Movies of 2015

      There is no way this will be comprehensive like the books or short stories, because I'm starting this post in early December. So it'll be more like "Selected Movies of 2015 That I Remember" instead. To go on this list, it has to have been watched all the way through, since snippets of movies can be quickly abandoned due to boredom on Netflix if they open too slowly (cough, Hercules, You've Got Mail, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, Batman, Batman Begins....), and it's super-easy to only catch a snippet in the middle of something while flipping TV channels, then forgetting to look up more information while investigating if it might be worthwhile to watch the whole thing. (Usually not. Between Wikipedia, IMDB and PluggedIn, you can get almost all the info necessary without watching, except usually quotes.)

MVP: Most Valuable Primate (2000)
     Kevin Zegers(Josh Framm of the Air Bud movies) plays a kid who just moved from California to a small town in British Columbia with his mom and deaf sister. He comes across Jack, a brilliant escaped chimpanzee, and teaches him to play hockey. This was the first movie I had ever seen that prominently featured a deaf character, besides being one that was rented from Eagle's Nest over and over and over. I tracked down the whole thing through spliced-together YouTube clips one cold Sunday afternoon because I was bored.

Days of Thunder (1990)
     Tom Cruise is the hottest young driver the NASCAR world has ever seen. He's also unlike anything anyone in the NASCAR world has ever seen.... Jeff Gordon was basically Cruise's character when he came along three years later. He was even going to share the same number(46), but the movie still had the NASCAR lease on it, so he went with 24 instead. That turned out pretty well.
     The first half of this movie is much better than the second half, but it was incredibly important to stock-car racing history, and it stars Tom Cruise, and features Cary Elwes, too.

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
      This is a Humphrey Bogart movie about a young woman who becomes a movie star. It's full of cynical quips about show business.

His Girl Friday (1940)
     Cary Grant plays a newspaper publisher who divorced his best reporter; they're forced to work together to break a story, it's a frenetic screwball comedy told at ninety miles an hour. Good movie! (Unless you're a weird Cary Grant-hating cat like Rags is.)

The Incredibles (2004)
     This isn't as good as people always say it is, but it's not bad. It's just average. Frozone is the coolest character, because he's voiced by Samuel L. Jackson.

Iron Man (2008)
     Tony Stark is an arrogant billionaire genius kidnapped by the Ten Rings terrorist organization, and in escaping he begins a journey that leads him to turning his life around, creating the Iron Man armor and kickstarting audiences into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Iron Man 2 (2010)
     This one is the weakest of this trilogy, but in terms of overall importance this ranks near the top of MCU films.

Iron Man 3 (2013)
     This is a great movie. Watched in theaters on the eve of finals week my freshman year.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
     Great movie which began the superhero era. Review here.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
     Intense, exciting, modern political thriller. Review here.

Thor (2011)
     Kind of Shakespearean, with plenty of cool slanted camera angles and warm camera lighting. And it stars Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, plus there's plenty of quotable lines...and Loki, he's a terrific villain.

Thor: The Dark World (2012)
     This was disappointing. Jane just kind of sleepwalks through the whole thing, the climatic battle is hard to believe, and it's extremely darkly lit and most of the dialogue is mumbled. But Loki was terrific.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
      Hilarious tale of bickering space outlaws. Review here.

The Avengers (2012)
     Even superheroes have to work as part of a team sometimes.... read the review here.

 The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
     A little disappointing, but no movie could fit expectations that were set so high as they were for this one. Read the review by clicking the link.

Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
     This was on TV one day near the Daytona 500. I wouldn't recommend it, really, but it was pretty funny. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly make pretty hilarious drivers.

Rain Man (1988)
     Tom Cruise bonds with an autistic brother(Dustin Hoffman) that he never knew existed. Tough to watch at points, but worthwhile. You'll be thinking about it for a while afterwards.

Made for Each Other (1939)
     This has Jimmy Stewart in it, but this is really two movies in one, and they aren't connected well at all. The first half, where a couple meets and then gets married, and having to figure out how life works as a married couple, that's funny at times. But when their newborn baby gets a rare disease and the treatment has to be rushed across the country....that loses all viewer interest. The director actually got sick in the middle of filming and the medicine DID have to be rushed from one coast to the other(because overnight delivery didn't exist yet), and so he then tacked that personal experience onto the film. Bad choice.

Air Bud (1997)
     This series has miles of continuity errors that you just have to overlook, but the music is so amazing it's worth it. Besides, who doesn't want to see a golden retriever playing sports? (The original, real-life Buddy could play six sports, and he was also cast as Comet in Full House.)

Air Bud III: World Pup (2000)
     Josh tries out for the soccer team at Fernfield High because he has a crush on a girl named Emma, who in her spare time is Andrea's team's coach. And dognappers try to steal Buddy.

Air Bud IV: Seventh Inning Fetch (2002)
     Caitlin Wachs's Andrea gets to step into the spotlight, as she joins the Fernfield Middle School baseball team. Buddy comes along, too, and though it's pretty predictable, it's worth watching.

