MONTH OF TV SHOWS - 2021!

Finally getting caught up on some of my writings for the end of 2021!  As has been the case with most people, I was too busy dealing with the holidays but also most importantly with the growing concerns over the pandemic and the latest variant.  This did not stop me from my watching habits as October was my Month of TV Shows!  Just to put everything into perspective, I was only able to view nine series during the month, but they were a mixed bag indeed.

 

Let’s start off with the animated series that I viewed.  I was finally able to catch up with the Pacific Rim spin-off series Pacific Rim: The Black (Season 1), which was better than I expected.  The series managed to bring the fun and adventure of the live action films to an animated series that is post the events of the films.  This series opens the world that was only hinted at in the films and will appease both fans of the films and fans of more mature animation. 

Next up was my viewing of the final season of the amazing Castlevannia (Season 4), which is one of my favorite animated series from Netflix.  I’m glad this series was able to be given a proper send off and able to close out the story.  I’m not a fan of vampire stories and I haven’t played the original game in decades, but this series was directed and executed like a live action film with some of the best cinematography I’ve ever seen.  I’m sad to see the series come to an end but I’m glad that the series was able to see a proper finish.  The next series on my list was the first chapter in the Transformers: War for Cybertron trilogy “Siege” which was a blind watch as I had never heard of the series and knew nothing about it before I watched it.  (Again) Based on a video game (one in which I have never played) I really enjoyed this series and thought it was immensely better than the live action films and had a better (and more cohesive) story.  The final series that I watched was Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal (Season 1), which I learned quickly was not for young audiences but nevertheless is one of the best animated series I’ve seen in the last decade.  It was a brave and innovative series in terms of story and animation style.  This month ended up being a very good month for me to view animated series!

 

In terms of live action series let’s start off with Black Summer (Season 2).  I loved the first season of the show and there is a lot to enjoy with this show especially with the winter setting but for the most part it still has the same flaws of the initial season which are the characters do too many dumb actions and decisions and the jumping back and forth in time does not benefit this zombie themed show.  The best episodes were those that focused on a small selection of characters.  The other thing that might deter some viewers is that The Walking Dead has done a lot of the things in this show better despite the fact that this show has fast moving zombies.  Next up is the limited series The Five based on the novel by Harlan Coben.  Coben’s work is a hot commodity with Netflix and this is one of the better adaptations.  Although I think they could have cut an episode or two this was still an enjoyable mystery thriller that will delight and appease Coben fans.  Last up is the dramatic period show Downton Abbey (Season 6).  I’ve come to this series late and have binge watching the entire series as it is truly a phenomenal ensemble series with a diverse group of characters.  It is also having some amazing writing and directing but most importantly the cast is one of the very best in an ensemble series. 

 

The last two series that I managed to view were of the comic book variety (as there seems to be plenty of these on offer from generally everywhere).  Since I’m not particularly a fan of MCU shows, I look to the DCEU for inspiration through Doom Patrol (Season 2).  I was trying to catch up with the series since the third season was just released.  This is one of the very based comic book series currently produced as it is made up of a diverse group of characters that don’t even want to be heroes; they are just trying to survive from day to day, which is one of the best aspects of this series.  Unlike the MCU shows (where every character seems to have to have a need to be a hero) these characters are misfits and a dysfunctional family.  The last show I will mention and was part of this month’s viewing is the exceptional Amazon series The Boys (Season 1), which I started on a whim, and which became another instant favorite.  This show features the very worst in super powered characters where the vigilante humans are the real heroes.  This show displays a different type of world where being a superhero is nothing more than profit points and popularity.

 

Since October, I’ve finished all of Downton Abbey and The Boys and Part 2 of the War for Cybertron series.  I’m hoping to see future seasons of Primal and Doom Patrol and even Black Summer, since I did like the way, this season ended and am looking forward where they will take the series from where it ended (if the series is given that chance).  Unfortunately, there are just so many series on offer out there, and I hope to catch up with a lot more that I managed to miss this year in 2022!

