The Wait Is Over..."The Best Movies of 2016"

This is it.

The moment you've been waiting all year for!

Or at least, the moment I've been waiting all year for.

A look back at the best of the best of the best...sir!(Men in Black)

With just over 200 reviews this year, there were 21 movies that made my cutoff score of B+ or higher to be considered on this final countdown.

Much like the Turkeys of the Year:   2016 Turkeys  roughly 10% of the movies I watched were terrible, another 10% were great.

21 Excellent. 21 Lousy.

That leaves 80% of the movies as some sort of average, yet enjoyable, entertainment.

Which by Hollywood standards, sounds about right.

: )

Again, I can live with those odds.

So again, here's the movies that entertained me the most this year.

I watched them once, at least, and would be willing to spend my hard earned money to buy them and watch them again whenever the mood strikes me.

Without further adieu....

10) Keanu

A movie about 2 men who pretend to be gangsters in order to retrieve a kidnapped kitten.

A movie that extols the greatness of George Michael's musical career.

A movie that introduced me to Key & Peele for the first time.

A movie that begins the countdown for the best films of 2016.

I can't help it, an entertaining movie is an entertaining movie, and if you told me that those first 2 sentences would be on my Best of the Year list, I would have laughed and said, seriously?

I never even saw the trailer until a month before I finally saw the movie.

The trailer looked good.

The movie was even better.

There were a few moments of fatigue like they weren't quite sure what to do next with the story, but overall, for a first feature, it was very well done.

I'm eagerly awaiting a follow-up, whether or not it's Keanu 2.

9) Hunt For The Wilderpeople 

This little New Zealand charmer is simply great.

A coming of age dramedy about a boy that the system doesn't want who finds a foster family that finally wants him, and he begins to feel like it's home.

Then it all comes crashing down, and he decides to run away, faking his own death to convince the authorities not to look for him...

:)

Things then continue to go askew from there.

It's funny, it's poignant.

It's genius.

It's one of those perfect everything happens, yet nothing happens types of movies, but you're so engrossed with the characters you hate to see the film end.

Director Taika Waititi's 2nd straight year in the Best of the Year countdown, and if he brings this energy and fun to Thor: Ragnarok, it's quite possible he'll be back again!

8) Kung Fu Panda 3

Kung Fu what now?

How in the name of Walt Disney, did Dreamworks beat the far superior Inside Out and Zootopia?!?

Easy, I didn't exactly find those 2 to be that superior to this one.

I was but moments away from ejecting Inside Out because Sadness was soooooo annoying.

And Zootopia was cute and all, great message, blah blah blah... but it's not something I feel I can just pop in and watch any time.

Rewatchability is key for an animated film.

And that leads us to Jack Black's triumphant farewell (??!!) to us as Po, the panda with a heart of gold and never-ending tummy.

I saw the last 1/3 of the movie, about 3 times before I ever saw the beginning.

For the record, I'm also the guy that started it that last time, in a room without kids.

That's how enjoyable this franchise has been.

The jokes are fun, the action sequences are great, the voice cast is outstanding, and the series has snuck in a healthy dose of heartwarming feelings over the years.

So enjoy your Disney and Pixar, I'll be watching Kung Fu Panda multiple times before those make a 2nd play at our house.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

7) The Shallows 

To say it's the best shark movie since Jaws is a bit of a backhanded compliment.

There really haven't even been that many good shark movies since then.

So it's not like there are dozens of great ones, and this one just blows them all away.

This is the first time anyone has really channeled the fear and tension that Spielberg threw at us back in the day.

She's alone in that water, hurting, and that shark just will not go away!

It was an edge of your seat thriller that kept us glued from beginning to end.

Hopefully it's not another 40 years until a decent shark movie comes along.

And, we'll see if this becomes a franchise...

::sigh::

6) Star Wars: The Force Awakens

What do you get when you remove George Lucas from further meddling in his own franchise?

A return to greatness!

:)

So what if it was a very familiar story, one that seemingly cribbed or downright stole much of the original Star Wars storyline?

