The 10 Best Films of 2014

Everyone seems to love the worst list rather than the best, but here's the list of what I loved the most this calendar year!.

10.  Bad Words:  A dark and viciously bitter satire that had me rolling in my chair.

9.  Gone Girl:  A tough first half, but takes on a much more entertaining edge in the second hour.

8.  X-Men: Days of Future Past:  A pretty well done time travel film, engrossing and fun

7.  Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead:  A hysterically splattery sequel that meets the originals standards.  You'll never hear Total Eclipse of the Heart in the same way..

6.  Fury:  Stunningly well done, one of the finest and hardest hitting war films since Saving Private Ryan

5.  Life Itself:  An examination of the life of the late Roger Ebert, will bring you to tears.

4.  Snowpiercer:  Woefully unknown film, class warfare on the train carrying what's left of mankind following a botched global warming fix.  Wonderful film.

3.  Boyhood:  Richard Linklater's look at a boy's life, filmed over 13 years (literally) from age 5-18.

2.  Interstellar:  Chris Nolan's take on deep, thoughful sci-fi isn't without flaws, but for something a bit more pure than a galaxy far far away, this is the best in a long time.

1.  Guardians of the Galaxy:  Everytime...EVERYTIME the opening strains of Redbone's Come and Get Your Love comes across the speakers and the action begins on screen, I get a huge cheesy smile across my face that never goes away the whole time.  How can you get a better experience than that?

The 10 Worst Films of 2014!

As always, this list spans only the 122 films I've seen that were released in this calendar year.  Here we go!


10.  Life After Beth:  Poor Beth thought death would free her from this awful film..

9.  Tusk:  Kevin Smith's weirdest and least watchable film

8.  Frank:  Self important hipster crap

7.  Divergent:  Yet more dystopian future YA over dramatized pseudo romantic drivel.

6.  Goodbye World:  Apocalypse forces hipsters to lose the internet, chaos ensues.

5.  Noah:  Loosely adapted bible story trying to appeal to all, appeals to no one instead.

4.  V/H/S Viral:  Yeah, it's diseased alright...

3.  The Amazing Spider-Man 2:  Translated as "sony learned nothing from Spider-Man 3"

2.  Into The Storm:  The only film in history to make Twister look like a documentary.

AND FINALLY....

1.  Transformers:  Age of Extinction:  Oh God, please....please please please...

Mini Review: "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Not quite as good as The Avengers, but an outstanding film in its own right.   The only must see of the year.

A+

Mini Review: "The Purge: Anarchy"

Everything that the uninspired, by the numbers original should have been.  Far superior film.

B

Updates to 2014's top picks!

Must see's are as always, in bold.  Check local listings as release dates are subject to change.

JAN. 17 - Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit  C

FEB. 7 - The Monuments Men  (have the dvd here, will review soon)

FEB. 21 - 3 Days to Kill  (waiting to get dvd)

MAR. 14 - Walk of Shame  F

APR. 4 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier  B+

APR. 18 - Transcendence  F

MAY 2 - The Amazing Spider-Man 2  D

MAY 9 - Chef  (waiting to get dvd)

MAY 16 - Godzilla  C

MAY 23 - X-Men: Days of Future Past  A-

JUN. 6 - Edge of Tomorrow  B+

JUL. 25 - Lucy

AUG. 1- Guardians of the Galaxy

AUG. 8 - Into the Storm

AUG 15 - The Expendables 3

AUG. 22 - Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

SEP. 19 - The Maze Runner

SEP. 26 - The Equalizer

NOV. 7 - Interstellar

Well hell...

No fair readers, I didn't die...I was working on another "he said she said" review project and kind of fell off the face of the earth.  To be honest, Im not sure when that one will take off, but rest assured it'll be its own animal (even buying our own dot com addy) and well worth a look.

In the meantime, I've been busy watching movies of course, Some that I just LOVED (Blue is the Warmest Color, Trust Me for example) and some that I just loathed (Under the Skin, The Amazing Spider-Man 2).
Until that new project gets off the ground, I'll go back to reviews here, starting most likely with Guardians of the Galaxy next week.

Mini Review: "Bad Words"

Think of it as a spelling bee revenge version of Bad Santa.  Hilarious.

B+

Mini Review: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

Sorry, this should have been put up yesterday.

While the film is good, I feel about it as I have most of the other "phase two" Marvel films.  The pacing is off and the action scenes feel tacked on.  Still a pretty good ride though.

B+

MORE mini reviews!

