My Top Twelve Songs of 2017

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Lists

I’m sure everyone’s been seeing end-of-year best-of lists everywhere they look, but I’m not quite ready for my own list of 2017 movies yet. There’s still more to catch up on, but songs are shorter and easier to appreciate, and dang, have there been some good ones this year! Ever since my 2016 song list, I’ve been trolling the radio and YouTube and carefully listening out for what might make it onto the 2017 edition. I must admit this list isn’t how I thought it would look earlier in the year, and I’m surprised that no Clean Bandit, Chainsmokers, or Lorde made the final cut.

I’ve heard all of these multiple times throughout the year, and despite agonizing over a few placements, I’m confident in my choices. Do keep in mind that music is highly subjective and dependent on taste and that these are my personal choices based on mine. There’s bound to be songs that I’ve missed in the past year, so feel free to comment on my picks or let me know your own favorites. Now, on to the list!

12. “The Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran

Sheeran’s other hit “Shape of You” may have been the best-selling single of the year, but “The Castle on the Hill” is my favorite song of his yet. Built on an honest nostalgia for the past that is no more, it’s a wistful ballad for anyone who wishes they could go home.

11. “It Ain’t My Fault” by Brothers Osborne

Like last year, I had to include one great country song, and “It Ain’t My Fault” was the high point of the year for that genre. Full of guilty finger-pointing, a jamming guitar riff, and T.J. Osborne’s oh-so-deep voice, this is a perfect song for singing along to at a concert. Oh, and the video is like Point Break if it were slapstick and very politically incorrect.

10. “Walk on Water” by Thirty Seconds to Mars

Jared Leto and a choir may not be the most obvious combination, but they come together brilliantly for this rock anthem. I’d say he’s a better singer than actor. This is just the first of several alt-rock hits you’ll see on this list.

9. “No Roots” by Alice Merton

Alice Merton rocked the charts in Europe first, and when “No Roots” made its way across the Atlantic, America got to see why. I fell in love with the sound of Florence and the Machine last year, and the catchy simplicity of “No Roots” taps into a very similar Bohemian beat.

8. “Believer” and “Thunder” and “Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons

As far as the airways at least, 2017 was a banner year for Imagine Dragons, who seemed to rule several radio stations with three separate hit singles. The #8 spot is technically for “Believer,” but all three get better the more I hear them, which says a lot considering “Believer” has been played to death all year. Reviews for the Evolve album have been mixed, but Imagine Dragons continues to deliver their unique brand of mainstream experimental rock. (Since I’m grouping the three, the video is a mashup by YouTuber Sam Tsui.)

7. “The Man” by The Killers

You know those jerk people who think they’re God’s gift to mankind? No one actually likes those people, but it can still be fun to sing with that kind of self-confidence. “The Man” is a perfect opportunity and quite a catchy one at that, with a different sound than I’d expect from The Killers. I hear this song a lot at work too, where one of my friends sings it to refer to me. Not that I let that go to my head….

6. “Love Is Mystical” by Cold War Kids

With its heavy piano riff in the background and a jazzy pulse, I can rarely stay still during this song. It just made its way onto the radio, and I hope they give it just as much airplay as all the vastly inferior songs.

5. “The Greatest Show,” written by Pasek and Paul, from The Greatest Showman

At least one movie cracked the Top Twelve. “This Is Me” has gotten all the attention with its Golden Globe win and Oscar nod, but “The Greatest Show” is the crown jewel of The Greatest Showman’s soundtrack, which the big finale should be. I haven’t actually seen it yet, but this song is so good that I can’t wait.

4. “Stranger Things” by Kygo, featuring OneRepublic

Not to be confused with the Netflix show of the same name or “Strangest Thing” by The War on Drugs. How interesting that the only two artists from last year’s song list (Kygo at #7, OneRepublic at #1) made it onto this one with a collaboration! I already liked Kygo’s tropical house style, but I’m now a huge fan after his latest album Kids in Love. I could have just as easily put “Sunrise,” “Kids in Love,” or “Stargazing” here, but I’m trying to keep it to one place for each artist and this was my favorite.

3. “Without You” by Avicii, featuring Sandro Cavazza

It’s pretty much a toss-up on whether Avicii or Kygo is my favorite DJ right now. Just when Kygo seems to be gaining ground, Avicii releases something like “Without You,” which ranks up there with his best work. The elusive goal for electronic music seems to be to find that rare combination of beats that feels iconic and designed to get stuck in your head, and Avicii achieved it here. (“Lonely Together” was also a good one from Avicii this year.)