That was a good movie, therefore if you're going to pick a Star Wars movie to duplicate, you choose from the first 3, not the "first 3".

An influx of interesting new characters and a sprinkling of characters past, it was a great way to kick off the new year, and was the first official movie to garner Best of the Year accolades.

Looking forward to seeing what is in store for the next chapter...and beyond!

5) Trumbo 

I thought seriously about discussing an actor of the year as 2016 drew to a close.

Had I done so, it would have been Bryan Cranston, hands down.  Every movie that I saw him in this year was better simply by his involvement.

But his turn as Dalton Trumbo, the blacklisted Hollywood writer in the 50s/60s who continued his efforts to care for his family while doing what he loved was phenomenal.

That he lost the Academy Award to Leonardo DiCaprio will go down in entertainment history as one of the many injustices the Academy has dealt to the entertainment industry over the years.

Which leads us back to this film, where a reputed Communist goes on to create some of the most beloved films in American history, and is unable to receive recognition all because of his political beliefs, which by the way, have nothing to do with his job.

It seems like something like that is so ancient and foreign in the 21st century, but if you think people aren't still eviscerated for their political beliefs, you've been living under some heavy rocks with no wi-fi for too long.

4) Spotlight 

Normally I let the dramas slide off my end of year lists, as I tend to go towards the more entertaining films, than the ones that pack an emotional punch.

However with Spotlight, I felt that would be a grave injustice to a great movie, an inspired cast and a horrific subject that deserves one last hurrah for a much deserved Academy Award winning Best Picture.

To the Spotlight team that helped uncover the Catholic church cover-up of priests that were preying on innocent kids for years, bravo.

Spotlight is currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

3) Deadpool 

Deadpool was amazing.

It was the role that Ryan Reynolds was born to play, and the best X-Men movie that Fox has ever made.

Made on a shoestring budget, it packed more action and laughs than most of the 80% of movies that didn't make this list.

It was rude, crude, hilariously funny and filled with more gags, jokes, killings and insanity per minute than any other film in likely the history of ever.

It also had a film, that much like Guardians of the Galaxy (and not Suicide Squad) helped tell the story and get the audience in the moment.

So why the $%#$%$# didn't Deadpool rank higher?

2) Doctor Strange 

Deadpool, I have come to bargain!

There is probably nobody more shocked than I am right now that not 1, but 2 movies moved in front of Deadpool for the best of the year honors.

Why, and how could I do such a thing?

As I lamented in my original review, Deadpool is not a family-friendly movie, by any stretch of the imagination. So when it comes down to what movie can I pop in and watch any time, with any audience, Wade Wilson has to always move to the back of the line if there are any kids around.

Now, all that said, Doctor Strange was a truly amazing film on its own merits.

Much like Guardians of the Galaxy a few years back, I just rolled my eyes and said "hope it doesn't suck" when the movie was announced.  None were characters I cared for, nor really wanted to see on the big screen.

Then Guardians showed their first trailer, and I was hooked on a feeling, and my worries were over, mostly.

Could it be as good as the trailer?

It was.

In fact, it was my favorite movie of 2014! In case you don't believe me...

Yep, even better than Captain America: Winter Soldier, itself an amazing movie!

However, when I saw the Doctor Strange trailers, I was still non-committal, and frankly thought they were a little boring.

I had planned on skipping it in theaters (much like I did with Avengers: Age of Ultron) and just waiting for Netflix. Then at the last moment, decided to go...

and I was honestly blown away.

It was good. It was funny. It was emotional.

It was another hit for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It quite possibly could have been my favorite film of the year, but there was just one roadblock in the way....

1) Captain America: Civil War 

Show of hands on who's surprised to see this at the top of my list?

Yeah, I didn't think there'd be any.

: )

It's everything we've come to love from Marvel, with the old Marvel comics twist of the good guys sometimes don't always see eye to eye and need to settle those differences with their fists.

It gave us... The Airport Battle scene.

Quite possibly the best 15+ minutes of action in any Marvel film, combined.

