Most Disappointing Films of 2019

Since I recently posted my Top Ten Favorite Films of 2019, it only seems fitting to post my least favorites of the year list. Check out which films I found most disappointing.

December Movie Wrap Up

I saw seven films in December. Here is what I thought of them.

Best Movies of 2018

In 2018 I saw seventy-two films in theaters, fifty-six of which were new releases. Below is a video in which I discuss my favorite films of the last year but first, a couple of honorable mentions.

 

Chappaquiddick

This was a very straight forward, pared down film. It tells the story of the events leading up to and following the night that Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaqquidick Island. The filmmakers did their best to use only verified information to tell the story and I thought the result was very effective.

 

Avengers: Infinity War

Of course I loved Infinity War. I did a whole review project leading up to its release, that’s how excited I was. I worried a little that it wouldn’t be able to live up to all that had been built up but it did. Each of the characters got a good amount of screen/story time, and it still impresses me that they were able to get all of those people into one film and not have it feel overstuffed. As an added bonus I saw the film in Hollywood at a late screening Thursday (release) night and Kevin Feige and Joe Russo surprised the audience beforehand just to say thanks for being fans. That was an awesome, totally “Hollywood” experience, and it amped me up right before the movie started.

 

Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Here Ethan Hunt is dealing with the “fallout” of the events of Rogue Nation, and bringing together a team to yet again fight against a disaster of epic proportions. The Mission Impossible films have become kind of like the James Bond films in that they follow a typical formula and have recurring elements, which I think actually adds a lot to them, and makes the characters and storylines more meaningful. I enjoyed looking forward to this film, and prepared by rewatching and reviewing all of the previous films. In the end, I was impressed with the film’s ability to still surprise me with its incredible stunts, and unexpected heartfelt story.

 

The Old Man and the Gun

This was a nice surprise. Based on a true story, Robert Redford plays Forrest Tucker, a bank robber and prison escape artist. It is a slow moving story that really shines thanks to some solid, and understated performances. I wasn’t expecting anything from the film when I went into it and I thought the whole thing was rather charming. There is an especially great scene between Redford and Casey Affleck, who plays the detective investigating Tucker’s string of robberies.

 

Green Book

I was a little wary of yet another indie film with a social message simply because there have been so many lately, and they’ve followed the same basic story structure. While Green Book does take on a more traditional format, and does have a social message at its heart, it stands apart thanks to the moving performances from its two leads. It is a story of two people from different worlds coming together that moves at a leisurely pace but really works thanks to Mahershala Ali, and especially Viggo Mortensen.

 

And now for my Top Ten Favorite Films of 2018:

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30 Favorite Movies

Reposting my #30DaysofFavorites project here on my blog. Sharing my 30 Favorite Movies.

 

 

 

 

 

#30DaysofFavorites: Favorite Movie Posters

Today’s post is the last entry for my 30 Days of Favorites project so I thought I’d end on a fun note. In case you couldn’t tell by the name of my blog, or the last few posts, I’m a big movie fan, and one of my favorite things about movies are the gorgeous posters designed to promote them. Now, I could sit here and bitch about the decline in the art of the movie poster, and bemoan the use of photoshop and giant floating heads but I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m just going to show you what I consider are pretty great posters. Some of them are older, some are newer. Some feature that dreaded use of photoshop, and some are hand drawn/painted. All of them, in my opinion, are works of art.

 

 

#30 – Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

 

#29 – Elivis & Nixon (2016)

 

#28 – Wonder Woman (2017)

 

#27 – Ant-Man (2015)

 

#26 – Chappaquiddick (2018)

 

#25 – Bullitt (1968)

 

#24 – DragonHeart (1996)

 

#23 – Snakes on a Plane (2006)

 

#22 – La La Land (2016)

 

#21 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows P1 & P2 (2010/2011)

 

#20 – Beauty and the Beast (1991)

 

#19 – The Babadook (2014)

 

#18 – Spectre (2015)

 

#17 – The Nice Guys (2016)
(Bench Ad)

 

#16 – 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

 

#15 – Chinatown (1974)

 

#14 – The Rocketeer (1991)

 

#13 – Back to the Future III (1990)

 

#12 – Back to the Future II (1989)

 

#11 – Back to the Future (1985)

 

#10 – Star Wars (1977)

 

#9 – West Side Story (1961)

 

#8 – Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

 

#7 – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

 

#6 – Revenge of the Jedi (1983)

 

#5 – Walk the Line (2005)

 

#4 – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

 

#3 – Baby Driver (2017)

 

#2 – Jaws (1975)

 

#1 – John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)

#30DaysofFavorites: Favorite Movie Quotes by Year

 

A couple of years ago my dad had an idea to list out his favorite movie quotes for every year he’d been alive. I’m stealing this idea for today’s 30 Days of Favorites project entry.

