Saturday, January 6, 2018

Weekend Open Thread

Happy 2018! Who's all watching the Gorilla Channel?

110 comments:

  1. Hi, everybody. Today's my birthday (45) and I'm using the occasion to rejoin the world of the online movie-long living after a two month hiatus from regular life. It's been just over two months since my mom passed away, which everybody keeps telling me I'll get over eventually. I know that, but damn, everyday without hearing mom's voice or seeing her face (on Skype) continues to sting like the dickens (especially today, the one day of the year she never failed to call me and wish me a happy b'day :'( ). I just wanted to thank all the F heads that have reached out to me (in comments here, privately or in the podcast... hi, JB! :-D) for their kindness, moral support and positive thoughts.

    But life goes on and there's a top 10 to come up for this weekend. And in my case it's a descending-from-worst-to-best top XX list that I'm still working on, which is a bitch to rank. Still have a couple of 2017 flicks to catch in theaters ("I, Tonya," "Molly's Game," either "Darkest Hour" or "The Greatest Showman," etc.) before I can finalize my list, which I'll be posting here Sunday afternoon. Been cramming like crazy this week watching as many '17 movies as possible to pad my movie quota. Some quick observations of the 15+ '17 flicks I've seen this week:

    --Frantz: the remake of Lubitsch's "Broken Lullaby" you didn't know you wanted. Decent.

    --Boss Baby: a lot better storytelling and fun hijinks than you'd expect from the ad campaign. Worth seering.

    --Cult of Chucky: let's just say that this is going to rank a lot higher than I expect it. As most horror sequels lose steam the longer the series goes on, "Cult" is proof that creativity can go a long way to make a low-budget horror flick entertaining.

    More to come later this weekend. Thanks to all for putting up with my crap year-round.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Vargas! Happy b-day, man!

      Delete
    2. Happy Birthday, you precious pussycat

      Delete
    3. Thanks, oh wise one. That's you, Chaybee, not JB... nyuk, nyuk! :-P

      Delete
    4. Oh JM

      I have been quiet for the last few months for the same reason, my dad past away, I obviously did not know about your situation, i hope you are ok, its a rough time to get through, much love to you JM

      Delete
    5. My condolences JM and Dennis. Good to see both of you on the site again. :-)

      Delete
    6. Dennis, so sorry to hear about your dad. :'( I know exactly how you're feeling bro. Just take it a day at a time, and keep doing whatever it is you love to do (besides being the world's biggest "Xtro" booster). Your dad may be gone, but as long as you treasure the time you had with him life will find a way to make you get used to the idea that he may be gone physically but lives in you and everybody he met for as long as they draw breath.

      Just make sure to not watch "Coco" for a while, Dennis. A few scenes in that excellent Pixar joint are guaranteed to make you cry like a Trump White House aid on any given day of the week. Cool flick, but man, when you've lost a parent the emotions "Coco" brings out in you can be brutal. :-l

      Delete
    7. Thanks JM

      Coco was on my list too after the last podcast, I'm not ready for that yet, it's hard to know wether to keep the emotions in or let them out? Thinking of you JM and Thank you Gil, Christmas was hard knowing i would not get a card from my dad, it's the little things that are tough, keep your head up JM
      Your not alone

      Delete
    8. Neither are you, Dennis. :-) Heck, in fact the saddest thing of all is that this is an all too common fact of life when we grow into middle age or older that our parents will pass away. It's the suddenness of my mother's illness (diagnosed with liver cancer the second week of Oct. and dying on Nov. 3) that has blindsided me and left such a huge hole in my predictable routine of a life. :-(

      Delete
    9. I understand, that was fast, one minute things are fine and the next? It's a lot to take in
      I am 47, we are similar in age, my dad was 71 which to me is far too young, best of luck trying to find a new routine that works for you

      Delete
    10. Happy birthday JM! My condolences for your loss.

      Delete
    11. So HAPPY to see you back on the board JM!. Missed your voice. Happy B-Day!

      Delete
    12. Aaaaww, you guys! :-) It's not like I stopped coming over and reading the site. I just couldn't muster the enthusiasm or will to contribute.

      Delete
    13. In case you missed it, here's the list of my Top 93 movies of 2017 (from worst to best). Go ahead, tell me what a fool I am for having "The Hitman's Bodyguard" so high in my list while "It Comes At Night" languishes near the bottom. ;-)

      Delete
    14. Happy Birthday J.M - hope you have a good one!

