Dan's 2016 Movie Ranking: #5 to #1

Here comes the final results of a year's worth of watching movies. What was my most enjoyable movie watching experience of 2016? Let's find out.

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#5

This movie finished at #10 in 2015's ranking and has moved up to #5 in 2016. My 2016 viewing took place way back in January. I had seen it in the theater for the second time (the first being in December of 2015).

I think I enjoyed it more the second time around because I knew what was coming. I was more relaxed watching it this time. I wasn't there simply to soak in every detail. I was able to just kick back and enjoy the movie for what it was this tine. Great cast, great special effects. As always, an epic musical score. And there were some memorable, emotional moments toward the end when Han is killed and we get to see Leia's reaction to it.

My only complaint is that the story line is a bit too simplistic, and it seems to borrow heavily from themes we had already seen in the original trilogy. With a little more originality and an identity of its own, this movie could have been truly great rather than just very good.

#4

I had heard all kinds of good things about this movie before I finally sat down and watched it. I didn't actually know what it was about, but I knew that people liked it. So I came into it with pretty high hopes.

It turns out that people liked the movie for a reason: it is very good. It was actually better than I was hoping for, which was a pleasant surprise.

I am a sadist and I like seeing people suffer in movies, so of course I thought it was awesome when Leo fought with the bear. That was one of the scariest scenes I have seen in a movie in a long time. The movie is very brutal and there is a lot of gore and violence. The weather is cold and unforgiving. The film makers do a really fantastic job depicting how harsh the conditions are.

The Revenant goes through many stages. Western, survival movie, revenge thriller. And I was fascinated the whole way. While I was watching this movie, the thought popped into my head that this could win my ranking for the year. It didn't quite finish #1, but it did come very close.

#3

I've seen The Rock a handful of times in my life before. While I have always enjoyed the movie, I thought it was particularly incredible watching it in 2016.

Let's start with the bad: Nicolas Cage. He is not the greatest actor, and there are some cringe worthy moments in this film. In particular, the sex scene. If you don't know what I am talking about, you will when you watch this. But really, he is the only bad thing about the movie. Because everything else in it is pretty bad ass.

The supporting cast is one of the best I have ever seen. Sean Connery, Ed Harris (who is really, really good in this), Michael Biehn, David Morse, Tony Todd, and the dude who plays Tuco in Breaking Bad all shine in this movie. One of my favorite performances was by John Spencer, an actor I had never heard of before. I Googled him after the movie and found out that he died. That's sad.

The movie is nonstop action almost the entire way. But The Rock is unique in the fact that this never gets tiresome. Scenarios are constantly changing and evolving. The plot moves along at a fast and entertaining clip. The movie is a thrill ride, there is no way around it. I was blown away by how fun it is.

Don't write this off as a cheap dime a dozen action film. It is definitely worth your time.

#2

I enjoyed the original Cloverfield movie. It was intense and a lot of fun. It was a very simple "monster destroys city" movie, but effective and enjoyable. When I heard about this movie, I probably assumed what everyone else did as well: that this would be a sequel to the original Cloverfield. Or if it wasn't necessarily a direct sequel, it would be related in some way.

Not at all actually. Despite having the name Cloverfield in the title, this movie couldn't be more different. The film follows a young woman who wakes up from a serious car accident in a mysterious bunker. She is held captive by a slightly nutty John Goodman. He insists that it is dangerous to leave the bunker and that everyone outside is dead. You don't know whether he is telling the truth and just happens to be a little eccentric, or if he is making it all up and he is absolutely out of his mind. But I will tell you that Goodman is fabulous in the role. He is very creepy and keeps you alert with his unpredictable behavior.

The whole movie keeps you guessing as to what is really going on outside the bunker. It kind of reminded me a little bit of some of the mysteries of the TV show Lost. It felt pretty cool to experience something like that once again, if only for a short little movie like this.

I thought the film was sensational, and I loved every second of it.

#1

You know, I never thought the day would come when a big blockbuster superhero movie would win one of my year end film rankings. Don't get me wrong, I have always liked superhero movies on the whole. But I can't say I have ever been too excited about them.

But that changed with Captain America: Civil War. This movie isn't just about superheroes vs bad guys. In fact, it blurs the line between who exactly is good and who is bad. In the film, a rift opens up between Captain America and Iron Man when concerns are raised that the Avengers have too much freedom and power to do whatever they want. A registration act becomes an area of contention between the opposing superhero factions. Things are further complicated when Captain America's old friend Bucky (The Winter Soldier) shows up at a peace deal and kills a bunch of people.

The side that wants to force the heroes to register themselves want Bucky dead. But Captain America and the anti-registration heroes want to capture him alive and find out the truth about what is going on. The movie becomes a giant hero vs hero battle.

It is epic watching the two sides duke it out. I was more excited by this film than I was any of the Avengers movies. Great plot, great action scenes, characters that you really care about. Twists and turns all over the place. And the cast... so many superheroes! There is something exhilarating about seeing Ant-Man vs Spider-Man vs Captain America vs Iron Man vs Black Widow vs Hawkeye vs Black Panther and so on and so forth.

There is never a dull moment in this movie. And with all the different characters that make appearances here, the film does a brilliant job getting you to care about each and every one of them. I want to see the new Spider-Man now. And I want to see Black Panther. And I want to see the new Ant-Man if and when they ever make one. The next Captain America. The next Iron Man. It goes on and on. Everything is tied together too, which I love about the Marvel cinematic universe. Everything has repercussions which will be felt in the next film.

So yeah this ranks as my favorite movie watched in 2016. I'm probably more surprised that I loved this movie as much as I did than you are. What will 2017 have in store? I don't know, but I have changed up how I do my ranking 2 years in a row now, so I think I'm going to make it #3.

Stay tuned.

Dan's 2016 Movie Ranking: #10 to #6

Well, I had intended to wrap up this ranking in a single post a few days ago. But - big surprise - I got lazy. I'd rather put out something than nothing, however, so here you go. It's not the big conclusion to the list that you all have been waiting for (and by you all, I mean the three people that have been following this ranking) but for now it will have to do.

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#10

Coming into this movie, I thought it would be your standard shark attack film. I didn't have very high hopes.

Turns out I liked the movie a lot more than I had thought I would. This isn't just a cheesy shark film. This is a film about life or death survival. It features a character being tormented by a shark, but it has more substance to it than that. As Blake Lively swims around the ocean from a giant whale carcass to a floating buoy to a random chunk of rock sticking out of the water looking for safe haven, she reflects on what brought her here. Memories of her mother and how this used to be her favorite place.

The movie surprised me because it isn't all action and people getting killed by sharks. It has a heart too. Not only is it very fast paced, intense, and not only did it keep me on the edge of my seat - it pulled me in on an emotional level as well.

Plus, Steven Seagull was a total stud.

This was an excellent movie, but not quite good enough to be a serious contender for favorite movie watched in '16.

