13 Movies to Watch in 2013

 13 Movies to Watch in 2013

 

The time has come once again to look forward into the next year and the films that will be released in order to weed out the good from the bad.  There are a lot of interesting looking films coming out from well-known, as well as from some lesser known, directors.  So, let's just get on with it and see what we should be looking for next year.

Honorable Mentions

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For 

I don't care what anybody thinks of Frank Miller's graphic novel on which this movie (as well as the original Sin City), I enjoyed the hell out of it.  The feel of the film, the use of the same techniques that were used by Miller in the graphic novel but in movie form, it all felt like it fit perfectly.  Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller team up once more in the shared director's chair.  Hopefully they can make this movie as enjoyable as the last one.  One thing that might hurt it is that some of the characters had to be recast because of death or pregnancy.  Luckily, none is one of the important roles.  Jamie Chung (Battlestar Galactica) will now play the role of Miho that Devon Aoki used to play, and Dennis Haysbert (The Unit, 24) will replace Michael Clarke Duncan who sadly passed away.  I'll be hoping this is at least as entertaining as the first one.

The Lone Ranger

This is a strange one for me.  I'm not looking too forward to it because I love the original or anything of the sort.  I guess I'm just interested in seeing the two main characters together on screen.  Armie Hammer was probably the breakout star of The Social Network and I guess I just want to know what he can do.  Having Johnny Depp besides you playing Tonto is not too bad either.  I also want to see Depp do something other than another lame Tim Burton movie and while I'm not the hugest Gore Verbinski fan, I want to see what Verbinski's take on these characters is.

 

13. Zero Dark Thirty

Katheryn Bigelow killed at the Academy Awards a few years ago with the movie The Hurt Locker.  While I am not a huge fan of that movie, I understand why it was universally lauded as the best of that year.  There is something gritty and grimy about that movie and I am hoping that it will be the same when Bigelow tackles the spy genre.  I'm not sure exactly how much spy it will have, but it being about the search and death of Osama bin Laden, we can be sure that it will be controversial either way.  The movie stars the beautiful Jessica Chastain in a role that I didn't expect.  I'm hoping to see if she can pull off this kind of movie.  Alexandre Desplat will be working on the music, which is pretty awesome as he can do some really fantastic stuff.

12. Elysium

A few years back South African director, Neill Blomkamp, came out of nowhere with a little sci-fi film that really seemed to catch the attention of the masses.  District 9 was an incredibly interesting take on the alien invasion film while also touching on topics like racism and apartheid in an entertaining way.  This new flick stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster and it deals with a future in which the divide between economic classes has really stretched incredibly and one man's battle to try to bring equality.  The blurb doesn't really give us much information about anything other than the setting, so I'm interested to see more news about this movie, or better yet, go in completely blind.

11. Gangster Squad

The director of one of the funnest zombie flicks this side of Shaun of the Dead begins January with the period mafia film Gangster Squad.  With a pretty damn interesting cast comprised of actors like Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, and Robert Patrick, this definitely might be a surprisingly good movie.  I also liked Ruben Fleischer's stylish take on the zombie flick, so I am looking forward to what he can do with the gangster movie.  He is lucky to be working with such an ace cast.  My only worry about this film is the music.  Of course, trailer music doesn't constitute the whole of what we will see when we go to the theater, but I think this kind of film needs a specific kind of music.  Either way, I'll be looking to see this one next month.

10. Trance

While I know that some people dislike Danny Boyle's style, but I am a very big fan of his work.  Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Slumdog Millionaire, and 127 Hours are all movies that I enjoy to different degrees.  What I mean is that I look forward to seeing whatever Boyle is coming up with next because he is not afraid to take chances and he will always try different things.  The story of Trance is pretty interesting but pretty vague.  Apparently it deals with a fine art auctioneer joining forces with a hypnotherapist to recover a lost painting.  In between, it seems to deal with the effects of hypnotic suggestion and reality. The three main players Boyle will be working with are James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel which is an interesting mix and one I will be looking forward to seeing.  I believe this movie is expected to come out on March of 2013.

9. Los amantes pasajeros (I'm So Excited!)

 

Any time that Pedro Almodovar is about to release a film, I get excited.  He always has a way of getting some amazing performances from the actors he works with and his movies are always different and interesting.  This one specifically interests me because I have no idea what it is about.  All that I have seen is that it looks like a comedy or at least it looks like it will be a lot more comedic than his last few films.  Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Paz Vega seem to be the big players here and also Argentinian actress Cecilia Roth seems to be making an appearance as well.  Even without knowing what the film is about, I definitely want to check it out.

