January 2020

January 2020

 30 movies, 2 and a half books, 2 live performances

First movie of the year:

Search Party - On New Year’s morning, after everyone had left and Kristen went for breakfast with her sister, I managed to make it to the couch, turn on HBO and started watching the new Hellboy which put me right to sleep. I then turned this movie on after waking from my nap. It was all right. Lots of recognizable people and dumb jokes. A fine way to start the New Year!

Watched in theaters:

I don’t get to the movies as often as I used to but still make it to a couple movies a month.

1917 - this 2019 movie wasn’t released wide until early 2020 but it’ll probably be on my top 10 at the end of the year. It's a war movie with some big moments but for the most part it is a very small, personal movie about two soldiers on a mission to deliver a message that will prevent their side from entering an ambush. 

The film is shot as if it’s all done in one take and with some clever editing it works quite well. The scenes of sniper battles, crossing No Man’s Land, a plane crash, falling into a rushing river are all tense moments and when the camera captures it all in real time (or edited to look like real time) it pulls you into the drama and journey.

Bad Boys for Life - I remember being underwhelmed by Bad Boys when I first saw it. I watched it on TV as a kid and it was light on action and most of the humor was missing from the TV edit. I watched it recently and still found it to be light on action but it makes up for that with humor and entertaining character interaction. What action it did have was pretty exciting and overall it's a good feature film debut for Michael Bay.

Bad Boys 2 has too much of everything and it’s spectacular nonsense. This holds a special place for me because it may be the last film I sneaked into as a teenager. I remember seeing it and being so happy that other people were having as much fun as I was having. It’s crazy, it’s crass, it’s violent, it’s offense, it’s truly unfiltered Michael Bay madness.

This brings us to Bad Boys for Life which finds our boys a good deal older and they are starting to grow up. Lawrence and Smith are still as funny as ever but their history of violence is catching up with them and now Smith is being targeted by someone from his past and it puts those he cares about in the cross hairs. The action isn’t as crazy and the comedy isn’t as outlandish as 2 but it’s still hilarious and action packed. The most surprising thing about this is that the dramatic moments really land. Lawrence and Smith bring their A game here.

The Gentlemen - Guy Ritchie is at his best when making crime movies like Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Rocknrolla (he also made a movie called Swept Away and Revolver but no one really talks about those).

For more than a decade Ritchie has been making big budget movies like Sherlock Holmes and the sequel, Aladdin, King Arthur and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. It’s been 12 years since Rocknrolla and Ritchie is back with another violent comedy about the criminal underworld.

Matthew McConaughey is a weed dealer in London who maintains a criminal empire thanks to his right hand man Charlie Hunnam and wife Michelle Dockery. After years on top he decides he wants out but rival criminal organizations and a sleazy reporter played by Hugh Grant make things difficult.

It’s not as great as some of his earlier films but overall it’s a very funny and twisty crime comedy with terrific performances, especially from Grant and Colin Farrell as a boxing coach who gets involuntarily pulled into the world of gangs, drugs and guns.

Rewatched:

If I like a movie, chances are I’ll watch it a lot. I have no idea how many times I’ve seen some of these.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping - one of the best, funniest movies

Pokemon Detective Pikachu - fun, creature filled mystery

The Departed - appropriately popular cops and crooks drama

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle - best NJ movie ever

Ratatouille - this movie makes me so hungry

Set it Up - funny and charming, Kristen and I love it

Bad Boys - not as action packed as the rest but still damn funny

Bad Boys 2 - seriously one of the craziest movies ever

Airheads - The Lone Rangers were the greatest 90’s band

A Knight’s Tale - the movie that showed me the beauty of anachronistic music

Sky High - Disney made the best X-Men movie years before buying Fox

The Accountant - as cool as it is ridiculous, one of Affleck's best

First time watching:

Some movies I just haven’t gotten around to watching until now. Some movies have only just been made available on streaming.

Anastasia - Kristen and her siblings love this movie. It was fun watching the Tomasicchio’s sing along to the music. I was unfamiliar with the true story and history of Anastasia (spoiler alert, it’s sad) but it sure is interesting. This may be about Rasputin and a talking bat friend trying to kill a young woman but it's a very fun, heartwarming and family friendly adventure.

Alita: Battle Angel - James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez join forces for a fun, expensive looking, sci-fi thriller starring Rosa Salazar as a kick ass robot in a future world. The plot shares similarities with other movies about cyborgs who learn to think for themselves (think Robocop, Terminator and all of their subordinates) so the story is nothing new. The action, however, is very cool. There are all sorts of killer robots with different abilities and it includes a very violent version of roller derby where cyborgs annihilate one another for entertainment. It looked great on the small screen and I wish I saw this in theaters.

