Thursday, December 25, 2025

The Best Movies of 2025

 What did I just love sitting through this year??  Find out


10:  A House of Dynamite - A surprisingly taut thriller about the start of WW III.

9:  The Long Walk -  A solid Stephen King adaptation, with solid characterizations.

8:  Roofman - Based on a true story, the lead performance of of all people, Channing Tatum, make this tale of a criminal on the run a heartwarming experience.

7:  Mickey 17 - Sci fi meets humanity as a clone lives again and again to save us from ourselves.

6:  The Naked Gun - A surprisingly laugh a minute reboot of a very beloved classic.

5:  The Twister: Caught in the Storm - This documentary on the 2011 Joplin EF5 tornado is powerful and heart wrenching.  A look at a day no one should have to endure.

4:  Spinal Tap II: The End Continues - While not having the same greatness that its predecessor had, this sequel is a respectable follow up.

3:  September 5 - A look at the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre by Palestinian terrorists, through the eyes of the ABC crew that covered the horror.

2:  Christy - Sydney Sweeney gives the performance of her career, and maybe life, bringing this tale of trailblazing female boxer Christy Martin to the screen.  

1:  Companion - An android who doesn't know she is has a less than positive reaction when the news comes out.  My favorite trip to the theater this year, give it a watch.


Wednesday, December 24, 2025

The Worst Movies of 2025

 A Christmas Eve tradition continues, the worst drek I watched this year!

 

10: 28 Years Later - Given that seems to be the amount of time between films in the franchise, you’d think they’d have put a bit more effort into the story.

 

9: Death of a Unicorn - Is it an allegory about pharmaceutical greed? A cult story? Just stupid and poorly acted out? I’m going with the latter.

 

8: Echo Valley - Much like an echo, it drags on and on and on.

 

7: Bugonia - You see the twist coming from a mile away, the whole movie is just a savage dead horse beating about how much people suck. You know, like every other movie this guy has done.

 

6: Queens of the Dead - Director Tina Romero may have indeed inherited her legendary father’s eye for the visual, but she damn sure didn’t inherit his talent at filmmaking.

 

5: I Know What You Did Last Summer - Sucked in the 90’s, still sucks as a remake. Lazy and gimmicky filmmaking.

 

4: War of the Worlds - There should be a law that if you’ve already had one crappy remake that the film becomes off limits.

 

3: Together - Two very unlikable characters drink magic cult water and are literally joined together as one. Good thing, cause no one else could stand them.

 

2: One Battle After Another - A trendy activist tale that’s so over the top it crosses the line from satire to offensively stupid.

 

1: Honey Don’t - Rarely does a film’s title serve as the exact words you should say when someone asks if they should watch it.


Wednesday, December 25, 2024

2024's 10 Best Films

 As always, Christmas Day brings our annual 10 best list!  

10: Late Bloomers - A beautifully done story about how two people, united only by circumstance, can bond into the family both need.  

9: Deadpool and Wolverine - Another action packed, fun filled meta adventure from Ryan and Co., only this one slightly hampered by overreliance on easter eggs.

8: My Old Ass - What would you say if current you could talk to teenaged you?  Well, Aubrey Plaza does a hell of a job telling this story in an under the radar must see.

7: Tuesday - Death comes to visit an ailing mother and her terminally ill teenaged daughter in the form of a giant talking bird in this introspective, thoughtful look at how we deal with death.  Never has Julia Louis-Dreyfuss been better.

6: Dune Part 2 - Amazingly told climax to the story, well worth the wait.

5:  Humane - When the planet can no longer support the number of lives on it, a program instituted worldwide gives volunteers a chance to help reduce the population.  But what happens when your voluntary decision becomes mandatory?

4:  Late Night With the Devil - A late night talk show in the late 1970's on Halloween becomes the showcase for the devil coming for his debt.  

3:  Civil War - Reporters in the heart of the action of the second Civil War find old and new, courage and evil and finally, a look at what price they pay to get the story.

2: - Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story - Not the least bit ashamed to say my eyes were full of tears watching this retrospective of the life and tragedies of the man an entire generation knew, and will always know,  as Superman.  