8. Oz: The Great and Powerful

Although at first sight this probably isn't my cup of tea, Sam Raimi is a director that I always try to give a chance with every new film he releases.  Although I absolutely loathe his Spider-Man franchise, I think he is a pretty good director that can work well when given the opportunity to do his schtick.  This particular movie has James Franco playing a magician that gets sent to the land of Oz where he meets three witches played by Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis.  Basically it is the story of the way the Wizard of Oz began.  I'm afraid that it will be looking too much like the really terrible Alice in Wonderland.  Hopefully Raimi's fantastic sensibilities will make this a really interesting film to watch.

7. Ender's Game

I have been hearing for years that one of my favorite science fiction books from when I was younger was being turned into a movie.  I have always been incredibly leery about this project, because of one simple reason: I worry that the kid actors wouldn't give Orson Scott Card's story justice.  The movie deals with Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a really gifted kid who is sent to an advanced military training program in space in order to prepare for invasion.  From what I remember from the book, this is a bloody story with a  lot of violence between the young kids.  While I think that Butterfield is a great young actor, I'm not sure his look feels right.  The same goes for Abigail Breslin, who plays Ender's sister.  Rounding the cast are Harrison Ford, Viola Davis and Ben Kingsley.  I do worry that this movie won't live up to my expectations, and I especially worry that director Gavin Hood will come out with another X-Men Origins: Wolverine instead of a Tsotsi.

6. Kick-Ass 2

I tried as much as humanly possible to refrain from putting too many sequels on my list.  This one I just couldn't help.  I really loved the first Kick-Ass.  It was a breath of fresh air when it came to superhero movies.  So it makes sense that I am really excited about this film.  One of the things that freaks me out a little bit is the new director.  Matthew Vaughn, who directed the original, is not back at the helm and instead of him, we get Jeff Wadlow.  Wadlow has directed Cry Wolf and Never Back Down.  These are two movies that I never cared for.  So, I am definitely worried about this.  Most of the cast is back, though with some interesting additions.  I'm looking forward to seeing Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes.

5. Pacific Rim

 

I admit that I am a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro.  Ever since I first saw Hellboy, I began my mission of trying to watch everything he has released.  Then I saw Pan's Labyrinth and I was hooked on his style and his storytelling.  While this one is certainly not Pan's Labyrinth, I'm still excited over the film.  I'm guessing that anyone with a mecha fetish (I'm looking at you Fefi!) will also be interested.  As far as I know, it deals with an alien invasion and humans defending themselves with giant robots.  Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) will be part of the cast along with Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and motherfuckin' Heimdall himself Idris Elba (Luther).  Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones) will be working on the music, which is pretty interesting as well.  I'm looking forward to this one.

4. Oldboy

 

Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm not expecting this movie to be a fantastic film.  It could even be that the movie sucks balls.  Spike Lee has always been a very hit or miss director to most people.  Add to that the fact that the original Oldboy directed by Chan-wook Park has become a cult classic in the United States and you have what most people believe is a recipe for disaster.  I find it hard to believe that Lee could in any way surpass the greatness of Park's film.  So, why is it on my list?  This is not a list of which movies I think are going to be the best, but of movies I think people should see.  I am interested in seeing Lee's interpretation of this film.  I am looking to see if the gritty violence and more unsavory plot points survive the transfer to American audiences.  I'm also not sure about the rest of the cast except for Josh Brolin.  While Elizabeth Olsen was fantastic in 2011's Martha Marcy May Marlene, I'm not sure how she will fit here and Sharlto Copley (District 9) seems like an odd choice as well.  All we can do is wait for this now and hope that Lee brings his A game.

3. Stoker

We were just talking about director Chan-wook Park and who else could I have put at number three other than that directors new film?  This is Park's first film without a Korean cast.  It deals with India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska) and how she deals with the death of her father, her estranged mother (Nicole Kidman) and the arrival of her uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode).  At first glance it doesn't seem like a Chan-wook Park film, but I'm sure that he has some surprises up his sleeve that will throw everyone off.  At first glance, it seemed like the plot was pretty similar to Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, but either way, I'd watch it.  After watching the trailer, you can tell that there is something there brimming that we will not figure out until Park wants us to. I'd like to see what Park can do here.