10 Minutes Gone - if you scroll through what's available on streaming or check what’s new in the Redbox you may see Bruce Willis’ face a lot. I don’t quite know why he keeps taking small roles in crappy direct to video action movies and I don’t know why I keep watching them. This one has Michael Chiklis as a thief in a robbery gone wrong trying to figure who set him up and why. I recently watched the entirety of The Shield and like Chiklis but he hardly makes this movie worth watching. Willis plays the man who hired him and, according to IMDb trivia, shot all of his scenes in the hotel where he was staying. So you can imagine the effort be gives to his 5 minutes of screen time.

Killers Anonymous - Found on Hulu this thriller looks as if it stars Jessica Alba and Gary Oldman but they are hardly in it at all. A group of killers (some assassins, some seemingly ordinary people) meet to discuss murders they’ve committed and how they feel about it. That premise actually sounded interesting to me but then a lot of plot twists are tossed in and things quickly begin to make no sense at all. It’s a frustrating mess of a movie that isn’t trying to be anything special and yet thinks it’s something special all at the same time.

Movies I own but haven’t watched until now:

As a collector of physical media, I accrue movies faster than I watch them. People often get rid of their DVD’s, VHS tapes and, in one case, Laser Discs in bulk and I’ll take it all (until I run out of space in my basement). This year I’m going to try and watch a bunch of the movies that I’ve owned for a while and haven’t yet watched. In January there was a special focus on the action movies that have been stacking up.

Action Jackson - Carl Weathers was cool in Mandalorian, but he’s always been cool

Riot - Sugar Ray Leonard costars in an action movie about a riot on Christmas

Fifty/Fifty - Robocop and the pilot from Airplane bicker and shoot guns

Firewalker - Chuck Norris wanted to make an Indiana Jones movie

Beyond Justice - Rutger Hauer takes his time orchestrating a rescue mission

Bloodfist V: Human Target - underrated martial artist Steve James’ final movie

Bail Out - Hasselhoff and Linda Blair star in a mediocre action movie

Medicine Man - Sean Connery in a boring movie from the director of Die Hard

Excessive Force II: Force on Force - a forgettable sequel to a forgotten movie.

New releases watched on streaming:

New releases that go straight to streaming used to be and indicator that the movie is bad (like the movie I watched this month) but then you have things like The Irishman.

Bulletproof 2 - besides ‘don’t watch’ I don’t know what else to say about this. The original is an action movie with Daman Wayans and Adam Sandler and is a bad movie that I watched so much as a kid. 20+ years later they’ve been replaced by two recognizable but lesser known actors in this pointless sequel that, much like the original, contains lots of juvenile comedy and bloody violence.

What I read:

As my mom often reminds me, I used to read a lot. After watching 517 movies in 2019 I felt it was time to get back into reading. I’ll still watch TV and movies and play video games (don’t worry about that!) but I’ll be cutting back on watching anything during my commute in and out of the city. Instead of holding a phone or Ipad inches from my face, most likely damaging my eyes, I’ll be reading a book!

Alien 3

I was given this months ago when a friend of mine was doing a deep dive into the Alien universe. When he gave it to me I was in the middle of my 2019 continuous movie watch and did not get around to it. When 2020 rolled around I decided it would be the first book I read this year.

The backstory to Alien 3 is more interesting than the movie itself. The trivia behind the making of his movie tells quite the tale of disagreements and difficulties so, long story short - the novelization I read does not match the finished film. The story finds Alien and Aliens survivor Ripley in an escape pod, still floating in space after the hell she experienced in Aliens. A malfunction, caused by a surviving alien, damages her escape pod which makes an emergency landing on a nearby planet killing everyone in the pod except her.

The planet she lands on is actually a prison planet owned by the corporation that sent her on her two previous missions. It's inhabited by about 25 prisoners, a couple guards and a doctor. The prisoners are mostly docile due to having found religion which is good since there are so few guards and they are unarmed. The prison is an abandoned mining facility and when the alien does strike, about 100 pages in to a 214 page book, it navigates the mining tunnels which are confusing and easy to get lost in.

So much time is dedicated to two  things - making it clear  that the tunnels are confusing and making it clear that the prison isn’t all that bad a place for those residing there. This is mildly interesting but more attention should have been paid to the actual creature. It’s not without its thrills and scares and while I'm interested in watching the movie again, I’m more curious about reading other versions of the screenplay. The most famous version is by Willaim Gibson whose screenplay was recently turned into a comic book and apparently it’s quite a different take and would have made for a very different movie.

