End of the Year Review 2020

This year was an exceptionally bad year for the film business because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Films with scheduled release dates in March and beyond, were either delayed or realsed on streaming sites. Most of delays were pushed into 2021. This disease may have sped up the inevitable fate of movie thesters dying. I look foward to watching movies on a large movie screen agian. Until then, here is my "End of the Year Review" list. 

The Best:

1. The Trial Chicago 7
2. Soul
3. Mank
4. Tenet
5. The Invisible Man

Broken Down By Genre: 

Action: Extraction
Adventure: N/A
Animation: Soul
Comedy: Guns Akimbo
Comic Book: Wonder Woman 1984
Crime / Mystery: Enola Holmes
Drama: The Way Back
Fantasy: Onward
Historical or Bio Pic: The Trial Chicago 7
Horror: N/A
Indie Film: N/A
Musical: Hamilton
Sci-Fi: Tenet
Thriller: The Invisible Man
War: "Greyhound"

Commentary & Notes: With a very light release schedule, Im only doing a top 5. These lists in the past have been a top 10. Not goona lie, I only wanted to fill my movie viewings with films that would bring me joy or make me feel good. There was more than enough negative things happening in real life.

The Worst: 

1. Dolittle
2. Artemis Fowl
3. Fantasy Island
4. Bloodshot
5. The New Mutants

Commentary & Notes: These films wernt really all that bad. Some of these films I enjoyed but they just dont hold up.

Most Anticipated of 2021

1. Untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel
2. No Time To Die
3. Black Widow
4. Dune (2020)
5. The Suicide Squad
6. Eternals (2021)
7. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
8. Last Night in Soho
9. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
10. The Matrix 4

Oscar Predictions 2017

I challenge you to fill out an Oscar ballot. Here are my predictions for this years Oscars

Best Picture

Winner (1^st Pick): The Shape of Water

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Dark Horse: Get Out

My Vote: The Shape of Water

Actor in a Leading Role

Winner (1^st Pick): Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Timothee Chalamet -Call Me By Your Name

Dark Horse: Daniel Kaluuta - Get Out

My Vote: Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour

Actress in a Leading Role

Winner (1^st Pick): Frances McDormand - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Saoirse Ronan - Lady Bird

Dark Horse: Margot Robbie - I, Tonya

My Vote: Saoirse Ronan - Lady Bird

Actor in a Supporting Role

Winner (1^st Pick): Allison Janney - I, Tonya

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Laurie Metcalf - Lady Bird

Dark Horse: Mary J. Blige - Mudbound

My Vote: Allison Janney - I, Tonya

Actress in a Supporting Role

Winner (1^st Pick): Sam Rockwell - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Willem Dafoe - The Florida Project

Dark Horse: Richard Jenkins - The Shape of Water

My Vote: Sam Rockwell - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Directing

Winner (1^st Pick): Guillermo Del Toro - The Shape of Water

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Christopher Nolan - Dunkirk

Dark Horse: Greta Gerwig - Lady Bird

My Vote: Christopher Nolan - Dunkirk

Writing: Adapted Screenplay

Winner (1^st Pick): Call Me By Your Name

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Mudbound

Dark Horse: Logan

My Vote: Logan

Writing: Original Screenplay

Winner (1^st Pick): Get Out

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Dark Horse: The Big Sick

My Vote: The Big Sick

Cinematography

Winner (1^st Pick): Blade Runner 2049 

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): The Shape of Water

Dark Horse: Dunkirk

My Vote: Blade Runner 2049

Film Editing

Winner (1^st Pick): Baby Driver

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Dunkirk

Dark Horse: I, Tonya

My Vote: Baby Driver

Visual Effects

Winner (1^st Pick): War for the Planet of the Apes

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Blade Runner 2049

Dark Horse: Kong: Skull Island

My Vote: War for the Planet of the Apes

Production Design

Winner (1^st Pick): The Shape of Water

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Blade Runner 2049

Dark Horse: Beauty and the Beast

My Vote: The Shape of Water

Costume Design

Winner (1^st Pick): Phantom Thread

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Beauty and the Beast

Dark Horse: Darkest Hour

My Vote: Beauty and the Beast

Makeup and Hairstyling

Winner (1^st Pick): Darkest Hour

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Wonder

Dark Horse: Victoria and Abdul

My Vote: Darkest Hour

Sound Editing

Winner (1^st Pick): Dunkirk

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Baby Driver

Dark Horse: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

My Vote: Baby Driver

Sound Mixing

Winner (1^st Pick): Dunkirk

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Baby Driver

Dark Horse: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

My Vote: Baby Driver

Music: Original Score

Winner (1^st Pick): The Shape of Water

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Phantom Thread

Dark Horse: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

My Vote: The Shape of Water

Music: Original Song

Winner (1^st Pick): "Remember Me" - Coco

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): "This Is Me" -  The Greatest Showman