2. “One Foot” by Walk the Moon

The #1 and #2 spots were tough. Like last year, I had a choice between an emotional anthem or an infectiously catchy dancefest. OneRepublic’s dancefest won last year, but even if Walk the Moon is only second this time, I still adore this song. I’ve gone nuts in my car to this song more than once, and it’s just one more example of Walk the Moon’s talent for upbeat awesomeness.

1. “Praying” by Kesha

“Praying” had to be #1 because of how honest and personal it is and how it changed the way I viewed Kesha, formerly Ke$ha. Before this, I thought of her as her “party girl” persona, but “Praying” showed a different side of her. After losing a messy court battle with her music producer Dr. Luke, whom she accused of sexual assault and emotional distress, she channeled her grief into this moving ballad of self-reempowerment. You can hear the raw emotion in her voice. Kesha’s trials predated the recent boom in sexual accusations and probably would have gone differently today, but her words of hope and prayer are the best possible response from such victims. I don’t really care about the Grammies airing later tonight, but I am rooting for “Praying” for Best Pop Solo Performance. (Update:  Of course, it didn’t win. This is why I don’t care much about the Grammies.)

 

So that’s my Top Twelve, but there were plenty of other goodies in 2017. Below are the many runners-up, generally listed from favorite to least favorite (but still good):

“Dreamer” by Axwell Ʌ Ingrosso, feat. Trevor Guthrie

“Symphony” and “I Miss You” by Clean Bandit

“Let Me Go” by Hailee Steinfeld and Alesso, feat. Florida Georgia Line and Watt

“Tell Me You Love Me” by Galantis & Throttle

“Clap Your Hands” and “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” by Owl City

“Nobody Can Hear You” by ALIUS

“Lonesome” and “Too Much” by Shaed

“Strangest Thing” by The War on Drugs

“Good Thing” by Tritonal

“Suit and Jacket” by Judah and the Lion

“Green Light” and “Perfect Places” by Lorde

“Paris” by The Chainsmokers

“Road” by Bruno Martini and Timbaland, feat. Johnny Franco

“Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay

“Up All Night” by Beck

“Feels Like Summer” by Weezer

“Lay It on Me” by Vance Joy

“It Ain’t Me” by Kygo and Selena Gomez

“Hard Times” by Paramore

“The Spectre” and “All Falls Down” by Alan Walker

“No Such Thing As a Broken Heart” by Old Dominion

“The Heart Is a Muscle” and “The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows” by Gang of Youths

“No Promises” by Cheat Codes, feat. Demi Lovato

“Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man (talk about played to death on the radio)

“The Cure” by Lady Gaga

“What Lovers Do” by Maroon 5

“Sober Up” by AJR

“All the Pretty Girls” by Kenny Chesney

“There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” by Shawn Mendes

“Peace Sign” by The Front Bottoms

“Wolves” by Selena Gomez and Marshmello

“Every Day’s the Weekend” by Alex Lahey

“Remember Me” by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, from Coco

“Body Like a Back Road” by Sam Hunt

“Cameo” by Sam Tsui

“To Be Human” by Sia, feat. Labrinth (from Wonder Woman)

“You’re the Best Thing About Me” by U2

“Legends” by Sleeping with Sirens

“This Is My Time” by Amy Stroup

 

Hopefully, you’ll discover some gems among these as well, but let me know of any other favorites from last year you might have. Here’s hoping 2018 will be just as prolific!

As with last year, it seems fitting to finish off this musical recap of 2017 with a brief tribute to the musicians lost last year. Rest in peace, Gregg Allman, Walter Becker, Chester Bennington, Chuck Berry, Glen Campbell, David Cassidy, Chris Cornell, Fats Domino, Johnny Hallyday, Jon Hendricks, Tom Petty, Mel Tillis, John Wetton, Don Williams, and Malcolm Young. Let’s remember them at their best, like my favorite Tom Petty song.

Get Out (2017)

Tags

Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

“Get out! Get out!” said common sense,
“You know that something’s wrong.
You linger at your own expense,
But shan’t do so for long.
You feel your muscles growing tense,
Your nerves a warning gong.
Would safety ever cause suspense?”
Yet still you play along.

