Monday, September 28, 2020

Pass the Popcorn

Original from Clipartlord
A little while back I decided to make a Lifesongs-style list, only on the films I’ve loved the most over the years. I found it difficult, so to help me out in the meantime I instead made a list of every movie I’ve ever seen in a theatre or drive-in. Not easy, of course, my brain being what it is. Luckily I had Wikipedia to help me.

There are a few that I know I’ve seen but can’t remember if it was in a theatre or not, so I’ve left them out - but generally this is a complete list. I’ll add to it as I remember more and see more, and of course the Lifemovies list will eventually be completed…

[Originally published January 25, 2014; updates ongoing]

By year of release, rather than the year I saw them

Rereleased movies from before I was born

  • The Gnome-Mobile (1967 - my first movie ever in the theatre)
  • Jungle Book (1967)
  • A Clockwork Orange (Well, technically from 1971, but I couldn’t see it when I was 1, could I? Caught it in a rep theatre in Waterloo)


1973

  • Enter The Dragon (at the drive-in)

1974

  • Slaughterhouse-Five (in a rep theatre in Waterloo)


1975

  • American Graffiti (at the drive-in)
  • The Exorcist (director’s cut re-release)
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show (at various on-campus and rep theatres)


1976

  • Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
  • Damnation Alley
  • Star Wars (re-release)


1977

  • Foul Play (at the drive-in)
  • Grease
  • Superman


1978

  • The Black Hole
  • Meatballs (at the drive-in)
  • The Muppet Movie
  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  • When a Stranger Calls (at the drive-in)


1979

  • Alien - Anniversary release, watched at the Cinesphere at Ontario Place in November 2018 - it doesn't matter how many times I see it, I still jump in all the right places.
  • Flash Gordon
  • The Shining (re-release)
  • Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
  • Stir Crazy
  • Superman II


1980

  • Das Boot (re-release)


1981

  • Clash Of The Titans
  • The Great Muppet Caper
  • Heavy Metal (in a rep theatre in Waterloo)
  • Modern Problems
  • Scanners (in a rep theatre in Toronto)
  • Taps (at the drive-in)


1982

  • The Dark Crystal
  • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
  • The Last Unicorn
  • Night Shift (at the drive-in)
  • The Pirate Movie
  • Things Are Tough All Over (at the drive-in)
  • Tron


1983

  • Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
  • Yellowbeard


1984

  • Cheech & Chong’s The Corsican Brothers
  • Ghostbusters
  • Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
  • Starman


1985

  • The Breakfast Club
  • The Color Purple
  • Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
  • Pee-wee’s Big Adventure
  • Real Genius


1986

  • Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (first I ever paid to see twice)
  • The Fly
  • Highlander (in a rep theatre in Waterloo)
  • The Hitcher (at the drive-in)
  • Labyrinth
  • Little Shop Of Horrors (at Toronto Harbourfront)
  • Out of Bounds (at the drive-in)
  • Stand By Me
  • The Three Amigos
  • The Wraith


1987

  • Planes, Trains and Automobiles
  • Some Kind of Wonderful
  • Withnail and I (in a rep theatre in Waterloo)


1988

  • Beetlejuice
  • Dangerous Liaisons
  • Rain Man
  • Scrooged
  • Tequila Sunrise (in the drive-in)
  • Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
  • Young Einstein


1989

  • The Abyss
  • Batman
  • Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (in the drive-in)
  • Leningrad Cowboys Go America (in a rep theatre in Waterloo)


1990

  • Edward Scissorhands
  • Hunt For Red October
  • Perfectly Normal
  • Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (in a rep theatre in Waterloo)
  • Total Recall
  • Wild At Heart


1991

  • Black Robe (at a rep theatre in Waterloo)
  • The British Animation Invasion (at a rep theatre in Waterloo)
  • The Commitments
  • The Doors
  • Proof (at a rep theatre in Waterloo)
  • Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country


1992

  • Bram Stoker’s Dracula
  • Highway 61 (at a rep theatre in Waterloo)
  • Salmonberries
  • Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (first movie I ever went to alone)
  • Toys


1993

  • The Fugitive
  • Jurassic Park
  • Naked
  • Needful Things
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas
  • Robin Hood: Men in Tights
  • Schindler’s List


1994

  • Clear And Present Danger
  • Dance Me Outside
  • Forrest Gump
  • Four Weddings And A Funeral
  • Maverick
  • Star Trek Generations
  • Stargate
  • True Lies


