2012: A Review to a Kill

2012: A Review to a Kill

A great man once said “The more I live, the more I’m convinced we are acutely influenced by what we surround ourselves with. In a way, this is a yearly portrait of who I am, and who I want to be.”- Bow Wow

Here is my yearly portrait of Plays, Movies, TV, and Games put together with stitches of recollection and patches of plausibility.

5 Offies= Fight for what’s Right! Fight for your Life!

4 Offies=Super Solid

3 Offies= That was Good

2 Offies= eh…allright

1 Offie= put yo window up

Plays(20)

Urinetown- Slow Burn Theatre 1/28/12

Absurd in a very silly way. Tongue in cheek with great music to boot

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland-The Playground Theatre 2/4/12

It's Alice in Wonderland.

Beer Samplers- The Project Theatre 3/3/12

Immersive Theatre. Set up like a comedy club, a female comedian runs into her ex on the night of her return to the stage. If you, as an audience member don’t move… you will be acted upon

Small Membership - Mark Della Ventura 3/4/12

One Man Show about his One Man Problem

Off Center of Nowhere- Alliance Theatre Lab 3/30/12

The outcome of unplanned pregnancy in a strict traditionalist Italian American family.

Party in the Pit- Man Research Theatre Company 4/7/12

Immersive Theatre, Come to this party while theatre and drama happens around you, through you, on top of you, and with you. End of the play literally transitions into an all night dance party

Into The Woods- Slow Burn Theatre 4/21/12

Make your way to grandmothers house with great vocals and energy. A truly wonderful presentation

Death and Harry Houdini- The House Theatre 4/25/12

Spectacle, in its most daring and engaging definition. Witness the triumph and tragedy of Harry Houdini through music, magic, and good old fashioned mojo

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings- The Playground Theatre 4/26/12

An angel lands in a small Spanish Caribbean village and must relearn how to fly in order to return home

Conquest of the Southpole- Man Research Theatre Company 6/8/12

Immersive Theatre. Four men must make their way to their own south pole at the cost of their sanity

Hamlet Dog and Pony Show 7/24/12

Hamlet with a side of Heiner Mueller, Cabaret, Scooby-Doo and a whole lot more

The Donkey Show-The Arsht Center 8/1/12

A Midsummer’s Night Dream set in Studio 54

Home Sweet Funeral Home- The Alliance Theatre Lab 9/20/12

Comedy through tragedy

Dutchman- AAPACT 9/29/12

A man finds himself in a state of limbo alone with a vixen and her red apple

Rock Odyssey- The Arsht Center 9/30/12

It’s Homer’s The Odyssey, laced with a Rock/Gospel Soundtrack

The Sunshine Boys- Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center 10/19/12

Endearing tale about one of the best comedic duos in the industry trying to reunite one last time despite their disdain for each other

Avenue Q-Slow Burn Theatre 10/27/12

A tale of adulthood. Kicked myself a little for being so familiar with the music, the jokes lost their initial quality and felt ho-hum

The All American Genderfuck Cabaret- Thinking Cap Theatre 10/13/12

A play about all the blurred lines of sexuality we all manifest

Three Sisters- Miami Theatre Center 11/17/12

Anton Chekov gets adapted for this decades merging rendition, complete with Gershwin and Bob Dylan

Roomies- Alliance theatre Lab 11/22/12

Voyeuristic look into 20 somethings and the dramas that ensnares them. fascinating stuff.

Movies(69 total)

Last Action Hero (Rewatched) 1/24/12

4/5 Arnold meets Arnold in this Action movie that makes amusing commentary on Action movies

Conan O’ Brien: Can’t Stop (doc) 2/22/12

3/5 Kinda disturbing to see Coco get so angry….also funny

Red State 2/26/12

3/5 Had a horrible and great premise rolling with it, then seemed to dwindle out towards the last act

Revenge of the Nerds 2/26/12

3/5 Missed this one growing up. Fun silly teen revenge comedy

Nerdcore Rising (doc) 2/26/12

3/5 Wasn’t familiar with this man who raps about binary codes, but enjoyed seeing the world in which people love him.

Reservoir Dogs (Rewatched) 2/26/12

4/5 Dialogue is still as tight as ever.

True Grit 2/26/12

3/5 Interesting pace, great beards

The Expendables 2/28/12

3/5 Fan service that knows it’s fan service. I can get behind that.

