Whether "American Hustle" is the sign of a brilliant work by a confident filmmaker or a haphazard jumble by an indulgent one is up for the viewer, but even with its numerous detours, it entertains through an outstanding cast, strong dialog and a very solid sense of place and style.

No matter how hard life gets there are always reasons to live, and at Pop Mythology we find that pop culture alone gives us more than enough reasons to endure. And so with 2014 coming on fast, here is our list of the stuff we anticipate most.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is entertaining enough and an improvement over the previous film that fixes many problems from the original. Still, someone desperately needs to teach Jackson the importance of leaving some things off screen or unspoken.

Even with every odd stacked against him, CM Punk has never given up nor let anyone else define him. He tells people he is the best and works everyday to prove it. And it is because of this that he succeeds. Of course, we can’t all be the Best in the World, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying.

"Catching Fire" lives up to its name, and although we don’t yet know if it’ll be the best of the Hunger Games movies, it does what every second chapter should: keep the story hot and spread its flames.

There’s one thing these imagined futures have in common: they all suck. So in this list of awful dystopias, we try to find the bright side of things. Mass infertility in "Children of Men"? Hey, no more worries about birth control!

This is not simply a list of “cult” films or movies with obsessed fans. This list focuses on films in which the fans have taken over its legacy, usurping the producers’ control and proclaiming, “This belongs to us now.”

'Ender’s Game' is a generally agreeable sci-fi popcorn flick, though one more likely to be enjoyed by kids just discovering the franchise than those who grew up on the books.

'The Counselor' has its moments of detached poetics, its pulse-raising sequences and humorous or insightful moments, but they don’t come together in a satisfying way, which makes this venerable collaboration all the more disappointing.

The release of 'Ender’s Game' has placed author Orson Scott Card at the center of controversy, many choosing to boycott the film. But if a book, movie, song, painting, etc. is good, then it should not matter who made it. In this vein, I present ten artists who are widely considered to be unpleasant or reprehensible but whose works are critically praised.

It has its lax moments, but 'Captain Phillips' is a taut, effective thriller with two excellent performances by Tom Hanks and newcomer Barkhad Adbi.

For Whedonites, 'Much Ado About Nothing: A Film By Joss Whedon' is a journey behind the scenes of a quiet classic, for Shakespearians here is yet another way in which the immortal’s work remains so.

'Gravity' is one of the single most beautiful films ever made and the closest approximation most people will get to experiencing a space walk. After 90 minutes of weightless drifting the air in your lungs and the floor at your feet will feel wonderful.

This post examines how the movie 'Prisoners' brushes upon topics of law and justice in the United States beyond its most obvious one. It’s a story, and stories seldom provide answers. Stories raise doubt and ask questions which generate discussions. That’s where answers begin.

If one is capable of suspending both disgust and disbelief, 'Prisoners' becomes an intense, masterfully acted suspense-thriller which mentions but never pontificates on numerous larger issues within modern American life.