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quu-kii · 5 years

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Jake Gyllenhaal Filmography Ranking

My personal ranking of all Jake Gyllenhaal movies from October Sky onwards with some brief thoughts on each of the movies. Honestly the exact number ranking of these movies is probably not super accurate and could be liable to changes, but I tried my best with the ordering.

Amazing Tier (My favorites)

1. Brokeback Mountain - This is such an emotional and heartbreaking movie. I knew it was going to have a sad ending going into it, but still I was not prepared for how strongly it hit me in the feels. And it’s not just the ending that is sad; you can tell that the love between the two leads is doomed from less than the midpoint of the movie, and it keeps going downhill from there. Overall, I think the movie is a perfect tragic love story. As well, there’s this very subtle and natural feeling to the whole movie that is difficult to describe but works really well. There’s just something truly special about this movie that makes me want to place it as the #1 best of Jake’s movies.

2. Nightcrawler - A highly suspenseful movie with an amazing lead performance by Jake as the sociopathic lead character Lou Bloom. Jake is really a big part of what makes the movie great, as he is such a strong focus of it. Lou acts so off, but it’s just impossible to take your eyes off him, and he is so interesting to watch since you keep wondering what he will do next. The other part of what makes this movie great is the writing and dialogue. There are just so many memorable and great lines, especially for Lou. Along with these factors, the subject matter of the movie, that of the career of selling violent news footage to news stations, is pretty unique, and there are some interesting ideas and themes in the movie as well relating to success and the news media. Overall I really love this movie. If there’s one thing I would say I might not like about the movie, it is the music. It can have an uplifting and hopeful vibe in dark scenes, which lessens the tense mood of some scenes. But I understand that the music was made to reflect Lou’s mood in the scene, which is a very interesting decision in itself and helps add to Lou’s character, since you can notice the contrast between how disturbing the scenarios he is in are and how Lou himself feels in such scenarios. So I at least admire the music for this aspect.

3. Enemy - A tense and psychological movie. I really love the heavy and surreal atmosphere of this movie, added to by the yellowish filter which is present throughout the whole movie as well as the score, which is ominous and used to amazing effect in the movie to enhance the dark mood. Also, I think this movie is both enjoyable when taken in at face value, being about a man who finds that there is a doppelganger of himself, and when looking deeper at what the “real” story is, taking into account the symbolism and various small details placed throughout the movie. It’s an interesting movie to think about due to its openness to interpretation. And lastly, Jake does a great job playing the two lead characters in the movie; despite the characters looking the same, they give off quite a very different vibe.

4. Spider-Man: Far from Home - My favorite MCU movie. I love so many things about this movie: how it deals with the aftermath of the Blip in a light way, how it deals with Peter Parker’s character after Endgame and his desire to just be able to have a normal life, the overall story, the setting being Europe and having this fresh vacation feeling, the fight scenes, and of course Mysterio. Along with this, it has great music (especially Mysterio’s theme) and probably the best mid credits and post credits scenes in the MCU due to their plot relevance. All of the characters are very likeable too, from Peter and all his classmates and teachers to others like Nick Fury and Mysterio, which is important to me since likable characters is one of the most important aspects to me in any kind of story. This movie was such a pleasant surprise after Endgame, which was a great disappointment to me. Also, this movie is special to me because it’s how I discovered the awesomeness of Jake and thus indirectly the reason why I watched all his movies and made this list in the first place. I’m not sure if a future MCU movie can top this for me, but who knows.

Great Tier

5. Nocturnal Animals - A harsh movie with an interesting structure of having two main stories, with one of the stories being a story within the main story (I will call this story the 2nd story for brevity). I think the 2nd story is where the movie really shines. This story was so tense and much more interesting to follow compared to the main story, and Jake portrayed the emotions of anguish and despair so well in it. It’s also interesting to think about how the 2nd story links with the main story, which gives more depth to the overall story of the movie. I find this and Brokeback Mountain to be the most emotionally harrowing of Jake’s movies, which is definitely a compliment since I admire when a work is able to make me feel so strongly. Also, I have to note that I disliked that there was a random jumpscare in the middle of the movie. It doesn’t lower my opinion of the movie, but I really don’t like jumpscares and did not expect one in this movie.

6. Source Code - A really solid sci-fi movie about Jake’s character repeating through a time loop. It is the only Jake movie to make me cry due to me being a sucker for tragic scenarios involving time loops/parallel worlds. It was just a very engaging movie to watch due to the intriguing premise and the very good execution of said premise.

7. Zodiac - I didn’t know that this movie was based off true events until almost the end of it. So the whole time, I was expecting there to be a conclusive ending when there was no way this would be the case, since the Zodiac killer case to this day hasn’t been solved. Because of this, I felt initially disappointed about this movie from a story perspective, since all the clues from the movie seemed to lead to nothing. This is my biggest “flaw” about the movie (and it’s not really the movie’s fault), but this factor aside I really liked this movie. Jake, RDJ, and Mark Ruffalo are all great in it, and I love murder mysteries so much, so the story had me hooked on this alone. It’s so interesting to watch the characters piece together clues for the case and try to unravel the mystery, as well as seeing how the case progresses (or well, doesn’t progress at times) over the years. Also, this movie just feels really good to watch; as in, the scenes and shots flow together so well. It’s a great movie overall I think.

8. The Sisters Brothers - A western with a kind of laid back feel to it. Also supposedly it is a comedy, but I found it not funny at all. It’s not that I see the movie attempting jokes and find that they don’t work; it’s more like I don’t see the attempt at humor at all, unless maybe it’s kind of a weird dark humor thing. Anyways, I really like this movie, and it’s mostly because I really like the main four characters and their dynamics with each other. Jake does a great job playing his character John Morris and has an accent which is pleasant to my ears, though I was sad that he (as well as Riz Ahmed) wasn’t in the movie more. Even though I was watching the movie for Jake, I found myself liking John C. Reilly’s and Joaquin Phoenix’s characters, the two leads, a lot as well. It’s a movie that shines because of the characters for me.

Very Good Tier

9. Donnie Darko - A pretty unique coming of age story with sci-fi elements. I’m still not sure what to think of this movie, though I think I liked it. Some of my favorite scenes are where Donnie goes off on these rants about what he believes to be the truth. These scenes are amazing to me.

10. Prisoners - I actually find the story of this movie to be not that great. However, what elevates the movie is Hugh Jackman and Jake and their amazing performances. Funnily enough, I found myself siding with Hugh’s character and against Jake’s as they both simultaneously tried to solve the case. Also, this movie is just really exciting and engaging to watch and is maybe one of the easiest to recommend movies on this list due to these factors.

11. The Day After Tomorrow - This isn’t a very deep movie or anything, but it’s a really solid disaster flick in my opinion. I love the visuals, and Jake is such a cutie in this movie, a factor that really elevates it for me.

12. The Good Girl - It looked like a comedy or something from the outside, but actually this is a rather bleak movie. It’s one of the duology of the Jake-being-into-older-married-women movies (and the much better of the two for me). I find this movie pretty underrated.

13. October Sky - It’s an uplifting and inspiring movie, and I love how Homer’s relationship with his father is portrayed here.

14. Okja - I love the stylized vibe of this movie. Jake isn’t in the movie that much, but I really like every time he shows up. He goes full wacky here and it’s fun to watch.

15. Brothers - Tobey Maguire is the real star here. I think he was great in the movie and I could really feel the emotions of his character, especially after he comes back from the war and is in a troubled state of mind.

16. Stronger - A good based on real life movie about a survivor of the Boston Marathon Bombing. Jake does a great job as usual, and I think the emotions of the story came through well.

17. Wildlife - A really simple and subdued story about a family, but I think it works well in the movie. It has a very quiet and natural feeling to it.

Ok Tier

18. Demolition - A quirky feeling movie about a guy trying to deal with the death of his wife. The scene with Jake dancing in the city is my favorite part. Also I thought Jake’s friendship with the kid in the movie was a highlight.

19. Bubble Boy - It's kind of a dumb movie with some maybe offensive humor, but I thought it was pretty enjoyable regardless. Jake is so adorable as the main character Jimmy, and it was fun to follow his journey across the country and seeing all the interesting characters he meets.

20. Proof - I thought it was pretty good, but then the movie ended just when I thought it was starting to ramp up the story to the conclusion. This factor brought the movie down for me.

21. Life - The monster design for this movie was pretty cool, and I liked the ending and the general space horror vibe. However, I didn’t feel much for any of the characters.

22. Everest - It was ok, but I wasn’t really into any of the characters here.

23. Southpaw - I think this movie is very impressive for Jake’s resume, considering how he trained a lot and learned boxing for it. However as a movie itself, I didn’t really feel much for it and felt like it wasn’t doing much special in the story department. I liked some of the parts in the earlier half though.

24. End of Watch - I just wasn’t feeling this movie. Maybe it was the found footage style or something. I feel a bit sad about not digging this movie since I see it is generally one of the more well liked ones in Jake’s filmography.

25. Jarhead - I really don’t like the vulgar tone throughout this movie, but I do like the general story and message. Also the movie looks really good.

Not That Great Tier

26. Velvet Buzzsaw - I love Jake’s character Morf so much as well as the general premise. However the movie itself wasn’t too great: I found most of the characters besides Jake’s to be unlikable, and also the movie felt cheap. It’s very disappointing since the concept for the movie (horror in an art gallery) seems so promising.

27. Prince of Persia - This was the first Jake movie I saw back in the day around the time of its theater release. I have to say I find this to be Jake’s weakest acting performance out of all his movies. For me, good acting is when the actor feels very natural as the character and is somehow magnetizing to watch. But for some reason I did not get a very natural vibe from Jake as Dastan in this movie. I do think he looks very beautiful in this movie though with his long hair, so that’s a big plus. The story of this movie feels pretty cliché and kind of lifeless in a way, but I still liked it alright.

28. Highway - I don’t really like the sleazy tone of this movie. However, I think Jake is very adorable in this movie and has this pure wide-eyed vibe about him (despite him being a drug dealer and sleeping with prostitutes and such).

29. Rendition - I found this movie to be aggressively boring for the most part. There’s this subplot which I was unsure why I should even care about until a reveal near the end of the movie, when it was too late to start caring at all. However Jake in a bloody shirt towards the beginning of the movie makes for some good screencaps and gifs, and I learned about the term extraordinary rendition through searching about it after the movie.

30. Moonlight Mile - I guess this movie might be considered technically good because it tells the story it sets out to do fairly well, but I just found it very boring. There is a part towards the end with Jake’s character being very emotional which I really liked.

31. Lovely & Amazing - It's actually decent, but really not my type of movie. It’s the 2nd of the duology of the Jake-being-into-older-married-women movies.

Just No Tier

32. Accidental Love - I actually enjoyed the beginning parts of this movie (though what’s with the constant dutch angles in the earlier parts?), and ironically it is around the point of the introduction of Jake’s character where I felt like it started to nosedive. I felt my soul slipping away and my IQ dropping by the end of the movie.

33. Love & Other Drugs – I really, really don’t like this kind of raunchy sex comedy movie. That’s all.

#jake gyllenhaal #text #brokeback mountain #nightcrawler #enemy #spiderman far from home #nocturnal animals #source code #zodiac #the sisters brothers #donnie darko #prisoners

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faneliacosplay · 5 years

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Top 10 of 2018

C2018 was a year is this nicest way I can sum it up. My precious fur-baby passed away after fighting a horrible illness and is in a happier place, my health went crazy (still is as of writing), and I finally broke free from an abusive toxic person who had been controlling me for a huge chunk of my life. Despite the bad things that happened, I want to focus on the good things of 2018. One of things I began doing in January of 2018 was at the end of every week, I would write down all of the good things that happened to me, be it sewing, watched a good movie, spending time with a friend, etc. So without further ado, here’s my Top 10 of 2018! (I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S ALREADY MARCH!!)

