Blog Archives
What I watched in… November 2017
Favorite of the Month: Justice League (2017)
In the interest of full disclosure (and to generate a little content here) I thought I’d present a regular tally of what movies I managed to see in the previous month. Some of them I’ve written or talked about, most of them I haven’t. This list includes movies I saw for the first time, movies I’ve seen a thousand times, movies I saw in the theater, movies I watched at home, direct-to-DVD, made-for-TV and anything else that qualifies as a movie. I also choose my favorite of the month among those movies I saw for the first time, marked in red. Feel free to discuss or ask about any of them!
- The Deadly Mantis (1957), D-
- The Brides of Dracula (1960), B-
- Spielberg (2017), B
- Barracuda (1978), F
- Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), D+
- Blacula (1972), D
- Springfield of Dreams: The Legend of Homer Simpson (2017), B+
- Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), A+
- The Wizard of Oz (1939), A+
- Hidden Figures (2016), A-
- Jack Frost (1979), B-
- Justice League (2017), B+
- Matilda (1996), B+
- Fun in Balloon Land (1965), F; RiffTrax Riff, B+
- Home For the Holidays (1995), C
- The Great Santa Claus Switch (1970), B+
- A Christmas Story Documentary: Road Trip For Ralphie (2008), D
What I Watched In… February 2017
Favorite of the Month: The Lego Batman Movie
In the interest of full disclosure (and to generate a little content here) I thought I’d present a regular tally of what movies I managed to see in the previous month. Some of them I’ve written or talked about, most of them I haven’t. This list includes movies I saw for the first time, movies I’ve seen a thousand times, movies I saw in the theater, movies I watched at home, direct-to-DVD, made-for-TV and anything else that qualifies as a movie. I also choose my favorite of the month among those movies I saw for the first time, marked in red. Feel free to discuss or ask about any of them!
- Keanu (2016), B
- Stardust (2007), A-
- The Guy From Harlem (1977), F; RiffTrax Riff, B+
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), A-
- Being From Another World aka Time Walker (1983), D-; MST3K Riff, B
- The Day of the Triffids (1962), B
- Kung Fu Elliot (2014), B
- Maniac (2012), B-
- Crimson Peak (2015), C+
- The Lego Batman Movie (2017), A-
- Godzilla (1998), D
- The Pixar Story (2007), A
- Midnight Special (2016), B+
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A
- Godzilla Raids Again (1955), B
- ARQ (2016), B-
- Justice League Dark (2017), B
- First Blood (1982), A
- Blair Witch (2016), B
- The Good Dinosaur (2015), B
- Danger!! Death Ray (1967), C-; MST3K Riff, B
- King Kong (1976), B-
- Good Burger (1997), B
- Miami Connection (1987), D-; RiffTrax Riff, A
- The Wonderful Land of Oz (1969), C; RiffTrax Riff, B+
- Girlfriend’s Day (2017), B
- Beware the Slenderman (2016), A-
- Beverly Hills Cop (1984), B+
- Arrival (2016), A
- I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017), B
- Zindy, the Swamp-Boy (1973), D; RiffTrax Riff, B
- Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016), C+
Looking ahead to 2017…
We’ve got 12 months of movies ahead of us. Now that we’ve looked back at 2016, let’s see what’s coming out this year that’s got me excited…
- The LEGO Batman Movie (Feb. 10). The first LEGO Movie was one of the most unexpected gems of the last few years. The trailers for this first spinoff look to be unfettered fun.
- John Wick Chapter 2 (Feb. 10). Another unexpected hit was the first John Wick movie. I can’t wait for the sequel.
- Logan (March 3). Hugh Jackman’s final turn as Wolverine looks like it’s going to be a much darker, more intense take on the character than we’ve seen before.
- Kong: Skull Island (March 10). With Legendary planning an MCU-style connection between this and their Godzilla franchise, I’m really looking forward to the new take on King Kong.
- Beauty and the Beast (March 17). Disney’s rash of live-action remakes of their classic animated films has been hit or miss for me, but Emma Watson as Belle is perfect casting. I’ve got high hopes for this one.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5). After a thrilling, joyful first film, I’m hoping director James Gunn can do the same with this one.
- Wonder Woman (June 2). It’s almost a crime that it’s taken this long for there to be a live-action Wonder Woman movie. Gal Gadot stole every scene of Batman V Superman, and I can’t wait to see this one.