1995

  • Apollo 13
  • Crimson Tide
  • The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain
  • First Degree (preview - Xognya’s first big film credit for props, I think)
  • GoldenEye (James Bond)
  • Johnny Mnemonic
  • Jumanji
  • Mortal Kombat
  • Nine Months
  • Othello
  • Se7en
  • Showgirls
  • Strange Days
  • Toy Story
  • A Walk In The Clouds


1996

  • 2 Days In The Valley
  • Basquiat
  • Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
  • Brain Candy
  • Dragonheart
  • Escape From L.A.
  • Extreme Measures
  • From Dusk Till Dawn (preview)
  • The Ghost And The Darkness
  • I Shot Andy Warhol
  • Mission: Impossible
  • Muppet Treasure Island
  • Star Trek: First Contact
  • Trainspotting
  • Twelfth Night: Or What You Will (at TIFF at the Uptown, Nigel Hawthorne was there! The only TIFF movie I’ve attended)


1997

  • Alien Resurrection
  • Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
  • Contact
  • The Fifth Element
  • Kiss The Girls
  • L.A. Confidential
  • Lost Highway
  • Men In Black
  • Spawn
  • Starship Troopers
  • The Wrong Guy


1998

  • Armageddon
  • Blade
  • Dark City
  • Deep Impact
  • Elizabeth
  • The Replacement Killers
  • Ronin
  • Saving Private Ryan
  • Star Trek: Insurrection
  • What Dreams May Come
  • The X-Files


1999

  • American Pie
  • Analyze This
  • Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
  • Bicentennial Man
  • The Blair Witch Project
  • Bowfinger (at the drive-in)
  • Detroit Rock City
  • Dogma
  • Double Jeopardy
  • End Of Days
  • Galaxy Quest
  • The Matrix
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  • The Mummy
  • Mystery Men (at the drive-in as well as the theatre)
  • The Sixth Sense
  • Sleepy Hollow
  • South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
  • Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
  • Stigmata
  • Stir of Echoes
  • Toy Story 2
  • The World Is Not Enough (James Bond)


2000

  • The Cell
  • Chicken Run
  • Gladiator
  • Highlander: Endgame
  • Hollow Man
  • Keeping The Faith (preview)
  • Mission Impossible II
  • Mission to Mars
  • Pitch Black
  • Shadow Of The Vampire
  • Shanghai Noon
  • Snatch
  • Space Cowboys
  • U-571
  • Unbreakable
  • X-Men


2001

  • A.I. Artificial Intelligence
  • Amelie
  • The Fast And The Furious
  • Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
  • From Hell
  • Gosford Park
  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
  • K-PAX
  • Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
  • Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
  • The Mummy Returns
  • The Others
  • Planet of the Apes
  • Session 9
  • Shrek


2002 (the year T had that stack of movie passes, we went almost every week until they ran out at the end of August)

  • 28 Days Later
  • About A Boy
  • Austin Powers in Goldmember
  • Blade II
  • Bourne Identity
  • Bowling For Columbine
  • Bubba Ho-Tep
  • Catch Me If You Can
  • Die Another Day
  • Enough
  • The Good Thief
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  • I Spy
  • Ice Age
  • Impostor
  • K-19: The Widowmaker
  • Knockaround Guys
  • Lord of the Rings: Two Towers
  • Men In Black II
  • Men With Brooms
  • Minority Report
  • My Big Fat Greek Wedding
  • Panic Room
  • Red Dragon
  • Reign of Fire
  • The Ring
  • Secretary
  • Signs
  • Solaris
  • Spider-Man
  • Star Trek: Nemesis
  • Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
  • The Sum Of All Fears
  • The Time Machine
  • Transporter
  • xXx


2003

  • Big Fish
  • Bulletproof Monk
  • The Core
  • Dreamcatcher
  • Finding Nemo
  • Italian Job
  • Kill Bill Vol. 1
  • Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
  • The Last Samurai
  • The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
  • Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
  • A Man Apart
  • Matrix Reloaded
  • Matrix Revolutions
  • A Mighty Wind
  • Once upon A Time In Mexico
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
  • The Rundown
  • Secondhand Lions
  • Shanghai Knights
  • Under The Tuscan Sun
  • Underworld
  • X2


2004

  • 50 First Dates
  • Alien vs Predator
  • The Big Bounce
  • Blade: Trinity
  • The Bourne Supremacy
  • Butterfly Effect
  • Chronicles of Riddick
  • Connie and Carla
  • Day After Tomorrow
  • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  • Exorcist: The Beginning
  • Fahrenheit 9/11
  • Finding Neverland
  • The Grudge
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Hellboy
  • I Robot
  • The Incredibles
  • Kill Bill Vol. 2
  • Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
  • The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
  • National Treasure
  • Secret Window
  • Shaun of the Dead
  • Spider-Man 2
  • Starsky & Hutch
  • Super Size Me
  • A Touch of Pink (preview)
  • Van Helsing
  • The Village