1. The Ancient Magus’ Bride

- I’ve been a lifelong fan of Beauty and the Beast-like stories ever since I watched the classic Disney film. The manga kept popping up in my recommendations for the majority of 2017 and I remember seeing a poster at my local theater for a premiere showing of the first 3 episodes of the then-upcoming anime (I have since regretted not going to this showing). I finally caved and bought the first two volumes of the manga and literally went back to the store two days later and bought the next 2 volumes. I’ve always been a very picky person with my romance be it movie, novel, anime, manga, etc., but this quickly became one of my favorites with it’s excellent world-building, relationships, and don’t even get me started on how gorgeous the animation is! If you want an excellent Beauty & the Beast adaptation, you won’t be disappointed. (I am unashamed of crying happy tears in public while watching the final episode)

2. Satoshi Kon’s Filmography

- My New Year’s resolution was to watch all of the late Satoshi Kon’s works, starting with his debut film Perfect Blue. I had wanted to watch this film for several years, and it did not disappoint. (I kept spamming for people to go and see it when it got a theatrical re-release in Fall 2018) Next was Kon’s final project Paprika, which I watched about 3 times in May and many times over 2018 and still notice something new every time I watch it. Finally, I watched *the* film that I have wanted to watch for many, many years (since 2004 to be exact): Millennium Actress. I was not prepared for how moving this film would be with its themes of the past vs. present, how an ordinary encounter can lead to something so much more, and lastly: love transcends time. If you could only watch one of Satoshi Kon’s works, please choose to watch Millennium Actress. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to watch Kon’s other two works, but I aim to in 2019 (along with reading his works)

3. Slayers

- I watched some of Slayers back in middle school and in summer 2016, but never took off with it until in 2018. I knew I would like this funny series about the adventures of a fiery sorceress, dumb as a stump swordsman, optimistic hero-in-training, and an overly-serious chimera, but I had no idea it would become one of my top 10 favorite anime series! I haven’t laughed so much with an anime in a while, and I greatly appreciated it since my fur-baby passed away and this was one of the last anime we watched together. There’s just something about 90s fantasy anime that’s just so appealing. I will throw in that while I love the tv series, the films are worth watching too, with The Motion Picture being my favorite. If you need something to cheer you up, I highly recommend Slayers!

4. Venom

- Confession: I did not have high hopes for this movie. I was the only one among my friends who was uninterested in this film whenever we would watch the trailers/promos/etc. Eventually after this movie came out, my friends and best friend convinced me to see it. My sociology buddy told me “This movie wasn’t marketed right! Go see it!!” and another told me “This is the best action rom-com of 2018.” The next day my family asked me if I wanted to see it and Bohemian Rhapsody (also an excellent film) and I said “Sure!” This film has since spawned never-ending jokes between me and my best friend. (I ended up making her a Venom scarf for Christmas!) If you’re trying to get someone to see this film, don’t show them the trailers depicting it as a dark, gritty, action thriller, show them the home video trailer depicting it as a rom-com because that’s exactly what it is. I still can’t believe that a movie about a human falling in love with a man-eating gooey alien is real.

5. The Shape of Water

- “2017 will be remembered as the year men screwed up so badly, women started dating fish.”- Jimmy Kimmel, 2018 Oscars. I’m beginning to see a pattern for stories of humans falling in love with monsters. My mom and I wanted to see this film after the trailer dropped in summer 2017 and were disappointed when the film didn’t play here. However, sometime in February 2018, this film played in our town for one weekend, so we dashed to the theater. I don’t even know where to start with how beautiful this film is and since several people I know still haven’t watched it I’ll just state this: Please watch this film. It earned the 4 Oscars it won. (It earned all 10 it was nominated for!)

6. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

- I almost didn’t see this film. 2018 was a pretty hectic year for me and I didn’t really keep up with films/entertainment news, so I saw no trailers for this film (except for a really short tv ad). All I knew was what my best friend had said: “Brianna, let’s go see Spider-verse. In 3D.” (y’all, 2018 was the year of listening to my best friend) It was so nice not only to see a different Spider-Man, a diverse cast, a well-curated soundtrack, and a completely new style of animation that makes you feel as though you’re reading/watching a comic book??? Sign me up! I’m so happy this film won the Oscar!!

7. Macross Frontier Movies

- I’ve fallen deep into the Macross hole in the past year or two and have no plans of crawling out. The 2008 series Macross Frontier was my first and favorite entry in the series so far. I knew that there were two recap/alternate retelling films made, so when I was free one day I watched them and I was really surprised that I enjoyed them more than the tv series!? I haven’t really mentioned this, but my big problem with the tv series of Frontier was it’s ending being not too good. I don’t want to ruin it since Macross (particularly made after 2001) is a bit unknown in the USA, but I will say that if you want to get into this franchise, start with the Frontier movies or with the iconic Macross: Do you remember love? film. The music is just as good as the tv series, same with the costumes, and the writing is much better! The performance of Northern Cross at the climax of The Wings of Goodbye was really moving. Not “Do you remember love?” moving, but pretty close.

8. Sailor Moon Theatrical Double-Feature

- Everyone who knows me knows that I’ve loved Sailor Moon for pretty much all of my life (ever since the 3rd & 4th seasons aired on Toonami back in the day!) A holiday tradition for me was to watch the 2nd theatrical every Christmas Eve, unfortunately my two VHS tapes finally gave out in 2016. Thanks to Viz Media, this past summer saw theatrical re-releases of all 3 Sailor Moon films. Shockingly, my local theater was showing the films subbed so my mom and I bought our tickets right away. It was so surreal seeing these films that I grew up with on the big screen, and I know non-Sailor Moon fans won’t get this, but hearing/watching the whole “Moon Revenge” sequence in the theater was so intense. This part never got to me as a kid for some weird reason and I had no idea I was crying until my mom pointed it out at the end of the film. With the 2nd film, seeing Luna transform into a human was emotionally moving as always, just 10 times more since it was on the big screen with that nice surround sound system. That night when I got home, I didn’t get any sleep since I still couldn’t believe that this happened. The now 20+ years old Sailor Moon movies got released for the first time in USA theaters. This is an experience I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.

9. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc

- I was so excited when a sequel to Cardcaptor Sakura was announced. Like Sailor Moon, I watched this series as the heavily-edited Cardcaptors on Toonami. When I got older and learned that there was more anime out there besides the ones I saw on TV, I went back and watched Cardcaptor Sakura to get the whole, magical story and even read the manga, which I believe is the greatest children’s manga ever made. I loved every single moment of the new series and felt as though I were watching another episode of the classic series. The only thing that felt different was that the animation is no longer hand-drawn. (it’s still good) When you reboot or make a sequel to a series be it tv, film, or book, sometimes it’ll miss the charm that made it so enjoyable in the first place. Clear Card thankfully still carries the charm its predecessor had.

10. Little Witch Academia

- I had started this anime around holiday 2017 but didn’t finish it until early 2018. This was one of the most optimistic series I’d ever had the pleasure of watching. I don’t want to compare the two, but the inspirational message that Kiki’s Delivery Service gave me when I was 10, was the exact inspirational message you will find in Little Witch Academia. (and that I needed to hear as a 20-year-old) I was starting to get a bit depressed and losing confidence in myself with my science grades getting lower no matter what I tried, as well as other things in my personal life. After dropping Science, I had a long wait between classes, so I decided to start watching Little Witch Academia again. Seeing our protagonist Akko trying her best at flying a broom and failing was me with my science grades, but her determination to get her broom just a few centimeters off the ground was so inspiring to watch. After this I watched the other Studio Trigger works I had yet to see, and while they’re all good in their own way, none of them have left the imprint LWA left on me. Sometimes when I get frustrated or lack confidence in myself, I tell myself Shiny Chariot’s words of wisdom that motivated Akko throughout the series: “Never forget your beautiful dreams. Believing is your magic!!”

#2018 #2018 in review #The Ancient Magus Bride #millennium actress #satoshi kon #slayers anime #lina inverse #venom #the shape of water #into the spider verse #macross frontier #sailor moon #cardcaptor sakura clear card #clear card arc #little witch academia #brianna talks #slayers

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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My Favorite Art Books of 2019

This year I reviewed 62 art books, a dip again from the 74 I did last year, and 82 back in 2017. I attribute the reasons for the falling numbers to a combination of reduced readership for my blog ( less readers = less conversion, which unfortunately gives me less resources to procure books ) as well as the comparatively smaller number of interesting Japanese art books that I felt was worth picking up.

Despite the reduced quantity, there’s still plenty of great art books that were published in 2019, and these particular 10 are my favorites. I hope you’ll find something of interest in the list, and here’s to a happy 2020 ! –

1) Spider-Man : Into The Spiderverse – The Art Of The Movie

Published in late December 2018, this book narrowly missed my fav art books list of 2018, so I’m including it here for posterity.

Winner of the 2018 Academy Award for Best Animated Film, and a movie I’m super proud to have worked on, this book explores the stunning concept art created for the film, with a surplus of sketches, storyboards, character/environment designs as well as color scripts. The beautiful images that you see in the film were greatly informed by the amazing visuals the concept artists created, so if you like the movie, you’ll the art work in this book too.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon UK | Buy From Amazon Japan

2) Tokyo At Night – The Artworks of Mateusz Urbanowicz II

Tokyo based Polish illustrator Mateusz Urbanowicz‘s first art book Tokyo Storefronts was one of my favorites in 2018, and he’s back again this year strong with Tokyo At Night, a collection of delightful watercolor illustrations that explores the the moody nocturnal sights of the sprawling, skyscraper topped metropolis saturated with neon lights, mysterious back alleys, wet cityscapes lit by reflections and more. It’s a stunning art book from start to end, and I love it.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon Japan | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon UK

3) Real Size – Katsuya Terada Art Book

Renowned Japanese illustrator Katsuya Terada’s Real Size is a superb collection of his black marker art works, many of which were created during his live drawing events. The title refers to the print size of the reproductions which are at 100% scale of the original art works, large mural pieces which are cropped and presented across several pages in the book. The complete drawings are also included, scaled down to 16% of the original size.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon Japan | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon UK

4) Making Solo: A Star Wars Story

Industrial Light & Magic Presents : Making Solo: A Star Wars Story is a handsomely photographed making of book by Rob Bredow, the SVP, executive creative director, and head of Industrial Light & Magic.

As a child, the production photographs of the AT-ATs from The Empire Strikes Back inspired Rob to become a filmmaker, and in meticulously documenting the progress of the production on Solo he hopes to do the same – to inspire the next generation of artists, engineers and storytellers.

The beautiful set photographs gives readers an intimate glimpse into the journey that Solo took from pre-production, production, and post-production, fully documenting how this film came to the big screen.

This book is a great companion for the equally fantastic Art Of Solo – A Star Wars Story, which focuses on the concept art behind the film ( and incidentally one of my fav art books of 2018 ).

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon UK | Buy From Amazon Japan

5) The Idol – Sushio

Sushio is a Japanese animator/illustrator who started his career as an animator at studio Gainax for the TV animation series Neon Genesis Evangelion. After working on many renowned anime series and movies such as One Piece, he took on the character design work for the anime hit series Kill La Kill, catapulting his status in the animation world.

This book is his long-awaited first commercial collection that looks back over his career to date. It features notable works from Kill La Kill, Gurren Lagann, Momoiro Clover Z, along with a panel illustration of Anime Matsuri 2015, his work overseas for an annual anime convention held in Texas, and much more. This book also features Sushio’s illustrations of AKIRA: two original illustrations depicting the imaginary post-AKIRA world, which was officially approved by Katsuhiro Otomo himself, and two illustrations taken from the Tribute to Otomo art book.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon UK | Buy From Amazon Japan

6) The Making Of Alien

The Making Of Alien is an in-depth and comprehensive book charting the complete story of how Alien was made, featuring new interviews with Ridley Scott and other production crew, and including many rarely-seen photos and illustrations from the Fox archives.

I already own several excellent books on the making of the Alien films, Alien The Archive and Aliens – The Set Photography just to name a few, but this huge hard cover volume explores plenty of material that I’m only seen for the first time, most notably the huge collection of “Ridleygrams”; detail storyboards draw by the director himself, as well as on set production photographs and a giant depository of concept art pieces by several artists like Eliot Scott, Chris Foss and Ron Cobb.

But the book isn’t simply your regular coffee-table book glossed over with just pictures and images. The small print text accompanying the visuals are cramped with detailed production stories and are more scholarly than just a casual read.

