The State of the Art: Movies 2025

Well. That's better. Last year, the slate of movies I saw wasn't bad, but nothing really captured my attention in a super-special way. Pop culture across the board left me in a sad state of sluggish ennui, but pretty much every category stepped up this year, which I'm immensely relieved by. Movies are no exception, because my favorite one of the year was incredible.

It'd be so easy for Sinners to just be another vampire movie. I almost just let it slip by, even as it was getting a tidal wave of positive word-of-mouth. It took some convincing from my husband and friends that 1) I could handle the gore level, and 2) I really, really needed to see this. They were right. Michael B. Jordan plays a set of twins who blow back into their small town after years away to open a juke joint with the help of their blues-playing cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) and other local friends. The twins reconnect with old flames (Wunmi Mosaku and Hailee Steinfeld), and while their opening night is wildly successful, their success draws negative attention of more than one kind. Sinners is fun and scary and beautiful and enchanting and unpredictable and sad. It's about love and music and racism and found family. It makes you root both for and against the villains (well, some of them). It's outstanding in every respect, right down to the shifting aspect ratios.

Let's get to the full 2025 list!

Sinners (A)
Twinless (A-)
The Naked Gun (B+)
Superman (B+)
Black Bag (B+)
Thunderbolts* (B+)
Wake Up Dead Man (B+)
Eternity (B+)
Drop (B+)
KPop Demon Hunters (B)
Materialists (B)
Hedda (B-)
Fantastic Four: First Steps (B-)
Splitsville (B-)
Megan 2.0 (B-)
You're Cordially Invited (B-)
Merv (C+)
The Parenting (C+) 
Kinda Pregnant (C+)

As usual, though, a lot of the year was spent catching up on movies from previous years. It bears a reminder that grades reflect how much I enjoyed watching these, weighed against how successful it was at achieving the level of quality it was going for. Long story, short: No, Tammy and the T-Rex wasn't angling for any Oscars, but it was a blast. Also, I'm not listing A Goofy Movie because while it was shown on a screen that my eyes were pointed towards, I was sleepy and...in a bit of an altered state, so I don't remember a single frame of it. Without further ado, here's the pre-2025 ranking!

Flow (2024) (A)

Promising Young Woman (2020) (A-)

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) (A-)

My Old Ass (2024) (A-)

A Nice Indian Boy (2024) (A-)

Bound (1996) (B+)

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) (B+)
Conclave (2024) (B)

Dark City (1998) (B)

The Marvels (2023) (B)

Orion and the Dark (2024) (B)

North Avenue Irregulars (1979) (B)

Tammy and the T-Rex (1994) (B)

Twisters (2024) (B-)

Shag (1989) (B-)

The Commitments (1991) (B-)

Bagdad Cafe (1987) (B-)

The Assassination Bureau (1969) (C+)

Hair (1979) (C+)

White Chicks (2004) (C+)

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) (C)

Superman III (1983) (D+) 

Highlander (1986) (D)

Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle (2020) (D)

The State of the Art: Movies 2024

When I started putting together my final ranking for this year's movies, I became a bit alarmed. While I definitely saw some highly-entertaining films this year, on the whole, the movies of 2024 can be summed up as "Yeah, not bad." There was (almost) nothing as thoughtful and interesting as a Past Lives I feel the need to spread the word about, and definitely not an Everything Everywhere All At Once to light my heart aflame. Part of the reason seems to be me. I've only seen 14 new movies this year, and I still haven't gotten to a couple that have gotten very good word-of-mouth. But part of the reason seems to be Hollywood. The Golden Globes nominations are incredibly dull, and when it comes down to it, I seriously doubt future generations will be heralding 2024 as an incredible year for movies.

That doesn't mean there weren't good movies, though, and the top of my list is a thriller that actually thrilled.

Blink Twice is pretty amazing, especially given that it's Zoë Kravitz' directorial debut. When cocktail waitress Frida (Naomi Ackie) gets herself noticed by tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) at a party she's working at, he invites her and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) to his private island. King has been recently publicly disgraced, and is attempting to work his way back into the public's good graces. The privacy of his island affords him and his guests an opportunity to cut loose, with endless days and nights of incredible meals, and booze- and drug-fueled partying. Frida and Jess are having the time of their lives, but eventually begin to notice that not all is as it appears. And things...devolve. Rapidly.

There are countless thrillers - not to mention the recent spate of social message movies - about how douchey and awful the American upper class is, and it can be really easy for these movies to fall into the trap of being too predictable, too on-the-nose, too hamfisted, and entirely too pleased with themselves. Blink Twice expertly sidesteps those traps, making Frida's plight gripping and tense. I should also make special mention of Adria Arjona, who gives an amazing performance as Sarah, a intimidating fellow guest that Frida clashes with.

Let's get to the full 2024 list!

Blink Twice (B+)

Wicked (B+)

The Fall Guy (B+)

Hundreds of Beavers (2022, 2024) (B+)

Inside Out 2 (B+)

Carry-On (B+)

Babes (B)

Dune: Part Two (B)

I Saw the TV Glow (B)

Welcome Home Franklin (B)

Challengers (B-)

Night Swim (B-)

Tarot (C)

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (C-)

Of course, the majority of the year was spent catching up on movies from the past, so for the pre-2024 ranking:

The Apartment (1960) (A)

American Fiction (2023) (A)

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022) (A)

River (2023) (A-)

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2021) (B+)

Anatomy of a Fall (2023) (B+)

Godzilla Minus One (2023) (B+)

Problemista (2023) (B+)

Hot Fuzz (2007) (B+)

The Holdovers (2023) (B)

Three Minutes: A Lengthening (2021) (B)

Perfect Days (2023) (B)

Under the Shadow (2016) (B)

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023) (B)

Hit Man (2023) (B)

Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) (B)

Saltburn (2023) (B-)
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001) (B-)

Dream Scenario (2023) (B-)

Being There (1979) (B-)
The Boy and the Heron (2023) (B-)

Drinking Buddies (2013) (B-)

27 Dresses (2008) (B-)

Shrek Forever After (2010) (B-)

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023) (B-)

Zone of Interest (2023) (C+)

All of Us Strangers (2023) (C+)

Cry Wolf (1947) (C+)
Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978) (C+)

Anyone But You (2023) (C+)

Puss in Boots (1988) (C+)

Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998) (C+)

7 Women and a Murder (2021) (C+)

Stay Tuned (1992) (C)

Waiting (2005) (C-)

Speed 2 (1997) (D)

Nothing But Trouble (1991) (D)

Madea's Big Happy Family (2011) (D-)

The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee (2020) (F)

The State of the Art: Movies 2023

It's been an exciting year for movies! Sometimes, I feel like the types of movies I watch over the course of a year can get too similar to each other; lists in the past have had an overabundance of superhero movies, or light comedies, or historical dramas, or whatever. In 2023, though, the movies I saw were all over the map, and I always feel happier when I've sampled from a wider cultural range.

As ever, the grades I give here are about the quality of the movie and how well it did at accomplishing what it was trying to achieve. If I were grading these purely on the experience of watching them, something like getting together with friends to ingest illicit substances and mock a piece of crap like Queen of the Damned would get an A. Speaking of good grades, it's interesting to note that while this year had double the number of movies in the A range as last year, there were no A+ movies in 2023. That seems about right; an A+ should be extremely rare.