2005

  • Batman Begins
  • Brick
  • The Brothers Grimm
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
  • Constantine
  • Fantastic Four
  • Good Night And Good Luck
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  • A History Of Violence
  • The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
  • The Jacket (preview)
  • King Kong
  • The Matador
  • Millions (preview)
  • Robots
  • Serenity
  • Sin City
  • Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
  • Syriana
  • Transporter 2
  • V For Vendetta
  • War of the Worlds


2006

  • Casino Royale (James Bond)
  • Children of Men
  • Crank
  • The Da Vinci Code
  • The Descent
  • The Devil Wears Prada
  • Flushed Away
  • The Fountain
  • The Hills Have Eyes
  • The Holiday
  • The Illusionist
  • An Inconvenient Truth
  • The Lake House
  • The Libertine
  • Lucky Number Slevin
  • Man of the Year
  • Night at the Museum
  • Night Watch
  • Pan’s Labyrinth
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
  • The Prestige
  • Silent Hill
  • Superman Returns
  • Thank You For Smoking
  • Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
  • X-Men: The Last Stand
  • Young Triffie’s Been Made Away With (preview)


2007

  • 1408
  • 30 Days of Night
  • 300
  • Death At A Funeral
  • Elizabeth: The Golden Age
  • Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
  • Hannibal Rising
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  • Hot Fuzz
  • Juno
  • Lars And The Real Girl
  • The Lookout
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End


2008

  • Be Kind Rewind
  • Cloverfield
  • The Dark Knight
  • Four Christmases
  • The Happening
  • In Bruges
  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
  • Iron Man
  • Passchendaele
  • Quantum Of Solace (James Bond)
  • Tropic Thunder
  • Wanted
  • The X-Files: I Want To Believe


2009

  • 2012
  • Angels & Demons
  • Avatar
  • District 9
  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  • Pax Americana (preview)
  • Sherlock Holmes
  • Star Trek
  • Up In The Air
  • Watchmen
  • Whiteout
  • X-Men Origins: Wolverine


2010

  • Alice In Wonderland
  • Clash Of The Titans (3D)
  • Despicable Me
  • Dinner For Schmucks
  • Easy A
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
  • Hot Tub Time Machine
  • Inception (also on re-release in 2019 on the Cinesphere screen)
  • Iron Man 2
  • MacGruber
  • Scott Pilgrim vs The World
  • The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
  • Splice


2011

  • The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn
  • Attack The Block (festival viewing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in 2018)
  • Bridesmaids
  • Cowboys & Aliens
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
  • The Mechanic
  • Paul
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
  • Priest
  • Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows
  • Super 8
  • The Thing (prequel)
  • Thor (3D)


2012

  • Battleship
  • The Cabin In The Woods
  • Cloud Atlas
  • The Dark Knight Rises
  • The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  • The Hunger Games
  • John Carter
  • Life of Pi
  • Marvel’s The Avengers
  • Premium Rush
  • Prometheus
  • Skyfall (James Bond)
  • Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2


2013

  • After Earth
  • Despicable Me 2 (3D)
  • Doctor Who: The Day Of The Doctor (3D)
  • Elysium
  • Ender’s Game
  • Europa Report (preview)
  • Gravity (imax 3d)
  • Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
  • The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (3D)
  • The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
  • Iron Man 3
  • Man Of Steel
  • Now You See Me
  • Oblivion
  • Olympus Has Fallen
  • Pacific Rim
  • Parker
  • RED 2
  • Riddick
  • Star Trek Into Darkness
  • This Is The End
  • Thor: The Dark World
  • Warm Bodies
  • The Wolverine
  • World War Z
  • The World’s End

2014

  • Captain America: Winter Soldier
  • The Edge Of Tomorrow
  • Godzilla
  • Guardians Of The Galaxy
  • Harmontown
  • The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies
  • The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay – Part 1
  • I'll Follow You Down
  • Interstellar (3D)
  • John Wick
  • The LEGO Movie
  • Lucy
  • The Maze Runner
  • A Million Ways To Die In The West
  • Non-Stop
  • The Skeleton Twins
  • Snowpiercer
  • Transcendence
  • The Trip to Italy
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past