1: The Substance - Want a younger, more attractive you?  There's only one rule to follow....every seven days, you must switch.  Easy enough, right?  Right?


Tuesday, December 24, 2024

The 10 Worst Films of 2024

 So thrilled to bring you this annual list of what I just hated to have watched this year.

10:  Drive Away Dolls - A Cohn brother strikes out on his own, and just can't quite capture the magic.

9:  Strange Darling - One of the favs from this years indie crop, however one five minute segment towards the end annihilated any good will I had left for this one by that point.

8:  Longlegs - Good idea, but poorly executed.  

7:  Snack Shack - two teenage friends scheme themselves into growing up, love and running a business.  Problem is the two leads weren't the least bit likable.

6:  Argylle - The trailers with the cute cat that were EVERYWHERE when you went to the theater?  Yeah, that was the highlight.

5: Ghost Busters: Frozen Empire - Bad concept, bad script, lazy acting.  Poor from a franchise that got itself back on good graces.

4:  Reunion - A shit-tastic whodunit set at a high school reunion.  

3:  I Saw The TV Glow - Beautiful cinematography, well meaning, interesting script, but the mumbletone, cardboard acting destroys it.  I mean stomps it into the ground, buries it in crap and then stomps some more.

2:  Twisters - The original film was highly stupid, but was at least a fun watch.  This one left off the fun part and basked in stupidity.  

1:  Madame Web - Yeah, I know its low hanging fruit, but rarely is bashing it as deserved as this utterly contemptuous, vapid, empty, plotless sewer dreck has earned.   



Monday, December 25, 2023

The best films of 2023

 After a few rocky years post covid, we were richly rewarded this year.

10 best films of 2023

 

10 – No Hard Feelings:  An amazing Jennifer Lawrence lets it all hang out in a spectacular return for the raunchy comedy genre.

 

9 – Suitable Flesh:  A strange but fulfilling tale of horror.

 

8 – Air:  You wouldn’t think a movie about signing a guy to sell shoes would be entertaining, but somehow it manages to grab you.

 

7 – Renfield:  A wildly over the top Nick Cage makes the cherry on top of a fun new angle on boring ol’ Dracula.

 

6 – Golda:  A surprisingly good retelling of the days of former Israeli PM Golda Meir during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

 

5 – Bottoms:  Two devastatingly unpopular young lesbians start an all girl high school fight club to ensure “female empowerment”, when in truth just trying to score with their cheerleader crushes.  Hilarity ensues.

 

4 – Barbie:  A tale of what it is, and what it means, to be a woman in our society.  Brilliantly subversive, bright, colorful, fun and touching.  More than anyone would have expected.

 

3 – Godzilla: Minus One:  A failed and shamed kamikaze pilot returns home after WWII and an incident that shook him far more than the war did.  Once that incident shows itself in its giant, mutated form, he gets a second chance at honor.  Utterly brilliant.

 

The next two were really tough, but after some thought, here we go.

 

2 – Oppenheimer:  A brisk, deep, full bore look into the life of the man who brought us the nuclear age.  Rarely has 3 hours moved so fast and been so magnificent, so breathtaking, so eyecatching. 

 

1 – The Holdovers:  A jaded teacher, a grieving mother and cook and the only student who couldn’t get back home for Christmas break from an exclusive private high school grow into the family all so desperately needed over those two weeks.  An enriching, beautiful tale of hope, love and how family doesn’t have to be blood.  A longlasting, emotional best film of 2023. 


Sunday, December 24, 2023

2023's Worst

 Welcome back to another edition of:

10 Worst Films of 2023

 

10:  Reality -  A movie about the woman who leaked classified intelligence about the 2016 elections starring current IT girl Sydney Sweeney?  Sign me up……………till I watched it.

 

9:  Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - The movie moves at the same speed Harrison does these days.

 

8:  Infinity Pool – An awesome concept turned into a self indulgent mess by heavy handed direction.

 

7:  Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – Speaking of poor direction……..

 

6:  Supercell -  Another “yahoo” bunch of storm chasers with almost supernatural links to what the storm will do equals another wasted 90 minutes.