As to my favorite movie of the year, I waffled quite a bit. It took me a long time to reach a decision, but ultimately, I went with one that was not only well-acted and had a tight and suspenseful plot, but cleverly avoided all of the traps and pitfalls that usually afflict romance stories.

Past Lives is remarkable. In 99% of movies, the dramatic tension of the story of a woman (Nora) who immigrated to North America as a child, grew up to marry an American, then reconnects with her old crush from Korea (Hae Sung) would be about the will-they/won't-they of cheating on her husband. This movie is a lot smarter than that, and is more interested in exploring Nora's inner conflicts in reconciling the person she was then with the person she is now. The word "bittersweet" is overused, but definitely applies here. The care taken with these characters' reminiscing about their real emotional connection in the past, while still treating their relationships in the present with intelligence is like an oasis of fresh water after wandering through a desert of hackneyed tropes for decades. It's a beautiful movie that I'm still thinking about, months after seeing it.

Let's get to the full 2023 list!

Past Lives (A)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (A)

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (A-)

Totally Killer (A-)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (B+)

Barbie (B+)

Poor Things (B+)
M3GAN (B+)
Asteroid City (B+)

No One Will Save You (B+)

Joy Ride (B+)

Polite Society (B+)

Roald Dahl shorts (The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar, The Rat Catcher, The Swan, Poison) (B+)
One More Time (B+)

Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 (B)
Theater Camp (B)

No Hard Feelings (B)

May December (B)

Wonka (B)
One-of-a-Kind Marcie (B)

Elemental (B-)

A Haunting in Venice (C+)

Leave the World Behind (C+)
Magic Mike's Last Dance (C+)
Slotherhouse (C+)

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (C)

And for the pre-2023 movies:

The Shining (1980) (A-)
Tár (2022) (A-)

Theater of Blood (1973) (B+)

RRR (2022) (B+)

Sea Beast (2022) (B+)

The House (2022) (B+)

Triangle of Sadness (2022) (B)
Swiss Army Man (2016) (B)
Matilda the Musical (2022) (B)

Come From Away (2021) (B)

Shiva Baby (2020) (B)

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) (B)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) (B-)

Gremlins (1984) (B-)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) (B-)

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) (B-)
The Producers (2005) (B-)
7 Days in Hell (2015) (B-)
The Brave Little Toaster (1987) (B-)

Bros (2022) (C+)
Unicorn Store (2017) (C+)

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) (C+)

Scooby Doo on Zombie Island (1998) (C+)

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) (C+)
Barbarella (1968) (C)
Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996) (C)

Critters (1986) (C)
Twilight* (2008) (C)

Forbidden Planet (1956) (C)

D.E.B.S. (2004) (C-)
Vibes (1988) (C-)

Critters 3 (1991) (C-)

Critters 2 (1988) (C-)

Queen of the Damned (2002) (C-)

Arena (1989) (C-)

Hansel & Gretel (2002) (D+)

Blackenstein (1973) (D)

Critters 4 (1992) (D)

*We watched the Rifftrax version of this to make it palatable - grade reflects the actual movie

The State of the Art: Movies 2022

Usually, the post about movies is the last list of the year. If culture still has hierarchies, The Art of Cinema is generally considered to be at the top (though I'd argue that in recent years, television has taken that mantle). All this to say that movies will not be the grand finale post this year, because frankly, I saw precisely one terrific movie this year, and the rest were fine to mediocre. So what was that terrific movie? Longtime readers will know that I'm very stingy with the A+ grades. I only give them out if I can't think of a single thing I'd change. Well, welcome to that exclusive club, Everything Everywhere All at Once!

Equal parts funny, heartbreaking, exciting, thoughtful, and hopeful, this movie has absolutely no competition for best of the year. The story of Evelyn Wang and her family traversing a countless number of parallel universes in order to confront a threat that is pure nihilism sounds completely bonkers. And it is! But it's never confusing or disorienting, and journeying alongside Evelyn as she learns that love and understanding are often the best ways to break down seemingly insurmountable barriers brought tears to my eyes even on second viewing. Plus, the movie just looks cool as hell, and is impeccably acted by every single person in it.

Let's get to the rest of the list! A couple of caveats: I didn't see a huge amount of movies in 2022, so it's likely there are some out there I haven't gotten to yet that would rank highly on the list, though I don't see how anything could come remotely close to Everything Everywhere All at Once. Also, the grades below reflect my opinion of the movie's quality - not how much fun it was to watch them. If I ranked on the fun scale, getting together with friends to watch incomprehensible fever dreams like Moonfall and House would be much higher. So, for 2022 movies:

Everything Everywhere All at Once (A+)
Glass Onion (A-)

Enola Holmes 2 (B+)

The Bob's Burgers Movie (B+)

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (B+)

Werewolf by Night (B+)

See How They Run (B)

Fire Island (B)

The Adam Project (B)

Catherine Called Birdy (B)

Hocus Pocus 2 (B-)

Seeing Red (B-)

A Christmas Story Christmas (C)

Kimi (C)

Falling For Christmas (C)

Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (C)

Moonfall (D+)

And for the pre-2022 movies:

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021) (B+)
Kajillionaire (2020) (B+)
Free Guy (2021) (B+)

Spider Man: No Way Home (2021) (B)

The French Dispatch (2021) (B)

The Power of the Dog (2021) (B)

Luca (2021) (B-)

Dear Evan Hansen (2021) (B-)

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) (C+)

The Shadow on the Window (1957) (C+)

Don't Look Up (2021) (C+)

The Eternals (2021) (C+)

Ruthless People (1986) (C)

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) (C-)

The Matrix Resurrections (2021) (D+)

House (1977) (D+)

Christmas in New York (2005) (F)

The State of the Art: Movies 2021

2021 is such a weird mishmash of a year in all facets of society, movies included. Are we in the mood for Weighty, Important Topics? Breezy comedies? Heartfelt emotional stories? Classics? Should we support theaters? Stay home and stream everything? It's likely the environment I saw these movies in had an effect on how they struck me. For instance, my #1 of the year was seen in a theater in which we were told to keep our masks on the entire time, with no concessions allowed, and nobody seated anywhere near us. Would the same movie have elicited such a strong response if I were stretched out on the couch at home? Who knows?

However things would have shaken out, it's a good thing we saw Encounter the way we did, because it is pure atmosphere. This tense thriller about a veteran who essentially kidnaps his children from his ex-wife, and sets out on a cross-country road trip in order to protect them from alien invasion was so suspenseful, I was clenched in fight-or-flight anticipation for the entire running time. I didn't unclench until the end credits rolled. There are so many clichés that this movie could have relied on, and smartly avoided. Riz Ahmed gives a terrific performance, and you're never quite sure how much his character can be trusted. 