When signs of danger first commence,
You’ll surely waver on the fence,
But when the strangeness of events
Grows ever more and more intense,
You’ll quickly wish you’d scorned pretense
And listened to your common sense
And all the warning signs about
The fact you should have gotten out!
_____________________

MPAA rating: R (for frequent language and some violence)

Not being a big fan of horror, I tend to only watch those that have a significant amount of positive buzz, and Get Out is about as positively buzzy as any movie of 2017, especially now that it’s received several Oscar nominations. Despite his reputation as a comedian, director Jordan Peele crafted a narrative that clearly tapped into America’s social consciousness more than anyone expected, and now that I’ve watched it, I can see why.

Get Out definitely has influences from other films, notably The Stepford Wives, but it’s really more of a dark twist on Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, another ripple-causing film about race. When black photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) goes with his white girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) to meet her family, he’s hesitant about how he’ll be received, but her parents (Bradley Whitford and Caroline Keener) seem generous and warm to him, perhaps a bit too warm. More troubling is the odd behavior of the black servants and visitors on their wealthy estate, who seem bizarrely genteel and, well, don’t act like black people, one telling contradiction being when a fist bump from Chris is met with an oblivious handshake. The horror!

Despite its loose categorization as a horror-comedy (the comedy is relegated to one side character), Get Out does seem to hearken back to an older class of horror movie, the kind where a large chunk of the movie is kept tame and spent noticing strange causes for unease before coming to a crazy head near the end. For an apparently low budget production, though, Peele makes it look excellent, creating that uneasy mood with disquieting music and some evocative visuals. Plus, it starts with one of those extended one-shot scenes I so admire. The acting is also good across the board, though I don’t think Kaluuya’s performance warranted a Best Actor nomination, despite a few strong dramatic moments.

Of course, the quality of the movie is beside the point since everyone seems much more interested in its social satire, and the fact that wealthy liberals are the target did come as a surprise. Rose’s parents are textbook white liberal elites, as are their wealthy friends at a dinner party, all of whom fawn over Chris to an uncomfortable degree. “Black is in fashion,” as one guest states. It’s a cogent example of passive racism. Get Out shows that the way progressives often highlight racial differences, even in an apparently supportive or positive manner, can still make minorities uncomfortable. Shouldn’t the goal be for such differences to not matter at all? While there were still a few moments that annoyed me (why are cops always implied to be racist?), the social themes help Get Out aspire to a higher class of horror, reminding me of how The Silence of the Lambs (another February release) also stayed relevant throughout a whole year and transcended its genre at the Oscars.

As strong a film as Get Out is overall, I still wouldn’t have foreseen its Best Picture nomination, but I can understand it. As much as I suspect that its many nominations were an easy way for the Academy to avoid the whole #OscarsSoWhite controversy, its timeliness does deserve recognition. That said, with its 99% Rotten Tomatoes score, it does veer into the overhyped category, for me at least. Plus, there’s something about the ending that makes me feel it missed a chance for an ideal final moment. I won’t say it for spoilers’ sake, but one extra line at the end would have been a perfect closer, so I can’t help but feel a tiny bit disappointed when I think a film squandered an opportunity, however small it may be. It’s still a better ending than the alternate one I’ve heard about, though. Get Out has exceeded more than a few expectations, and even if it’s not as faultless as many say, the fact that it’s still being talked about a year later means it did something right.

Best line: (Chris, with a good reminder of how minorities can feel) “All I know is sometimes, when there’s too many white people, I get nervous, you know?”

Rank: List Runner-Up

© 2018 S.G. Liput
535 Followers and Counting

 

The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

Tags

Comedy, Family

If I were a cat, sleeping soundly and snug,
Sure of my sweetness and rightfully smug,
My owner would sneak out the door as I yawn,
Hoping to leave ere I knew he was gone.
But little would he know, as soon as he split,
I’d stretch out my limbs like a good hypocrite
And head for the places I wasn’t to go,
Except for right now because how would he know?
I’d scratch every curtain and claw every chair,
Knowing I was quite safe while he wasn’t aware.
I’d go where I pleased, if you know what I mean,
Since compared to my box, everywhere else is clean.
And when he again would return home at last,
My many offenses now safe in the past,
I’d wait till he calmed down and cleaned up my crime,
Then snuggle his lap as I plan for next time….