      Delete
    15. Thanks, Lindsay. I actually don't celebrate my b'day. Except for mentioning it here I didn't tell anyone at work, so nobody even knew or said anything to me. That's the way I prefer it, and it was a peaceful day overall. :-)

      Delete
  2. Mollys Game is aight/good. There's a really great scene w/ Kevin Costner and Chastain together that makes it worth it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just came from Molly's Game and liked it a lot. The unreliable narrator and pitch-perfect casting of Jessica Chastain as an unlikable and flawed protagonist, combined with Aaron Sorkin's knack for detail (the Costner scene is as good as ben peterson hints) and a great turn by Idris Elba (as usual) make this a winner. Can't believe I was able to follow the story considering that I know about playing cards as much as James Cameron did when he shot "Titanic." :-P

      About to settle with lunch and a viewing on Amazon Prime of Brawl on Cell Block 99, based solely on Patrick's glowing recommendation on the podcast. Wish me luck, F heads.

      Delete
  3. I rewatched It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World on New Year's Day. Hadn't seen it in ages and I'd forgotten just how great it is. And the Criterion Blu-ray looks great. Gonna check out the even longer roadshow version one of these days.

    Also saw All the President's Men for the first time. What's there to say about it? I got totally caught up in it. It's a masterpiece. And a little weird to be seeing for the first time in 2018.

    Also seen this week: Tale of a Lake (2016) is a Finnish nature documentary that played in cinemas over here. It's gorgeously shot and a nice, soothing watch, but the narrator tying the nature together with ancient Finnish folklore bored me a little, would've liked a more factual approach better. Independence Day: Resurgence wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be, occasionally I managed to forget all the stupid cliches and bad storytelling and just go with it. But just occasionally. And The Roddenberry Vault is a must for Star Trek nerds, with a bunch of never-before-seen deleted scenes and other offcuts from the original Star Trek uncovered from Gene Roddenberry's archives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spielberg's "The Post" wants to be "All the President's Men" so badly (as much as Steven wanted his "A.I." to be a Kubrick joint) it hurts the narrative badly, particularly during the bordering-on-nauseating final act. It's a severe downgrade to go from 'R' rated Jason Robards' take on Ben Bradley to 'PG' rated Tom Hanks' version. :-(

      Delete
    2. Agreed, All The President's Men is fantastic.

      The David Shire score is one of my favourites. I think it's only a couple of melodies with about 10 variations on each. Sounds boring, but it's endlessly listenable.

      Also, it's worth revisiting Zodiac and seeing how much Fincher homaged ATPM, visually and in tone.

      Excellent year for movies, 1976!

      Delete
    3. Independence Day: Resurgence was pretty much on par with all Emmerich movies, I thought (including the original ID). Not good, but lightly entertaining.

      His movies are like instant coffee. Never great, but consistently okay, and it could be much worse.

      Delete
  4. Top 10 time!! I tried to vote with my heart based on what I've seen as much as possible. For better or worse, this is what I landed on.

    10.) Wonder
    9.) War for the Planet of the Apes
    8.) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
    7.) Logan
    6.) Coco
    5.) Your Name.
    4.) Get Out
    3.) Baby Driver
    2.) The Big Sick
    1.) The Shape of Water

    Honorable Mentions:
    Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
    Wind River

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Your Name so much. The way it combines its teenage ‘meet-cute’ body-swap hijinks with the metaphysical aspects via Japanese folklore… seriously, the inevitable US remake will not do justice to this delicate concoction. Glad to see it getting some 2017 love!

      Delete
    2. Agreed on all counts. It's a beautiful and entertaining work and I love how it uses Japanese culture in its story. It is, indeed, getting a U.S. live-action remake, I believe, and I can't imagine that going well. At least we'll always have this one.

      Delete
  5. I didn’t see enough 2017 movies to generate a fair top 10. For me it was Brawl in Cell Block 99 and then everything else. Zahler continues to be one of the most exciting directors out there. And he credits his storytelling prowess to playing D & D his whole life (which he still does). I bet those are some entertaining game nights...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't heard anything, good or bad, about Brawl In Cell Block 99, but am very exciting to see it now! I didn't realize who directed it.

      Delete
  6. I simply haven't seen enough movies from this year for a top ten, but notable ones are:
    -Blade Runner 2049
    -Dunkirk
    -Star Wars: The "Worst" Jedi (hehehe)
    -Logan
    -T2: Trainspotting 2
    -Blackcoats Daughter
    -The Lego Ninjago Movie

    Honourable mention: Life, Captain Underpants, Ghost In The Shell, The Hitman's Bodyguard (I might be alone, but I thought this was fun)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yeah, Colossal would definitely be in my top 10. Forgot that one.
      And the other 37 movies I just haven't seen yet.

      Delete
    2. I also very much enjoyed The LEGO Ninjago Movie. Ghost in the Shell was a surprise for me - I liked it more than I expected due to the negative buzz around it. I ended up seeing that twice!