There was witty banter, camaraderie, and emotional character moments.

Characters were further defined, and in the end, both sides were right...both sides were wrong...

It happens in the best of families, and for now, the Marvel Universe's family is torn asunder.

I'm thinking Tony will use the phone in the next movie.

If you haven't seen this one yet, it's been streaming on Netflix since Christmas morning.

Get to it!

: )

I'll see you next year to see what 2017 has in store for us!

They're Here...The "Best Television Shows Of 2016"

Can it still be called television when none of the choices actually appeared on a network or even cable channel?

Of course it can.

It's the 21st century, and the days of all the good stuff just being on ABC, CBS and NBC are long gone.

Though I would freely be open to a return of Battle of the Network Stars.

Just saying...

: )

Now, on with the shows!!

Bosch

Take one of L.A.s finest, who has run ins with his superiors almost as often as he's having run ins with the bad guys, and you have one of the better crime dramas from the last few years. The first of two Amazon originals, Bosch has had two great seasons so far.

The consistent part from season to season is Titus Welliver's portrayal of Detective Bosch. He takes all of it in stride, not caring who he upsets to get the job done.

In a world where the world seemingly hates cops, Bosch is a reminder that most are indeed out there trying to help us navigate through a dangerous world, and as the curveballs that season two threw at the audience, life as a cop is very, very dangerous.

Luke Cage

Marvel and Netflix have done it again.

Now, much more fleshed out than his appearance in Jessica Jones, Mike Colter brings Luke Cage vividly to life in his own series.

Much like the other Netflix series, my biggest complaint with this one was that it felt about 3 episodes too long.

Hopefully in Season 2, or the Defenders, Luke Cage also doesn't have to psych himself up to actually go out and be a hero.

That did get a bit old as the series wore on.

He could have stopped so much violence if he would have just acted, instead of waiting for everyone around him to die.

Plus, of the two bad guys Cage faced, I much preferred the first one, to the one that's set to be a recurring character.

The Man In The High Castle 

What if the Axis won World War II ?

This fascinating "What If?" scenario plays out on Amazon, and the results are fascinating, and truly scary, all at the same time.

This was perhaps the slowest series for me to get hooked on, as there are a lot of people flying around the first 2 episodes as they introduce every character and you try and get a sense of who they are, what they're doing, where their allegiances truly are...

But once you're hooked, you're along for a very interesting ride.

You realize that there is no turning back time, at least as far as I know, but you get hooked on the lives of many of the characters, even those of the Japanese or German side. In many ways, they are more fleshed out and three-dimensional than the American resistance.

Season 2 is available now, and we'll see if it returns next year to the countdown.

Daredevil: Season 2

Hands down, the best 4 episodes of any and all Marvel television.

Then they added Elektra to the mix, and the results became decidedly less enthusiastic on my part.

I would have actually preferred a more long, drawn out season with the Punisher, maybe 10 total episodes.

The trial should have taken 2 to 3 episodes, but instead it was nearly a blink and you miss it, in favor of more Elektra and a ninja Matt Murdock.

It's as if Marvel wanted to remind me of why I never really bothered with this character in the first place! :)

Still, a good show, and they seriously need to use Foggy more.

Seriously.

Making A Murderer

Was it a documentary?
Was it a television show?

This was the idea that I wrestled with at the end of the year, and ultimately put this under television while the ESPN 30 for 30 wound up in the documentary section.

Could I have flipped them?

Absolutely.

I decided that at over 10 hours, I have to call this gripping documentary television, since it was divided into episodic segments instead of just a 2 hour program.

I heard criticisms after it aired that the directors were only giving one side of the story.

That may, or may not be true, but the side they present is sooooo amazingly wrapped in cover-up after conspiracy after shady dealings that you might literally yell at the television at the end of each episode when the latest bombshell gets dropped.

It should make you seriously question the entire legal system at the least, and make you seriously hope you never find yourself facing its wrath, whether guilty OR innocent.

I'm waiting for an additional episode to air that reveals what has happened to several of the people in the documentary since the film has been released.