Magic Trip (doc) 2/29/12

4/5 Ken Kesey is experimented on with LSD, then shares a new perspective and copious amounts of drugs on this Magic Road Trip from Cali to New York and back. Oh and he documents it all

Being Elmo (doc) 3/7/12

5/5 Such a sweet documentary

The Lorax 3/10/12

2/5 I liked the songs, the rest was fine

Life in a Day (doc) 3/15/12

2/5 Wasn't enough there to catch me, interesting premise though

Body of War (doc) 3/17/12

4/5 Hard to watch, but important to witness

Brutal Massacre: A Comedy 3/17/12

1/5 Not sure how I even ended up watching this

Restrepo (doc) 3/17/12

4/5 Again, a tough watch due to it’s ability to transport you there with these soldiers, not something fun to see

This Film is Not Yet Rated (doc) 3/17/12

4/5 Investigates the secret organization and it's members who are sanctioned to give films their ratings. Thrilling and rather dubious to watch unfold

Betty Boop: The Queen of Cartoons 3/21/12

4/5 A nice thorough look at a classy lady

The Rock-afire Explosion (doc) 3/21/12

5/5 The story of your favorite animatronic singing animal band from your childhood and their bittersweet tale

The Hunger Games 3/23/12

3/5 Like Battle Royale with less blood

Grizzly Man (doc) 3/25/12

4/5 A really intimate look at a man and his life passion with a somber underscore throughout

Double Dare (doc) 3/26/12

4/5 Taking a look into one of the coolest of hollywood societies: Stuntwomen

A Complete History of my Sexual Failures (doc) 3/27/12

1/5 Horrid

The Avengers 4/10/12

4/5 An Intense Romp. Had the energy of watching four huge summer movies all at once

Human Centipede II 4/11/12

3/5 The series become self aware as this sequel directly centers around a man who is obsessed over the original movie and wants to make it real. That's kinda interesting.

For the Love of Dolly (doc) 4/24/12

4/5 Following super fans who prepare all year to attend Dolly Parton’s big parade is so wonderful and honest…and creepy, but in a loving way.

Iron man 2 (Rewatched) 5/2/12

3/5 My parents bought a new Bose sound system and invited me over to their house to try it out. And so Iron Man did.

Kevin Smith Burn in Hell 5/8/12

4/5 What made this Q and A session so special, apart from the others, is Smith’s decision to openly talk about his father’s death and describe so vividly how it felt for him in a way that still reigns truthful without feeling out of place.

Hellraiser 5/10/12

3/5 To my surprise, nine…count them, NINE Hellraiser movies have been made! Having never seen ANY, my curiosity had to know how this series starting in the late 80’s made it all the way to 2012. The original is a decent 80’s gore and horror movie. Pinhead is surprisingly not the villain, waddyaknow

Hellraiser II 5/11/12

4/5 This series manages to reach the outskirts of lunacy while providing a sympathetic cause to a character I had written off as a standard movie monster archetype

Hellraiser 3: Hell on earth 5/12/12

2/5 Goes back on everything the previous title set up

Hellraiser IV: Bloodline 5/15/12

3/5 Does what it can to create a legacy for the franchise

Hellraiser V: Inferno 5/16/12

1/5 What?

Hellraiser VI: Hellseeker 5/17/12

1/5.How?

Hellraiser VII: Deader 5/20/11

3/5 nice call back to the original two movies

Running with Arnold 5/21/12

2/5 The story of Arnold’s rise to politics was great, the whining about his actions, once elected, was annoying

Gogol Bordello: Non-Stop (doc) 5/20/12

4/5 frantic and lovely

Modify (doc) 5/22/12

4/5 This documentary made me wince and squeal more than I’d care to admit. This introspective look at the reasons behind body modifications is truly an enlightening experience

Small Town Gay Bar (doc) 5/23/12

4/5 Perseverance through persecution

Hellraiser:Hellworld 5/24/12

2/5 Pinhead falls into a videogame. And then virtually murders everyone. My curiosity in this franchise wanes.

A State of Mind (doc) 5/30/12

5/5 Follows two North Korean girls as they train to make it into the Mass Games. Incredible.

The Invincible Iron Man 5/31/12

3/5 Good Animated Movie involving The Mandarian

Snow White and the Huntsman 6/1/12

1/5 Bland

Brave 6/26/12

3/5 Hair never looked so good.

The Amazing Spider-Man 7/4/12

3/5 I’m personally getting fatigued on origin stories

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 8/1/12

5/5 Chemistry: The Movie. Newman and Redford are electric

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child(doc)8/16/12

5/5 Bittersweet and bold

Crips and Bloods: Made in America (doc) 8/16/12

4/5 Didn’t think I would find this as interesting as I did. Informed a curiosity I wasn’t aware I had

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead 9/1/12

2/5 Zombie Chicken get their revenge in a fast food chain. Nothing too special

The Toxic Avenger 9/3/12

3/5 Silly, Stupid, Absurd

The Toxic Avenger: Part II 9/4/12

3/5 Consistent measure of ridiculousness

Make Believe (doc) 9/6/12

4/5 Following child magicians across the world as they prepare for the biggest competition of their lives. The sheer talent of these kids is worth the price of admission

Into the Abyss (doc) 9/7/12

3/5 Step by step, takes you through the process of capital punishment from all sides. A tough watch.