      Delete
    3. I watching Ninjago through rose coloured glasses, as I had already enjoyed watching the TV series with my kids. The movie kept the spirit of the show, while incorporating a lot more humour, which I liked.

      Delete
  7. I caught up with Brawl on Cell Block 99 which is...everything people have said it is. What a fantastically visceral, entertaining movie and yep, Vince Vaughn is finally great in a movie.

    Also finally caught the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror and that was the wonderful and hopeful tonic I needed after Block 99.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just finished watching Brawl in Cell Block 99. A great flick to watch for Junesploitation and proof that writer/director S. Craig Zahler has found his niche in low-budget, character-driven, slow-burn revenge dramas. The opening act is necessary to get us to care for Vaughn and Dexter's sister (a pleasant surprise to me since I love Jennifer Carpenter). But man, the movie would have been better off incorporating scenes from the first 45 min. as flashbacks within the last two acts to speed things up. I was lulled into boredom for most of "Cell Block 99's" loooong running time, which cancelled out the handful of moments when the story comes alive. As someone who didn't go ga-ga for "Bone Tomahawk" when it came out my reaction to "Cell Block 99" is very similar: meh. Sorry, Patrick. :-(

      Delete
  8. i have a question for JB, or anybody else who can answer this

    i'm looking for good old spy movies. the best example of what i'm looking for is The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Off the top of my head: North By Northwest, Munich, Notorious, No Way Out, The Conversation, The Icpress File, Three Days of the Condor, The 39 Steps, and From Russia With Love.

      Delete
    2. that's a start ;)

      thanks, i didn't know The Ipcress File, i'll check it out

      Delete
    3. THE IPCRESS FILE is an excellent film, my second favorite spy film after the one you mention, Kunider. They are both rooted in the workaday world of spying.

      There are a couple of television mini-series that come to mind. REILLY: ACE OF SPIES (1983), with Sam Neill portraying the famous British spy, is entertaining. I doubt much of it is accurate, but it is a good espionage yarn about the early 20th century.

      Another John Le Carre adaptation is TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, a BBC series with Alec Guiness as Smiley. I admit to having never seen it, but it is one I have spotted in numerous articles and lists about the best depictions of espionage.

      Delete
    4. thanks, i actually already have TINKER TAILOR on blu-ray. both the movie and the BBC series.

      i'll check out REILLY

      Delete
  9. I love the screenshot - what a crazy film, right?! So, here's the list nobody asked for but why not:

    Twin Peaks: The Return is my #1 everything this year. It’s the greatest thing ever on Television and is a masterful composition from my favorite director.

    Top three and a bunch of other movies I liked:

    #1. Blackcoats Daughter Yes, I saw this last year and it was #3 on my 2016 list but technically this came out in the US this year. My list, my rules. After seeing it 6 times since last year it belongs as my #1 cause I still love it and I’m really only in love with a couple of films this year anyway.

    #2. I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore
    #3. John Wick 2

    The rest in no order:

    #4. A Dark Song
    #5. Get Out
    #6. Beyond Skyline
    #7. XX
    #8. Baby Driver
    #9. Split
    #10. Bad Match
    #11. Parasites
    #12. Kong: Skull Island
    #13. Hounds of Love
    #14. Jackals
    #15. Devil’s Candy
    #16. MFA
    #17. Better Watch Out
    #18. Red Christmas
    #19. IT
    #20. A Ghost Story
    #21. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
    #22. Sweet Virginia
    #23. The Florida Project

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can't wait to see Three Billboards. People either love it or think that it was made by the devil.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. Beyond Skyline make it! I watched Skyline a couple weeks ago (some bad acting, but fine), and looking forward to catching up with the new one.
      Also, The Devil's Candy was really good! I forgot about that one when "listing"

      Delete
    4. Beyond Skyline kicks all kind of alien ass! So much fun and loved how crazy it got.

      Delete
    5. Twin Peaks: The Return was probably my favorite thing from last year as well, and Lynch even referred to it as "a feature film in 18 parts".

      Delete
    6. As always you bring the cool. I can’t believe I’m seeing Skyline (buying it right now). You’re the perfect blend of intelligence and fun with the chops to take no shit. Feel like it’s a missed opportunity that we haven’t had a Chaybee podcast. The only reason I can come up with is perhaps you’re a mute or have an addiction to helium. Either way a cast on Hush seems appropriate. Happy New Year.

      Delete
    7. @Ross, The only problem with the movie in 18 parts thing is that it's impossible to watch in one sitting. I mean, I guess you could, but 18 hours is a long Damn time.

      @cullen haha, thanks for the kind words, man. I hope you love Beyond Skyline!

