Top 11 Films of 2016

It's that time of year again...where we take stock of all the films we saw for the year and weigh in on which ones were a waste of time and which ones were time well spent. And not like this needs repeating but I will do it anyway, this is a list comprised of films "I" felt were the best of what this past year had to offer us.

2016 had a lot to offer us both good and bad. Disney saw the most success out of everyone with hits like The Jungle Book, Zootopia, Moana, Pete's Dragon, Finding Dory and of course their one two punch of Captain America Civil War and Doctor Strange. But they weren't content to go out quietly as they capped off the year with Rogue One, the first ever Star Wars spin off and judging by its box office receipts certainly not the last. Other films saw success as well with some inspired horror offerings such as The Conjuring 2, Don't Breathe and Lights Out while action flicks and aside from the charming rom com Me Before You romances fell by the wayside. We also saw a lot of great smaller movies make an impression with films like Hell or High Water and Sully both of which enjoyed loving respect from critics and audiences alike.

Sadly the year wasn't great for everyone. Probably the studio that took the biggest blow was Warner Bros. and DC comics as they attempted to kickstart their own superhero film universe. While both Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad made money the damage done by their lack of quality has caused irrevocable damage to their branding. Fox also took a hit in the superhero department with their X-Men: Apocalypse which couldn't live up to the surprise box office juggernaut Deadpool which also came from them. Then there were the would be blockbusters such as Warcraft, Ghostbusters and Independence Day: Resurgence that proved audiences can't be dazzled simply by throwing a lot of pretty effects in their face. But we were still graced with a number of highlights throughout the year which made most of these stumbles a bit easier to recover from. There is much more to say and many other films to single out so let's get to it shall we?

Read more »

Top 11 Most Anticipated Films of 2017

Every year there comes a time when we look back at what we are leaving behind and reflect on what we loved or hated, but we also like to look towards what is yet to come and speculate. As easy as it is to look back and say whether you loved or hated a particular film it is a little more difficult to determine whether you will love or hate something before you see it. Last year we saw Marvel and DC go head to head for the first time with a duo of films from each but nobody could have expected Marvel to take the win with such little effort (well, they didn't try any harder than they usually do). While DC's stumble with BVS and the better-left-forgotten Suicide Squad we also got Fox's biggest superhero hit in years with Deadpool which took audiences by storm. Rogue One didn't suck, Ghostbusters kind of did, not very people cared where they could find a Fantastic Beast and Independence Day: Resurgence failed to re-surge. But now we look forward to what 2017 has in store for us and there is quite a bit to get excited about.

So that's what this is, a list of films due out next year (or this year depending on when you read this) that I am looking forward to the most. While there will certainly be some of these that let me down and others that I have either overlooked or haven't been announced yet that may surprise me, the fact of the matter is that these are the films I see the most potential in for one reason or another and hope that they deliver on that potential. So don't look at this list as feeling negative towards anything not listed, see it more as a wish list for hoping these particular films don't suck ass, which sadly is always a possibility whether we like to admit it or not. Regardless though, with this many unknowns it will be interesting to see how 2017 turns out.

Read more »

Top 11 Films of 2015

It's that time of year again...where we take stock of all the films we saw for the year and weigh in on which ones were a waste of time and which ones were time well spent. And not like this needs repeating but I will do it anyway, this is a list comprised of films "I" felt were the best of what this past year had to offer us.

2015 was the year of redemption for many long running film franchises while also being the final nail in the coffin for others. Jurassic World surprised everyone by not sucking and also being much better than either of the previous two sequels. Mad Max: Fury Road proved that not only was there a lot of gas left in the decades old franchise but that a 70 year old man is better at making action movies than most of young Hollywood. Star Wars was finally redeemed after years of fan outrage over the devisive prequels and has kick started love for the franchise in many who wrote it off after the last film came out and the mostly Furious 7 got a free pass due to it being more of a cinematic swan song for the late Paul Walker. Probably the biggest surprise in this category has to go to Creed though from what many to be considered a dead franchise long ago.