Inside Out (2015)
     One of Pixar's most amazing projects, and that's saying something. Tells the story of 11-year-old Riley Anderson's move from southeast Minnesota to San Francisco, and also how Joy comes to understand and appreciate the place of Sadness in Headquarters. I should write a review of this one.

The Fox and the Hound (1981)
     One of the saddest stories ever, and one of the most beautiful. Friendship is hard and fragile. (Also, I think Amos Slade is why I have always had zero interest in hunting.)

The Aristocats (1970)
     What's not to like? I mean, everybody does want to be a cat...

WarGames (1983)
     Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy come this close to accidentally starting World War III. It's pretty much as 80's a movie as it's possible to make, which means I loved it. Extra points for being set in Seattle, one of the NON-Holy Trinity of Cinematic Cities. See this review for a lengthy explanation of my frustration with that shortcut.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
     William Goldman spent forever writing this, which is well documented in Adventures of the Screen Trade. But Paul Newman and Robert Redford are awesome in anything, and these were some of the most interesting Old West characters anyway, simply because they ran away to South America. 

Unbreakable (2000)
     Bruce Willis is a hero who hates football, Robin Wright is his wife, and Samuel L. Jackson plays a villain with a highly-unusual genetic defect. Questions what exactly makes someone a hero or a villain, and how we become that way. Good one for pondering later.

Megamind (2010)
     This is a superhero parody that actually parodies parodying itself at some points, turning into an actual superhero comedy. Highly quotable, much better than DreamWorks usually does. Will Ferrell plays the villain, Brad Pitt the hero, Tina Fey the reporter/love interest, and J.K. Simmons and Ben Stiller have minor roles, too.

Ant-Man (2015)
     The world needs saving...again....and since the Avengers are busy with flying cities, we're left with Bobby Newport. (The Parks fan in me couldn't get over this on the first viewing.) But Paul Rudd does really well at making confused faces and being surprised by things. Other than that, this is totally predictable. There are some cool camera tricks used, though.

Mission: Impossible (1996)
     Spies! Tom Cruise! Emilio Estevez! Cool music and crazy camera tricks! Espionage and lies and chases and explosions! Really awesome movie.

Paulie (1998)
     A parrot tries to get back to his owner, traveling across the country and having a lot of adventures. Hard to watch at points, but a sweet movie.

Jurassic Park (1993)
     The movie is much scarier than the book; this is the most terrifying movie I've ever seen. But it's so well made...

Rocky III (1982)
     The best of the series, probably because Mr. T is the antagonist.    

Rocky IV (1985)
     Totally not subtle in any way, but really worth watching, if for no other reason than marveling at how terrifying a gigantic Russian dude can be when he doesn't say anything.

Spider-Man (2002)
     Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man and battles the Green Goblin while finishing high school and starting college. This is another of my favorite trilogies. They're really inspirational, but funny; filled with great acting and just good storytelling. Plus, they aren't perfect, which adds to the charm.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)
     Two years later, MJ's(Kirsten Dunst) Broadway career is finally starting to take off, and Harry(James Franco) is having trouble coping with the stress of leading OsCorp. Meanwhile, Pete discovers that knowledge is a gift which ought to be used for the betterment of mankind.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)
     This isn't as good as I thought it was when it came out, and it's nowhere near as bad as critics say. But there is too much going on. It wraps up the trilogy really well, though.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
     Be excellent to each other. It makes no sense, but it's totally quotable, dude!

West Side Story (1961)
     For a musical, it's not bad. As an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, it's far better than the original source material.

Toy Story (1995)
     Woody is the top toy, until Buzz Lightyear comes along...there are not enough good words to say about these movies. Pixar is amazing. The End.

Toy Story 2 (1999)
     The weakest of the trilogy, but still a pretty good movie. And it gave us one of the most memorable songs in animated movie history in "When Somebody Loved Me".

Toy Story 3 (2010)
     This was the most my generation had literally waited all their lives to see. And it didn't disappoint. Thought I dare you to not cry when we have to say goodbye. It's that kind of movie, and totally acceptable. Let me say again: PIXAR IS AMAZING.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
     I love this movie. It stars Tom Hanks, which is awesome. And Meg Ryan! And.....yeah, just read the review.

While You Were Sleeping (1995)
     Sandra Bullock saves a guy from being run over by a train, is mistakenly identified as the guy's fiancee, and then falls in love with his brother Bill Pullman. (The rescued guy is in a coma.) It's a terrific romcom. Very quotable. Surprised I haven't written a review of it yet.

A League of Their Own (1992)
     One of the coolest factoids of WWII history(of which there are MANY) is that there was a short-lived women's professional baseball league founded by Phillip Wrigley, called the "All-American Girls Professional Baseball League", or AAGPBL. This was based from a terrific history called Girls of Summer, by Lois Brown. The movie is more personal, since it's a film, but it's still a really great history and sports movie. And it stars Geena Davis and Tom Hanks.

Top Gun (1986)
     This was a really disappointing movie, but it has wonderful music. And Tom Hanks is really fun to watch, so he can make almost anything tolerable. Val Kilmer's hairspray is unbelievably over-the-top even by my standards, which is saying something, as a fan of 80's/90's pop culture, etc. Also, you can overuse nicknames when referring to characters, I learned from this movie.

