I realize that this list is a little late as we are 4 days into the new year, but better late than never, right?  While 2017 was generally a mixed bag when it came to movies, it still gave us some of the best movies I’ve seen in years.  But it also gave us some of the worst movies I’ve seen in years.  There a some things that I want to mention before I begin.  One: Star Wars: The Last Jedi is not going to be on this list.  I’ll tell you why.  Disney has made the decision to release a Star Wars movie, spin-off or otherwise, every single year for the next 20 or so years.  That’s the plan, anyway.  As a result, I don’t think it feels right to put a Star Wars film on my Best list every year.  I loved the last movie, but quite frankly, there were much better films that came out in 2017.  With that in mind: Let’g get into the best and worst that 2017 had to offer.

THE BEST

Wind River:

This is one of the best thrillers that I’ve seen in a long time.  It’s a murder mystery that takes place on an Indian Reservation, involving the rape and murder of a young woman.  A big-game hunter played by Jeremy Renner, with the assistance of a lone FBI agent played by Elizabeth Olsen attempt to track down how the girl ended up where she did and who killed her.  It’s a fantastic murder mystery for many reasons, but one of the most obvious reasons is that it places a focus on a Native American community in Wyoming.  It’s a very isolated group which makes some of the events in the film even more tragic.  Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen give the best performances of their careers and even the supporting actors like Gil Birmingham are extremely compelling.  It’s an intense little thriller that I can’t recommend enough.

mother!

Darren Aranofsky is probably one of the most polarizing directors I’ve ever heard of.  That’s one of the reasons why I love his movies.  He doesn’t play by the roles as his movies are some of the most unconventional I’ve ever seen.  mother! is his latest effort and it’s probably his most bat-shit crazy film he’s made yet.  It involves a couple whose idyllic life is upended when strangers come knocking at their door.  I’m not going to get into spoilers here, but let’s just say that mother! is a film that must be seen and experienced.  I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.  Strong performances by Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeifer and Ed Harris complement a film that is so unique that it kind of requires multiple viewings.  This is also one of the most divisive movies of the year because of the subject matter.  People are either going to love it or flat-out hate it.  Thankfully, I loved it and found it worthy of being one of the best movies of the year.

Logan

I’ve been a huge fan of the X-Men films since the beginning and Hugh Jackman has been a large part of that.  His performances as Wolverine have been really top-notch.  Logan is Hugh Jackman’s final outing as the adamantium-clawed character and it’s his best performance yet as a physically and emotionally broken Wolverine struggling to survive in a world where mutants are dying off.  Patrick Stewart also turns in a heartbreaking, yet compelling performance as the aging Charles Xavier.  When young Laura enters the picture, however, things really get thrown into a tailspin as Laura is a mutant very much like Logan with the same healing capabilities and adamantium skeleton.  She’s also inherited his blood-rage.  For fans waiting for the Wolverine to finally go berserk, this is that movie.  It’s extremely violent and has some pretty shocking moments.  But it’s all tied together by a story that is essentially about family.  I would not characterize Logan as a superhero movie, because it really isn’t.  It’s more of a Western/Road Movie in the style of The Unforgiven.  It’s one of the best comic-book based movies in recent years and I highly recommend it.

Split

I never thought that I would ever consider putting an M. Night Shyamalan film on any of my Best Films of the year lists, yet here we are.  Split is a true return to form for the director as he delivers a compelling and tightly woven thriller about a man who suffers from having more than 20 personalities in his head.  James McAvoy’s performance really helps elevate the film to the level that it needed to be.  It’s definitely one of those movies that really needs to be seen to be believed.

Brawl In Cell Block 99

This is one of those big surprises of the year.  Vince Vaughn delivers one of his best performances in a very compelling yet extremely violent film.  His character, Bradley Thomas, is forced to find and kill a particular inmate otherwise bad things will happen to his wife and unborn child.  The resulting film is extremely fast-paced despite its length and absolutely intense.  S. Craig Zahler, who wrote and directed Bone Tomahawk delivers another solid film.