While those films did the impossible by exceeding the huge amount of expectations laid upon them others were not so lucky. Super hero films have been all the rage over the past 5 years and we haven't seen a single reason to think their future was anything but filled with dollar signs...that is until 2015 happened. With both Avengers: Age of Ultron and Fantastic Four, the two highest profile super hero films of the year mind you, causing fans to question their unwavering support for the genre it was up to the smallest hero of them all in Ant-Man to be the only bright spot in an otherwise lackluster year for super hero films. Similarly, Spectre the much anticipated follow up to the biggest Bond film of all time Skyfall, failed to catch on despite being one of the better films in the history of the franchise while it made money, Mockingjay Part 2 limped to the finish line with what can only be described as a true disappointing end for the franchise.

This was also the year of some major comebacks from filmmakers most had written off long ago. Sylvester Stallone found his voice again the in outstanding Creed while M. Night Shymalan secretly won audiences over again with his eerily creepy horror film The Visit. There were also some unexpected surprises such as the The Gift starring, written and directed by Joel Edgerton and even Fifty Shades of Grey proved to be more than just softcore porn. No film was a bigger surprise though than Straight Outta Compton which saw unprecedented success at a time of year that is known as the dumping grounds for many film studios. There is much more to say and many other films to single out so let's get to it shall we?

Read more »

Top 11 Most Anticipated Films of 2016

Every year there comes a time when we look back at what we are leaving behind and reflect on what we loved or hated, but we also like to look towards what is yet to come and speculate. As easy as it is to look back and say whether you loved or hated a particular film it is a little more difficult to determine whether you will love or hate something before you see it. Who knew Jurassic World wouldn't be a complete failure or that so many would fall in love with notoriously cult based Mad Max after being absent for nearly 3 decades and turn it into a bonafide blockbuster? Even more interesting are the films that seemed to be sure bets that ended up disappointing such as Avengers: Age of Ultron which despite making a butt load of cash became the first film in the MCU to not be universally loved and showed that even the almighty Marvel could stumble a little.

So that's what this is, a list of films due out next year (or this year depending on when you read this) that I am looking forward to the most. While there will certainly be some of these that let me down and others that I have either overlooked or haven't been announced yet that may surprise me, the fact of the matter is that these are the films I see the most potential in for one reason or another and hope that they deliver on that potential. So don't look at this list as feeling negative towards anything not listed, see it more as a wish list for hoping these particular films don't suck ass, which sadly is always a possibility whether we like to admit it or not. Regardless though, with this many unknowns it will be interesting to see how 2016 turns out.

OK, enough of this, lets get to the list...

Read more »

Top 11 Things The Star Wars Prequels Got Right

Before the mob arrives at my doorstep ready to string me up, let me just clear the air here for a second. I am not a prequel apologist, in fact I absolutely loath Episode 1 aside from a few moments here and there, find Episode 2 to only be tolerable whenever Obi Wan is on screen and actually enjoyed large parts of Episode 3. However, as a whole it is impossible to not see the prequels as anything but a complete and total failure...or were they? That is the subject of this list, putting aside the laundry list of problems and our injured fandom for a second, let's focus on those few things the prequels actually got right.

Read more »

Top 11 Doctor Who Episodes For Whoobies

whoobie
/ho͞obē/

noun informal

     an inexperienced newcomer to the BBC Doctor Who television series

Doctor Who is a show of incredible imagination, excitement, drama, sorrow, comedy and horror, but it is also something of an enigma when it comes to getting other people to see it for those qualities. This of course is mainly coming from the perspective of a fan who lives in America where our televisions are generally filled with more grounded and "believeable" Sci-fi which makes the cheeky humor and often times cheesy visual effects of something like Doctor Who hard to swallow, endearing as they are. Find out which episodes you should see after the break.

Read more »

Top 11 Films of 2014

 (Because sometimes 10 just isn't enough)

It's that time of year again...where we take stock of all the films we saw for the year and weigh in on which ones were a waste of time and which ones were time well spent. And not like this needs repeating but I will do it anyway, this is a list comprised of films "I" felt were the best of what this past year had to offer us.