As a big fan of the franchise I’m absolutely delighted with this book, and I really look forward to the upcoming Making Of Aliens book, also by J.W. Rinzler.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon UK | Buy From Amazon Japan

7) Children Of The Sea Background Art Book

Children Of The Sea ( Kaiju No Kodomo ) is a Japanese animated film directed by Watanabe Ayumu and produced by Studio 4°C, based on the highly acclaimed manga by Daisuke Igarashi. The art direction and background art is supervised by Kimura Shinji, who previously bought us the amazing background art in Tekkon Kinkreet and Steamboy.

Published in the same format at the fantastic Shiro ( White ) background art book for Tekkon Kinkreet, this hardcover volume is bursting at the seams with stunning background art painted by Kimura Shinji, with some 250 pages of art work.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon UK | Buy From Amazon Japan

8) Hellboy – 25 Years Of Covers

I enjoy every page and panel of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy comics, but the art covers he has illustrated for the comic are something special; often drawn with just that extra, delicate detail. Over the years as the volumes of Hellboy and the shared universe BPRD grew it became harder and harder to keep track of all the covers that he has illustrated, and I started hoping for an art book that is dedicated to just the covers. Hellboy – 25 Years Of Covers is exactly that.

This hardcover volume features more than 150 full-page cover pieces from Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, Duncan Fegredo and more, all neatly collected for easy viewing and enjoyment.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon Japan | Buy From Amazon UK

9) Ikegami Ryoichi Art Works

An art book that is long overdue, Ikegami Ryoichi Art Works is a superb collection of illustrations from the famed manga artist of Crying Freeman, Sanctuary and Mai The Psychic Girl.

Running at a sumptuous 288 pages, the art book is split into 2 separate volumes, with one book dedicated to male characters, and the other female. While a good portion of both volumes feature illustrations from Crying Freeman, likely the artist’s most famous work; there’s still a good spread of content from Ikegami’s other mangas, and this is the biggest collection of his art work published yet.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon UK | Buy From Amazon Japan

10) Akira Art Of Wall Art Book

This book arrived just in time to be included in this year’s list, and also made for a very splendid Christmas present.

Four sets of giant Akira murals ( see the pictures I took here, here and here ) used to decorate the construction walls of the Parco Shibuya shopping mall in Tokyo from the period of 2017-2019 are fully reproduced in this stunning boxset. The panoramic art work looks spectacular when fully extended, and would immediately class up any wall lucky enough to be adorned with it. I think this might very well be my favorite art book of the year, among all my favorites.

Read the full book review | Buy From Amazon.com | Buy From Amazon UK | Buy From Amazon Japan

Besides the 10 books that I’ve listed above, some other noteworthy mentions include Marvel Monograph: The Art Of Esad Ribic, Perfect Blue Storyboard Book ( New Edition ), The Art Of Kazuchika Kise and Bram Stoker’s Dracula – Mike Mignola Graphic Novel ( B&W edition ).

You can take a look at the full list of 2019’s art book reviews here, and I also recommend my favorite art books of 2018/2017/2016/2015/2014/2013/2012.

If you need help with ordering on Amazon Japan, the FAQs below will guide you through, step by step.

One small request – Due to the falling readership of my blog, I’ve been finding it harder and harder to purchase more books for review. I kindly ask that you use any of the Amazon purchase links in this post or anywhere on my blog to buy books; it won’t cost you anything, but the affiliate fee I earn as a result will allow me to continue reviewing more books. Thank you !

And lastly, I’ll love you hear about your favorite art books this year too, if you have any to share. Happy New Year !

The post My Favorite Art Books of 2019 appeared first on Halcyon Realms - Art Book Reviews - Anime, Manga, Film, Photography.

My Favorite Art Books of 2018

My Favorite Art Books of 2015

My Favorite Art Books of 2017

My Favorite Art Books of 2016

My Favorite Art Books of 2014

By: yonghow

#Anime #News #Halcyon Realms – Art Book Reviews – Anime #Manga #Film #Photography

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epen409 · 5 years

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My Top 18 Favorite Movies, TV Shows and/or Cartoons of 2018 (in no particular order) Part Dos

10. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Ignore the neckbeards who have nothing better to do, so they complain about reboots of cartoons from the quote on quote "golden age of animation, the 80's". She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a really great show, that yes, is better than the original 80's show. It's able to create a more fun and engaging story, while also having a lot of memorable and likable characters. It also has a theme that I found very interesting, where the villains aren't born evil, they are just misled in the wrong direction and don't truly know wrong from right. It's quite a bold theme for the show. If there is a kind of big flaw, the animation is a little wonky. Some shots and scenes look great, while others are very easy to see where the animation mistakes are. That said, it's still a great show that takes advantage of all of it's fun and interesting characters, and brings them together in a new show that blows its predecessor out of the water. And yes, LGBT fans. It's very, very gay.

11. Spider-Man Into the Spider verse

What a comeback story. Who would have thought that the studio that made the whole world of animation cry last year would end up making the best animated film of the year? But anyways, Spider-Man into the Spiderverse is not only able to live up to all the hype it's been getting for the past year, but it also blew our expectations away. First of all, it looks GORGEOUS. It's able to make a visual style that's not only very beautiful and interesting, but it also happens to create a loving tribute to the original medium of comic books. Second, they put just as much effort in the story as they did with the visuals, which is not only a very fun superhero film, but also manages to be a very engaging emotional story as well, with lots of fun, interesting and memorable characters as well. If there is something to say isn't perfect, I did notice at least one plot hole that left me a bit confused, and they kind of blew the wad for putting in a few too many characters, where, while fun and memorable, don't have that much screen time and don't leave as big of an impression as the main characters. But still, it's one of the year's best movies, so go watch it NOW!

12. Flcl Progressive and Alternative

The first anime I ever saw was FLCL. It was insane, had gorgeous animation, memorable characters and I loved every minute of it. Do its sequel series' live up to the original's legacy. Well, let me put it this way. I very much enjoyed both shows, equally too. I thought they were very fun shows, and their themes, while sometimes a little hit-and-miss, still got their points across, the new characters were very fun and memorable, and the action scenes were also animated very well. With all that said, they still don't hold a candle to the original show. But that's okay, because I imagine it'd be very hard to. I still think that both of these new shows were very good, and although not as great as the original FLCL, was still lots of fun, and somewhat worthy successors to one of the greatest animas of all time. I still recommend both, since they still were good in my opinion.

13. Hilda

Miss Gravity Falls and Over the Garden Wall? Then have I got the show for you. Hilda is a great show from Netflix that manages to capture the spirits of both those shows, but also having its own identity and voice. One thing I appreciate about the show is that not only can it be calm and laid back in more character and establishing moments, but it also can be equally as exciting and fun for its more adventurous and action scenes. The characters are all very charming. Hilda is a free-spirited and adventurous young girl, but she's not a pushover or overly cheery either. Her friends both regular and supernatural, can sometimes fall into familiar tropes, but also are very fun and enjoyable to watch. (Alfie's my favorite). It's a great show to watch, especially on days you want to cozy up with a cup of hot liquids of some kind, and take it all in. It's a great show, and I highly recommend giving it a watch.

14. Christopher Robin

I missed Winnie the Pooh. Yes, an 18-year old male misses the adventures of a talking teddy bear. Deal with it. But anyways, for a while it seemed that Disney had somewhat given up on the bear with little brains, but they've given him another chance with this new film, but this time, mainly focusing on his human friend, Christopher Robin. One thing this movie gets right is the feeling of Winnie the Pooh. Pooh has never been known for incredibly convoluted stories, just mainly simple tales that it's colorful cast of characters can bounce off of, and this movie nails that feeling down. It's also close to the original cast of characters, since deviating away from their personalities would be considered a form of blasphemy. Also, the performances here are great too. Evan McGregor makes a surprisingly good Christopher Robin, Hayley Atwell is charming as his wife, the girl who played their daughter was pretty good too, and of course, our friends from the 100 Acre Woods are played very well by the new cast, especially the one and only Jim Cummings, the only modern voice for both Pooh and Tigger. Now it does have flaws, like the story is kind of the typical "Dad's too busy for the kids", and although I've grown to like it over time, but sometimes it got a little too dramatic for some scenes, and at time Christopher Robin himself came off a bit as whiny and unlikable in some scenes. With that said, it's very easy to see that the whole film is a big love letter to Winnie the Pooh. No, it's not the best movie of the year, Or anything like that, but if you want a nice, enjoyable and cute movie to watch, then Christopher Robin is the perfect film to watch.

15. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

I'll break my rule just this once to include a video game here. Super Smash Bros Ultimate was the biggest game from Nintendo this holiday season, and boy did it deliver. The last Smash Bros. game, was lots of fun, with it bringing all of our favorite (popular) video game characters together for a huge brawl. This next one, takes it up to 11. One thing I walkways admired from the games is that it's not the world's most complicated fighter game, while also still being oodles of fun. Only one big flaw: no Waluigi. Nah, just kidding. It's a great game, and a great farewell to the world of Smash from it's director, Masahiro Sakurai.

16. The Dragon Prince

Here's another show that didn't get that much attention on Netflix, The Dragon Prince. Made by the head writer from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the creator of the Uncharted games, comes a massive fantasy epic focusing on the Battle between humans and fantasy creatures like elves and dragons. One thing I really love about this show is just how complex the characters and their morals are. It's a show that takes a lot of advantage from this theme. It's also filled with lots of fun, yet also very interesting characters. You will probably get attached to them by the end of the show, which may break some hearts too... But yeah, might as well address the elephant in the room, the animation. In fact, I do think that maybe the reason it didn't immediately catch on was because a lot of people were turned off by the animation style. But I still recommend it and ask that you give it a chance, because not only was it lots of fun, and very interesting, but the story and characters help redeem the animation, plus it does improve itself over time. Please, please, please give The Dragon Prince a chance, it's a great show.

17. Ralph Breaks the Internet

Don't worry. It's not another Emoji Movie. Ralph Breaks the Internet is not only a worthy successor to the original film, but it also manages to expand a lot on the heart from the original. This time, instead of arcade games, it plucks our characters into the Internet, and unlike the Emoji Movie, manages to make more clever and creative ideas while being on the Internet. And yeah, maybe the scene when Vanellope visits the Disney website might be Disney patting themselves on the back a little too hard, but it's still a very funny and enjoyable scene that also helps move the plot forward. But one thing the movie was amazing at was expanding on its characters and their development. It even manages to avoid the typical happy ending, which, without spoiling anything, actually makes a change in the characters lives. If there is a flaw, like I said, it's 10 times better than the Emoji Movie, but I will admit, between the cameos from Youtubers and the one scene where Ralph becomes a meme, did kind of make me roll my eyes, but thankfully, unlike the Emoji movie, it doesn't dwell too much on these scenes all that much, and knows when to move the plot forward in the right direction. I still say it's a worthy sequel that's worth your time.

Also, Yesss is my new waifu.

18. Mary Poppins Returns

Here's one of the few live-action Disney films in recent years, I feel are very worthy to the legacy of their original film. Mary Poppins Returns is just a complete and utter joy of a film, not unlike the original classic. The performance of Emily Blunt as the titular nanny is a worthy successor the original by Julie Andrews, and character in general. Lin Manuel-Miranda not only does a great job in continuing the spirit of Dick Van Dyke from the first film, but also in writing a plethora of great songs that are amazingly performed and choreographed by the cast, while also giving tribute to the Sherman Brother's original songs. Even the kids, who I kind expected to get on my nerves, are actually pretty likable and fun, and are given, eh passable performances by their actors and actress. The animation sequence brought a tear to my eye, not only because it was lots of fun, but because I'm just happy to beautiful 2D Disney animation on the big screen again. If there is some flaws, yeah, the story is yet another Dad needs to spend more time with kids plot again, and it does bring some more action/suspenseful moments that I don't feel are completely in spirit to the original film's more laid back tone. But regardless, it's an overall great and very charming new film from Disney, and although I would like them to try doing some more original stuff with their live-action movies, I hope can keep the spirit of both this film,and a lot of the classic live-action Disney movies (like the original Mary Poppins, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Treasure Island, Darby O' Gill, Swiss Family Robinson and some others you guys probably never heard of).