 

5:  Slotherhouse -  Another cute idea, inept direction and acting again brings this sorority house killer sloth movie to its barely off the ground knees.

 

4:  There’s Something in the Barn -  Yes, it’s a Norwegian barn elf who gets pissed and murders.  There, now you’ve seen it too.  You’re welcome.

 

3:  Monsternado:  This time, prehistoric creatures are drug up from the sea, this time no one cares.

 

2:  Strays:  There’s well done crass, off color humor, and then there’s Strays.

 

And number 1 – Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey – A movie that had sooooo much possibility, but instead of playing it any of the ways that would have been successful, they instead go the heavy handed, mean spirited way.  What an absolute piece of junk, but got enough curiosity to merit a sequel.  Ugh.  


Sunday, December 25, 2022

2022's 10 Best Films!

 Here we go, the best films (in my less than humble opinion) of this past year!  

10: The Fallout - This HBOmax feature was easily a starmaking turn for Jenna Ortega, as a teen dealing with the emotional issues resulting from a school shooting.

9:  A Christmas Story Christmas - Another HBOmax movie, a fun and well done trip down nostalgia lane.

8: The Batman - Surprisingly good turn from star Pattinson, far more interesting than batfleck ever was.

7:  Ambulance - Mindless, turn your brain off fun.

6:  Clerks III - The final part of the Clerks trilogy, surprising ending but a beautiful end for our story.

5:  Dual - You're sick, you're terminally ill.  You create a clone of yourself to leave behind for your family, but then....you recover.  You must now dual your clone to the death.  An interesting look into humanity.

4: Top Gun: Maverick - Riding the nostalgia wave high, what a great time in a theater.

3: Violent Night - A jaded Santa rediscovers his love for Christmas and kicks some serious ass in the process in this new holiday classic.

2:  Piggy - When one of the tormentors of an overweight girl in a small Spanish village is kidnapped, will Sara help or get revenge?  Another movie I really loved.

And my favorite movie of 2022?

1:  Everything Everywhere All At Once - The BEST time I've had at the movies this year, featuring a wild and entertaining story that keeps your attention while you're guessing.  Add to that the return of Temple of Doom's Short Round and an amazing turn from Jamie Lee Curtis and you've got a movie that is getting a lot of buzz and is STILL worthy of more attention


Saturday, December 24, 2022

2022's 10 Worst Films!

Happy Holidays everyone!

I know a surprising number of people look forward to this, so enjoy reading about what I suffered through this year!

10:  Crimes of the Future -  Cronenberg has always had some out there stuff, but here he wasn't as clever as he thought.

9:  Studio 666 - Why I would expect any more puzzles me, but this is one of the most juvenile films I've watched in quite some time.

8:  The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - More like the incredible stroking of massive ego.

7:  Halloween Ends - If you're going to rip off a Friday the 13th film, Jason Goes to Hell is NOT the one to pick.

6:  X - Is it a horror film?  Porn?  The world may never care..

5:  Moonfall - If there's any justice, this one kills Emmerich's career.

4:  Don't Worry Darling - Girls...you may love how cute he is, but PLEASE stop trying to give Harry Styles an acting career.

3:  Jurassic World: Dominion - Why does every modern "reboot trilogy" start off great and end like a 6 month old's diaper??

2:  Infinite Storm - More like infinite bore.

AND THE WORST FILM OF 2022................

1.  Bodies, Bodies, Bodies - Stupid, stupid, stupid.






Sunday, December 26, 2021

2021's 10 Best Films!

10. “Good on Paper”:  A surprisingly cute and clever film from the hysterical mind of Iliza Shlesinger about the biggest liar she ever dated.

9. “Free Guy”:  The charm of Ryan Reynolds shines through again, in this video game based take on “The Truman Show”.

8. “Black Widow”: Missed the mark, but was the best of Marvel’s early 2021 slate.  Would have been better last year though.

7. “Gunpowder Milkshake”:  A great action shoot ‘em up with a great lead performance from Karen Gillian.  Don’t mess with this hitwoman!