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR - “Disney’s ALIEN Franchise Coming Soon!”

“Disney’s ALIEN Franchise Coming Soon!”

One of the most disturbing aspects of Disney’s acquisition of the 20^th Century Fox assets is that they will now control what happens to the ALIEN and PREDATOR franchises.  The family oriented company has in its control two of the best horror-sci-fi franchises ever made in these two iconic cinematic monsters and yet I can’t help fearing the worst.  My fears have just been realized when Disney announced new versions of both franchises and for the purpose of this article I will only take a look at the Alien franchise mostly because Predator, in my opinion, can work either as a PG-13 or R franchise.

 

The Alien films have all been pretty much individual film-maker endeavors from Ridley Scott (Alien, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant), David Fincher (Alien 3), James Cameron (Aliens), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Alien: Resurrection), Paul WS. Anderson (Alien Vs Predator), and The Brothers Strause (Alien Vs Predator: Requiem).   Despite the mixed audience and critical response between each of the films, they are a singular vision of the director with the exception of Scott who is the only one to do more than one film.

 

Disney, on the other hand, is a company that produces film by committee so that they can appeal to all audiences.  They want their films to be all inclusive and homogenized and to not offend anyone.  So, in reality they don’t want creative filmmakers, they want filmmakers who understand their brand and can continue that brand.  This is most evident in the franchises surrounding their MCU and Star Wars universes which are homogenized and indistinguishable from one another.   These are all PG-13 films that focus on action and adventure and not horror or gore.  The Alien Xenomorph is not like the kaiju from Pacific Rim; these monsters hide in darkness, have acid for blood, and kill everything – violently. 

 

In Anderson’s Alien Vs Predator the horror is toned down for the action and adventure aspects that he is best known for and even though the film was financially successful fans of the franchise felt a little let down, so with the sequel Requiem, The Brothers Strause decided to craft a slasher film with monsters.  Anderson’s film was Rated PG-13 while The Brothers Strause sequel was Rated R and thought to be a return to form but a slasher film is also what audiences didn’t expect from the franchise.  This film did not sit well with anyone.

 

I mention this because at this point 20^th Century Fox had no idea what to do with the franchise as they couldn’t craft a film for all audiences (Alien Vs Predator) nor a film for the fans (Alien Vs Predator: Requiem).  The franchise has been through many different creative hands so why not let the director who started it all come back!

 

Scott’s vision with the franchise was to craft a story that went back to the beginning and in 2012 after a five year gap Prometheus was released to a divided audience that  were disappointed by the film that lacked Xenomorphs and had logic problems.  Scott tried to rectify this with Alien: Covenant but by the time this sequel saw release audiences were no longer interested.  It’s hard to determine what general audiences want from an Alien film especially since the films have had such mixed results, which is not a problem the comic books from Dark Horse Comics have ever had.

 

Two years after Cameron’s Aliens became a Box Office sensation, Dark Horse Comics purchased the rights and created the first mini-series that would help put their company on the map (along with Predator, Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, etc. a lot of film franchises).  This original series was a direct sequel to the film and would bring back popular characters from the films (the character of Ripley would eventually return in the third series Earth War which would conclude the storyline of these film characters).  The most astounding thing about the comic book franchise is the fact that over the last 30+ years the franchise has been kept fresh and interesting and almost at a non-stop pace.  Subsequent series would see the Xenomorphs cross into the DC universe and battle Superman, Batman, and W.I.L.D. Cats as well as battle such iconic figures as Judge Dredd, Hellboy, and Vampirella, to name just a few.  Cross-overs with both the Predators and Prometheus franchises happened on a regular basis but within those thirty years the franchise has remained fresh because of the many different characters and stories that were possible.

 

Dark Horse never had a loss for ideas, so why have the films?