Grown Ups 3

I’m counting this because I want to talk about it. Tom Scharpling, writer and producer for TV shows like What We Do in the Shadows, Difficult People, Nathan for You and Monk, wrote a screenplay for Grown Ups 3 just for the fun of it. The story has Adam Sandler and most of the actors you associate with Adam Sandler play themselves during the production of Grown Ups 3. They are all older now and their egos are getting in the way of having fun. Sandler, frustrated by this, rents a lake house where they continue bickering until a masked killer arrives.

Scharpling clearly has an appreciation for Sandler, his famous friends, and the movies they make. He gets their voices spot on and the violence hits hard and fast. It is a very silly idea which has been getting some positive attention ever since Scharpling shared the script early this year. It would be so cool if Sandler helped this get made and between the newfound attention following Uncut Gems and a new deal with Netflix he can pretty much do whatever he wants!

Driven

Being a big fan of the movie Drive I was excited to learn of a sequel to the book it was based on. I should probably read the first book but having seen the movie many times and after reading this it seems to me that the creators of the film stayed pretty true to the world the writer creates, the tone he sets and the voice his characters have.

After hired goons kill his girlfriend the nameless protagonist only known to the reader as Driver deals with waves of assorted heavies and hitmen who seem to always be on his tail no matter how far he runs. While on the run he stays in contact with an ex-soldier who does some digging to find out who and why people are trying to kill him.

This is an exciting story but it’s all about the dialogue. Characters say a lot, Driver says very little and it all takes place in a world where crooks, cops and everyone in between speak in a very highfalutin manner out of an old detective story and it mixes w

ell with the realism and ugliness of the world it all takes place in.

The Teeth of the Tiger

My brother Jake is a big Tom Clancy fan and when I asked him for a recommendation he told me I should start with this one.

It’s a dense, detailed thriller where every character you meet is fleshed out and it's longer than everything I’ve read in January put together. I’m mostly familiar with Tom Clancy because of the Jack Ryan movies and TV show. This book is about the second generation of Ryan’s - his son and his nephews - joining a covert team called The Campus.

The Campus operates in the shadows of the better known government agencies like the CIA and NSA. Jack Ryan Jr. talks his way into a desk job at The Campus and is placed in the accounting department to oversee money transactions worldwide from shady individuals. Meanwhile the nephews, a marine and an FBI agent, are recruited after performing well in their respective fields and are trained to carry out an assassination, which makes each of them a little uneasy.

The antagonists are a terrorist organization utilizing their criminal connections to sneak into America to carry out an attack. I’m at about the midpoint now and the attack on America is incredibly disturbing.

The writing really puts you in the mind of each character and you spend a few paragraphs with one before jumping to another. I found the structure a bit hard to follow and so much time is dedicated to building up to something but many characters, and the reader, are kept in the dark which gets frustrating after hundreds of pages.

It still mostly an exciting read and I’m curious about other Clancy novels.

Y: The Last Man 

I started reading this comic after years of people telling me it’s really good. The premise is that one day every male, human and animal, on the planet dies. Except one man and his pet monkey. While trying to figure out why he and his pet are the only survivors he encounters lots of dangerous people. I’ve only just finished the 2nd issue so I'm not sure where this is all going but I like it!

TV shows:

Finished the first season of Killing Eve and started watching Carnival Row and The Witcher. 

Killing Eve is twisty, violent fun and I look forward to watching season 2. I'm only a couple episodes into the fantasy/period piece Carnival Row but I like it a lot and I still have to finish the first episode of the The Witcher but it's pretty cool.

Live performances:

Umphree’s McGee: Outside of Furthur and moe. I haven’t seen many jam bands but I had heard that Umphree’s McGee was the most metal jam band so that piqued my interest. I would still classify them as a jam band but wow they sure can rock out. I hadn’t heard much of their stuff but that probably helped as they didn’t really play many songs except for a Rush cover to honor Neil Pert. They mostly just jammed for 3 hours and it was awesome.

Monster Jam: I highly recommend seeing a monster truck show but go to an outdoors venue if at all possible. We saw this at Prudential and it was loud and dusty but still awesome. There were  monster trucks balancing on two wheels, flying through the air and we even saw one do a flip which was apparently the first time that occurred in Prudential so that’s neat. They also had quad and dune buggy races. It was a very fun show.

Top 100

Here is a list of my top 10 favorite movies from the last 10 years. They may not be the best movies of the year they were released but they are all movies that I watched and loved and in some cases watch again and again. 

2010 

The Other Guys

Craig and I rented this and then watched it every day for 5 days straight. This is a movie where I laugh at nearly every single line and appreciate everything on screen.

True Grit

Hailee Steinfeld steals the show in a fantastic first performance in this well made, humorous and thrilling western with a great cast.