2014 wasn't poised to be that memorable a year in film. Sure, we had the expected blockbusters like Captain America, Hunger Games and The Hobbit along with the expected awards season flicks that would swoop in at the last minute to steal all the attention for the year to look forward to, but for once many of this years greatest films came from the most unlikeliest of places. Who knew movies based on Legos, a comedy sequel to a movie based on an obscure 80's television show, a sequel based on a reboot nobody wanted, a group of super heroes nobody ever heard of before or a movie about a kid growing up would come out on top?

If this year has taught me anything, it is not all the best movies come out between September and December of each year, sometimes they get released in February, March, June, July or even August. But most importantly I learned that a movie doesn't have to be nominated for all kinds of awards to be on this list. Sometimes it just has to be a really great film and that is it. Without further ado, here is my long awaited list for the best (and worst) films I saw in 2014. Check out the list after the break.

Read more »

Top 11 Most Anticipated Films of 2015

Every year there comes a time when we look back at the year we are leaving behind and reflect on what we loved or hated, but we also like to look towards what is yet to come and speculate. As much as we all loved films like Guardians of the Galaxy and The LEGO Movie it is easy to forget how skeptical we all were about them before hand (who would have thought the LEGO movie would be that good...seriously?). That is what makes these lists of films yet to be released so much fun. It is the one time of year where we can choose to be either extremely optimistic or pessimistic about an upcoming flick without anyone truly knowing just yet.

So that is what this is, a list of films due out next year (or this year depending on when you read this) that I am looking forward to the most. While there will certainly be some of these that let me down and others that I have either overlooked or haven't been announced yet that may surprise me, the fact of the matter is that these are the films I see the most potential in for one reason or another and hope that they deliver on that potential. So don't look at this list as feeling negative towards anything not listed, see it more as a wish list for hoping these particular films don't suck ass, which sadly is always a possibility whether we like to admit it or not. Regardless though, 2015 looks to be an amazing year for movie geeks.

OK, enough of this, lets get to the list...

Read more »

Top 11 Films of 2013

 (Because sometimes 10 just isn't enough)

It's that time of year again...where we take stock of all the films we saw for the year and weigh in on which ones were a waste of time and which ones were time well spent. And not like this needs repeating but I will do it anyway, this is a list comprised of films "I" felt were the best of what this past year had to offer us.

2013 was a year where most films I was looking forward to (Iron Man 3, Oz The Great and Powerful, Kick-Ass 2, Man of Steel and to a limited extent, Pacific Rim) severely let me down while others that weren't even on my radar (This Is The End, Rush, 12 Years A Slave, Hunger Games: Catching Fire and About Time) helped make this year much better than it appeared to be at first. Sure there were some that met the high expectations laid upon them such as Gravity, The World's End and Evil Dead, but overall this year in film was a mixed mess of films that made this one of the most uneven in quality in a long time. This is the first year in a long time where the list of films in my top 11 are almost completely different that the list of films I had thought would be on here. Find out my top films and my list of worst films, as well as some honorable mentions and disappointments for 2013 after the break.

Read more »

Top 11 Films of 2012

 (Because sometimes 10 just isn't enough)

It's that time of year again...where we take stock of all the films we saw for the year and weigh in on which ones were a waste of time and which ones were time well spent. And not like this needs repeating but I will do it anyway, this is a list comprised of films "I" felt were the best of what this past year had to offer us.

2012 was the year that the super hero movie stood tall amongst all others. Such colossal hits as "The Avengers", "Dark Knight Rises", "The Amazing Spider-man",  the moderately successful but no less impactful release "Chronicle" and even the financial bomb but critically praised "Dredd 3D", this was a banner year for super heroes everywhere (let's try to forget that "Ghost Rider" sequel shall we). We also got the triumphant return of James Bond in "Skyfall", the beginning of another journey through Middle-Earth in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and countless more films that helped define a year that was filled with plenty of memorable highlights and some unfortunate (but sadly expected) low points. So to help commemorate (and narrow down) the best, worst, most disappointing and other miscellaneous picks from the year, here is my list of films that left an everlasting impact on me, both good and bad.