Lucky Bastard:  A porn website gives fans the chance to sleep with a porn star, usually with less than ....exciting...results for the fan.  What happens when the humiliated strike back?  Well, in this case enough happens to make a compelling trailer but a really crappy movie.  F

In Fear:  Another great idea, as a new couple runs afoul of some locals while looking for a remote hotel, but with far far too much setup, the great last 40 minutes is somewhat blunted.  C

Coming soon:  Grudge Match, Nymphomaniac I & II, Blue is The Warmest Color, Veronica Mars, Cheap Thrills, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Post flu movie reviews!

Ok, so I ended up w/the stomach flu...here's a couple reviews though!

Better Living Through Chemistry:  Stuffy, geeky pharmacist starts up an affair with a married woman whos in a loveless marriage.  Together, they decide to kill him and run away. I expect more from Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde.  D

Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses:  Not even as good as the first.  F

Oops!

Life kinda stepped in for a bit dear readers, I know we still owe you Oscars winners, and updates on the top picks for the year.  Hasn't been much worth seeing recently, but April and May are going to be big months filmwise.  Expect a few reviews over the next couple weeks...films such as Blue is The Warmest Color, In Fear, Lucky Bastard and Veronica Mars.

Razzies "Winners"!!

Our choices in bold.

Worst Picture 2013:

Movie 43

Worst Actor 2013:

Jaden Smith - After Earth

Worst Actress 2013:

Tyler Perry (in drag) - A Madea Christmas

Worst Supporting Actor 2013:

Will Smith - After Earth

Worst Supporting Actress 2013:

Kim Kardashian - Tyler Perry's Tempation

Worst Screen Ensemble 2013:

Jaden Smith & Will Smith - After Earth

Worst Director 2013:

The 13 People Who Directed Movie 43 - Movie 43

Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel 2013:

The Lone Ranger

Worst Screenplay 2013:

Movie 43 - Written by 19 "Screenwriters"

GOLDEN SCHMOES WINNERS!

Our picks were, as always, in bold

FAVORITE MOVIE OF THE YEAR

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR

MOVIE 43

BEST DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Alfonso Cuaron

BEST SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR

HER

MOST OVERRATED MOVIE OF THE YEAR

AMERICAN HUSTLE

MOST UNDERRATED MOVIE OF THE YEAR

PRISONERS

TRIPPIEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR

GRAVITY

BEST COMEDY OF THE YEAR

THIS IS THE END

BEST HORROR MOVIE OF THE YEAR

THE CONJURING

BEST ANIMATED MOVIE OF THE YEAR

FROZEN

BEST SCI-FI MOVIE OF THE YEAR

GRAVITY

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS OF THE YEAR

GRAVITY

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE YEAR

PRISONERS

BEST ACTOR OF THE YEAR

Leonardo DiCaprio - THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

BEST ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

Sandra Bullock - GRAVITY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jared Leto - DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Lawrence - AMERICAN HUSTLE

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Margot Robbie - THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

FAVORITE CELEBRITY OF THE YEAR

Matthew Mcconaughey

COOLEST CHARACTER OF THE YEAR

Loki - THOR: THE DARK WORLD

BEST MUSIC IN A MOVIE

AMERICAN HUSTLE

FAVORITE MOVIE POSTER OF THE YEAR

THE WOLVERINE

BEST TRAILER OF THE YEAR

MAN OF STEEL

BEST DVD OF THE YEAR

THE DARK KNIGHT Trilogy - Ultimate Collector's Edition

BEST ACTION SEQUENCE OF THE YEAR

Destruction of space station - GRAVITY

MOST MEMORABLE SCENE IN A MOVIE

The quaaludes scene - THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

BEST T&A OF THE YEAR

Margot Robbie - THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

BEST LINE OF THE YEAR

"What the fuck does WTF mean? - Simon Pegg

Mini Review: "Ghost Shark"

What a supremely horrible movie...but tons of fun when watched with the right group of friends.  D

Mini Reviews!!

Someone Marry Barry:  Someone shoot the cast  F

Nurse:  A wannabe Fatal Attraction or Single White Female.  D

Nebraska:  There's a reason the "parents" got Oscar nods.  C

Adult World:  Yawwwwwn  D

Rounding out awards season: Golden Schmoes ballot!

My selections for this years Golden Schmoes Awards.