Tron Legacy

This sequel is loyal, fantastic looking and successfully builds off of the original, has some wild action and an awesome Daft Punk score.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Kristen lost a game of flip cup and the deal was she had to watch this movie, it’s one of our favorites now. We quote it very often.

Toy Story 3

I’m not crying, you’re crying! Now, excuse while I go downstairs and play with my Legos and Nerf guns and video games and all other beloved stuff from my childhood.

Undisputed 3: Redemption

The best in the prison boxing series. The formerly villainous Scott Adkins does a heel turn and becomes the good guy for an action packed hero story.

Macgruber

Seriously, one of the funniest movies ever. It’s a bit (okay, very) crass so I’m sure that’s a turn off for a few. It’s an insanely funny movie with actors dedicated to the bit.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil

This is a delightful horror/comedy about two friends enjoying their new vacation home. It’s as hilarious as it is wildly gory. Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk are great.

RED

It’s amazing that in the same year Bruce Willis also made Cop Out, one of his (widely released) worst movies. This is such a fun action comedy with a great cast and goofy vibes.

The Town

Many people (myself included) had written off Ben Affleck. Affleck wrote, directed and starred in this hard hitting crime drama of a comeback. Well done in all departments. 

Favorite of 2010 - The Other Guys

Kristen and I watch this movie so often. We probably know every line and have shown it to our friends and family. The pairing of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg should not have worked this well, it’s no wonder writer/director Adam McKay would go on to hone his skills and eventually win an Oscar for Best Writing (The Big Short, 2016). The script is hilarious and the actors are perfectly cast. Michael Keaton didn’t have his big come back until Birdman (2014). But, his performance in The Other Guys is one of his greatest. Major props to The Rock and Sam Jackson for bringing leading man energy to such small roles. Honorable mention to Ray Stevenston, who shows he can do cool and funny. I need a spinoff buddy cop movie for Rob Riggle and Damon Wayans Jr characters because they chewed the scenery and we should give them more. I would be remiss to not mention the incredibly talented Eva Mendes is hysterical and wonderful as Will Ferrel’s outof his league wife (who is a doctor and a former Nets girl). 

2011

The Cabin in the Woods

One of the best movie weekends ever for me was when I saw this, The Raid (also on the list) and Lockout (not on the list) all in theaters.  

The Grey

What originally looked like another Liam Neeson action movie (there were many after 2008’s Taken) is actually a contemplative drama about accepting death.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

No shortage of cool stunts and it smoothly ties into the previous entry and other films would follow suit. Its nice that Simon Pegg is part of the team now.

You’re Next

A violent invasion thriller with a great lead performance by Sharni Vinson that has some dark humor and is so much better than The Purge, also released this year.

The Raid

Helped pave the way to popularize well shot, well-choreographed action and move away from the quick cut Bourne style moves. Additionally this film helped launch the career Iko Uwais. 

Drive

Ryan Gosling may still be handsome as all get out in this one but it doesn’t prevent him from being a haunting beauty in this brutally violent crime drama with solid visuals and cool music.

Goon

Sean William Scott proves he can be more than just a goofball by giving a committed performance as a tough guy with a heart. The diner scene with Liev Schreiber is amazing. 

Attack the Block

Cool monsters, great soundtrack and terrific performances by Jodie Whitaker and John Boyega as characters you want to root for. This is the best alien movie in a while.

Fast 5

I’ll be the first to admit that 4Fast isn’t all that great but wow they made up for it with 5! This premiered on my 24th birthday and I saw it with a theater full of friends at midnight.

Detention

A wild, genre hopping, hilarious, sci-fi, horror, high school comedy from all too infrequent movie director Joseph Kahn. This was an instant favorite of mine when I saw it.

Favorite of 2011 - Attack the Block

Jodie Whitaker would go on to be Doctor Who and John Boyega would be cast in Star Wars and this is where their sci-fi careers started. They bring such energy to their roles here as people stuck in a situation and forced to work with one another to survive. The music is awesome. The monsters are freaky. The supporting cast is great. The kills are intense. This is one of the best alien invasion movies and one of the best movies where a group of kids team up to fight together. 

2012

Zero Dark Thirty

An intense procedural with Jessica Chastian giving one hell of an intense performance as the agent who leads the hunt for Bin Laden.

Wreck it Ralph

Video game movies get a bad rap because there are so many bad ones out there but this is about the bad guy and its equal parts funny, cute and wonderful.

Skyfall

This movie has the distinction of being one of the best Bond movies as well as one of the best action movies. There’s no world destruction here. Instead it’s an action packed and personal story.

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning

The 4th times a charm for this Terminator/Robocop rip-off series and this one is a crazy, violent, disturbing, action packed sci-fi story.