Dark Horse: "The Mystery of Love" - Call Me By Your Name

My Vote: "This Is Me" -  The Greatest Showman

Animated Feature Film

Winner (1^st Pick): Coco

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Loving Vincent

Dark Horse: Ferdinand

My Vote: Coco

Animated Short Film

Winner (1^st Pick): Dear Basketball

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Lou

Dark Horse: Revolting Rhymes

My Vote: Lou

Documentary Feature

Winner (1^st Pick): Icarus

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Faces Places

Dark Horse: Last Men in Aleppo

My Vote: Haven't seen any of these films, so no vote

Documentary Short

Winner (1^st Pick): Edith+Eddie

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): Heroine(e)

Dark Horse: Traffic Stop

My Vote: Haven't seen any of these films, so no vote

Foreign Language Film

Winner (1^st Pick): A Fantastic Women

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): The Square

Dark Horse: Loveless

My Vote: Haven't seen any of these films, so no vote

Short Film

Winner (1^st Pick): DeKalb Elementry

Runner-Up (2^nd pick): The Eleven O'Clock

Dark Horse: The Silent Child

My Vote: Haven't seen any of these films, so no vote 

End of the Year Review 2017

It’s that time of year again where I tell you, the internet, what movies were my favorite this past year and what movies I thought were stinkers. I’m not a professional blogger, vlogger, or movie critic, so I’m not privileged to early / press screenings. I also live in a small city that only has one 12 screen multiplex theater, meaning I usually have to wait for the national wide release date to watch any independent/low-budget films. With that being said, I’m limited on how many movies I can watch a year. The films on my lists may not be the absolute best films of the year because I see fewer movies than a professional. 

The Best:

1. Dunkirk  
2. Wind River 
3. Baby Driver 
4. Wonder Woman 
5. Logan 
6. The Big Sick 
7. War for the Planet of the Apes 
8. Coco 
9. Spider-Man: Homecoming  
10. Blade Runner 2049 

Broken Down By Genre: 

Action:  Logan 
Adventure: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword 
Animation: Coco 
Comedy: The Big Sick 
Comic Book: Wonder Woman 
Crime / Mystery: Baby Driver 
Fantasy: Star Wars: The Last Jedi 
Historical or Bio Pic: Dunkirk  
Horror: It 
Indie Film: Lady Bird 
Musical: The Greatest Showman 
Sci-Fi: War for the Planet of the Apes 
Thriller: Wind River 
War: Dunkirk  


Commentary & Notes: Any film highlighted in red is a film still on my need to watch list. If I don't get around to updating this list my current best Indie Film is I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. The Beauty and Beast is favorite Musical at this time, but I'm sure The Greatest Showman will top once I get a chance to see the film. I have a feeling The Shape of Water may bump Star Wars: The Last Jedi off my list completely. Other films that may affect this list are The Darkest Hour, Detroit, The Disaster Artist, and The Post.       

The Worst: 

1. The Belko Experiment 
2. The Emoji Movie 
3. The Dark Tower 
4. A Cure for Wellness 
5. Fifty Shades Darker 
6. Transformers: The Last Knight 
7. The Mummy 
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales 
9. Death Note (Netflix) 
10. The Great Wall

Commentary & Notes: Most of the film on this list I have watched, the ones that I haven't are indicated in red. I didn't watch such films because of three reasons. One: It's not at all my type of movie, Two: There was a better movie out that I was willing to pay for, Three: It had bad reviews, word of mouth, and opening box office number, that I skipped.  

Most Anticipated of 2018: 

1. Solo: A Star Wars Story 
2. Avengers: Infinity War 
3. Black Panther 
4. The Incredibles 2 
5. Ready Player One 
6. Deadpool 2 
7. Annihilation 
8. Ant-Man and the Wasp 
9. Aquaman 
10. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Ranking Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

Now that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters, I thought it would be fitting to let you know where it ranks on my list of "best" MCU films. 