Read more »

Top 11 Directors who should helm Star Wars Episode VII

With Lucasfilm's recent acquisition by Disney, there has been an all out onslaught of questions from fans all over the internet trying to wrap their heads around this historic merging of the two entertainment titans while also trying to figure out what exactly this means for the future of their beloved Star Wars franchise (among many other properties).

This list is going to focus strictly on only one question among the hundreds being asked at the moment, which is who exactly will direct the next Star Wars film? It's been announced, it's happening but there is one major difference this time around...George Lucas will not be making it. What makes this such a big deal you ask? First of all, put aside the fact that Lucas has had a vice-like grip on the franchise and completely refused to let anyone else near his baby. The problem with only one person directing a series of films is it leaves no room for improvement or at the very least, change. The argument for a singular director for an entire franchise can be made with an example such as Peter Jackson who made all three of the Lord of the Rings films (and soon The Hobbit films), his singular vision made those films a much more cohesive experience as opposed to multiple directors all trying to infuse their individual visions into a single series.

But when you look at long running franchises such as Harry Potter and the James Bond films, it is more than evident that having different directors can be a huge benefit to a series, especially one that has burned its bridges with its most loyal and dedicated fans. The best example of all however are the Star Wars films themselves. Arguably the two best films in the franchise were NOT made by George Lucas ("Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi") and instead of being a one man show they greatly benefited from multiple influences and a strong sense of creative collaboration, a term that has seemed to escape Lucas for the past two decades. Regardless of your feelings on Lucas, it is more than apparent that the franchise needs a kick in the ass and letting a talented filmmaker take the reigns is the best way to do it.

So, looking to the future of the franchise with the official announcement of Episode 7 coming out in 2015 (which means production will start in the next year or two), it is time to start hypothesizing about who will take over the director's chair for one of the most lucrative and inspirational film franchises of all time. This is something fans have been pondering for decades now and since this transfer of ownership has taken place, it has gone from fantasy to reality. The only question remaining is who will get the gig?

Below you will find a list of eleven current filmmakers/directors who would not only breath new life into the franchise for new fans, but also respect the older fans who have supported the franchise over the decades (something that unfortunately wasn't part of Lucas' agenda with the prequels). The possibilities are limitless but this list unfortunately, isn't. Every single one of the directors mentioned below would no doubt make a great Star Wars film, but only one can make Episode 7 and that one person will be given the task of making the first film in the franchise since 1983 that isn't named George Lucas. So without further ado, here are the eleven filmmakers (listed in order of their potential to make the best Star Wars film possible) who have the greatest chance at making Star Wars viable once again and return it to its former glory. It's time to get excited about Star Wars again!

P.S. Keep in mind that the potential is based purely on their skill as a filmmaker, if the script is bad then it is out of their hands for the most part.

Read more »

Top 11 Films of 2011

(Because sometimes 10 just isn't enough)

It's that time of year again...where we take stock of all the films we saw for the year and weigh in on which ones were a waste of time and which ones were time well spent. And not like this needs repeating but I will do it anyway, this is a list comprised of films "I" felt were the best of what this past year had to offer us.

This was a big year for the independent film market and smaller studios in general. Looking back I think it is kind of remarkable that most of the films I saw this year that surprised me with their quality had no real major studio backing them. It wasn't that the major studios put out bad films per say, a good number of my top films are from those studios, its that they didn't give us anything we weren't already expecting (Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the lone exception here). Almost every single movie I saw from an independent studio surprised me. Surprised me by their quality, uniqueness, originality and most of all their ability to constantly surpass my expectations for them. By far the one studio that stood tall amongst all the rest was Magnet, they delivered some of the best film experiences I had all year and proved that when done right digital distribution is a viable alternative to a mass theatrical release. Overall I thought this year ended up being much better than I imagined it would but once again I believe that is mostly in thanks to the smaller film studios and their willingness to produce, distribute or otherwise market most of what this year had to offer. Without further ado, here are my picks for the best films of 2011, as well as some honorable mentions, my biggest disappoints and my pick for worst film of the year...