      Delete
  10. Alright. The moment no one was waiting for...my top ten.
    1. mother!
    2. The Blackcoat's Daughter
    3. Get Out
    4. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
    5. Thor: Ragnarok
    6. Brigsby Bear
    7. It
    8. Split
    9. Wonder Woman
    10. The Evil Within

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Speak for yourself, big boy. I've been waiting for your Top Ten for the longest time. What took you so long? :-P

      Delete
  11. I F-ing love that you have The Evil Within in your top ten.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The story behind the director and production of that movie is pretty interesting in of itself.

      Delete
  12. who else was crazy enough to get the 100 Years Of Olympic Films Criterion?

    got it yesterday and watched St. Moritz 1928 and Montreal 1976, so far.

    can't wait to get into the Leni Riefenstahl stuff (never saw Triumph Of The Will though)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so tempted by it, but with the shipping costs and import taxes the price becomes just ridiculous. Hoping for a UK version but probably in vain...

      Delete
    2. Yeah, it’s probably one of their highest priced box set

      Delete
    3. Leni Riefenstahl is a fascinating person in the history of cinema, a visionary filmmaker whose reputation is forever tarnished by the people she worked for. OLYMPIA involved pioneering techniques for shooting sporting events. TRIUMPH OF THE WILL contains some potent sequences, especially Hitler's nighttime speech.

      Delete
  13. Riske, did you see RLM's 2017 Movie Catch up? They give so much love to Wish Upon, it 10 mins of Wish Upon praise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did. It was fun to watch because they are so unimpressed most of the time.

      Delete
  14. Oh! Since there's some above me:

    1. Logan
    2. Good Time
    3. Lady Bird
    4. Get out
    5. mother!
    6. The Big Sick
    7. The Shape of Water
    8. Wind River
    9. Personal Shopper
    10. Baby Driver

    ReplyDelete
  15. My top 10!

    10. War for the Planet of the Apes
    9. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
    8. In This Corner of the World
    7. A Ghost Story
    6. Coco
    5. The Big Sick
    4. Raw
    3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
    2. Get Out
    1. Paddington 2* A 2017 release for Australia. It’s warm and it’s funny. It espouses the upmost importance of decency and kindness. It’s what I needed in 2017.

    Honourable mentions: Blade Runner 2049, A Cure for Wellness, The Beguiled, The Villainess.

    2018 releases for Australia, so haven’t seen them: The Shape of Water, Lady Bird.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm enjoying seeing everyone's lists! Some great stuff that shows the diversity of this group!

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Greatest Showman is very good. I get that it's not accurate, but for what it is it's fun and the music and production values are great! I also say it's impossible to dislike Hugh Jackman!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hell yeah! No one is talking about this film, but I really enjoyed it.

      Delete
  18. 2017 was pretty easy to pick my top 10 because there really wasn't an overwhelming amount of movies to choose from.

    Here are mine:
    1. Mother!
    2. Logan
    3. Spielberg
    4. It Comes at Night (I know I'm pretty much alone in liking this, but it worked for me)
    5. Get Out
    6. John Wick 2
    7. Molly's Game
    8. Lady Bird
    9. Dunkirk
    10. The Shape of Water

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It Comes at Night worked for me too. Can't imagine watching it again, but it's very effective and interesting.

      Delete
  19. Might as well hop on board:

    10. Colossal
    9. Brawl in Cell Block 99
    8. Blade Runner 2049
    7. A Ghost Story
    6. Lady Bird
    5. The Shape of Water
    4. The Big Sick
    3. Dunkirk
    2. Get Out
    1. The Florida Project

    Honorable Mentions: mother!, Raw, The Devil's Candy, Ingrid Goes West, Good Time

    ReplyDelete
  20. My top 10:

    10. mother!
    9. All the Money in the World
    8. Get Out
    7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
    6. Dunkirk
    5. The Disaster Artist
    4. Logan
    3. The Big Sick
    2. Baby Driver
    1. Blade Runner 2049

    Honorable mentions: Life, The Shape of Water, Spider-Man: Homecoming, War for the Planet of the Apes, and Gilbert

    Movies I regret not getting to yet: Colossal, A Ghost Story, The Florida Project, Lady Bird, and Brigsby Bear.

    TV Show that felt like the best movie of the year: Twin Peaks

    Great year for movies, but like everyone has already said, not many movies that I absolutely fell in love with. I'm sure by April I will have watched all of the ones I regretted missing, and my list will be thrown out the window.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Top 10 of 2017 time, here we go! -

    10) Wish Upon
    9) The Foreigner
    8) The Big sick
    7) Get Out
    6) Blade runner 2049
    5) Logan
    4) Dunkirk
    3) Wonder Woman
    2) The Bad Batch
    1) mother!