Let's get to the the full ranking of 2021 movies:

Encounter (A-)
Encanto (A-)
Belfast (B+)
Pig (B+)
Black Widow (B+)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (B+)
Being the Ricardos (B)
Dune (B)
In the Heights (B)
To All the Boys (Always and Forever) (B)
Nightbooks (B)
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (B)
West Side Story (B-)
Cruella (B-)
Reminiscence (C+)
Godzilla vs. Kong (C)

I also got to a fair amount of pre-2021 movies from a wide range of genres:

The Final Girls (2015) (B+)

The Painter and the Thief (2020) (B+)

Crooked House (2017) (B+)

My Octopus Teacher (2020) (B+)

Enola Holmes (2020) (B)

Emma (2020) (B)

Phantom Thread (2017) (B-)

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) (B-)

Tenet (2020) (B-)

Step Up (2006) (B-)

Strictly Ballroom (1992) (C+)

Black Christmas (2019) (C+)

How She Move (2007) (C-)

The State of the Art: Movies 2020

These days, it's typical for the amount of television I consume to far outpace the number of movies I see. Getting out to the theater is (well, was) more of An Event than ever, and it was just easier to park myself on the couch. In 2020, though, they flipped. I still watched plenty of TV, but I saw way more movies than in other recent years. It's not hard to see why. COVID made at-home streaming the only way to see anything, and with a bunch of time freed up by not being able to go out and socialize, movies rushed in to fill the gap. 

That doesn't mean I got to see a lot of 2020 movies. Output was slim this year, so it was mostly older movies I was able to catch up with. Still, I did get to a handful of new releases, and picking a favorite was pretty easy. Palm Springs was a terrific new spin on the Groundhog Day trope. I didn't think it was possible to make yet another time loop story seem fresh, but thanks to hilarious performances from Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, I was more than happy to watch them stagger through an uncomfortable wedding again and again and again. 

Here's the full ranking of 2020 movies:

Palm Springs (A)

Hamilton (A)
Soul (A-)
The Witches (B+)
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (B+)
Happiest Season (B)
Onward (B)
The Taste of Pho (B-)
The Willoughbys (C+)
Wonder Woman 1984 (C)

The internet was full of recommendations for things to watch during quarantine, and between those and the films that just caught my interest as a matter of course, my pre-2020 movie list was stacked:

Parasite (2019) (A)

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) (A)
Singin' in the Rain (1952) (A)
A Star is Born (2018) (A)
Little Women (2019) (A-)
Three Identical Strangers (2018) (B+)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) (B+)
Begin Again (2013) (B+)
Velvet Goldmine (1998) (B+)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) (B+)
Hello, Dolly! (1969) (B+)
Shazam! (2019) (B+)
Gypsy (1993) (B)
Toy Story 4 (2019) (B)
Dolemite is My Name (2019) (B)
Downton Abbey (2019) (B)
About Time (2013) (B)
Bathtubs Over Broadway (2018) (B)
Save the Last Dance (2001) (B)
The Five Heartbeats (1991) (B-)
Set it Up (2018) (B-)
Frozen 2 (2019) (B-)
The Harvey Girls (1946) (B-)
Klaus (2019) (B-)
I Lost My Body (2019) (B-)
Cause for Alarm! (1951) (C+)
The Invention of Lying (2009) (C+)
The Good Dinosaur (2015) (C+)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) (C)
Yesterday (2019) (C)
F for Fake (1973) (C)
Honey (2003) (C)
Polly (1989) (C)
Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001) (C-)
Raise Your Voice (2004) (D+)

The State of the Art: Movies 2019

If there's a main criticism I have of myself when it comes to movies, it's that in the past few years, the majority of ones I see in the year they're released are superhero flicks. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with those, but I want to have a broader spectrum of the year's offerings come December. Happily, I did pretty well with that in 2019, though a lot of the credit has to go to streaming services, which allowed me to see new or original content without having to get out of my pajamas or deal with the dreaded public. When you mix in the non-2019 movies I watched, there's a healthy mix of genres, and a wide spectrum from critical darlings to popular-with-the-masses to utter garbage. (Listen, I have friends who love nothing more than loading up on snacks and riffing through the worst things Amazon/Netflix/Hulu have to offer, and I am here for it.) Goodbye, 2019! It's time to kick off a new decade of cinema. Let's hope it's a good one.

Knives Out (A)
Jojo Rabbit (A-)
The Farewell (A-)
Booksmart (B+)
Lego Movie 2 (B+)
Avengers: Endgame (B)
Happy Death Day 2U (B)
Always Be My Maybe (B)
Captain Marvel (B)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (B)
The Perfect Date (B-)
Isn't It Romantic (C+)
Wine Country (C+)

And the ranking of all the pre-2019 movies I caught up on:

The Favourite (2018) (A-)
Paddington 2 (2018) (B+)
Roma (2018) (B+)
A Simple Favor (2018) (B+)
The Little Prince (2015) (B+)
Blockers (2018) (B+)
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) (B)
Incredibles 2 (2018) (B)
Mary Poppins Returns (2018) (B-)
Tea with the Dames (2018) (B-)
50 First Dates (2004) (B-)
Aquaman (2018) (C+)
Never Been Kissed (1999) (C+)
Mini Witch (2010) (C+)
Like Father (2018) (C+)
April and the Extraordinary World (2015) (C)
Avengers Grimm: Time Wars (2018) (F)
Oh My Ghost 2 (2011) (F)

I've said this for essentially every area of pop culture, but picking a favorite movie of the decade was extremely difficult. Not only are there too many great movies to choose from, but I'll have had a favorite comedy, a favorite drama, a favorite documentary, a favorite musical, and on and on and on. So, I went for one that made my jaw drop with happiness in the theater, and still delights me to this day. I post GIFs of it. I quote it. I'm always in the mood for it. From Knives Out to Knives Chau, it's...

Scott Pilgrim vs.the World (2010)

This movie is almost tailor-made to my tastes. I know there are more highbrow movies out there, drowning in Oscars. I know there are more crowd-pleasing movies out there, earning huge box office numbers. But when it comes to the movie that filled me with the most joy this decade, it had to be this.

The State of the Art: Movies 2018

Hey, remember that pledge last year to see more story- and character-driven movies and fewer superhero blockbuster popcorn fluff? I sure hope you don't, because it still seems like those kinds of movies are the ones that draw me to the theater. I guess it makes sense; I save the prestige movies for streaming at home, since theaters are kind of a chore now, and then I don't get to the films I promised myself I'd watch. Anyway, I did manage to see a good handful of movies this year, so here's the ranking of the 2018 films:

Game Night (A-)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (A-)
To All the Boys I've Loved Before (B+)
Black Panther (B+)
Avengers: Infinity War (B+)
A Quiet Place (B+)
Crazy Rich Asians (B+)
Searching (B+)
Alex Strangelove (B)
Ocean's Eight (B)
Ralph Breaks the Internet (B)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (B)
Bird Box (B)
Ibiza (B-)
Sierra Burgess is a Loser (C+)
Ready Player One (C)

And the ranking of all the pre-2018 flicks I finally got to:

Lady Bird (2017) (B+)
The Incredible Jessica James (2017) (B+)
Ex Machina (2015) (B+)
The Last Dragon (1985) (B+)
13 Going On 30 (2004) (B)
The Big Sick (2017) (B)
Paddington (2014) (B)
Black Dynamite (2009) (B)
Happy Death Day (2017) (B)
Bride & Prejudice (2004) (B)
The Problem With Apu (2017) (B)
Ant-Man (2015) (B-)
Blacula (1972) (B-)
The Greatest Showman (2017) (C+)
Boss Baby (2017) (C+)
Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart (2013) (C)
Dolemite (1975) (D)
The Apple (1980) (F)

The State of the Art: Movies 2017

I've essentially given up on micro-blogging every piece of entertainment I consume, but I would like to leave a year-end list for posterity's sake. Let's begin with movies. Here's the ranking of the 2017 ones I managed to get to in the theater:

Dunkirk (A)
Girls Trip (A-)
Colossal (B+)
Call Me By Your Name (B+)
Wonder Woman (B+)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (B+)
The Disaster Artist (B+)
Thor: Ragnarok (B+)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (B)
Coco (B)
Baby Driver (B)
The Lego Batman Movie (B)
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (B-)

And the older movies that I finally got to:

Under the Skin (2013) (A-)
La La Land (2016) (B+)
It Follows (2014) (B+)
I'm So Excited! (2013) (B+)
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) (B+)
The Lobster (2015) (B)
Dr. Strange (2016) (B)
Muppets Most Wanted (2014) (B)

Shorties #22

Spring has sprung, and that means spring cleaning! Not only does the apartment need some tidying, but the Netflix queue needs a good pruning as well. I've been able to catch up on a few of the things that have been clogging my lists, which means it's the perfect time to fire off another Shorties entry.