6. “8 Bit Christmas”:  Another rework, take “A Christmas Story”, set it in the late 80’s and add a Nintendo.  Great holiday fun.

5. “Black Friday”:  A gory and funny romp starring genre king Bruce Campbell (“The Evil Dead” series) concerning a group of store employees working on Black Friday when the customers turn into zombies.

4. “Lamb”:  Brilliant supernatural thriller that you really have to see to believe.  My trying to give a rundown would just be unfair.  Seek this one out and see it.

3. “Dune”:  Exciting first chapter, loyal to the source material and perfectly cast.  Gripping setup for the next film.

2. “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.  Marvel fires up the multiverse arc with this fun and emotional tale.  Peter Parker screws up a spell being cast by Dr. Strange and brings powerful villains to his world.  Help arrives and the audience applauds.  So close, a few plot holes keep it just below best of status.

1. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”:  Brilliant storyline brings new faces to the fold while being respectful of the original film. A fitting way to continue the series and update it for modern audiences. 

Saturday, December 25, 2021

2021's 10 Worst Films

10. “Breaking News in Yuba County”: Milquetoast woman’s cheating husband goes missing, she gets publicity from it, ends up in money laundering mess. Terrible.

  9. “Unnamed Horror Movie”: Actors in lockdown make non scary horror movie over zoom, audience gets needed nap. 

 8. “Profile”: New take on foreign woman seduced by radical ideas story, this time an engaged woman falls in love with ISIS leader. 

 7. “Worth”: Story of an attorney assigned to place a value on lives lost on 9/11. Feels exploitative and preachy. 

 6. “Run Hide Fight”: “Die Hard” in a high school kinda sums up this messy take on a girl thwarting a live streamed school shooting. Another difference is “Die Hard” was really good. 

 5. “13 Fanboy”: Crazed fan wants to re create murder scenes from the “Friday the 13th” franchise, killing the actresses in the scenes for real. Meant to be a love letter but comes off really mean spirited and cruel. 

 4. “Silent Night”: A gas is spreading all over the world, killing everyone it comes in contact with. In response, Kiera Knightly throws a final Christmas celebration before everyone takes their government issued peaceful death (as opposed to the painful one the gas provides) pills. You really root for the gas early on. 

 3. “Werewolves Within”: A werewolf is killing people in a remote small town, a forest ranger comes to the rescue. Um..sure. 

 2. “13 Minutes”: Another “love letter”, this time to the people of Moore, OK. Covers the lives of 4 families who are impacted by a violent tornado in their small Oklahoma town. What follows is a stereotyped offensive mess. Easily the worst movie in any other year, but 2021 brought us…… 

 1. “Space Jam: A New Legacy”: Lebron James has all the personality of a sun dried dog turd, this movie is reflective of it.

Saturday, December 26, 2020

2020's 10 Best Films!

 

As with our worst of for the year, not a whole lot to choose from this year and only saw 8 that I considered to be above the rest, and here they are.

8.  Tread:  In 2004, Marvin Heemeyer had had enough.  He felt the entire council of the small Colorado community of Grandby was against him, and with the help of a heavily armored bulldozer, he sat out to right perceived wrongs.  This documentary brings the story to light, without the flashy “killdozer” tags.

7.  The Go-Go’s:  Another documentary offering, taking a look at the all girl band that jump started the female rocker movement after the death of The Runaways, and how their legacy lives on. 

6.  Notzilla:  A very silly and very fun parody of Godzilla and kaiju movies in general, a fun and silly ride from start to finish.

5.  Ash:  A local news blogger covering heroism in fighting wildfires near his small Canadian town is unexpectedly accused of engaging in child pornography.  What happens to him, his family and his town is powerful and gripping.

4.  Wonder Woman 1984:  A fun return to the 80’s, with a fairly clever plotline and good performances. That said, you can see some patterns creeping in and will they serve as a crutch for future adventures?  It’ll still be fun to see.

3.  Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula:  How do you follow up one of the best zombie horror films in recent memory?  You watch this tremendous story, taking a cue from Romero and continuing the storyline without attaching any of the original characters.

