Movies of 2017

     This list doesn't include rewatches, but the next year's list probably will.

JANUARY
The Giver (2014)
     This movie is based on Lois Lowry's novel of the same name. It's a strange one, and it doesn't really follow the book's plot all that well, but it makes you think. It was a pretty good movie; I like it better than the book.

I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)
     A nerd goes on a date with the most beautiful girl in school. Tons of misadventures happen.

Lucy (2014)
     This movie made no sense at all and seemed pointless, which makes sense, because it was directed and written by a French guy. A young woman named Lucy (Scarlett Johannson) is tricked into smuggling drugs, then kidnapped, some of the drugs wind up in her bloodstream, and she gradually gains superpowers, ending the movie as a seemingly-unstoppable force of nothingness. Morgan Freeman plays a really smart professor and there are gangster shootouts for good measure.

My Date With the President's Daughter (1998)
     This was an ABC Saturday night TV movie, starring Will Friedle (Eric from Boy Meets World) and Dabney Coleman as the President. Anything that could go wrong on a first date does.

Rebecca (1940)
     Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, watched for Gothic Film and Lit. Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier. The book is much better.

The Haunting (1963)
     A woman gradually goes insane while working on a scientific research project at a haunted house. The book was better, but I didn't exactly love either of them. Also for Gothic Film and Lit, based on The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

Last Holiday (2006)
     A low-level department-store employee (Queen Latifah) mistakenly believes she has three weeks to live, so she plans the European vacation of a lifetime, inspiring almost everyone she comes across. It's goofy, but in a kind of good way.

Total this month: 7.

FEBRUARY
The Woman in Black (2012)
     Daniel Radcliffe stars in this full-of-dread adaptation of a dreadfully-written novel about a guy trapped in a ghost-filled house on a foggy island. For Gothic Film and Lit, based on the novel by Susan Hill.

Finding Dory (2016)
     Dory tries to find her parents, who live in an aquarium in California. This movie did not have to be made. I rank it ahead of only Brave and Ratatouille. 

A Walk to Remember (2002)
     Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel written while trying to process his sister was dying of cancer, this adaptation updates the setting from the 1950's to the late 1990's, and stars Mandy Moore, who convinced producers to include a bunch of Switchfoot and Jars of Clay into the soundtrack.

The Innocents (1961)
     One of those movies that leave you going "Well-." on finishing. For Gothic Film and Lit. Based on Henry James's Turn of the Screw, and a faithful adaptation.

Rosemary's Baby (1968)
     This plodded along to its inevitable terrible conclusion. For Gothic Film and Lit. Based on the novel by Ira Levin, directed by Roman Polanski (Chinatown).

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
     Nothing much happens in this movie; it's like Steel Magnolias that way. An elderly Jewish widow can't drive any more, so her son hires a middle-aged black guy (played by Morgan Freeman) to drive her places. Time passes and they both get older, eventually becoming friends. It was fantastic!

The Shining (1980)
     The terrible adaptation of Stephen King's (maybe) most famous novel. Everything about this was wrong. For Gothic Film and Lit.

Total this month: 7, bringing total to 14.

MARCH
Interview With the Vampire (1994)
     On the plus side, this movie has Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst in it. On the negative side, they all play vampires. (It's based on an Ann Rice novel mentioned as Lily's favorite book in Tales From Tent City.) For Gothic Film and Lit.

A Novel Romance (2015)
     This is a Hallmark movie. It feels like it. Starring Amy Acker, she plays a Portland literature critic named Sophie who falls in love with a thinly-disguised Nicholas Sparks clone (whose work she hates). The author uses a pen name for his novels, which provides most of the conflict.

Hoosiers (1986)
     Based on a true story, set in the 1950's, of a tiny Indiana town called Hickory and the high school's march towards the state basketball tournament.

Doctor Strange (2016)
     Benedict Cumberbatch joins the MCU as Stephen Strange, a brilliant asshole surgeon. Rachel McAdams plays his ex-girlfriend. In the middle-back of MCU entries.

The Maze Runner (2014)
     Based on James Dashner's amazing YA novel. A good attempt at filming an entirely unfilmable story.

The Others (2001)
     This movie stars Nicole Kidman, is set in 1945 England (I think?), and is a fantastic example of a well-constructed ghost story. For Gothic Film and Lit.

Spider-Man (2002)
     The first of the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy, which got me interested in superheroes. Peter Parker learns to face responsibility after his uncle Ben's death and being bitten by a radioactive spider.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
     Very interesting classic thriller, about brainwashed assassins trying to murder the new President
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Dead Again (1991)
     Amazing modern Gothic story and mystery, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Also stars Robin Williams in a serious role. For Gothic Film and Lit.