2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Ever since the Lord of the Rings came out, people have become enthralled by the world that J.R.R. Tolkien built many moons ago.  People really couldn't get enough, so they decided to make Tolkien's children's book, which took place in the same world and had a couple of the same characters as his adult series, to turn it into a movie.  I already saw the first part, An Unexpected Journey and I have to say that it really did meet all my expectations.  Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins was a revelation.  Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Hugo Weaving as Elrond and Sylvester McCoy as Radagast were all their fantastic selves.  This is the second part of the trilogy and I can't help but be incredibly excited to see this film.  I am sure this one will be just as great and might even be greater than the first one.  Trust Peter Jackson.

1. The World's End 

What do you get when you mix actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost with writer/director Edgar Wright?  Pure, unadulterated awesomeness.  Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are favorites of mine.  They are great as parodies, comedies, buddy movies (series), and just about anything they set out to do.  So, seeing them tackle the end of the world is pretty cool and I just can't wait to check it out.  Add to the cast Paddy Considine and Martin Freeman and I imagine more of Britain's best will make some cameos to make this a really entertaining cast.  This is the third one in what Pegg and Wright have called "The Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy" and it will be their homage, parody, whatever you want to call it, to science fiction.  This is the film I am most looking forward to seeing next year and even if it is not yours, you need to go see it when it comes out!

There you have it.  The list of 13 movies I think people should watch next year.  There will be a lot more interesting films to check out, but these are the ones I want to see.  Got a movie you think should be considered?  Let me know!

HM: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

HM: The Lone Ranger

 

13. Zero Dark Thirty

12. Elysium

11. Gangster Squad

10. Trance

9. I'm So Excited!

8. Oz: The Great and Powerful

7. Ender's Game

6. Kick-Ass 2

5. Pacific Rim

4. Oldboy

3. Stoker

2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

1. The World's End

Review: WWE TLC 2012

*clap clap clap*

Kudos to the WWE for pulling off such an entertaining rollercoaster PPV event. WWE Tables, Ladders and Chairs was a pay-per-view that could have easily been mediocre, but ended up being one of the more entertaining shows of the year.

First off, the low-key but tasteful tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School was welcome, considering the events of that day happened in the WWE's corporate backyard.

Opening match of the night: Rhodes Scholars vs Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio (#1 Contender's Table Match):

Definitely a great way to start the PPV, a nice seesaw match that surprisingly enough saw almost next to no botches from Sin Cara, what a miracle! Cody Rhodes pushing Sin Cara off of the ropes after attempting to springboard unto Damien Sandow and watching Sin Cara crash through the table to end the match, priceless! Screw you Power Ranger wannabe!

Winner: Rhodes Scholars

Match #2: Antonio Cesaro vs R-Truth (U.S. Title match):

*wakes up from the sound of his own snoring*

I apologize. I must’ve given you the impression that the match was just pointless filler? It was. Please bring back some measure of prestige to the U.S. Championship or unify it with the Intercontinental title. That being said, Cesaro is a great talent that deserves a better push; let’s see what the WWE creative team has in store for him in 2013.

Winner: Antonio Cesaro

Match #3: Kofi Kingston vs Wade Barrett (Intercontinental Title match):

Another snoozer mid-card match with a pointless rivalry that has completely stopped dead in the water. Hopefully this will be the last we hear of this; hopefully for 2013 the powers-that-be will put some actual moxie behind the mid-card division. So much wasted talent needs to be molded, but there is definite potential there to be exploited. Let’s just hope 2013 is the year of change we have all been hoping for.


Winner: Kofi Kingston


CM Punk getting injured was, in my opinion, one of the best things that could've happened at this time, believe it or not, as we are nearing the very crucial juncture that is Wrestlemania season. The Royal Rumble is nearly upon us, and that one event will set the tone for the rest of 2013. Unfortunately, that is a topic for another post, let's stick with TLC 2012 for now.

