It’s the New Year & I’m a wild fan of lists so I went through and jotted a quick list of the (entertainment related) things I’m most looking forward to in 2017! In no real order:
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Grade: A-
Rogue One is actually a prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy (specifically A New Hope) and tells the story of the team of rebels who retrieved the plans for the Death Star. I went into Rogue One spoiler free, save for obviously what was said and implied in A New Hope, and I really enjoyed this one.
It had a couple of problems and one thing that irrationally irritates me but honestly the last part of the movie made up for any issues I had with it.
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
Director: David Yates
Grade: B+
All I really need is to hear the old Harry Potter music and you can get me into the theatre. Balanced against the fact that I’m not that big on Eddie Redmayne I was however a little worried about this one.
Redmayne plays Newt Scamander who comes into 1920’s era New York with a suitcase full of fantastic beasts. Unfortunately due to the suitcase not working all that well and a mix-up some of the beasts get released into the city and Newt and friends must find them before they get into trouble.
Arrival
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Grade: A
What is their purpose?
Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is a world renowned linguist whose called upon to help when twelve alien ships land around the world and make contact. Jeremy Renner plays another scientist who does have a very important part in the movie. Forest Whitaker is the Colonel and pretty much the go-between with the government.
Can they actual learn the alien language before the world goes over the deep end? If they do are we going to like what they have to say? Or is everything going to end because of one colossal misunderstanding?
Doctor Strange
Directed By: Scott Derrikson
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Mads Mikkelson, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Doctor Strange tells the origin story of one Stephen Strange a successful and brilliant surgeon who suffers seemingly irreversible damage to his hands after an accident. Desperate he travels around the world and winds up studying mystic arts with the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and generally on his way to superhero land.
The Witch
Director: Robert Eggers
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy
Grade: A-
In 1630 a family of highly religious settlers try to make a go of it on the edge of some very lovely looking woods. It’s not going to badly until baby Samuel disappears without a trace and the crops begin to fail. Then everything definitely takes a turn for the worse.
The Accountant
Starring: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons & Jon Bernthal
Grade: A-
Ben Affleck plays Christian Wolff an autistic numbers genius who uncooks books for some very bad people and has attracted the attention of the Treasury Department. Oddly enough it’s when he takes what’s supposed to be a safer more legitimate job that everything goes to hell for him.
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children
Directed By: Tim Burton
Grade: C
Miss Peregrine’s tells the tale of Jake (Asa Butterfield) who, after the tragic death of his grandfather, convinces his father to take him to Wales so he can look into the stories Abe used to tell him. Stories about a houseful of children with special powers watched over by Miss Peregrine (Eva Green) a governess type who can also create time loops and turn into a bird.
Oh man, did I hit some walls in September. I don’t feel so bad about the reading because it was pretty much every area of my life. October was offering a lot of maybe’s for me, at least in terms of movies and books. But I must say Westworld certainly kicked it off to an amazing start and I wasn’t expecting that.
Other October Goodies Include:
The Magnificent Seven
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Haley Bennett, etc.
Grade: B
This is one I’d been waiting for awhile. After evil miner Bart Bogue threatens the town of Rose Creek (and kills several people) some of the townspeople find help in Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington.) Knowing this is going to be an impossible fight he recruits old friends and new acquaintances to help the townspeople win their freedom.