2015

  • Avengers: Age of Ultron - OK. RDJ, plus James Spader, plus Paul Bettany? Even if it sucked (it did not) that would be enough.
  • Into The Woods - I will always be a fan of this.
  • It Follows - Super creepy and believable.
  • Jupiter Ascending - I liked that it was not a remake or prequel or sequel or from a novel but instead was from their brains. Also, I liked it more than most people did.
  • Jurassic World - Predictable. Looked good. Some fun scares.
  • Kingsman: The Secret Service - Violent, so violent! But cheeky too. Loved it.
  • The Last Witch Hunter - Exactly as expected.
  • Mad Max: Fury Road - in 4D - What a lovely lovely day! So good. Also, moving seats in the theatre rock. Literally!
  • The Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Super stylish, but made only for fans of the original show. If you don't like Guy Ritchie movies, you won't like this.
  • The Martian (3D) - He scienced the shit out of it. And it was delightful.
  • Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - Every single time, Tom Cruise. Every single time.
  • Tomorrowland (3D) - Very oooh Disney, but still fun.
  • Self/less - I fully enjoyed it. I expect a lot of people hated it.
  • Spectre (James Bond) - Not as good as Skyfall but better than Quantum Of Solace. Also, Monica Belluci's one hot fifty-year-old.
  • Spy - Cagney's going down your throat, Lacey's going up your ass and they're gonna meet in the middle.
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Fully enjoyed this, all of it, beginning to end.
  • Terminator Genisys - Hrm. I did like the tie-ins to previous movies, that was well done...
  • Trainwreck - My spirit animal paired with Skoots's spirit animal, and better than expected.
  • What We Do In The Shadows - One of the funniest things I have ever seen. Seriously.

2016

  • Arrival - Beautiful alien encounter film - not an action film but instead a study of communication, definitely a thinker. Visually stunning.
  • Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice - Went to this one by myself as I don't know anyone who really wanted to see it. A bit overlong, Ben Affleck was just fine, Jesse Eisenberg was a great Lex Luthor, I liked that it was a consequence of the shitstorm that was the Superman/Zod fight in the last one. Overstuffed with dream sequences.
  • Captain America: Civil War - There's more to it than the fanwank it at first resembles. The new Spidey is fun, I'm actually looking forward to that series, and I'm sad I haven't seen Antman yet. Found myself actually siding with the Cap against Tony Stark!
  • 10 Cloverfield Lane - Quite good. Not a sequel to Cloverfield so you don't have to have seen it. Very tense, kept changing my mind about certain characters all through the movie, which I like.
  • The Big Short - So smart, love the way it was presented. Also re-enraged me over the lack of accountability by those involved.
  • The Conjuring 2 - I thought I had seen the first one but it turned out I hadn't - but I didn't need to for this to work. Good thing I had my popcorn down to half full before the movie started, there were at least four parts I jumped and yelled at, and I wasn't the only one!
  • Deadpool - Ryan Reynolds proved to me, once again, that my love for him is not unfounded.
  • Doctor Strange (3D) - Fully enjoyed it, and for once the 3D itself was quite good. Not sure about Cringleberg Fistybuns' American accent though, was it good but I can't get past his real accent, or was it bad? More humour than I expected, looking forward to his next appearance.
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Really fun! Well done, balanced, and I want a Niffler.
  • Ghostbusters - Ignore the trolls. This was perfect. I want a supercut of all of Kate Mackinnon's scenes.
  • Hail, Caesar! - So many great stars in this, so many I had no clue would be in it until they showed up! Very Coen Brothers. Also, George Clooney is hilarious.
  • Hardcore Henry - If a first-person shooter game was a movie. Sharlto Copley is a lot of fun, as is the film.
  • The Hateful Eight - I don't always love Quentin Tarantino movies. I did enjoy this one. The cinematography alone was worth the admission.
  • Independence Day: Resurgence - Enjoyable, lots of explosions. As expected, nothing deep.
  • Keanu - OK, no one could argue that this is a deep movie. But it was ridiculously funny, just what was needed on a rainy afternoon. George Michael :)
  • London Has Fallen - Sequel to Olympus Has Fallen - similar but a bit more ridiculous. Things blow up, helicopters crash, direct head shots, etc.
  • Midnight Special - When I saw the trailers for this I thought it was going to be a new version of Firestarter, but it's really not. Michael Shannon is an intense man, and Jaeden Lieberher is definitely going places.
  • Neon Demon - Free preview courtesy of NOW Magazine. Good thing it was free too, or I might have demanded my money back. So pretentious and full of itself. Stylish visually and good Tangerine Dream-esque soundtrack, but that's all it had going for it.
  • The Nice Guys - You guys know how I feel about Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang right? This one is just as entertaining, just as fun, just as dark, and set in 1978 so we get to giggle over the hair and the pants. Well acted all around.
  • Now You See Me 2 - So that was a lot of fun. I prefer the first one, I liked not knowing the big twist, but I still found it enjoyable, everyone was completely watchable.
  • Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks - Recently animated using the recovered audio track, parts of the animation style were awesome and parts were silly. Good story.
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - I'm not sure what I can say about this without spoiling it all. I can say it's meant to bridge the gap between the first trilogy and the second, and it does a very good job of it. Also braver than I thought Disney was going to be. Really, really good.
  • Star Trek Beyond - I don't understand the problem some people seem to have with this one, I liked it. Action-packed, good character development, peril, what more do you want?
  • Static - Short film about a man with a bleeding television, adapted from the original short story. Touching, beautiful and funny. Part of the Bloody Mary Film Festival, which also included B Positive, Ink, Nightcall, Morgue Story, Indigo, The Makeover, and Seirēn
  • Suicide Squad - The trailers were so promising... honestly, there are 10 big characters and you only care about 3 of them. And when you have Adam Beach, you don't waste him like that. Amusing, but not good.
  • Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - Tina Fey (and, surprise, Martin Freeman) in the middle east - both funnier and more serious than expected, quite good.
  • X-Men: Apocalypse - I am starting to get a bit super-heroed out, but I did enjoy this. Good balance of comic relief too (which is to say, not too much as this had to be a dark film).