2.  Fatman:  An unexpected holiday blast, as a spoiled child hires an emotionally damaged hit man to kill Santa after the child finds coal for Christmas Day.

1.  Cuties:  The poster child for damn it before you see it this year, this powerful film crushes you as you see a group of kids who are in desperate need of parental involvement seeking the attention the big girls get, through online “likes” and equating that to genuine affinity.  How they go about it is devastating and a film worthy of being my best film of 2020.

 

Thursday, December 24, 2020

10 Worst Films of 2020....kinda

 Ok, since this year has been....frankly fucked....the movie selection was not that great.  I actually only saw 35 movies as of this writing, and only 8 have I truly hated.  Here they are....

8.  Tenet - Nolan's cleverness finally overcame his writing ability, this convoluted mess of a film had such great promise.

7.  A Clear Shot - Based on the 1991 Sacramento hostage taking and shooting that devolved from a failed robbery at a Good Guys electronics store, this riveting event is turned into a dull, over acted, silly action flick.

6.  Killer Raccoons 2: Dark Christmas in the Dark - A bad movie trying to be a bad movie...that never works.

5.  The Beach House - A "thriller" in name only.

4.  Bill and Ted Face the Music - Good idea, but HORRIBLE execution.  Bogus!

3.  Kajillionaire - A movie about a family of con artists who somehow manage to survive in big bucks LA between heists.  Even the cast was disinterested.

2.  On the Rocks - Oh we're so rich and self important, how important our trivial issues are..

1.  Color Out of Space - Which is fucking crazier?  The HP Lovecraft story this is based on, or Nick Cage's insane take on the material.  Just awful.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

10 Best of 2019


2019’s 10 Best Films

As always, this list is isolated to the films I’ve seen released in this calendar year.

10.  The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story:  An in depth and very telling account of a man who had it all, because he manipulated it from those who deserved the riches for their work.  Great story. 

9.  Hotel Mumbai:  Well done slightly fictionalized account of the 11/26/08 terror attacks around Mumbai, India.  Keeping its focus on the Taj Mahal attack, it creates a gripping narrative without having to resort to overdramatization.

8.  Avengers: Endgame:  It all led to this, and what a great ending it was.  Sure it had more than its share of pandering and skewed narrative to fit the plot, but when you’re that enthralled, who cares. 

7.  Jay and Silent Bob Reboot:  Underneath the weed jokes, the dick and fart jokes, lies a film born of pure heart and love.  Not only for the characters and the lives they’ve created, but for those of us who have faithfully watched and supported.

6.  The Best of Enemies:  A KKK leader, a black civil rights activist who also happens to be a woman….in the summer of 1971.  How could these two become lifelong friends?  Even with the factual inaccuracies, a brilliant and much needed watch, especially in our current climate.

5.  The Art of Self Defense:  A meek man’s response to a mugging…a dojo master with a twisted sense of how to pay the bills…these two collide with deadly results in this spiritual cousin to films like Fight Club. 

4.  Booksmart:  This film about two overachievers realizing they’d studied their high school years away and decide to break out for one crazy night has been called the female Superbad, but this brilliant and funny tale of self-discovery is far superior to its alleged equal. 

3.  A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood:  Not a bio of the late Fred Rogers, this lovely film is about the lives he touched, focusing on a jaded Esquire reporter who started writing a fluff piece, and ended up growing as a man. 

2.  Parasite:  A gem from Korea, about a family who rises to riches on the basis of schemes and scams.  When the truth comes out, it destroys everyone involved.

1.  Joker:  A devastating look at how easily one hopeless man can snap and wreak havoc on the society he feels wronged him. 


Tuesday, December 24, 2019

10 worst of 2019!


2019’s 10 worst films!

This year, to my surprise, I haven’t seen 10 movies that I loathed.  I saw 9.  This was a pretty good movie year overall…at least the films I watched.  So we’re going to have an honorable mention, one that I didn’t see but its pretty much universal hate.  Here goes!