Why do I bring up CM Punk's knee injury? Simple. His absence from the spotlight gave way to what could easily have been the match of the evening; a match that I am sure will live in infamy for quite some time:


Match #4: Ryback and Team Hell No vs The Shield (Tables, Ladders and Chairs match):

I felt goosebumps as I went back in time to the Attitude Era while watching the match. WWE definitely hit a homerun in holding back The Shield's actual in-ring debut for this PPV, because trust me, sparks flew when these three hombres hit the ring. All six participants gave it their all and easily won the crowd over. If this is any indication of the direction which WWE intends on taking for 2013, then we are in for one hell of a ride. And yes, hopefully Vince McMahon will give Seth Rollins a well-deserved Christmas bonus for that amazing fall he took last night!


Winner: The Shield


Match #5: Eve vs Naomi (Divas Championship):

Bathroom break.

All kidding aside (well, kind of), Naomi put on quite the display from her NXT days, but, it’s all for naught. We all know the Divas Division is just WWE’s way of giving everyone a bathroom break after awesome matches.


Winner: Eve


Match #6: Big Show vs Sheamus (World Heavyweight Championship Chair Match):

I expected so much more. It was nowhere near as good as their match at Hell in a Cell, but this was a decent match to add to their rivalry. I actually thought Sheamus was going to get his revenge and take the title, but they are going to roll with Big Show a little longer. The rivalry is kind of up in the air at the moment, so we shall see if WWE will drop the ball on this one. If this is the end, who challenges for the title next? If Sheamus is done with Show, what does he do after this? I think these are all good questions. I think they can get another match out of Show/Sheamus until it comes time to cash in the Money In The Bank, but I'm fine with this rivalry ending this way.


Winner: Big Show


Match #7: The Miz, Alberto del Rio and the Brooklyn Brawler vs 3MB:

One of the surprises that I did not see coming was Alberto del Rio’s face turn at this PPV. Yes, it’s been rumored for some time, but actually seeing it with my own two eyes was a welcome change of pace. And yes, that's right. Out of everybody available in the back, they pick the Brooklyn Brawler as the third man in this impromptu filler match. Now, even though I can see people complaining about this, I actually got a chuckle out of this. Come on, it's the Brawler fighting in his hometown. The greatest jobber in WWE history gets his Christmas bonus. A passing of the torch, if you will, one jobber to the next generation of jobbers. Very fitting indeed.


Winner: The Miz, Alberto del Rio and the Brooklyn Brawler


Final match of the night: John Cena vs Dolph Ziggler (Money In The Bank Ladder Match):

What started off as a routine match soon became quite the spectacle, a match that I had no idea Cena and Ziggler had in them. From eye injuries to Cena lifting Ziggler up in the air complete with ladder hunched on his shoulders, this match was beyond entertaining, which is more than I expected from these two. The crowd was beyond vocal, the energy was off the charts, and without a doubt one of the out-of-the-blue heel turns ever occurred when at one point Vicki Guerrero goes to interfere in the match, gets pounded by AJ, and then when everyone expects Cena to climb up the ladder to regain the MITB, AJ simply knocks over the ladder. With Cena stumbling down, Ziggler with a confused look on his face, and AJ doing her usual psychochick shtick, Ziggler quickly climbs up the ladder for the win, retaining his Money In The Bank contract.


Winner: Dolph Ziggler


All in all, I thought this was a pretty fun show. I'll admit that it wasn't perfect since some matches did drag. The first hour of the show didn't feel very memorable, but I didn't think it was that bad. I really think the tables match got the PPV to a good start, but those two mid-card title matches were pretty boring to watch. Everything picked back up with that Tables, Ladders and Chairs match and I think the evening continued to be on par for the rest of the night until the main event. This night featured some good wrestling AND good storyline development. We are left with a lot more questions than answers after tonight. Why did AJ screw over Cena? What will Vicki do now that AJ is apparently allied with Dolph? What is in store for The Shield after this? How will WWE continue to make The Shield a formidable foe? When will Dolph cash in the Money In The Bank? What do Big Show and Sheamus do after tonight? Alberto del Rio as a face? All these make the upcoming Monday Night Raw more intriguing. If I have to give WWE TLC 2012 a score between 1-10 and 5 being average, I'll give this an 8 out of 10. A great way to end the year folks, see you all at the Royal Rumble 2013!

The Shit is Dead Podcast Episode 1

This is something we've been working on for a little bit, but here it is.  The first episode of The Shit is Dead Podcast.  We discuss the bands that should be out of bounds when talking about your favorite bands.  These bands are just too great to be picked as your favorite.  So, get creative and choose someone else!  Think someone else needs to be on this list?  Let us know by leaving a comment.