Looper

The last time Bruce Willis has really put forth effort in a leading role. This time going up against his younger self played by Joseph Gordon Levitt. Action drama sci-fi at its finest.

Dredd

Despite the fact that Karl Urban never takes off his helmet, puts on a slightly over the top gruff voice and only half his face showing, he gives such a great performance. Lena Headey’s “Mama” gives Dredd hell and their final scene is gruesomely satisfying. 

Moonrise Kingdom

With a cast full of likeable actors all giving it their all, it’s impressive your attention is on the two leads the whole time as the kids who run away from home together.

Safe

Jason Statham gives his best performance yet as a homeless ex-cop, ex-boxer who decides to help a young girl on the run from criminals and then proceeds to kill half of NYC.

21 Jump Street

The idea of older guys going undercover as cops in high school is stupid; this movie and everyone involved knows it. Tatum and Hill are perfectly cast and although silly, this one finds humor and heart. 

MIB3

I didn’t care for the Men in Black II (2002) so I ignored this movie until last year but I loved it. It is remarkably similar to the original but successfully captures the 60’s. Josh Brolin is killing it as young Jones and Will Smith matches the energy. 

Favorite of 2012 - Looper

In the future, it’s hard to dispose of a body so the mob uses time travel to send their hits back in time to die in the past. Eventually the hitmen literally run out of time and are tasked with killing their future self. If this all sounds odd, it is! But it works when it’s all on screen. It’s real cool too! Bruce Willis is sent back to the past to die, his former self, Joseph Gordon Levitt, is tasked with killing him. Willis goes on the run and Gordon-Levitt tries to figure out why his older self is so hell bent on finding and killing a young kid. There are some great performances by the lead actors and supporting cast like Jeff Daniels and Emily Blunt. The world it all takes place in may be sci-fi light (there’s some hover cars and light mutations) but it’s a cool film with plenty of surprises. 

2013

Metallica Through the Never

Every so often I come across a movie and I’m like ‘oh, this was made for me!’ This Metallica concert film/action-survival thriller is definitely one of them.

Hell Baby

It’s mostly improvisational and they may not really stick the landing when it tries to be a horror but the comedy throughout is some of the best on screen laughs. A favorite to re-watch. 

Fast and Furious 6

Not as good as 5 or 7 but still awesome. Our heroes are no longer running from the law, they are the law! A great opening and the best end credits stinger ever. 

Riddick

A Diesel and his dog. After the bonkers fantasy epic that was Chronicles of Riddick this action adventure goes back to basics and is a great retread of Pitch Black.

Pacific Rim

Monsters, robots and over the top acting all come together perfectly for this hugely fun, epic, sci-fi from Guillermo del Toro.

White House Down

I’ll watch any/all Die Hard knockoffs and this year had two that took place in the White House. This is the less violent but more fun one and Kristen and I love it. Special shout out to Dennis the White House tour guide.

The Way Way Back

A movie about growing up and making friends during summer break. It’s cute and charming and has Sam Rockwell. Need I say more? Fine, also has Toni Collette and Allison Janney.

Blue Ruin

An eerily calm yet disturbing thriller where a guy with no training, no expertise and no clue carries about a brutal revenge. 

Warm Bodies

I’ve long given up on the idea that zombie movies are as dead as their main antagonists. This zombie movie is heartwarming, romantic and funny.

In a World… 

Movies about movies are one thing but there’s a lack of movies about movie trailer narrating. Lake Bell wrote, starred, produced and directed this original comedy. 

Favorite of 2013 - White House Down

In 2013 there was Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down. Each movie is about an ex-soldier who works for the government, wants to be a Secret Service agent, avoided capture during a siege on the White House and so sneaks around the White House trying to save a child while thwarting a nuclear incident. All of those elements are found in these movies but where Fallen has brutal, intense violence and a staggering body count, Down is a bit sillier and more lighthearted while still having a serious tone and some stakes. Channing Tatum is the hero, Joey King is his daughter, Jamie Foxx is the president and they’re all wonderful. The action is exciting and the ending is corny as well and Kristen and I love it.

2014

John Wick - This was the first movie I went to see by myself (had preview tickets but no one was available that day) and it revitalized Keanu’s career and started a killer series. 

Fury

There is no shortage of tension throughout this WW2 tank movie but the scene with Brad Pitt and his team at dinner might be the most intense.

Housebound

This movie manages to be funny and scary and sweet and just downright, very good. This is my favorite haunted house movie thanks to great characters and fun jump scares.

The Purge: Anarchy

The first is a disappointment but this one takes the deadliest day in America to the streets and stars Frank Grillo, a personal favorite of mine.