But since I’m the owner instead of the cat,
I guess I’ll just hope that she doesn’t do that.
_____________________

MPAA rating: PG

Since it’s so obviously a rip-off of Toy Story (what do _____s do when humans are away?), I didn’t hold out much hope for The Secret Life of Pets. In fact, most of the recent American animated films outside Disney and Pixar haven’t really sparked my interest at all. But after finally giving Illumination’s 2016 hit a look-see, it proved to be quite an enjoyable little film.

If you’ve seen the Toy Story films, you know the general plot: When humans leave their homes, the pets come out to play, after maybe pining for their owners a bit. Little dog Max (Louis C.K.) is the beloved of his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper), missing her every time he’s left alone in her New York apartment, until his world is disturbed by much larger adoptee Duke (Eric Stonestreet). They clash, not unlike Woody and Buzz, and are soon on the streets and on the run from the dogcatchers and a band of crazy abandoned pets, led by a bunny (Kevin Hart) bent on revenge on mankind. The bitter abandonment motive probably brings to mind Toy Story 3, and Duke’s backstory has shades of Toy Story 2 as well.

So yes, we’ve seen every narrative beat in The Secret Life of Pets before, but that doesn’t mean there’s not still fun to be had, thanks to the colorful animation and diverse cast of characters, which seems to grow exponentially so every kind of pet can be represented. I, for one, am a cat lover, so naturally the jokes surrounding Chloe the cat (Lake Bell), one of Max’s friends who goes in search of him, tickled me the most. Even so, my favorite character had to be Gidget (Jenny Slate), a fluffy Pomeranian with a strong crush on Max, which drives her to act ruthless against her cute appearance. I really do love that puffball, and her big action scene on a bridge was both awesome and hilarious! I guarantee I would have wanted a Gidget stuffed animal when I was a kid. Kevin Hart does the same appearance-contrasting-with-personality thing by playing the bunny villain as an amusing psycho, but the rest of the characters aren’t nearly as well developed as the side cast in Toy Story, probably because there are too many of them.

If I haven’t made it clear enough yet, this is no Toy Story, and Max’s “bonding” with Duke is just plain by-the-numbers compared with Woody and Buzz. Yet The Secret Life of Pets has enough good humor and warmth to exceed its conspicuous unoriginality, and I honestly enjoyed it more than Despicable Me, so I guess that makes it my favorite Illumination film (which doesn’t say that much, but oh well). The animation was particularly polished, and I liked several scenes designed as long tracking shots. It’s a perfectly kid-friendly jaunt, though in the end, I suspect pet lovers will find more relatable chuckles than non-pet owners, which might be why I found quite a few.

Best line: (Chloe, explaining Max’s owner’s behavior to him) “Because she’s a dog person, Max. And dog people do weird, inexplicable things. Like… they get dogs instead of cats.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2018 S.G. Liput
534 Followers and Counting

 

Opinion Battles Year 4 Round 1 Favourite Oscar Winning Performance from an Actress

It’s a brand new year for Opinion Battles over at Movie Reviews 101! Thanks to everyone who voted last year, especially since I won (shockingly), but it’s a whole new round now. This time, be sure to vote for your favorite Best Actress winner’s performance. I picked Sally Field in Places in the Heart, but of all the good choices, vote for the one you like best!

Movie Reviews 101

Opinion Battles Year 4 Round 1

Favourite Oscar Winning Performance from an Actress

Opinion Battles is back, much like last year when we look at the Oscar winning Actors, we are going to dive into looking at our favourite Oscar Winning Actresses, just what will make our list and what would you have picked?

Next Round is Most Anticipated Movie of 2018 – Closing Date Friday 3^rd February 2018

Darren – Movie Reviews 101

Brie Larson – Room

 

I may have picked a modern winner, but for me this is one of the best acting performances I have ever seen, Brie must carry this movie with her performance that must be strong for her son, while also being the victim of the kidnapping and multiple rapes. We do see how her character must learn to live again which is just as difficult as she would have imagined, she…

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VC Pick: The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Tags

Drama, Romance, VC Pick

Higher than most men would dare,
The mountains stand in sparser air
To touch the blue abyss above
And tempt mankind’s desire to share
In their ambitious love.