Total this month: 9, bringing total to 23.

APRIL
The Princess Bride (1987)
     Sword fights. Giants. True love. Revenge. S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure. One of the best movies ever made.

Speed (1995)
     A madman tries to blow up a Los Angeles bus in this spectacular thriller cowritten by Joss Whedon and starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
     A wealthy gay art dealer is accused of murdering his boyfriend in 1980s Savannah, Georgia. For Gothic Film and Lit.

Crimson Peak (2015)
     This was extremely disappointing for all three of us in Gothic Film and Lit - me, Kenzie and Dr. Mackie. The story was a great premise, but it degenerated into an incoherent and badly-done horror film halfway through. On the plus side, Tom Hiddleston was great, and making the ghosts be a helpful force was a good idea.

Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
     This is a Reese Witherspoon romcom with a lot of dramatic elements, about a newly-engaged New York City fashion designer who returns home to her Alabama hometown of Pigeon Creek and the husband she abandoned years ago after a miscarriage.

Hope Floats (1998)
      Sandra Bullock plays a newly-divorced woman moves from Chicago back to her Texas hometown after her husband leaves her for her (ex) best friend. Along the way, she falls in love with a former flame from high school.

Eight Men Out (1988)
     An account of the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, which stars Christopher Lloyd, Michael Rooker and a ton of other famous guys whose faces are familiar.

The Lion King (1994)
     Simba retakes his pride after deposing his uncle Scar in this adaptation of Hamlet. The songs are the best part.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)
     For Gothic Film and Lit. This is a odd, sad, weird story.

Total this month: 9, bringing total to 32.

MAY
Beetlejuice (1988)
     This was odd. Stars Geena Davis. For Gothic Film and Lit. It was kind of a comedy?

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
     How Steve Rogers became Captain America, the MCU's first superhero, during WWII.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
      Five losers - as in, people who have lost stuff - reluctantly join together to save the galaxy.

Iron Man 3 (2013)
     Tony Stark deals with his PTSD from the Battle of New York while confronting demons from his playboy past.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
     Several months after the first movie, the galaxy has to be saved by a bunch of losers....again. More of everything from the first movie; not outstanding by itself, but great at worldbuilding more of how space society works.

The Aristocats (1970)
     Cats try to find their way back home in Victorian-era Paris.

Total this month: 6, bringing total to 38.

JUNE
Wonder Woman (2017)
     Diana Prince leaves Themyscyria to save the world from Ares and the Great War.

Cars 3 (2017)
     Lightning McQueen is near the end of his career, and is getting blindsided by much faster rookies. So he finds himself stepping into Doc Hudson's brake shoes and mentoring someone else.

While You Were Sleeping (1995)
     A lie gives a lonely woman the family she wished for during the holidays in this wonderful Sandra Bullock-Bill Pullman romcom.

Total this month: 3, bringing total to 41.

JULY
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
     Steve Rogers tries to adjust to the modern world while S.H.I.E.L.D. is imploding in this amazing political thriller.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)
     Due to the city of Sokovia causing mayhem and destruction, and not helped by a more recent superheroing accident where a building was blown up, the Superhero Registration Act is creating, forcing those with powers to register with the government. This splits the Avengers in half.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
     It's hard work being a teen. Especially if your name is Peter Parker, and you have superpowers, and then you discover that your crush's dad is an enemy. Tom Holland is great as Spidey, and Tony Stark gets t work on his mentoring skills again. Michael Keaton is fantastic as the Vulture.

The King's Speech (2010)
     Prince Albert strives to overcome his stammering in order to lead the British people into WWII after his brother abdicates the throne to marry an American commoner.

Jurassic World (2015)
     About twenty years after the park was set to open, a new group of investors made it into a success, and even has begun to dabble in their own original dinosaurs. Chris Pratt is a raptor trainer who has to save executive Bryce Dallas Howard and her nephews when things go haywire.

D.O.A. (1949)
     This wasn't what I expected, but it was kind of interesting. A man recounts his own murder to the police.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
     This was a somewhat incoherent spy thriller.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
     The Rebels had to steal the Death Star plans somehow....and this gritty war tale explains how that came about.

The Incredible Hulk (2008) 
     The mostly-forgotten second entry to the MCU. Edward Norton is a better Bruce Banner than Mark Ruffalo.

Cinderella (2015)
     A oddly straightforward and faithful adaptation of the fairy tale, directed by Kenneth Branagh.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)
     The official ending to the TV show, Lizzie and Gordo go on a vacation to Italy with their class, and Lizzie gets mixed up in pop-stardom shenanigans.