So that's about it. Thank you all for sticking around listening to me talk about all these Movies and TV shows are worth remembering from this year, and there's a lot I'm excited for next year, and I hope that this next year can be an improvement, with more kindness and joy from the world and from people. Yeah, it's wishful thinking, but it's not a bad wish to have. Thank you all for supporting this page for the last year,and I'LL see ya in 2019!

#she ra #spider man into the spider verse #hilda #Super Smash Bros. Ultimate #flcl alternative #flcl 2 #Christopher Robin #The Dragon Prince #ralph breaks the internet #Mary Poppins Returns

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benito-cereno · 7 years

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The Haunting of Netflix House 5: The Netflix Dimension

What’s up Octobocops, it’s Halloweason. Let’s get spooked. Here are some movies of the horror and horror-adjacent genres that you might watch by yourself or with a party of friends or with the spirit of a long-deceased duke who lives in inhabits your house. This is part five; you know the goddamn drill by now.

Previously, on The Haunting of Netflix House:

2013: The Haunting of Netflix House

2014: The Haunting of Netflix House 2: Your Sister is a Netflix

2015: The Haunting of Netflix House 3: The Season of the Netflix

2016: The Haunting of Netflix House 4: The Netflix Master

A couple of notes for those who are new to the list:

This is being posted on October 2, 2017. For humans of the future who find this, the links may not all be up to date. Some might even expire by November 2017. Click at your own risk.

I try to offer both breadth and depth of options on this list, but it is by no means exhaustive. I’m sorry if a favorite of yours got left off. There’s a chance I just haven’t seen it yet. Feel free to reblog and add some of your favorites, but please make sure a movie is actually currently available on Netflix before jumping my shit about some nonsense I “forgot,” please and thank you.

This list is based upon movies that are available on Netflix in the US. I have no idea what is streaming on Canadian Netflix or British Netflix or Slovenian Netflix. How would I know this. Why would I know this. Please do not expect me to know this. Feel free to be the Canadian/British/Slovenian Benito and make your own list applicable to your own countryhumans.

Horror movies, by their nature, have horrific things in them. Most of these movies are violent; lots of them deal with torture, abuse, and mental illness. If some element of this jumps out to me while I’m writing these up, I’ll mention them, but if you are sensitive to or have issues with certain types of content, you might look an individual movie up on Common Sense Media first to check for content warnings.

While there are always good horror movies to be found on Netflix, if you really like scary movies, you should just get a Shudder subscription (or even just the free trial!). It has an unbeatable, well-curated selection.

All right let’s get to the goddamn movies what say

Classics (this section seems to get smaller every year):

Jaws (this is about a shark)

The Fly (the Vincent Price version, not the Jeff Goldblum one)

Gremlins (technically a Christmas movie, obviously, but maybe you’re a rebel)

The Sixth Sense (is this a classic? I mean probably your mom has heard of it, so)

Horror Comedies:

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (highly recommended)

Little Evil (new from the maker of Tucker and Dale; great cast; more than the Omen spoof it looks like; recommended)

Troll Hunter (not horror in the traditional sense; not a “Halloween” monster; found footage style; subtitled; awesome)

Young Frankenstein (maybe you’ve heard of this one)

The Host (subtitled; not a “Halloween” monster)

Ravenous (fucking rules)

Housebound (recommended)

Patchwork (in the vein of like Re-Animator and Frankenhooker)

Deathgasm (the best the best the best; watch immediately)

The Bar

Haunted House/Ghost shit:

The Awakening

The Pact (recommended)

The Babadook (highest possible recommendation; how have you not watched this yet)

Under the Shadow (recommended; basically the Iranian Babadook)

The Canal

We Are Still Here (Barbara Crampton is in this; her name will be mentioned a few more times on this list because she is apparently a major selling point for some people)

Last Shift (haunted police station; recommended)

The Legend of Hell House (love this one; love Roddy McDowall)

I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (very slow paced but atmospheric)

Coraline (yeah, the scary stop-motion one)

Vampire shit:

Stake Land (non-traditional vampire rules; not really my jam but some people love it; no idea if the sequel is good)

Byzantium

Night Watch

Werewolf shit:

Late Phases (old blind guy vs werewolves; pretty good)

When Animals Dream (hit some similar thematic notes to Ginger Snaps, but completely different tonally; subtitled)

Zombie shit:

Train to Busan (this rules; subtitled)

Witch/Demon/Pagan shit:

At the Devil’s Door (from the maker of The Pact; not as good, still interesting)

The Void (Lovecraftian cult shit; very cool visuals and practical effects)

Baskin (subtitled; super gory; also, the protags are asshole cops who tell transphobic stories and say homophobic slurs and talk about bestiality at the beginning, so heads up; worth a watch if that doesn’t bother you)

The Devil’s Candy

Hellions (this is not *great,* but it looks good and is heavily Halloweeny)

The Wailing (fucking amazing; subtitled)

Found footage shit:

V/H/S (lots of sex, violence, and sexualized violence

V/H/S/2 (same)

V/H/S Viral (same but in a different way)

The Den (ChatRoulette the horror movie; highly highly highly recommended)

Creep (recommended)

They’re Watching (not super amazing, but it’s wild af and I kind of love it; what if House Hunters International renovated a witch house?)

Man Vs (pretty okay)

Slasher shit (needless to say, these are gory):

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

Curse of Chucky (way better than you think it is)

Clown (the haunted clown suit movie so good that Marvel said, “Yo, this guy should be in charge of Spider-Man”)

The Windmill (it’ll do fine if you’re just looking for a new slasher; tbf it is probably the best windmill-themed slasher ever made though)

Other shit:

Monsters (really good; not “Halloween” monsters)

It Follows (hey, what’s up, it’s the best horror movie of the past decade; highest possible rec)

Sleepy Hollow (what section do Headless Horsemen go in? Dunno; the movie not the show)

The House at the End of Time (highly recommended; subtitled)

Honeymoon

Starry Eyes

White God (DOG REVENGE)

They Look Like People (this is a slow burn, but super highly recommended)

Extraordinary Tales (animated anthology of Edgar Allan Poe stories narrated by famous people; a mixed bag, but cool)

Darling (okay, so: this is a really beautiful and atmospheric film that I, generally speaking, recommend; however, it is kind of “artsy,” there is not a lot of dialogue, it is in black and white, there are some light strobing effects, rape does not occur on screen but is implied to have happened in a character’s past)

The Hallow (scary fairies)

Tales of Halloween (an anthology, so a mixed bag; okay overall, but it’s definitely Halloween-y)

The Invitation (highest possible recommendation)

Beyond the Gates (I actually did not like this very much, but some people might find it interesting, especially if you like--wait for it--Barbara Crampton)

Turbo Kid (this is not really horror, but if you like horror, especially splatter stuff, you will probably like it; it is good as shit)

Gerald’s Game (new shit from Mike Flanagan and it’s really great. Deals with lots of hard issues like abuse and such so maybe take a look at content issues if you are sensitive to that kind of stuff. Also definitely not for the squeamish, so head’s up. That said, it’s really really good)

80s/90s shit:

Hellraiser (not my style, but maybe you like this stuff, iunno)

Children of the Corn

The Craft

Non-Supernatural Thriller/Violence shit (these are violent):

Hush (Mike Flanagan directs; home invasion with a deaf woman protagonist; fucking rules)

The Silenced (haven’t actually watched this yet, but it looks good; don’t *think* it’s supernatural?; presumably subtitled)

The Eyes of My Mother (black and white; super bleak; beautiful and highly recommended)

Kristy

Dig Two Graves

We Need to Talk About Kevin (very bleak)

The Bad Batch (from the director of A Girl Walks Home Etc; only kind of horror-adjacent; Jason Momoa and Keanu Reeves are in this)

Sun Choke (visually beautiful but super art-housey, also lots of mental illness and abuse stuff in this one; also *Barbara Crampton*)

Zodiac (biography of Ted Cruz)

I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore (so fucking good; very funny also)

Nightcrawler (basically a vampire movie, but with a camera instead of fangs)

Horror and Horror-Adjacent Documentaries (all the good horror docs got moved to Shudder):

The Nightmare (a doc on sleep paralysis and night terrors that is so-so as a documentary, but super effective as a horror film)

Witches: A Century of Murder (history of British witch trials, reenacted; two parts)

“But, Benito!” I hear you cry. “I don’t have Netflix for some reason! What about some other streaming services?” Yeah, all right. Here are some quick hits that are definitely not exhaustive. Just a couple of party jams you might enjoy if you’ve burned through the Netflix list.

What’s on Hulu though

10 Cloverfield Lane

Monster Squad

Fright Night (the original; a must watch if you haven’t seen it)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

From Dusk Til Dawn

An American Werewolf in London

Hatchet

Pumpkinhead (check this one out if you haven’t seen it)

The Blob

I Saw the Devil (amazing)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (either version)

Shaun of the Dead

The Loved Ones

Wolfcop

The Thing

Rigor Mortis

Borgman

The Descent

Bloodsucking Bastards

Willow Creek

Berberian Sound Studio

Plus a bunch of shit that’s also on Netflix

What about Amazon Prime you idiot

The Girl with All the Gifts

Them (not Them!)

The Witch

Hell House LLC

Neon Demon

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Nosferatu

Green Room

Little Shop of Horrors (the Corman one, not the musical)

The Blackcoat’s Daughter

The Bay

Society

The Last Man on Earth

The Last Exorcism

What We Do in the Shadows

Amazon Prime is hard to navigate so that’s all. If I left off a favorite, it’s not because I don’t like it. It’s because it didn’t pop up in the first 20 pages of search results.

Tell me some good Shudder ones

The Innkeepers

A Tale of Two Sisters

The Gorgon

Lake Bodom

Prevenge

All the Phantasms (maybe not Ravager)

Shrew’s Nest

Noroi: The Curse

The House of the Devil

Black Sunday

Let the Right One In

Murder Party (highly recommended, esp for Halloween)

WNUF Halloween Special

Ghostwatch (play this at your party if you want to fucking win Halloween)

This list could be a million more entries long. Shudder rules.

What about Crackle/Vudu/YouTube/etc

Please shut up

As usual, please do me a solid and only circulate the current version of the list, so people aren’t clicking on dead links and thinking I’m an idiot. Again, this list is not and could not be completely exhaustive, and if I left off your favorite movie, I swear I was not targeting you personally. And, again, some of these movies are more interesting than they are good AND horror is a highly subjective experience, so your mileage may vary on some of these.

If you enjoyed this list, perhaps consider checking out some of my other Halloween-related posts:

a primer for spooky stories

a primer for Lovecraft specifically

a list of “essential” horror movies

a list of “essential” silent horror movies

a list of “essential” horror comedies

a list of suggested horror double features

a primer for Hammer horror

a list of cool movies starring Christopher Lee and Vincent Price

this list of resources, including short films and even more scary movies

a suggested Halloween playlist

a primer for spooky classical music

the scariest 20 minutes in radio history

free to play spooky games

and my general Halloween tag, which includes short films, movie trailers, comics, stories, and more

Also maybe consider checking out my Letterboxd profile, where I rate and review movies of all types (but primarily horror) all year long and from all sorts of sources, in case you’re wondering what’s good on more than just Netflix. Also also, maybe take a look at some of my comics, several of which are appropriate for Halloween times.

Happy Halloween, nerds!

#halloween #long post #netflix #horror movies #horror #hulu #amazon prime #shudder #the haunting of netflix house

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comicstoastonish · 7 years

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My Top 10 Favorite Comics of All Time

Hi guys,

I’ve been getting asked a lot on and offline what are my favorite comic books? That’s a loaded question. I had to think about it. There are some great runs in comics. Some great story arcs. But I had to dig down and see what I really liked. What books have I read over and over and over. These are what I enjoyed the most, I’m not saying these are the greatest comic books ever, I’m just saying they appealed to me. So here are my top 10 favorite comics.

10. Identity Crisis The DC Comics crisis events. Mostly just okay stories. Too much going on and not enough time to invest in any one character. But Identity Crisis stands out above the rest. Instead of a multiverse changing, massive story, Identity Crisis focuses on the mystery of who killed Sue Dibny. The wife of the Elongated Man. More and more of the heroes civilian loved ones are attacked and the heroes have a ticking clock to solve the mystery before another loved one is murdered. Written by Brad Meltzer this book focuses on the cost of living a double life. Highly recommended.