    :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am fascinated by your list. Glad to see you loved Wonder Woman so much. It's my #1. So special and wonderful. Glad to see you dug The Bad Batch as well. It sure wasn't for me, but it's cool that it was for you.

      Delete
    2. Cheers bud! Was a strange year for films last year, especially over the last few years I've moved more and more away for the studio fare, I can barely muster up the energy to see the latest Marvel film at the theatre... Though because of all the crap that DC seem to be getting makes me more and more want to get behind them (I enjoyed Justice League more than most)... To be fair and i hope my list reflect this that last year the studios brought out some surprisingly intelligent movies; Dunkirk & Blade Runner 2049 for example! We need another year like '99... As for The Bad Batch, that movie really spoke to me on a visceral level and held me spellbound as with Ana Lily Amirpour's debut "A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night". :)

      Delete
    3. I am fascinated by DC. Most of their movies are not good, but their mistakes and screw ups are weird and I think we'll look back on them as a strange and interesting phase in cinema one day.

      Delete
  22. I am kind of shocked at how good Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was. It isn't great or anything, but it is exactly the movie it sets out to be. Which is largely to set up a potentially funny premise and then get out of the way of a handful of genuinely funny performers. I had a really good time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saw this a few days ago and concur. It's not great or memorable cinema, but it's entertaining and doesn't waste its actors or premise on a waste of a popcorn adventure. It helped that I caught it on a matinee with two classrooms full of young students, who reacted to it as if it was "Raiders of the Lost Ark"... which it technically is for them. And in this age of #MeToo and post-Weistein Hollywood cleansing, it's nice to have a progressive message about gender identity subvertly sneaked into a mainstream popular movie (even if it relies way too much on Jack Black getting a boner for my taste). :-)

      Delete
  23. Because nobody asked, I feel it's time to dole out my top 10...kinda:

    1. Blade Runner 2049
    2. John Wick 2
    3. Get Out
    4. The Blackcoats Daughter
    5. The Shape of Water

    The next 5 would round out my 10, but I don't feel strongly enough about them to give a definitive ranking, so in alphabetical order:

    Guardians of the Galaxy 2
    I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore
    It
    Raw
    Wind River

    Also honorable mentions to The Big Sick, Dunkirk and Colossal. Really good, but not quite there for me.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Having watched only four films from 2017, there is not much of a list to create. Here it goes, though.

    1. It
    2. The Florida Project
    3. Mother!
    4. The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin

    There were few films that came out in theaters last year that interested me. I am not a fan of superheroes, Star Wars, or modern comedy. A couple of the films released on Netflix intrigued me, but I did not get around to seeing them. The Shape of Water is playing here soon, which I will go to.

    I watched a few films during the week.

    QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE (1958) – This is one of the strangest sci-fi films of the 1950s. Astronauts find themselves captives of Amazonian women on Venus. The only thing the women need, of course, is the love of a man. The sexism of the film is mind-boggling. The fact that all of the ladies are dressed and made up like glamour models only contributes to the patronizing attitude. I did like the garish colors of the costumes and the sets and, overall, took delight in the bizarreness of the production.

    THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN (2017) – An excellent documentary about the author of the “Tales of the City” books. For a chronicler of gay life, his early years are not what one would expect. As a teenager he worked for the late senator Jesse Helms, one of the most conservative American politicians of recent history. Maupin also volunteered to serve in Vietnam, eventually becoming part of a veteran’s organization that met Richard Nixon at the White House.

    VITO (2011) – Watching the Maupin film pushed me to finish this tribute to Vito Russo, author of the film history book “The Celluloid Closet.” At the core of Russo’s life, though, was political activism for the gay community. The film is an engaging blend of biography and Twentieth-century social history.

    ReplyDelete
  25. My top 10 although 2-10 would probably totally change if I were asked tomorrow:

    1. T2: Trainspotting
    2. The Shape of Water
    3. Logan
    4. Get Out
    5. Lady Bird
    6. Baby Driver
    7. Guardians of the Galaxy 2
    8. Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story
    9. John Wick Chapter 2
    10. David Lynch: The Art Life

    ReplyDelete
  26. My Top 10

    10. Get Out
    9. All the Money in the World
    8. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
    7. The Big Sick
    6. Thor: Ragnarok
    5. Wind River
    4. It
    3. Lady Bird
    2. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
    1. Wonder Woman

    Disclosure: I have not yet seen The Shape of Water, Call me by Your Name, I Tonya, or Phantom Thread. That will be fixed soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good list, though I have not seen 6(!) on there BUT they are six that I really want to get my eyes, ears and mind around...

