47 Movies for 2017

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 64/47

The Space Between Us (27/28 May): C-. Awful writing & blocking squanders a ton of potential. Carla Gugino alone comes out unscathed.
Rain Man (29 May): A-. I've seen several parts, but this was my first time watching it all the way through.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[ScottyMcGee]

34. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, A: Man, I really want to watch this again when I have the time.

35. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, B- : Okay. Not as horrible as fans said it was.

36. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, A: Total surprise. Did not expect to be that entertained. It's a strange movie in taking the series for a lighthearted turn without being cheesy or campy.

37. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, C: Almost everyone I know wanted to see this and I didn't. I eventually took my mom. It's a tired series by now. Tired because the producers just haven't made very good films since the first two - or really just the first. IMO - They should have dropped the Turner/Swan romance in the first film, and from then on Jack Sparrow butts into other people's relationships. That would have made for so much more fun. Instead, Pirates has become one more tiring CGI-infested circus after another.

The post-credits scene is absolute garbage and it would be extremely idiotic if they actually do what they imply if there will be a sixth film.

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 65/47

Wonder Woman (5 Jun): A-. They knocked this one out of the ballpark. If the DCEU can follow this example instead of the endless gloom-fest which preceded it, then there's hope yet for the franchise.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 68/47

Boo! A Madea Halloween (7 Jun): C. Ladyfriend made me watch it. She didn't like it either.
Swiss Army Man (12 Jun): B+. Remarkably touching, but the end is a little too much.
Mean Girls (13 Jun): A

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 70/47

The Lego Batman Movie (16 Jun): B. Not as good as the first Lego movie, very weak Joker, clever usage of Batman.
Yoga Hosers (16 Jun): B. Much less stomach-churning than Tusk, also funnier, clever usage of Batman.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 73/47

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (23 Jun): A-
The Great Gilly Hopkins (24 Jun): B. A little too fast-paced; Gilly's turn is extremely abrupt.
Anchorman (25 Jun): B+

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Spritedude]

Movies: 15/47

Italic/Bold - First time viewing
Yellow - Watch in theaters (in 2017)

Split - 7/10
John Wick: Chapter 2 - 9.5/10
Kubo and the Two Strings - 9/10
Hell or High Water - 8/10
Logan - 10/10
Kong: Skull Island - 8.5/10

Get Out - 8/10 That good slow, unnerving creepiness I wish more horror movies understood how to do.
Power Rangers - 5/10
Whiplash - 10/10 Probably one of my favorite movies now. It addresses something I struggle with everyday: an artist's need for validation and how much he or she is willing to endure for it.
Hardcore Henry - 8/10
The Fate of the Furious - 6/10
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - 8/10
Manchester by the Sea - 9.5/10 A fatalistic, yet genuine take on grief, in a way I haven't seen any other movies do. Very powerful, have some tissues ready.
Children of Men - 9/10 I wish more movies would do action scenes in this style. It felt so real it was almost like watching a documentary at times.
Moana - 8.5/10 The snobby critic in me wants to say it's mostly standard Disney fluff, but heck, I really enjoyed it. And the music is catchy as heck.

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 76/47

The Bronze (29 Jun): B-. A little too downbeat for what it's trying to be.
The Babadook (30 Jun): C+. Good psychological horror, but threatening to kill the kid is less effective when the audience has already wanted the kid to die for over an hour.
Mandie & the Forgotten Christmas (1 Jul): C. Could be uplifting family inspiration, but it's dull & muddled & redundant.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 79/47

Hacksaw Ridge (2 Jul): A-. Strong war movie with strong performances. Awkward dialogue.
Independence Day (4 Jul): A-

And remember, "I-a COULDA BEEN AT A BARBEQUE!!!"

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 80/47

All That Jazz (5 Jul): A. I'm really glad I saw this, but I also won't mind if I don't see it again.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 81/47

Spider-Man: Homecoming (8 Jul): A-. Comments in the MCU Megathread.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Heroine of the Dragon]

Adding my other movies I have watched...