FAVORITE MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Gravity

WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR

After Earth

BEST DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Alfonso Cuaron

BEST SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR

Her

MOST OVERRATED MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Man of Steel

MOST UNDERRATED MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Pacific Rim

TRIPPIEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Gravity

BEST COMEDY OF THE YEAR

The World's End

BEST HORROR MOVIE OF THE YEAR

You're Next

BEST ANIMATED MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Monsters University

BEST SCI-FI MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Gravity

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS OF THE YEAR

Pacific Rim

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR

Star Trek Into Darkness

BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE YEAR

Gravity

BEST ACTOR OF THE YEAR

Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave

BEST ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

Sandra Bullock - Gravity

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Michael B. Jordan - Fruitvale Station

FAVORITE CELEBRITY OF THE YEAR

Jennifer Lawrence

COOLEST CHARACTER OF THE YEAR

Gary King - The World's End

BEST MUSIC IN A MOVIE

American Hustle

FAVORITE MOVIE POSTER OF THE YEAR

Gravity

BEST TRAILER OF THE YEAR

Iron Man 3

BEST DVD OF THE YEAR

The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector's Edition

BEST ACTION SEQUENCE OF THE YEAR

Every kaiju vs. jaeger battle - Pacific Rim

MOST MEMORABLE SCENE IN A MOVIE

Solomon's "hanging" - 12 Years a Slave

BEST T&A OF THE YEAR

Margot Robbie - Wolf of Wall Street

BEST LINE OF THE YEAR

Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse" Idris Elba – Pacific Rim

2 mini reviews!

Knights of Badassdom:  More like knights of dumbassdom.  F

Thanatomorophse:  Bad acting, bad writing...avoid.  F

Mini Review: "About Time"

Interesting plot device, but the travel back in time angle adds some unnecessary and silly complications.  Rachel McAdams is as charming as ever though.

B

2014 Top Picks Updated

Must see's are as always, in bold.  Check local listings as release dates are subject to change.

JAN. 17 - Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.

FEB. 7 - The Monuments Men

FEB. 21 - 3 Days to Kill

MAR. 14 - Walk of Shame

APR. 4 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier

APR. 18 - Transcendence

MAY 2 - The Amazing Spider-Man 2

MAY 9 - Chef

MAY 16 - Godzilla

MAY 23 - X-Men: Days of Future Past

JUN. 6 - Edge of Tomorrow

AUG. 1- Guardians of the Galaxy

AUG. 8 - Into the Storm

AUG 15 - The Expendables 3

AUG. 22 - Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

SEP. 19 - The Maze Runner

SEP. 26 - The Equalizer

NOV. 7 - Interstellar

OSCAR PICKS!

As always, our choice is in bold.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

12 Years a Slave

The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Christian Bale for American Hustle

Bruce Dern for Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Amy Adams for American Hustle

Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock for Gravity

Judi Dench for Philomena

Meryl Streep for August: Osage County

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper for American Hustle

Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street

Michael Fassbender for 12 Years a Slave

Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Sally Hawkins for Blue Jasmine

Julia Roberts for August: Osage County

Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave

Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle

June Squibb for Nebraska

Best Achievement in Directing

Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity

Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave

David O. Russell for American Hustle

Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street

Alexander Payne for Nebraska

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

American Hustle: Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell

Blue Jasmine: Woody Allen

Her: Spike Jonze

Nebraska: Bob Nelson

Dallas Buyers Club: Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Before Midnight: Richard Linklater

Captain Phillips: Billy Ray

12 Years a Slave: John Ridley

The Wolf of Wall Street: Terence Winter

Philomena: Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

The Croods

Despicable Me 2

Ernest & Célestine

Frozen

The Wind Rises

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

The Broken Circle Breakdown: Felix Van Groeningen (Belgium)

The Missing Picture: Rithy Panh (Cambodia)

The Hunt: Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark)

The Great Beauty: Paolo Sorrentino (Italy)

Omar: Hany Abu-Assad (Palestine)

Best Achievement in Cinematography

Gravity: Emmanuel Lubezki

Inside Llewyn Davis: Bruno Delbonnel

Nebraska: Phedon Papamichael

Prisoners: Roger Deakins

The Grandmaster: Philippe Le Sourd

Best Achievement in Editing

12 Years a Slave: Joe Walker

American Hustle: Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers

Gravity: Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger

Captain Phillips: Christopher Rouse

Dallas Buyers Club: Martin Pensa, John Mac McMurphy

Best Achievement in Production Design

12 Years a Slave: Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker

American Hustle: Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler

Gravity

The Great Gatsby: Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn

Her: K.K. Barrett, Gene Serdena

Best Achievement in Costume Design

American Hustle: Michael Wilkinson

The Great Gatsby: Catherine Martin

12 Years a Slave: Patricia Norris

The Grandmaster: William Chang

The Invisible Woman: Michael O'Connor

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling

Dallas Buyers Club: Adruitha Lee, Robin Mathews

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa: Steve Prouty

The Lone Ranger: Joel Harlow, Gloria Pasqua Casny

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

The Book Thief: John Williams

Gravity: Steven Price

Her: William Butler, Andy Koyama

Saving Mr. Banks: Thomas Newman

Philomena: Alexandre Desplat

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Despicable Me 2: Pharrell Williams ("Happy")