Headshot

When it comes to straight-up action movies, I have to hand it to folks from Indonesia: They know what they’re doing.  Headshot is one of the most intense action films I’ve ever seen.  Yet, for all that action, it’s the performances that really stand out.  Iko Uwais is constantly proving that not only is he a great martial artists, but he’s becoming a great actor as well.  The violence is pretty visceral but it’s also very satisfying.  The story is actually quite interesting with Iko’s character suffering from bit of amnesia.  It adds a very interesting dynamic to what happens in the film.

Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan has done it again.  The director of movies such The Dark Knight and Inception directs this story about the evacuation of nearly 400,000 soldiers from Dunkirk.  From the moment the film starts to the moment that it ends, you’re thrown into a very chaotic and intense situation.  The whole movie is about that situation and while it doesn’t really have much in the way of characterization, it really doesn’t need to, especially when you understand how important this evacuation was.  For a war movie that is rated PG-13, it’s terrifying.  It’s not about the gore or any of that, it’s more psychological.  It’s definitely worth checking out.

Blade Runner 2049

Of all the movies that came out in 2017, Blade Runner 2049 had me worried the most.  How can you craft a sequel to one of the most beloved cult classics of all time?  It shouldn’t have worked, and in the hands of lesser directors and film-makers, it wouldn’t have.  Thankfully, Denis Villaneuve was more than up to the task for really expanding on the world of Blade Runner.  Visually, this is one of the most stunning films I’ve ever seen.  The landscapes and the desolation that you see when get out of the main cities is beautifully bleak.  While the performances from Ryan Gosling and Jerod Leto are really good, it’s Harrison Ford that really steals the show.  He delivers his best performance in years.  Like the original Blade Runner, this one is also a neo-noir detective thriller, and as such, it didn’t get the exposure that it deserved.  It’s the kind of detective movie that we don’t see very often.  While the other movies that I mentioned were amazing, I would have to say that Blade Runner 2049 is my favorite movie of the year.

WORST

Well, we gotta have a worst list, so here we go.  There really weren’t a whole lot of movies that I can say I truly hated, but there were a few, so here they are.

The Emoji Movie

Fuck this movie.  Fuck it sideways.  As bad as movies have gotten in 2017, I was NEVER insulted the way this movie insulted me. It is a cheap, weak-ass knock off of better films like Inside Out.  The animation is highly dubious and quite frankly cheap-looking(50 million dollar budget).  The story is poorly written and highly predictable with characters that are extremely annoying.  Quite frankly the concept was doomed from day one.  I don’t who the idiot was that thought that making a movie about a smartphone function was good idea, but they needed to have their heads smashed against a wall.  This was absolutely one of the worst movies in the last few years.  EASILY.

Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire

Dragonheart was a fun little fantasy flick that came out back in 1996.  It worked because it focused on the characters and it treated the dragon like an actual character.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough for an hour and a half.  The second film was a direct-to-video clunker that was really bad.  Dragonheart 3, while not a classic by any stretch, was a much better follow-up to the original than it had any right to be.  It actually had some really solid CGI and decent acting.  I liked it.  Dragonheart 4 is even worse than the second film.  I didn’t think that was possible.  I wasn’t expecting the dragon to be like Game of Thrones-quality, but it could’ve been at least as decent as the third film, but it’s not.  Patrick Stewart replaces Ben Kingsley as the voice of the dragon, and honestly, it’s not quite the same.  That’s not a strike against Mr. Stewart, but it is a very different kind of voice-acting.  The acting is generally awful, the action scenes are poorly choreographed and the story is just WEAK.  Direct-to-video films have come a long way since the early 2000’s, but this is a HUGE step backwards.

Broken Sword Hero

When Ong-Bak came out back in 2003, it opened my eyes to the awesome potential of Thai action cinema.  Tony Jaa was the premier action star that brought attention to Thailand’s film industry.  When it comes to action, Thai film tend to hit very, very hard.  But in terms of story-telling, they miss the mark.  Maybe it’s because I’m a Westerner and I have no real knowledge of how Thailand does things as far stories go.  Broken Sword Hero is supposed to be the story of one of Thailand’s most legendary warriors, Thong Di.  However, the film is boring, the acting is bad and the action scenes are dull and uninteresting.  I was expecting a lot more, and it ended up pissing me off the longer it went on.  It’s not a good movie.