9. Young Avengers: volume 2 Not to be confused with Young Avengers volume 1. Volume 2 by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie is nothing short of awesome. A multiverse hoping, teenage super hero daydream. It’s a really great story about teenage love, magic, pop references, LGB, and Loki. Lots and lots of Loki. So if you ship Wiccan and Hulkling, love Kate Bishop, and cannot get enough of America Chavez, you’ll want to read this book.

8. Superman American Alien A lot of people have mixed opinions on this book, but I really enjoyed this unique take written by Max Landis. Focusing on the early years of Clark Kent, it felt more grounded in what Clark would actually be going through on his journey to becoming Superman. Each issue has a different artist which is fitting because each issue focuses on a different year in Clark’s child to teenager to young adult to man journey. It’s a mini series that should be pretty easy to find and I highly recommend it.

7. DC The New Frontier A book paying tribute to the Silver Age of DC Comics. Focusing on the Macarthy era, A time where America couldn’t be less trusting, the story focuses on the super heroes once praised for their services, now find themselves ridden off as outlaws. Multiple perspectives from Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Flash, etc, as they fight for truth, justice, and the American way, accumulating to the upcoming battle with “The Center.” Darwyn Cooke tells an amazing story that you all should check out.

6. Scott Pilgrim Vol 1 through 6 I cannot recommend these books from Bryan Lee O’ Malley enough. 6 graphic novels in total, focusing on Scott Pilgrim’s desire to date Ramona Flowers, his journey to defeat her 7 evil ex’s, and the challenge of being a responsible adult. This book is filled with post high school confusion, punk rock, video games, anime style action, and heart. If you liked the movie, I promise you, you’ll love the book.

5. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man volume 2 My favorite super hero is Spider-Man. In 2011 when they announced they would be making a new Spider-Man of color I was ecstatic. As a person of color it’s been great to have a Spider-Man that fills that need for minority characters. Obviously just having a minority character isn’t enough but Brian Michael Bendis’s run on Ultimate Comics Spider-Man makes you really love the character of Miles Morales. The story of what happens after Peter Parker dies and a new clueless Spider-Man must fill the void, is nothing short of great. It puts you in the shoes of a new character trying to figure out who he is, all while trying to keep the memory of Peter Parker alive.

4. Paper Girls If you like the show “Stranger Things,” you’ll love Paper Girls. Taking place in the 1980s, 4 middle school girls, on their morning paper route get caught up in the strangest day of their lives. To ninjas, dinosaurs, time travel, clones, to apple products, Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang hit you with a sci-fi nostalgia story that will keep you guessing where the next turn is.

3. Justice League International The late 80′s had one of the greatest Justice League runs of all time. Keith Giffen and J.M. Dematteis pumped out some of the funniest and most entertaining comics to date. Focusing on the Justice League as a work place comedy, this massive run follows the adventures of a newly formed Justice League made up of mostly second string characters. The satisfaction of Batman punching out Guy Gardner, the comedy duo of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, GNORT! If you want your super hero books to be fun and hilarious, this is the book for you. Starting in Justice League #1 through 6 and transitioning to Justice League International, then splitting between Justice League Europe and Justice League America.

2. New Avengers This comic book run written by Brian Michael Bendis is what got me back into comics after an 8 year absence. 6 months after the Avengers disbanded due to the Scarlet Witch killing some of her fellow teammates, a massive prison break, orchestrated by Electro forces Spider-Woman, Luke Cage, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, and the Sentry to come together to put an end to the riot. The book follows the newly formed team on their mission to track down the 42 escaped prisoners, all while trying to solve the mystery who hired Electro and why? New Avengers also brought some of the best characters in Marvel including Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and more, to join the team. The book became the center stage for Marvel Comics from 2005 until 2012 running through events like House of M, Civil War, Secret Invasion, all the way to Avengers vs X-Men. It’s a fun super hero book that really throws you into the world of Marvel Comics.

HONORABLE MENTIONS Black Science Sex Criminals New Teen Titans (Marv Wolfman) Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Uncanny X-Force (Rick Remender run) Batgirl: Year One

AND NUMBER ONE....

1. Saga If you’re not reading Saga, you are missing out. A Romeo and Juliet story set in a sci-fi fantasy space adventure. In the middle of an intergalactic war, Alona and Marko leave their worlds behind to risk everything for the survival and protection of their newborn Hazel. Hunted by both sides of the war, the two travel across the stars and encountering creatures from all over the galaxy who either want to help them or want them dead. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples take a story about the ups and downs of parenting and throws it into a cosmic and crazy story of awesomeness. Look out for Izabel, Prince Robot the IV, and Ghus. You will smile every time they are on the page.

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weekendwarriorblog · 5 years

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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND Feb. 1, 2019 - MISS BALA

It’s Super Bowl weekend, and you know what means, right? No, I don’t either, but normally, the Super Bowl has an effect on Sunday box office as people will go to Super Bowl parties or watch it with friends which makes it less of a necessity to go to the movies, so anything opening needs to make sure to do well on Friday and Saturday. Into that market comes a female-driven action thriller that might benefit from having a weekend to itself.

MISS BALA (Sony)

Directed by Catherine Hardwick (Twilight, Thirteen, The Nativity, Red Riding Hood) Written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Anthony Mackie, Ismael Cruz Cordova MPAA Rating: PG-13

The only wide release this weekend is this female-driven revenge thriller starring the beloved Gina Rodriguez from Jane the Virgin, which is based on a 2011 Mexican film that was Mexico’s Oscar submission that year. (It didn’t even get nominated.) The film was popular enough that the producers found a studio interested in a remake starring one of the more beloved LatinX actors from recent years.

Although Gina Rodriguez has never received an Emmy nomination, she’s received three Golden Globe nominations, all for Jane the Virgin, winning with her first nod in 2015. She hasn’t quite made a name for herself in the movie realm, mostly voicing roles in animated films and having small roles in last year’s Annihilation and Deepwater Horizon. (I hate to say this, but I still sometimes get her mixed up with Fast and Furious star Michelle Rodriguez, but they are indeed two different people.)

It also stars Anthony Mackie, who was last seen in Fox’s The Hate U Give, but who has really exploded as a star after being cast as The Falcon for Marvel Studios’ Captain America: The Winter Soldier, appearing in a couple Marvel movies since then.

Miss Bala is following in the same general genre realm as 2018’s Proud Mary, starring Taraji P. Henson, which opened with just under $10 million on MLK Jr. weekend and grossed $20.9 million, or Jennifer Garner’s Peppermint, which grossed $35.5 million after opening with $13.4 million. Oddly, both those movies opened on weekend with much stronger competition – Liam Neeson’s The Commuter and The Nun – which is not something Miss Bala has to worry about.

Although I’m not sure Miss Bala can make huge waves, it should do well among urban audiences and maybe more among women than the typical action thriller might, although this is usually a male-driven genre. Unfortunately, Sony is only opening it in roughly 2,000 theaters, probably focused on those urban markets, maybe hoping to get in some of the LatinX audience who make up a good percentage of moviegoers these days. Much of the recent marketing is focusing on the amount of LatinX people involved with making the movie, so they’re clearly hoping to get some of the business of Pantelion’s bigger releases.

Mind you, last weekend, The Kid Who Would Be King opened much MUCH lower than expected, and I expect this sort of ennui to affect Miss Bala as well. An opening in the $7 to 8 million range should probably be expected, which might allow Glass to remain #1 for a third weekend despite the Sunday competition from the Super Bowl.

Mini-Review:

It’s been so long since I saw the Mexican movie Miss Bala, all I really remember of it is that it’s about a beauty contest winner who gets caught up in the war on drugs between the DEA and Mexican gangsters, and with the relationship between Mexico and the U.S. so much in the news, it makes sense that a studio would want to remake it for American audiences.

In this case, it’s Gina Rodriguez’s Gloria, an L.A. make-up artist who travels down to Tijuana to support her friend Suzu, who has entered the Miss Baja competition – again, Gloria is there just to support her friend -- and yet, when they go out to a nightclub, Gloria witnesses the Estrella gang showing up to shoot up the place and kill the police chief. Suzu gets lost in the melee, and next thing Gloria knows, she’s taken by the gang, whose leader Lino (Ismael Cruz Cordova) takes a liking to her. Trying to escape, she ends up encountering the DEA who wants to use Gloria to keep the Estrella gang in their sights.

That’s probably all you need to know as Gloria is passed around and put to work by both Lino and his gang, the DEA and other factions, all who see her as a way to end the ongoing war.

There’s no question that Rodriguez is a talented actress, something she shows off repeatedly, as she acts scared, acts upset and basically acts her way out of any bad situation into which she’s put. In fact, she’s so much better than every other actor around her, that makes it obvious how bad the other actors are.

Similarly, Catherine Hardwicke has enough experience as a filmmaker to make this work, but she’s clearly working from a script that just doesn’t have enough meat to keep it going, so the film’s pace is all over the place. We get a big shoot-out one minute, then Gloria and Lino are out on a quiet but out-of-place date the next. Over an hour later, we’re BACK at the beauty competition, which you keep thinking has been taken out of the story equation, because it seems like such a non-entity at that point. Not that the beauty contest ever seemed like that big an aspect of the original, but at least it was used as the set-up for the lead character’s journey rather than a plot device shoehorned into her story.

There’s so much that could have been said about this piece in terms of the way women are used as objects for trading and trafficking, but that aspect of the movie gets lost in the interest of making it a cool gangster flick that doesn’t lose the LatinX women watching it… but probably will anyway.

Miss Bala has guns, explosions, a decent guideline to work from and Gina Rodriguez, so why is it still so frickin’ boring?

Rating: 6/10

With that in mind, this week’s Top 10 should look something like below, and it’s likely to be one of the worst weekends of the year with the Top 10 grossing less than $50 million….

UPDATE: A couple minor changes due to actual theater counts being a little different from my earlier estimates, although the most significance addition is Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old, which is re-opening into 735 theaters across the country this weekend. Interest and demand should still be good enough for it to get into the top 10 without around $3 million or so. We’ll have to see how the Super Bowl affects anything on Sunday, especially the L.A. Rams playing the New England Patriots, affecting two important movie markets.

1. Glass (Universal) - $9.5 million -50%

2. The Upside (STX) – $8 million-33%

3. Miss Bala (Sony) - $7.5 million N/A

4. The Kid Who Would Be King (20thCentury Fox) - $4.4 million -38%

5. Aquaman (Warner Bros.) - $4.2 million -43%

6. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse (Sony) - $4.0 million -35% (up .2 million)

7. Green Book (Universal) - $3.8 million -31% (up .3 million)

8. A Dog’s Way Home (Sony) – $3.2 million -37% (up .3 million

9. They Shall Not Grow Old (Warner Bros.) - $2.9 million N/A

10. Escape Room (Sony) - $2.3 million -45%

LIMITED RELEASES

Apparently, Peter Jackson’s THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD (Warner Bros.) will be opening for a limited release into about 500 theaters this weekend after three successful “one-day only” screenings of his 3D colorized WWI footage, grossing more than $8 million. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, I highly recommend it, and who knows? Maybe it will place somewhere in the top 15 for the weekend. You can read more about this fascinating doc in my earlier column.

Just a week after the debut of his Netflix film Polar, Mads Mikkelson returns in the very different survival thriller ARCTIC (Bleecker Street), written and directed by Joe Penna. In this one, he plays Overgard, the sole survivor of a plane crash in the arctic wasteland whose drive to survive is further motivated by a young woman he ends up dragging across the tundra in hopes of saving her. I generally love survival movies like this one and the likes of Touching the Void, 127 Hours and the Kate Winslet-Idris Elba survival movie The Mountain Between Us. This one is particularly special, because Mikkelson is such an amazing actor, and he’s really able to carry this story, often with almost zero dialogue. Penna also shows quite a bit of skill as a first-time director, filming in less-than-desirable conditions to really raise the stakes on what Overgard needs to overcome to survive. I recommend this tense survival film highly if you live in one of the select cities where it will be playing on Friday.