The Amazing Spider-Man: The title says it all

We are living in a rare time. The age of the superhero movie is in full force, and The Amazing Spider-Man does nothing but hold up my opinion.

We finally have a proper portrayal of what the Spider-Man character is supposed to be. And anyone who didn't enjoy this movie is either just not a fan of the source material, or is unjustly comparing it to the previous movies.

From the moment the film starts it feels like a fresh take on a story that felt brutally dated. Andrew Garfield feels and looks like a believable high school student, which is surprising considering he's almost thirty. As soon as he cracks that grin for the first time on screen a fan can instantly tell he's the smart ass that that Peter Parker needs to be.

One of the gripes people have with these movies is the constant need to have origin stories. We all know how Spider-Man got his powers, and if by some miracle you don't, you can ask the person next to you. It's probably the mix of a great cast and good storytelling, tied in with some whit and humor, but this origin story was more than bearable. Martin Sheen takes full advantage of his time on screen, becoming a lovable character in his role of Uncle Ben. It's been difficult in different versions Spider-Man's origin for the viewer to feel remorse for this character's death due to how little time he's around. For a death that is supposed to cause such an impact I don't think I've ever seen it handled better, and I really do attribute it to Martin's ability to connect with an audience.

Then you've got Sally Field as Aunt May in another memorable performance. She's probably the best example of something I praise in this movie, we get just enough of each character. There's no "oh, this bitch again" moment. Also, I'm glad to see a portrayal of Aunt May where she's not 200 years old, she's his aunt, not his damn great grandmother.

With every comic book movie the big question is what villain they'll go with, and in this case I think they made the right choice by using The Lizard to reintroduce Spidey. In the last trilogy we were constantly teased by the presence of Dr. Curt Connors, one of Peter Parker's college professors. But here, he's an Oscorp scientist looking to cure a number of diseases, and most of all, find a way to regrow his lost left arm. While it's true that it's one of the franchises safest villains, he is written in a way that gives him a certain edge. Rhys Ifans does the best with what he's given, and delivers adequately.

Finally, Gwen. Yes, Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacy. This is the way this story is told. This is what on screen chemistry looks like. Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield are spot on in every scene. If I didn't know any better I'd say they were filming these two flirt in real life.

Yes, I much prefer Gwen to Mary Jane.

Yes, I left an important character out. My favorite asshole (leo-leo leo-leo leo-leo) Dennis Leary pops up as Captain Stacy, Gwen's father and he's nothing short of hilarious. One liners galore. His banter with Peter Parker can be as uncomfortable as it can be utterly hysterical. A great addition to an already great cast.

The story itself is pretty straightforward, but it's the little things that make it special. The little mentions and nods that comic book fans can smile at, because we know. But it's the way that director Marc Webb handled the characters that made me love this movie.

A fine example would be how the character of Flash Thompson is used. Flash is a staple of this origin story. He's the bully. The tormentor. But where other versions have made him cruel and unlikable, here he's actually human, and while he's still a bully and a dick to most, he shows his human side when Peter is dealing with the loss of Uncle Ben. He is a teenager, and teenagers are cruel, but they're not evil. A fact that seems ignored by most teen stories these days, that fact really stuck out to me.

People are griping about how we're back to having web shooters instead of it being part of Peter's powers. I couldn't disagree more, Peter needs to have some invention implemented into his abilities. He's a scientist, it's important to have that character trait implemented into his alter ego, and web shooters are the way to go; that is, as long as they don't overplay the whole "I'm out of webbing" angle like the cartoons did in just about every episode.

I was originally skeptical about this movie, but over the last couple of months my anticipation rose, mostly because of the cast. Being a fan of Andrew Garfield since his appearance on Doctor Who, loving Dennis Leary since No Cure For Cancer, and simply just being in love with Emma Stone; I can say we finally have the Spidey movie we've always wanted. I look forward to the sequel(s), the spin-off(s), and the eventual joining of it all. If Marvel knows what they're doing, they'll find a way to bring it all together, if you know what I mean.

8/10

E3 2012 and the aftermath of news that overshadowed it

Every year I eagerly wait for E3, the hype machine that starts up on the internet weeks prior just can't be ignored. This year the hype was overwhelming. With Nintendo's next big thing finally being discussed in depth, and who knows what surprises to expect from Sony and Microsoft, it looked to be a landmark year for the gaming community. It wasn't.