There we are, the best and worst movies of 2017.  Yeah, it’s a little late, but I assure you it’s been worth it.  I’m very curious to see what 2018 will bring as far as movies go, so I hope everybody had a great holiday and season, and I look forward to bring you more in 2018.

Released: July 2017

Rated: Total Garbage

Director: Tony Leondis

Distributor: Sony Pictures Animation(if you call that animation)

Genre: Crap/Crap/Crap/Garbage/Abomination

Cast:….who cares?

Usually, in this part of the review, I do an introduction about the film I review, but in the case of The Emoji Movie, I’m going to do something VERY different here.  Since emojis are used to express people’s emotions via text messaging, allow me to express my feelings about this “film” through visual aids.

First Visual Aid: I’m using Return of the Jedi as my visual aid.  Imagine, if you will, that the Emperor is The Emoji Movie, Luke Skywalker is the audience, and Darth Vader as the end credits:

THAT’S what the movie is doing to the audience.  They’re getting bombarded by an ugly piece of crap and it isn’t until the credits that the audience is saved from slow and painful misery.  Again, as a visual aid, I’m referencing Return of the Jedi.  Now, imagine Darth Vader as The Emoji Movie with Luke Skywalker as the audience that had to sit through this pile of absolute stupidity:

https://youtu.be/Li0vFxbo3sY?t=3m8s

The audiences were NOT happy with this.  The level of venom thrown at the film was extraordinary.  On Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of the people hated this thing.  The other 40 were clearly brainwashed or paid to say nice things about The Emoji Movie.  I’ve got one more visual aid to share with you before I give my final thoughts on this……pile of horse manure.  Return of the Jedi has been a wonderful boon for visual aids to describe how I feel about movies like The Emoji Movie.  Here we go:  Imagine film critics as the Rebel fleet and The Emoji Movie as the Death Star:

While the film did “meh” on the box-office front, it was savaged by critics the world over with a scathing 9% on Rotten Tomatoes.  This movie has gone down in flames.  In all seriousness and visual aids aside, The Emoji Movie is one of the worst movies ever made.  There were more times than I could count where I was rolling my eyes.  Who was this movie for?  If it was for the kids, it would have bored them.  If it was for adults, it would have pissed them off.  It pissed me off.  The fact that they roped poor Patrick Stewart into this is beyond my comprehension.  I would love to know who the ding dong was that thought that a movie about emojis was a good idea.  It clearly didn’t work.  The humor was flat(although TJ Miller tried his damndest as Gene), the visuals were third-rate and the story was a cheap knock-off of better films like Inside Out.  I generally try to give movies the benefit of the doubt, which is why I rarely deliver ratings less than 5 out of 10.  I can usually see what the intent behind the film was, even if the film-makers didn’t quite succeed.  There’s usually a nugget or two of interesting and entertaining stuff in movies of this caliber.  I really couldn’t find any of that here.  I knew going in that was going to be a bad movie, considering everything that I’ve heard.  Ultimately, it was worse than what I’ve heard.  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but movies like Superman IV are far more entertaining than this.    It’s not a “so bad it’s good” kind of deal, it’s just plain awful.  I don’t think I’ve had a movie insult me the way this one did.  This post is as much a public service announcement as it is a review.  Stay away from The Emoji Movie, if you value your intelligence and your sanity.

My Final Conclusion: The Emoji Movie is a new definition of pain and suffering.  Burn it. 0.1/10(only because I have to give it a score)

 

I hope that everybody has had a good Christmas and are celebrating their respective holidays this season.  For this post, I wanted to celebrate the best performances this year.  I’ve been thinking about how I want to do this particular one, because there were a huge number of standout performances in 2017.  I didn’t get to see every movie this year, because quite frankly, that’s a lot of movies, and more than I have time for.  Sometimes, a performance can elevate what is otherwise a mediocre movie and make it worth watching.  With that in mind, let’s go over some of the best performances that I’ve seen this year.

