2013 Favorites in Film, TV, and Books

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I worked Christmas Eve then spent a relaxing day at home with family on the 25th. A nice quite holiday, but fun.

I can't believe tomorrow is New Year's Eve already. 2013 has went by crazy fast for me. The past few months in particular feel like one big blur for me. Hopefully the new year won't go by quite as fast.

Since the year is practically over, I though some sort of review post was in order. I decided to share my favorite movies, TV shows, and books that I watched/read this past year.

Movies
2013 was the second year that I've kept track of every movie I watched. This year the total is 108 films, with 74 being ones I'd never seen before. Just three films short of how many I watched in 2012. Looking back I didn't watch nearly as many old movies or musicals as I'd like. Out of the new ones I watched, these are my favorites:

Monsters University (2013)

Monsters Inc is one of my favorite Pixar films, so I was really excited for this one and it didn't disappoint. Seeing a different side to Mike and particularly Sully was neat.


The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

This film was the beginning of me becoming a Spider-Man fan. Even though I don't care for Andrew Garfield nearly as much as Tobey Maguire everything else about the movie was fantastic. I'm glad they're adding ties to Peter's parents, as you never knew what happened in the original movies.

Frozen (2013)

This was the only movie I saw in theaters this year. It was really good and makes my list of favorite animated Disney movies. The only thing I would have done differently would be getting to know Elsa better. Then it would have been perfect. But Elsa's dress? So. Gorgeous.

The Avengers (2012)

Marvel movies are awesome. 'Nuff said.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Even though I love the series' I never cared for any of the Star Trek movies made before Into Darkness. I thought it was great. The casting is perfect, especially Bones and Spock. They really couldn't have done any better. You can read my full review here.

Television
Monk (2002-2008)

This is one of the best shows ever created. It has everything I like in a TV show: mystery, humor, lovable characters, and unique story lines. Even with all his fears and phobias, you can't help but love Adrian Monk. I'm not sure how long it'll take, but I'm working on a review for this one!

Doctor Who (2005-present)

Monk was my very favorite show ever, but now that I've discovered and fallen in love with Doctor Who they're both tied for that title. Currently I'm in the middle of season 4, so I've got a ways to go still. In one episode you can be meeting Shakespeare and in the next running from creatures at the end of the universe.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

Sadly DS9 often gets forgotten when it comes to Star Trek. That doesn't stop it from being my personal favorite though. Compared to the others it's much deeper and real; not every episode has a perfectly happy ending. The cast is superb and the story lines are very well done. Between the wormhole, the station, and the war, there's a lot going on and at times you don't know who to trust. That's really a pathetic overview, but DS9 hard to explain in one (short) paragraph, as there's so much to it.

Flashpoint (2008-2012)
Flashpoint is a Canadian cop drama that follows Team One of the SRU (strategic responce unit) in Toronto. They resolve high pressure situations--bomb threats, hostage situations, etc--that the regular police aren't trained for. They always try to negotiate and talk the subject down, but at times they're left with no option but deadly force.


(side note: I'm really good at liking shows that are crazy hard to find good photos of online.)

Books

A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin


My first Sarah Sundin book was With Every Letter and after reading it I decided to read all of her books in order. A Distant Melody was her first novel and I though it was really good!

She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell
This was one of those books that took a few chapters before I got into it. In fact, I almost didn't continue reading it, but I'm glad I did. The story was well done and I enjoyed the characters. Anything about how the upper class lived in different time periods interests me, so seeing the lifestyle a girl my age in the 1890's lived was fascinating.


On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin

Sarah's latest book, which might just be my favorite so far! I'm really enjoying The Wings of the Nightingale series so far and am looking forward to reading the last book this summer when it comes out.

Queen of the Waves by Janice Thompson
This was a fun read set aboard the Titanic. The characters were really enjoyable and there were one or two unexpected turns that kept things fresh.

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So, now that I've shared mine, what are your favorites from 2013?