Most Anticipated Movies of 2016

I’m going to see Deadpool tonight, and the weather cannot stop me no matter the conditions. I mean it! It’s no real secret that I am a fan of the Superhero film genre, give or take a film here or there, mostly, I like them, a lot. Deadpool is my favorite comics hero, so his first movie, that actually does him justice if everything I’m hearing about the film isn’t a lie, is not going to escape my eyes on opening night. So, I decided that before I see this movie, which is easily my most anticipated movie ever, that I would do my most anticipated movies of 2016 list, excluding Deadpool, which would obviously take the number one spot.

In other news, before we get to the list, my top and bottom ten lists of last year are coming, soon, I just have a few more movies to get through personally before I can justify putting the list out there. Now, let’s begin.

Unlike last year’s rendition of this list, I’m not going to order it. And I’m not going to limit the list to ten films either. This may, or may not, get lengthy. You’ve been warned.

Movie #1: Knight of Cups 

If I’m being honest, this is probably the one I’m most on the fence with simply because of two words, Terrence Malick. He’s made some films I have thoroughly enjoyed, and others I downright despise for the choices made. For every Badlands or Days of Heaven there’s a To the Wonder to make you at least question the genius. The film currently sits with a few rather poor reviews. I hope that changes once the film undergoes a wider release.

Movie #2: Green Room

 

I’ve only seen one of director Jeremy Saulnier’s prior films, Murder Party, and that was so ridiculously amazing and hilarious I hope nothing more than for this film to follow suit. For which I have little doubt that it will. 

Movie #3: Elvis & Nixon

Michael Shannon as Elvis, Kevin Spacey as Nixon, do I need to say anything else?

Movie #4: Keanu

Unfortunately, not a movie about Keanu Reeves portrayed by a cat. This movie instead stars Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele, and written by Peele and Alex Ruebens, the writers of Key & Peele. Also, “Kitten, please.”

Movie #5: Snowden

Making my list last year, when it was still slated to release in 2015, I’m not really sure what explanations are needed. Perhaps the fact that people still see Snowden as a traitor, when all he was doing was showing how we were being betrayed by our own government. Perhaps that Snowden is being played by JoGoLev (Jo Go Lev? Jo Go-Lev??), I can call him that, we go way back, 3^rd Rock from the Sun back. All I know is, that Oliver Stone makes some good movies, and this looks to be no different.

Movie #6: Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

It’s Neighbors but girls this time.

Movie #7: The Nice Guys

Dubbed the spiritual successor to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang by the director of both films Shane Black. I cannot wait if this is anything like it’s spiritual predecessor.

Movie #8: Finding Dory

Dory is lost, and now we need to find her, in whatever sense that may end up being. If it’s anywhere near as good as Finding Nemo was, this is sure to be a sequel well worth the waiting period.

Movie #9: Assassin’s Creed

Video game movies tend to spell out failure from the start, and Assassin’s Creed has been a very hit or miss title. I only hope it can capture the magic that makes the series occasionally great, rather than what makes it sometimes terrible.

Movie #10: Star Wars: Rogue One

Episode VII wasn’t all everyone wanted it to be, people expected way too much, and got way too little. While some are still hailing it as their number one movie of the year, which is ridiculous, it was still a solid movie. Rogue One, I suspect, will follow suit and give us another solid addition to the Star Wars cinematic universe.

Movie #11: Warcraft

Having played the games for roughly seven or eight years of my life, it’s easy to say that the Warcraft story has a place in my heart. Even though I quit the game (a few times now… hopefully for good now, though) the lore is still, in my opinion, some of the best writing and storytelling out there. The trailers make this look like it is going to be a visual marvel, and I cannot wait to witness the story I’ve loved for so long on the big screen.

Movie #12: Zootopia

The trailer sold me, and I’m not one hundred percent sure why it did. But Disney’s animation studios have been on a roll with Frozen and Big Hero 6, I only hope that this is just as good, if not, better.