Lets start with the big N. It was the one thing nobody could miss at E3 this year. The second unveiling of the Wii-U was finally happening. No more rumors and speculation, we would finally get to see what we were told would be Nintendo's return to relevance in the hardcore gaming community; unfortunately, that's not what we got.

Nintendo decided instead to ignore just about every franchise that has made them the face of gaming and stick mostly to generic casual gamer crap that no one really cared about. Someone needs to tell Nintendo that a karaoke game will not get me to buy a console.

They did announce two new Mario games. That's right, two. One for the Wii-U and one for the 3DS. They look like exactly the same game. A couple of years ago, in the Mario 64/Mario Sunshine/Mario Galaxy era we begged for an old-school side scrolling Mario game; and now we're drowning in them, seriously. We've gotten almost as many side scrolling Mario games as we have Call of Duty games... And that's never a good thing.

I'm not saying that these Mario games are going to be bad, who knows, I might just play one. The fact of the matter is that there is no diversity in presenting the same game over and over, much less twice in the same press conference.

The other bright spot in Nintendo's press conference was Pikmin 3, a game everyone knew was coming. I've never really played a Pikmin game, but I guess it doesn't look bad, just not my mug of beer.

Nintendo didn't show me a single game that makes me think I need to buy a Wii-U. They're pandering to the casual gamer by lowering their standards.

I'm going to totally ignore the minigame extravaganza shitfest that is going to be Nintendo Land. Yeah, I said it, it's going to suck. This should be this console's Wii Sports. The fact that they plan on charging full retail price for something that looks like a tech demo baffles me. The fact that it was the centerpiece and the closer at their press conference feels like a slap in the face to their fans.

But this was only the beginning, Nintendo then announces that they're discarding the 3DS altogether and delegating it to a second informational live feed that would be held a day after their initial press conference. And they had a info package the day before as well that actually had more info on the Wii-U than the actual press conference. We had around five hours of Nintendo content that really didn't answer any of our huge questions.

I will say that I am very excited for Castelvania's return to the 2D-ish realm on the 3DS. It's the one thing they did right.

On to Microsoft.

Why do I even watch the Microsoft conference anymore? They never do anything different. They show off two "big games", one of which is always either the new Halo or the new Gears Of War, and they they show off Call Of Duty or the new shooter from EA. Every year, and this one was no different.

Sure, the new Halo looks almost decent, but it's still the same old shit. When was the last time the Xbox had a new IP that was actually relevant to the gaming world. All they do is Halo, Gears, Kinnect and third party games.

Then they started with the Kinnect. An accessory that hasn't produced a single memorable gameplay experience outside of dancing like an idiot in your living room. I know, I know, I'm a Sony fanboy, and I'll say the exact same thing (or worse) about the Move in a minute, I promise.

With the announcement that Dragon Ball Z would have a Kinnect game, you can add on another beloved franchise of mine that gets shit all over because of a half assed game, with half assed controls that could never deliver any depth.

The moment that Microsoft realizes that the Kinnect is a supplemental device and should never be your main means of control the gaming world will be a much better place.

And of course, just like every year, the brunt of Microsoft's focus went on expanding the media parameters and attempting to make the Xbox the center of your living room. I have no problem with this. I actually wish Sony would do more of this (UFC on my PS3 please!). The problem is that at in your time to shine and show off the games you have coming up these companies have decided that gamers don't need games. And it's ridiculous.

This is actually where the coolest part of Microsoft's thing came about; they brought out something they called Smart Glass. Without a doubt the biggest 'fuck you' to the Wii-U you'll ever see. The Xbox is integrating a tablet concept to your viewing experience, and the way they showed it off was actually both innovative and interesting. Expect Sony to do something similar, and Nintendo to implement some of these ideas.

Once again, the biggest announcement came almost two weeks after E3, when Microsoft announced their line of tablets that might as well be the iPad killer... Or at least the Kindle killer. Of course, this will be compatible with the Smart Glass concept.

To sum it all up, it's quite obvious that this press conference was their way of saying "we're revealing a new console next year, so this year is going to be duller than usual", and I think for what it's worth, they handled it as best as they could.

And finally, Sony.