Beverly Hills Cop 9/27/12

4/5 Flash and Flair. Surprised I never saw this

Beverly Hills Cop II 10/3/12

4/5 tons of personality

Bruno 10/24/12

2/5 A few moments of interesting commentary

Indie Game: The Movie (doc) 10/25/12

4/5 A grueling look at small game companies and their harsh processes to produce their passions

Wreck it Ralph 11/9/12

3/5 Cute and fun, but not much else

Casino Royale (Rewatched) 11/18/12

4/5 Classy

Quantum of Solace (Rewatched) 11/25/12

3/5 Better the second time through. Really dug into the shady organization this time around

Skyfall 12/9/12

4/5 Liked the villain, Liked the throwbacks, Liked the Style

Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D 12/17/12

2/5 A local police officer is imbued with the power of a mystical kabuki defender. Oh Troma

Buskers (doc) 12/21/12

4/5 Expose on street performers, their life and their struggle

Bernie (not a doc, not a mock)12/21/12

5/5 Part crime comedy, part documentary. The way this movie weaves real town folk with actors is remarkable and natural

Beverly Hills Cop III 12/26/12

4/5 Consistent

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas 12/26/12

5/5 I’m so glad I finally saw this movie. So sweet, so charming, so damn grand

The Hobbit 12/28/12

4/5 Run away: The movie! I surprisingly enjoyed heading back to this fiction

Les Miserables 12/29/12

3/5 Close Up:The Musical! The more I think about it, the more I like the director’s cinematic choices

Django

4/5 Clean, Crisp Characterization drives this film to greatness

Hellraiser: Revelations 12/31/12

1/5 The latest of nine, count em, nine hellraiser movies. This marks the first movie without the original actor playing Pinhead. Not that that would’ve helped it

Television(31 Total Seasons)

Boss Season One 2/16/12-2/20/12

5/5 Kelsey Grammer scares me. His character’s grip on Chicago is malevolent and decisive

Parks and Recreation Seasons Two-Four 3/7/12-12/24/12

4/5 Finds a way to make you enjoy every characters quirks and shortcomings

X-Men: The Animated Series Volumes One-Five 3/17/12-5/30/12

4/5 While most episodes aren’t necessarily stellar, collectively, this series is impressive and faithful to its namesake

Mad Men Season Five 3/25/12-6/10/12

4/5 I Still enjoy every detail in every shot

The Legend of Korra 4/14/12-6/23/12

5/5 Acutely Paced and filled with wonderment, adventure, and politics. This series has great personality

Wolverine: The Animated Series 5/30/12-6/21/12

4/5 Picking up in a time when the X-men are past their prime, Wolverine must pull the troops back together for a cause much greater than they

Breaking Bad Seasons One-Four 6/1/12-8/16/12

5/5 Bothersome and Brash in such an elegant way

The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes! Season One 6/1/12-6/20/12

3/5 Pure fun. Just that.

30Rock seasons One-Three 6/4/12-12/31/12

4/5 Much zanier than expected. And it’s all for the better

South Park Season One 6/20/12-7/24/12

3/5 Never watched South Park before this year. Season One holds up well on it’s own

Astonishing X-men: Gifted 7/15/12-7/20/12

3/5 Interesting Art Style, great story being told

Thor and Loki : Blood Brothers 7/15/12-7/20/12

3/5 A nice look at the deeper sides of this rivalry

Iron man: Extremis 5/18/12-7/20/12

1/5 Pretty empty

Boardwalk Empire Seasons One and Two 6/24/12-9/16/12

4/5 A really beautiful backdrop to a really ugly crime world. This drama exudes a number of powerful performances

True Blood Season Five 8/14/12-9/16/12

2/5 While they touch on interesting lore and legacy in the fiction, I feel this series starting wane again in interest

Spartacus: Vengeance 8/14/12-9/16/12

5/5 I wish I could understand exactly why I enjoy every season of Spartacus as much as I do. I should be writing it off as shallow bloodlust fantasy machismo, but for some reason I am out of my seat for every season finale, literally enthralled everytime… I just like it.

Magic City Season One 8/14/12-9/16/12

4/5 What a classy looking show. Ike Evans is one of my favorite characters this year, he’s not a crime lord, not a king pin, not a playboy, not a hero, he's just… Ike.

Game of Thrones Season Two 8/14/12-9/16/12

5/5 With a second season just as engrossing as the first, Game of Thrones does its job of fully investing me into its world and politics

The Walking Dead Season Two 10/4/12-12/4/12

4/5 The series finally gets going by ramping up the tension between the survivors and the decisions they have to make

Games (27 total to completion)

inFamous 2(PS3) 1/14/12- 2/17/12

4/5 Travel to fictional New Orleans, post disaster. And get wrapped up in a story that melds heroism and nefarious-ism in a striking manner

Trine(PSN) 1/16/12- 11/29/12

3/5 A charming puzzle adventure game made optimally for co-op. Great to play with a friend.