Frozen: Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez ("Let It Go")

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom: Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., Brian Burton ("Ordinary Love")

Alone Yet Not Alone: Bruce Broughton ("Alone Yet Not Alone")

Her: Karen O ("The Moon Song")

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

Gravity: Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, Chris Munro

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Tony Johnson

Captain Phillips: Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro

Inside Llewyn Davis: Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff, Peter F. Kurland

Lone Survivor: Andy Koyama, Beau Borders, David Brownlow

Best Achievement in Sound Editing

All Is Lost: Steve Boeddeker, Richard Hymns

Captain Phillips: Oliver Tarney

Gravity: Glenn Freemantle

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Brent Burge

Lone Survivor: Wylie Stateman

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Gravity: Timothy Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds

Iron Man 3: Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash, Daniel Sudick

The Lone Ranger: Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams, John Frazier

Star Trek Into Darkness: Roger Guyett, Pat Tubach, Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton

Best Documentary, Feature

The Act of Killing: Joshua Oppenheimer, Signe Byrge Sørensen

Cutie and the Boxer: Zachary Heinzerling, Lydia Dean Pilcher

Dirty Wars: Rick Rowley, Jeremy Scahill

The Square: Jehane Noujaim, Karim Amer

20 Feet from Stardom: Morgan Neville

Best Documentary, Short Subject

Cavedigger: Jeffrey Karoff

Facing Fear: Jason Cohen

Karama Has No Walls: Sara Ishaq

The Lady In Number 6: Malcolm Clarke, Carl Freed

Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall: Edgar Barens

Best Short Film, Animated

Feral: Daniel Sousa, Dan Golden

Get a Horse!: Lauren MacMullan, Dorothy McKim

Mr Hublot: Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares

Possessions: Shuhei Morita

Room on the Broom (TV): Max Lang, Jan Lachauer

Best Short Film, Live Action

That Wasn't Me: Esteban Crespo

Just Before Losing Everything: Xavier Legrand

Helium: Anders Walter

Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?: Selma Vilhunen

The Voorman Problem: Mark Gill

Mini Review: "August: Osage County"

Mediocre film featuring a great Meryl Streep and a few fleeting moments of brilliance from the rest. 

C

OSCARS!!

Here's a list of nominees.  As always, we go into our shell on reviews and catch up on what we've missed....our picks coming soon to this site!

http://www.imdb.com/oscars/nominations/?ref_=rto_3p_vi2

Awards season begins, Razzie noms!!

As always, my choices are in bold.

Worst Picture

After Earth

Grown-Ups 2

The Lone Ranger

A Madea Christmas

Movie 43

Worst Actress

Halle Berry (The Call and Movie 43)

Selena Gomez (Getaway)

Lindsay Lohan (The Canyons)

Tyler Perry (A Madea Christmas)

Naomi Watts (Diana and Movie 43)

Worst Actor

Johnny Depp (The Lone Ranger)

Ashton Kutcher (Jobs)

Adam Sandler (Grown-Ups 2)

Jaden Smith (After Earth)

Sylvester Stallone (Bullet To The Head, Escape Plan and Grudge Match)

Worst Supporting Actress

Lady Gaga (Machete Kills)

Salma Hayek (Grown-Ups 2)

Katherine Heigl (The Big Wedding)

Kim Kardashian (Tyler Perry's Temptation)

Lindsay Lohan (InAPPropriate Comedy and Scary Movie 5)

Worst Supporting Actor

Chris Brown (Battle Of The Year)

Larry The Cable Guy (A Madea Christmas)

Taylor Lautner (Grown-Ups 2)

Will Smith (After Earth)

Nick Swardson (A Haunted House and Grown-Ups 2)

Worst Screen combo

The Entire Cast of Grown Ups 2

The Entire Cast of Movie 43

Lindsay Lohan & Charlie Sheen (Scary Movie 5)

Tyler Perry & EITHER Larry the Cable Guy OR

That Worn-Out Wig & Dress (A Madea Christmas)

Jaden Smith & Will Smith on Planet Nepotism (After Earth)

Worst Director

The 13 People Who Directed Movie 43

Dennis Dugan (Grown Ups 2)

Tyler Perry (A Madea Christmas and Temptation)

M. Night Shyamalan (After Earth)

Gore Verbinski (The Lone Ranger)

Worst Screenplay

After Earth (Screenplay by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan, Story by Will Smith)

Grown Ups 2 (Written by Fred Wolfe & Adam Sandler & Tim Herlihy)

The Lone Ranger (Screen Story & Screenplay by Ted Elliott, Justin Haythe & Terry Rosso)

A Madea Christmas (Written by Tyler Perry)

Movie 43 (Written by 19 "Screenwriters")

Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel

Grown Ups 2

Hangover III

The Lone Ranger

Scary Movie 5

Mini Review: "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Didn't quite feel like I was watching a Scorsese picture, which was a very nice touch by the director.  Great film.