If nothing else, it appears that some justice is indeed being finally served.

Stranger Things 

This is one of those few times that I watched something at the same time as the rest of the world.

: )

While we didn't binge, we did move along much quicker than usual when watching a Netflix series.

Yes, it was as good as you heard or were led to believe.

I maintain that if you're not hooked in the initial 8 minutes of episode 1, then yes, this is not the series for you.

My little 5 year old even came in during the middle of the episode and wanted to know what happened to Will.

She may have been the biggest fan of the show, but everyone was entertained.

A great cast, including possibly the best group of child actors to ever assemble since The Goonies.

Also, for me, it was the perfect length.

I've often criticized the Marvel series for being about 4 episodes too long, and Stranger Things came along and proved that I was right.

:)

The episodes fly by, and with no real fluff and bluster, combines nicely into 8 compact episodes that grab you at the beginning and hold you until the end.

Season 2's bar is already set incredibly high, so hopefully it will make it to Best of the Year list in the future.

Looking forward to what might be  heading my way in 2017!

True Story! The Best Documentaries Of 2016

I do like to take a moment at the end of the year to shine a spotlight back on the best documentaries of the year.

They usually go unheralded or unappreciated, but thanks to so many different services, so many of them can be enjoyed at home.

They often are so unbelievable, you couldn't script a more entertaining story if you try.

Here's a look back at some of my favorites:

We'll start with a special shout out to ESPN 30 for 30.

Four Falls of Buffalo
The '85 Bears
Believeland

Those were the only 3 that I watched this year, but much like others I've seen in years past, they are some of the most entertaining episodes you're likely to see.

I debated whether or not to put this on the best of television since it is an ESPN program, but decided in the end to go this route.

Each episode is a movie in itself, and rarely has anything to do (besides being about sports) with one another.

I've still got plenty of them that I haven't watched, but I haven't seen a bad one yet.

Most 30 for 30s are currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Dark Horse

When you take a poor Welsh town that gathers a group together and pools their money in the longshot attempt to raise a champion race horse well you can kind of tell where this movie is going to go.

After all, it's rare that documentaries get made about losers, right? :)

It's impossible not to root for them as they relive their road to glory and heartbreak.

The people are so genuine and warm, and the story is so magnificently laid out, it's the stuff that Disney films are made for.

But this one is all true.

Being Canadian

A documentary that sets out to discover what Canadians are, confirms that most of the stereotypes that the rest of the world has about Canadians is mostly true.

And really, that's not a bad thing at all when you consider how the rest of the world views them and they view themselves.

Here's a hint, around the world, once they reveal that they aren't American, they are usually treated very well.

:(

Which I suppose says as much about them as it does about us.

: )

This is currently streaming on Amazon for those with Prime.

National Lampoon: Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead


If you have a sense of humor whatsoever, you will probably find this look back at National Lampoon right up your alley.

Especially considering that much of the late 20th century/21st century humor/comedy was spawned from the very pages/ideas/minds of those that worked there.

Of course, if you hate Saturday Night Live and all that it has done to keep comedy coming to you weekly with rotating casts for over 40 years, then you also know where to place some of your blame and hatred.

:)

Electric Boogaloo

If you rented a movie in the 80s, you know their movies.

Now is your chance to know the whole story. It's an even wilder ride than you could have possibly imagined.

It's quite an impressive feat that they pulled off in making their vast catalog of movies.

It wasn't until they broke their own rules and attempted to make their movies look like they had a huge budget, that it all blew up in their faces.

Still streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

We Are Twisted F***ing Sister 

I suppose unless you hate Twisted Sister, there's no way you can watch this documentary and not feel for the band and root for them to succeed.

Beginning at their origins and leading up to adding Dee Snyder as their front man, this film chronicles the rise and fall, and more rises and fall than the best roller coaster you've ever been on.

And it stops just before they hit it big with MTV and the whole world gets to know them.

Very well done.

Still streaming on Netflix as of this writing.



Looking forward to what 2017 has to offer!!