Movie #13: Ghostbusters

I’m actually one of the guys looking forward to this reboot. Do I care that it’s an all-female cast? No, not really. I enjoy (for the most part) all of the actresses in this film. I can understand some people’s distaste for Melissa McCarthy, Tammy and quite a few other projects she’s been involved in were, frankly, terrible. But Spy was one of the best films of last year, so at least she can be funny... to me.

Movie #14: The Jungle Book

It’s been a while since I’ve seen the animated film. And while I’m hoping this film doesn’t have as many songs, as that may just take me out of the element. Bill Murray singing “Bear Necessities” is a must.

Movie #15: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

And so begins the list of every superhero movie coming out this year (except for the one I’m watching tonight). I’m not going to lie and say that the trailers haven’t put me off a bit on this film. Man of Steel didn’t do it any favors either. But it’s Superman, and Batman, in the same movie.

Movie #16: Doctor Strange

Probably the sole reason I am looking forward to this, as much as I am, is Benedict Cumberbatch. That man hasn’t done a single thing I’ve hated. Except for the Hobbit movies, which he was the best parts of. Cumberbatch’s portrayal of the Sorcerer Supreme is bound to be something we won’t soon forget.

Movie #17: X-Men: Apocalypse

When Days of Future Past, rebooted the X-Men cinematic universe I about leapt for joy as it meant Origins and X-3 never happened, at the cost of X-Men and X-2. But also, it meant that they were continuing the series, starting over fresh with a new cast, bringing old X-Men back, introducing new one’s too. Also, Oscar Isaac is the villain.

Movie #18: Suicide Squad

Harley Quinn and Jared Leto’s Joker.

Movie #19: Captain America: Civil War

The end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. That is of course if this goes the way of the comics. Following The Winter Soldier, I trust the Russo brothers with these movies wholeheartedly.

Just one film shy of twenty movies, I could keep going, but nothing more really piques my interest as much as these films do. I would throw Kung Fu Panda 3 into the mix, but it's already out, so I decided not to simply on those grounds.

the next task on my to do list is to get my top 10 lists out there. See you then.

Cable is Dying During (What Should be) its Golden Age

This is a topic that has always seemed to be strange to me. Television has always had good shows made by great visionaries - or at least it has in my lifetime. It was said to have started with The Sopranos, or even The Wire, but where it really did begin can't be pinpointed for me. It's easy to go to a show, the first one that blows your mind from start to finish and say, this is where it all started, this is where TV "began," but who's to say the true start of this golden age wasn't a show from a decade before.

Friends was my first TV love. I never really understood Seinfeld, and to this day cannot sit through an episode of it, though others would likely claim it to be the superior show. Both existed at around the same time, Seinfeld starting in '89 and Friends five years later in '94. To me, the golden age began in '89 with the first episode of Seinfeld. I give it this credit because I can't fault its accomplishments, hell, I could even make a strong argument for the series finale of M*A*S*H in '83. Sure, I wasn't alive, or fully cognizant at any of these times, but having seen them all, and - somewhat - understanding the impact of them I feel as though they're viable starting points.

The Sopranos, on the other hand, was one of the first truly mind blowing shows. Prior to it, most television was formulaic, following a set structure of ebbs and flows. Shows, even today follow the ebb and flow pattern, of a slow build with a slow fall, or a fast build with a fast fall. But suddenly a more sporadic structure comes about giving shows a more, chaotic nature. This change, seemingly, is what brought on the "modern golden age."  The only problem is that now that it's in full flux, cable is dying.

More and more people are dropping their cable or satellite subscriptions, personally, I still have Dish, but that may change very soon. The popularity of Netflix and Hulu has sparked a change in the Television world. Netflix's original programming with its every episode at once formula allows for binge watching, devouring every episode one after another until you're all caught up. It's what people did (and still do if you're me) with DVD's but now you can jump from one show, straight onto another.