      Delete
    2. I've only seen Get Out and Star Wars from your list :(
      But the rest are all ones I'm very much looking forward to seeing!

      Delete
    3. Guys. You've got so much joy to look forward to.

      Delete
  27. My Top 10!

    10. Happy Death Day
    9. Personal Shopper
    8. 47 Meters Down
    7. John Wick Chapter 2
    6. Spider-Man: Homecoming
    5. Brawl in Cell Block 99
    4. Kong: Skull Island
    3. The Devils Candy
    2. Get Out
    1. It

    ReplyDelete
  28. I thought I would take a page from the Pure Cinema Podcast and highlight 10 new-to-me movies that I saw and loved this year.

    10. Go (1999)
    9. Innerspace (1987)
    8. Written on the Wind (1956)
    7. Logan Lucky (2017)
    6. Baby Driver (2017)
    5. John Wick (2014)
    4. The Brothers Bloom (2008)
    3. The Shape of Water (2017)
    2. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
    1. His Girl Friday (1940)

    Honorable Mentions: Aliens (1986), The Celebration (1998), Get Out (2017), Her (2013), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), Johnny Handsome (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Looper (2012), Ocean's Twelve (2004), To Have and Have Not (1944)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Just came out of The Shape Of Water. Fantastic film. I love how Del Toro is often taking the side of the marginalized.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. also, let's face it, this is the origin story of Abe Sapien. right?

      Delete
  30. And here it is, from worst-to-best and after a four-hour listing process that nearly killed me, MY TOP 93 MOVIES OF 2017. Starting with the worst of the worst, a flick that joins previous year's "winners" like Man of Steel, Knight of Cups, etc.

    93.- CHiPS
    92.- The Mummy (2017)
    91.- Monster Trucks
    90.- It Comes At Night
    89.- Beach Rats
    88.- Song to Song
    87.- Kedi
    86.- Geostorm
    85.- King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
    84.- Free Fire
    83.- Happy Death Day
    82.- American Assassin
    81.- My Cousin Rachel
    80.- Bright
    79.- The Great Wall
    78.- All Eyes On Me
    77.- Kong: Skull Island 3D
    76.- Kingsman: The Golden Circle
    75.- XX
    74.- The Lovers
    73.- Life
    72.- Tulip Fever
    71.- Split
    70.- The Post
    69.- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales 3D
    68.- My Love, Don't Cross the River
    67.- Frantz
    66.- Murder on the Orient Express (70mm)
    65.- The Last Living Boy in New York
    64.- Megan Leavy
    63.- American Made
    62.- Alien Covenant
    61.- Their Finest
    60.- The Big Sick
    59.- The Zookeeper's Wife
    58.- Wonderstruck
    57.- Detroit
    56.- The Lego Batman Movie 3D
    55.- Paris Can Wait
    54.- Ghost in the Shell 3D (2017)
    53.- The Square
    52.- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
    51.- Professor Marsden and the Wonder Women
    50.- Atomic Blonde
    49.- Menashe
    48.- All the Money in the World
    47.- A United Kingdom
    46.- Saban's Power Rangers
    45.- Wind River
    44.- Baby Driver
    43.- Viceroy's House
    42.- Brawl on Cell Block 99
    41.- Boss Baby
    40.- Terminator 2: Judgement Day 3D (2017/1991)
    39.- The Lost City of Z
    38.- Cult of Chucky
    37.- I, Tonya
    36.- Wonder
    35.- xXx: The Return of Xander Cage 3D
    34.- Justice League
    33.- The Wedding Plan
    32.- The Blackcoat's Daughter
    31.- The Hitman's Bodyguard
    30.- The Shape of Water
    29.- Beauty and the Beast (2017)
    28.- The Founder
    27.- Mother!
    26.- Valerian and the City of A Thousand Planets 3D
    25.- John Wick: Chapter 2
    24.- Raw
    23.- Rifftrax Live! The Five Doctors (2017/1983)
    22.- Call Me By Your Name
    21.- Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 3D
    20.- Battle of the Sexes
    19.- Personal Shopper
    18.- Logan
    17.- Spider-Man: Homecoming 3D
    16.- Get Out
    15.- Rifftrax Live! Samurai Cop (2017/1991)
    14.- It: Chapter One
    13.- Colossal
    12.- Molly's Game
    11.- Phantom Thread (70mm)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And here, drumroll, are the best of the best. MY TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2017.

      10.- THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

      A rare indie flick that becomes unpredictable without resorting to trickery besides well-written, well-acted dramatic situations. Uneven at points, but a compelling cinematic take on how damaged people deal with grief. Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson almost steal the movie.