#9

Here is another movie I didn't know much about when I started watching it. I had read the premise of the film, but I expected it to be more noir-like, somehow. The basic idea is that a band playing a gig at a seedy club witnesses a murder and is held hostage by the club's owner, who is trying to cover up the crime.

That is the basic idea, but the film is much more brutal than you would expect. There is a lot of violence here, some of it very graphic and lifelike. The physical and psychological torture some of these characters go through can be tough to watch. The whole film is very intense, and the level of dread the characters feel is palpable in the air.

I always look for movies that can elicit a strong emotional response, and this one does just that. You can't help but feel on the edge of your seat the whole way through. It is just so suspenseful. My only complaint is that I really feel that Patrick Stewart could have been amazing as a bad guy, but he is way too subdued here. He's the main reason I watched, but I was a little let down by his performance.

#8

I have seen this movie many times in my life, but I never really sat down and watched it and focused on it until my viewing in 2016. In the past I have found this movie to be just okay, but watching it now I loved it and was really fascinated by it.

This film is loosely based on the life of the Marquis DeSade. In the movie, he is being held captive at a mental hospital. He's done terrible things in his past. Violence, rape. I think it is hinted that he murdered someone. He also writes a lot of sexually graphic stories, which are taboo for his time. He smuggles them out of the mental hospital with the help of Kate Winslet's character. She is a chambermaid that takes out his laundry.

The whole movie is very, very entertaining. There is a big and colorful cast of characters. The Marquis himself is the biggest character of all, but the people he shares occupancy with at the mental hospital really add to the carnival-esque tone of the film.

Things get darker in the second half of the movie when the Marquis's stories are traced back to the hospital, and someone is brought in to stop him from writing by any means necessary.

I was fascinated by the film and its violent and at the same time very sexual tone. But also by the character of the Marquis himself. You can tell a movie has piqued my interest when I research it after the fact (which I normally don't do). Quills definitely left a big impression on me.

#7

I thought the Rocky franchise was dead and had nowhere else to go. This isn't technically a Rocky movie, but it does prove that there is still life in the film's story line.

Creed follows the boxing career of Adonis, an orphaned boy who finds out that world famous boxer Apollo Creed was his dad. He follows in his dad's footsteps to become the best ever, teaming up with Rocky Balboa who vows to train him to the best of his ability. The two have their ups and downs, but become very close in the process.

The movie not only makes you feel good with Adonis and his underdog story, it also tugs at the heartstrings as Rocky suffers health problems and spends some time in the hospital. The acting is really great in this movie, and it made me shed a few tears while watching.

This was a great movie that I would rank above several movies in the Rocky franchise. I was very impressed bu the film and hope to see a sequel some day.

#6

It is actually a little disappointing to me that this film "only" ranks number 6 on my list. I had been looking forward to this for a long time, and was hoping that it would blow me away as one of the best Star Wars films of all time.

While it is certainly an excellent movie, I expected better. The first half of the film is a little bit of a mess. Too many worlds, too many characters, too many odd situations where you don't know what the heck is going on. Once things start to come together a bit, however, the whole movie turns itself around.

I had a really great time with the second half of the film. It was vintage Star Wars with the big battles and the epic musical score. The movie really shines with its tone in the second half. The whole underdog story, that feeling of hopelessness like the main characters have to do everything themselves, or they will all be wiped out. There is this certain feeling of dread that permeates the whole second half of the movie that I found to be very well done.

It is a sad movie too, with a lot of heartfelt moments. Major spoilers coming up, so be forewarned. But about a half hour into the movie I got this feeling in my stomach like "oh crap everyone is going to die, aren't they?" A lot of characters from the film appear in later Star Wars movies, but all the main ones are nowhere to be seen. So I was pretty sure that they were all going to die getting their hands on the plans, and that is exactly what happened.

Many manly tears were shed while watching this movie.

So while this movie wasn't necessarily as great as I had hoped it would be, I still consider it a very worthy addition to the Star Wars universe.





Still in contention:
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Captain America: Civil War
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Rock

Video Game Review: Taz-Mania

Taz-Mania

Sega Genesis

The year: 1992. I was ten years old when Taz-Mania hit the shelves. This was a game that I really, really wanted and would stop at nothing to get. It looked super cool, super fun. The graphics looked amazing. Plus I had always really loved the character of the Tasmanian Devil. It seemed natural that this would be a game I would be excited about.

My mom took me to Funco Land where you get to try a game before you buy it. I didn't even need to play it five minutes to know that I was going to love the game. I took it home, and played it obsessively for weeks on end. I mastered this game. I made it my bitch.

But eventually I moved on from this game. Over the years I ended up giving away or trading in most of my Genesis games. Now here we stand in 2017. This game has been out for 25 years now. This makes me feel very old. But nostalgic, too. I have been on a kick lately of playing older games from my childhood and then posting my thoughts about them on this blog. So when I got my hands on a copy of Taz-Mania (one of many Genesis games currently loaned to me from my cousin Ryan) of course I was going to want to play it and review it here.

My initial thought was that I was going to breeze through the game in one try and have my review up by the end of the day. Boy was I wrong about that. This game is much more difficult than I remember it being. The problem is not that the game is consistently difficult. In fact, many of the levels are quite easy. But there are a few particularly difficult and annoying stages that make you want to throw your controller at the television in anger. But of course, we don't do that because we're better than that. Right?

Before we talk about the stages I have in mind, I will fill you in on the basic premise of the game. Remember Taz, the Tasmanian Devil from the cartoon? Well, Taz's father is telling his kids about an ancient land with giant eggs that could feed a family for an entire month. Or maybe it was a year? Something like that. I forget the exact amount of time, but you get the picture. Taz of course immediately runs off in excitement to search for one of these eggs.

The game begins. The first thing you notice: Taz-Mania is a 2D side scroller. If you have ever played a game like Super Mario Bros. or Sonic the Hedgehog, you know what that means. And if you don't, I don't know what to say to the likes of you.

Controlling Taz, you must work your way through each level. You will notice between stages a map screen of the progress you are making. Ancient, giant mystical eggs, here we come!

Taz jumps. He spins. He eats. He can pick things up and throw things. He consumes chili peppers which allow him to spit fire. These are your basic actions in the game. It took me a few minutes to adjust to the game's controls. Moving and jumping can feel a bit stiff. I got the hang of it relatively quickly, but I still had to burn a continue on the game's very first level. LOL. That never happens to me. I almost reset the game but my lazy ass couldn't be moved from the couch to hit the button.

So I kept on. I actually ended up doing okay until I hit something I had long forgotten about. The dreaded mine cart level. I don't know why game makers always have to torment us with overly difficult mine cart levels. As soon as I jumped in that thing and crashed into a barricade, all these horrible memories came rushing back to me.