2017

  • Alien: Covenant - Well done, well shot, a little predictable in places. Great action, interesting story continuation.
  • Atomic Blonde - Charlize Theron beating the crap out of bad guys to a late-80s soundtrack? Yes please.
  • Baby Driver - Edgar Wright films are so much fun. The main character was hard to identify with, but the film was so stylish and bonkers I hardly minded.
  • Blade Runner 2049 - Looked great, good story, I liked the continuation, overall a very loyal sequel. However, if the first movie was not for you, this one won't be either.
  • Bon Cop Bad Cop 2 - So much fun! The humour in the first was based around Québec vs Ontario, French vs English; the comedy here is more around Canada vs US.
  • The Circle - Not amazing, but interesting. Sort of where we're actually at right now.
  • Dunkirk - So powerful, so inspiring. Looked amazing, put you right into the story. Dad pointed out some things that were iffy, but I still loved it.
  • The Dark Tower - There was a tower. There was a gunslinger. There was a man in black. There was a kid. And there was a house with a portal. All other things have absolutely nothing to do with the original book series. I do love Idris Elba though.
  • The Foreigner - Jackie Chan goes serious. And it's amazing. This is no goofy romp, this is a serious man out for revenge. Oh, and Pierce Brosnan. I can't say enough about this one, it's now my favourite ever JC movie.
  • Free Fire - I love Sharlto Copley, and I love a good 70s shoot-em-up with a sense of humour.
  • Geostorm - Just as ridiculous as you think it will be. It's as if there was a book outlining every ridiculous disaster movie trope, and they used it as a checklist.
  • Ghost In The Shell - Visually stunning. Story was great. There was a stink about the casting though, understandably, though I did like everyone's performances. But would have been nice to see less Western-types.
  • Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 - How did they make a sequel this good? So much fun!
  • Justice League - Make no mistake - I saw this for Wonder Woman. But it turned out better than I thought it might. Aquaman and The Flash were the bros this series needed.
  • Kingsman: The Golden Circle - Lots of frenetically filmed fight choreography, general silliness and banter. What's not to like?
  • The Lego Batman Movie - They did a great job with this, kept the sense of humour from The Lego Movie - saw it in a park theatre, so much fun!
  • Life - What happens when we discover life on another planet? Blood and gore, that's what. Fun.
  • Lion - I will watch Dev Patel in anything, but this was wonderful. I cried all through it.
  • Logan - Might be my favourite of the X-Men franchise. Definitely the most mature. Really heavy themes of growing older and the nature of dependency and connection.
  • Murder On The Orient Express - I adore Kenneth Branagh but I was worried about this - from the commercials, it's clear that Poirot's moustache just isn't the right kind of fussy. But it ended up being fully enjoyable, and I did like his performance.
  • Passengers - Shades of Starlost. I liked it, but I can see why it's getting mixed reviews, it has a lot of different tones so it can feel unfocused.
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - Hrm. Well it was certainly fun, looked really good, effects were great (Salazar's floating hair was cool). The story was good, though convenient. But... I think I'm sick of this series.
  • Sandman: 24 Hour Diner - Fan-made short film adaptation of the 24 hours issue of Sandman, went to the premiere screening at the Royal with q&a with cast and creators, and Neil Gaiman even said it was well done. They got the tone exactly right!
  • Spiderman: Homecoming - This was what I was waiting for with this character. So much fun.
  • Split - James McAvoy is brilliant. The story is great. The suspense is real. M. Night Shyamalan is back. And Anya Taylor-Joy has arrived.
  • Star Wars: The Last Jedi - This was enjoyable, I liked that it wasn't predictable. Kylo Ren has a '50s swashbuckler chest, which just looks odd now.
  • Thor: Ragnarok - The Thor movie we've been waiting for. Just fun from beginning to end. Taika Waititi is my favourite person right now.
  • Wonder Woman - Just get out and see it, amazing! A few little nits to pick (why is she wearing wedge heels? Did Doctor Poison have to be so Snidely Whiplash-like? Why did they bother with the 'make you strong' gas?) but otherwise amazing, saw it three times!
  • xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage - Exactly as expected. Silly fun.