      9.- STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (IMAX 3D)
      Surprisingly compelling from start to finish. The feature-length ticking clock scenario was matched by the duel of wills between Luke Skywalker and Rey. The best "SW" movie I've ever seen... and actually, gulped, like. :-O

      8.- THE DISASTER ARTIST
      "Ed Wood" for a new generation. Great comedic performances (led by James Franco in a Best Actor-worthy pantomime of the real Tommy Wiseau's mannerisms) and genuine moments of gut-busting laughter make this the funniest comedy of 2017.

      7.- THOR: RAGNAROK
      The curse of the #3 movie in a franchise sucking balls is over. It takes something special to beat "Guardians of the Galaxy" at its own game, but this one pulls it off. Even guest stars Cate Blanchett & Karl Urban get to strut their stuff while the regulars (particularly Tom Hiddleston) shine.

      6.- LADY BIRD
      A master class in film editing that knows exactly when to cut a scene after its point has been clearly made. Good acting too, and a 'dramedy' structure that earns its pathos stripes. Welcome to the Clint Eastwood stage of your career, Greta Gerwig.

      5.- COCO
      This culturally-sensitive version of Mexico's "Day of the Dead" holiday earns its pathos the hard way: creating likable characters you grow attached to, then are surprised when the story you thought you knew where it was headed takes surprising twists that keep you engaged 'till the very end. Another "Inside Out" and "Zootopia"-caliber triumph for the Disney machine.

      4.- DUNKIRK (IMAX 70mm)
      Christopher Nolan does what the other Dunkirk anniversary flicks of 2017 ("Their Finest" and "The Darkest Hour") fail to do: put you in the beaches of World War II with the feeling of isolation (land), disorientation (sea) and exhilaratiton (air) that the British troops trapped by surrounding (and invisible) German soldiers experienced. As a purely cinematic experience of sight and sound used to convey a time and place in history, "Dunkirk" is without peer.

      3.- BLADE RUNNER 2049
      The highest complement I can pay this sequel to the '82 original is that it retroactively made me enjoy "Blade Runner," a movie that I couldn't care less about despite seeing it many times before. Compelling characters in a future that remains true to its cinematic roots, "2049" also looks (Roger Deakins) and sounds (Hans Zimmer) like the best Hollywood has to offer. Best cinematic atmosphere and consistent tone too make this a winner I will revisit often on 4K Blu-ray.

      2.- WONDER WOMAN
      Gal Gadot and Chris Pine are so good together you forgive the final showdown between WW and ___ becoming CG overkill. A likable character who genuinely cares for others and beats ass when she has to, Diana Prince is the movie superhero we need in this #MeToo era. That "WW" also happens to be entertaining from start to finish is a bonus.

      1.- YOUR NAME
      A simple story (boy meets girl) made interesting by narrative twists that should feel like sci-fi mumbo jumbo, but instead come across as the mountain that two people who don't know they need each other need to climb to do the hardest thing they'll ever do: arrange for their mutual "accidental" meeting many years in the future... by traveling to the past to re-arrange their present-day situation. The most satisfying cinematic experience I had in a movie theater all year long.

      Delete
    2. CHIPS made someone's list! Fantastic! I'm going to rent this soon, because I want Dax Shepard to make/be in good movie. Maybe my $5 will help.

      You're also the only person to have American Made, which I just watched today, and thoroughly enjoyed. I'm not sure what I liked most: It was a biopic (roughly), set in the late 70's/80's, and starred Cruise.

      Delete
    3. Yep, it only took someone doing a TOP 93 list for "CHiPS" (dead last at 93) and "American Made" (No. 63) to rank. :-D

      For the record I thought "American Made" was a fine and well-made pic, even if there's a huge slam/lame joke made at the expense of my homeland of El Salvador that the movie apologizes for... at the very end of a low crawl of closing credits! Cruise is fine and Domhnall Gleeson gives great supporting work, but it's the first of his films where Tom's age betrays he's an older man trying to play a much younger one. He pulls it off, but just barely.

      Delete
  31. I watched Goon: Last of the Enforcers this morning. I remember liking the first one quite a bit, but this one missed for me on just about every level. It is a combination of the worst parts of Rocky 2 and Rocky 3 in a hockey movie.

    Also, I put my Top 10 list over in the podcast thread, but since everyone else seems to be sharing them here, I'll do the same.

    My top 10:
    10. Logan Lucky
    09. Colossal
    08. Thor Ragnarok
    07. Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri
    06. John Wick 2
    05. Wonder Woman
    04. Star Wars The Last Jedi
    03. Blade Runner 2049
    02. Baby Driver
    01. The Shape of Water

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The first Goon movie is a gem that grows more precious with each viewing, but I agree that Last Of The Enforcers, while being entertaining enough, failed to capture the magic of the original.

