenes from earlier episodes (seriously, sometimes it would just be one line in Episode 3 that could make all the difference in Episode 9). But my favorite scene was still the end of Season 5, where we see Don realizing how lonely he actually was, despite everything. Chilling.
2. Sherlock - Season 3
Unfortunately, the Hobbit has made production of Sherlock pushed further back and chances are, Sherlock will only air in late 2013. But that's okay. Sherlock will be worth the wait. Especially with the cliffhanger from The Final Problem. Holmes and Watson will be back in full force, with delicious stories based on "rat, wedding, bow." My take - Sumatran Rat (a story that just only got a mention in the Canon), Watson's wedding and Holmes' Final Bow. I hope to Robbie Fowler I'm wrong about the last one. MOAR!
1. The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug
Like it would have been anything else.
12. San Antonio Spurs playing exquisite basketball
I watch a fair amount of NBA games throughout the season, thanks to NBA Broadband League Pass. I've seen the Heat play, I've seen the Thunder play, I've seen the Clippers, I've seen the Grizzlies and, of course, I've watched a heckload of Boston Celtics games. But only the Spurs can make me feel that when I watch them play basketball, I'm watching artists paint a masterpiece. Pure unselfish, team-oriented basketball - everybody knows what they're supposed to do, what they're not supposed to do and how they can contribute. The ball moves, people set screens, resulting in wide-open jumpers. This is really the most beautiful and elegant basketball I've seen from a team, ever. If the Celtics are going to crash out (more on this in a bit), I'm rooting for the Spurs to win the title. Tim Duncan (21) is one of my 3 favourite current NBA players alongside Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo in some order, and I would love to see him get another title before he retires. Anyway, some evidence of Spurs passing in the Youtube video below. It's worth watching even for those of you who don't really follow basketball - it's good to see what beautiful basketball is like.
11. Gangster Squad
Pretty sure I don't need to explain why I'm looking forward to this.
10. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
Loved the series. Gotta catch the movie. I really did quite like the first movie - Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. I thought it was good fun and great entertainment. Granted, I'd only watch it once in the theater, but I've seen watched it a couple of times after on DVD and I still really enjoy it. If the second movie is anything like the first, we should be in for a good time. Also, Logan Lerman looks to me like a young Jim Sturgess - for those of you who know me, you should know what that means.
9. Kick-Ass 2
I know this is super unoriginal, and I know this is quite terrible, but the first movie kicked ass. It was such an obvious statement to make that I just had to get it out of the way. That aside, the first movie completely blew my expectations away - it was a hell of an action-comedy type movie. Violent as anything, sure, but great fun. This movie should be rated R and, if it's based on the Kick-Ass 2 Graphic Novel, there will be some serious violence in this and some really messed up shit too. We should be in for a rocking time.
(Hopefully the Censorship Board in Malaysia doesn't ban it. It really is super duper violent and super duper disturbing. But, Malaysia tends to be okay with violence - decapitations totally okay - but bans even a simple kiss. Go figure.)
8. Paranoia
Commissioner Gordon, Thor and Indiana Jones as your leading men. Wicked. The last time Gary Oldman played an espionage-type character, we got Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which is a really quite brilliant movie. That said, I am rather biased towards this movie because aside from coming-of-age movies (see: Dead Poet's Society, October Sky, Stand By Me, Hugo, Super 8 etc etc), my favorite movie genre is Spy Thriller (my other favorite genre is crime movies). Not in the James Bond sense, but in the mould of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Where it's super dark, there's limited action, and you feel like you're watching a chess game unfold, but your interest in the movie is piqued up by the suspense of the espionage game. I hope Paranoia will live up to this.
7. Lebron's Quest for Immortality
This man completed a brilliant 2012 where he won MVP, the NBA title, the Finals MVP and a Gold Medal. I'm looking forward to him continuing his path of evisceration towards taking his place as one of the game's all-time greats. If he has any real Michael Jordan-Bill Russell type DNA in him, we're set.
6. Carrie
Stephen King is my favorite fictional author. One of these days, I will rank my favorite Stephen King books. Carrie will be somewhere on the list. The first Carrie was a classic. And, sure, classics should be allowed to remain classics, but I see no harm in a remake, and I may even look forward to it when Chloe Moretz is involved. For those of you who are horror-movie averse, this isn't really a horror movie. I promise you. Fire-y times ahead.
5. Celtics Blood Basketball
The Boston Celtics play with an us-against-the-world attitude, a real Eff-You attitude that I absolutely love. The players don't care if they're assholes to the opponents, as long as they fight for each other. Yes, the Celtics aren't doing that great right now to my immense frustration, but you would not want to play them in the Playoffs. The 2012 Celtics was my favourite Celtics team because you knew that if they were going to go down, they would go down having given everything they had. I don't think they will be NBA Champs again this year, but I'm looking forward to the Playoffs when they battle through everything. Go Celts.
4. Man of Steel
Superman is in the building! Superman is my favorite superhero and this remake looks to be very promising. Especially if it's benchmarked against Superman Returns. I mean, there's no way it can be that bad, right? Also, we have Amy Adams as Lois Lane. I adore Amy Adams. Evidence:
3. Mad Men - Season 6
The ongoing development of Don Draper - where he becomes the original Don Draper again. Season 5 was like most Mad Men seasons - it built towards a real climax at the end based on small nuances and scenes from earlier episodes (seriously, sometimes it would just be one line in Episode 3 that could make all the difference in Episode 9). But my favorite scene was still the end of Season 5, where we see Don realizing how lonely he actually was, despite everything. Chilling.
2. Sherlock - Season 3
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| Molly! They don't look alike, but she's essentially another version of Fred Burkle. |
1. The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug
Like it would have been anything else.
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