This level is a departure from all of its preceding levels. You begin it on foot, as usual. But less than 10 seconds into the stage you are forced to jump into a mine cart. And it is off to the races. There are barricades along the way you must avoid. You do this by pulling a switch that raises the cart high off the tracks. But then you have to make sure you lower yourself or you will hit the ceiling. There are also gaps in the tracks. You either have to go super fast or slow down to make it over the gaps safely.

The whole level moves really, really fast. And there is no margin for error. Prepare to die while playing this. Many, many times. The whole thing is trial and error. There is a pattern but you must memorize it. And the only way to memorize it is to keep trying again and again and again and again....

Eventually after about 4 or 5 complete game play-throughs I finally did it. I thought I could rest easy because the rest of the game would be a cakewalk compared to that. Nope.

The next level is just as hard. You are still underground, still in the mines. You must navigate a maze of tunnels using an old elevator system. The problem is - some of these elevators give out and fall, plunging you toward your death with little to no warning.

And there are also some of the hardest jumps in platform gaming history here in this stage. Having to jump from swinging cage to swinging cage at high speeds is extremely nerve wracking. There are several death defying jumps in this stage. One mistake and back to the checkpoint you go. I failed miserably on several more complete game play-throughs.

Finally, something clicked and I finally was able to squeak through the stage. I nearly had a heart attack about 8 times with all the dangerous jumps I had to complete, but I did it. The rest of the game from there was easy-peasy.

This is a pretty fun and imaginative platforming game. I loved it as a kid. I enjoyed playing it as an adult as well. Overall the game is a decent challenge, although most of the challenge came from the mine levels. But it has great sound, great graphics. Its funny. Some of the levels are an absolute blast too. I was always partial to the stages where you have to jump from log to log in the river. And the stage where your spin move takes out an entire tribe of those pink creature things. I always loved doing that and I don't know why.

As much as I liked it way back when, and as much as I enjoyed playing it now, I realize that the game is no all time classic. It is fun and all, but it has flaws. Its not easy to pick up and play immediately and get the hang of. Some of the levels are a little unfairly challenging. It is short.

It just doesn't have "it". Whatever it is that certain classics like Ducktales and Super Mario Bros have. It is fun and all, but ultimately a tad forgettable. I liked it and I will give it a decent score. But now that I am done playing I will likely never pick it up again.

Good game? Yes. Great game? No.

Overall:

B

Dan's 2016 Movie Ranking: #20 to #11

We started with fifty. Now into the top twenty we move. It is finally going to start getting difficult, as only ten movies will remain at the end of this post.

What will rank #1 as my favorite movie watched in 2016? We're almost there.

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#20

I first learned of this movie while reading a clickbait article about the ten most disturbing films that were hard to sit through. I am a fan of the disturbing so I immediately decided to check it out, even though the article didn't really go into much detail about what the movie would be about.

The movie is about two young boys who just happen to be psychopaths. They dress nicely, they act politely. They show up at people's door steps, asking for a favor. And then they weasel their way into the house, take over, and psychologically torment the family before killing them.

In the movie they seem to be making their way through the inhabitants of a gated community. The main character, played by Naomi Watts, sees these guys at her neighbors' house. The neighbors seem to be acting strangely. Later on, when these guys show up at her door and start terrorizing her, she realizes that her neighbors must have been going through the same ordeal. 

The movie is not all about gore or physical violence. There is physical violence, but not much of it. It instead focuses on the psychological horror side of things. The implied threat of violence. The two boys are very creepy. They remain polite and formal the whole time while doing these awful things. You think maybe they will see reason and go away, but no. They don't.

I liked the movie's tense atmosphere. The film will keep you on edge nearly the whole way as you watch it. That is not easy an easy thing to pull off. I would rank this movie higher, but I didn't like the ending much. No justice or revenge is served. Plus it is open ended. I've mentioned multiple times over the years on this blog that I prefer closure rather than having things finish open ended. That always bugs me.

#19

Again, if I was making a ranking of my favorite movies of all time, this would be right up there in the top ten. It is arguably the best Star Wars movie ever made. While I have a hard time picking my favorite Star Wars film, I can't necessarily say that people who love this one the most are wrong. It is a great movie.

I watched this right at the end of 2016. I had just finished Rogue One and a New Hope. I figured: eh, why not just keep going and watch the rest of the Star Wars films? Unfortunately I didn't get around to Return of the Jedi until 2017, so it won't appear on this ranking.

The first half of the movie, I was a little bored. I've watched the battle scene on Hoth a countless number of times in my life. It holds no surprises for me anymore. Luke's training on Dagobah: same. The parts I found most interesting were when Leia and Han were working on the Falcon in the asteroid. And everything after they arrive at Cloud City. Lando's betrayal is epic. The "I know" scene. The music. Luke and Vader's big lightsaber duel, followed by Vader's bombshell.

The whole second half of the movie is fantastic. But it did take me a while to get into. Not the movie's fault - it is my own for watching this so many times in my life. But its so good, I can't help it. I am going to try to let ten years pass before I watch the original Star Wars films again. I probably won't get that far, but I think it would be neat to watch this after not seeing it for ten years and having all the memories come flooding back at me.

#18

I am normally not into movies like this, but American Sniper was so built up and so talked about by people I know that I just had to break down and watch it.

This is definitely a big time propaganda film, and transparently so. I can't deny that. Woo go America. The superheroes and good guys of the world! 

Not everything is that black and white in real life, but I could put aside that fact as I watched the movie. It tells the story of Chris Kyle. He is a Southern All-American rodeo boy who decides to do his part for the country and enlist in the military. He becomes the most decorated sniper of all time, racking up a large number of kills and saving a countless number of lives in the progress. The movie chronicles his achievements, plus the way he copes with all of the death in his life.

Again, he is shown as the ultimate American hero who can do no wrong for his country. Accurate or not, I don't know. But you can empathize with him as a character and feel the effect his job has had on his personal life. At the end of the movie he comes home and really struggles with the things he had to do.

The tragic thing about his story is that after all he survived overseas, he is killed by a fellow ex-soldier with PSTD when he gets home. It was someone he was trying to help to cope with affects of the war.

Say what you want about whether or not the movie glorifies war and death. If it is propaganda or not. Question its accuracy if you like. But if you just look at it as a movie, and nothing else, it does its job well. It is expertly filmed. You feel for the main character. The action is intense. I didn't find a dull moment in the whole movie. It hits home emotionally. I had a great time with it.

I wish Kyle's actual death would have been more than just grazed over. It is basically a footnote at the very end of the film. I feel as if they missed a big chance to get the audience to shed some tears doing it that way. But it is what it is.

#17

I didn't know a whole lot about this movie when I sat down to watch it. I vaguely remember hearing that it was unique because it was one of the first movies of its kind (a thriller) to feature a mainly black cast. Props to the movie for that. This is a genre that has historically been dominated by white actors and actresses. But once the movie begins, you forget about all that stuff. Because race aside it really is a fun movie.