Yet those who underestimate
The mountain’s ever lofty state
Will find what awed from lower heights
Can rapidly retaliate,
To prove how beauty bites.
_________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

Since I’m the bigger movie fan, it’s unusual for my VC to watch a movie in the theater before me, but The Mountain Between Us was so clearly her kind of movie that she did and I just now caught up. Kate Winslet and Idris Elba in a gradual romance? Stunning mountain scenery? Survival story based on a book she had to read beforehand? Yep, definitely her kind of movie.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not my kind of movie too. The survival story and romance work hand in hand as Ben (Elba) and Alex (Winslet) go from sharing a chartered plane to braving the elements together after their pilot (Beau Bridges) has a stroke midflight, crashing them in the gorgeous but treacherous Rockies. While it could be said that they help each other survive, the bulk of the helping comes from Ben, who’s a doctor luckily enough, but as the two disagree on how to respond to their predicament, it quickly becomes clear that they need someone else to rely on (aside from the dog).

Maybe you’ve had this experience where you watch a movie with someone who’s read the book and mentions throughout all the differences between them, how so-and-so was actually married or she was injured much worse or there’s a whole subplot and twist they left out. It’s hard to say whether that helps or hurts the viewing experience, but thanks to my VC, I at least feel like I read Charles Martin’s novel vicariously. I do wonder, though, why they let Elba keep his British accent while Winslet hid it. One thing the book didn’t have is the actual scenery on display, and the Canadian Rockies where filming took place are among our favorite places to behold in awe, at least in pictures (hopefully in person one day, though maybe not by charter plane).

The Mountain Between Us isn’t an objectively great movie nor an awards contender, but it gets three things very right: the casting, the setting, and the end. When you’re watching high-caliber actors go a little schmaltzy in such breathtaking environs, it’s easy to appreciate the tale for what it is, especially when it sticks the landing.

Best line: (Ben, who later questions this) “The heart’s nothing but a muscle.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2018 S.G. Liput
533 Followers and Counting

 

Testament of Youth (2014)

Tags

Biopic, Drama, History, Romance, War

How keenly and eagerly do wars begin,
When winners and losers have yet to be picked,
Before its true horror and hardship set in
And man is reminded how great is its sin!
The world returns ever, a careless addict,
To battle and blood, as the wise can predict.

Each new generation discovers firsthand
The truth only mastered when foolishness dies.
It cannot be scheduled; it cannot be planned;
It comes only when the naïve understand
That war is a futile and grave exercise.
Then do the innocent fools become wise.
___________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

Alicia Vikander broke onto most people’s radars with 2015’s Ex Machina and her Oscar-winning role in The Danish Girl, but Testament of Youth not long before them should not be forgotten. Based on the same-titled World War I memoir by Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth features the kind of lead performance that makes one wonder why it didn’t get more awards attention. As Brittain herself, Vikander plays an early feminist whose academic dreams are dashed by the onset of war and its unforeseen tragedies.

I’d never heard of Vera Brittain or her apparently famous memoir before this movie, but that’s why I love well-done adaptations that introduce me to new and worthwhile stories. Early on, Brittain is a relatively carefree girl whose greatest challenge is convincing her father to let her go to Oxford. Thanks to the intervention of her brother Edward (Taron Edgerton in one of his first roles) and a sympathetic professor (Anna Chancellor), she is able to attend her dream school, right as she’s also finding love with one of Edward’s friends, Roland (Kit Harington of Game of Thrones fame). Before long, though, the Great War begins, and when all her male friends enlist, Vera’s priorities shift as well, compelling her to join the war effort as a nurse, first on the home front and later in France.

Testament of Youth may seem like your typical beautifully mounted British period piece, and if you don’t like beautifully mounted British period pieces, you might find it boring. Yet the cinematography is sumptuous and the acting of everyone involved stellar, with Vikander in particular embodying the wartime transformation of the nation as she develops from a naïve schoolgirl who advocates her brother joining the military to a war-weary mourner reeling from all that was lost. There are times when it seems to be treading familiar ground, such as a shot lifted straight from Gone with the Wind, but a scene where Vera declares to a vengeful crowd the best way to respond to the defeated Germans is especially powerful. While the end could have been depressing as heck, there are glimmers of hope as she discovers how to move beyond misfortune.

As far as style, the closest thing I can compare Testament of Youth to is the John Keats biopic Bright Star, which also imbues a tragic true romance with a poignant beauty and literary passion. The anti-war themes center on loss and empathy, which is strongly endorsed through Brittain’s nurse experiences, as when she cares for both British and German soldiers as if they were her own brother or fiancé. Whether you’ve heard of it or not, Testament of Youth is a prime choice the next time you’re in the mood for a beautifully mounted British period piece.