10.  HONORABLE MENTION:  Cats – Haven’t seen it, but with reviews so outlandish I had to actually go to each listed publication and verify those were the words actually written, I think it’s safe to be on here.

9.  Ad Astra:  A pompous, over stuffed story does have some really beautiful visuals going for it.

8.  Brightburn:  A masterful concept, what would happen if a super-being was sent for evil rather than a hero, handled so poorly by an inept, brain dead director that it boggles the mind.

7.  Rocketman:  Boy, you really gotta be a fan of Elton John to get through this flight of fancy.  Waste of two hours.

6. Poms:  Diane Keaton must really need the check.

5.  Alita: Battle Angel:  Stupid, stupid, stupid stupid.  Dull, dull, dull, dull dull.

4.  Godzilla: King of the Monsters:  Well, at least we had monsters this time around.  Too bad they were surrounded by the plot equivalent of a loaded fart.  Awful movie.

3.  Men in Black International:  The film that killed the franchise.

2.  Once Upon a Time in Hollywood:  Tarantino’s latest is a half assed mashup of 3 films that he couldn’t bother to come up with a full storyline for.  This once great director is over and done with.

1.  The Haunting of Sharon Tate:  Yes, this film wants us to explore the what if?  Did Sharon have visions of her murder at the hands of the Manson family?  Stupid beyond belief.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

2018's Ten Best!

Yes folks, its time for you to know what I liked the best this year of the dozens of movies I saw! 

10 - "Black Panther":  A great film with a great story line and visuals.  Very well done.

9 - "First Man":  A well done, if a bit slow paced, tale of the first man to walk on the moon.  Gives us a look at our hero as the distant, kind of obnoxious man he was as opposed to the rose colored ideal.

8 - "Support The Girls":  A day in the life of a dedicated manager at a Hooters style restaurant and the girls she manages.  Brilliant character study.

7 - "Deadpool 2":  Hysterical, off color and almost as good as the original. 

6 - "22 July":  Harrowing Netflix released film about the 2011 attacks on a government building and a youth camp in Norway.  Far better than a "direct to streaming" release has any business being.

5 - "Halloween":  Yet another in the series, and it maintains the 10 year cycle of each 10th year movie being the only ones worth watching.  Respectful of the source and a great watch.

4 - "Bohemian Rhapsody":  Compressed timeline will annoy long time fans, but theres no doubt that Remi Malek deserves a best actor nod for his almost perfect transformation into the legendary Freddie Mercury.

3 - "Avengers: Infinity War":  Magnificent lead in to what may be the end of the current run of films and sets up the next run with excitement and thrills.  The Marvel machine rolls on!!

2 - "Revenge":  A beautiful young woman goes off with her rich married boyfriend to a hunting retreat.  While there, his friends arrive early and things get out of hand.  Following her rape by one of his friends, her boyfriend pushes her from a cliff to her presumed death to protect his marriage.  She didn't die...and she's out for vengeance.  From the first frame, the film pulls you in and has you rooting for her to get the justice she deserves. 

1 - "Eighth Grade":  Kayla is almost done with 8th grade.  Next year, off to high school and a fresh start for this introverted, shy and nearly friendless young girl.  However, in the last week of school, Kayla will learn a lot about life, friendships, mean girls and herself.  The hands down best film of the year, something we can all relate to.  You'll ache and cheer for Kayla as she handles the ups and downs of almost high school.  Brilliant and should be far more viewed than it has been.

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

10 Worst of 2018

Here are the 10 worst movies that I saw in 2018.  And away we go.............

10.  "I Kill Giants":  From an acclaimed graphic novel comes this steaming pile of crap.

9.  "The Strangers: Prey at Night".  Came too far behind the original and wasn't an eighth as clever or scary.

8.  "Venom":  Now fanboys can argue over who was worse, Topher Grace or Tom Hardy.

7.   "1517 to Paris":  True story of American servicemen who stopped a terror attack on a French train while on vacation, and starring them?  Fun idea but clearly Clint's eyes are already out if he thought those screen tests were acceptable.

6.  "A Simple Favor":  No real friend would ask you to sit through this.