This is perhaps my favorite Idris Elba role. He is menacing and very intimidating. You can't help but feel uncomfortable and on edge watching him. He plays a brutal, violent criminal who escapes from prison and comes back home to find the woman who left him behind. He sees her with another man, and that throws him into a frenzy and he kills her. He then leaves, only to crash his car in the woods on his way out of the city. He comes to the door of a woman who is at home with her child after her husband has left out of town. She lets him in, only to realize something is not right with the man. He begins to terrorize her and the little kid. Things get messier when a friend pops by the house to visit.

The movie seems like a standard "don't open the door!" thriller type movie until we get to the end, and then there is a relatively big twist. Things aren't as random as they seem, with this man showing up at this particular house. It is clever how things are tied together.

So I enjoyed the movie a lot. There are a few moments where you have to shake your head in frustration because the main character keeps doing things that seemingly go against what every woman should do when faced with a threat to herself, her home, and her child. It is so unrealistic and eye-rolling that it takes you out of the movie a little bit. But other than that, I thought this was great.

#16

With all the issues about race swirling around the United States these days, I figured it would be a good time to go back and watch a movie like American History X. Even though this movie came out nearly 20 years ago, it is sad to see that not much has changed since then.

The film follows a white supremacist who is thrown in jail after brutally murdering some black men who were breaking into his house. Anyone who knows what a curb stomp is... well that came from this movie. He comes out of jail several years later a reformed man. He is dismayed to see that his younger brother has followed in his black hating footsteps in his absence.

The younger brother, who is doing horribly in school, is pulled into the principal's office. The principal (Captain Sisko from DS9! Great actor, don't know why he is not in more stuff) gives the boy a do or die assignment: to write about his brother, his jailing, and his experiences with race.

The boy talks to his brother, who is trying to reform him and get him to change his racist ways. The two butt heads, but the paper gets written. Just when it looks like he is starting to turn the corner with his viewpoint, the younger brother is shot and killed by a group of black kids who he had previously given a hard time about the color of their skin.

It is a powerful and hard hitting movie that isn't afraid to tackle a particularly touchy subject. It can be hard to watch, but there are lessons to be learned from this film. It touches on hate and why hate exists in the world. It touches on the fact that everyone has a reason for their views, no matter how much you may disagree with them. It shows the good in even the most vile individuals. And it shows that no matter how lost someone may appear, anyone can change. You just have to make sure you do it before its too late.

#15

I think I watched this shortly after I had finished my epic rewatch of the entire series run of the Walking Dead. I was on a big zombie kick at the time. I watched Zombieland in that time frame too. It only made sense to then sit down and watch the grandfather of them all: Night of the Living Dead.

I know this movie is old. If you are some young kid you may think this movie is cheesy, especially some of the lines at the beginning. I, however, think it is perfect. It is the first zombie movie I ever saw, so it is the movie by which I judge anything zombie related.

It is a very creepy movie. I think it has aged well. The black and white adds to the movie's authenticity. You really feel that there could be a zombie outbreak, and if there was - this is kind of how it would go down. There is gore, but the movie doesn't overwhelm you with it. Mostly it is the hopelessness of what the heck is going on and how are we going to survive this?

The film focuses on a group of strangers who are holed up in a lonely farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. All they know is that there is some kind of outbreak causing people to turn into mindless zombies who attack and eat other people. Some in the house want to hide in the cellar until things pass over. Some want  to fortify the house and fight off the zombies, knowing that if they hide in the cellar they could be trapped forever.

The hero of the movie, Ben, is the one who wants to fortify the house. He is portrayed as the good guy the whole movie, and rightfully so. He seems to be the only one tough enough and smart enough to survive this thing. But you get the feeling that other people disagree with him even when they know he is right, if only because the color of his skin.

The tension level is high in the house. It is even higher outside as the zombies are gathering and trying to get in. In the ultimate twist of fate, the characters fail to defend the house and the zombies get in. Ben, the lone survivor, is forced to retreat to the cellar and take shelter. It turned out to be the right move after all, as a rescue party shows up the following day. Ben, however, is taken for a zombie and shot on sight.

Everyone dies. The end.

It is a great movie, and it still holds up today. It all seems so believable in this film. It holds the distinction of being one of the few movies out there capable of being able to legitimately scare me while watching it.

#14

I'm sure this seems an odd choice to rank so highly to some people. It is very comic book-y. It's over the top. It's not very well acted. It is silly when its trying to be serious.

But damn it, the movie is FUN. It is about a scientist who is working on perfecting human skin masks or prosthetics for the disfigured. These masks are indistinguishable from real human skin, but the only problem is they break down and melt if they spend enough time in the light.

The scientist's girlfriend catches wind of some kind of mobster real estate scheme and she is thinking about blowing the lid on it. It would be a huge news story. Unfortunately, the mobsters come looking for her, and they find the scientist instead. They destroy his lab and kill his assistant. They torture the scientist and leave him for dead, setting up a bomb to destroy the place as they leave. The bomb detonates and the scientist is tossed into the water. Everyone believes him to be dead.

Turns out he survived the blast. He comes back burned to a crisp, all nerve endings scorched so he can't feel pain anymore. He goes back to his lab and salvages enough of the equipment to make masks of the mobsters. He uses these masks to infiltrate the gang and take revenge on the men who destroyed his life.

It is a really fun movie. I was probably sitting there watching it with a big goofy grin on my face the whole time. It is fast paced. Violent. The bad guys get what's coming to them. As I mentioned, the movie seems silly in parts where it is trying to be serious. But that is part of its charm and appeal. It all just works for some reason.

Fun movie. Obviously it is no cinematic masterpiece but I really enjoyed it a lot.

#13

I've brought up the point a couple of times while writing this blog that scary movies often don't scare me at all. I like scary movies and I think they are fun, but they just for whatever reason flat out don't scare me.

That changed with the Nightmare. I had read that this was a haunting documentary about night terrors and sleep paralysis. I had never experienced either of these things, but the topic did intrigue me.

The movie interviews several people, and they talk about their experiences while sleeping. Many of these stories involve a heightened sense of tension. They are in bed but can't move. A dark figure enters the room. Crazy things happen. The dreamer thinks he or she is about to die. And then they wake up, terrified out of their damn minds. This happens to them every single night.

A lot of the reenactments are very spooky. Especially considering that these are things that have happened to actual people. I was skeptical at first but the fact that it happens to so many people who don't even know each other makes me think. How can so many people have the same dream where they can't move, and the same mysterious dark figure comes into the room and torments them?

 It is a very freaky movie that sent chills down my spine more times than I could count. It is a rare thing for a movie to legitimately creep me out like this. But The Nightmare accomplished that task and I have to give the film makers props. Great job.

#12

I know that this is a classic comedy and all, but I had never watched Coming to America until last year.

I figured it was time to finally give in and watch the film since I had always heard how funny it was and how much everyone loved it. Comedy is not my favorite genre, but I really liked the movie too.