A-

Mini Review: "Lone Survivor"

This true story from the War on Terror is heartbreakingly told and performed.  I'm not ashamed to say I wept as the credits rolled.  Damn close to being the best of the year, just lacked a little something....

A+

Mini Review: "12 Years A Slave"

Wonderfully done film with good performances, but after seeing it I have to wonder if some of the hype is more about the ....brutality..of the story rather than how it was told.

B+

Mini Review: "Her"

Spellbinding, deep, meaningful, hopeful and touching.  I gave Gravity early nods, but this one may have just become my choice for best picture.

A+

Mini Review: "The Lifeguard"

Not even 90 minutes of Kristen Bell in a swimsuit could save this flaccid turd of a film.

F

Mini Review: "Contracted"

Interesting little quasi-morality tale that lacks a bit in the metaphoric meaning, but is a fun ride getting there.

B-

Mini Review: "Fruitvale Station"

While without doubt some of the most outstanding performances I've seen lately, and a poignant, powerful story...I was bored through most of the film.

The grade may not reflect the comments, but based on the acting, its deserved.

A

Mini Review: "You're Next"

Surprisingly entertaining and effective little home invasion thriller with a unique twist.

B

Mini Review: "Carrie"

Weakly handled remake with a cast that is far more promising than the performances delivered.

C-

Non film post: Prepping for severe season

2011 was a rather trying year for me, and 2012 wasnt a whole lot better.  Both years filled with severe tribulations and many times I was this close to throwing in the towel...however, I somehow fought through and started 2013 full of potential.

In 2013 I have changed my outlook on life, and while I've still had some trials, I have refused to allow myself to dwell on the bad or let it run my life as I had done in the past.  I've had much more good this year, including meeting a lady who has done nothing but improve my entire life.

That being said, however, there has been one thing that has haunted me from last year...one thing I still feel the need to address and correct:  severe weather coverage.

For those who don't already know, my desire to turn my facebook and twitter pages into a news feed in times of emergency stems from September 11, 2001.  On that day, you couldn't access the major news sites, but there was a forum site I was a member of that was accessible and providing updates as fast as anything you were seeing on TV.  So, I decided that never again would anyone I know have to fight to get information, and have been doing pretty well till this past season.

We covered the early outbreaks pretty well, but kinda dropped the ball in May I feel.  For example, I knew May 19th was going to be a busy day but still scheduled a trip to see Star Trek Into Darkness and then a soccer game after.  I was actually on the field when the storm that produced the Shawnee tornado starting putting down tornadoes.  We had to pack up and race home, a waste of 10 minutes, to start covering the storm. In fact, in photos from that day, you can see I'm still in my game shorts as Im plotting radar paths.

We were similarly slow on the draw on May 20th and May 31st.  After the Moore tornado I was lamenting on facebook about the loss of life, and a friend told me that she thought we'd done everything we could.  My comment was simply "obviously not everything".  

This year, we will have improvements in the "fatcave" as we so lovingly call it.  We've gone from 3 PC's to 4, including one specifically earmarked for providing faster alerts and radar feeds.  We've bookmarked major news sites so we can access information faster.  On days with ANY level of enhanced severe risk, we'll pay much closer attention to alerts and evolving conditions and keep plans to the absolute minimum so we don't get caught short again.  We also have the capability to add up to 2 additional PC's as need arises.

Also, while the twitter feed has been (and will remain) public, the facebook page will make ALL weather posts public, so you can tell your friends to use that page for immediate and potentially lifesaving information. 

And in potentially big news, there is early talk of adding a live stream to the arsenal, so you can just watch whats going on in real time.

2014's severe weather season kicks off in about 2 months.  As always, we'll be here to watch it for you, and with more vigilance this year.

And the first mini-review of 2014 goes to....

American Hustle...not as interesting or as fluid as director Russel's previous Silver Linings Playbook, but great performances all around and especially from Jennifer Lawrence, but I think ultimately the story is a little weak.

B