Last year at E3, Sony spent most of their time apologizing for the hacking and subsequent downtime of the Playstation Network, a debacle that still haunts their reputation. In a way, they're still apologizing for the PSN outage.

But they really tried to put their best foot forward. And fanboy-ism aside, they honestly had the best games of E3 at their show.

If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading this article and go watch every bit of footage from Naughty Dog's new game The Last Of Us. This is a game that I firmly believe will redefine what the way we look at violence in video games.

In one trailer, we got a spectrum of emotion and morality rarely seen in Oscar winning movies. Think about what I just said there.

Then we had Ubisoft's surprise game, WatchDogs. We were expecting The Last Of Us, but WatchDogs caught us way off guard. With impressive visuals, groundbreaking gameplay, a little bit of decent looking third person shooting, and the subtle yet rumored hint that all this was happening in a multiplayer world, WatchDogs has the world buzzing and clamoring for more info.

The third big game that sticks out in my mind has to be Beyond: Two Souls. Developer Quantic Dream turned a lot of heads with Heavy Rain, and now they seemed to have taken a giant step forward. Unfortunately we have more questions than answers about this one. Will it be as linear a story? Is this their approach to a more gameplay oriented experience, or are they still working under the 'interactive movie' umbrella? Whichever it is, the fact that Ellen Page is this involved in a video game is definitely a game changer.

The Sony press conference also had a strong showing from Assassin's Creed 3. The most anticipated entry thus far in the franchise added maritime battles to their ever growing repertoire of gameplay modes. Lets just hope it doesn't get old too fast. My critique for every AC game is always the same: interesting ideas that get way too old and overused by the end of the game. That said, this looks amazing and I can't wait to play it.

They also announced the Instant Game Collection for all PSPlus subscribers (which made me very, very happy). They gave away a good handful of full retail games for free to anyone who was a part of their premium gaming service, probably converting a shitload of people to the service and finally really making it worth it. And they've kept it up in the latest weeks with other games. While some are still unclear, Sony promised 12 full games before the end of the year.

Much like Nintendo ignoring the 3DS, the PSVita seems to have fallen by the wayside. While the announcement of Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation is a step in the right direction, it's barely what the Vita needs. It needs games, lots of them. Good games. It's an impressive piece of hardware, but no one wants a web browser that expensive.

While the Sony show wasn't without it's misses (JK Rowling's Spell Book, anyone?), it was definitely the least groan inducing. And I'm going to catch a lot of flack for saying it, but they did the best job out of the three big companies this year at E3.

I'm not saying that they won. I think all three failed miserably at what they needed to improve.

So, who won E3 this year then?

That's easy, Ubisoft.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Ubisoft did a spectacular job this year. Every game they showed off was a huge success.

While The Last Of Us is by far my Game Of Show, all my other top spots are mostly taken up by Ubisoft titles.

They had the only two Wii-U games that actually looked decent; Rayman Legends actually looks like a lot of fun and Zombi U (Is that really the title? *facepalm*) looks to be the best example so far on how to use that gamepad adequately. Add that to WatchDogs and Parkour-A-Hontas and you have the winning-est lineup we've seen at an E3 in a long time.

What was I disappointed by? I was sad we didn't get to see any more of Bioshock Infinite. Last year's game of show was inconspicuous in it's absence as was Grand Theft Auto V. Also, the Resident Evil 6 trailer was slightly underwhelming, considering that I've heard the game is good from people who have played it behind closed doors.

The most pleasant surprise has to be Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (now that's a title). I had little to no expectations, but what's in that gameplay footage is so over the top and ridiculous that I need to play it to believe it.

And of course, my beloved Borderlands 2 just keeps getting better and better every time I see something new. I really can't wait to get my hands on that game. I'll probably play it straight into 2014.

In summary, Nintendo has a lot to make up for. At this point I can't think of one person who is interested in purchasing a Wii-U, and I can't blame them. Microsoft is setting us up for big things next year, and I predict they kick all sorts of ass next year at E3. Meanwhile Sony continues to prove that they've had a bigger picture in mind all along, with a couple of missteps along the way nonetheless.

I was let down by the major companies this year, but E3 has reaffirmed my faith in games, because that's what it was all about this year. We should focus on the games, not the companies, no matter how aligned we feel. Picking a console has become almost as bad as picking a political party, and that needs to change (went kinda deep on that one, sorry)... But as far as I can see, it should still be a great year for games, and for gamers.