Blog
2014 - 2018 in Review (four year catch up)
|
2014 - 2018 in Review (four year catch up)
In 2015 I started an intensive screenwriting course, and in 2016 I started producing and directing a feature film; which curtailed my blogging. I’m nearly done with the film, so I’m finally back. I don’t think I’ll do much regular blogging in the future, but I will try to keep up my best of lists; mainly for my own recollection, and maybe someday my kids will find it interesting.
(All lists are for the years which I watched the movie, or TV show; heard the music, etc., not necessarily the year it was released.)
Best Movies
2014 - Calvary
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (absolutely my favorite Studio Ghibli film)
The Lego Movie
The Horseman (2008)
Money Movers
Grand Budapest Hotel
Edge of Tomorrow
Fury
Snowpiercer
Starred Up
Locke
Inherent Vice
Song of the Sea (I also recommend Ondine, we almost named Cillian, Ronan, which comes from this myth)
Ida (best cinematography)
The Babadook
Broken Circle Breakdown (best soundtrack)
Noise (Australian film, 2007)
Red Hill
Nightcrawler
Force Majeure
What We Do in the Shadows
Her
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
The Great Beauty
2015 - Mad Max: Fury Road
Sicario
The Revenant
Ex Machina
Spy
Brooklyn
Inside Out
Tangerine
Rashomon (finally got around to watching this thanks to a Cracked sketch - I miss those)
(I’m sure I saw more films I liked this year - this is why I need to keep up my list)
2016 - La La Land
The Nice Guys
Hell or HIgh Water
Arrival
Jungle Book
Krisha
Hail Caesar
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Breaking the Waves
The Tree of Life
The Chaser
Memories of Murder (my favorite Korean movie)
Joint Security Area
House (1977)
Harakiri (1962)
The Sword of Doom
Kill! (Japanese film, 1968)
Fist Full of Dollars
For a Few Dollars More
The Good The Bad and The Ugly
Favorite Director I Woke Up to This Year
Akira Kurosawa
My favorite movies of his:
Sanjuro
Yojimbo
Seven Samurai
The Bad Sleep Well
2017 - Dunkirk (I drove to San Francisco to watch it in Imax 70 MM on a curved screen; then stopped on my way home in Sacramento to watch it again in Imax 70 MM on a flat screen - well worth it.)
The Florida Project
Lady Bird
Baby Driver
Wonder Woman
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (second favorite Star Wars film, second IV)
Coco
The Big Sick
The Breadwinner
Where is My Friends House
Wind River
Once Upon a Time in America
Duck You Sucker
We Are X
Logan
Thor: Ragnarok
Come and See (the most amazing use of a subjective perspective in film making, creating a near overwhelming sense of immersion)
KiKi’s Delivery Service
2018 - You Were Never Really Here
First Reformed
Paddington 2 ( then we caught up with Paddington, which was also great)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (such amazing animation, ground breaking)
They Shall Not Grow Old
Leave No Trace
Shane
The Stunt Man
Train to Busan
Big Deal on Madonna Street
The Human Condition (parts I - III)
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
Double Indemnity
A Serious Man
Death of Stalin
The Trip to Spain
Best - First 20 minutes are great, slowly descending into, I don’t think that was the best directorial choice, and ending in, I see way this is such an infamous disaster -
Heaven’s Gate
Honorable Mentions (Maybe not the best, or not my favorite of the year, but I liked it and it’s worth a mention)
Isle of Dogs
Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Solo
Blow Out
It Follows
Don’t Breathe
Get Out
LIghts Out
I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore
The Lobster
Hannie Caulder
Deep Red
Heathers
Disappointments (Don’t hate them, just didn’t live up to my expectations)
Interstellar
The Rover
Birdman (an uneven film, some really great parts, some not so good)
Unbroken (a very disappointing screenplay from the Coen Brothers)
Trance
The Wild Bunch
Critically Acclaimed Films I Really Dislike
Boyhood
Under The Skin
Holy Motors
Still Need/Want to See
Winter Sleep
Heaven Knows What
8th Grade
Bad Times at the El Royale
The Rider
Roma
Zama
Sorry to Bother You
Annihilation
Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Hereditary
Widows
Mid90s
The Favourite
First Man
The Sisters Brothers
The Gift
Room
Bridge of Spies
Legend
Train Wreck
Beasts of No Nation
Son of Saul
The Witch
Hacksaw Ridge
Lion
Nocturnal Animals
Moonlight
Silence
Sing Street
Toni Erdmann
Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri
Blade Runner 2049
Hostiles
Mother!
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
The Beguiled
Phantom Thread
Mudbound
Crimson Peak
Best TV (Usually just listed the first year I started watching it, and assumed to still be on the list unless otherwise mentioned)
2014
True Detective
Dirk Gently (the British version)
Wallander (British version, though Norwegian version is good, just not as)
Silicon Valley
The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
Peaky Blinders
Marry Me (unfortunately not picked up for another season)
Orphan Black
Broadchurch
Fargo
Key and Peele
Sopranos (finally watched the whole series)
We had stopped watching Homeland, having lost interest after it seemed the story had run its course, but started again and really like the direction it’s going.