#1: Under the Skin: Once in a while, I'll take note of a movie, but intentionally let it pass me by, since it doesn't sound like it would be to my tastes. But then, it'll keep getting talked up by people whose opinions I trust, so I'll circle back around and give it a shot. Such was the case with this 2013 sci-fi movie, which stars Scarlett Johansson as a predatory alien. You definitely have to be in the mood for such a quiet, thoughtful movie about the nature of attraction, violence, and empathy, and luckily, it struck me just right. It's very difficult to make an art film that functions as a genre film (and vice versa), and Under the Skin pulls it off. (Grade: A-)

#2: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping: This is another movie I let slip by until I couldn't ignore its critical praise anymore. I used to have little use for Andy Samberg, but then I became a huge fan of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, so I decided to give this Lonely Island movie a fair shot. And once again, I'm glad I did! This 2016 send-up of Behind the Music style documentaries follows superstar Conner4Real from his days in a mega-popular boy band to his implosion as a solo artist. Comedies are an automatic success when they make me belly laugh several times, so there you go. Both the songs and script are reliably funny, and there are tons of great cameos from celebrities who are totally game to make fun of the culture surrounding stardom. (Grade: B+)

#3: The Lobster: I have a long track record of preferring movies that attempt something interesting. Even if it fails, I like to see something that approaches the story in a refreshing way. That's definitely the case with the 2015 movie The Lobster, which takes place in a universe where single people are rounded up and forced to forge some sort of monogamous commitment. If they can't do so successfully, they are turned into the animal of their choice. Colin Farrell plays David, who is sent to a hotel to find a mate, and we follow his attempts to do so, followed by additional obstacles when he leaves. People have asked me if I liked this movie, and I always respond with a few moments of silence, followed by: "I'm glad I watched it". I don't know that I can say I enjoyed it, per se, but I'm still thinking about it long after I watched it, and there aren't many movies I can say that about. (Grade: B)

#4: Stay Up With Me: Short story collections are a favorite of mine, so when one gets positively reviewed somewhere, I'll usually make an effort to grab a copy from the library. The most recent collection I read was Tom Barbash's 2013 book, Stay Up With Me. Back when I talked about Single, Carefree, Mellow, I praised the stories for kind of being about nothing; they simply explored the inner lives of their protagonists. It turns out there's an art to observational stories where nothing major happens, because this book takes the same approach, but less successfully in my estimation. If there's a unifying theme, it's the fragility of human relationships, and the stories do a lot of ruminating on broken marriages, tense family bonds, and crumbling professional connections. I do want to single out "Letters from the Academy", which was a great story, and somehow creepy and relatable simultaneously. Overall, though, these stories were as melancholy as George Saunders', but not as engaging. (Grade: B-)

#5: Muppets Most Wanted: As a child of the '80s, how could I not be a Muppets fan? By the same token, as a child of the '80s, how could any modern Muppets movie possibly stack up to the classics? Short answer: They can't. Still, I took this 2014 movie for a spin, and was reasonably satisfied. I did like the story, in which the Muppet gang that just reunited in 2011's The Muppets are talked into going on a world tour so that their manager and Kermit's evil doppelganger Constantine can rob nearby museums. The cameos are fun, and the musical numbers are as jolly as ever. It's just that they'll never be able to recapture the magic of The Great Muppet Caper (Grade: B)

(I)'ll Fly Away

Back in the late '90s/early '00s, I was all in for Pedro Almodóvar movies. I had just caught up with his 1988 movie, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and when I saw All About My Mother and Talk to Her, I knew this was a director to watch.

And then I stopped watching, and I have no idea why. Almodóvar simply dropped off my radar. In looking around for semi-obscure titles to continue the ABC Project, I stumbled across his 2013 movie, I'm So Excited!, which seemed like it would make a perfect entry. Would the affinity I had for his movies a decade ago still hold? Would his work have appreciably changed with the passing of so much time?

What I got was one of the wackiest damned movies I've seen in a long time, and which could have easily been irritating and obnoxious in the hands of a less-skilled director. Instead, he manages to make something quirky and charming out of this story of a plane diverted for mechanical problems and whose first class cabin is occupied by: A dominatrix convinced there is a giant political conspiracy against her, a semi-psychic virgin, a financier likely going to jail for massive corruption, an actor trying to iron out past romantic relationships over the phone, a guy smuggling drugs in his ass, a hitman, and three flamingly gay flight attendants who between bouts of lip synching and getting the passengers drunk, make sure to stop in the cockpit to get caught up on the situation and give the pilots a quick blowjob.

Oh, and did I mention that everyone in coach has been drugged and is put to sleep for the entire flight? Yep, that's this movie. But like I said, despite the complete craziness of the plot, somehow it all works without going completely off the rails.

Even with all of the performances and the story being ramped up to eleven, Almodóvar creates characters that you actually become invested in. This may be one of those strange movies that I enjoy myself, but would have real reservations about recommending to others. If you like your movies to follow a certain standard template, maybe stay away from this one. But if, like me, you want your movies to go completely bonkers once in a while, then definitely give this one a shot.

I'm So Excited!: B+

The Sun'll Come Out, Tomorrow

Orphans! They're just like us! Well, except for the fact that they're completely different. The psychological scars of the typical nuclear family are wholly different than the ones inflicted on the parent-less, which means that orphans sure do make for good storytelling. So much so that by happenstance, I just watched two wildly different titles that revolve around orphans and how they begin to rebuild a sense of family.

The first was the inaugural season of the Netflix adaptation of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. I really liked all the books, but the original movie was not particularly great. It was inoffensive enough, but the only thing that really stood out were the end credits. That didn't prevent me from getting my hopes up when this new version rolled around, for a few reasons:

Neil Patrick Harris was attached as Count Olaf, which is terrific casting. Daniel Handler (that is, Lemony Snicket himself) was in charge of the writing. Barry Sonnenfeld, who gave us such gorgeous visuals in Pushing Daisies was giving this show a similar look. That, plus the fact that putting this property on TV gave it move time and space to breathe than a single movie, had me anticipating this show more than any other.