Although his upcoming horror remake Grudge has been shifted back to Jan. 2020, Nicholas (The Eyes of My Mother) Pesce’s second feature PIERCING (Universal Pictures Content Group), based on Ryû Murakami’s novel, stars Christopher Abbott as a man with a disturbing past who hires an equally disturbed escort, played by Mia Wasikowska, for an S&M session that turns into a grisly and deadly game. It’s an extremely disturbing but brilliantly stylish film that throws back to Dario Argento and De Palma – it even uses one of Goblin’s tracks from Argento’s Tenebre – but also pays homage to American Psycho and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. It will open in select theaters, On Demand and Digital HD this Friday

Opening Wednesday at New York’s Film Forum is Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s The Wild Pear Tree (Cinema Guild), the new film from the Turkish director of Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, a family drama about a dysfunctional father-son relationship who are pitted against one another. Turkey’s official submission for the Oscars will open exclusively at New York’s Film Forum on Wednesday.

Rooney frontman Robert Schwartzman returns behind the camera with his second feature as a director, The Unicorn (The Orchard), starring Lauren Lapkus (Orange is the New Black) and Nick Rutherford play an engaged couple visiting Palm Springs to celebrate her parents’ 25thwedding vow renewal, when they discover the magic of “threesomes” which they set out to discover for themselves. Having premiered at SXSW last year, it will open in select cities including New York’s Cinema Village, L.A.’s Laemmle Noho and more.

Fresh off its premiere at the 1stever Iranian Film Festival New York, Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi’s Pig (Khook) (IFC Center) has its U.S. theatrical premiere with its story of blacklisted director named Hasan, who hasn’t been allowed to make a film in years (something fairly common in Iran, apparently), so his favorite actress is moving on, his wife has fallen out of love with him and their daughter is moving out. Oh, and also (and I’m putting this in verbatim) “Hasan is upset that he is being inexplicably ignored by the serial killer who has been decapitating the country’s best filmmakers.” Oh, Iran.. you so crazy! It opens at the IFC Center on Friday and in L.A. at the Lammle’s Music Hall and Town Center on Feb. 15.

From Bollywood comes Shelly Chopra Dhar’s Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (FIP), translated as “How I Felt When I Saw That Girl,” starring Sonam Kapoor (Sanju, Neerja) as Sweety, who has to deal with a family a little too excited about marrying her off, although she’s in love with a young writer, hoping her family will accept him. It will open in select cities in roughly 175 theaters, and I’m excited to say that I plan on seeing this Friday.

In that same vein, Rising Star Entertainment Ltd. Releases The Gandhi Murder, directed by Karim Traidia and Pankaj Sehgal, a conspiracy theory period film based on true events leading up to the assassination of Mahatma Ghandi. The film actually has a bunch of Western talent including Stephen Lang from the Avatar movies and Vinnie Jones, and it opens on Thursday, presumably focusing more on its VOD.

Asa Butterfield, Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones and Nina Dobrev star in Peter Hutching’s rom-com THEN CAME YOU (Shout! Studios) with Williams playing Skye, a teen suffering from a terminal illness who befriends 19-year-old hypochondriac Calvin (Butterfield) who helps her with her eccentric bucket list, and she helps him make a play for Nina Dobrev’s Izzy. So kind of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, only with Nina Dobrev instead of Earl. In theaters and On Demand Friday.

Opening in New York, L.A. as well as On Demand (this time for real!) is St. Bernard Syndicate (Uncork’d Entertainment), the new mockumentary from Klown director Mads Brügger – who also has a new documentary at Sundance this week! It’s about two entrepreneurs who try to find their fortune in the Chinese pet industry by creating a breeding center for Saint Bernard dogs that goes off course.

An intriguing on VOD this week is John Potash’s Drugs as Weapons Against Us (Gravitas Ventures), about the CIA’s Project MK-Ultra and how it was used to manipulate musicians and activists to promote drugs for social control. I haven’t seen it but if Potash can offer proof, this will be one not to miss.

There are also a couple Fathom Events on Thursday, the Anime A Silent Voice and the Graham Staines biopic The Least of These, and you’d probably learn just as much about these by clicking on the respective links.

STREAMING

Having just premiered at Sundance, Dan Gilroy’s reunion with his Nightcrawler star Jake Gyllenhaal for VELVET BUZZSAW premieres on Netflix Friday. Gilroys’ horror-thriller takes place in the contemporary art world of Los Angeles, exploring the idea that “artists invest their souls in their work and that, in an ideal world, that work should not be considered a mere commodity.” Sounds like pretty heady stuff, and though I won’t be able to see it until later today, Jake Gyllenhaal is in it, so I should enjoy it. I’ll post some thoughts sometime Thursday. (Note: The movie also opens in New York at the Landmark at 57, and presumably in L.A., too, if you want to see it with an audience.)

Mini-Review: The snooty and pretentious LA. art world is probably rife for humor, and it’s also rife for a horror movie in which some of those snooty and pretentious people within are killed off in gory and fantastical fashion. While the third movie from Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler) tries its best to mix the two sides of the horror-comedy genre, it constantly runs into trouble trying to keep them together.

Velvet Buzzsaw reunites Gilroy with his Nightcrawler star Jake Gyllenhaal as L.A. art critic Morf Vandewalt, who can make or break a budding artist’s career with one of his reviews. His girlfriend Josephina (Zawe Ashton) works at one of L.A.’s ritziest galleries but she isn’t faring well with her boss Rhodora Haze (Rene Russo, also from Nightcrawler). One night, Josephina finds a dead neighbor and learns that his apartment is teeming with his undiscovered artwork, dark and gloomy and perfect for selling to the L.A. art cognoscenti. Everyone wants to get their hands on the priceless “Dease” artwork, but as Morf finds out more about the artist’s dark past, the people in his circles start dying.

If you’ve seen a lot of horror movies, you’ll probably already recognize the horror sub-genre of an item haunted by a dead man that proceeds to kill those who come into contact with it. This is basically where Gilroy’s latest film is coming from, though the premise of art that can literally kill is just a bit on-the-nose for a movie that’s set-up as a comedy about the art world.

The way Gilroy introduces the cast of characters is almost Altman-ess, as it pokes fun at all the different types vying for the priciest artwork by the mystery painter. Gyllenhaal’s Morf is particularly funny as he transitions from confidence to full-on neuroses, but no one gets more laughs than Natalia Dyer as a young assistant who keeps being passed around from one employer to another, and her reaction to each of their deaths gets funnier each time.

There are a few clever and gory kills and a few less-than-clever kills, but it always feels like it’s never going far enough to appease horror fans, even with a seeming nod to the Phantasm franchise. (Incidentally, the title of the film comes from Rene Russo’s former punk band, incidentally, something which isn’t particularly significant to anything.)

I’m sure it would be a lot more fun watching Velvet Buzzsaw with an audience than it would sitting at home watching it on Netflix by yourself, but you’re either going to be fully on board with what Gilroy and his cast are doing or you won’t. There probably won’t be much in-between.

While there are certainly some merits to Dan Gilroy’s first (and hopefully last) foray into horror, the humor often plays better than the horror elements, and they rarely feel like they’re meshed-together particularly well.

Rating: 6/10

The Taiwanese drama Dear Ex from co-directors Chih-Yen Hsu and Mag Hsu stars Ying-Xuan Hsieh as a woman named Sanlian, whose late husband has cut their son out of their will in favorite a man named Jay, played by Roy Chiu, which gets more interesting when her son moves in with Jay.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

Late Nites at Metrograph continues with Diao Yi’Nan’s Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014), an excellent Chinese crime-thriller that I can’t recommend enough, having seen it a number of times since it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. This weekend’s Playtime: Family Matinees is Jean Cocteau’s 1946 classic Beauty and the Beast and then Produced by David O. Selznick continues with screenings of Hitchcock’s Spellbound (1945) on Saturday and Sunday and then continuing into February.

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

Weds. and Thurs’ double features are Edward J. Lasko’s Smash Up Alley: 43 The Richard Petty Story (1972) with Jeff Bridges’ The Last American Hero (1973); Friday and Saturday are double features of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) with The Deep (1977) and the weekend’s 2pm Matinee is Norman Tokar’s The Happiest Millionaire (1967). Monday’s Matinee is F. Gary Gray’s 1996 drama Set It Off.

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BROOKLYN (NYC):

Janus Films’ new 4k Restorations of Jackie Chan’s Police Story and Police Story 2 will be running once a day for the next week at New York’s first Alamo Drafthouse.

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

Continuing the Film Society’s tribute to filmmakers who recently brought their Oscar-nominated films to the New York Film Festival, there will be a four-day Yorgos Lanthimos retrospective, including his latest film The Favourite, as well as earlier Greek films Dogtooth, Kinetta, Alps and English language films The Lobster (also an Oscar nomimee) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

In conjunction with the world premiere of Shudder TV’s Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror, the Egyptian will have a FREE screening Blacula (1971) on Friday night, and a double feature of Tales from the Hood with Tales from the Crypt: Demon Night (both from 1995) on Saturday night.

AERO (LA):

Brad Bird will be appearing in person on Friday to screen his first film The Iron Giant (1999) as part of “Bird Watching: the Animation of Brad Bird,” which continues on Saturday, again with Bird in person, for a double feature of The Incredibles (2004) and its 2018 sequel The Incredibles II.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

The Quad presents two new retrospective series to coincide with the new 4k release of Emmanuelle: Beyond Emmanuelle: Just Jaeckin, a retrospective of the director’s erotic films,and Erotic Journeys: The Many Faces of Em(m)anuelle, which shows the entire series of erotic classics that paved the way for Cinemax.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

Waverly Midnights: The Feds will show the late Jonathan Demme’s Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs (1991) on Friday and Saturday night, Weekend Classics: Early Godard will screen Contempt (1963), while Late Night Favorites goes with Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic The Shining (1980).

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

The Nuart’s Friday night midnight selection is Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider from 1969.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

The amazing four-week series Far Out in the 70s: A New Wave of Comedy, 1969 - 1979 continues this week with Paul Mazurksy’s 1969 comedy Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice on Wednesday, as well as the French comedies The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973) and The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1972), plus John Waters’Female Trouble (1974). The Alan Arkin-directed Little Murders, starring Elliot Gould,screens on Thursday and Friday with Richard Pryor’s Car Wash on Thursday and Robert Altman’s California Split (also starring Gould) on Friday. Saturday the series continues with three similarly-titled but very different films in the 1979 coming-of-age drama Breaking Away, Hal Ashby and Peter Sellers’ Being There (1979) and Milos Forman’s Taking Off (1971). Sunday you can watch a Woody Allen double feature of his Oscar-winning Annie Hall (1977) and Oscar-nominated Manhattan (1979), in which Allen co-stars with Meryl Streep and Mariel Hemingway. On Monday is a double feature of Melvyn Van Peebles’ Watermelon Man (1970) with the 1973 film Five on the Black Hand Side, both starring Godfrey Cambridge. Tuesday is a screening of La Cage Aux Folles (1978) along with the Elaine May-adapted and Mike Nichols’ directed The Birdcage (1996), starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, plus the Elaine May-written Warren Beatty remake of Heaven Can Wait (1978). This weekend’s Film Forum Jr. is the 1979 family film The Muppet Movie, screening Saturday and Sunday at 11AM.

MOMA (NYC):

Modern Matinees: Sir Sidney Poitiercontinues with the Sidney Poitier-directed Stir Crazy (1980), starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, on Thursday, 1962’s Paris Blueson Thursday and Sneakers (1992) on Friday. MOMA is also kicking off Cinema of Trauma: The Films of Lee Chang-dong on Friday, looking at the previous films of the Korean director of Burning, including Green Fish (1997), Poetry (2010) and Oasis (2002).

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

This weekend’s Family Matinee and Sensory Friendly Screening is the foreign animated film Zarafa (2012), plus the museum is running its 2019 Cinema Tropical Festival, which includes films from Latin and South America from the past few years.

That’s it for this weekend, and things are currently in development for a few changes next week, so standby!

#WhatToWatchThisWeekend Movies Reviews MissBala Arctic VelvetBuzzsaw BoxOffice

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aaronmaurer · 5 years

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Movies I Liked in 2018

Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.