      Delete
  32. This morning I watched Nicolas Winding Rfen's THE NEON DEMON. On a visual level, there is much to like about it. The lighting throughout the film is beautiful, and the way Rfen structures sequences is frequently striking. While I could see what he was trying to do with the story, it did not come together and feels flat. More of a stylistic exercise than a narrative film, I am not sure I would revisit this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like this one a lot, but everything since "Drive" seems to indicate NWR is inching toward Paul Thomas Anderson 'auteur' status. That's not good. :-(

      Delete
  33. Oh hi there, weekend's almost over so here's my top 10.

    1. Raw
    2. Three Billboards
    3. IT
    4. mother!
    5. Dunkirk
    6. Super Dark Times
    7. Baby Driver
    8. It Comes at Night
    9. Brigsby Bear
    10. Kong: Skull Island

    ReplyDelete
  34. My top 11 as it stands at this moment. Aussie releases dates are a little funky and the likes of Shape of Water haven't been released here yet, and I know I'll forget something.... So here goes

    11) Cult of Chucky

    10) Three Billboards out of Ebbing Missouri

    9) The Killing of a Sacred Deer

    8) Paddington 2

    7) Lucky

    6) Get Out

    5) Personal Shopper

    4) Most Beautiful Island

    3) It

    2) Collossal

    1) Lady Macbeth






    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh wow! I've been meaning to check out Lady Macbeth, but haven't heard much about it so I've put it off. That good, huh?

      Delete
    2. The top 3 is interchangeable. But I loved it. I loved how dark and quiet it was. It does so much with so little.

      Delete
  35. I'm not really one for requests, but I just watched a film that F This Movie has yet to do a full episode on (at least I think, couldn't find it when searching archives) and I think it's strong enough for it's own show: 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me', For a first viewing, I was quite impressed. There were some shaky parts and I don't think it's perfect or anything, but what's strong is really strong. I'd love to hear Patrick break this one down with someone someday. I'm about to go down a Twin Peaks rabbit hole, picked up the new series on Blu Ray, been avoiding spoilers and wanted to watch everything that came before it. Fire Walk With Me...the visuals...the uncomfortable moments, disturbingly mesmerizing.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I still have so much to watch, but here's my Top 10 for 2017 so far (sorry, just wanted to join in on the fun):

    10. Logan
    9. IT
    8. The Florida Project
    7. Dunkirk
    6. Lady Bird
    5. Three Bilboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
    4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
    3. Get Out
    2. Coco
    1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

    Going into the year I don't think I could have expected Star Wars making a top 20 of mine, but it was the most enjoyable movie experience I've had this year. I'm going again this Tuesday, and I haven't done repeat viewings of a movie in the theater for years. This was one of the hardest Top 10s I've ever put together, 2017 wasn't a bad year, but it was full of mid tier stuff, good though.

    Still need to see: mother!, Blade Runner 2049, A Ghost Story, Phantom Thread, The Post, John Wick 2 (I have the 4K Blu Ray just sitting there, waiting for the right time, lol), and probably too many to name...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good thing that the 4K Blu-rays come with regular 1080p Blu-rays (at least here in the States), so no excuse for not watching your "John Wick 2," Kersey. And yep, when I started to rank my movies I never thought "Star Wars" would rank in the top 10; "Rogue One" and "Episode VII" didn't even come close to my top 10's the year they came out.

      Delete
    2. Just got back from Star Wars: The Last Jedi 'Round 2' and I enjoyed it even more the 2nd time around...I apologize to the greatest man walking this earth, Keanu Reeves, I've set aside some time this weekend for John Wick 2, uninterrupted greatness!

      Delete
    3. Also, JM, totally on the same page with you on Force Awakens and Rogue One, not close to my top 10s the past two years.

      Delete
  37. Ok, so I forgot 3 movies that I loved and forgot to put on my list:

    10. Baby Driver
    9. The Disaster Artist
    8. Logan
    7. The Big Sick
    6. Lady Bird
    5. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
    4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
    3. Get Out
    2. Coco
    1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Okay, so I'm that guy who just posts and doesn't think things through I guess...even though I have a huge 'Beck- Midnite Vultures' bias, I have to bump 'Baby Driver' off the Top 10...T2: Trainspotting should probably be in between Billboards and Guardians at least....can my theater please start showing 'The Shape of Water' already?!

      Delete
  38. Borg McEnroe: great movie. doesn't redefine the sports genre, but this is a very suspenseful movie (if you don't know the real result). Shia Labeouf is great. i got kind of a Rocky 4 vibe out of it. the hyper trained europeean machine versus the american hot head.

    ReplyDelete