Was it worth the attention? Affirmative, a word which here means "of course it was". All of the points I just mentioned paid off in spades, and there were so many more. The show really captures the tone of the books, and the producers are obviously having grand fun with casting the guest stars, from Joan Cusack as Justice Strauss to Alfre Woodard as Aunt Josephine. Neil Patrick Harris is able to walk the fine line between making Olaf a farcical figure of fun and an actual menace. His troupe of ne'er-do-well henchmen are just on the right side of goofy. Patrick Warburton is perfect as the melancholy, stone-faced narrator. And the Baudelaire orphans themselves? They're fine, if not that noteworthy. The children may be determined, but they're fairly reactive characters, so I don't blame the actors if they're somewhat placid; they're the sad calm in the midst of a hurricane of wacky adults.

Each book gets two episodes, so it's basically one movie per book, with the season covering the first four. Despite the horrors the Baudelaires are forced to endure, it was a joyous viewing experience, and I'm already looking forward to the next installment.

Up next was an orphan of a different stripe. It's that moody caped crusader, Batman himself. And although he's as grim and dour as ever, his surroundings are pretty bright and cheery. That's right, it's The LEGO Batman Movie. And speaking of casts that are stacked with talent, just check out this one. Everyone loaned their voice to this movie!

It's incredible how many different rights the producers of the LEGO movies have to lock down, but they somehow manage. Though Batman (Will Arnett) is the nominal star, there are appearances from characters from all sorts of other realms, from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter. Batman is used to working alone, but between the Joker's new evil plan, a forceful Barbara Gorden as police commissioner, and an eager sidekick trying to get adopted, he has to learn to rely on others.

The story arc is fairly straightforward, but given that this is a LEGO movie, it's really more about the rapid-fire jokes and references. They all landed well, giving me a lot of good chuckles. The movie isn't as clever or inventive as the original one, but it was still a lot of fun, and kids will love it.

A Series of Unfortunate Events - Season 1: A-
The LEGO Batman Movie: B

Oscar Nominations 2017

Another year, another apology for not being a better, more refined movie-goer this past year. I always get something out of the Oscars (though I can't be the only one dreading the inevitable parade of politically-tinged acceptance speeches this year), but I used to approach them with a lot more background knowledge. Now I'm just more of an observer, which is somewhat disappointing.

But that's what I get for having such an embarrassing, sub-par year of movie-watching habits. If nothing else, the Oscar nominations are always a good highlight of films to put on my Eventual To-Watch List When I Trip Over a Wheelbarrow Full of Free Time. It's also very refreshing to see some melanin this year; there's been so much bad news lately, it's nice that noteworthy performances/craftsmanship by minorities is getting a ton of recognition. Okay, enough chatter. Let's look at the list.

BEST PICTURE

Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Oh, look. Here's the perfect example of my inability to catch the culturally-important movies of the year, because I've seen precisely two of these. Fortunately, one of them is the odds-on favorite to win. La La Land has a record-tying number of nominations, and will likely capture Best Picture without breaking a sweat. I would like to get to Moonlight soon, and would certainly be willing to catch up with most of the others at some point, too. Except Hacksaw Ridge. Hard pass on that one.

BEST ACTOR

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling, (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen, (Captain Fantastic)
Denzel Washington (Fences)

Though La La Land is expected to dominate most of the evening, I believe the Casey Affleck is the favorite to win this one. I just need to be in the right headspace to watch a movie as apparently depressing as Manchester by the Sea, and I'm not there yet. I'm pretty curious about Captain Fantastic, too. Though I'm certainly not against melodramatic plays being adapted into movies, I've still got some residual disappointment from August: Osage County, so Fences is hovering at the bottom of the to-watch list, currently. I've heard great things about Denzel Washington both behind and in front of the camera on this one, though.

BEST ACTRESS

Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
Ruth Negga (Loving)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

Listen, I love Meryl Streep as much as the next guy. She's a national treasure. That doesn't mean she's required by law to be nominated for every performance she gives. She didn't deserve it for August: Osage County, she sure as hell didn't deserve it for Into the Woods, and by all accounts, her nomination slot for this year's awards should have gone to Amy Adams for Arrival. That said, I can't decide if I think Emma Stone or Natalie Portman is going to win. I do love Isabelle Huppert, but I don't think enough people have seen Elle to cement her win. Negga is getting heavy praise, but Loving has been pretty much ignored otherwise. If forced to guess, I think Emma Stone will snag her first win on a tidal wave of Hollywood love for La La Land, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)
Dev Patel (Lion)
Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)

Though I mentioned at the top of the post that it was great to see some diversity in the nominees, you'll notice I haven't predicted any minority winners yet. The supporting acting categories are where I think that will change. Mahershala Ali is just everywhere this year, and any article about Moonlight goes out of its way to single out his performance. It would be pretty awesome to see him get this win.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Viola Davis (Fences)
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Nicole Kidman (Lion)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

And while I'm handing out awards to performances I haven't seen yet, it's high time that Viola Davis got an Oscar. This is her third nomination, and I believe it's also going to finally be her year to win. Her closest competition is probably Michelle Williams, but I think Davis has more momentum.

BEST DIRECTOR

Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)

Well, now. A couple of very interesting things to discuss here. Firstly, there's the horse race between Damien Chazelle and Barry Jenkins. La La Land has so much steam right now, it's hard to imagine anyone but Chazelle winning. That said, Moonlight blew a lot of people away, and the temptation to give a deserved award to an African-American director for the first time in history will be incredibly strong. I honestly don't know which way it'll go. There's also the inclusion of Mel Gibson on this list. Is he now re-accepted to Hollywood society? Who decided that, and when? I certainly didn't put my stamp of approval on it.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Mike Mills (20th Century Women)
Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water)
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou (The Lobster)
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Oof. This is the toughest one to predict so far. I would love to see The Lobster win, but there are a lot of other forces at work, here. There's the La La Land nomination juggernaut, even though its screenplay has no business being nominated. There's the fact that Manchester by the Sea might not get much attention in other categories, so people may throw their votes for it here. And then there's Hell or High Water, which also has a decent chance.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Eric Heisserer (Arrival)
August Wilson (Fences)
Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi (Hidden Figures)
Luke Davies (Lion)
Barry Jenkins; Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight)

Several good choices here, too. If Barry Jenkins doesn't win director, he could still garner votes in this category. Arrival depended heavily on its screenplay, and it was masterfully done. I'm not sure how common posthumous awards are, but despite August Wilson's obvious talent, I doubt he'll be able to secure this win from the grave. And Hidden Figures is unlikely to win much come Oscar night, but if it does, it'd probably be in this category.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia

Oh, dear. This is the first time in a while that Pixar isn't up for anything, and I really loved both Kubo and the Two Strings and Moana. Kubo really didn't get much attention while it was out, so I suppose I'd predict Moana based on pure word-of-mouth, and if I'm being honest, I probably did like it a bit more.