Really getting tired of House of Cards - kept watching it because my wife wanted to, it keeps reeling me in now and again and then I get tired of it. If they hadn’t gotten rid of Frank in the penultimate season, I would have been done for sure; and that was before what came to light with Spacey in 2017; but now will watch the last season.
Stopped watching Orange is the New Black after the second season.
Gave up on Downton Abbey.
2015
Documentary Now
The Story of Film (Doc. series on Netflix)
Episodes
Master of None
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Better Call Saul
Last Man on Earth (it was weakening at the end, but I still wish they had wrapped it up instead of leaving it on a cliffhanger)
Peep Show (the last season apparently, sad to see it done)
Blunt Talk
Superstore
Finally couldn’t take anymore and stopped watching The Walking Dead after Season 6 Episode 8. The show is not good enough to put up with these mid-season breaks, etc. I will wait till it’s all done, and if the general consensus is that it ended well, all finish it. Not suffering another Lost.
2016
Son of Zorn (the show I’m most disappointed was cancelled)
The Grand Tour
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Lady Dynamite
West World
Flowers
Stranger Things
Adventure Time
Siblings
2017
A Very Secret Service
Glitch
One Mississippi (it is incredibly ironic and stupid that this show was most likely cancelled because Louis C.K. was a producer. If you’ve seen it, you’ll know why)
Deadwood
Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, and First Day of Camp (The Netflix Series)
Making History (another sadly not picked up for another season)
Powerless (ditto)
Chicken
Ozark
2018
Barry
Babylon Berlin
Maniac
Detectorists
Godless
Black Sails
Plebs
Money Heist
Castle Rock
A Series of Unfortunate Events
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (always one of my favorites, but this last season deserves a special mention)
The World Cup, and British Premier League (Go Wolves!)
Schitt's Creek
Great News
Dark
Mindhunter
Atlanta
Star vs. the Forces of Evil
Gravity Falls
Haters Back Off
The Good Place
Norsemen
The Men in Blazers Show
Best Music
2014
The Collection - Ars Moriendi
Broken Circle Breakdown soundtrack
Not sure why I can’t really think of much new music from the last four years, I know that during this period I started getting back into 60’s and 70’s orchestral pop and soundtrack music like:
Ennio Morricone
Hugo Montenegro
Riz Ortolani
Lee Hazlewood
Matt Monro
Richard Harris
and the pre-disco Bee Gees
But again this is why I need/want to keep my lists more current
2015
Rhiannon Giddens - Tomorrow Is My Turn; favorite song - Round About the Mountain
Baby Metal
2016
Tom Brosseau; favorite song - Cradle Your Device
Father John Misty
Postmodern Jukebox
Andre Rieu (super cheesy I know, but I love the youtube videos of his concerts)
2017
David Benjamin Blower - The Book of Jonah
The Avett Brothers
X Japan
2018
Ruen Brothers; favorite song - All My Shades of Blue
David Benjamin Blower (all the rest of the albums); favorite song - Be Still
Pod Casts (not according to any particular year)
The Bible Project
Nomad Podcast
Men In Blazers
American Fiasco
Exploring My Strange Bible
Start Up
EconTalk (still one of my absolute favorites)
Best Books
I need to read more - this is getting redundant - but I know I read more than this, and there’s a lot of books I started but got distracted and didn’t finish, but this is ridiculous.
2014
I Partridge - by Steve Coogan
Steam - by Terry Pratchett
Unbroken - by Laura Hillenbrand
Road to Serfdom - by F.A. Hayek
Every Good Endeavor - by Tim Keller
Grow Where You’re Planted - by Daniel Steigerwald and Kelly Crull
Dad is Fat - by Jim Gaffigan
2015
Rebel without a Crew - Robert Rodriguez
Independent Ed - Edward Burns and Todd Gold
A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918 - by Joseph Loconte
The Shepherd’s Crown - Terry Pratchett
2016
The High House: The Evenmere Chronicles (Vol 1) - by James Stoddard
2017
Apparently I didn’t read a single memorable book in 2017. I know I read a lot of kids books. This might have been the year I started reading through the Bible with the kids. I know I briefly tried to start reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to them, that lasted about two nights; they were not ready.
Well this is what happens when you start watching youtube videos on your iPad while putting the kids to bed instead of reading.
2018
Jewish Pirates in the Caribbean - by Edward Kritzler
Men in Blazers Present Encyclopedia Blazertannica: A Suboptimal Guide to Soccer, America's "Sport of the Future" Since 1972 - by Roger Bennett and Michael Davies
Categories: pop-culture