5.  "Pacific Rim: Uprising":  One would think giant robots fighting monsters would at least be fun, mind numbing entertainment, but this film will prove you wrong!

4.  "Red Sparrow":  The only thing that could make a naked Jennifer Lawrence unbearable is having to see it in this film.

3.  "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom":  You know its bad when Jeff Goldblum is the highlight of the film.

2.  "Assassination Nation":  A small town wants to kill a clique of high school girls after a hacker unleashes the towns secrets.  We'd have been better off just nuking the town, the actors and the filmmakers.

1.  "  Best F(r)iends: Vol. 1"  After the "so bad its good" of "The Room", I had similar hopes for the filmmakers second outing together.  Nope, this one was so bad it wasnt even watchable.

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Oscars 2018!!

Here is our final list of picks for this years Oscars.  Our picks are in italics.


Best Picture:
“Call Me by Your Name”
“Darkest Hour”
“Dunkirk”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Phantom Thread”
“The Post”
“The Shape of Water”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Lead Actor:
Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Lead Actress:
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Supporting Actor:
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Supporting Actress:
Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Director:
“Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
“Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro

Animated Feature:
“The Boss Baby,” Tom McGrath, Ramsey Ann Naito
“The Breadwinner,” Nora Twomey, Anthony Leo
“Coco,” Lee Unkrich, Darla K. Anderson
“Ferdinand,” Carlos Saldanha
“Loving Vincent,” Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Sean Bobbitt, Ivan Mactaggart, Hugh Welchman

Animated Short:
“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane, Kobe Bryant
“Garden Party,” Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon
“Lou,” Dave Mullins, Dana Murray
“Negative Space,” Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata
“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer

Adapted Screenplay:
“Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory
“The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
“Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green
“Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin
“Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Original Screenplay:
“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh

Cinematography:
“Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins
“Darkest Hour,” Bruno Delbonnel
“Dunkirk,” Hoyte van Hoytema
“Mudbound,” Rachel Morrison
“The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen

Best Documentary Feature:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman
“Faces Places,” JR, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda
“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan
“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed, Soren Steen Jepersen
“Strong Island,” Yance Ford, Joslyn Barnes

Best Documentary Short Subject:
“Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway, Thomas Lee Wright
“Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel
“Heroin(e),” Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Kerrin Sheldon
“Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon
“Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis, David Heilbroner

Best Live Action Short Film:
“DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk
“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale, Josh Lawson
“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson, Jr.
“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton
“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath, Tobias Rosen

Best Foreign Language Film:
“A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)
“The Insult” (Lebanon)
“Loveless” (Russia)
“On Body and Soul (Hungary)
“The Square” (Sweden)

Film Editing:
“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss
“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith
“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel
“The Shape of Water,” Sidney Wolinsky
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory

Sound Editing:
“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mark Mangini, Theo Green
“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King
“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood

Sound Mixing:
“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill
“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo
“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick

Production Design:
“Beauty and the Beast,” Sarah Greenwood; Katie Spencer
“Blade Runner 2049,” Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola
“Darkest Hour,” Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
“Dunkirk,” Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis
“The Shape of Water,” Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau

Original Score:
“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer
“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood
“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell

Original Song:
“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige
“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan Stevens
“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez
“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren, Common
“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

Makeup and Hair:
“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick
“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Costume Design:
“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran
“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran
“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges
“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira
“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

Visual Effects:
“Blade Runner 2049,” John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, Gerd Nefzer
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick
“Kong: Skull Island,” Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,”  Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlan
“War for the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist

Monday, December 25, 2017

2017's 10 Best Films

As always, this list is composed of what I have seen.  Still a few out there I've yet to see, but gotta hit the deadlines!

10 - Columbus:  A beautifully created film about loss and discovery, with some of the richest and deepest characters 2017 could muster.

9 - The Founder:  The story of the man who took McDonalds from small town hangout to international powerhouse, and the lives he crushed to do so.  Outstanding work from Michael Keaton.

8 - Thelma:  This new take on ideas used in Carrie, amongst others, pack a hit in this Norwegian import of a strictly religious girl's sexual awakening and the unknown powers that lay within her that result.