BEST FOREIGN FEATURE

A Man Called Ove (Sweden)
Land of Mine (Denmark)
Tanna (Australia)
The Salesman (Iran)
Toni Erdmann (Germany)

I don't know much about the foreign language field this year, other than the shockingly shameful situation that our current political climate has imposed on the Iranian director, Asghar Farhadi. Given that he also made A Separation, I wouldn't be surprised if he won.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence

Yeah, La La Land has this one sewn up.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land

There's no really grand, sweeping period piece like Anna Karenina this year to draw all the attention. That probably means that the bright, colorful costumes of La La Land will get most people's votes.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land
Passengers

Aw, it's nice to see Hail, Caesar! represented. I don't think it can overcome the La La Land onslaught, but it would be a fun twist if it won. Arrival would have a better chance in a different year, but I have the feeling that it may go home empty-handed, unless it's able to grab the screenplay award.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

13th
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
O.J.: Made in America

This category has generated a lot more chatter than usual. Both 13th and I Am Not Your Negro have been getting a ton of press for their thoughtful deconstruction of the frustrating state of race relations. Life, Animated is an interesting look at using Disney movies to cope with life's challenges. And O.J.: Made in America was universally praised, but is controversial in that it's really more of a TV show than a movie. Despite that argument, it appears to have a slight edge on winning.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

4.1 Miles
Extremis
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets

Even in a normal year, I'd be woefully unprepared to discuss this category. This year is even worse, because even with all the reading I do about movies and the numerous movie podcasts I listen to, I haven't heard boo about a single one of these. So, pick your favorite! That one's gonna win.

BEST FILM EDITING

Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight

This will likely go to La La Land, though I'd be tickled pink if Moonlight gets it. Editing a movie with time jumps takes a lot of detailed work.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Ooh, this would be a fantastic way of throwing a bone to Rogue One. That movie had some excellent effects, though Kubo's effects were marvelous, too. If either one of those two wins, I'll walk away happy.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad

Yikes, this is the best list they could come up with? I can't believe they couldn't either pad this out with other movies or find some worthy replacements. As it stands, I don't care one bit who wins this one.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers

La La Land seems like a lock for this one, honestly. I may be overestimating how much awards love that movie will get, but its score seems like one of its safer bets.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" (La La Land)
“Can’t Stop the Feeling” (Trolls)
“City of Stars” (La La Land)
“The Empty Chair” (Jim: The James Foley Story)
“How Far I’ll Go” (Moana)

OK, this is where I'm supposed to predict that obviously, the musical that's favored to win Best Picture is going to win for Best Original Song, too. There are just two little flies in the ointment. First, there are two songs up from La La Land, which means that they may split the vote. Second, if Moana wins (and frankly, it should), it puts Lin Manuel Miranda that much closer to an EGOT, which people really want to see happen. La La Land is poised to win so many other awards, I feel myself grasping onto tiny glimmer of hope that "How Far I'll Go" can emerge victorious.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper

The only one I've seen or have heard about is Piper, which was very cute, and had the best water effects I think I've ever seen.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Ennemis Interieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing
Timecode

I'm afraid that as in the documentary short category, I know nothing about any of these. So let's throw a dart at the wall. Timecode it is!

BEST SOUND EDITING

Arrival
Deep Water Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully

I have it on good authority that the winner this year is a sound clip of me yelling about how this should be part of the untelevised technical awards, because nobody gives a good goddamn.

BEST SOUND MIXING

Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Which goes double for sound mixing.

Living the Dream, Living the Nightmare

The beginning of a new year is often a flurry of frenzied activity. Time to make those appointments you never got around to last year. Time to assign yourself some tasks for the year ahead. Time to catch up on all those things you swore you'd get to. That applies to the entertainment world as well; a new year is often accompanied by a burst of well-meaning attempts to whittle down the Netflix queue or see some likely Oscar contenders.

2017 is no exception. The year has hardly begun, and I've already knocked out a couple of movies. They couldn't be more different from one another. One is 2016's La La Land, a rainbow of bright colors and music that follows a young couple trying to make it in the highly-competitive Los Angeles entertainment industry. The other was 2014's It Follows, a dull-colored horror, set in the crumbling suburbs of Detroit. And despite their differences in production design and tone, they both were rousing successes.

La La Land seemed at first to be tailor-made to my tastes. It's set in the present, but its aesthetic is very Old Hollywood. Struggling actress Mia (Emma Stone) keeps running into disaffected jazz musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), and as their fledgling relationship grows, they are faced with some difficult decisions about just how much they're willing to sacrifice for their dreams of success. If that sounds like a weighty story, it has one hell of a leavening agent, in that it's also a musical, complete with large-scale song and dance numbers. This movie has been landing on a lot of best-of lists, but if I had to single someone out to recognize, it would be the production designer. This is one of the most beautiful movies I've seen in a long time, and actually does the trick of making Los Angeles seem like a magical land of dreams.

Stone and Gosling are both excellent in their roles, and I enjoyed the music as well. But for a movie that practically shows up on my doorstep with an engraved invitation, something was missing. Or rather, something was added; a pair of gigantic Deus Ex Successicas. The movie goes to a great deal of trouble to depict the hardships and obstacles Mia and Sebastian must overcome in order to further their careers, but just winds up waving a magic wand over them. However, the film does do something very interesting with the ending that I'm still chewing over in my mind, and made me appreciate it a lot more. Though it didn't quite meet the expectations I had built up for it, La La Land is still a pretty great movie, and definitely worth your time. Once Oscar season is behind us, I'll likely watch it again to see what I can pick up on a second viewing.



I will not be gracing It Follows with a second viewing, but that's nothing against the movie. I am emphatically not a fan of the horror genre, so filmmakers have to do something pretty interesting story-wise to pull me in, while simultaneously not driving me away with large amounts of gore. It's a fine line to walk, and it's no wonder that it's really difficult to find movies that fit the bill. When It Follows got some pretty rapturous reviews, and continually stayed on my radar, I had some friends do a gore check for me. It turns out that I only had to turn my ahead away for a couple of brief moments. The rest of the movie is psychological horror, rather than a slasher.

The movie centers on Jay (Maika Monroe), a pretty young college student who lives a pretty standard life in the Michigan suburbs. After a couple of dates with a guy, she has a sexual fling with him that winds up having severe consequences. He temporarily kidnaps her, but not to hurt her. He just wants to explain that he's passed on a demon of sorts. This entity will follow and kill its victims, but will move on to the next person if the intended target has sex with someone. If it kills someone, it will revert back to the last person in the chain. It can appear in any human form, and always approaches in a silent, steady walk. So yeah, it's basically an STD in the form of a supernatural killer. Sounds so weird, right?

It's actually a really deep and thoughtful movie. Jay has to deal not only with the assault and betrayal of someone she thought she really liked, but now has to contend with an unkillable, invisible-to-others stalker. Should she constantly go on the run? Can she trust anything she sees? Can she morally justify passing it on in order to secure some sort of safety? What does all this mean in regards to the the movie's position on hookup culture? Watching Jay try to work through these issues while evading her pursuer was really fascinating. If more horror movies were like It Follows, the genre would have a new devotee.

La La Land: B+
It Follows: B+

The State of the Art: Movies 2016

It seems that books aren't the only area of life that I just couldn't whip up the time or energy to devote myself to in 2016. As life gets more hectic and television continues its streak of being awesome, I just don't watch as many movies as I used to. Here's where I'd usually make some grand resolution for the upcoming year about how I'm going to watch a ton of movies that encompass all sorts of interesting genres, but I just can't make the promise this year. Hopefully, I'll see a bunch of movies. Hopefully, they'll be good.

The decline was steep. Last year, I saw 41 movies. This year? I saw 30. If there's one metric where I improved, it's in seeing new releases. 16 of the 30 were released in 2016, so I've gone up a full 10% in keeping abreast of the current cinema climate. I don't know what that says about my movie-going habits (if anything), but apparently, even though I didn't watch a lot, when I did see something, I was happily persuaded into going to the theater.