I may have seen more movies in theatres in 2018 than any other year of my life, thanks to MoviePass during its unsustainable height and now AMC’s A-List. Even so, aside from some genuinely classic new blockbusters, this year’s indie and prestige fare didn’t make as much of an impact on me as 2017’s offerings.

I typically rank 10 films, but this year, due to an abundance of parallels and no clear favorite, I decided to share my recommendations in pairs that might make some interesting Double Features.

Fresh Takes On History

The Favourite

A riveting and ribald take on the costume drama that brings English history to vibrant (and at times, anachronistic) life, The Favourite excels not just through its script and performances, but also through its unique cinematography, using wide lenses to capture entire rooms. The cast is all terrific, led by Emma Stone in arch mode, Rachel Weisz playing manipulative and commanding, and Olivia Coleman as a daffy and indecisive Queen Anne. It’s compelling stuff and far from the genre’s typically stuffy Oscar bait.

First Man

In the tradition of The Right Stuff’s auteur-driven impressionistic history of NASA’s beginnings, Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic eschews easy crowd-pleasing in favor of scenes that put the audience right inside the claustrophobic and frankly, terrifying, cockpits of the experimental airplanes and mission spacecraft that astronauts piloted. Armstrong was known as humble and reserved and Ryan Gosling does a great job of humanizing him with nuanced depth. Claire Foy is his captivating equal as wife Janet, left dealing with the homefront while her husband ventures into uncharted territory. As a sucker for movies about the space program (and a fan of Chazelle’s prior films), this was right up my alley, but I was unprepared for the sheer artistry and realism of the entire endeavor, including its hauntingly beautiful score and POV cinematography.

Gorgeous Cinematography and Radical Empathy

If Beale Street Could Talk

Barry Jenkins’ adaption of James Baldwin’s novel is a feast for the eyes – stunning cinematography, costuming and production design combine to create one of the most vivid films of the year, justly earning its Wong Kar-wai comparisons. The plot bounces back and forth in time, revealing a love story of boundless promise that is interrupted by systemic injustice and institutional racism. Moments of beauty and hope are contrasted with the dehumanizing reality of a criminal justice system that seems to exist merely to beat those out of people. A harsh reminder of how little has changed since the book was written decades ago.

Roma

Alfonso Cuarón is a master filmmaker and his meditation on his own childhood in 1970s Mexico City is spellbinding. Shot in stunning black-and-white, the compositions and tracking shots employed present a uniquely realized sense of place. Although the film is available on Netflix, I had the opportunity to see it screened in 70mm film and highly recommend viewing on the largest screen possible to fully appreciate the beauty of its filmmaking. Of course, the visuals would be meaningless without a story to serve, and Roma showcases the daily life and sacrifices of an indigenous housekeeper to an upper-middle-class family, fully immersing the audience in her world in all its small pleasures and large heartbreaks. An indelible tribute to the incredible strength and selflessness of women and caretakers everywhere.

Marvel Superhero Domination

Black Panther

The Marvel Cinematic Universe continued to expand this year with Black Panther’s title film following the character’s debut in Captain America: Civil War. Look: you probably saw this movie. What is there to say? It’s very very good. The Afrofuturist art direction and costume design is absolutely fantastic. The CGI is kind of weak (my guess is most of Marvel’s resources were devoted to the next film on this list). It works as a stand-alone feature but still effectively ties into the greater MCU, and it serves as a glorious tribute to black excellence. ’Nuff said.

Avengers: Infinity War

The payoff of a decade of interlocking films featuring dozens of characters could have been absolutely terrible. There are probably plenty of people who think Infinity War fits that description, but I am deeply impressed at how deftly the filmmakers handled everything, balancing a lot of plot with winning character moments. The fact that this movie is essentially a hero’s journey from the perspective of the villain is a clever upending of expectations and the ending (for now) is a pretty audacious move on Marvel’s part.

The Hollywood Machine at Its Best

A Star Is Born

The most compelling aspect of the latest rendition of A Star Is Born is the way director/star Bradley Cooper puts the audience in the middle of the action, allowing us to share the stage at giant music festivals, the Grammy Awards and Saturday Night Live, among other venues. It’s the most authentic concert film I’ve seen (probably helps that Live Nation co-produced it). The soundtrack is solid and Cooper and Lady Gaga are excellent in their roles, though I often felt at a remove from them, like watching a series of excellently curated vignettes without fully experiencing their inner worlds. So while I like this film a great deal (and it’s an example of what big studios can do best), it lacks the immediacy and intimacy of 2007’s much sparer indie Once, still my benchmark for “two-artists-making-a-connection-and-bringing-out-the-creative-best-in-each-other” stories (see also: La-La-Land).

Mission: Impossible – Fallout

There’s a mournfulness to the latest M:I (my favorite action franchise) that pervades the moments between breathless tension and pumping adrenaline. Though character development has never been central to this series, there’s a greater sense here of what Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt has given up and the character’s inner goodness. Not wanting to sacrifice even the one innocent person for the sake of millions and willing to expend himself over and over, he is a classic Christ figure, kenosis personified. He may be a cipher, but we see the pain and weariness behind his eyes. Fallout is all the more powerful for it. Oh, and the helicopter chase (in IMAX!): that was badass.

Quirky Tales With Depth

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

As a collection of standalone Western-themed shorts (originally conceived as an anthology TV show), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs initially feels like a lesser Coen Brothers effort but proves to have a lot of staying power. Suffused with the standard Coen wit and moralistic existentialism, the chapters range from comedy to tragedy and all points in between with no shortage of idiosyncratic characters. The penultimate tale, “The Gal Who Got Rattled,” is one of the strongest and most moving, with an ending that reveals itself to be more complex the more you reflect on it. While the vistas look great on the big screen, this is another Netflix production, so it’s easily accessible and revisitable from home.

The Old Man & the Gun

In the Old Man & the Gun director David Lowry pays homage to 70s-era caper films, putting Robert Redford’s infinite charisma to use in the role of a serial bank robber and prison escapee who could be a latter-day version of his character from The Sting. Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker, the film explores the tension of its protagonist’s draw toward heists and desire to settle down once and for all. The terrific supporting cast includes Sissy Spacek as Tucker’s love interest and Casey Affleck as the detective who puts the case together and becomes engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with him throughout the film.

Like Those? Here Are Some More Worth Your Time:

Innovative Animation - Isle of Dogs / Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

Family-Friendly Tributes to Decency - Won’t You Be My Neighbor? / Paddington 2

Environmentally-Conscious Indie Dramas - First Reformed / Leave No Trace

Explorations of Police Brutality Featuring Members of the Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton - Monsters and Men / Blindspotting

#film

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skabunny · 5 years

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2018 a Year in Review

Hey Adventurers! Every year on social media I devour lists of list of lists all the good, bad, sweet and terrible things that happened through the year. The more pictures, tweets and ideas the better. I don’t have a whole lot to talk about to review this year so this is gonna be a two part blog. Today we’re gonna talk about things that happened and Tuesday I’m going to post a special blog of the things that I’m hoping to do in 2019.

I think I’ve talked about it here. I don’t really hold to new years resolutions. I think the process is a bit silly and it doesn’t really talk about goals, it more talks about all of the things you hate about yourself. and I’m super not ok with that. I’ll be starting the Love Your Life in 30 Days workbook from Mike Dooley. You can find the book anywhere, I have it on my kindle and I try to do it in the first 90 days of the year to give me perspective and help me to see what I’m doing and where I want to go. Last year I didn’t get super far, but I’ll be updating progress on Instagram and thanks to integration you’ll be able to follow it on Twitter and Facebook as well. I’m usually pretty good at starting so hopefully with your help I’ll get through all 30 days no problem.

Without Further Ado…

I made goals this year to work on my health, emotional well being and saying no.

I improved my boundaries. I learned to say no more often and especially when it’s in my best interest. I’m not perfect at it, but as someone who’s recovering from saying yes ALL the time, no was a pretty big deal to begin with.

It took a while, but I finally called financial aid and was able to get help affording my health care costs. I saw doctors for help with all kinds of things including my hips, weight loss, my tonsils, and the constant nausea.

I lost 10 lbs. Which is a freaking miracle. The number isn’t a big deal to me. I’m more excited that it’s 10 lbs less on my hips and what is hopefully at least a little more time to a hip replacement.

I started journaling. First using a bullet journal adjacent to my planner and then with the Journey app I purchased for my ChromeBook. I’m a huge fan of journaling. I talk to people about it all the time and I’ve been using it a lot as a tool to really kinda pull my shit together and bring things to focus. Sure they’ll exist forever and whatever, but this is more for me as a tool to be a better me now.

I took a risk at work and it paid off

When I found myself tasked with the responsibilities of someone in a Senior role, I didn’t wait around to find out when I would be made a senior tester, I took the initiative to learn what I needed to do for that role and then make it happen.

I also had an opportunity to step into a new department and take on a whole new standard of testing. This is must more strict, but also way more fun. It’s a huge risk, but hopefully it pays off in the long run with a great experience and a fantastic learning opportunity.

I met someone.

I’m not gonna go into details, for many reasons it didn’t work out. But finding people in your life that really meet you and see you for who you are is such an incredible and life altering experience that I’m grateful for every second of that seriously unique experience. I may talk about it someday, but for now I’m gonna keep it as mine.

Meeting someone who makes you feel like you’re made of magic is such a huge thing, but it seriously opened my eyes to a lot of the things that I’d been missing around me and allowed for a huge piece of closure for me. I talked about it a bit here. I’m incredibly lucky that my ex and I worked on our friendship and I feel so wonderfully blessed that his girlfriend has become a friend. They’re wonderful people together and I’m so excited to watch them grow.

I have some amazing friends

Work friends are weird. You meet because you’re all in the same place and then somehow you’re all friends based on almost no feature, just the nature that you’re friends now. Some of those friends have become regular parts of my day, regardless of what department I’m in or what I’m doing I make a point to talk with them. Laugh with them and try new things they recommend. We share videos, details of our lives outside of work and are people in a way that you can only be people with real friends. I’m super lucky that they wanted to talk and that we all still get along even when my world is crazy.

I also had the amazing opportunity to re-connect with one of my favorite people. I’m super grateful for her and for the joy she’s brought back to my life and I’m beyond excited to see what amazing things come for her in the new year.

One of my favorite people started her next chapter by moving to Oakland this year. I’m super excited for her and all of her adventures, but I super miss her.

I started streaming

Twitch is a whole new world, but it’s been really exciting to get started and really see the community from the inside. I’ve been wanting to do a lot of creative things and streaming on Twitch was one way to really get started with some of those things.

I also relaunched skaBunny Makes! This was a big deal. I had to close down the site in February because I was out of funds and creative energy to really work on it. After helping other people really work on reaching for their dreams and watching them go for it regardless of consequences I decided to leap and start again. I’m still rusty, but I’ve been pretty empowered to keep going and I’m loving the opportunity to talk about things that are going on and stuff I think is super important.I have a lot of stories to tell and I”m hoping to do more of that here.

I edited a book of poetry. I’m really proud of the poet who took their opportunity to tell their story on their terms. I may not have always been happy with them, but I’m super proud of all the work they did to complete the book.

Intersectional Feminism came into my life this year

I’ve always been a feminist, but this year I really started critically thinking about the world around me. It’s made it hard to really love certain things that I did love, but also it’s opened my eyes to just how blind I’ve been to my own prejudice and the ideas I learned back in the day. I am a huge believer in challenging my assumptions. This year I put my money where my mouth was and started learning instead of just talking. I’m hoping to bring some of these lessons and stories to you over the next year, but we’ll see. I have a lot more to learn.

I also stepped outside of my comfort zone at some point this year and started reading new authors I hadn’t experienced before. The new perspectives were enlightening and I found that the new stories really re-ignited my passion for storytelling and for listening. I’d become very good at talking over the last few years, so this year I really tried to listen more than I spoke. It’s something I’m gonna have to keep working on. But it’s a process I’m not going to stop.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - I didn’t get to see many movies this year minus the fact that I had movie pass, but I did get to see the new Spider-Man animated movie which was a beautiful, smart, brilliant movie about a biracial Spider-Man who’s father is a police officer and his mother is a nurse. It’s a brilliant story, but beyond that there are several moments that just kinda punch you in the stomach. I was told I’d cry a lot and I did. Linda Holmes from NPR picked the conversation between Mile’s father and the locked bedroom door as her moment, and it’s a good one. Mine might have been the one a few minutes before. I can’t give up all the details, but I keep thinking about it. I highly recommend the movie.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2017 book “Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions” - I found this book while looking up stories I hadn’t read before. It’s a bright take on raising children to be feminists. Adichie a Nigerian novelist and writer of the essay “We Should All Be Feminists“ makes some incredible points about how we raise children and what is beneficial to raise socially aware, strong, intelligent children. It’s a great read and her TED Talk is fantastic if you’re looking for something like that.