Far Cry 2(PS3) 2/18/12- 10/10/12

4/5 Sprawling in the brush of Africa, this open world game successfully immerses you in a dangerous land of arms dealers and conflict diamond traders. Not to mention an interesting political Mexican stand off as its' backdrop

inFamous: Festival of Blood(PSN) 3/1/12-4/17/12

4/5 Takes the great setting of Modern-Day New Orleans, then makes it Halloween, then makes you a Vampire.

Soul Calibur V(PS3) 3/6/12-3/8/12

1/5 I miss you Soul Blade

Mass Effect 3(PS3) 3/8-3/23/12

5/5 Personally justified every decision I made in the previous Sci-fi games and concluded poignantly and rewardingly.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations(PS3) 4/11/-9/13/12

3/5 Found myself still interested in this universe and it's colorful characters

Darksiders(PS3) 4/22/12- 6/6/1

3/5 Someone triggers the apocalypse prematurely and War, one of the four horsemen, must set things straight

The Walking Dead (PSN) 5/2/12-11/26/12

5/5 It's a choose your own adventure game, presented with an unparallel level of characterization and storytelling. Struck some of the most emotional and thought-provoking experiences in games and even media that I have ever had

Shank 2(PSN) 5/18/12-6/10/12

3/5 Fun, fast, fluid

Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3) 6/14 -6/15/12

3/5 While I couldn't care a lick about the multiplayer, the singe player campaign in this was wonderful. Setting you in a conspiracy laden Vietnam war story and then pumping you full of Stones and Creedance was more than enough to get me on board with this title

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (PSN) 8/16/12-12/12/12

3/5 Another adventure puzzle game made specifically to be enjoyed with another person playing with you

Double Fine’s Happy Action Theater(XBOX Kinect) 8/22/12

5/5 Recreates the magic you felt as a kid masterfully

Sleeping Dogs(PS3) 8/22-8/27/12

4/5 Slick police drama game taking place in modern day Hong Kong.

Asura’s Wrath(PS3) 9/10-9/11/12

3/5 Commits fully to the format in which it presents it's content, unapologetically

Angel Salvation(IOS) 10/3/12

3/5 Startlingly addictive and deceptively deeper than I expected

10,000,000(IOS) 10/8/12

4/5 This game is kinda of magical in the sense that it takes two contrasting genres (match three and dungeon crawling) and combines them flawlessly

Assassin’s Creed III(PS3) 10/30/12-11/24/12

5/5 The scope of this game still makes me smile.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation(PSVITA) 11/2/12- 12/11/12

3/5 While the story may lack focus, this video game, taking place 18th century New Orleans, is the only game I know of that actively addresses slavery in a meaningful and direct manner. It's also beautiful to look at.

Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale (PSVITA) 11/20/12- 12/31/12

4/5 My guilty pleasure of 2012, mash-up characters from different franchises and have em duke it out

Transformers: War for Cybertron(PS3) 11/28/12- 12/3/12

2/5 While the gameplay leaves much to be desired, the fiction is hearty and worth delving into

Starhawk(PSN) 12/6/12-12/8/12

3/5 Slick game, slick premise.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron(PS3) 12/12/12-12/19/12

2/5 In this sequel, the gameplay is not much better and the fiction, while deep, doesn't offer up enough new material to care about

Dust an Elysian Tale(XBOX Live) 12/13/12-12/17/12

4/5 Beautiful. This is a culmination of one man's long dream to make his game. And he did. And it's beautiful.

Spec Ops: The Line(PS3) 12/21/12-12/23/12

4/5 What at first appears to be a generic wartime shoot em up, set in Dubai, turns into something much deeper as the game starts addressing the mental caveats soldiers must take in order to deal with the horrors of war.

Journey(PSN) 12/24/12

5/5 This game sets you on an adventure by your lonesome. Then, randomly, someone else in the real world who is on the same journey you're on, crosses your path. Then, without any form of standard communication you both decide to take on this adventurous journey together. Wonderful.

Bully (PS2) 12/26/12-12/31/12

5/5 Easily one of the best games I've played. Standing up for the little guy to impress the girl you like, while making sure you're not late for chemistry class and hoping the principal doesn’t see you breaking the dress code is so unique and quite fun.

And now I dole out what tooted my horn the most effectively this past year. Feel free to imagine me saying them out loud with suspense and gusto

Favorite Play of the Year

Favorite Movie I've Watched this Year

Favorite Movie Released in 2012

Favorite Television Show

Favorite Game of the Year

Happy New Year! Till the next!