LIVE DIE REPEAT

This movie was released under a different title, but for me this is the correct one. It is an example big budgets can complement a clever sci-fi plot to result in a hell of an action movie. 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I enjoy the Marvel movies but there are only a couple that I love and re-watch, this is one of them. A fantastic action movie. Just one of the best. 

Non Stop

As previously stated, I will watch any Die Hard knockoff but this one of the better ones. It’s got a Hitchcock-ian vibe with loads of twists and character actors and excitement. 

The Raid 2 

The Raid showed how well an unknown director and unknown leads could stage an epic action movie, the second showed how well they could do epic action and crime drama. 

What We Do In the Shadows 

A mockumentary about a group of flat mates in New Zealand who happen to be vampires and all of their charming, hilarious and bloody troubles. (We love you Stu!)

The Guest 

Dan Stevens is a handsome gentlemen so when he comes knocking, you let him in. Even if he does have a dark past and violent tendencies, you want to hang out with him.

Favorite of 2014 - What We Do In the Shadows

One of the few horror adjacent movies that I watch year round. Co-written, co, directed, co-starring and co-produced by Taika Waititi this is one of the best movies ever. I mean that. I love it. It is hilarious, charming and creative. This proves there is still room for new vampire movies. Some of the cast aren’t even actors, they’re just locals and friends of the crew but it all works so naturally and the end result is terrific. 

2015

Mad Max: Fury Road 

It’s hard not to call this one of the greatest action movies ever. It took years to make and it’s all up there on the screen. Bonus points for inclusivity of women in action beyond just the cast: Margaret Sixel won the 2016 Oscar for Best Achievement in Film Editing for her work. 

Man Up 

Lake Bell is so convincing as a British woman in this cute romantic comedy with Simpn Pegg that when she dropped the accent after the film wrapped, she shocked the crew.

The Martian 

An inspiring story of Matt Damon science-ing the shit out of the resources he has when stranded on Mars with loads of famous people doing what they can to rescue him.

Spy 

Melissa McCarthy has been funny and badass before, but never like this. McCarthy and Byrne bounce off each other flawlessly and its nice seeing women leads in action while also getting to be funny and vulnerable. Impressive action set pieces, hilarious slapstick comedy and loads of profanity. Honorable mention: Jason Statham’s Agent Rick Ford.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 

Guy Ritchie knows how to do sharp dialogue and fun action and his best big budget movie has plenty of both and a great cast.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation 

I really like this series and this one opens with Tom Cruise hanging off the side of a plane and that’s not even the best action sequence in the movie.

Ant-Man 

Marvel movies work best when they aren’t about the end of the world and this is one of the smallest movies (yup) but also very funny and showoffs marvel money effects.

Green Room – 

A tense film where a punk band fights a group of Nazis at an isolated bar. Brutal and badass. Star Trek alum Patrick Stewart and Anton Yelchin (RIP) are great.

Room 

Every once in a while I’ll get a hankering for a powerful drama with some strong performances and this one delivered. Brie Larson is amazing in this emotional and upsetting story.

Furious 7 

I love the Fast series and this might be the best one yet. James Wan proves he has a lot to offer the action genre and ending gets me every time.

Favorite of 2015 - Furious 7

Since the beginning (2001) The Fast and Furious series has been about family. Sticking together and being there for one another while you all get involved with international crime rings and are hunted by soldiers and battle drug dealers even though you used to race cars and steal VCRs. I love this series. A series is only as strong as its worst entry and since this series is about family there is no family member left behind therefore no movie is left behind. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2013) was dumb, but instead of ignoring the events, Fast Five (2011) brought back several characters to make it clear that it was important. Fast & Furious (2009, the 4th one) is pretty weak in story and action. Yet again, the events were not ignored or forgotten. In fact the ramifications of the 2009 chapter affected plot lines in 5, 6 and 7! The Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006, the 3rd one) makes no sense as part of the whole when it first premiered. But, instead of making it not a part of the series the next 3 films that followed were retconned to be all prequels ensuring that it was an important part of the overall series. Which leads us to Furious 7. Oh Furious 7. What a beautiful thing it is. Justin Lin had left the series and James Wan picked it up. After making a name for himself in the horror genre he was going to make a jump to big budget action. And what a jump. I could go on about the amazing action in this film - three sequences just came to mind and are some of my favorite action scenes of the decade - but this one is all about the ending. Unfortunately Paul Walker passed during the making of this film and the sendoff they give his character and the memorial to him as a person is fucking beautiful. I’ve watched this 4 times and I have cried my eyes out 4 times.

2016

Rogue One 

I’m a Star Wars fan and enjoy most of the movies but this is the most Kyle Star Wars movie. A very cool mission based action thriller in a galaxy far, far away.