 

One of my fears with Disney is that they will take the franchise and craft something more in line with their MCU and Star Wars franchises.  As the Dark Horse Comics have proven, there is a way to integrate all the different franchises into a “shared” universe (which will make Disney happy) but it couldn’t happen unless you could find a way to make it darker and Rated R (to make the fans happy).  Borrowing from the Dark Horse huge history of storylines would be the best way but since I’m sure Disney will yank their license with the characters (like they did with Star Wars) is soon coming if it already hasn’t happened (I’ve heard that Marvel is now doing a series which I’ll have to see how that all comes about).  It’s not too far off to see the Xenomorphs show up in a MCU television series since they already know aliens of all types exist (so why not just add the Xenomorphs?).

 

I can’t really see Disney making an R Rated film that will be in line with the original franchise.  What I do see is a remake or reboot to fit the Disney mandate which is not something I’d be interested in.  I’ve been a huge fan of the films and comic books since the Cameron film so I’m not looking forward to seeing anything Disney has planned either for the films or comic books.  I can only see it as a complete disaster, but then again I can’t say that all the films in the current franchise have been all that successful but at least they had a vision from their respective directors.

 

Only time will tell what will become of the Xenomorphs under the guidance of the Disney machine and unfortunately if I want to see another film come to fruition that is the only version I’ll be able to see.

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR - "Disney For the Mass Hysteria"

For this return to "Rants & Ravings About Horror" I decided to tackle instead my misgivings about the Disney Corporation but be on the look out for new and exciting "rants" coming throughout the rest of 2020 and beyond!

Most people know I’m generally not a fan of the Disney Corporation.  I’m not going to lie.  I didn’t grow up on Disney animation and I generally have no fondness for most their films post Beauty & The Beast (1991) which I still think is their last great masterpiece.  I’m an animation lover and studied animation from all over the world in college and therefore I’ve eventually watched most of what Disney has produced but their films just aren’t really all that good either for children nor “family” audiences.   They generally appeal to all audiences while at the same time never appealing to any one audience.  This is not the main reason why I just don’t care for Disney product.  This is just one of the many reasons and it came up recently (again)in conversation that I just “hate” on Disney which isn’t entirely true but I thought it would be a great time (again) to give a voice to my opinion.

First off, the Disney Corporation is an amazing corporation that engulfs hundreds of different and diverse companies that keep artist and creatives with steady jobs, fair wages, and places of advancement.  While in college (and when I was studying animation) I even wanted to apply to the Disney Animation internship program in California that fosters the future of animation and where most of the interns end up with a job at the studio.  I didn’t turn my application in but I still have it (stuffed in some box somewhere).  If you’re a hard worker and dedicated I’ve heard that it is a place that keeps people employed but like all corporations it really cares about the bottom line which is maximizing profits.

There is nothing wrong with maximizing profits.  It’s the way of all big businesses and the rule of capitalism so you can’t fault anyone for that.  But what you can fault them is the way they flaunt this to the world and how they want to protect their “family” image at the cost of everything else.  They hide their dirty secrets under red tape or subsidiaries or they bury them altogether and never acknowledge their existence.  It is no secret that the Miramax owned company refused to release David Cronenberg’s film Crash (1996) because the director refused to make the necessary cuts to get to an R-Rating.  Instead the company dumps the film in limited release (meaning specialty theaters) as if it never existed with a rating of NC-17 (the dreaded rating).  Also, for the longest time the Disney Company refused to release their WWII propaganda animated films to the public as it would hurt their “family friendly” image.  These films were a testament to the time in which they were made and every major studio was producing these types of films to boost morale at home and abroad.  Just look at the “Why We Fight” film series that had such a luminary visionary like Frank Capra (director of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It’s a Wonderful Life) at the forefront.  You also will never see Disney give an official release for Song of the South (1946), the less said about the history of this debacle the better.  This is a small sampling of the films Disney has buried.