My favorite comedy films tend to be movie with "fish out of water" characters. And Coming to America definitely fits that bill. Eddie Murphy plays a rich African prince who is unhappy with his prearranged wedding and comes to America to find a bride of his own choosing.

He comes to New York City, where no one knows he is a prince or he has money. The interactions he has with people are amazing and hilarious. The prince is such a relatable and lovable character too. You can't help but root for him during all his misadventures.

You know a movie is good when it leaves you wanting more. When this movie ended I went through Prince Akeem withdrawals. He is such a great character I was hoping there was a sequel, a spinoff, SOMETHING I could watch with more of him in it. But no.

I had a great time with this movie. It left me wondering how I had never seen it before. If I had to rank my favorite comedies of all time, this would definitely make my top 10.

#11

I had seen Platoon before, but it had been several years since my last viewing. So it was essentially like I was watching it for the first time.

Unlike Saving Private Ryan, this movie is less about big battles and more about the individual struggles of war. It is more about the characters. How they interact with each other under inhuman conditions. How they laugh, fight, agree, disagree. How they struggle with each other for power.

Each character in the movie has his own unique, well fleshed out personality. Sure there are some caricatures (the bad guys are 100% bad and evil) but for the most part everyone seems well thought out. How all these different personalities react during such trying times is fascinating to watch.

It is a hard hitting movie with a lot of emotional moments. The film is definitely not for the faint or weak of heart. A lot of moments will make you smile. Most of them, though, are very uncomfortable and deal with subjects we don't see a lot from the comfort of our homes and couches.

I often measure a movie's greatness by how much I think about it after the closing credits. Some movie I am just like "oh that was fun" and then I move on to other activities. Some really affect me and make me think and reevaluate my opinions in life. This was definitely one of the latter types of movies for me.




Ten films to go. Here are the remaining movies still in contention for my favorite film watched in 2016:

Creed
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Quills

Green Room

Captain America: Civil War
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Shallows
The Rock
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Video Game Review: Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

PlayStation 3

Back in my teenage years, my favorite genre of game was far and away the JRPG. It was the 90s and I played as many of them as I could get my hands on. Final Fantasy 7 through 9. Then I went back and played some of the older Final Fantasies. There was Xenogears. Breath of Fire. Grandia. The Shining Series. The Oasis series. Albert Odyssey. I had my hands full with them.

Over the years the genre has seen a massive decline in popularity. It was beginning to seem as if I hadn't played a decent JRPG in ages. If I ever wanted to play a good one, I had to go back and play an old game on an older console. Had the JRPG become a lost art?

Not quite. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch delivers a solid, old school JRPG experience to the PlayStation 3.

I had heard about this game for a while before finally getting around to it. I thought its cartoony graphics looked really intriguing. I had read a few reviews for the game, which were all favorable. When I saw it on sale for a ridiculously cheap price on the PlayStation Network, I decided to make the jump and purchase the game.

I didn't actually get around to playing the game until over a year after I bought it. My Gamefly subscription had just ended, and I was now in the mood to play a longer game like an RPG. So I decided to finally give Ni No Kuni a go.

Immediately I was blown away by the game's graphics and presentation. It is more like you are steering your character through a living, breathing anime world than playing a video game. The graphics and animation are stunning. The voice acting is great. The game pulls you in with an interesting story line.

Right away I thought: this could be the amazing JRPG experience you didn't even realize had been missing from your life for over ten years. I had forgotten how much I loved the genre. I was ready to dive into this game and play my life away.

Let me tell you a little bit about the game's story. There are two parallel worlds running next to each other. One world is a normal kind of world, very similar to our own. The other world is a world of fantasy and wonder. Magic, dragons, kings, witches, robots, all kinds of crazy stuff. The fantasy world is under threat of a man named Shadar, who is using his evil magic to damage people's emotions and wreck their lives.

A boy named Oliver in the "real" world is pulled into the magical world to save the day. Each world has a "soulmate" in the opposite world. This means that one person's soul is connected to someone similar to them in the other world. What happens to one soulmate affects the other.

Oliver's mom has just died, and he finds out that she has a soulmate in this new world of magic. And she is in danger. So if Oliver can just save the soulmate, he may save his mom from death in his world. He embarks on a magical quest to stop Shadar and save his mother. This is just the very basic version of the story. There are many different subplots throughout the course of the game. Expect some big twists and turns. I'm not going to explain everything that happens, though. I ain't got time for that shit.

As I mentioned before, the graphics are terrific. It feels like an interactive anime in many ways towards the beginning of the game. Put that together with the game's slick presentation, its lively musical score, and some decent voice acting, and everything gets off to a very nice start.

If I was going to grade this game based on my first couple of days with it, it would get an A+, for sure. I was immediately pulled in by it. In addition to being a visual masterpiece I found the game to be extremely fun to play, too. Combat isn't exactly traditional JRPG turn based, but it is close enough. You aren't just limited to a corridor or a dungeon like every Final Fantasy game these days. There is a world map to roam. Cities to visit. People to talk to. Actual stuff to do.

Everything in the game is bright and colorful. The environmental design of the game is brilliant. It is one of those games that you stop to look around in awe every once in a while. Each city has its own unique look or visual theme. There is a huge cast of supporting characters. Everything feels very alive.

One thing that really makes the game feel so alive is its music. I kept admiring the musical score when I was playing this game. So many catchy little tunes. Some grand, sweeping orchestral numbers. This game's music really adds to its personality. I have several favorite tunes from the game, but this one is my favorite:

As I mentioned before, I was ready to give this game an A+ based on my first few days with it. It had the graphics of the Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (but sharper and much more advanced). Characters and imaginative story line straight from am L. Frank Baum novel. And a musical score that could have come from a Walt Disney movie. I loved it.

Over time, however, my opinion started to change a little bit.

I still ended up liking the game in the long run, but I feel as if it started off strong and then tapered off a bit. I wasn't a huge fan of where the story line went. It feels very much tailored to little kids rather than adults. There are some plot twists and a few interesting moments, but nothing too Earth shattering. Mainly you just walk from one city to the next, run errands for people, do good deeds, repair people's emotions who were touched by Shadar, and collect stuff.

In a nutshell you are just traveling the world, doing good. Kind of like Romanian philanthropist Herkermer Homolka in the movie Congo. Exactly like him, in fact.

The story line is very basic and dull the first three quarters of the game. Its all about taking down Shadar and helping people. Doing good gets boring after a time. Especially when you factor in all the grinding and leveling up you have to do. The game is not easy, by any stretch of the imagination. In between each city you travel to, you must fight enemies. Lots and lots of enemies. It seemed like I had to spend more time fighting and leveling up in this game than I did in any other RPG I had played in the past.

So many fights are unavoidable. Sometimes its like "aaaaahhh just let me through. I know where I'm going, all I want to do is run through here! Why do I have to fight something every ten steps???" It gets old after a while.