Beauty and the Beast
Penguins of Madagascar
Cars 3

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 83/47

Eegah (forgot date): D+. Tolerable cheese.
Ricki and the Flash (19 Jul): B. Should've been better, but it was kinda unfocused.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[CaptHayfever]

Movies: 84/47

To the Bone (sometime last week): B+. The ending is a little abrupt, but the characters are strong & the story engaging.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Spritedude]

Movies: 22/47

Italic/Bold - First time viewing
Yellow - Watched in theaters (in 2017)

Split - 7/10
John Wick: Chapter 2 - 9.5/10
Kubo and the Two Strings - 9/10
Hell or High Water - 8/10
Logan - 10/10
Kong: Skull Island - 8.5/10
Get Out - 8/10
Power Rangers - 5/10
Whiplash - 10/10
Hardcore Henry - 8/10
The Fate of the Furious - 6/10
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - 8/10
Manchester by the Sea - 9.5/10
Children of Men - 9/10
Moana - 8.1/0

John Wick - 9/10 Solid revenge flick. Still some of the best action I've seen.

Spider-Man: Homecoming - 9/10 The thing that stood out to me was the villain. Definitely the best Marvel's done in... maybe ever. He was just a regular guy trying to provide for his family, and was willing to do everything and anything to keep doing so. Way more interesting than some ancient evil being bent on destroying the world.

We Need to Talk About Kevin - 6.5/10 For such a slow buildup I expected a better payoff.

War for the Planet of the Apes - 8.5/10 More like... One Battle for the Planet of the Apes, but still great.

Dunkirk - 6/10 I'm baffled by this one. People were calling this one of the greatest war movies of all time, saying it was super intense, they were on the edge of their seat, the dogfights were amazing, etc. But I... thought it was super slow and boring. I mean, I guess the idea was that being stuck on a beach, surrounded by the enemy, waiting for rescue, was supposed to be suspenseful, but it felt more like I was watching a bunch of people just waiting around. I didn't feel the ticking clock, I didn't feel the impending doom... I don't know, am I missing something here?

Fistful of Dollars 8/10 If you can get past the dubbed voices and the occasional "ARGH I'VE BEEN SHOT" overacting, pretty decent western. Mostly just watching it to get to Good the Bad and the Ugly.

Inception - 9/10 I watched this for the first time back in high school and had no idea what had just happened. I think I can follow it a little better now.

[Apollo the Just]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa

I really, really love this movie now. Bad dated CG aside, it was a bold move to straight up take the series to LITERAL ACTUAL NAZI GERMANY in an anime that has a lot of obvious metaphorical relationships to WWII, up to and including a character who is called the heckin Fuhrer. 2003 FMA had some damn interesting ideas and the movie plays them out really well. Ending is still bittersweet but a little more conclusive than the last episode of the anime, and I enjoy where it leaves off. I still cry evertim tho.

9/10, point deducted for godawful CG

[ScottyMcGee]

Wow I lagged behind on updating this. I THINK I covered everything I watched since my last post. . .

38. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, C: Honestly not as bad as people said it was. William Shatner just seemed to want to have fun with it and he did. It's the goofiest and silliest but whatever.

39. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, A-: Good stuff. Tugged at my heart to see the ending - the final time the entire original cast was together.

40. Atomic Blonde, A: Holy moly. Haven't felt this good about a spy movie in a long time. WATCH IT!

41. Silver Streak, B- : Opening was slow. Very slow. Then it picked up. The biggest gripes that I have about this movie is how it starts.

42. Lethal Weapon, B+ : It's either been too long since I saw it or I haven't actually seen it. Don't remember. But it wasn't quite what I thought it was. I thought it was going to be some obnoxious, Michael Bay-esque action movie. It has intelligence. Liked it.

43. Escape from Alcatraz, A: Good ****. I love Clint Eastwood and director Don Siegel. I loved them in Dirty Harry and I love them in this.

44. The Heist, B- : Little known Pierce Brosnan TV movie from back in the day. Mom is a huge fan of Pierce Brosnan and she was a huge fan of this movie. We hadn't seen it in forever since we only had it on VHS for the longest time. However, she bought the DVD online and it brought back plenty of memories. The plot could be a little better, but it delivers entertainment.

45. Logan Lucky, A- : Okay this is actually hard to grade. If you watched this without seeing any Ocean's movies, it's a great film. But this film is LITERALLY OCEAN'S ELEVEN except the setting and characters are American hillbillies. No joke - LITERALLY THE SAME MOVIE. The same techniques. The same ideas. The same jokes. The same ending. It's hard to hate it because it's a great film on its own. In a wider scope it's like The Force Awakens of heist movies - exactly like the original.

