On Curiosity and The Movies

September Pre-Hurricane Movie Update 2016

             I guess I have to apologize twice over today; one for the fact that this is later than expected and once more for rushing to complete this post before Hurricane Matthew takes out my Wi-Fi connection. So without wasting too much time, here is what I saw in September

Some Highs and Lows of August

            As of two weeks ago I have started a new semester of college, which means I’m still adjusting to the demands between schoolwork and blogging. For now I’ll just focus on writing short and informal stuff and leaving longer essays for Blogathons and film/topics that inspire analysis. Still, I saved up some short reviews of the films I saw during August just to make up for the dead time.

M (1931)

Classic Movie History Project: The Leopard

Best Films of 2016 (so far)

            It is July, so it seemed appropriate to do a sort of midseason review of 2016 by showing my favorite films of the year so far. It seems a bit silly; this list will be dated by the end of the year, but since I rarely review contemporary films this will at least encapsulate my favorite viewing experiences during the first half of the year. Even if only a few or possibly none of these films make it on my top ten, they are still worthy of being seen.

The Princess Bride

The Kid (1921)

The Martian

Comic Book Movies, French Style

            So it has come to my attention that comic book movies are all the rage during the summer. Heck, they are so popular that it is for these films are evolving into a multi-billion industry. Captain America: Civil War and Deadpool are undeniably fun films but I also enjoy the films that are made in reaction to said comic-book films. At the 2016 Florida Film Festival, I had the pleasure of watching two French animated films that play with the style and tone colorful of comic book adventures that provide nice alternative programming to the latest blockbusters.

Witnessing Immortan Joe and his War Boys on the Fury Road

            (Spoiler Warning: I don't usually state this since I try to at least dance around major plot points, but this was a case where that was not possible, my bad. For maximum reading pleasure, go see Mad Max: Fury Road first, let it scorch your mind, and then read this.)

Top Ten of 2015

            A top 10 list of 2015 in April 2016, how relevant! In my defense, I did state in my last Honorable Mentions article that this would be finished before the Oscars in 2017, so this article is technically early.  Anyway, 2015 was a wonderfully weird year for film.  Many of the best films this year ranged from commercial blockbusters that seemed doomed to disappoint to niche art films that were balked by those who glanced at their premises, only for these films to shock the medium in brilliant fashion.

            Before we begin here are quick disclaimers. Among the films I failed to see before the year ended: Creed, Room, Sicario, The Martian, 45 Years, and When Marnie Was There; for all I know, any of these films could have earned a spot on the list, which is why they deserve a mention. I did manage to see: Spotlight, Brooklyn, Anomalisa, The Forbidden Room, The Assassin and Embrace of the Serpent, which are all worth viewing, but if I continue with these damn honorable mentions this article will never be completed.

Now here I present my most eloquent Top 10 list of 2015.

Oscar Ballot 2016

            So the Oscars are tonight, that means glamour, controversy, and gambling, I mean predictions! Anyway, last night I decided to scribble my predictions on a mock ballot. Overall I think that while The Revenant may be in the lead with twelve nominations, the competition is simply too close for that film to simply sweep the awards. The PGA and SAG awards raised the biggest alarms, favored The Big Short and Spotlight respectively, however they still showed love Leonardo DiCaprio. It would be hilarious to see it all but Leonardo win for The Revenant but lets hope it does not lead to that outcome. I don't think he could survive such a loss

2015 Honorable Mentions

            So as of right now I am working on a rough draft for my top ten of 2015, which will hopefully be published before the Oscar awards in 2017. Orlando is not a very film centric town, which makes it difficult to find many of the prestigious films before awards season. Even then, I am lucky to ever find certain foreign and independent films because distribution the demand for such films here are null. Ultimately in order for me to write a top ten with confidence, I need the time to watch as much as I can.

            Regardless, this has been a robust year for film. In fact were so many distinguished films that to leave one out seemed almost sacrilege.  So at the very the least, it seemed right to honor the best films that will not reach my personal list and hopefully explain why they are not on the shortlist.  It was either that or I lament about the Oscars, which no one wants to here. Now lets talk movies.