Best line: (Vera’s college partner Winifred Holtby) “All of us are surrounded by ghosts. Now we need to learn how to live with them.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2018 S.G. Liput
530 Followers and Counting

 

My 2018 Blindspot Picks

Tags

Lists

I enjoyed the majority of my Blindspot Picks from last year, so I definitely want to continue with this fun monthly series. After pondering what movies I’ve been meaning to see, I’ve picked a fairly diverse collection of goodies (hopefully), a few based on recommendations and others simply sources of curiosity. Some of these I can’t wait to finally watch. I’ve also got a shortlist of other films I could have picked, and I’m hoping I can watch some of those along the way too. Thus, in alphabetical order, here are my Blindspots for 2018. (It’s interesting that the first five start with the first five letters of the alphabet. Not intentional, of course.)

 

 

All is Lost (2013)

 

Boyhood (2014)

 

Clue (1985)

 

 

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father (2008)

 

 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

 

 

Hush (2016)

 

 

Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light ( or Hotarubi no Mori e) (2011)

 

 

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

 

 

The Sandlot (1993)

 

 

Some Like It Hot (1959)

 

 

Sunshine (2007)

 

Yi Yi (2000)

 

Deep Impact (1998)

Tags

Disaster, Drama, Sci-fi, Thriller

One day the world will end, they say,
In ice and dark or fiery doom,
And there’s been many a prior day
When men believed such tales of gloom
Would make a certain day their tomb.

If true, then what’s the point of life
If it should be cut short so soon?
The universe with readied knife
Will strike when most inopportune,
And in its wake, our deaths are strewn.

If such you think, make peace with fact,
For die you will someday indeed.
But till I feel my death’s impact,
Such prophecies I will not heed,
For life’s too precious to concede.
___________________

MPAA rating: PG-13

It’s been almost two years since I reviewed Armageddon, so it’s about time I watched the other catastrophic asteroid movie from the summer of 1998. I’ve heard varying opinions on whether Deep Impact or Armageddon is the better film, and I see why now. They’re both great for end-of-the-world spectacle, but they approach the disaster in different ways that make the question of “which is better” simply a matter of preference. Do you want Michael Bay-style cheesiness and frenetic action, or a somewhat more serious take on how the world might react in an apocalyptic scenario (dark cheese, you might say)? The latter is Deep Impact.

Technically, Deep Impact features a world-ending comet rather than an asteroid, a comet discovered by high school student Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood). Once a nosy reporter (Téa Leoni) stumbles upon this government secret, the President (Morgan Freeman) announces a space mission to divert it, as well as some extreme evacuation and protection measures should the worst happen. Like Armageddon, there’s a game all-star cast to elevate the disaster flick, including Maximilian Schell, Vanessa Redgrave, James Cromwell, Jon Favreau, Kurtwood Smith, Denise Crosby, and Robert Duvall as the most experienced astronaut on the earth-saving mission. Together, they provide varied views of the incoming cataclysm, from reporters to politicians to would-be heroes to everyday folks, but the best has to be Freeman as the President we’d all want in such a situation: calm, honest, and willing to invoke God and prayer in encouraging people.

Despite the life-and-death stakes, Armageddon had that Michael Bay action movie quality with strong doses of humor from the rough-and-ready drillers, but Deep Impact has much more weight to it and isn’t afraid to embrace the tragedy of the disaster. I’d heard it was darker, which led me to believe the characters’ efforts would wind up being hopeless and futile. The fact that I was proven wrong was a pleasant surprise and helped me enjoy the movie far more than I expected going in.

It still can’t quite escape shades of the cheesy and impractical. For example, my VC found it totally unrealistic for Leoni’s reporter to get on TV covering the astronaut’s mission and just leave dead air as she stares at the screen with everyone else. Still, it’s easier to take seriously than Armageddon, with good effects and the benefit of being easier on the eyes than Michael Bay’s editing. It also affirms heroism and hope in the face of apparent doom, and on retrospect, I liked how some characters’ seemingly foolish clinging to that hope actually paid off compared with others’ resignation to death. They both have their strengths, but as far as which of the two “asteroid” disaster movies is objectively better, I think Deep Impact gets my vote.

Best line: (President Tom Beck) “Cities fall, but they are rebuilt. And heroes die, but they are remembered. We honor them with every brick we lay, with every field we sow, with every child we comfort and then teach to rejoice in what we have been re-given: our planet, our home. So now, let us begin.”