The game's story line never does get much better. In the last quarter of the game, after you think you've won, things finally take a drastic turn from the direction they were headed. But even with the game's "big twist", I still found the story to be severely underwhelming.

I guess I am spoiled by stuff like the Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and Lost. I like dark, somewhat twisted things. I love big bombshells, shocking plot twists. Stuff that makes you think. The game's story line is too simple and cutesy for me. Even though things take a turn near the end, I had already stopped caring about the story line long before then.

I feel as if a fantastic story line is essential to making a great RPG. It is what motivates you and keeps you playing. What makes you not want to put down the controller, even after you've been playing for nine hours straight. After the first few days of playing, Ni No Kuni lost that hold on me. Sometimes I would go for days, one time even longer than a week in between playing sessions. It needed that killer story line as motivation to keep going. Especially when the game is so difficult and you find yourself having to do a lot of frustrating grinding all the time. The game becomes much less fun to play, and fast.

It seems like I am doing a lot of complaining about the game. But really, I enjoyed it overall. Even though you have to fight a lot, at least the battle system is done well. You can move around the screen in all directions while battling your enemy. You can switch back and forth between different characters, each with their own special tactics. You can only control one character at a time, but you can tell the other players how to play. Either with the default 50/50 attack/defense settings, or all out attack or all out defense. I have read several complaints about the computer controlled characters doing stupid things like using up all their magic immediately. Some of these complaints are legit, but they didn't bother me much. I just made sure I was well stocked on items at all times.

The sheer creativity level of the game is worth the price of admission. The look and the feel of the game. The game's environments. Its music. The different places you can travel to. In many ways this game is a throwback to RPGS of the old times.

And there is so much stuff to do. So many tasks to run, people to help. I find that what kept me playing most nights was running errands or completing tasks. I'd finish one, and be like "just one more!" but even then I'd keep playing. So while the game's story line may not have been interesting enough to keep me going, at least the title's game play mechanics were.

I'd recommend this to anyone who is a fan of old school style RPGs. Or even anyone who is a fan of RPGs in general. It is not a perfect game, but it was enough to renew my interest in a genre I had long given up for dead. Don't come for the game's subpar story line. Come for its crisp graphics, gorgeous environments, sprawling world, epic musical score, and fun quest system. Its a lovely game, but as far as story line goes, it didn't quite have the huge impact on me that I was looking for.

Overall:

B

Dan's 2016 Movie Ranking: #30 to #21

The ranking rolls on. Today's installment pushes us from the top 30 to the top 20. Enjoy!

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#30

I was a big fan of the book. Normally I don't expect movie adaptations to be as good as the source material, but I was hoping for a pleasant surprise here. A pleasant surprise which I did not get.

I am not saying this is a bad movie. Not by any stretch of the imagination. It wouldn't have made it to #30 if it was bad. It just wasn't as good as the book. I expected a lot of hard hitting emotional moments, and for some reason they didn't come for me. This movie had a lot of sad moments and I am sure it made a ton of people who watched it cry their eyes out, but for some reason it didn't have much of an effect on me.

I could be that I was spoiled by the book. It could be the movie's fault for not doing things right. Maybe I am just a heartless bastard. I enjoyed the movie overall and would recommend it to anyone, but it just didn't have the emotional impact I was hoping for. I really wanted to love the movie and have it in my top 5. Instead it will have to settle for top 30.

#29

This movie's Cinderalla run on my list is finally over. I will admit that this is not a world changing movie. It won't win any awards, probably didn't gather much critical acclaim. But it is fun and that is all I care about.

A group of strangers from all walks of life find themselves falling through the sky towards a strange alien world. Some make it to the surface safely. Some.... splat! The survivors quickly band together and find themselves being hunted by a pack of Predators. In movies past, the Predators have hunted on Earth. In this movie, they bring their prey to an alien world, drop them off, and hunt them.

It is interesting seeing the cast of characters in action. They are all predators themselves, actually. Soldiers, criminals, even a sexual predator. Not necessarily all good people. They are forced to band together to combat their stalkers and find a way off the planet.

Lots of action. Some good sci-fi moments. Shout outs to the original Predator film. I found this movie to be a lot of fun. I recognize its flaws and realize that this is probably too high a ranking for this film, but I don't care. I liked it.

#28

This low-ish ranking doesn't necessarily reflect my opinion on Star Wars: A New Hope. It is a great movie, the movie that got me hooked on Star Wars to begin with. You've read this a few times already on this ranking, but I will say it again. It is simply that I have seen the movie too many times. I love the movie, but you can only watch something so many times before you start to not enjoy it as much anymore.

I only watched this because I had just watched Rogue One and I wanted to see how the two tied together. Very well, as a matter of fact. But if it was not for Rogue One, I probably wouldn't have watched this for a few years, simply because I am TOO familiar with the movie.

#27

This movie is based on a short story by Stephen King of the same name: Big Driver. I had just finished reading the story when I heard about the movie, so it was only natural that I check the movie out.

Surprisingly, this was actually a good adaptation. Hollywood has this way of messing up Stephen King's work when they move it to the big screen. But I liked this. It is a loyal adaptation. Even though this was made for TV (the Lifetime Network, lol) it isn't watered down at all. There's violence, there are dead bodies. The tone isn't quite as dark as the short story, but close enough.

The movie is about a woman who is brutally raped and left for dead in a drainpipe (next to the bodies of some other not so fortunate past victims). She wakes up and uses her sleuthing skills to track down the man and take her revenge on him. There are some clever twists and turns along the way. It is a fun movie and I would suggest it to anyone into this kind of thing. It's a wee bit forgettable in the long run, but still I enjoyed it while I watched it.

#26

I have heard a countless number of jokes and references to this movie over the years, but until 2016 I had never actually seen it. Now I have.

It is a pretty simple story for anyone who has been a regular fan of thriller movies for the past 20 years. A group of guys go on a rafting trip through hillbilly country. Guys fight hillbillies, people get hurt and die, guys flee. The premise is familiar enough, but the execution of the movie is what makes it stand out.

It is a very well done movie. The film's creepy tone is set early on in the film with the now infamous banjo playing scene. The movie really takes a turn for the disturbing during the guys' first run in with the dangerous hillbillies out in the wild. The whole intimidation/rape scene is enough to make anyone squirm uncomfortably in their seat. And from then on the movie is one big adrenaline rush as the protagonists try to escape to safety.

I enjoyed Deliverance but I do not think it is a flawless movie. There are some very slow parts. The characters are not the most likable group of guys. The whole concept of the film is something I have seen 100 times before. I am sure that, given the age of this film, this was one of the first movies of its kind. But it still doesn't change the fact that I didn't see it until 2016. I've seen Wrong Turn, The Hills Have Eyes, and several other movies with dangerous hillbillies who hunt people. So the shock value of Deliverance has lost a little bit with me.