- The Mummy (June 9). Universal is hoping to revive its classic monster franchise with (again) an MCU-style shared universe. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it works.
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 7). Marvel and Sony coming to an agreement for Spider-Man is the best thing that could have happened for the character. Tom Holland rocked in Captain America: Civil War, and I’m hoping for more of that in this film.
- War For the Planet of the Apes (July 14). The first two films in the new Apes franchise were phenomenal — deep, thoughtful films with mesmerizing performances. I feel very good about this next one.
- Dunkirk (July 21). Christopher Nolan doing a World War I epic. How can you not be excited?
- The Dark Tower (July 28). Stephen King’s self-proclaimed “Magnum Opus” is a work that has a need personal meaning for me. I want this movie to be great. The casting is spot-on, although the information that’s come out so far leaves me wondering exactly what angle they’re intending to take on the material.
- It (Sept. 8). Another Stephen King adaptation. Although not as personal to me, it’s still a great book that had an okay TV adaptation. Can any film truly capture the novel?
- Thor: Ragnarok (Nov. 3). Although the Thor movies gave the MCU its most charismatic villain, they aren’t quite as memorable as the rest of the franchise. This time out, having Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Dr. Strange along for the ride may finally give us a great Thor movie.
- Justice League (Nov. 17). I’ve been waiting for this movie since I was a kid, and the promotional materials have looked fantastic. I can’t wait.
- Star Wars Episode VIII (Dec. 15). Little independent movie. You probably haven’t heard of it.
2016 in Film
Favorite of the Year: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Once again, it’s a new year, and that means it’s time to take a look back at the releases of the previous year. I managed to clock in a a lot of movies in 2016, although as always there are still several I haven’t seen yet (Arrival, Shin Godzilla, Moana, and many more). So as always, consider this list incomplete. It’s every 2016 movie I’ve seen so far, including TV movies and direct-to-DVD fare, ranked from my favorite to least favorite, with commentary where I find it necessary.
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — Two years in a row, a Star Wars movie has claimed my top spot. Under its new Disney home, Lucasfilm is on fire.
- Doctor Strange — Amazingly, for a character I’ve never fully connected with in the comics, Benedict Cumberbatch has turned in one of my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe performances to date.
- Captain America: Civil War — Although they may as well have called this Avengers 3, the third Captain America movie was a blast. I especially liked the fact that this time around the stakes were much more personal, rather than a save-the-world scenario. It was a nice change of pace.
- Zootopia — This was a huge surprise to me. Not that it was good (John Lasseter taking over Disney animation is the best thing to happen to Disney animation since Walt Disney himself), but how good it was. Funny, sweet, and surprisingly poignant.
- For the Love of Spock — Adam Nimoy directs this touching documentary about his father, Leonard.
- Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice — I don’t care what the critics say, I had a great thrill seeing DC’s trinity on screen for the first time, and I can’t wait to see Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman.
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them — I felt the same way about this as Rogue One. The studios have learned that if you can make the universe itself the star instead of a particular character, you can make a franchise last much longer. This was a fun addition to J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.
- Star Trek Beyond — It’s rare that the third film in a franchise is the best, but this was the most exciting, most “Star Trek”-like film in the Kelvin Timeline to date.
- Finding Dory — Lovely follow-up to Finding Nemo, with a heartfelt message.
- The Nice Guys — Like so many people, I loved this movie, and wish that it had found a larger audience in theaters.
- Deadpool
- Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan-Film Ever Made — You may have heard the story of a couple of kids who spent years working on an amateur shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark. This is that story.
- Batman: The Killing Joke
- Hush — Tense little thriller about a home invasion in the home of a deaf woman.
- 10 Cloverfield Lane — One of the year’s best surprises.
- Suicide Squad — Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was fantastic. The rest of the movie was pretty good.
- Hail, Caesar!
- The Witch
- Independence Day: Resurgence
- DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year — Cute direct-to-DVD movie starring DC’s latest franchise. I love the fact that this series exists, and so does my 6-year-old niece.
- X-Men: Apocalypse — Weakest of the “First Class” trilogy, but that still places it ahead of the likes of X-Men: The Last Stand or the first two Wolverine movies.
- Keanu
- Ghostheads
- Justice League Vs. Teen Titans
- Holidays — Fun, if uneven, horror anthology.
- Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday
- Batman: Bad Blood
- LEGO DC Super Heroes: Justice League-Cosmic Clash
- LEGO DC Super Heroes: Justice League-Gotham City Breakout
- Mascots
- The Jungle Book — I know a lot of people were blown away by this, but it just didn’t do it for me. Admittedly, it may just be because I’ve never been able to get into talking animal movies. It’s a weird hang-up of mine, I admit.
- Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders — Animated film featuring Adam West and Burt Ward, and damn, do they show their age. When Batman and Robin sound like they’re in their 70s, maybe nostalgia isn’t enough.
- Dwarvenaut
- Criminal
- Grease Live!
- Dead 7 — Weak-ass SyFy movie starring a bunch of washed-up boy band members in a zombie western.
- The Neon Demon — Probably the most controversial opinion I’ll have here. The latest from writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn of Drive and Only God Forgives, and like those other films, I found this unbearably dull and overblown.
- Ghostbusters — A weak script and a weak director tanked this remake.
- Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again
- Paradox
What I watched in… July 2016
Favorite of the Month: Star Trek Beyond (2016)
In the interest of full disclosure (and to generate a little content here) I thought I’d present a regular tally of what movies I managed to see in the previous month. Some of them I’ve written or talked about, most of them I haven’t. This list includes movies I saw for the first time, movies I’ve seen a thousand times, movies I saw in the theater, movies I watched at home, direct-to-DVD, made-for-TV and anything else that qualifies as a movie. I also choose my favorite of the month among those movies I saw for the first time, marked in red. Feel free to discuss or ask about any of them!
- Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah (1995), B
- Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (2002), B+
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), B
- Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus (2000), B
- Godzilla Vs. Space Godzilla (1994), C+
- Godzilla (2014), A
- Red Dawn (1984), B; RiffTrax Riff, B+
- Bone Tomahawk (2015), A-
- The Neverending Story (1984), A-
- Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1985), F; MST3K Riff, A
- Ring of Terror (1962), F; MST3K Riff, B
- Monster A-Go Go (1965), F; MST3K Riff, B-
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984), A-
- Star Trek (2009), A
- Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), B
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), B
- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), A+
- Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984), B+
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), B+
- Ghostbusters (2016), C-
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), C-
- Star Trek Beyond (2016), A
- Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) B+
- Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), A-
- Star Trek: Generations (1994), C+
- Star Trek: First Contact (1996), A-
- Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), C+
- Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), B-
- LEGO DC Comics Superheroes: Justice League-Gotham City Breakout (2016), B
- Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015), B
- Back to the Beach (1987), B
- Summer Rental (1985), B-
- Scooby-Doo (2002), C+
What I watched in… April 2016
Favorite of the Month: Hush (2016)
In the interest of full disclosure (and to generate a little content here) I thought I’d present a regular tally of what movies I managed to see in the previous month. Some of them I’ve written or talked about, most of them I haven’t. This list includes movies I saw for the first time, movies I’ve seen a thousand times, movies I saw in the theater, movies I watched at home, direct-to-DVD, made-for-TV and anything else that qualifies as a movie. I also choose my favorite of the month among those movies I saw for the first time, marked in red. Feel free to discuss or ask about any of them!
- The Phantom Tollbooth (1970), B+
- April Fool’s Day (1986), D
- Fateful Findings (2013), F
- Jack and the Beanstalk (1952), B
- The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), A-
- Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe (1990), F; RiffTrax Riff, B
- House on Haunted Hill (1959), B-; RiffTrax Riff, B+
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), A
- My Dinner With Andre (1981), B
- The Blob (1958), B-
- The Beginning of the End (1957), D; MST3K Riff, A
- The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway (2011), B
- Divergent (2014), B
- Anastasia (1997), B+
- Cube (1997), B
- Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991), D
- Cube 2: Hypercube (2002), B
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), A
- Cube Zero (2004), B-
- Astro Boy (2009), B-
- Hush (2016), A-
- Abar, the First Black Superman (1977), D
- Criminal (2016), C+
- Justice League Vs. Teen Titans (2016), B+
- Masters of the Universe (1987), C
- Time Bandits (1981), A
- Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922), B-
- Night of the Living Dead (1968), A; RiffTrax Riff, B
What I Watched In… March 2016
Favorite of the Month: Batman V Superman-Dawn of Justice (2016)
In the interest of full disclosure (and to generate a little content here) I thought I’d present a regular tally of what movies I managed to see in the previous month. Some of them I’ve written or talked about, most of them I haven’t. This list includes movies I saw for the first time, movies I’ve seen a thousand times, movies I saw in the theater, movies I watched at home, direct-to-DVD, made-for-TV and anything else that qualifies as a movie. I also choose my favorite of the month among those movies I saw for the first time, marked in red. Feel free to discuss or ask about any of them!