One of my first experiences binge watching was with the aforementioned Friends, it's how I got the whole narrative in its intended order having jumped into the series initially somewhere around season five. I used to do this sort of thing with all my shows, I still tend to do it from time to time, a straight binge watch all the way through, from start to finish. I can't see myself doing that any more with all that I currently watch though. But the initial binge watch of Friends engrossed me in the story, I was trapped in it, watching every episode waiting to see where the story went next. It wasn't hard to figure out, and even then it wouldn't have been hard either, but to a twelve year old kid, watching his first series finale after falling in love with the show, it was soul crushing. The weekly waits on episodes hurt, a lot less than the monthly waits for seasons or even mid-seasons. There would be a week, sometimes two or more, without an episode. Having to wait sucked. Binge watching changes that.

 It's all starting to make sense now, isn't it?

Television has become something that we can watch at out own pace now. Shows are still releasing their content weekly, but more and more people, watch it later, after its initial release. Whether it be from work and having to wait, or because they don't have cable and they need to wait for its next day online release.

Streaming services have taken over, they're cheaper than cable, and often offer better programming to boot. Hell, even some of the stuff I watch on YouTube is better than some of the shows that air on TV. We live in a golden age of television, that somehow still manages to throw terrible programming in our face. People, like myself, pay their respective cable companies for the shows they watch, but the money they pay, also contributes to the crappy programming that nobody cares about, terrible shows get funded because of the good shows we watch. People, like me, are starting to catch on.

A Netflix and Hulu + subscription will run you about 20 dollars total a month. That gives you access to everything Netflix has in their library, as well as all Hulu has to offer, which is basically next day viewing on almost every show out there. My cable bill is, roughly, 120 dollars a month including HBO and Showtime.

Subscribing to their respective streaming services would run roughly 30 dollars a month. Meaning, for just about 50 dollars every month, I could get everything my cable offers, and then some. I'm also subscribed to YouTube Red, mainly to contribute to those that I feel deserve some extra cash flow so that they can continue to produce their content as they wish to produce it. This here, however, leads me to my current predicament.

Ratings. Nielsen ratings. Fuck, Nielsen ratings. The system is outdated and does not account for the way people watch television. Even people who have cable record most of the shows they watch. But all the Nielsen ratings will tell you is, how many people watched it live. There's no how many recorded it to watch later, nor is there a how many enjoyed it. Though people coming back for episode two, three and four would give you an idea on enjoyment levels. Getting rid of cable cuts off the Nielsen ratings on good, quality, shows.

Look at Hannibal. One of the best shows to have ever graced television. Its ratings were low, and if not for outside funding, would not have been renewed for its third, let alone its second season. Now, it's dead in water, with a slim chance of somewhere other than NBC picking it up for a fourth year somewhere down the line. Some of the actors are already attached to other projects, and the leads have officially been released from their "potential season four" contracts, meaning if it does eventually get renewed the cast would have to re-sign on, or their parts will be, unfortunately, re-casted. This is all because people who watched the show, didn't watch it live.

I'm not blaming anyone for when, or how, they choose to watch shows. I too am to blame for Hannibal's poor Nielsen scores, the only episode I remember having watched live was the season three finale, simply because I had the day off and was able to. Every other episode got recorded and thus, wouldn't gain a live viewer. While "DVR ratings" are a thing, they are certainly not a thing that networks care about for one main reason, commercials and one's ability to fast forward through them. Ads pay for stuff, they help fund the shows that get on TV. Networks want you to watch the Ads live to make a better profit from the Ad companies. If the ad companies don't see gains they aren't likely to help promote the networks, and networks, as well as ad companies believe that watching the ads will lead to new consumers. The logic is sound. If something interests you, you will look into it. The same goes for shows, only we look into them, in repeat viewings or through recordings which the network doesn't care about.

However, making sure that my ratings at least somewhat contribute to good programming is not worth the 120 dollar a month price tag, when I can get everything I want or need for around fifty to sixty dollars or month. It's even better that the subscription prices that I am paying, eliminate ads, I pay for the convenience of not having commercials, something that cable can't offer. 30 minute shows, now take 20, hour long shows become 40 minutes, premium cable channels excluded of course.