46. Wonder Woman, A- : Oh yeah, I saw this too. How could I forget? Saw it twice. Great stuff. The highlight (let's face it - the ONLY highlight) of the DC Cinematic Universe. It has some flaws but it shines. I wasn't okay with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in the beginning. This changed my mind.

47. Dunkirk, A: SOLID war movie. Loved it. I find it interesting that you never actually see any Germans or Nazis. The whole movie is focused on the escape of the Allied soldiers. Christopher Nolan should dip his talents into every genre, IMO. I'm not big on war movies but I would watch more of them if they were made by him.

48. Spider-man: Homecoming, A- : It's funny how as time goes on, the actor for Spider-man is more like Spider-man but the story is less like Spider-man. I have to admit, having been an avid Spider-man reader, I'm annoyed at how late in the game they threw Spider-man into the Avengers films, forcing to rush through his backstory. Still - we don't get forced to sit through yet another origin story with Uncle Ben dying for the hundredth time. This movie flings you straight into the action already setting the story. There are definitely still some tired cliches, but the style is what makes it fun.

49. Bedazzled, C: I haven't seen this in years and I honestly thought it was funnier. I love Brendan Fraser and miss seeing him in movies. But it was the events that really felt uninspired.

[Calamity Panfan]

So I stopped keeping track of movies way too early in the year so I'm gonna try to do 47 MOVIES IN ABOUT 47 DAYS because I'm insane.

1. The Big Sick [2017, Michael Showalter] - 11/23 - A
2. Hollywood Cop [1987, Amir Shervan] - 11/23 - D
3. Timecop [1994, Peter Hyams] - 11/24 - B

The Big Sick is a really funny rom-com-of-sorts about the real-life marriage between Kumail Nanjiani (who plays himself) and Emily V. Gordon (played by Zoe Kazan. Really funny and touching as it details the relationships between Kumail and Emily, Kumail and his family, and Kumail and Emily's family. The scenes with Nanjiani's traditional Muslim parents did feel almost exactly alike scenes between Aziz Ansari and his parents in Master of None but I'm chalking that up to them just having extremely similar experiences as people coming from traditional Muslim families and becoming secular, agnostic/atheist people in showbiz. I think Romano and Hunter were especially great and could get a decent amount of nominations at least in the independent and guild type awards.

Hollywood Cop is an interesting trip. I love Shervan's Samurai Cop. One of my favorite B-movies. The Red Letter Media guys described this as a test run for that and it feels like it in a few ways. Cameron Mitchell's definitely a highlight as the grumpy police chief, and all the moments of the kid and the dog are delightfully silly. Otherwise it's pretty standard "foreign director makes an American action movie" fare, with the token attempted-rape scene that almost makes you turn off the movie and some absolute racist ****.

Timecop is a fun JCVD movie. It's ridiculous and silly and fun and Van Damme sucks at acting.

[Calamity Panfan]

I have not been watching as many movies as I would like but with Christmas season fast approaching I think I can manage this.

4. Deadly Prey [David A. Prior, 1987] - 11/26 - B
5. Little Evil [Eli Craig, 2017] - 11/30 - 'C
6. Bloodsport [Newt Arnold, 1988] - 12/6 - B
7. Christmas Horror Story [Steve Hoban, Grant Harvey, Brett Sullivan, 2015] - 12/8 - C
8. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 [James Gunn, 2017] - 12/9 - A-

[Calamity Panfan]

9. The Wall [Doug Liman, 2017] - 12/10 - C
10. Lady Bird [Greta Gerwig, 2017] - 12/11 - A+
11. Gremlins [Joe Dante, 1984] - 12/11 - A+

The Wall seemed like a pretty standard Iraq War thriller a la American Sniper or The Hurt Locker. It was okay I guess. John Cena says the f-word a lot.

Lady Bird is damn-near perfect film. There are plenty of movies where I come out of the theater saying, "I want to see that again," but there are rarely movies that I immediately say, "I want to see that again RIGHT NOW." It's so **** good. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf were simply incredible. Ronan is an incredible talent in her young career and she gets better with every role. The relationship between Lady Bird and Marion is so well-done, one of the best portrayals of a parent-child I've ever seen on screen. The writing is so **** good. It's so funny and sharp and heartbreaking and perfect. I love this movie so much. I'm already making plans to see it again.

Gremlins is another near-perfect movie for entirely different reasons.