Mean Girls (2004)
     This was way too feminine to understand, or to think was funny. (Sort of like Legally Blonde, but without at least one snicker-worthy quote.) But it's pretty much one of THE movies of the 2000's, and I was in the middle of trying to write a story set during the 2004-05 school year; the characters would have definitely seen it. And now I can know what people mean when they reference it in conversation, so I can cross that off the "Mark Twain Classics" list. ("A classic is a book everyone which everyone talks about, which everyone wants to have read, but no one actually wishes to read it." That's the same reason I'm plowing through the Harry Potter series.)

The Mighty Ducks (1992)
     You either love the Ducks or you don't. This series sparked a love of hockey in many(including me), but great movies these aren't, exactly. But they are great stories. There is an astonishing amount of Mighty Ducks fanfic out there on the internet.

D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994)
     The best of the trilogy, as the Ducks become Team USA at the Junior Goodwill Games in Los Angeles. Tons of quotable lines, plus the big game was the first on-ice action ever at the Anaheim Ducks' arena, Arrowhead Pond.

D3: The Mighty Ducks (1996)
    This isn't the best of the trilogy, but it's good to see where the kids end up in high school. There's talk of a fourth being made, as the teammates come together at Coach Bombay's funeral, but it's up in the air whether it'll actually happen or not.

The Big Green (1995)
     One of the best (in my opinion) of the sports movies of the 90's. Writing a review isn't exactly necessary, since the plot is basically the same as any of the others, but a couple years ago I did jot down a bunch of obscure facts that are easy to overlook if you aren't paying close enough attention.

Frozen (2013)
     I had to break down and watch this at some point, just to know where all the songs came from. Nowhere near as good as Tangled. 

Space Jam (1995)
     Michael Jordan has to save the world from space aliens alongside the Looney Tunes. I still can't decide if that's completely awesome, a brilliant marketing gimmick, or proof that Hollywood execs will go for just about anything when it comes to story pitches. I think all three. But this is great. And it has an extremely excellent soundtrack, too. Read the review.

Drive Me Crazy (1999)
     This movie stars Melissa Joan Hart and some guy who looks really familiar; it follows the structure of Shakespearean comedies extremely well. And the soundtrack prominently features a Jars of Clay song called "Unforgetful You". The plot is two neighbors who have to pretend they're a couple in order to date the people they really want to be with, only to realize (reluctantly and inevitably) that they love each other. Certainly not a classic of cinema, but a really good late-nineties teen film. Although it is extremely weird to see Eric Camden from 7th Heaven as a complete failure of a father.

Million Dollar Baby (2004)
     Hilary Swank plays a waitress from Theodosia, Missouri, seeking to learn kickboxing from the grouchy old trainer played by Clint Eastwood and the friendly janitor played by Morgan Freeman. This is incredibly hard to watch at points, but it's a worthwhile watch. Definitely makes you think.

I Know That Voice! (2013)
     This is a fantastic documentary about voice acting. 

The Princess Bride (1987)
     One of the best movies ever. The end. True love. Revenge. Battles of Wits! Snarky quips galore!

Much Ado About Nothing (2013)
     Joss Whedon filmed this at his house, casting most of his friends to reenact Shakespeare's best comedy. IT'S AWESOME! Clark Gregg, Nathan Filion, Reed Diamond, Amy Acker...beautiful kitchen cabinets...black and white filming....seriously, it's just fantastic.

Back to the Future (1985)
     One of the greatest trilogies in movie history starts off in 1985 as Marty McFly is a slightly-more-motivated version of Bill or Ted. Things get weird really quickly when you mess with time.

Back to the Future Part II (1989)
     We're sent back - again- to 1955 Hill Valley, and also an apocalyptic alternate 1985, and the future of 2015. October was a fun month, as everyone was celebrating the future finally being here.

Back to the Future Part III (1990)
     One final adventure for Doc and Marty, this time to the Old West of 1885, as that period was starting to wind down. But remember, "Your future hasn't been written yet! No one's has!"

Major League (1989)
     Charlie Sheen, Tom Beringer and Wesley Snipes have to keep the Cleveland Indians from moving to Miami in the late eighties. Lots of language, but it's realistic that way. Bob Uecker basically plays himself, which is hilarious.

Henry V (1989)
     This was for school, Shakespeare, to be exact. Lots of people fought each other with really thick accents, and other than that I couldn't tell much of what was going on.

Macbeth (1971)
     Another watched-for-school movie. This was extremely graphic. And directed by Roman Polanski, who would direct Chinatown five years later.

Back in Time (2015)
     This documentary is about the legacy of the Back to the Future series. It was fine, but not all that interesting or memorable.

Clueless (1995)
     Also on the "Mark Twain Classics" list, this was kind of entertaining like Drive Me Crazy. And all the great 90's slang sounded totally normal, since I tagged along with whatever Mom and Dad the youth pastors were doing in the late 90's.

Into the Woods (1991)
     This was a filmed version of the stage play. That was odd. But it's a pretty good play. Certainly makes you think. And the songs get all stuck in your head....