Effectively I can cut my cable bill in half, by not having cable, while also losing the ads everyone skips over anyway. I'll still have to wait, for financial situations to come together to make the transition all the better. Such as a new and sexy 4k TV, a sound bar that doesn't cut out every two hours, and a Roku 4 (with the possibility of a new Entertainment System as well).  All else fails however, and I can make some sacrifices in the plan to make the transaction much, much cheaper. All in the name of saving money in the long run of things.

2014: A Year in Film (Finally)

I know, I know, it's almost March and I'm just now getting to this. A man has his reasons. Mainly job hunting, which has worked out. I'm now a cart pusher at the local Wal-Mart. So, this is how I do things, I give you a list, and this list tells you every movie that I watched, from start to finish between January and December of 2014. Then I give you my top 10 and my bottom 10 along with some honorable/dishonorable mentions.

Let's do this. *knuckle crack*

So, yeah. if there isn't a movie in the following list, that means I didn't watch it, and that is why it is absent from discussion. Also, this is all personal preference. If you found a movie really good, and I didn't, don't jump down my throat, I have my reasons as I am sure, you do too. Last year I watched 138 movies. This year, less.

The Legend of Hercules, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, Whiplash, Frank, Dear White People, The Skeleton Twins, Boyhood, Happy Christmas, The Raid 2, I, Frankenstein, Non-Stop, That Awkward Moment, Robocop, The Lego Movie, The Monuments Men, Enemy, Pompeii, 300: Rise of an Empire, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Chef, Neighbors, Noah, Muppets Most Wanted, Need For Speed, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Divergent, God's Not Dead, Transcendence, Cuban Fury, The Amazing Spiderman 2, A Haunted House 2, In Your Eyes, Godzilla, X-Men: Days of Future Past, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Fault in Our Stars, Foxcatcher, Edge of Tomorrow, Maleficent, A Million Ways to Die in the West, 22 Jump Street, A Long Way Down, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Tammy, Snowpiercer, The Purge: Anarchy, Sex Tape, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hercules, Lucy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Get On Up, The Expendables 3, The Giver, Let's Be Cops, The One I Love, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Birdman, Nightcrawler, Top Five, The Drop, The Guest, The Maze Runner, This Is Where I Leave You, Tusk, A Walk Among the Tombstones, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Gone Girl, Left Behind, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, The Book of Life, Big Hero 6, John Wick, Ouija, St. Vincent, Interstellar, American Sniper, Selma, Dumb and Dumber To, Saving Christmas, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, Horrible Bosses 2, Penguins of Madagascar, The Babadook, Wild, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Big Eyes, The Interview, and Unbroken.

Body Count: 93 - Not quite triple digits, but almost.

As always, one should start with the bad, and finish with the good. So, let's begin with my dishonorable mentions. As a side note, my honorable and dishonorable mentions will be in order of release date.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, I, Frankenstein, Non-Stop, RoboCop, Pompeii, 300: Rise of an Empire, Need for Speed, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Purge: Anarchy, Sex Tape, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Exodus: Gods and Kings, and The Interview.

Let's get right into the worst of the worst, here they are, my bottom ten.

Number 10

 

There isn't much to say about this movie, which is the main reason as to why it's on this list. There was no effort put in, behind the camera or in front. performances were phoned in, the actors weren't believable, having seen Bate's Motel, I know the lead can act, it doesn't show in this movie. The script was pitiful and cliché, you know how it's going to end before it even starts.

Number Nine

If you ever want to find out what it looks like when an actor is paid to be in a movie, and then not given any direction or a reason to care about the film, watch Transcendence. You'll find out what that looks like quick.

Number Eight

I'll be the first to admit that I walked into this one with sour grapes. I'm not exactly the most Christian person you'll meet, and by that I mean I'm an atheist. But I gave it the benefit of the doubt, like I give most movies. As long as the message is good and consistent, I generally don't mind. That being said, watching this made me physically sick. The man representing the atheist, Kevin Sorbo, was despicable, and in no way represented how an atheist would act in their profession, let alone how a philosophy professor would act, and don't get me started on the logical holes in the script and that phoned in ending. 