- Amadeus (1984), A-
- LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League-Cosmic Clash (2016), B+
- Age of Consent (1969), B
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), B
- The Guest House (2012), D
- H.H. Holmes: America’s First Serial Killer (2004), C
- Time Lapse (2015), B
- The Fast and the Furious (2001), B
- Batman: Bad Blood (2016) B+
- Vertigo (1958), B+
- The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995), B
- Chaos on the Bridge (2014), B+
- 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), A-
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), A+
- Deathstalker and the Warriors From Hell (1988), D
- Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday (2016), B
- The Passion (2016), A
- 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), C
- Batman: Year One (2011), A
- Wonder Woman (2009), B+
- Man of Steel (2013), A
- Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), A
In addition to the list, this month my podcast (the All New Showcase) reviewed two of the new releases. Click on the links to listen to our thoughts on 10 Cloverfield Lane and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.
What I Watched In… September 2015
Favorite of the month: Black Mass (2015)
In the interest of full disclosure (and to generate a little content here) I thought I’d present a regular tally of what movies I managed to see in the previous month. Some of them I’ve written or talked about, most of them I haven’t. This list includes movies I saw for the first time, movies I’ve seen a thousand times, movies I saw in the theater, movies I watched at home, direct-to-DVD, made-for-TV and anything else that qualifies as a movie. I also choose my favorite of the month among those movies I saw for the first time, marked in red. Feel free to discuss or ask about any of them!
What I Watched In… March 2015
Favorite of the Month: Birdman (2014)
I’m a few days late with this list, but I’m gonna go ahead and play my “Sorry, I was hospitalized” card. I’m home now, and trying to get myself back to normal. So…
In the interest of full disclosure (and to generate a little content here) I thought I’d present a regular tally of what movies I managed to see in the previous month. Some of them I’ve written or talked about, most of them I haven’t. This list includes movies I saw for the first time, movies I’ve seen a thousand times, movies I saw in the theater, movies I watched at home, direct-to-DVD, made-for-TV and anything else that qualifies as a movie. I also choose my favorite of the month among those movies I saw for the first time, marked in red. Feel free to discuss or ask about any of them!
1. Nick Offerman: American Ham (2014), B-
2. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009), B+
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), B-
4. Parallels (2014), B
5. 42 (2013), A-
6. 88 (2015), D
7. The Last Days (2013), B+
8. The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), D
9. Big Hero Six (2014), A
10. Love Hotel (2014), C
11. Harmontown (2014), B
12. Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014), B
13. Justice League: Throne of Atlantis (2015), B+
14. Mud (2012), B
15. It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012), A-
16. Back Issues (2014), C
17. Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks (1974), D; Cinematic Titanic Riff, B
18. Open Windows (2014), B+
19. Birdman (2014), A
20. The Usual Suspects (1995), B
21. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), A-
22. Last Action Hero (1993), B-
23. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), B
24. 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), C
25. The ABCs of Death 2 (2014), B-
26. V/H/S: Viral (2014), C
27. To Be or Not to Be (1983), B+
28. European Vacation (1985), B
29. Deep Impact (1998), B+
What I Watched in… February 2015
Favorite of the Month: Chef (2014)
In the interest of full disclosure (and to generate a little content here) I thought I’d present a regular tally of what movies I managed to see in the previous month. Some of them I’ve written or talked about, most of them I haven’t. This list includes movies I saw for the first time, movies I’ve seen a thousand times, movies I saw in the theater, movies I watched at home, direct-to-DVD, made-for-TV and anything else that qualifies as a movie. I also choose my favorite of the month among those movies I saw for the first time, marked in red. Feel free to discuss or ask about any of them!
(For some reason, Februaries always seem to be a low-viewing month for me. I don’t know why.)
Reel to Reel 