Read more »

Top 11 Character Actors

(Why 11? Because sometimes 10 just isn't enough)

What is a Character Actor?

Definition : an actor who specializes in playing supporting roles.

Character actors are like the cinematic equivalent of comfort food. They populate just about every film out there and are the most resilient actors in the business. They are not in it for the money or the fame. They very rarely even get recognized in their own field of work when it comes time to hand out awards. But any person working in the film industry or just a fan like myself will tell you that they are the backbone of the acting community. Without them most of our favorite films probably wouldn't be as good as they are. Heck, most people don't know their names or can even recall where they have seen them before. They are the unsung heroes of the film industry (that's not to make light of all the people behind the camera mind you) and because they hardly ever get the recognition they deserve I thought I would throw this list together to help people either remember some of the films they have contributed to over the years or at the very least put a name to the face. If they don't seek fame and fortune like most Hollywood stars then I can at least try to get people to appreciate their work that normally wouldn't even give them a second thought. Make no mistake about it though, these are some of the hardest working actors in the business and I for one love each and every one of them for their contributions to the world of film.

Read more »

Top 11 Films of 2010

(Because sometimes 10 just isn't enough)

It's that time of year again...where we take stock of all the films we saw for the year and weigh in on which ones were a waste of time and which ones were time well spent. And not like this needs repeating but I will do it anyway, this is a list comprised of films "I" felt were the best of what this past year had to offer us. While there were more than a few films I liked overall that didn't make the cut (Let Me In, Tron: Legacy, Harry Potter, and The Town to name a few),  I overall thought this was a pretty lack luster year despite the few really great films we got. The summer season was one of the worst summers at the movies in recent memory and most of the "award" type movies we got aren't that interesting either (quality not withstanding).

But I was still able to whip up a list of my top 11 films of the year and I am here to share those with you. Some will be surprises, some you probably haven't heard of, some will be expected, and all are completely different from one another. It was a year filled with some really standout female and male performances alike. Leonardo DiCaprio had what I would call a tremendous year and good fortune as did the young Chloe Moretz and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld. What really surprised me when looking at my list is the large variety of genres we got from political intrigue, super heroes, teenage romances, and a number of true stories that were actually worth telling. The hardest part of making this list this year was most certainly the top 3 films I came up with. All of them deserve to be numero uno but unfortunately as a famous immortal once said, there can be only one. I can assure you that they all have my certified stamp of approval and in my opinion were the cream of the crop for the year 2010.

Read more »

Top 11 Horror movies

(Why 11? Because sometimes 10 just isn't enough)

So, a couple disclaimers here before we dig into the good stuff. First off this is not intended to be a definitive list, just a list of my own personal favorites in the horror genre. Horror films are highly subjective because everyone has a different take on them and because of that everyone has different expectations. These films all meet my own personal expectations and actually exceed them in most cases. Here is a full disclosure of what I look for in a horror film.

In order for a horror film to win me over it needs to meet at least two of the three following criteria, with the best ones meeting all three expectations:

Read more »

Top 11 of 2009

(Because 10 just isn't enough)

11.

Zombieland

An unlikely group of zombie holocaust survivors

In a time when zombies are pretty much anywhere in film, videogames, or in media in general and most people (myself included) are getting a little tired of the whole zombie fad, it is surprising to still find some life in a genre about no life. First time feature film director Reuben Fleischer nails it right out of the park with Zombieland, a sort of road movie meets apocalypse movie. The movie isn’t the first to poke a little fun at the ineptitude of zombies and their traits (see Shaun of the Dead), but it is the first to make a zombie movie where the zombies are more or less background fodder and don’t really impact the story too much.

Read more »