Moana 

Great music, great humor, great adventure. This is my favorite Disney Pixar movie and maybe one of my favorite animated movies ever. I love it. On a lot in our house. Gold stars for strong, POC, female lead and for paying careful homage to a native South Pacific language, Tokelauan.  

Split 

A very surprising return to form for M. Night. A creepy, unsettling and dedicated performance by James McAvoy. The twist ending has long been spoiled, but even knowing that will not ruin this movie for you.

The Edge of Seventeen 

Kristen and I are always rooting for Hailee Steinfeld. She’s terrific in this coming of age comedy/drama about just trying to get through high school. Relatable and heartfelt. 

The Shallows 

One of my favorite directors right now is Jaume-Collet Serra. He made a few of those Neeson thrillers and him and Blake Lively improved on the model by making a shark thriller.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping 

When I watched it for the first time, I realized it was going to be one of my favorite movies ever. Lonely Island delivers on the hilarity and the humanity of undulating fame.

Hell or High Water 

It has bank robberies and gun fights, sure. But the core of this is all about Chris Pine and Ben Foster as brothers, Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham as cops and the banter between them.

The Nice Guys 

Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe show off their comedic chops in this 70’s detective action comedy from Shane Black. Entertaining on the first watch but it really pays to give this a few viewings to let the double entendres hit you. 

Sing Street 

Watch this delightful British film about a young boy creating a band and just try not singing ‘Drive It Like You Stole It.’ I dare you. 

The Hunt for the Wilderpeople 

A fantastic Taika Waititi adventure about a young boy accepting (or not) with his foster parents while a comically militaristic child counselor hunts for him when he attempts escape. 

Favorite of 2016 - Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

The Lonely Island are really good at writing music and making funny videos. This proves they’re pretty good at making a movie too! Andy Samberg is great as an egotistical member of a Beastie Boys like crew who surrounds himself with yes men and decides to go solo. He’s a jerk and has to take a big professional stumble, actually a few, before he can get his old crew back together, make more music and surround himself with the people he actually loves. So many great songs, loads of cameos, lots of laughs and plenty of heart. I love this one. 

2017

Kong Skull Island 

I skipped this in theaters and eventually watched it on a plane and am very annoyed about it. This is a beautiful, big movie that deserves a packed theater to watch all the carnage. 

Happy Death Day 

Yeah it’s a horror version of Groundhog’s Day but it’s great! Jessica Rothe is amazing as the lead who learns to be a better person while dying repeatedly.

Thor: Ragnarok 

Thor is lost and without his hammer, but keeps on fighting while his evil sister takes his home world. The action and the laughs are the best Marvel has to offer. Bonus points again for diversity in casting. 

Bodied 

A movie about a young, privileged, white kid joining the world of battle rap should be way more popular. It is insanely good. Amazing raps, hard to watch at times and hilarious. It’s just as problematic as you’re expecting but it pushes for solutions. 

Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri 

I’m not sure I’ll ever watch this again but damn it’s a good movie. Frances McDormand is incredible. It deserved all the Oscars.

Baby Driver 

Car chases, gun fights and conversations that all move with a rhythm. It’s a very cool movie. Jon Hamm at his most intense. Jamie Foxx at his most badass. Trigger warning: Kevin Spacey.

Logan 

An X-Men movie that features very few X-Men and has some fantastic acting, moving moments and very violent action. Jackman at his best. 

John Wick 2 

The world of Wick gets deeper, the cast gets bigger and the action gets more creative. Keanu is the world's greatest killer and anyone who goes up against him loses… badly.

Get Out 

One of the best theatrical experiences ever was seeing this in a packed theater as the crowd lost their minds during the finale. What an expertly made thriller. Peele rules.

Junkhead 

I was lucky enough to see this Claymation, sci-fi masterpiece at a festival before it seemingly disappeared. Still not sure why this hasn’t been released. Hard to sum up but all too concisely: it challenges viewers to consider what is it to be human, to fulfill a mission, to save a friend. 

Favorite of 2017 - Junkhead

I saw this one time in a packed theater at a movie festival in 2017 and I’ll never forget it. It’s a Claymation adventure sci-fi drama about a future soldier robot creature who goes into the depths of the wasteland that is earth on an exploratory mission. The director had a pretty popular short film in 2013 and tirelessly worked to turn it into a feature film which he premiered at festivals in 2017 and after that it disappeared. I can’t find anything about the movie on the internet after 2017. Usually this means there is an issue with money and rights to the film, it’s such a shame when something like this happens to such a good movie. Hopefully it all gets sorted out someday and this movie can be viewed by more people.