7 - Blade Runner 2049:  While it likely won't be held in as high regard as the original classic, this long awaited sequel more than lives up to the original's standards. 

6 - Hidden Figures:  This film was heavily praised at the 2016 Oscars, but got a national release in 2017, thus making it eligible for inclusion here.  If you haven't seen it, you shouldn't toast the new year without doing so.  A magnificent true story of the first black women to help man into space.

5 - Thor: Ragnarok:  More light hearted and comical than most of its predecessors, this fall's MCU entry was the most fun I've had at the movies since the original Guardians of the Galaxy.

4 - Battle of the Sexes:  Outstanding retelling of the story of the titular 1970's tennis match between feminist Billie Jean King and male chauvinist Bobby Riggs.  Sure, some dramatic license taken but a great and fun watch. 

3 - Dunkirk:  A masterwork by Christopher Nolan as he retraces and recreates World War II's most heroic and least honored event...the rescue operation to save thousands of British soldiers from sure annihilation by German forces at the seaside city of Dunkirk.  Outstanding.

2 - Wonder Woman:  Not simply a great comic book film, but a fully realized and engrossing tale of someone so sure of themselves and their role in the world that they will not let the realities of life stand in the way of finding greatness.  Not simply an empowering film for women, but a celebration of following your own path.

1 - The Disaster Artist:  A film adaptation of the book chronicling the creation of the "Citizen Kane of Bad Movies", this career defining turn by James Franco becomes more a set piece that you are not observing.  You are in the film, you are seeing the events unfold merely feet away, not projected on a 40 ft. screen.  A good film pulls you into its world, but a great film makes you part of it, and that is why this is the hands down best film of the year.

Sunday, December 24, 2017

2017's 10 Worst Films!

As always, this list is limited to what I've seen this year. 

10.  Better Watch Out - An Xmas set home invasion thriller with a twist, this lump of coal was only good for a smart turn by lead actress Olivia DeJonge.

9.  Justice League - Once again, the lead actress saves a shitty film, as Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman is the only reason to watch this huge, steaming pile of dog squeeze.

8.  The Emoji Movie - An even bigger steaming pile of Patrick Stewart('s character) than could have ever been imagined.

7.  The Dark Tower - No shock here, too much source material to script it like they did. 

6.  Baywatch - Utterly talentless and clueless cast fails to improve on Z rate TV show.

5.  The Snowman - Looked great, but a lead character named Harry Hole (ok, ho-lay) should have been my first tipoff.

4.  47 Meters Down - Should have been buried deeper.

3.  T2: Trainspotting - Taking NO cues from the classic original, this was less necessary than Fuller House.

2.  The Book of Henry - A film that dreams of being as clever as everyone making it thought it was.

1.  Alien Covenant - Apparently the once great Ridley Scott thinks that incestuous robots are a great lead in to the legendary original film.  Spoiler alert Rid, they're not.






Monday, February 27, 2017

Busted trying to make up for "Oscars So White"

So the new story is that they screwed up..which happens, granted. But....Warren Beatty says that the awkward little pause was because the card read "Emma Stone-La La Land"...which was the award given out two awards before (the order went actress, actor, picture)...so now we're supposed to believe they resealed the envelope with the card inside? I say that because if you watch the video we have a new, freshly opened envelope with the "Moonlight" card being shown.
Still dont buy it...admit it was the payback awards for OSW and you got caught. Beatty's pause could just as easily have been because they knew "Moonlight" was supposed to be the winner.
BTW, since I know most of you havent heard of, much less seen, the "best picture"...its about a young gay black man growing up with his addict prostitute mother and drug dealer friends, who grows up to become a dealer himself and reconciling with his first gay experience at the end. Nothing uplifting like "Hidden Figures" (the real best black headed film of the year. "Arrival" was my best picture overall, with HF coming a very close 2nd), nothing soul searching like "Fences" (where Denzel got screwed out of his Best Actor prize).
Nope...we get drug dealer/addict/whore stereotypes, but hey...at least this time the protagonist is gay.
Good work Oscar. I'm done with you.