This brings me to Studio Ghibli which for a time the company distributed in the US (and some other territories).  Studio Ghibli is one of the premiere animation studios in the world producing some of the best films that don’t rely on anthropomorphized characters, musical numbers, and CGI animation and technology.  They create brilliant works of animation that rely on original stories with captivating characters in unique worlds of wonder and imagination.  Everything that the Disney studio lacks.  Studio Ghibli being a major competitor, Disney bought up the distribution rights and released their films in limited capacity even after dubbing them all in English and never giving them the due respect they earned.  I was lucky enough to have seen most all of the Disney released Studio Ghibli films in art-house theaters.  These are films that have garnered awards throughout the entire world yet here in the US were treated as the bothersome stepson.  I was glad when the rights were sold to GKIDS in 2011 (when Disney was pretty much done with them) and they’ve given all the films in the library substantial re-releases that continue to this day.

Now I could also go into the huge Pixar/Disney debacle which is more closer to home for most Americans but for the longest time Pixar films were only distributed by Disney until the two corporations came to a mutually beneficial agreement whereby Pixar is a subsidiary of Disney and that Pixar is now obligated to produce two sequels in their catalog of films for every one original film.  This has cheapened the brand whereby Pixar used to produce one film every few years and each film was simply amazing but now for every Brave (2012) you get a Monsters University (2013) and Cars 2 (2011) or for every Coco (2017) there is a Incredibles 2 (2018) and Toy Story 4 (2019).  Now some of these sequels are good but to be honest, did we really need a Toy Story 4 after the amazing way Toy Story 3 (2010) ended and the less said about Cars 3 (2017) the better.  Pixar has produced some genuine masterpieces in Toy Story (1995), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and Finding Nemo (2003) but pretty much everything else is meh.

Disney’s biggest live action competitor was probably 20^th Century Fox’s Star Wars franchise which they never released a film against at the Box Office (except for maybe an animated film as counter programming which works in a business sense).  When George Lucas sold Disney all of Lucasarts (and its subsidiaries) it was like Christmas forever for the company!  One of their chief competitors at the Box Office was gone and now in their own hands.  And the first thing that came to Disney’s mind is to franchise.  Let’s make a new sequel trilogy, spin-off movies, television series, new toys, and of course a Baby Yoda!  Now, there have been questions from fans about just how good the last five films released by Disney actually are.  I loved The Force Awakens (2015) and enjoyed the hell out of Solo (2018) but there wasn’t anything original, captivating, or awe inspiring in any of them as they borrowed so heavily from other films in the franchise.  They had better actors, better CGI, and better action but they all were kind of “hollow” which is what happens when you try to appeal to everyone while appealing to no one.  There is a sense that these films need only to merely engage and entertain while presenting nothing new other than introducing lens flare to the universe.  Now the one thing I did love about the franchise is how inclusive the films have been to all races, genders, etc. and as an African American I can appreciate that as the original trilogy pretty much only had Billy Dee Williams.  Unfortunately, I haven’t bothered with The Mandalorian as when I heard mention of a Baby Yoda the only thought I had was of Ewoks and Gungans and I said, “No thank you.”

The same can be said in regards to the MCU.  If these films had come out in the ‘90s I probably would have taken to them more but I’ve not read a Marvel or DC comic in almost thirty years and therefore I have an image in my brain of what I remember what these characters were and not how much they’ve been re-invented in the last three decades.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved The Avengers (2012), Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014) & Captain America: Civil War (2016), Captain Marvel (2019), and both Guardians of the Galaxy films (which are the best in the entire franchise) but pretty much everything else is meh.  I hate the Iron Man and Thor films (although the 3^rd Thor film is very fun), Doctor Strange was visually stunning but hollow, Black Panther had one of the greatest ensemble casts of all the films but it’s over reliance on CGI killed it for me (although it has one of the best openings of any of the MCU films), Homecoming was inspired but man did I hate Far From Home and let’s be honest – did we really need yet another reboot of Spider-Man this soon?  Ant Man was completely forgettable except for Michael Pena who makes the film work although Ant Man & Wasp was a great recovery film.  I know there was a Hulk film somewhere but I remember nothing about it.  The greatest thing about the MCU franchise is the Agent Carter show which I loved and all the Netflix shows in The Defenders universe (which Kevin Feige wants to claim are no longer in the same universe any more).  The MCU is now like a one-stop shopping for candy-colored, delicious confections whose taste lasts for but a few moments before leaving  you hollow afterwards.  Infinity War and Endgame were not that bad but that’s because of Josh Brolin.  The one thing I have to give it to Disney in regards to the MCU is the inclusivity of the entire franchise but I also blame them (and Feige) for cancelling all the Hulu, Freeform, and Netflix shows as they weren’t created by Feige so therefore don’t belong in his MCU.