2018

  • Annihilation - Beautiful and intriguing, visually stunning. But at the end it was like The Fountain - we all turned to each other and said, what the hell was that?
  • Ant-Man And The Wasp - The light-hearted MCU film we needed after Avengers - hilarious!
  • Aquaman - Completely ridiculous. Good things though: visually stunning, and Jason Momoa is just a giant puppy dog dudebro so that was fun to watch. But the whole thing, from beginning to end, was hokey and predictable. Still glad I saw it though. Saw it in 3D on the IMAX screen - and that was really immersive, I don't want to see 3D again if it's not also in IMAX!
  • Avengers: Infinity War - This is amazing, it really moved - 160 minutes really didn't feel that long. And damnit, we have to wait a whole YEAR for the conclusion?!?
  • Bad Samaritan - Better than I expected - Robert Sheehan was really good and of course David Tennant makes for a great unhinged murderer.
  • Black Panther - Marvel has really outdone itself with this one, it was so amazing! Powerful story - stories, really, as it is more than it appears. Surprise casting and 3D that was actually immersive. So important.
  • Blumhouse's Truth Or Dare - Why do I go see scary movies with people's faces warping and lots of jump scares? They always invade my dreams. Anyway, worth the theatre visit.
  • Bohemian Rhapsody - I can't say enough about this movie. Amazing. Brilliant. Heart-wrenching. Rami Malek was pitch perfect, believe the hype - but Gwilym Lee as Brian May was uncanny. Kept having to remind myself that they didn't just go back in time and grab actual young Brian May for the film. A teeny bit of artistic license with timelines, forgivable. Seeing it again.
  • Breaking In - I love a badass momma. This was a lot of fun, watching the bad guys get what was coming to them, very cathartic. Also the casting call for the one bad guy must have been interesting - 'needed: dude who looks positively unhinged.'
  • The Darkest Minds - Predictable and unoriginal. Well acted though. And not un-entertaining. Wow, I'm really not selling this am I?
  • Deadpool 2 - Ridiculous and amazing. The Merc With The Mouth is still that. Also, can we have a movie just for Domino please?
  • The Death Of Stalin - Brilliant, funny, irreverent. Now I want to see what the history books say.
  • Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks - Anniversary theatre release of this classic story, our introduction to Davros. Brilliant. Followed by a Tom Baker interview, which I would have enjoyed more if the interviewer had not seemed to be making it about what an awesome fan and interviewer he was.
  • Early Man - Aardman Animations never disappoints. The origin of footie!
  • The Equalizer 2 - I never got to see the first one, but there was enough backstory given that it wasn't necessary. Denzel is magnetic, and can kick ass like a man half his age.
  • Hotel Artemis - Great premise, no real huge surprises but a lot of fun, and the cast was excellent. The year of Sterling K. Brown continues. Also, Dave Bautista's agent is really working out for him.
  • Incredibles 2 - So. Much. Fun.
  • Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle - A lot of fun - a good nod to Robin Williams' character from the original, everyone channelled their inner high schooler very well. The 3D was well done in a lot of places, which I usually don't even notice. Dwayne Johnson's eyebrow should have got separate billing.
  • Kin - This one's a few different kinds of movie at the same time. Part family dynamic, part road movie, part sci fi. The last ten minutes changed the direction of the film, which wasn't necessary, but still good.
  • Maze Runner: The Death Cure - Better than expected, a few things I didn't see coming.
  • The Meg - Saw it in 3D. Jason Statham has a firm grasp on his role in this and has a blast doing it. Kinda dumb but so much fun.
  • Mission: Impossible - Fallout - This was AMAZING. This is the only franchise I know that gets better as it goes. Also, the IMAX experience was fantastic, didn't need 3D. As nuts as Tom Cruise is, I do love him on the big screen.
  • Mortal Engines - More complex than expected, a better story than I thought I was going to get. Somewhat ridiculous, yes, but enjoyable.
  • Oceans 8 - Well cast, fun story. The dialogue wasn't quite as snappy as in the first Clooney one, and also Cate Blanchett's accent was kind of all over the place.
  • Overlord - So what if the Allies had to take out an Axis communications tower in WWII, but there was an evil scientist reanimating corpses in the basement? This is that. Lots of fun, surprisingly better than expected.
  • Pacific Rim Uprising - Ridiculous, but that was to be expected. But still a little better than it might have been.
  • Peppermint - Good old revenge flick, Jennifer Garner is badass.
  • The Predator - Fun, with a lot of interesting cast additions and some callbacks to the original ('get to the choppers!') Sterling K Brown, you're at it again!
  • A Quiet Place - So well executed! It could have gone wrong so many ways but the acting was spot on (the kids especially), the concept was great, even the design of the creature was perfect.
  • Red Sparrow - Glad I saw this one, I was getting a bit exhausted with spy movies but this was really well done.
  • Skyscraper - Let's be honest, this was not expected to be a deep movie, it's an action flick. There were some particularly corny bits to it and much of the eventual plot points could be seen coming a mile off. That said, it was fully entertaining, the cast was enjoyable (Kick-ass wife who can take care of herself? Yes please!) and the ending was satisfying.
  • Solo: A Star Wars Story - Not as amazing as it might have been, but fun. I don't think so many explanations for things were necessary.
  • Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse - I wasn't expecting to like this one, I mean the trailers had some funny moments in them so I didn't think I'd hate it or anything, but it ended up being so much smarter and funnier than I was prepared for.
  • The Spy Who Dumped Me - Stupid crazy fun. The stars were great, I mean I'll watch Kate McKinnon in anything but her chemistry with Mila Kunis was strong.
  • Venom - I've never read the comics so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I thought it looked funny but didn't expect as much humour as we got. Lots of fun, I think I'll be buying this one when it comes out!
  • A Wrinkle In Time - I've never read this one - yet another 'beloved childhood book' I've never heard of. At least it came out when it could have been a beloved childhood book for me. Anyway, well acted by all, especially the lead kids, and just gorgeous. Can't speak to it's similarity to the book.