Number Seven

I like Melissa McCarthy. I really, genuinely do. But this was a mess. From start to finish it wasn't funny and I'm not exactly sure why. I'm not sure if it was just the writing, her husband's directing, or something else entirely. She has comedic timing, as evident from her skits on SNL, it's all but lost here. I just hope this doesn't show us what's to come with the Ghostbusters reboot.

Number Six

Admittedly, this movie did make me laugh, but not at how funny the jokes were, but at how terrible they were. This is why you don't make a sequel to a beloved movie twenty years down the line, and use the same formula you used the last time. The Farrelly brothers have made some good movies. But ever since 2010, what they are doing does not work anymore. 

 Number Five

The best thing I can say about this movie, is that it is likely the last Michael Bay directed Transformers movie. When all of your promotional material for the movie puts emphasis on the Dinobots, and you don't use them until there is thirty minutes left in your nearly three hour movie, you've royally fucked up. I'm not even going to talk about how you got them wrong, because that will just take me down another tirade about how every Transformer is depicted poorly.

 Number Four

I feel bad for Marlon Wayans, I really do. This seems to be the only thing he is doing. His brother is doing other, much better stuff on TV and in film, and Marlon is stuck making a sequel to one of the worst movies of 2013. I just hope A Haunted House 3 doesn't sneak up on me in 2015.

Number Three

I love Nic Cage. Let me correct that, I love 80's to 90's Nic Cage. Current Nic Cage does terrible movie, after terrible movie, with a few exceptions here and there. Usually, they're good for an over-performance laugh. That however, is not the case here.

Number Two

There were two movies about Hercules this year. One Starring the Rock, and another starring, whoever was in this one. I would be lying if I told you I could remember much of anything that happened in this one. All I vaguely remember is the obvious shots meant for 3D and the stupid repetitive overuse of slow motion.

Number One

Here it is, the worst of the worst. Another "Christian" movie. Though I'm pretty sure this one is universally hated. With it's lovely 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an average rating of 1.9/10 from critics and a 3.8/10 from your everyday public. I think I can safely say this is a genuinely bad movie. The acting is mediocre at best, the script is terrible, the message is flawed, and that random ending dance number is the single most ridiculous thing I have ever seen.

So, that's my bottom ten. There isn't much more I can say about what was bad this year, because comparatively, there was much more good than bad. So, lets move on to the good with my top ten of the year.

But first the most honorable of mentions:

Boyhood, Enemy, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Neighbors, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, In Your Eyes, X-Men: Days of Future Past, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Foxcatcher, Edge of Tomorrow, 22 Jump Street, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Guardians of the Galaxy, Get On Up, The Drop, The Guest, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Big Hero 6, John Wick, American Sniper, Selma, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, and Wild.

And now, the list:

Number Ten

This movie was my childhood. I grew up on Lego's building random things that if you honestly looked at them while I was building them you would have no idea what they were, but I would. There isn't much of that randomness with the Lego building in this until the end, but it's the heart of the movie that stuck with me. The day it came out on BluRay, I picked it up and watched it again. It's the only movie that came out this year that I saw in theaters twice.

Number Nine

Michael Fassbender is one of the greatest actors I have ever seen. He steals every movie he is in. He can make you love him, he can make you hate him, and he can make you feel bad for him. He manages to somehow do all three of those in this movie, though more of a dislike than a hatred. The performance are the best aspect of this movie, you have to see it, to understand why it's such a good movie. The premise of the film may not make you want to watch it. But I promise, if you give it a chance, you will not regret it.

Number Eight

This is one of those movies that I give more credit than what is likely due, just because I love what the movie is about and what it is doing. It's another one of those see it to believe it types. Director Charlie McDowell, of "Dear Girls Above Me" fame, delivers a phenomenal first movie that I cannot recommend more.

Number Seven

I saw both of The Raid movies this year. I loved both of them, they are by far two of the most spectacular action movies in recent memory. The fight choreography blows my mind. The camera remains relatively still compared to any action movie put out by Hollywood. The Raid 3, which is still years away, is definitely one that I am looking forward to, especially if it can top this one, just like it topped the first.

Number Six

David Fincher is one of my favorite current directors. I love his style, and I love what he is doing as of late with his book adaptations. While I will admit, I want to see a movie that he isn't adapting from a source material, I can pretty much guarantee that no matter what he does, I'll watch it and love it. Ben Affleck delivers a solid performance, something a lot of people, myself excluded, thought he would not be able to do. While Rosamund Pike steals the show and gives one of the most hauntingly terrifying performances of a female scorned I have ever seen.

Number Five

Talk about hauntingly terrifying. The Babadook had my skin crawling, it was so unnerving. Just when you begin to think that movie cannot be truly scary anymore, The Babadook proves that it can be done. The Deeper emotional message behind this movie is what makes it such a strong film. It's even more remarkable that it comes from a first time feature film writer/director Jennifer Kent. Essie Davis gives one of the best performances I have seen in recent years.

Number Four

One of the greater post apocalyptic movies I've seen. Performances throughout are remarkable. Chris Evans has never been better. You can picture how the movie is going to end at the start, but the journey is worth it regardless. Some of the twists would be hard to see coming. This is again another "see it to believe it" kind of movie.

Number Three

How Jake Gyllenhaal was not nominated for best actor surprises me. I'm not sure if it was simply because of the nature of his character, or if the movie simply flew under every voting parties radar when nominations came up. This is one of those movies where you realize just how good of an actor someone is. Many people have said that they didn't like this movie, because of how off putting Gyllenhaal was. I loved it, because of how off putting he was. This is the best performance of his career, and this was the best movie worthy of a "character study" I have ever seen.

Number Two

I feel as though the main reason I loved Birdman was simply in the cinematography. I'm more of a performance by the actors kind of guy. But the way a movie looks and feels is a big part in how I appreciate a film. Not one actor in this movie, gives a bad performance. A few give phenomenal performances (Keaton and Norton). Galifianakis gives a surprisingly great performance as well. It's more the narrative of the film that takes me away just enough to keep from my number one. Because despite how much I paid attention to what's going on, I still have no idea how to properly interpret that ending.

Number One

Everyone talks about J.K. Simmons' performance in this movie. I'm going to say it now, he was not the best part of this movie. Miles Teller outshines him in every scene. Don't get me wrong Simmons' character is imposing and dominates the screen. Teller shows just how deep the human condition is, he takes what Simmons throws at him, and sends it right back at the end. That final solo is so exhilarating and mesmerizing. This movie, unlike any other from the year, had my heart racing and my full attention from start to finish. Miles Teller has an incredibly bright future ahead of him, and hopefully these performances lead to bigger and better things for both him and J.K. Simmons.

There were only twenty four movies that I found to be particularly bad this year, while there were thirty four movies that I found to be great. In my opinion, that's a pretty good ratio (12:17). Most years don't tend to work out that way. Last year my ration was 12:13, still positive, just not as good.

Now's the fun part. where I list off ten, of my most anticipated movies yet to come in 2015. If they're already out, they're not going to be listed. If I haven't heard of them yet, they won't be here. But first, the honorable mentions, of my top 10 anticipated. My most anticipated movies will lack reasons as to why they're anticipated, as most of them will be "I want to see this, it looks good."

Faults, Child 44, Ted 2, Terminator Genisys, Pixels, Straight Outta Compton, Jane Got a Gun, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – part 2, Creed, The Good Dinosaur, The Revenant, Snowden, and Joy.

 Movie Ten

Movie Nine

Movie Eight

Movie Seven

Movie Six

Movie Five

Movie Four

 (Southpaw)

Movie Three

Movie Two

Movie One

Most people have those last two in the reverse order. For me, the reason as to why they are in this order, is the prequel trilogy. I have such a sour taste left in my mouth from them that it's keeping me from being as excited for Episode VII as I am for Avengers 2. 

That's all I have for you. That's it. I'm done. Other words that mean I have nothing else to say. Next time, some sort of movie review.