 

Rank: List Runner-Up

 

© 2018 S.G. Liput
527 Followers and Counting

 

2017 Blindspot Ranking

Tags

Lists

As 2018 starts, it’s about time to decide on my Blindspot picks for the year. After seeing others taking part, I just started following this fun series last year, choosing twelve films that I’d been meaning to see and watching one a month for the year. For the most part, I enjoyed my 2017 picks, three of which made my Top 365 List, but I thought I’d do an official ranking before announcing my 2018 picks later this week. So here’s how the 2017 Blindspots stacked up, ranked worst to best, along with some nice short comments on each (since you can just read the review if you’re really curious).

 

12. Blade Runner

Great visuals, largely boring narrative

 

11. An American in Paris

Amazing dance numbers (a tad overlong though), paper thin plot

 

10. Imitation of Life

Important film dealing with race, some subplot weaknesses

 

9. Darby O’Gill and the Little People

Underrated and charming Disney classic, wish I’d seen it as a kid

 

8. In Your Eyes

Unique and slightly weird romance that mostly works

 

7. Donnie Darko

Still trying to process this dark sci-fi tale, strong performances and soundtrack

 

6. Giovanni’s Island

Tragic anime drama clearly echoing Grave of the Fireflies, touching ending

 

5. The Help

Fantastic acting from all involved, won’t look at chocolate pie the same way

 

4. Hear Me

Really charming Taiwanese rom com mostly in sign language (made the List mainly for being paired with A Silent Voice)

 

3. Cinema Paradiso

Moving Italian classic that appeals to one’s love of film

 

2. Saving Private Ryan

Gruesome but hard-hitting war drama, not a casual watch but indeed one of the greatest war movies ever

 

1. Shuffle

Lean and fascinating time travel story, worthy of much greater recognition

 

 

My Top Twelve Scenes Seen in 2017

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Now that one year has ended and another taken its place, everyone’s coming out with their long-awaited retrospective best-of lists, which I love reading. As with last year, though, I don’t think I’m ready to make a Top Twelve list strictly for 2017 movies. I’m always behind other bloggers when it comes to new releases, and though I’ve seen more than in past years, there are plenty of films I need to check out before I feel I can compile a worthwhile list for last year.

What I can do is follow last year’s example and list my favorite scenes seen for the first time last year. It’s one thing to honor whole movies, but when a certain scene sticks out above all the others, it can make the movie that much more special and memorable. Thus, for this list, I have cherry-picked the top twelve highlights of my movie-watching year, and that goes for all films seen, not just the List-Worthy ones. Be warned that some of the videos may contain spoilers, such as #10 and #4. It was tough ranking these, and I think I had a better selection this year than for the 2016 list. Let’s walk down memory lane, shall we?

12. Chain reaction – Ink (2009)

Ink is a low-budget, high-concept fantasy drama with a lot going on. It gives a glimpse of a kind of spiritual warfare between those who spread dreams and those who plant nightmares, and one group of invisible “dream warriors” must help a man reconnect with his hospitalized daughter. The manner in which they get his attention, so to speak, is a brilliantly composed illustration of how events are interconnected and perhaps more changeable than we realize. It would be a potentially silly chain of events if it were in a Final Destination movie, but Ink makes it somehow poetic. “Something’s got to stop the flow.”

11. Killing the alien (twice) – Alien: Covenant (2017)

For all my issues with Alien: Covenant, it did have some marvelous visuals, and even if I didn’t like where David ended up, his alien creations were dispatched in thrilling fashion. First, Daniels splatters one in the film’s best action set piece, and then she impales one on its way out to space, since blowing aliens into space is the preferred method in these movies. Both were grand on the big screen! (Language warning for the video.)

10. Ending montage – Cinema Paradiso (1988)

I won’t spoil the meaning behind the ending montage of this Italian classic, which is beautiful on its own but even more so in context. It’s simply the best possible way for the film to have ended. (Warning for two brief scenes of nudity.)

9. One-shot boxing match – Creed (2015)

If you’ve read my posts for a while, you might know that I love long tracking shots that clearly take much effort on the part of the actors and filmmakers. One of the finest examples was Adonis Creed’s first official match in Creed. This clip isn’t quite the whole thing, but from exiting the tunnel to climbing into the ring all the way to the knockout and celebration, I can just imagine how much time it took to perfect this amazing shot.