Now that I’ve touched on Disney’s handling of Pixar, propaganda films, MCU, Star Wars, and Studio Ghibli, I could go into more but I think you’re seeing the picture.  This hasn’t even touched the 20^th Century Studios acquisitions which has both good and bad vibes.  For MCU fans they love the fact that The X-Men and Fantastic Four and other Fox properties can now be incorporated into the MCU.  But what does that mean for the hugely successful Deadpool franchise which was Rated-R and other properties like the Alien and Predator franchises which don’t fit into the Family Friendly Disney image; I guess there is always Hulu.  For comic fans, what will happen to Boom! Studios (which Disney has a minority stake in) and will that be incorporated into Marvel comics and/or will Feige try to incorporate those characters into MCU as well or simply ignore them altogether? Will 20^th Century Animation and Blue Sky Studios be integrated into Walt Disney Animation Studios or shuttered altogether?  How will FX Networks be integrated into Disney/ABC/A&E or will its contents be dumped to Hulu (which is majority owned by Disney now)?  Will National Geographic Partners become part of Disney Nature and/or be re-branded?  The only thing that seems safe and untouchable is ESPN Inc. and everything included with that.   I’m not going to even touch the music and media publishing accounts.  What Disney sees as competition they either acquire or they destroy or sometimes both.  The danger is that the more assets that Disney acquires the less diversified the product for the consumer to choose from.

It’s like a town that has no Mom & Pop stores but only a Super Walmart and a Super Target.  You have two chooses to choose from that give you the same exact products with no variety but at a cheap cost so everyone can afford them.  Great cost!  Low prices! Cheap products!  Maximum profits!

Now, still, there is nothing inherently wrong with this as that’s what the consumer sometimes wants and they don’t mind paying for the same thing each year as long as it’s dressed up in a new pretty color.  If this is all that you have in your town then that’s all you ever want but you have to acknowledge that that is not all you NEED.  You need a choice.  You need variety.  You need diversification.  What we don’t need is the appearance of something we need which is a hollow and insincere gesture, which is what the Disney Corporation provides.  What we need is a genuine offering that is honest and truthful.

Right now, people are claiming they want this through our politics, a transparent police department in every city, a genuine health care plan that actually works for the people, the end of racism, ageism, and sexism.  These are the things people need.  People don’t need Disney, which encompasses almost every facet of our daily lives in some form or fashion, to continue slamming the same trash time and time again down our throats through their business practices, their politics, and their treatment of their employees (because they aren’t transparent when it comes to their own internal systematic racism, sexism, ageism, etc.); they’re just better at covering it up like candy-colored, delicious confections.

Now none of this minimizes the fact that the Disney Corporation is the most successful film studio in the world (probably cruise line and theme parks as well, just to name a few) but this shouldn’t blind you to everything else that they do as well behind closed doors and hostile take-overs.