I can appreciate, though, that this was a mold breaking movie when it originally came out.

#25

I had just finished binge watching all 6 seasons of Walking Dead before season 7 when I decided to watch this movie. I had zombies on the brain, apparently.

I had seen this movie before, but it had been years since my last viewing of it. So a lot of the jokes and scenarios in this movie were fresh with me, as if I were seeing them for the first time. This movie works in multiple ways. It works as a comedy and it works as a zombie flick. And that is important because if it had failed in either aspect, it probably wouldn't have been a big a hit as it became.

The film has a lot of great characters, and it is fun watching them play off of one another. My favorite part of the whole movie has to be when they go to Bill Murray's house and run into him there. That whole sequence of events is just hilarious to me.

There is never a dull moment in the film. Something funny or something violent is happening every minute. And that is good for a guy with a short attention span like me. My only complaint has to be that the movie is too short. I don't believe it is even an hour and a half. It is like one big tease. I wanted more!

#24

This is a movie that gets destroyed by both critics and fans alike. I don't know why so many people hate this movie. I never read any of the Dredd comics, so I guess coming in with no expectations helps. Sure the acting isn't necessarily great, but it doesn't have to be in a movie like this.

This movie is all about over the top action and suspense, with a little bit of humor thrown in on the side. If you put away your critic hat and just sit back and watch the movie for what it is, you will find that it is actually a really fun movie. I liked the characters. I found the story line to be pretty engaging and fun. I never got bored. Sure it can be a little cheesy in parts, but I find that it adds to the film's charm. I liked it a lot.

This movie is all about fun. Don't be snobby. Relax and enjoy it, people.

#23

I'm not generally a big fan of war movies, but Saving Private Ryan has always been one of my favorites. If you are looking for realistic representations of combat, you need look no further. This movie has some of the most intense and brutal depictions of combat you will see in a movie.

One of the films first scenes, the storming of Omaha Beach at Normandy, is one of the most intense film scenes you will ever witness. That scene alone makes the movie worth the price of admission. It is very brutal and will leave your heart racing.

The movie has a lot of other great battle scenes as well. And that is my top complaint about the film. There is so much fighting it actually starts to get boring after a while. And I feel that the story line often takes a back seat to all of the fighting going on.

It is a great movie, I just didn't feel as emotionally attached to the characters as I should. Most of them die throughout the course of the movie, and eventually its just like "oh there goes another one." These deaths I feel should hit you a lot harder. Platoon I feel does a great job of connecting you with the characters. This one, not so much.

#22

This is one of those "films about nothing" that for some reason or another seems to work. An estranged brother visits his family in California, and takes his brother with him on a sight seeing trip to a bunch of locations famous for being associated with the Manson killings. The main goal of the trip is for bonding purposes.

The two brothers end up going back and forth between quarreling and loving one another. You find out that there is history between the two. As the film progresses, you find out that the weirdo brother has been obsessed with the Manson killings and is looking to join up with other people who are obsessed and are trying to restart "the family". The good brother sees that this is dangerous and attempts to talk him out of it.

Its a family drama for the most part. There is some humor in the movie, there are emotional moments. The tone of the film reminds me of Little Miss Sunshine for some reason. If you liked that movie and are also interested in Manson stuff, like me, you should enjoy this film. It is an under noticed gem.

#21

Just because this is ranked ahead of A New Hope doesn't mean that I think it is the better movie. I just want to be clear about that! Simply put, I had a better experience watching this move in 2016. So it ranks higher.

I've seen A New Hope a countless number of times. This movie I have only seen 3 or 4 times. So it is newer and fresher for me. Easier to enjoy.

It doesn't hurt that I find this movie to be the best of the prequel trilogy, easily. The action is better. Its not as corny (well, it can be in parts). The story finally starts making sense. And the darker tone of the movie in general is better than the childish/goofy tone of the first 2 films.

I had fun watching this. I only kind of half-watched A New Hope. Thats why this gets the higher ranking.









Top 20 in my next update. Here are the movies that are still in the hunt:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
American Sniper
Creed
The Revenant
No Good Deed
The Night of the Living Dead
Coming to America

American History X

Darkman

Quills

Platoon

Green Room

Captain America: Civil War
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Shallows
Funny Games
The Nightmare
The Rock
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Dan's 2016 Movie Ranking: #40 to #31

The ranking continues as we move into the 30s and one step closer to our eventual winner.

No big introduction this time, we are just going to get started.

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#40

The reviews for this movie were tremendous. Just tremendous. Absolutely spectacular.

But I've never been too familiar with the character of Deadpool, so I was not as excited about the movie as everyone else seemed to be. Still, though, I was intrigued. I wanted to see how an R-rated Marvel film would work with violence and raunchy humor and sex, so the wifey and I decided to go see it in the theater.

I thought it was pretty good. It is definitely a refreshing change from a lot of the superhero movies out there. The movie has a lot of genuine laughs. The violence and gore level is over the top, which I approve of. And no matter how naughty he is or what bad things he does, you just can't help but love and root for the character of Deadpool.

My only problem with the movie was in its very basic, almost overly simple story line. Yeah I know you don't really watch superhero movies for their intricate plots, but as far as the story goes there is nothing I haven't seen here a countless number of times before. Yeah, the humor and violence makes it seem like a fresh idea, but at heart the plot of this movie is really nothing original. I think I even nodded off once or twice in the theater, which is never a good sign. I have a feeling that if and when I watch this movie again, I will like it a lot more now that I know what to expect of it. But for now it is stuck with its 40 ranking.

#39

Every few years or so I have this desire to fire up the Lord of the Rings movies and watch them all in short order. I like the movies, but I think I need to take a break for a while. Like, at least 5 or 6 years.

My problem is that the movies don't seem new or fresh anymore. I know what everyone's going to do, what everyone is going to say before they say it. And then I pull out my phone and stop paying attention. I tend to enjoy movies more when they are new or when I haven't seen them in a long time and I am like "oooh I forgot about that!". And I am nowhere near that level with the LoTR films.

Great movies, don't get me wrong. It is just that I am to the point where I am TOO familiar with them and it is severely affecting my enjoyment of the films. I put this one right below Return of the King because I enjoyed that film slightly more than this one.

#38

Everything I wrote in my comments for Fellowship of the Ring applies here. This movie gets the slightly higher ranking because I enjoyed it a tiny bit more than Fellowship.

The next time I get the urge to return to Middle Earth, I will watch the Hobbit movies since I am much, much less familiar with that series than this one.

#37

I am always on the lookout for disturbing movies and when I heard about this film I knew it would be right up my alley. The movie is about a woman who returns home to her twins after having reconstructive facial surgery. The twins think that something about their mom has changed, especially when she starts acting erratically. She punishes one of the twins much more severely than the other when he does something naughty. The other one it is like doesn't exist to her.