As always, a note about grading: Grades tend to be awarded not only on how much I liked something, but on how well it accomplished the goal it set for itself. So, if a movie aspires to nothing more than being a goofy comedy and makes me laugh my ass off, it'll rank higher than a character drama that had an annoying protagonist, no matter how prestigious the cast list is.

#1: Pee-Wee's Big Holiday

What I Said: Pee-Wee sets off on a road trip, and encounters all kinds of odd sorts, from a farmer with nine love-starved daughters to a trio of leonine bank robbers who can't help but be charmed by him to an aviatrix who's better at small talk than at staying aloft. I couldn't stop giggling throughout this whole movie. Paul Reubens' sense of childlike humor is still a delight, and every actor in this movie is totally game to share in the silliness.

#2: Moana

What I Said: Disney animation has been on a hot streak lately, and Moana is no exception. There's a lot to love about this movie. The animation is top-notch, which is all the more impressive when you consider how difficult it can be to achieve appealing water effects. The story is extremely respectful to the culture it's depicting. Moana is not only the protagonist, but the full-on heroine of the story, and though she depends on her friends, she is no helpless girl needing rescuing every five minutes. And then there's the music, which I've been full-on, openly singing out loud for a week now.

#3: Captain America: Civil War

What I Said: Really, the best thing that can be said about it is that it takes an incredibly complex moral situation and makes a good case for both sides. I found myself siding more with Iron Man, while the friend I saw the movie with opted for Captain America's side, but both points of view are completely understandable. And what's more important, both points of view are flawed as well.

#4: Kubo and the Two Strings

What I Said: It's a terrific story, at times hauntingly sad, but always visually stunning. If there's one complaint to be made, it's that most of the Asian characters are voiced by white actors, which seems unnecessary at best, but in all but one case, it doesn't distract from the performances, which are excellent.

#5: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

What I Said: For the most part, it fits really well into the Star Wars timeline. Jyn doesn't trust the Alliance any more than she trusts the Empire, and those shades of ever-darkening moral gray in the supposed "good guys" was a bit distracting while I was watching it, but makes more sense the more I think about it. The battle scenes are well-designed and well-edited; though there are several different factions fighting it out, I was never confused about what was going on.

Wow. It sure isn't difficult to see what kind of mood I've been in this year; I desperately needed some light distraction. 2016 put too much on my mind for me to be able to watch weighty dramas the way I usually can. Hopefully, 2017 will be such a fantastic year that I can go back to enjoying a depressing movie from time to time! Hooray! For now, let's look at the full ranking of 2016 movies I was able to catch this year:

2016 Movies

Pee-Wee's Big Holiday (A)
Moana (A-)
Captain America: Civil War (A-)
Kubo and the Two Strings (A-)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (B+)
Arrival (B+)
Bad Moms (B+)
Hail, Caesar! (B)
Finding Dory (B)
Zootopia (B)
Allied (B)
Ghostbusters (B)
X-Men: Apocalypse (B)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (B-)
Sausage Party (C+)
Jason Bourne (C-)

So, either the gloom of the year is affecting my grading scale, or my quality filter is a bit off. Last year, 55.5% of the movies scored a B+ or higher. This year, it's 43.8%. That's quite a dip, although I do note that there are more in the A-range this year. Let's just chalk the anomaly up to 2016 Sucks In General. But how did the 2016 movies fit into the entire list? Only one way to find out!

Pee-wee's Big Holiday (A)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (A-)
Moana (A-)
Captain America: Civil War (A-)
World of Tomorrow (2015) (A-)
Kubo and the Two Strings (A-)

Spotlight (2015) (B+)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (B+)
Arrival (B+)
Force Majeure (2014) (B+)
Anomalisa (2015) (B+)
Bad Moms (B+)

Hail, Caesar! (B)
The Peanuts Movie (2015) (B)
Finding Dory (B)
Zootopia (B)
Allied (B)
Ghostbusters (B)
X-Men: Apocalypse (B)
Do I Sound Gay? (2014) (B)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (B-)
The Last Five Years (2014) (B-)
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) (B-)
The Overnight (2015) (B-)
The Heat (2013) (B-)
Mud (2012) (B-)

Whiplash (2014) (C+)
Sausage Party (C+)
The D Train (2015) (C)
Jason Bourne (C-)

Rebel Yell

It's about time to compile the rankings of this year's movies, but it's also a busy time of year for movie-going itself. Despite being swamped with the demands of the holiday season, I somehow managed to go out and snag two more movies for the 2016 list, both of which are about rebellion for a greater cause. The first was the newest animated film from Disney, Moana. Pro-tip: If you're battling the winter chill, go see this movie right away; its depictions of warm, sunny beaches will have you feeling like it's July. At first blush, Moana would seem to be the newest in a long line of Princess Movies. A young girl (Auli'i Cravalho) who will someday be chieftain of her Polynesian island feels the pull of seafaring adventure, but her parents aren't having it. When the island starts to lose its natural resources to an impending curse, Moana sets out anyway (with an animal sidekick in tow, natch) to persuade the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to restore the islands' natural order.

Disney animation has been on a hot streak lately, and Moana is no exception. There's a lot to love about this movie. The animation is top-notch, which is all the more impressive when you consider how difficult it can be to achieve appealing water effects. The story is extremely respectful to the culture it's depicting. Moana is not only the protagonist, but the full-on heroine of the story, and though she depends on her friends, she is no helpless girl needing rescuing every five minutes. And then there's the music, which I've been full-on, openly singing out loud for a week now. There are a couple of clunky lines, and as with the trolls in Frozen, there's an unnecessary side character with a forgettable mid-movie song, but other than that, Moana is a terrific entry in the franchise.

The short ahead of it, Inner Workings, is fun and clever as well. It's not as sweeping and grand as Paperman was, but a cute running joke about the struggle between what our brains and hearts want for us.

Up next was the first stand-alone Star Wars movie, Rogue One. I went ahead and splurged on an IMAX 3D screening for this one, which turned out to be a good decision. Like the other Star Wars movies, there are expansive scenes, not only in the usual space battles, but on the surfaces of various planets, all of which had wildly varying design. Rogue One tells the story of how the Rebel Alliance transitions from trying to achieve their goals through political maneuvering to straight up military incursions. This movie takes place right before the events of 1977's Star Wars. Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso, a young woman whose father is a reluctant Imperial scientist in charge of designing the Death Star. He has second thoughts, but rather than openly resisting, which would only lead to his death and slightly stall their plans, he subtly sabotages their efforts by building a flaw into the blueprints (so there's that old plot hole explained away). When Jyn learns of these plans, she and a band of Alliance members who are tired of sitting on their hands team up to steal the plans from the Empire so they can learn how this flaw can be exploited.

For the most part, it fits really well into the Star Wars timeline. Jyn doesn't trust the Alliance any more than she trusts the Empire, and those shades of ever-darkening moral gray in the supposed "good guys" was a bit distracting while I was watching it, but makes more sense the more I think about it. The battle scenes are well-designed and well-edited; though there are several different factions fighting it out, I was never confused about what was going on. That said, there are definite flaws. The late-stage edits are pretty evident. In particular, Forest Whitaker was clearly supposed to have a different arc than what's shown. The use of CGI Peter Cushing was an unwise choice. Overall, though, if all Rogue One set out to do was be a ripping adventure, it very much succeeds.