2018

The Night Comes for Us 

The most unforgivingly brutal movie I have seen in a long time. The martial arts and action on screen is beautifully choreographed and crazy violent. 

Overlord 

Here’s another one of those Kyle movies. Kurt Russell’s son leads a secret mission on D-Day to take out a radio tower and winds up fighting freak Nazi experiments.

The Standoff at Sparrow Creek 

As twisty as it is tense, this movie about militia members trying to weed out a cop killer in their midst is a white knuckler. A must see for mystery fans.

Free Solo 

This documentary about a mountain climber is astounding in all ways, directing, camera work and sheer ambition. The lead can come off as a difficult person but he makes it clear to all those around him - climbing comes first.

The Spy Who Dumped Me 

This action comedy went unnoticed and that is a bummer. Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis are hilarious and the action scenes are John Wick good. 

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot 

The title may allude to a bigger movie but this is a quiet film with Sam Elliott as the government’s greatest killer coming out of retirement.

Misson: Impossible - Fallout 

This series just keeps on delivering with cool stories, cool characters and cool action. Henry Cavill and his mustache bring a lot to this one. Honorable mention: Cavill arm re-load.

Upgrade 

This sci-fi action thriller from the writer and co-star of Saw and Insidious is as brutal as it is twisty as it is darkly funny. It’s like a new Robocop and it’s awesome.

A Quiet Place 

Can Jim from The Office do horror? Yes, yes he can. This is an expertly made horror film about creatures that hunt by sound and a family struggling to survive. Krazinsky manages to sneak in family drama amidst the devastation that is nothing short of beautifully brutal. 

Sorry to Bother You 

A social commentary comedy that goes places you won’t believe. I was thoroughly entertained and shocked by this one. Theater of the absurd for those that can handle it. 

Favorite of 2018 - Overlord

Like I said earlier, there are some movies that just seem to be made for me. A movie where Wyatt Russell pretty much plays his dad as a soldier behind enemy lines on D-Day leading an operation to storm a secret German base and comes across horrifying experiments really works for me. There are plenty of gross practical effects and lots of action. It wasn’t the Nazi zombie movie some were expecting since it had a lot more to do with the mission and the soldiers and I loved it.

2019

JoJo Rabbit 

Taika Waititi making a charming, cute, emotional movie isn’t a surprise. Taika Waititi making a charming, cute, emotional movie where he plays Hitler is a surprise. 

Angel Has Fallen 

Right before starting my new job I dragged Kristen to see this. Towards the middle she leaned over and whispered ‘this movie rules.’ Favorite recent movie memory.

Toy Story 4 

Toy Story 3 ended so perfectly they didn’t need a 4 but we got it and dammit they made another perfect movie. 

Avengement 

Scott Adkins has always shown talent as a fighter but here he gets to show talent as an actor while also beating up everyone on screen in awesome fight scenes.

Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood 

It’s certainly not a true story of Hollywood in the late 60’s but it’s a damn cool movie about Hollywood in the late 60’s.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum 

The cast gets bigger and the action gets wilder with each movie and this one adds several great actors for Reeves to fight with and against.

Shazam! 

DC was all dark and then they had Wonder Woman, Aquaman and then this all in a row. This is on a smaller scale than those and it is so much fun. I love it. 

Booksmart 

Kristen and I are always on the lookout for a new favorite movie and this is our newest favorite. Hilarious and wonderful movie about two best friends last day of high school.

Happy Death Day 2U 

I love the first one and this is no different. It answers a few questions from the first movie and has plenty of laughs and scares. I really hope we get a 3rd.

Knives Out 

A very twisty, funny mystery movie that has a great flow and an amazing cast. Armas and Craig are the leads and standout among some of the greats. 

Favorite of 2019 - Avengement

Scott Adkins is my favorite actor. In a time when the Bourne movies were big he was making movies that abandoned the quick cut action and focused on intense fight scenes where the kicks and punches land. Unfortunately acting took a backseat, until now. This was the first film that really relied on him giving a dramatic performance and I think he succeeds. Adkin’s character gets tragically roped into this brothers criminal world, sent to prison and is forced to change into an ugly fighting machine while imprisoned only to escape and find those who were responsible for putting him away. His turn from unlucky boxer to brutal killing machine is told mostly through flashbacks and it’s done in a way where you really feel for the character - while also feeling every punch and kick and hit as the fights here are orchestrated terrifically. Over the past decade he’s gone from bit roles in A list movies to having several leading roles released in one year and him and his stunt crew saved the best for last.

TL,DR:

2010: The Other Guys

2011: Attack the Block

2012: Looper

2013: White House Down

2014: What We Do In the Shadows

2015: Furious 7

2016: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

2017: Thor: Ragnarok

2018: Overlord

2019: Avengement