Gal Gadot – Wonder Woman

Before Batman V. Superman was released last year, it was announced that while Wonder Woman would be a part of the film, the stand-alone Wonder Woman film was also being produced.  Gal Gadot was cast as the Amazon princess, and at first, I was unsure of her ability to carry a role of that magnitude.  When her character showed up in Dawn of Justice, all doubts were erased.  Gal Gadot IS Wonder Woman and she really does carry the stand-alone film on her shoulders.  She’s absolutely phenomenal.  Not only can she handle the role physically, but also emotionally as well.  We see the character go from a super-hopeful optimistic woman to a battle-hardened warrior.  The transition is absolutely natural and Ms. Gadot has that natural charisma that wins you over, despite all your doubts.

Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Daphne Keen – Logan

This one was somewhat difficult for me to decide.  The acting in Logan is beyond stellar.  Instead of just one performance, I decided to include three in this one.  Why?  Because they are all amazing.  Hugh Jackman turns in his best performance as Wolverine, a character that has been beaten down by the world and being slowly poisoned by his adamantium skeleton.  This is a broken man who forgot what it meant to be a hero.  Over the course of the film, he realizes he has a chance at redemption.  Patrick Stewart is just as compelling as the ailing Charles Xavier.  I have to say, seeing Xavier drop f-bomb after f-bomb is rather hilarious, but then you peel back the layers and understand what is wrong with him psychologically.  It’s heartbreaking.  The real surprise of the film goes to young Daphne Keen as Laura a.k.a X-23.  She comes across as this adorable little girl, but then you see her claws come out and she’s just as vicious, if not more so, than Wolverine.  Her connection to Wolverine is one of the best highlights of the film as you see the two characters grow closer.  It’s absolutely remarkable at how these characters come to life in this film.  It’s worth watching for the acting alone.

Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan – The Foreigner

Jackie Chan has been a staple of the action film genre for over 40 years.  His experience in the genre is almost unrivaled.  While most of his roles have been infused with his Buster Keaton-style of physical comedy, every once in a while he gets a role that allows him to flex his acting muscles.  The Foreigner is one such film.  Chan plays a former special operations soldier whose daughter is killed in a terrorist attack in Ireland.  Broken and angry, the character confronts Pierce Brosnan’s character, who may or may not have ties to the Irish Republican Army.  Chan’s performance is one of a kind.  His delivery isn’t the strongest, but his performance comes through in his face.  Don’t get me wrong, he still has what it takes physically, but it’s not your typical Jackie Chan film.  It’s more of a political thriller than anything else.  Bring Pierce Brosnan onto the project was sheer genius.  Brosnan’s performance is just as compelling as Chan’s.  The way the two characters react to each other really shows the chemistry that the two actors actually have.  Honestly, this is one of those movies that would have been pretty mediocre if not for the cast.

James McAvoy – Split

James McAvoy was going to end up on this list for one reason or another, so it may as well be for Split.  This was a movie that surprised me for all the right reasons.  Not only was the film sharply written, but it was incredibly intense and surprisingly intelligent.  James McAvoy plays a character that has well over a dozen split personalities, with a new one about to emerge.  It would have been very easy for McAvoy to just switch voices and go from there, but he doesn’t.  He plays each personality as if it was a completely different character.  At one moment he’s a nine year-old boy and the next he’s a proper English woman.  One would think that would lead to some sort of camp or cheesiness, but it doesn’t.  These personalities each have their own unique quirks.  James McAvoy is a chameleon here.  His performance is utterly unique.  I’ve seen actors try the whole split personality thing on screen, but none of them have done it as well as Mr. McAvoy.

Ok-Bin Kim – The Villainess

While I feel that The Villainess was a bit of a problematic film, the one thing that it wasn’t lacking in was a compelling female lead.  We have that in Ok-Bin Kim who plays Sook-hee, a young woman who has been trained as an assassin.  She wants to live the rest of her life with her daughter, but she has to complete certain assassinations in order for that to happen.  While the action in the film is certainly spectacular, Kim’s performance really stands out.  The emotional roller-coaster that her character goes on is very effective and pays off in a very big way.  The level of physicality that she displays on the screen is almost second to none.  She throws herself into the role and it’s surprisingly really good.