 

 

1988 – Die Hard

 

1989 – Christmas Vacation

 

1990 – Goodfellas

 

1991 – Beauty and the Beast

 

1992 – Army of Darkness

 

1993 – Jurassic Park

 

1994 – True Lies

 

1995 – Braveheart

 

1996 – Scream

 

1997 – The Lost World: Jurassic Park

 

1998 – The Truman Show

 

1999 – Galaxy Quest

 

2000 – Gladiator

 

2001 – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

 

2002 – Spider-Man

 

2003 – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

 

2004 – Kill Bill: Vol. 2

 

2005 – Batman Begins

 

2006 – Cars

 

2007 – Sunshine

 

2008 – Iron Man

 

2009 – Zombieland

 

2010 – How to Train Your Dragon

 

2011 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

 

2012 – The Avengers

 

2013 – Star Trek: Into Darkness

 

2014 – Nightcrawler

 

2015 – Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 

2016 – Hell or High Water

 

2017 – Wind River

 

2018 – Avengers: Infinity War

#30DaysofFavorites: Favorite Actors

All throughout June I have been celebrating the fact that I’m turning 30 on the 30th by talking about some of my favorite things. I’ve posted several vlogs on my YouTube channel, and I’ve shared my 30 favorite movie moments, and my 30 favorite albums here on my blog.

Today, I’m sharing a list of my 30 Favorite Actors.

 

#30 – Emily Blunt
Favorite Role: Rita, Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

 

#29 – Nicole Kidman
Favorite Role: Gillian Owens, Practical Magic (1998)

 

#28 – Amy Adams
Favorite Role: Louise Banks, Arrival (2016)

 

#27 – Paul Rudd
Favorite Role: Danny, Role Models (2008)

 

#26 – Ryan Gosling
Favorite Role: Holland March, The Nice Guys (2016)

 

#25 – Uma Thurman
Favorite Role: The Bride, Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)

 

#24 – Chris Pine
Favorite Role: James Tiberius Kirk, Star Trek (2009)

 

#23 – Timothy Olyphant
Favorite Role: Raylan Givens, Justified (2010-2015)

 

#22 – Sebastian Stan
Favorite Role: James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes / Winter Soldier, Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

 

#21 – Joe Anderson
Favorite Role: Russell, The Crazies (2010)

 

#20 – Sigourney Weaver
Favorite Role: Ellen Ripley, Alien/Aliens (1979/1986)

 

#19 – Gene Kelly
Favorite Role: Don Lockwood, Singin’ In the Rain (1952)

 

#18 – Paul Newman
Favorite Role: Luke, Cool Hand Luke (1967)

 

#17 – Errol Flynn
Favorite Role: Robin Hood, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

 

#16 – Howard Keel
Favorite Role: Adam, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

 

#15 – Burt Reynolds
Favorite Role: Paul Crewe, The Longest Yard (1974)

 

#14 – Richard Harris
Favorite Role: Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone(2001)

 

#13 – Danny Kaye
Favorite Role: Hubert Hawkins, The Court Jester (1955)

 

#12 – Alan Rickman
Favorite Role: Hans Gruber, Die Hard (1988)

 

#11 – Harrison Ford
Favorite Role: Han Solo, Star Wars (1977)

 

#10 – Joaquin Phoenix
Favorite Role: Johnny Cash, Walk the Line (2005)

 

#9 – Keira Knightley
Favorite Role: Elizabeth Bennet, Pride & Prejudice (2005)

 

#8 – Sean Connery
Favorite Role: James Bond, From Russia With Love (1963)

 

#7 – Roy Scheider
Favorite Role: Chief Brody,  Jaws (1975)

 

#6 – Walton Goggins
Favorite Role: Boyd Crowder, Justified (2010-2015)

 

#5 – Jake Gyllenhaal
Favorite Role: Louis Bloom, Nightcrawler (2014)

 

#4 – Sam Rockwell
Favorite Role: Owen, The Way Way Back (2013)

 

#3 – Kurt Russell
Favorite Role: RJ MacReady, John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)

 

#2 – Peter O’Toole
Favorite Role: T.E. Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

 

#1 – Robert Shaw
Favorite Role: Quint, Jaws (1975)

 

May Movie Wrap Up

I saw three movies in May, one of them I saw three times. Watch my Wrap Up to find out what I thought of them!

 

Solo: A Star Wars Story Movie Review

I reviewed Solo: A Star Wars Story a couple of weeks ago. Spoiler alert: I really liked it!

Worst Films of 2017

I recently posted my Top Ten Films of 2017, and an Honorable Mentions list. Now, here is my list of the worst films I saw in 2017.