Total this month: 11, bringing total to 52.

AUGUST
Friday Night Lights (2004)
     As a football movie, this is...fine? As an adaptation of the book, skip it and watch the TV show instead.

Mission: Impossible (1995)
     Tom Cruise stars in this excellent action-adventure movie.

The Help (2011)
     Emma Stone plays a writer named Skeeter in 1963 Mississippi, who tells the life stories of local black maids. It's well worth watching, lots to chew over afterwards. Also stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Tomorrowland (2015)
      An odd story that doesn't know what genre it wants to be. Stars George Clooney and directed by Brad Bird.

42: The Jackie Robinson Story (2015)
     Terribly sentimental story of Jackie Robinson, who is played by Chadwick Boseman (T'Challa from the MCU). Harrison Ford is the best part of this movie as Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey.

The Breakfast Club (1985)
     Five teenagers from wildly-different cliques discover their common humanity in detention. This is one of the best movies ever made.

Hoodwinked (2005)
     The animation is horrible, but a really fascinating storyline makes it worth watching. Red Riding Hood is told from four different perspectives in this well-told and fractured-but-reverent fairy tale.

Total this month: 7, bringing total to 59.

SEPTEMBER
Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
     Clunky but thoughtful political argument between Superman and Batman. Introduces Wonder Woman, which is the best part of the movie.

Drive Me Crazy (1999)
     Neighbors Nicole and Chase accidentally fall in love in this comedy starring Melissa Joan Hart. Has the craziest ending for a high-school-set romcom ever.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
     In the late 1950s Indy, Marion and their son Mutt find themselves on a new adventure.

La La Land (2016)
     "For every dream that's shattered/Another one comes true," says the David Ball song "Riding with Private Malone." That's the theme of this amazing modern-day musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

Mulan (1998)
     A Chinese girl (Ming-Na Wen) saves her land from invaders. Eddie Murphy voices her dragon.

Total this month: 5, bringing total to 64.

OCTOBER
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
     Emma Watson is a perfect Belle; this was pretty good as far as a remake goes. The Beast looks awful, of course, and there's a part where he sings a new Broadway version of a country song, but in general, I liked this much better than I expected.

Hercules (1997)
     Disney's goofy retelling of the Greek demigod. It's not serious enough to work well.

The Founder (2016)
     An extremely accurate retelling of the franchising of McDonald's. Stars Michael Keaton and Nick Offerman.

Total this month: 3, bringing total to 67.

NOVEMBER
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
     Thor and Loki meet their older sister Hela, who promptly obliterates Asgard. They run into the Hulk on the junk planet Sakaar and lead a remnant of Asgardians to Earth for a (hopefully) better future.

Field of Dreams (1989)
     Kevin Costner builds a baseball stadium in his Iowa cornfield and kidnaps his favorite author (James Earl Jones) in order to reconnect with his dad's ghost.

Slam Dunk Ernest (1995)
     Ernest P. Worrell helps his friends win the city league tournament (and beat the Charlotte Hornets), thanks to magic sneakers and the Archangel of Basketball (who looks a lot like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Nate from Doc is one of the guys on the team.

Men in Black (1997)
     Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith protect the world from aliens.

Justice League (2017)
     Batman and Wonder Woman have to recruit a team in order to save the world from an alien warlord called Steppenwolf. Introduces the Flash and Aquaman, who both work better than they should have thanks to Joss Whedon's writing. Still, this movie was a mess.

Beauty and the Beast (1991)
     The animated Disney classic.

Total this month: 6, bringing total to 73.

DECEMEBER
The Waterboy (1998)
     It takes serious skill and smarts to purposely make a movie this dumb.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
     The beginning of a third trilogy long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Facing the Giants (2006)
     "Can we remake Friday Night Lights but have everyone be perfect Christians?" Yeeeahh....but it won't be very good.

High School Musical (2006)
     The Disney Channel classic.

High School Musical 2 (2007)
     This was SO DUMB.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
     I disliked this movie, because it felt like a parody that didn't realize it was a parody.

Mean Girls (2004)
     Pop-cultural standing aside, this movie is terrible.

Agent Cody Banks (2003)
     Throw James Bond into a blender with Mission: Impossible and WarGames, and you've got this movie. It's awful quality-wise, but it does have Hilary Duff in it. Basically, it nails the attitude and tone of narratives created by 13-year-old boys.

My Girl (1991)
     An 11-year-old hypochrondiac endures the remarriage of her father and death of her best friend in the summer of 1972 in this sad, thought-provoking drama.

Total this month: 9, bringing total for the year to 82