RJ Cyler – Power Rangers

Power Rangers was a very surprising superhero film.  I was surprised at how well thought out the characters and the story were.  The acting across the board is awesome, but the one that really stands out is RJ Cyler as Billy, the blue ranger.  RJ Cyler’s portrayal of Billy Cranston is really good.  His character is a little autistic, but as the film goes on, we see Billy progress the most out of all the kids here.  He goes from this introverted nerd/outcast to someone who is willing to put his life on the line for his friends, and Cyler really infuses the character with his own brand of humor and humanity.  I loved this movie anyway, but RJ Cyler really stood out for me among the others.

Michael Fassbender – Alien Covenant

Michael Fassbender has always been a fascinating actor for me.  He’s just one of the best actors out there today.  He’s also part of what made Alien Covenant not as bad as it could have been.  Michael Fassbender plays two roles in this film, both of them androids: Walter and David.  David is the android from Prometheus and Walter is the new droid.  On their own, the two characters are pretty good, but when the two droids actually spend time together, that’s when Fassbender is at his best.  His portrayal of David is vastly different than that of Walter.  David has developed a sort of god complex while also being a rogue droid.  Walter is a little less….idiosyncratic, but still very believable.  Michael Fassbender’s performance in Covenant is nothing less than amazing.

Vince Vaughn – Brawl in Cell Block 99

I gotta be honest here, I’ve never been a huge fan of Vince Vaughn.  At least, not his comic roles.  But when he flips the switch from comedic to serious, we have ourselves a very different kind of actor.  He’s extremely talented.  I’ve been paying attention to his more dramatic roles like in Hacksaw Ridge.  His dramatic performances are through the roof.  His performance in Brawl in Cell Block 99 is quite possibly his best and most memorable performance to date as Bradley Thomas.  I haven’t reviewed the film yet, but I’ll get to it.  Brawl is a very character-driven action film and Vince Vaughn just throws himself into the role.  His immense size really gives him a serious physical presence.  But it’s what he does with the character that really stands out.  He does nearly all of his own stunts and the smaller more dramatic moments are just astounding.  I haven’t paid attention to Vince Vaughn for years, but I am now.

These are some of my favorite performances of the year and I hope that some of you will agree.  If you don’t, that’s fine too.  This year had some of the best acting I’ve seen in a long time, and I can’t wait to see what 2018 will bring.  I’ve got more stuff about the films of 2017 coming, so please stay tuned for those.

 

For those of you who may not remember, I reviewed a charming little film called The Martial Arts Kid some months ago, starring Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock.  I have interviews with those two if you want to check them out by clicking the Interviews tab.  For this post, I got word that the upcoming sequel: The Martial Arts Kid 2: Payback will begin crowdfunding through IndieGoGo starting on January 15, 2018.  The purpose of this campaign is to raise extra funds so the cast and crew can craft a larger movie with more action, more danger, more locations and a larger cast.  The film will also feature the largest gathering of real-life Grand Master, Master and Champion martial artists.  It is going to be an extraordinary film and the film-makers will need your help to make it happen.  Once the campaign begins, I will try and post regular updates on its progress as well as any other news related to the project.  For more information about The Martial Arts Kid 2: Payback campaign you can check out the website here: The Martial Arts Kid 2: Payback IndieGoGo Campaign.

The Martial Arts Kid 2: Payback will reunite Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Cynthia Rothrock as Uncle Glen and Aunt Cindy, respectively.  Legendary martial arts actors Chuck Zito and Sasha Mitchell will also be a part of the project with TJ Storm reprising his role as Coach Laurent Kaine.  Michael Baumgarten returns as director, with James Lew returning as Stunt Coordinator.  I will let everybody know when the campaign starts and as I said, will provide regular updates.  I’m really excited for this movie and I hope everyone is too.  The first Martial Arts Kid is currently available for digital streaming as well as DVD and Blu-Ray, and I highly recommend you check that film out as it is a really good little family action film with a solid message about the use of martial arts in day-to-day life.  With that in mind, my fellow Space Cadets, stay tuned!