Moana: A-
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: B+

Shorties #21

Since it's getting to the time of year to write out our best-of lists, I need to wrap up the mentions of what culture I've been consuming in 2016. By happenstance, this last Shorties entry of the year is a wealth of diversity, containing one title from each of the entertainment categories: Movies, TV, Books, Games, and Music.

#1: Bad Moms: I am emphatically not in the target audience of this 2016 movie about a trio of suburban moms who get fed up with the constant demand of perfection from their kids and the other moms around town, and who decide to let themselves enjoy life for once. That said, it's always a pleasant surprise when a movie that isn't trying to impress me does so anyway. Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell are very good as the moms who are cracking under their familial pressure, while Kathryn Hahn just about steals the entire movie as the foul-mouthed rebel mom who doesn't give a good goddamn what anyone thinks. Toss in Christina Applegate as an ice queen, and you've got yourself a pretty fun flick. (Grade: B+)

#2: Food Wars (Season 2): I've already described how I found myself drawn to the first season of this anime, and so I happily jumped into the second, released onto Hulu in 2016. Soma is still facing down his classmates in dramatic food competitions, and the food animation is still as droolworthy as ever. However something that sparked in the first season is missing now, and those are the sections where nobody's challenging someone else. I miss the interactions between Soma and his house-mates, as they build friendships that give them the confidence to be stronger cooks. This season is all about the battles. It also unnecessarily introduces a ton of new characters, at the expense of the ones we were still getting to know. Oh! They also changed the theme music, and I much preferred the original. It's still a fascinating show, and though the last episode felt awfully final, if they ever make another season, I'm on board. (Grade: B)

#3: The Witches - Salem, 1692: I do wish the morals and lessons America should have learned from the tragedy and horrors of Salem, Massachusetts didn't keep making themselves terrifyingly relevant in modern times. Yet, here we are. However, even though we all know the basics (people executed because a bunch of teenage girls accused them of witchcraft), I wanted to get a deeper understanding of just what in the hell happened in 1692. Stacy Schiff's 2015 book explores not only the people who found themselves at the end of a hangman's noose for the crime of being unpopular, but the society that allowed such hysteria to take root. A lot of non-fiction is taken to task for writing styles that are too dry, but I actually have the opposite request. Sometimes, Schiff's language is a little too flowery, and I just wanted her to get to the point and tell me what was happening. That said, it was an overall entertaining read from which I learned a lot, and that's all I ask when it comes to reading about history. (Grade: B)

#4: Jackbox Party Pack 3: We play all sorts of tabletop games at my friend's weekly game night, but this is the first time we've incorporated an interactive technological one. Sure, we all play video games too, but that tends to be a more solitary activity. This one involves the whole gang. 2016's Jackbox Party Pack 3 is made by the same folks who gave us You Don't Know Jack, which I used to enjoy (and dominate at!) quite a bit. They've upped their game, so to speak, by making this a video game that people play together from their phones. There are five games available, from "Quiplash 2", which is somewhat like Cards Against Humanity, as your friends vote for who had the best/funniest answer, to "Trivia Murder Party", in which you'd better answer questions correctly, or the homicidal host will tear your little stuffed doll avatar to shreds. We've been having a lot of fun with this game pack for several weeks now, so I can definitely recommend it for your next party. That said, bring a charger. Your phone's battery will be taking some punishment. (Grade: B+)

#5: "White Knuckles" - Boh Doran: It's going to be tough to narrow down a favorite song of 2016, but I do want to feature one of the runners-up, which is this 2015 jam that should give you a good idea of where my musical tastes lie this year. Here, have a listen. I could talk about how I relate to the lyrics, which allude to holding on to something (or someone) too tightly, as if you're afraid it's going to slip through your fingers at any moment. But if I'm being honest, I just really like the tune. (Grade: B+)

The Allied Invasion

The winter holidays rolling in generally signals an uptick in movies for me. Whether it's heading to the theater with friends or family, November and December tend to be big months for actually heading to the local multiplex, as opposed to kicking back with some Netflix. This year is no exception; I've seen a trio of new movies in the past few weeks, all of which have to do with the challenges of interacting with a mysterious Other.

The first was Arrival, Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of an existing story about a linguist (Amy Adams) who is recruited to decipher the language of an alien force hovering just above the Earth's surface. Adams' character Louise is excellent at her job, but leads a solitary existence. Still, she can't resist being roped into the effort to understand the newly-arrived aliens and what their plans might be. The extraterrestrial beings are not the only complicated life forms to deal with, as she must contend with the military and the responses of other countries who may not have as measured a response as she wants to have.

It's a fascinating movie, and I was a big fan of its tone, which combines intellectualism with a dreamy emotional bent. That said, it does suffer from some plot flaws that keep it from being the cinematic marvel that a lot of reviewers are claiming it is. There are some unnecessary obstacles that are thrown up as pure contrivance, which held the movie back a bit. Also, as a purely petty complaint, I'm not sure whose idea it was to have Forest Whitaker play his character (Colonel Weber, the head of the US military presence) with a grating Boston accent, but it was a mistake. Arrival is well worth your time. It's probably one of the better movies I've seen this year. It just wasn't as rapturous a success as everyone's making it out to be.

After that, it was time to dive back into the world of Harry Potter with the kickoff to a new series, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I love the Potterverse, though I waffle back and forth on how well the movies come off in comparison to the books. In this case, there's somewhat of a combination, as this one marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling. The movie follows the American adventures of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), the eventual author of the titular book that Harry Potter and his contemporaries use in their studies.

Scamander is obsessed with the study and conservation of magical creatures, and has come to 1920s New York to... Well, actually, there's no real reason for him to be in New York. He just is, okay? An accidental briefcase switch with a Muggle (or a No-Maj in American parlance) leads to several creatures being let loose on the streets of Manhattan, which could not come at a worse time. The wizarding world is under intense pressure to remain secret from the general populace and deal with escaped dark wizard Grindelwald. Local governmental employee Tina (Katherine Waterston) assumes the duty of wrangling Newt, his animals, and the No-Maj Kowalski (Dan Fogler), with limited success.

As a family-friendly, effects-heavy popcorn flick, you could do a lot worse. As a tentpole that's supposed to anchor a full series of movies, it's pretty disappointing. It's not that I was bored or pissy about the giant plot holes (of which there are plenty). There just isn't enough interesting story to sustain the character, so it essentially becomes a bunch of video game fetch quests. Alison Sudol is extremely impressive as Tina's mind-reading sister Queenie, but beyond that, this one was a bit of a letdown.

Finally, over Thanksgiving break, there was the World War II romantic drama Allied, starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard. The two play Max and Marianne, a Canadian and French spy respectively, who are paired up in order to take out a Nazi operative in Casablanca. The first part of the movie is all about their mission, but once that's complete, the two get married and move to London. Later, Max is informed that it is believed that Marianne is in actuality working for the Nazis, and is asked to set up a sting operation to discover her true motives.

I enjoyed the movie far more than I thought I was going to, even if the plot points are pretty paint-by-numbers. You can elevate a certain amount of rote story with good acting, and Cotillard is reliably fantastic (Pitt is fine, too, but she's the one who really shines). This would normally not be a movie I'd choose for myself, but unlike some other recent offerings that I agreed to tag along for, I didn't walk away from this one feeling like it was a waste of time.

Arrival: B+
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: B-
Allied: B