2019

  • Ad Astra - An unexpected film. Introspective and moody, with fantastic sequences. Brad Pitt's performance was brilliant - people don't give him credit because he's so handsome (and yes, let's face it, he's VERY handsome) but he's got chops.
  • Arctic - Mads Mikkelsen is definitely the man you want with you when you're stranded in the middle of a frozen wasteland. This was a really tense movie, moved at its own pace and didn't follow the expected path. His greatest performance yet.
  • Avengers: Endgame - Really well done. All the feels. I didn't cry though, not until the end.
  • Between Two Ferns: The Movie - A rollercoaster of discomfort, loved it. Screened during JFL42
  • Billy Connolly: The Sex Life Of Bandages - Opening with an interview, and then going into the full set of his 2015 performance at the Sydney Opera House. The man is a legend, and rightly so. Screened during JFL42
  • Captain Marvel - So good! Brie Larson was fantastic. Had a good humour to it, kickass fight scenes, a bit of a twist, and all the hurt little baby boys who don't like it can suck it.
  • Captive State - I expected a far simpler movie than I got. Quite good, kept me guessing.
  • Charlie's Angels - Once again, not a deep movie but a fun one. Unexpected casting, the action was great, perfect for the big screen.
  • Countdown - What if you had an app that would tell you when you were going to die? And what if you didn't read the user agreement? That. Fun actually.
  • Doctor Sleep - Haven't had a chance to read this one yet, but the movie was great - performances all around were awesome, enjoyed the story, sank right into it.
  • Eat My Shorts - A collection of short films ranging from hipster zombie apocalypse to a man trapped outside a highrise window, this was screened on the last day of JFL42 and was a perfect way to end it!
  • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw - So much fun! Three of my favourite people trying to beat the crap out of each other, with big explosions and helicopters and Dwayne Johnson's eyebrow.
  • The Favourite - A bizarre story, beautiful and funny and sad all at once. The last ten minutes or so were intensely uncomfortable. The credits style worked in the beginning and in the chapter heads, but was a huge mistake for the end credits, totally unreadable.
  • Fighting With My Family - Based on the true story of professional wrestler Paige, a lot of fun.
  • Gemini Man - Not a completely original idea, though well realized. Solid acting, liked the relationships between the characters. But it was decided to show this in a high frame rate, which really pulled me out of the movie - made it look like it was shot on video instead of film, making what was obviously a very expensive movie look cheap.
  • Glass - M Night Shyamalan concludes the trilogy that no one knew was a trilogy until the end of the second movie (2017's Split, which was amazing). Well done! I quite liked how everything was tied up.
  • It: Chapter 2 - I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the amazing movie I was hoping for. There were some brilliant moments though! Overall I think the first chapter was more steadily terrifying but this was a good second half, and the casting was excellent.
  • John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum - OK so maybe this is getting a bit old for other people, but damn I loved this. Only the glass room fight seemed a bit off, slowed down somehow, but everything else was amazing. Oh, and setup for chapter 4.
  • Jojo Rabbit - Taika Waititi can do no wrong. This movie is so much more than you think it's going to be going in.
  • Joker - Heavy, but not as heavy as I was expecting. Everything they say is true, this was amazing and if Joaquin Phoenix doesn't get at least nominated for this I'll be shocked.
  • Jumanji: The Next Level - I didn't think they could make a sequel as fun as the first, but they did it - new characters, new ways for the actors to stretch, A PEGASUS, so much fun!