8. Opening car chase – Baby Driver (2017)

Well, here’s where I really draw the distinction between movies seen and scenes seen, since I haven’t actually watched all of Baby Driver. Still, I was wowed by its opening car chase, set to the obscure rock song “Bellbottoms”. The editing and action are so well polished that I’ll definitely have to check out the whole film soon.

7. Entire amusement park tank battle – Girls und Panzer der Film (2015)

What do you get when you cross historically accurate tanks, high-school girls, and a ridiculous disregard for personal property and the laws of physics? Answer: Girls und Panzer, a short anime series in which tank war games are considered a girls sport. This sequel film is an utterly bonkers thrill ride once the tank warfare picks up, especially when the protagonist team uses various theme park rides to their benefit. It’s a guilty pleasure but a darn fun one, as you can see from the hilarious “reactions” in the video below.

6. Normandy invasion – Saving Private Ryan (1998)

It’s not a scene to watch casually (which is why there’s no video this time), but the re-creation of the Normandy landing in Saving Private Ryan is the first intense gut punch in a movie full of them. Visceral and masterfully filmed, it’s an unforgettable sequence that helps you greater appreciate the horror those men endured for our freedom.

5. Opening scene – Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Valerian had plenty of eye-popping scenes that proved that visual effects are limited only by the director’s imagination, of which Luc Besson has plenty. The best scene, though, might be the opening, a montage of mankind’s camaraderie in reaching for the stars and turning first contact with aliens into an ever-growing collaboration. Reminiscent of Star Trek, it’s an inspiringly rosy vision of the future.

4. Final Scene – A Silent Voice (2016)

Arrival was the only film to make me cry last year, but A Silent Voice brought me close with its final scene, a hope-affirming vindication for repentant bully Shoya Ishida. Building on an established visual metaphor for his feelings of isolation, the emotions and music give me chills every time.

3. Opening scene – La La Land (2016)

I went in to La La Land fully expecting it to be overrated, but its very first scene bowled me over. As an entire packed freeway comes alive singing “Another Day of Sun,” the camera movements and choreography are astounding. What’s even more impressive is that it looks like all one shot!

2. No Man’s Land – Wonder Woman (2017)

I knew this scene would make the list as soon as I saw it. Appalled by the cruelty and helplessness of World War I, Diana steps onto No Man’s Land to prove that “No Man” does not include her. Epic in a way most superhero movies only try for, it’s an awesome action centerpiece.

1. Holdo’s hyperjump and Luke’s big moment – Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Like last year, my #1 movie grabs the #1 spot here as well. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I won’t go into too much detail (no video yet either), but I’m sure anyone who’s seen The Last Jedi knows what scenes I’m talking about. This is as epic and impactful as Star Wars has ever been, and I loved it!

 

 

And here are the alphabetical runners-up, all great scenes in their own right and all for different reasons, whether hilarious, thrilling, or traumatic. A few even have more than one.

Patsey’s whipping – 12 Years a Slave

The twist – Arrival

Kumail’s on-stage breakdown – The Big Sick

Shoot-out tracking shot – The Book of Eli

The explosion – Deepwater Horizon

“John Smith,” and Kyon’s monologue – The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Phone call with father – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Ship sinking – Dunkirk

Zombie bombers, and the flamethrower carriage – The Empire of Corpses

“Pass the Peace Pipe” dance number – Good News

“Mr. Blue Sky” opening, and Yondu’s arrow melee (see top) – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Running back to save more – Hacksaw Ridge

Meeting the parents – Hear Me

Revolving time lapse – Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Kong vs. giant skullcrawler – Kong: Skull Island

Shuvi vs. Jibril – No Game No Life: Zero

The tsunami – The Red Turtle

End credits – Roller Town (seriously the hardest laugh I had all year)

The pizza man – September Morning

Washington Monument rescue – Spider-Man: Homecoming

Crossing the rope bridge, and tree explosion – Sorcerer

Alley fight – They Live

Hulk vs. Thor, and the action finale – Thor: Ragnarok

Platform collapse – The Wages of Fear

Alice Cooper cameo, and “Ballroom Blitz” (see bottom) – Wayne’s World (I love the “Bohemian Rhapsody” scene, but I’d seen it long before this year.)

Avalanche – War for the Planet of the Apes

 

I wish I could make a montage of all these scenes. Maybe one day…  What other memorable scenes did 2017 offer you? Feel free to share your thoughts and favorites!