Killing Eve - OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG. This show. I had to start off slowly, but the last few episodes I couldn’t stop. Sandra Oh's Eve was a brilliant balance to Jodie Comer’s Villanelle. Both dark, both completely honest about who they are, both strong amazing women. I was so blown away by the power of these incredible women. The supporting cast was brilliant, I am still kinda in shock from the end. I can’t spoil anything, you should watch it.

Timeless - Ok, so the show is basically a soap opera with time travel, but they meet some amazing people and I really loved every second of this silly show. I have the two hour ending to finish, but I’m still not ready to be done with this silly show.

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel - Brilliant show from the creators of Gilmore Girls. I love it more, I think it’s hilarious and amazing and so much fun to watch. I feel like there could definitely be more representation, but it’s still charming and I still can’t wait to finish it.

Cartoons of 2018 don’t need their own individual sections. I’m still super in love with Steven Universe, Star Vs the Forces of Evil, Gravity Falls, Bob’s Burgers, Super Monsters, Young Justice, She-Ra and Hilda. They’re all worth a watch and a lot of fun.

Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette - I can’t talk about this enough. You need to see it. You can watch it on Netflix. It’s powerful, brilliant and so very smart. It’s a story, it’s a comedy, it’s a whole lota truth. Watch it and then read this Wired piece. I can’t even tell you all the feelings and ideas and discussions that were started because of this piece. She’s amazing and I am so delighted we share a name.

The 13th Doctor - I haven’t had a chance to start watching the episodes, but knowing that the Doctor is a woman and that she’s off having adventures and kicking ass makes me so incredibly happy and the clips I’ve seen are brilliant.

DC Universe Titans - This was an unexpected addition to my life. I’ve never been a big DC comics fan. I have a lot of feelings regarding how they handle lots of things, but this show started and I was able to watch with someone who’s a huge fan and it has been a trip. Another dark and serious show, but it’s been really interesting and very good. I’m really interested to see what happens next. I’m also super excited for the launch of the new Titans comics in June with art by Gabriel Picolo .

So that’s 2018. Lot’s of things made better by experiences, some sad moments, lots of happy ones. So much more going on and so many more adventures to have. I’ll be back on Tuesday with goals and plans for 2019.

XoxO Adventurers!

Hh G

Thank you for coming to visit and for continuing to support skaBunny Makes. This is a project I work on because I love it. If you love it and want to support, please contact me at [email protected]. You should also reach out if you have a guest post you’d like me to publish or if there are topics you would like me to cover. You can find a list of projects I’m working on in the Other Projects folder and you can listen to me chatter, mostly at myself 3 days a week on Twitch - Mondays, Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:30 pm and Saturdays from 7 pm to 11:30 pm.

New blog posts will be posted on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Some of it will be new content, new series, new images, but we’re still gonna talk about real life here. That’s not going to change. We will still cover loads of things that aren’t easy, mental health, life choices, living with your body, new families, life, changes in the world and all kinds of other things. Life is an adventure, this one is mine.

#2018 #Year In Review #Lots Going On #Happiness #happy tears #What I learned #what makes me happy #Questions #2019 #Bring It On

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moviegeekandproud-blog · 6 years

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Aside from going to the movies as much as possible I do love a chill night in with good ol’ Netflix. With the ENDLESS amount of content on the streaming service, Netflix also loves putting out their own original movies and T.V. In between my trips to the theatre I just so happened to be able to catch a movie here and there throughout the year and like last year, here are the list of movies l watched with a brief review of how they turned out in no particular order.

Okja

picture via pinterest

picture via slashfilm.com

Starring Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano

An exceptional adventure of a little girl named Mija risking everything to rescue her best friend, a remarkable animal named Okja from a multi-national company. I found this movie to be exciting, fantastical, and touching friendship story with a satirizing message regarding the food industry. With comic and over the top performances from everyone involved including Jake Gyllenhaal, you will fall in love with the lovable Okja.

3 ½ out of 5

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore

picture via imdb.com

picture via mistfts.com

Starring Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood

This dark comedy involving a woman whose home was burglarized and gets inspired to find the people who did it with the help of an eccentric and obnoxious neighbor. As they dig deeper they get entangled in a much bigger situation they are clearly not prepared to handle. This movie is not bad. I liked the wit of the script. Since it is a comedy, there are a lot of bumbling criminals running around the movie but I think the self help the depressed lead is going through is interesting enough to keep it realistic and a little relatable to anyone who feels like they get shit on every day and just can’t get a break. Check this out if you feel like something indie to watch. A comedy with a bit of substance.

3 out of 5

Naked

andcompany.com

picture via consequenceofsound.net

Starring Marlon Wayans and Regina Hall

With no explanation given at all, Marlon Wayans plays a man who happens to be caught in a time loop repeating the day of his wedding to his fiancé. Not only that, he wakes up completely naked. Only he remembers his previous day and must find a way to make it to his wedding and marry the woman he loves. The concept is nothing new you haven’t seen before and unfortunately, the hijinks were a bit too silly to be taken seriously. Yes, it is a comedy but it has to be funny and somewhat real even for comedy sake. No real interesting characters. Marlon is charming but he was given a horrible script to work with. Its an okay watch but once it is over you will forget you watched it.

2 out of 5

Little Evil

picture via imdb.com

picture via hypable.com

Starring Adam Scott and Evangeline Lilly

A horror comedy spoof of The Omen a man marries a woman with a 6-year-old son of her own. Typical modern family except that he believes the is might be the antichrist. I love the concept and Owen Atlas who plays the devil’s child is great in it as the brooding evil incarnate. Evangeline is funny as the naïve mother unaware of her son’s true destiny. Packed full of other known standup comedians and T.V. actors this has a bit of humor that keeps you engage but as the movie progresses it gets way too silly and a little boring. This is one I think can be scrolled pass but if you like the actors associated, give it a shot. What do you have to lose? Your soul?

1 ½ out of 5

Take the 10

picture via imdb.com

Starring Josh Peck and Tony Revolori

A comedy involving two friends who plan to make a big change in their life has to tie up loose ends when a drug deal goes bad. All taking place in one day, this movie is told in interwoven shorts from the perspective of a different character each time covering the same 24 hours. This movie would actually be worth recommending but the characters are not likable at all. In fact, one of them is just a straight up asshole who is too narcissistic for his own good. The Y generation may find this enjoyable and relatable as well as anyone who lives or knows southern California well to understand the joke within the title. It wasn’t boring just not a great movie.

3 out of 5

iBoy

picture via imdb.com

picture via inuth.com

Starring Bill Milner and Maisie Williams

Trying to capture on the superhero fad, a young boy is given the ability to control anything technological. Of course, no superhero with powers are created without a tragedy. He gets these abilities because pieces of his cellphone were implemented into his brain after being shot in the head while on the phone. Discovering his new gifts, he uses them to save his crush and take back the neighborhood that is being controlled by a mobster and his goons. This idea is about as bonkers as it sounds. It actually attempts to try and be a serious authentic crime drama. The acting is par and the movie isn’t slow. The way he uses his abilities is creative but this story is a stretch to be taken seriously. For you Game of Throne fans out there that want to see Arya Stark out of her war garment then check this out, otherwise, this is a movie you don’t need to see.

2 out of 5

#realityhigh

picture via imdb.com

picture via dailydot.com

Starring Nesta Cooper and Keith Powers

Combine the color and upbeat acting of Disney and the updated and modern teen experience of Freeform and you got yourself a high school comedy. This one involves a high-achieving high school girl who is supposedly someone who isn’t beautiful to get the man of her dreams because she wears glasses witnesses her crush dating someone who is the center of a reality tv show that follows her around. Through certain circumstances she is drawn into the world of being popular and getting everything, she wants but also risking losing the very thing she didn’t believe she had the whole time. I actually enjoyed watching this teen flick. All the characters were very likable, they all had brains and had a voice and it seemed that everyone got their fair share of screen time. I actually see this show being a great series. At the end of the day it is a cheesy teen flick that makes millenials look like technologic narcissistic zombies. If they decide to do more of these following up what happens next, I wouldn’t object. Honestly, if you watch the trailer and have interest in watching it, check it out.

4 out of 5

You Get Me

picture via imdb.com

picture via netflix.com

Starring Bella Thorne and Halston Sage

A thriller in the same vain as A Fatal Attraction, Swimfan, and anything involving a love affair turned deadly. Bella Throne is the new Glenn Close in this teen suspense movie when she has a one-night stand with a man who recently broke up with his long-time girlfriend. After a weekend of sex and cuddles, he tries to get back with his girlfriend realizing what he lost and she decides that he is the new love of her life and will destroy anyone that gets in her way. This movie was a little cheesy as some of the actions carried out seemed to unreal to be carried out. I don’t really feel sorry for the victim or protagonist of the movie. These movies tend to bug me sometimes with the idea that a woman can’t go without a man. Just think if this movie was Twilight and Stewart’s Bella went all postal in addition to her obsession with Edward. If you are a fan of Bella Thorne, check this out. If not, this is the same ol’ same ol’ tale.

2 out of 5

1922

picture via wikipedia.com

picture via basementrejects.com

Starring Thomas Jane and Molly Parker

The Stephen King adaptation of his novel 1922 sees a prideful father and farmer who is having financial troubles keeping his farm afloat. His wife wants to sell but he is to proud to give it up. Convincing his son to participate, they plot to kill his wife to make sure they can keep the farm. The outcome is far more than they would imagine. Paranoia, deceiving, and ghostly visions and dreams plague the father and son who try and keep up the charade that their mother just disappeared. Haunted by their crime the movie gives off a thrilling ride to possible insanity. This movie is more drama than horror and more depressing then suspenseful. Doesn’t mean this movie wasn’t good but just know that this movie may not be what you think it is. If you want to see a gut-wrenching story and the desperation of what one man would do to keep his livelihood, you may enjoy this film.

3 out of 5.

The Babysitter

picture via wikipedia.com

picture via bloodydisgusting.com

Starring Samara Weaving and Judah Lewis

This horror comedy is one of the best horror films in 2017. It is silly in a McG sort of way but has a lot of heart in it. This movie has everything: cults, bullies, spiders, shirtless hot guy, blood sacrifices, deflating implants all wrapped up in a big bow with McG’s signature stamp on it. That can only mean you are in for a bizarre, twisted, and funny flick mixed with some jump scares, some cool kills and the laws of gravity are thrown away because it’s McG. I love the cast and they played likable characters. This will make you laugh and there is a lot of blood. I think the script is clever and the friendship between the babysitter and her charge is the best part. A slow start in the beginning but once it happens it doesn’t stop.

4 ½ out of 5

Gerald’s Game

picture via wikipedia.com

picture via fhm.com

Starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood

An adapted Stephen King novel adapted for screen was one of the best ideas in 2017. I have never heard of this novel before and it is terrifying to watch. What a well done film with suburb acting from Carla Gugino who is at a cabin with her husband trying to spice up their relationship but due to unfortunate events she is put through the most brutal mental test to find out if she has what it takes to survive. This was a gut-wrenching edge of your seat one woman show. It will have you spooked, bewildered, and any other intense feeling you can think of. I highly recommend this film and towards the end you will witness one of the most painful look away scenes of 2017.

5 out of 5

If you would like to read a full review of What Happened to Monday and Death Note, click here and here.

There are more to be seen and eventually I will get to more. Which Netflix movies did you watch in 2017? Comment below with your favorites and ones that were just the worse. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you at the movies.

title photo provided by vancouvereconomic.com

Netflix Original Movies 2017 Aside from going to the movies as much as possible I do love a chill night in with good ol’ Netflix.

#2017 #Netflix #Netflix Originals

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