There have been so many memorable movies of 2019! Even outside of my top 10 of the year, there are tons of things, movie “stuff” if you will, that are worth talking about. This post will be pretty much entirely [spoiler-free], so feel free to read on even if you haven’t seen the films. Without further ado, here are some of my favorite movie elements. (more…)
2018 was an extremely rich year for very good movies, even while perhaps lacking in true masterpieces. Somehow when making this list, I went from not having enough films to fill it in November to making extremely difficult cuts in February. Out of the 61 movies I saw this year, it was very difficult to narrow the list to only 10 (plus four extras), and there are probably another dozen that could easily be swapped in. Here are my favorites of the year.
2018 has been a hell of a year, and in many ways has felt like an eternity. In that eternity, we’ve gotten a huge variety of great films. Here are some of my favorite elements and moments from film in 2018. This will be mostly [spoiler-free] unless otherwise noted. (more…)
Even as the general box office continues to decline, the overall quality of films continued to impress in 2017. It was a great year for genre filmmaking in particular, with several comedies and horror films surfacing as a cut above the rest. This will be mostly [spoiler-free], with a few spoilers marked appropriately. Of the 53 films I saw in 2017, here were my favorites:
2017 has been over for nearly a month now, and as is tradition I’m still putting together my Top Ten list for the year. I have a lot of thoughts on they year in cinema, and I’d like to share some of my favorite movie elements and moments for 2017. This should be fairly [spoiler-free], with only a few light spoilers that will be marked appropriately.
2016 was a movie year with interesting dichotomies. On the one hand, many studio films and sequels fell flat (particularly over the summer). On the other hand, it was a fantastic year for independent cinema, surprise original genre hits, and social/political documentaries. For me personally, it was the first year I attended the Sundance Film Festival, and managed to see a personal best 75 films released this year. Of those films, here were my favorites (presented here as [spoiler-free] unless otherwise noted).
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2016 has come and gone. As many films have only just recently become available for the average viewer, I’m still putting the final touches on my “Top Ten” list. However, I have once again put together a compilation of some of the best moments and elements in the year in film. This will be mostly [spoiler-free], unless otherwise noted. Here are some of my favorite film things from 2016:
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2016’s blockbuster season has been panned by many as one of the worst in recent memory. It seems like week after week, the big new release was both critically reviled and completely bombed at the box office. Despite the low lows, there were several bright spots that kept people headed to the cinema this summer. Here’re my [spoiler-free] thoughts on both the best and worst films of the summer. (more…)
Captain Fantastic is a heart-warming film that forces the viewer to consider the faults of modern society and the benefits to living an alternative lifestyle. Written and directed by Matt Ross, the film was a hit at Sundance this year, and rightly so. While it is frequently damning to American culture, it also has a lot to say about the value of compromise, discourse, and self-reflection. Most impressively, it is a movie that revels in the existence of the morally gray, a trait that is rare for a two-hour long feature film. Captain Fantastic really impressed me, and it’s a film that is best discussed from start to finish, so full [spoilers] ahead.
Pete’s Dragon (2016) is a magical live-action Disney adventure that harkens back to family films of decades past. It is a children’s film that treats its audience with respect, and is very mature in its exploration of magic and wonder. Recently I had the pleasure of attending the premiere at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood, courtesy of The View and Fantasy Movie League. The experience was delightful, and I have many thoughts about the film itself. I am going to keep this post mostly [spoiler-free], keeping the conversation to my thoughts about characters, pacing, and tone. (more…)
Backseat Directing 