***

Now getting back to my original opening whereas I mentioned I didn’t grow up on Disney.  That’s not entirely true.  We had the Disney channel in our home because my parents (like most parents) thought they needed to have it because of the four children in our house hold.  My siblings and I could care less about watching Disney, so my parents stopped paying for it.  I actually got much of my animation culture from public television and HBO (back in the day when they acquired content to distribute).  I grew up on the more profound animated films of Animal Farm (1954), Charlotte’s Web (1973), The Camel Boy (1974), Dot & the Kangaroo (1977), The Lord of the Rings (1978), The Hobbit (1977), The Snowman (1982), and many, many more.  HBO had some of the most diversified animation available as they acquired stuff from all over the world and being a military brat I was also exposed to the Black & White Speed Racer and AstroBoy (which played on every public television everywhere on base) so that was my early exposure to Japanese anime.  I didn’t grow up with the musicality of Disney animation and therefore don’t believe I really missed out on anything.  I’ve seen maybe 85% of all the Disney/Pixar animated films and still believe this as I just think other countries were more diversified in their offerings then and especially now.

Now, I don’t expect anyone to go out there and stop watching Disney product or boycott their films (as I’m sure they are doing right now with the live action Mulan film - #BoycottMulan) but if I’ve informed just one person about Disney practices and or made one person understand my thoughts on the whole thing than it will have been worth it.

In fact, I’m looking forward to an X-Men Vs Avengers film and think that if Disney can find a way to do a sequel to Aliens that doesn’t involve the Ripley character and isn’t a remake/reboot then I’m there!  

“Favorite Films of 2018…So Far”

It’s been a strange yet exciting year at the Box Office after the dismal year that was 2017 where both the Box Office was at its lowest in sixteen years and the quality of films was eclectic at best.  This year is a different story altogether as there has been a great sampling of films from across all genres.  I’d like to tell you my favorite films of the year…so far and I hope if you’ve not seen some of them that you give them a watch.

15. THE FIRST PURGE – A very interesting sequel to one of the most polarizing film franchises out right now.  A dystopian near-future that showcases the very First Purge.  Although, at first, I thought that the franchise didn’t need a prequel, but this film is both exciting and relevant and opens new possibilities for future films (and TV series).  This racially and politically charged film is a great indicator of the possibilities of this franchise as it continues to branch out and expand.

14. HOTEL ARTEMIS – Jodie Foster leads and impeccable cast in a film that’s reminiscent of John Wick and The Raid: Redemption but is something all its own.  Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, and Dave Bautista also add tremendously to this off-beat film that has character.  It may not be as action oriented as one might expect but it has a sharp script and great wit.

13. ARMED – I was completely shocked when I learned that writer/director Mario Van Peeples had another film coming out this year (in fact, I only learned about this the week it was released).  Without any advance notice or fanfare this film about a former US Marshall suffering from a form of PTSD in a world overtaken by gun control and mental disorder surprised me because of just how hard or a film it is to categorize and much like the film-maker’s best films – i.e. Panther, New Jack City, and Posse, this film is just as contemporary and controversial.  Peeples has matured as a film-maker (as he’s spent most of the last couple decades directing episodes of acclaimed TV shows).  Also, a film inspired by a true story.

12. BLACK PANTHER – Was a film I tremendously enjoyed for the first two-thirds as it shaped some great characters (and supporting characters) but by the third act was too reliant on over-blown CGI that took me out of the film.  The third act felt too much like most of the other MCU films and was lost in the over excess of trying to appease too many “masters” (especially since it was essentially an origin story).  This being said, there is great individuality in that first two-thirds of the film that shows immense promise for future films.

11. TAG – Inspired by actual events, this film actually is quite a very good film about long lasting friendship and competition amongst friends/family.  This has a great cast that never goes too far in the absurd territory despite the crazy premise.  There is not a weak spot in this cast and that is most of the fun in this slapstick comedy.

10. DEADPOOL 2 – Most people like the original better than this film but I think both films are equally good for different reasons.  The original is one of the best origin stories ever crafted that breathes fresh life in the format whereas this film is one of the best sequels (to a super hero film) ever crafted as it takes all of audience’s expectations about super hero films and throws them out the window.  The film is fresh and never feels repetitive or predictable mostly because the character is anything but predictable.  The film has tragedy in equal parts of comedy and the character of Deadpool goes through many different stages despite how absurd most of what is presented in the film actually is.  My choice for best comic book film of the year.

9. ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE LAST 49 DAYS – The original 2017 film was one of my favorite films of that year and this film is equally as good as the original but this one focuses on the characters and goes a long way of establishing their origins.  The film is at times a bit long because the Purgatory doesn’t come off as fresh as it did in the original but there is one amazing sequence that’s an homage to Jurassic World that has to be seen to be believed.

8. THE DEATH OF STALIN – took a great graphic novel and made it better!  This is an amazing adaptation that has a great cast that is equally funny as much as it is a satire.  There hasn’t been a satire like this (or that is as equally as good) since Dr. Strangelove.

7. GAME NIGHT – This comedy gets high marks not only because of the amazing cast but the cinematography, editing, and musical score to name but a few of the great elements that make up this film.  Many may have looked at this film as a simple comedy, but directors John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein have crafted a modern day comedy masterpiece in film-making that’s equally funny as it is entertaining.

6. UPGRADE – The very fresh and surprisingly excellent science fiction-horror hybrid that has a whip-smart script that’s expertly executed by writer/direct Leigh Whannel and star Logan Marshall-Green.  A low budget sci-fi gen like Ex Machina.

5. A QUIET PLACE – One of the most poignant and psychologically perfect horror films of the year which also happened to be a huge audience pleaser.  One of my favorite horror films of the year (in a year filled with a lot of mediocre films).

4. THE SPY GONE NORTH – This is an excellent film from beginning to end and one of the best examples of an espionage film (far superior to Red Sparrow).  An excellent cast with an equally suspenseful script and assured direction from Jong-bin Yoon.  Not a film to be missed.

3. SEARCHING – An edge of your seat thriller that uses modern day technology to tell a conventional tale in a not so conventual way.  John Cho proves he’s an amazing actor with a lot of range in this film of a father searching for his missing daughter with the help of a dedicated police detective using computer screens as the style of the film.  This film shows that there are still new tools to tell old stories in new and exciting ways.

2. BLACKKKLANSMAN – One of director Spike Lee’s absolute best films and one of the year’s best films!  Lee is at top form with this controversial and polarizing film which is also funny and entertaining from beginning to end.  Lee is kind of a hit or miss director but this film everything lines up perfectly for the veteran film-maker.  One of the absolute best films of the year.

1. HEREDITARY – Is my favorite film of the year for the simple reason that it is a powerful and uncompromising film that’s polarizing and anything but predictable.  Anchored by an amazing performance by Toni Collette that has to be seen to be believed, this is a film that leaves an impression long after the credits roll.  Every year there are good films, but few leave an impression with you like this film does.  There is not one person I know of who hasn’t seen this film and thus been changed by it in some way.

There are plenty of films that didn’t make the list for various reasons.  A film can be entertaining (i.e. The Meg, Skyscrapper, Tomb Raider, Ocean’s Eight) and it can satisfy yet predictable (i.e. Avengers: Infinity War, Blood Fest, Solo: A Star Wars Story), and then in there are those that just needed a little something more (i.e. Kin, Unsane, The Nun, Winchester. The Maze Runner: The Death Cure).  Then there are the films I just thought weren’t worth the time – i.e. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Den of Thieves, Red Sparrow, and Slender Man, to name a few.

I saw more than these films at the Box Office this year (thank you Movie Pass and AMC’s A-List) but some of the films I didn’t see (but wished I had) includes – 12 Strong, Annihilation, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Chappaquiddick, RBG, Eight Grade, Beirut, Blindspotting, The Wife, A Fantastic Woman, Mary Shelley, and Sicario: Day of the Soldado, just to name a few. 

My opinions of the above mentioned films is nothing but that, “my opinion” and I hope you all decide for yourself which films to take a chance on.  Film-makers and artists put a lot of work into all the films and regardless of what I think they are all worth a look, if for no other reason than to say “I’ve seen it and therefore my opinion means something.”

I’ll make sure to get back with you at the beginning of next year so you know what I thought of the rest of 2018s releases but until then, enjoy your film watching!