12 Years a Slave

Director: Steve McQueen Writers: John Ridley, Solomon Northup Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor (Solomon Northup), Michael Fassbender (Edwin Epps), Lupita Nyong'o (Patsey), Benedict Cumberbatch (Ford) 12 Years a Slave was the heavy-hitting drama of 2013. The movie was based on the true story and memoir of Solomon Northup, a free-man who was forcibly sold into slavery in 1841. Northup spent the next 12 years moving between owners, asserting his freedom, and trying to get back to his family in New York. The movie featured some amazing performances all-around. Ejiofor, Fassbender and Cumberbatch are all expectedly incredible; Paul Dano further shows his rise as an actor; and Lupito Nyong'o not only turned out a great break-out performance, she also earned herself an Academy Award. The movie also won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Adapted screenplay.

Mini soundtrack:

David Hughey & Roosevelt Credit - "My Lord, Sunshine"
Tim Fain - "Money Musk"
Colin Stetson - "Awake on Foreign Shores"

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Star Trek: Into Darkness is the second installment of J.J. Abram's reboot of the classic series. Kirk and company are now a full-fledged crew who have been sent on a mission to Kronos, the Klingon planet, to track down the fugitive John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). After a tussle, they manage to capture Harrison, who turns out to be the genetically modified superhuman Khan. Khan's smart, though, and manages to trick the crew into letting him go. After pretending to help them, Khan fully escapes and launches a small-scale war against the Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco. While it was great to see most of the actors back from the prior Star Trek film, some of the new faces in movie were the greater pleasures to watch. I especially enjoyed Benedict Cumberbatch; partly because I'm a little bit in love with him, but also because he is a really good actor. He made the movie an even better addition to the Star Trek anthology.

Mini soundtrack:

"Star Trek Theme"
Beastie Boys - "Body Movin'" (Fatboy Slim Remix)
Albert King - "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven"