When people get nostalgic for their young and stupid days,
I cannot help but wonder just how stupid was that phase.
Were they taking risks they’d now oppose
And banging heads to radios
And hosting public access shows
That talked about God-only-knows?
If so, I see the reason for the fondness for their prime,
Though most, I think, now wonder where their brain was at the time.
I think I skipped, for good or ill,
My foolish phase of chill and thrill,
But maybe years from now, I will
Admit that I am in it still.
________________
MPAA rating: PG-13
For years now, I’ve known of Wayne’s World and its main characters’ similarity to the other dim-witted best friends in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, but I’d only seen the time travel tale of Bill and Ted and just got to see the hijinks of Wayne and Garth for the first time recently. I’m not sure which came first, since even though Wayne’s World the movie came out after Bill and Ted, the characters of Wayne and Garth originated as a Saturday Night Live skit the same year Bill and Ted was released. Regardless of who first proclaimed the immortal interjection “Excellent!”, the appeal of both is about the same. I went into Wayne’s World expecting entertaining stupidity, and that’s what it delivered in spades.
Since Wayne’s World was a series of SNL skits, it’s not surprising that the movie is like a series of hilarious moments strung together with the loosest of plots. Early on, we’re introduced to the public access show that metal-loving best friends Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) host from Wayne’s basement, but they both make time for their preferred habits of hanging out at the local donut shop and rocking out in the car or the nearest party with a decent metal band. When a smarmy TV producer (Rob Lowe) offers them a chance at a wider network audience, they jump at the financial incentive, but will it change who Wayne and Garth are? Not!
As moronic as they are, Wayne and Garth are still relatable in their nerdy sincerity, particularly for me since I actually have a friend who reminded me a lot of a combination of the two dudes (in their idiosyncrasies, not their stupidity). Honestly, though, the actual plot that places stress on Wayne and Garth’s friendship is secondary to individual scenes that just stick out with random geeky joy, exemplified in the early car scene that illustrates how “Bohemian Rhapsody” gave a generation brain damage. There are too many hilarious scenes to list; for instance, there’s the fourth-wall breaking, or the repeated love-song halos that Wayne and Garth see around their crushes, or the ridiculous subtitles when Wayne speaks Chinese with his girlfriend Cassandra (beautiful Tia Carrere), or some truly random moments of intelligence coming from unexpected places. (Alice Cooper’s cameo has to be one of the best I’ve seen.) In addition, the soundtrack is rich with classic rock, much of it actually sung with screaming gusto by Tia Carrere, not least of which is her awesome performance of The Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz.”
By the end, even the movie itself knowingly ignores plot conventions for the sake of the humor, letting the audience choose what kind of ending we’d prefer. Like Bill and Ted, it’s strange to say, but this kind of highly quotable dumb humor is somehow brilliant in its idiocy, which I’ve come to appreciate more with time. I still prefer Bill and Ted for its wilder plot, but Wayne’s World is its own kind of “excellent.”
Best lines: (ex-girlfriend Stacy) “Well, don’t you want to open your present?” (Wayne) “If it’s a severed head, I’m going to be very upset.”
(Wayne) “I once thought I had mono for an entire year. It turned out I was just really bored.”
(Wayne) “Good call. It’s like [Benjamin] wants us to be liked by everyone. I mean, Led Zeppelin didn’t write tunes everybody liked. They left that to the Bee Gees.”
One feature that I’ve never tried but have seen lots of bloggers announcing recently is the Blindspot series, where you get to choose twelve films that you’ve been meaning to see and commit to reviewing one a month over the next year. There are so many movies on my to-watch list that it was tough whittling it down to twelve, but these are all films that have peaked my curiosity over the years but have somehow fallen through the cracks. Some are recommendations from fellow bloggers, while others are classics that have eluded me…until now. I think I have a good mix of years and genres too, so hopefully I’ll have some new favorites to add by the end of the year. In alphabetical order then, here are my Blindspot picks for 2017!
The glaring lights of other cars assault the driver’s eyes,
A father’s eyes that have not slept a wink.
His son is sleeping in the back or reasonably tries,
As far behind, the passing headlights shrink.
Their own light slices through the dark to blindly find the road,
Its end concealed by more than just the night.
Throughout their drive, the father’s pace has hardly ever slowed,
Lest thoughts of past or future cloud his sight.
The worries of a father’s love cannot be put to rest,
No matter where the son may chance to go.
Not even when they reach the destination of their quest
Will bonds of son and father cease to glow.
___________________
MPAA rating: PG-13
I haven’t seen any other films from director Jeff Nichols, but based on his reputation and the high expectations for his foray into science fiction, I anticipated something special, especially since Midnight Special was meant as a homage to classic ‘80s sci-fi. In fact, it has more than a passing resemblance to one of my favorite ‘80s sci-fi films, John Carpenter’s Starman, sharing a road trip to an important destination, a hunted protagonist with mysterious powers, and government agents hot on his trail.
In place of the romantic angle of Starman is a devoted father-son dynamic between Roy Tomlin (Michael Shannon) and his son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), who has strange seizures during which his eyes glow and he picks up radio signals. There’s little set-up as we immediately join Roy’s odyssey, having already rescued Alton, with the help of his friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton), from a Texas cult that views the boy as a messianic savior. Alarmed to learn that the cult learned sensitive information through Alton, the government is eager to find him, as are the enforcers sent by the cult to retrieve him.
As much as I was looking forward to Midnight Special, this is one case where the description sounds better than the finished product. It’s certainly not a bad film, but much of the runtime seemed to hover on the edge of being dull. After the initial curiosity of what’s going on wears off, the tension and wonder are only felt in short bursts that aren’t always as compelling as they try to be. One stylistic choice that annoyed me with its frequency was how the characters are sometimes plunged into darkness where it’s hard to see what’s happening; naturally, these scenes are meant to accentuate the light that eventually appears, such as during a momentous sunrise, but the technique got old quickly.
What often kept the film from tipping into boredom was the performances, which are excellent across the board. Michael Shannon is a conflicted protagonist as he seeks the best for his son while never knowing where that may lead, and the extent of his ruthlessness is cleverly kept in doubt. Edgerton also excels in the role of a hesitant believer, as do Kirsten Dunst as Alton’s mother and Adam Driver as the NSA agent who ends up sympathizing with the boy’s quest (not unlike Charles Martin Smith in Starman). It’s the performances that save Midnight Special, along with some spurts of action that are exceptionally well-timed.
Midnight Special had plenty of potential from the start, but by the end, it’s hard not to feel that something is missing. It’s not that I need my sci-fi to be non-stop action; heck, I’ve heard people complain that Starman is boring. Yet whereas Starman wasn’t afraid to have a bit of fun with its hammy concept, Midnight Special is almost one-note in its seriousness and might have benefited from a less sober tone and a less ambiguous resolution. It undoubtedly has moments of brilliance, but such moments can only help a film so much.
Best line: (Alton) “You don’t have to worry about me.”
(Roy) “I like worrying about you.”
(Alton) “You don’t have to anymore.”
(Roy) “I’ll always worry about you, Alton. That’s the deal.”
For centuries, great entertainers
Wowed the crowds and made them cheer,
With song and dance, speech, and romance,
Their famous names known far and near.
Yet soon they died, their plays and songs
Preserved in libraries and hearts;
We saved the page, but those on stage
Were soon forgotten from the arts.
Not till the novelty of film
Could actors prove their artistry
And ply their skill to awe and thrill
With hope of immortality.
_______________
MPAA rating for both: G
It’s hard enough trying to keep up with all the new releases that pass through the cinemas week after week, but what about the plethora of old classics stretching back to the 1920s? What about the hundreds of musicals that MGM churned out back in the days when contracted actors were assigned roles rather than offered them? Where does one start? Well, That’s Entertainment! is an excellent reference point, a star-studded documentary that also serves as a highlight reel of old musicals, famous and obscure.
Older musicals often seem to have just a thin plot meant solely to string together spectacular song-and-dance numbers, and That’s Entertainment! gets rid of the connective tissue to provide a musical tour of MGM’s forgotten pageantry. The early days of 1929’s The Broadway Melody may not be all that impressive, but within a few years, MGM had the musical extravaganzas down to a science. I’m well familiar with favorites like Singin’ in the Rain and The Wizard of Oz or famous scenes from On the Town (the three sailors singing “New York! New York!”) and Royal Wedding (Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling), but there are boatloads more that I’d never even heard of, such as the series of suspiciously similar small-town romances starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Most of the clips are worth watching just as highlights, but a few have made me curious to check out the films themselves, such as the navy grandeur of Hit the Deck (1955) or the High School Musicalforerunner Good News (1947).
Sprinkled throughout the singing and dancing are introductions filmed by a variety of stars in 1974 as they wander the decaying MGM backlot where these musicals were filmed decades earlier. (The sets were torn down shortly after filming.) The star power is incredible, including Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney, and the late Debbie Reynolds. Each screen legend introduces the work of one of their friends and costars, passing the baton as the film progresses. Old film buffs are sure to recognize the less widely known stars from the old film clips more than casual viewers like myself, but seeing some of these stars in action helped me appreciate the talents of performers whose reputations have waned over the decades. I wasn’t familiar with the incredible tap dancing of Ann Miller, the water-fountain displays of Esther Williams, or the impressive voice of Kathryn Grayson, but I’m glad I am now.
The film also features a few familiar faces in unexpected musical roles. Mainstream musicals may be anomalies these days, but back in the day, they were everywhere, and stars didn’t always have a choice of whether to sing or not. I never thought to see Jimmy Stewart trying to carry a tune, much less Clark Gable dancing to “Puttin’ on the Ritz” in 1939’s Idiot’s Delight. Let’s just say, there’s a reason they eventually left the dancing to Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire.
Speaking of Kelly and Astaire, they actually teamed up to host That’s Entertainment, Part II, proving that there was far too much material in MGM’s vault to fill only one documentary. (There’s also a Part III from 1994, but I didn’t get to see that one.) While it features the same retrospective montage of film clips, Part II feels even less like a documentary, thanks to the more sensational production values and the entertaining interludes of Kelly and Astaire as the sole hosts. In the first That’s Entertainment, Astaire admitted that his favorite dance partner was actually Gene Kelly, whom he had danced with only once in 1946’s Ziegfeld Follies. In Part II, the two reunite to dance together again, which was actually Astaire’s last dance on film, and they reportedly did so just to prove that they hadn’t lost their mojo, even in their sixties and seventies.
As with the first film, the musical moments are plentiful and dazzling, again with a few stunning dance numbers that are undoubtedly the centerpieces of their films. I won’t soon forget the operatic rebellion of New Moon, the athleticism of Kiss Me, Kate, or the amazing extended shot of a young Bobby Van literally hopping across town in Small Town Girl. Plus, the almost disturbing sight of Fred Astaire, Nanette Fabray, and Jack Buchanan singing on their knees dressed as babies in The Band Wagon. Plus, I did get to recognize a few familiar scenes, including one for Cabin in the Sky, an all-black older musical I happened to randomly watch last year. In addition, there are more than just musical scenes. Part II also has tributes to screen greats like Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn and comedians like the Marx Brothers, including the famous packed stateroom scene from A Night at the Opera.
That’s Entertainment! and its sequel reveal just how much fabulous musical cinema is on the verge of being forgotten, and I’m quite glad that MGM kindly boiled down its heyday into these affectionately repackaged collections. I only knew of these films from my mom, who talks about how they opened her eyes to the Golden Age of Hollywood musicals, and in some ways, it did the same for me. The tunes are both new and familiar (I had no idea that the music to “Make ‘Em Laugh” predated Singin’ in the Rain and was used in The Pirate), the choreography and star power are staggering, and the whole package is, well, entertaining. I doubt I’ll ever get around to seeing all the films featured, but at least I know I’ve seen all the best parts.
Best line: (Liza Minnelli) “Thank God for film. It can capture a performance and hold it right there forever. And if anyone says to you, ‘Who was he?’ or ‘Who was she?’ or ‘What made them so good?’ I think a piece of film answers that question better than any words I know of.”
Since documentaries are ineligible for my List, it’s the return of the five-star system.
Rank for both: Five Stars out of Five
Okay, just one more list to close out 2016; then it’s on to the new year. I don’t frequent the cinema nearly as much as many bloggers out there, so I rarely feel confident enough to make an end-of-year best-of list when there’s so much I have yet to see. But while a movie could run up to two hours or longer, songs are much faster and easier to digest, and we hear them on the radio or online throughout the year often without even trying.
So here are the musical highlights of the year for me. When I first thought to compile this list, I expected it to look quite different until I found out that many of the best songs I heard this year were actually released in 2015. So I didn’t’ feel I should include favorites like Adele’s “Hello,” DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean,” Lukas Graham’s “7 Years,” or Mark Posner’s “I Took a Pill in Ibiza,” even though some of them were nominated for Grammies this year. I don’t know all the nomination rules there, but I drew solely from songs released as singles in 2016. My musical tastes may not be everyone’s, since they so clearly diverge from most of the recently announced Grammy nominees. I’m not a fan of rap, hip hop, or much mainstream pop so you won’t find any Twenty One Pilots, Beyoncé, or Drake here.
Several of these were also included in films of the past year so at least there’s the movie connection I always try to work into these lists. I’m sure I’ll hear more winners from last year in the months ahead, but right now, here are my favorite songs of 2016.
“How Far I’ll Go” – Moana
I still have yet to see Disney’s Moana, but as with Frozen’s “Let It Go,” I got to hear its music even before I watch the film itself. This Golden Globe-nominated tune sung by Auli’i Cravalho as Moana and by Alessia Cara during the end credits is a beautiful ballad of longing for the unknown.
“Handclap” – Fitz and the Tantrums
I first heard this song when Fitz and the Tantrums appeared on a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and while it gets off to a so-so start, it’s pretty darn catchy by the end, even if it’s not quite as good as “The Walker” from their previous album.
“Make You Mine” – High Valley
While I used to be a more devoted listener, I only listen to country music occasionally these days, and luckily I had the radio on a country channel at the right time to hear the feel-good romance of “Make You Mine.” This may be a cheat since High Valley first released the song in Canada in 2014, but it had its first American release this year.
“Gunned Down” – Nicco & Solid&Sound
I discovered this obscure electronic tune more or less by accident, as part of a compilation music video, and it stuck in my mind as worthy of much more attention. The more I hear it, the more I like it.
“Birds” – Coldplay
Again, “Birds” may be from Coldplay’s 2015 album A Head Full of Dreams, but it just barely made the cut by being released on January 2, 2016. It’s less widely played than the singles on the album, but its subdued high-speed energy is infectious, despite the sudden ending.
“Happy Birthday” – Kygo, featuring John Legend
This might be considered a cooler alternative to the more traditional birthday song. I love the prominent piano riff, and with John Legend’s vocals, it’s an underrated gem of a song.
“Good Grief” – Bastille
Bastille improved on their earlier hit “Pompeii” with this outstanding single with a much more serious undertone than its catchy tune and risqué video would suggest. And for movie buffs, see if you can identify the movie line embedded in the bridge.
“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” – Justin Timberlake (from Trolls)
For pop music stations and sales, this was the #1 song of the year. Also nominated for a Grammy and Golden Globe, this upbeat dance hit from DreamWorks’s Trolls sounds a lot like a Michael Jackson song and may be Timberlake’s best work.
“Something Wild” – Lindsey Stirling, featuring Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness (from Pete’s Dragon)
The musical high point for me last year was attending a Lindsey Stirling concert in the summer. Not only did she play all my favorite songs of hers, but included a few from her new album Brave Enough, particularly this Celtic-sounding addition to the soundtrack of Pete’s Dragon.
This also made #3 for my list of 2016 movie scenes. Sing Street was made special by its nostalgic soundtrack of original tunes that actually sounded like they could have been unreleased hits from the 1980s, and “Drive It Like You Stole It” is the best and most toe-tapping of the bunch.
“Too Much Is Never Enough” – Florence and the Machine
If this song had been in a movie, it would have the Best Song Oscar written all over it. Instead, it was written for the game Final Fantasy XV, as was the song “I Will Be,” and while I’m not a gamer, this song is exceptional. 2016 was the year that introduced me to Florence and the Machine, now one of my favorite bands by their sound alone, and after the fantastic album released in 2015, even the smaller singles from 2016 carry on the uniquely majestic style.
“Wherever I Go” – OneRepublic
While it hasn’t gotten nearly the airplay of their other hits, “Wherever I Go” is OneRepublic at their catchiest. I may have been a little obsessed with this song after first hearing it on the radio, but I’d say its frenetic, funky rhythm warrants it. I doubt it will win any awards, but I love it nonetheless. This is one song during which I just can’t stay still.
And here are other great songs of 2016, loosely ranked from best to least, ending with four radio hits that aren’t really my cup of tea but there’s something I like about them anyway.
“Riddle of the Model” – Sing Street
“It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To” – Billy Currington
“Work This Body” – Walk the Moon
“The Arena” and the rest of the Brave Enough album – Lindsey Stirling
“She Sets the City on Fire” – Gavin DeGraw
“Up&Up” and “Hymn for the Weekend” – Coldplay
“Scars” – Tove Lo (from The Divergent Series: Allegiant)
“It’s Nothing” and “Sparkle” – Radwimps (from Your Name.)
“Water under the Bridge” – Adele
“Try Everything” – Sia and Stargate, sung by Shakira (from Zootopia)
“Quicksand” – Feenixpawl with APEK
“In the Blink of an Eye” – Paul McCartney (from Ethel and Ernest)
“My Wonder” – Dan Winter and Ryan T., featuring Damae
“Scars to Your Beautiful” – Alessia Cara
“In the Name of Love” (Syzz remix) – Martin Garrix and Bebe Rexha
“Cold Water” – Major Lazer
“Rockabye” – Clean Bandit, featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie
“What About the Love” – Sam Feldt
“Send My Love” – Adele
“Closer” – The Chainsmokers, featuring Halsey
“Treat You Better” – Shawn Mendes
“My House” – Flo Rida
“Starving” – Hailee Steinfeld and Grey, featuring Zedd
What songs did I miss this year? I’m sure there are quite a few so feel free to tell me your favorites!
My VC also suggested I end this music post with a mournful mention of the musical greats lost in 2016 as well. Rest in peace, David Bowie, Maurice White, Keith Emerson, Merle Haggard, Prince, Christina Grimmie, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, and Debbie Reynolds, alongside many others. Let’s remember them at their best, like George Michael in one of my VC’s favorite songs of his.
In the spirit of all the 2016 best-of lists out there right now, I couldn’t resist putting together a list of my favorite scenes of the last year. My blogiversary post covered my top films seen in 2016, but what about the individual scenes that served as highlights for the year? You know, the scenes that make good movies great and bad movies worth watching anyway. And these don’t necessarily have to be from my favorite films of the year either; even films that didn’t make my official List are eligible for this one.
Remember, these don’t have to be from 2016 films either (since I’m sure there are plenty of good ones I have yet to see) but are scenes that I personally saw for the first time in 2016. And keep in mind also that these videos could contain spoilers, especially #8 and #1. Let’s see what cinematic remembrances await….
I enjoyed the second Pitch Perfect far more than the first, but one thing they both feature are some fun a cappella mash-ups of pop songs, and IMO, the finale at the A Cappella World Championships is the best number.
The Martian had a great soundtrack of 1970s tunes, and a stand-out was David Bowie’s “Starman” played over a brilliant montage of NASA working to resupply the Hermes shuttle for its return trip to Mars. The only video of the scene I could find has Spanish dialogue so I guess you could call this El Marciano.
The most recent Mad Max reboot had no shortage of explosions, but the high point of the pyrotechnics comes during the big chase at the end as Max, Furiosa, and the women they’re protecting make one last dash for freedom.
No video for this scene yet, but Doctor Strange excelled at its mind-bending visuals. My VC loved Strange’s gravity-defying chase in the Mirror Dimension, but my money’s on the scene toward the end where Strange makes time rewind while battling the villains in forward time. It sounds confusing, but it sure looked cool.
Speaking of looking cool, the most recent Star Trek may have gone a little overboard with its use of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” but boy, did they do it in style! I love it when a movie makes me say “whoa” in the theater.
Sam Mendes’ artistic eye shone forth in this exceptional scene from Skyfall, my new favorite James Bond movie. As Bond and a sniper wrestle for a gun in a high rise, their scuffle in silhouette is mesmerizing.
I may have been deeply disappointed in the third film in the Madoka Magica franchise, but Rebellion does feature one of the series’ best action sequences, pitting two fan-favorite characters against each other with dazzling use of Homura’s powers of time manipulation. (No subtitles in this video, but it’s mostly action anyway.) Now the question remains: are they exceptionally quick to dodge bullets or are they both just bad shots?
Evan Peters stole the show as Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past, and he did the same in Apocalypse, singlehandedly saving Professor X’s student body in slow-mo, backed by the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams.” The movie itself may have been disappointing, but I thought this one scene was worth the price of admission.
Perhaps a lecture on poetry isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this flashback’s profound exploration of John Donne’s “Death, Be Not Proud” has changed how I view the poem, which I memorized long ago in elementary school. It’s also a testament to the importance of punctuation!
The feel-good high point of the year, this dream sequence from Sing Street reveals just how talented a ragtag band of Irish schoolboys can be. It sounds like a perfect hit from the 1980s, and I sincerely hope it’s not snubbed by the Oscars just because it rocks!
Again, it’s too soon for a genuine video of the latest Star Wars spinoff’s epic finale, but Rogue One did not disappoint in the action department. Recalling the space-and-planet offensive of Return of the Jedi, the shoot-out on the tropical planet of Scarif is a pure blend of bittersweet and awesome, especially the part with the two Star Destroyers.
Considering Civil War was my favorite film of the year, it’s not surprising the best scene is #1 here too (brief language warning for the video). The epic clash of six heroes against six heroes at the Leipzig airport may be the coolest fight of the MCU so far, pairing off the combatants in clever mini-confrontations that provide plenty of geeky thrills.
As you can see, I’m more drawn to scenes of spectacle, but other great scenes I saw this year include:
The dangers outside the bunker – 10 Cloverfield Lane
Here’s my review for MovieRob’s December Genre Grandeur, featuring cyberpunk movies. Since I’d already reviewed The Matrix, I focused on The Animatrix, a collage of animated backstories for the slick cyberpunk franchise.
Next month’s Genre has been chosen by Catherine of Thoughts All Sorts. We will be reviewing our favorite Westerns set in the “old West” – so, that excludes Contemporary Westerns i.e. No Country for Old Men, Hud, Desperado, Junior Bonner etc.
Please get me your submissions by the 25th of Jan by sending them to oldwesterncat@movierob.net
Try to think out of the box! Great choice Catherine!
Behold, the third iteration of my much-obsessed-over list of 365 favorite films. I already mentioned in my previous blogiversary post which films have been added and which have been dropped since last time, but the new additions are listed in bold below, fit in among their more established brethren.
As you can see from the list, not a lot has changed since last year in the top 200 or so, with only six new films making it into the top 100, the placement of Finding Dory owing to its sequel status. However, the bottom half of the list has had quite the makeover, with multiple titles being shuffled, lowered, or dropped altogether. Know also that I’ve combined sequels with their franchises, with some exceptions. Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, for instance, are linked together as stories and are thus grouped separately from other James Bond movies, while I enjoyed Skyfall so much more than its siblings that it has a higher place to itself. I also felt Captain America: Civil War was more on par with The Avengers than Age of Ultron was, so the former replaced the latter. Other combinations of films may seem like cheating on my part (I admit it), but their similarities seemed to warrant it in my mind, such as pairing the mental-disordered brotherhood of Dominick and Eugene with Rain Man (both from 1988), putting Paper Towns with the other John Green adaptation The Fault in Our Stars, and placing Mad Max: Fury Road alongside Waterworld since they really are pretty similar actioners. A special mention also for the wonderful documentary Life, Animated, which probably would have made The List if I wasn’t excluding documentaries altogether.
Without further ado then, here is the latest update of THE LIST, all films I count among my very favorites. Let me know what you think, and here’s hoping I’ll have even more great movies to add next year, even though it will mean painfully removing something else. That’ll be rough. A very happy 2017 to all!
Happy third blogiversary to me! It’s hard to believe I’ve been blogging for three years now, and this is my 698th post. At the beginning of 2014, I started writing reviews and poems to count down my top 365 films, a list I had compiled just for fun, and since the initial list ended, I’ve enjoyed all manner of new movies, tested my writing ability, and enjoyed the debates and camaraderie of fellow bloggers.
While 2016 has undoubtedly been a rough year, at least there have been movies to give us some escape from the messy politics and sad celebrity deaths. Now that 2016 has finally come to an end, I’m excited to add my new favorites of the last year to my movie list. These aren’t all 2016 films but new movies for me seen in the last year. I’m not one to try to catch every new release in the theater, so there are plenty of new films that won’t be here simply because I haven’t yet seen promising candidates like Moana, Passengers, or most of the current Oscar bait. A special shout-out to other films that came really close to being List-Worthy and might have made it onto a less crowded list, including Armageddon, Dead Poets Society, the live-action Jungle Book, Say Anything, Persepolis, Waitress, Wrinkles, The Babadook, and 10 Cloverfield Lane.
Yet I’ve seen some really great films in the last year, both new and old, and as hard as it was to kick off previous members of my list, I feel these new additions deserve their places. Like last year, there’s also some surprising diversity here, including past Oscar nominees, action spectacles, war thrillers, one horror, the four most recent James Bond movies, a direct-to-DVD Batman movie, two German dramas haunted by Nazi crimes, two Pixar sequels, and four anime. It’s been a hallmark year for me and anime, in particular, since I’ve found some amazing lesser-known features and discovered some great series, like Steins;Gate (seriously, any fan of time travel ought to see that show).
With a grand total of 51 new additions to choose from, here are my Top 12 New Films Seen in 2016, with the top five managing to crack my Top 100. The other list additions follow afterward in alphabetical order, along with some unofficial awards to certain standouts. A big thank you to all who have liked, followed, and commented in the last three years, and I hope to continue blogging for the foreseeable future, albeit at a more relaxed pace of two or three posts a week. Feel free to suggest other films that might make next year’s addition list!
Just like with United 93 (which made my top twelve list last year), director Paul Greengrass put a highly realistic urgency into this brilliantly acted docudrama about the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship by Somali pirates in 2009. Tom Hanks gives one of his best recent performances as the ship’s captain taken hostage and should have received a Best Actor nomination to go with the film’s two Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor.
Since Finding Nemo is possibly my most beloved of Pixar’s canon, no way was I going to miss the sequel focusing on Ellen DeGeneres’ lovably forgetful Dory. While it can’t compare with the original, Finding Dory has even more wondrous animation, enjoyable new characters like Hank the octopus, and a suitably emotional story that recasts Dory’s humorous handicap as a more tragic burden.
Helen Mirren is brilliant as spirited grandmother Maria Altman on a legal quest to reclaim a famous painting stolen from her family by the Nazis. Aided by an understated Ryan Reynolds as her hesitant attorney, she takes on the nation of Austria as it tries to protect a national treasure that holds a much more personal meaning for Maria. A great film that was sadly snubbed last year.
While Your Name is the more acclaimed anime I saw this past year, I was even more amazed by this sci-fi-survival-horror-thriller that I’d never heard of before. I stand by my earlier description: it’s a combination of Inception, Aliens, and Lost, with mind-bending thrills and a thoroughly unpredictable story, complete with a virus epidemic, grieving twins, video-game monsters, and Sleeping Beauty analogies. Exciting, violent, and a little confusing, it’s my favorite anime of the year.
How could the nation of Germany forget Auschwitz within a generation? This fact-based German drama of a prosecutor’s search for the uncomfortable truth brings home how easily history can be lost if everyone agrees to forget. Helmed by a DiCaprio-esque performance by Alexander Fehling, it’s a hard-hitting and effective call to remembrance.
One of the high points of Disney’s CGI Renaissance of late, Zootopia is an inventively animated fable full of anthropomorphized animals. Both a fun buddy-cop mystery and a timely look at stereotypes and those who maintain them, it’s the likely choice for Best Animated Feature this year.
This was the year I finally checked out Daniel Craig’s version of James Bond, and I’ve got to say I was pretty impressed, not so much with Craig himself as the quality of his adventures. Gone is the camp and absurd gadgetry, but the slick intrigue of this latest Bond is at its best in Sam Mendes’ Skyfall. Full of action scenes that are almost an art form, this thrilling look at the unexplored relationship of Bond and M has much more depth than the majority of the franchise’s outings.
It’s not better than the original reboot, but as a self-proclaimed Trekker, I enjoyed a lot of the most recent addition to the franchise, which will sadly be the last with Anton Yelchin as the new Chekhov. The action is frenetic and abundant here, and even if I have some issues with the villain, this effect-heavy episode was a solid hit for me, especially since it seemed to draw some inspiration from my favorite Trek series, Voyager.
This holdover from last year is something of a modern marvel. It’s full of technical jargon and plenty of ways that it could have transformed into a dull affair, yet it’s inexplicably watchable. I’ve gotten to see it multiple times over the last year, since HBO airs it regularly, and its humor and intelligence never get old. Matt Damon’s wisecracking Mark Watney helps a lot, but everything just works perfectly, from the supposedly annoying soundtrack of ‘70s hits to the universally marvelous supporting cast and the awesome visuals. No offense to last year’s winners, but my VC and I agree that this was the best film of 2015.
I’m gratified to see that Star Wars is still going strong now that Disney is behind it, even without Jedi and familiar main characters. This ensemble prequel set between Episodes III and IV was a risky venture, but one worth the effort. It’s different from what we’ve come to expect from Star Wars but close enough to still be of a piece with the trilogies, and even with the minor qualms it perhaps deserves, Rogue One fills in the gaps in riveting fashion, especially with its thrill-a-minute climax. The Force Awakens is still my least favorite Star Wars movie, but Rogue One reminded me how ripe the galaxy far, far away is for new stories to be told.
No explosions or funny characters here. Wit is a profoundly personal film for me because of its poignant use of poetry, particularly John Donne’s “Death, Be Not Proud.” Emma Thompson delivers a career-best performance as an English literature professor diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer, who addresses the camera with insightful monologues on death, pain, and empathy. The best scenes are shared with Eileen Atkins as her former professor, who adds beauty to this depressing tragedy. I’ll never read or recite “Death, Be Not Proud” the same way again.
Who says it was a bad year for blockbusters? Even if every other superhero movie failed expectations, Civil War exceeded them. While it’s technically the third Captain America movie, it also feels like a culmination for the Avengers thus far, especially Cap’s relationship with Bucky and Tony Stark’s family past. Dealing with complicated issues about which every character has a worthwhile opinion (well, except Hawkeye), this well-structured conflict deftly introduces new characters like Black Panther and the latest Spider-Man while allowing for some truly glorious hero-on-hero battles. This is a geek’s paradise of a movie.
And here are the rest of the list additions. A few are only here because I believe in combining franchises, as with X-Men: Apocalypse and The Scorch Trials, and I’ll be pairing some with similar films already on the list.
The Age of Adaline (2015)
Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Bridge of Spies (2015)
Casino Royale (2006)
Cloud Atlas (2012)
Counterpoint (1967)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Dominick and Eugene (1988)
Eddie the Eagle (2016)
Everest (2015)
Finding Forrester (2000)
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
Hidden (2015)
Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)
Minority Report (2002)
Monsters University (2013)
Music and Lyrics (2007)
Of Mice and Men (1992)
Paper Towns (2015)
The Peanuts Movie (2015)
Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie – Beginnings and Eternal (2012)
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Room (2015)
School of Rock (2003)
Sing Street (2016)
The Social Network (2010)
Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (2005)
Spectre (2015)
Time of Eve (2010)
Tomorrowland (2015)
The Walk (2015)
Waterworld (1995)
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Your Name (2016)
And here are those unofficial awards I promised for the new additions:
Best opening scene: Skyfall
Best final scene: Tie between The Breakfast Club and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Coolest scene: Captain America: Civil War
Biggest emotional impact: Wit
Oldest film: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Most recent film: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Longest film: Cloud Atlas (172 minutes)
Shortest film: Batman: Under the Red Hood (75 minutes)
Best soundtrack: Sing Street
Best score: Cloud Atlas
Best special effects: Doctor Strange
Most mind-bending: King of Thorn
Most family-friendly: The Peanuts Movie
Most mature: Cloud Atlas
Scariest: Hidden (only because The Babadook didn’t quite make the cut)
Funniest: School of Rock
Most controversial: Cloud Atlas
Best VC Pick: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Best male performance: Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips
Best female performance: Emma Thompson in Wit
Most represented year: 2015, with fourteen films
And a fond farewell to these 39 films being dropped from the list. They are still among my favorites, and it was grueling trying to make room for the new additions. I’ll need to be even more frugal in handing out the title of List-Worthy this year because a movie will have to be pretty darn good to knock off any more of my favorites.
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
American Graffiti (1973)
The Artist (2011)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Brave (2012)
The China Syndrome (1979)
“Crocodile” Dundee (1986)
Cross Creek (1983)
The Day after Tomorrow (2004)
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
Ernest and Celestine (2012)
Flightplan (2005)
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009)
Hugo (2011)
Independence Day (1996)
Immediate Family (1989)
La Bamba (1987)
Lunopolis (2010)
The Miracle Worker (1962)
My Name Is Bill W. (1989)
Nine to Five (1980)
No Way Out (1987)
The Perfect Storm (2000)
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Prometheus (2012)
The Road to El Dorado (2000)
Rocky II (1979)
Separate But Equal (1991)
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)
Soapdish (1991)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Stuart Little (1999) and Stuart Little 2 (2002)
Summer Wars (2009)
Teachers (1984)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
U.S. Marshals (1998)
Watership Down (1978)
Won’t Back Down (2012)
Oh, and a Happy New Year to everyone! 2017 has to be better than this past year, right?
While Luke was still on Tatooine,
Before his escapades were seen,
The rebels fought
With secret plot
For every desperate, daring shot.
Some fled, some died, and some were caught,
For freedom’s never cheaply bought.
Before the rebels found success,
They found a chance that none would guess,
A chance that few
Would dare pursue
But those who hopes were overdue.
The groundwork of the tried and true
Was laid by names we never knew.
__________________
MPAA rating: PG-13
I’ve been a little disconcerted at Rogue One’s mixed reception, with half the people loving it and the other half accepting it halfheartedly. I know how the latter group feels since that’s how I reacted to The Force Awakens last year, but not this year, not with Rogue One. I enjoyed it a lot, probably more than The Force Awakens, mainly because The Force Awakens will always have the shadow of Han Solo’s death hanging over it. No matter how many times I see it, it will always be “the one where they killed Han Solo.” I remember gloomily walking out of the theater in shock last year, but I left Rogue One as one should leave a Star Wars movie, exhilarated and satisfied, even if the film is meant for a more bittersweet kind of appreciation. I wanted to love it, and there was nothing that kept me from loving it.
What many find iffy about Rogue One is that it doesn’t quite feel like a Star Wars movie. There’s no in-your-face opening crawl and no Jedi; the overall tone is darker and grittier than the other films, and the rebellion is depicted in a more ruthless and morally ambiguous light. All this is true, yet the settings and sci-fi trappings feel enough like Star Wars that it seems more like an unexplored region of the franchise than an entirely separate affair. And of course, since Rogue One is set between the fall of the Jedi and the beginning of A New Hope, there are clear connections to both trilogies, most notably in the return of Darth Vader and another character whose very presence brings the magic of CGI to new heights.
Yet unlike The Force Awakens and its unoriginal blow-up-yet-another-Death-Star climax, Rogue One has no lack of originality. It does take its time getting started, establishing the various rebels and their motivations, particularly Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), the daughter of the scientist (Mads Mikkelsen) forced to build the Death Star, and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a rebel fighter committed to following orders no matter what. The ragtag band that collects around them is especially highlighted with some humor by the blind kicker-of-butt Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) and the tall droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk), who combines the snarkiness of R2 and the grumbling of C-3PO.
None of these characters are particularly deep or destined to be fan favorites, but as they band together to find Jyn’s father and the plans for the Death Star, most of them have some moment of truth or coolness that makes them memorable, like the machine-gun blaster of Chirrut’s friend Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen). I can’t say I had that much more connection with the new characters of Force Awakens after one viewing, but at least they have the benefit of further sequels. Rogue One is clearly a stand-alone film with characters that could be viewed as disposable, but by the time sacrifices were made, I cared enough about the characters that they were clearly more than cardboard cutouts. It’s a good balance, one that kept me invested without being overcome by grief like last year.
Even in the most mocked of the prequels, George Lucas always proved his skill at action sequences, and director Gareth Edwards does the same here. The film breaks out of that slow start with some highly entertaining thrills, ranging from ground combat to close escapes, and the big battle at the end had several “whoa” moments to bring out my inner Star Wars geek. Michael Giacchino’s score also complemented every scene, deftly incorporating the original John Williams music where apt. I also liked how the film provided an explanation for the Death Star’s glaring design flaw, which Luke so famously took advantage of. You know, one shot and the whole thing blows up—who thought that up? Well, someone did, and there’s actually a good reason.
Riding high after leaving the theater yesterday, I was brought down a bit by the sad news of Carrie Fisher’s death. Considering how Rogue One ends, it seemed strangely fitting that I picked that day to visit the movies. Now, of course, the film and its final scene will have a touch of bittersweet to it, even more than it already had, but at least I got to see it the first time without the sad connection. Rest in peace, Leia.
Rogue One may not be a perfect Star Wars film. Perhaps the characters are a bit thin; perhaps the effect used in the final scene is a little imperfect; perhaps the tone is a bit different from the familiar stories we grew up with. Forest Whitaker as extremist rebel Saw Gerrera isn’t as important as he seems at first, and he’s probably the reason some of the early scenes felt off. Likewise, I might have liked a little more screen time for known characters like Vader. Yet Rogue One isn’t about the movers and shakers of that galaxy far, far away; it’s about the rough-and-ready rebels on the front lines, the previously unknown players who made the heroics of Luke and Leia possible, and in that it’s a more than worthy addition to the Star Wars universe.
Best line: (Jyn and Cassian) “Rebellions are built on hope.”
Rhyme and Reason 