They begin to suspect that this woman is not their mom, that someone has replaced her while she was away. So they tie her up and torture her. Let's just say that some of these scenes are very uncomfortable. Which I like because I am weird!

There is a big twist in the end. You could tell there would be a twist, you just don't know what it will be. I felt a little let down by the twist, but I suppose it is an effective one because it catches you by surprise.

I wanted to like this movie more than I did, but there are some slow parts. And I really didn't find it very scary at all. I plan to watch this again someday and see if knowing the twist in advance will make me like it more or less.

#36

I originally watched this movie late in 2015. I am too lazy to do the research, but I am pretty sure this movie made the top 5 in my ranking that year.

I watched the film again in early 2016 and needless to say, I did not have as good a time with it the second time around. Not to say that I suddenly dislike the movie, but it was a case of watching it too soon after my initial viewing. I feel that if I had waited a year or two it would have ranked highly again. But watching it just a few months apart was a poor decision.

It took me a while to get into the film. I was a little bored at first and started playing games on my phone. It wasn't until halfway through the movie that I suddenly started paying attention again. And I had a great time from that point on. The action scenes in this movie are amazing, as are the atmospheric effects. It is one of the best filmed movies I have seen.

Fury Road would probably rank higher if I had actually paid attention during its first half. Thus, the mixed feelings and the relatively low ranking. I still think this is a fantastic movie, I just can't bring myself to rate it any higher than this based on how I basically only really watched half of it.

#35

When I was a little kid I was terrified of this movie. Especially the part with the skinned bodies hanging in the trees. Obviously the movie doesn't scare me anymore, but every time I watch it I always think back to how much I was afraid as a kid.

Predator runs into some problems that a few other movies on this ranking have encountered: I am too familiar with the film. It is tough to hold my attention when I know what is going to happen before it happens, what is going to be said before its said. I prefer new experiences rather than rehashing the same ones over and over again.

Why do I watch movies multiple times then? Nostalgia I guess.

I still had a pretty good time with Predator. It is a very intense film with a lot of great actors in it. I actually had more fun watching the first half of the movie than I did the second. I liked seeing all the actors struggle to cope with their situation. I liked watching them freak out while being hunted by the Predator. It is the second part of the movie when Arnold goes all commando that I tuned out a little bit. Not enough dialogue, some slow moving scenes. 

All in all I think this is a really great movie. But again it suffers the same fate of several other films on the list: overfamiliarity. 

#34

Here is another one of those movies I have seen a countless number of times in my life. While I usually tend to get tired of movies that I have seen multiple times, Forrest Gump never seems to lose its charm. I always seem to notice something I have never noticed before. Mostly involving the film's plethora of clever historical references.

The movie is filled with moments that either make me smile, laugh, swell up with pride, or tear up. It is truly one of my favorite movies of all time.

But unfortunately we are doing a ranking of my most enjoyable movie watching experiences of 2016, not of all time. It is true, I have seen this movie a countless number of times before. A lot of the movie's big emotional moments don't really hit home for me anymore, especially since I know what is coming. I do tend to tune out while watching movies I have seen before. While I tried not to do this during Forrest Gump, it did happen a few times.

If I had to rank my favorite movies ever, this would probably be in the top 10. But as for 2016, I just had to rank other movies which I have experienced for the first time (and thus, held my attention better) ahead of this.

#33

I started watching all of the Friday the 13th movies back in 2015.  So you won't see the first Friday the 13th making the list, since I didn't watch it in 2016. Its sequel was the first one I watched this year. In 2016 I watched all the way up to #8: Jason Takes Manhattan.

I think that of all the Friday the 13th films I watched in 2016, this one was the best. It was the first movie in the series to actually feature Jason as the main antagonist. He doesn't have the hockey mask just yet, so it is a little unusual seeing him with a sheet or a pillowcase on his head. But I like it. This was before he became the cliched horror movie villain that everyone is familiar with.

I guess in a way this is like a "lifetime achievement award" for the series, this movie making it this far in the ranking. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about the series (at least looking at it from today's perspective). Slasher films like this are quite common.

But seeing as how this is the second film in the series, it is original for its time. When you watch one of its sequels you know what to expect. But this one broke the mold.... a little bit. Like I said, this is kind of a lifetime achievement award for the series. This film makes my top 50 but the rest do not. But I will still give the rest of the films a shout out in this write up, because I did enjoy them.

#32

Netflix usually produces some quality original shows and movies, so when I read the premise of this film I was immediately intrigued. It is kind of like a Groundhog Day/Edge of Tomorrow sort of thing. A man wakes up right before his home is invaded. He dies in the attack, but then wakes up at the same precise moment he woke up the first time. His home is invaded, he is killed, and then he wakes up in bed again. This cycle repeats itself through out the film.

Eventually through trial and error he is able to fight off the attackers. He discovers that they are after the ARQ in his house. The ARQ is a super powerful device he created that offers an unlimited source of power. It is worth a lot of money, and there are multiple factions that will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. It is also what is causing the time loop.

This is a very, very clever movie with a lot of great sci-fi elements to it. They don't dumb things down for the viewers, you have to pay attention and put some of the pieces together yourself. I thought ARQ was a ton of fun, however towards the end it becomes a little convoluted with technobabble. And I don't like the ending either, as it is WAY too open ended for my tastes. I am not a fan of open ended endings. I like a clear concise solution to the problem at hand. Not "oh maybe this worked. Maybe it didn't! You'll never know!!!"

So that soured the film a little bit for me. I'll probably have to watch it again someday and see if I like the ending more knowing what is coming. But for the most part I enjoyed the film. Great premise, and a lot of fun. With a better ending this could have ranked a lot higher.

#31

You are probably thinking that this is a WTF choice for me to have so high on the ranking. If you had told me at the start of 2016 that the Little Rascals would nearly crack my top 30, I probably would have laughed.

But here it is. I thought this was a really good movie. I had seen it back when I was a kid, but not since then. I liked it then and I like it now.

I don't know if I just have a poor sense of humor or what but I dislike comedies and normally they don't make me laugh at all. But this movie I found to be quite hilarious. The characters are great. A lot of the jokes are stupid, but really funny at the same time. This movie is super politically incorrect. If it was made in the present day, it would have been boycotted and ripped apart, probably. And that is part of why I found it so hilarious, I think. The humor in the film is so "omg I can't believe they just said that!"

And I love it for that. It is no cinematic masterpiece but I still had fun with it.

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That's it for now! Expect an update within the next few days.


Still in the hunt:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
American Sniper
Room
Manson Family Vacation
Big Driver
Creed
The Revenant
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
No Good Deed
The Night of the Living Dead
Deliverance
Zombieland

Coming to America

American History X

Darkman

Quills

Platoon

Saving Private Ryan

Green Room
Captain America: Civil War
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Shallows
Funny Games
The Nightmare
Judge Dredd
The Rock
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Predators
Star Wars: A New Hope