  • The Kitchen - Melissa McCarthy's serious turn, and well done. I do love a kick-ass woman, and here we have three.
  • Knives Out - I can't say enough about this one. The cast were all superb and clearly loving every minute of the production. The story twists and turns, and it's hilarious to boot.
  • Late Night - Loved it. Put Emma Thompson in anything and I'll watch it. Mindy Kaling is on fire. Also, I need to throw out every item of clothing I own and replace it with Thompson's wardrobe from this movie. Except for my Fluevogs of course.
  • Luce - Saw an advance screening of this with a couple of friends - it's really good, but they're advertising it wrong. Be warned - it's not a thriller, it's more of a family drama with suspense and intrigue, and social commentary. Fantastic acting all around and a great story.
  • Men In Black: International - Wasn't really thrilled to see this one, but it ended up being quite enjoyable.
  • Ready Or Not - Dark and hilarious, I howled through the whole thing.
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home - I really liked where this story went, Gyllenhaal was a welcome addition and Tom Holland was delightful as ever. His chemistry with his classmates is charming.
  • Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker - Well done, tied things up well - but I'm getting Star Wars burnout. But... Taika Waititi will be directing the next one, so I guess I'm in?
  • Stuber - Kind of a throwaway movie, but honestly funnier and more enjoyable than I was expecting.
  • Terminator: Dark Fate - Exactly as expected. Not deep, but fun. Linda Hamilton kicking ass, yes please.
  • X-Men: Dark Phoenix - Really well done, well acted and an interesting plot, but I have to say I'm glad it's over, I was getting really tired of the X-Men series. Burnout I guess?
  • Yesterday - I cried. Are you surprised? So good. Ended differently than I expected. Also surprise casting!

2020 (a year interrupted by an ongoing dumpster fire)

  • The Call Of The Wild - I admit to being sad about the dogs being CGI, however well it was done, but I liked the film more than I expected to. I never did see the original, so I didn't know what was to come. And surprise casting!
  • Emma - I didn't realize it was Anya Taylor-Joy from Split and Glass. Also, never having read the novel, I didn't realize until now that this was what Clueless was based on, seems so obvious now. Anyway, very well done, delightful in fact.
  • The Gentlemen - Guy Ritchie is back in form. Interesting cast, enjoyable story, though a bit confusing at times. Would have liked to see more of Colin Farrell's character, Hugh Grant was fun, and The McConaissance continues.
  • Invisible Man - Oooh, now this was above and beyond what I expected. I am in awe of the effects, and Elizabeth Moss was stellar. The focus in this retelling shifts from the man himself to his victim, and she's amazing.
  • New Mutants - This one's a bit weird, I mean it's essentially a superhero movie but also a horror movie. Not sure what I was expecting, but I did enjoy it. A bit predictable in places, but not enough to make me not like it. Well acted, I'd like to see more of this group. Also, Anya Taylor-Joy kills it.
  • Tenet - Still nervous about going to theatres, but I went alone, super early to a Sunday IMAX matinee. That was FUN. And confusing, but not so confusing as it might have been. And loud too, I had a hard time making out a quarter of the dialogue - please filmmakers, stop doing that.

2 comments:

  1. Quite a list! I'm impressed. After having kids - I don't get out much, apparently. Haven't even seen half the movies on your list. Yet another task to my get-a-life list.

    ps. stumbled upon your profile at Ravelry

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah, got quite addicted after 2002 - the year of all the passes :)

    ReplyDelete

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