1. The Avengers
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Captain America: Civil War
4. Doctor Strange
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
7. Ant-Man
8. Iron Man
9. Avengers: Age of Ultron
10. Thor
11. Captain America: The First Avenger
12. Thor: The Dark World
13. The Incredible Hulk
14. Iron Man 3
15. Iron Man 2

End of the Year Review: 2016

Well, it is that time of year again, where I reflect on the movies I watched this past year. My goal in 2016 was to watch at least 52 new movies, one per week. I didn't quite make that goal, even with binge watching movies through this holiday season. Before I get into my best and worst films of the year, I would like to share the films that are still on my "Watch List." In no particular orde, those films are Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, Silence, La La Land, Moana, Hacksaw Ridge, Fences, and Nocturnal Animals.

Best (by genre):

Action: Captain America: Civil War
Adventure: The Jungle Book
Animation: Kubo and the Two Strings
Comedy: Deadpool
Comic Book: Doctor Strange
Crime / Mystery: The Nice Guys
Drama: (Moonlight tentatively, need to watch)

Fantasy: Warcraft

Historical or Bio Pic: Sully (Hacksaw Ridge could usurp)
Horror: Green Room
Indie Film: Sing Street
Musical: (La La Land tentatively, need to watch)
Sci-Fi: Arrival
Thriller: Deepwater Horizon
Western: Hell or High Water
War: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

My Top 10 Best

1. Arrival
2. Hell or High Water
3. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
4. Captain America: Civil War
5. Zootopia
6. Deepwater Horizon
7. Sully
8. The Nice Guys
9. Sing Street
10. Deadpool

When it comes to the "worst" films of the year, for me these are the films that just missed the mark. Some of these films were decent films overall but bad compared to those on my best of the year list. Since I don't get paid to watch movies and have a limited cinema budget, SOME of the films on this list are drawn from other critics whose taste in film usually align with mine. These films were so bad in their opinion, that I didn't give them the time of day.

Worst (by genre):

Action: Hardcore Henry
Adventure: Gods of Egypt
Animation: Norm of the North
Comedy: Zoolander 2
Comic Book: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Crime / Mystery: Now You See Me 2
Drama: Ben-Hur

Fantasy: The Huntsman: Winter's War

Historical or Bio Pic: The Finest Hour
Horror: Cabin Fever
Indie Film: (NA)
Musical: (NA)
Sci-Fi: Independence Day: Resurgence
Thriller: Money Monster
Western: (NA)

War: Man Down

My Top 10 Worst

1. Independence Day: Resurgence
2. Norm of the North
3. Zoolander 2
4. The Huntsman: Winter's War
5. Gods of Egypt
6. Ben-Hur
7. Hardcore Henry
8. Now You See Me 2
9. Money Monster
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Now it is time to look forward to 2017 and the movies I'm most anticipating on seeing.

My Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2017

1. Star Wars Episode 8
2. Wonder Woman
3. Spider-Man Homecoming
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
5. Justice League
6. Dunkirk
7. Ghost in the Shell
8. The Circle
9. Thor: Ragnarok
10. Power Rangers

X-Men: Apocalypse Review

IMDb

Title: X-Men: Apocalypse
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Bryan Singer
Writer(s): Simon Kinberg (screenplay) and Bryan Singer (story).
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Lucas Till, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Hardy, Alexandra Shipp, and Olivia Munn.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence, action and destruction, brief strong language and some suggestive images.  
Running Time: 144 min
Synopsis: With the emergence of the world's first mutant, Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 48% "Fresh", Top Critics: 36% "Fresh", Audience: 74% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 52 out of 100, Users: 7.2 out of 10
MRQE: 58 out of 100

My Review

Source Material: Characters based on Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's design. The story was inspired by the X-men comics.  

Entertaining Value: 8

• Action Elements:  The action felt much like a roller coaster ride, but overall it was fairly entertaining.  

• Comedy Elements: There were some well-placed one-liners. It wasn't as light hearted as most of the films in the MCU.  

• Dramatic Elements: The "dramatic" moments could have been slightly better. For me, this is where some of the writing falls flat.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: This film explores further down the comic book rabbit hole. With the X-men films, many different superhero abilities are showcased. 

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 7: I would like to compare and contrast the old face with the new faces. Frist of all, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender has some of the best acting onscreen. I totally buy into them being younger versions of Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen. The onscreen friendship between Charles and Erik is echoed through all the X-men films. Which says a lot about James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender's acting chops. I really enjoyed Evan Peters as Quicksilver again. His character was one the best characters onscreen, especially his dialogue. The weakest performance out of the old faces was Jennifer Lawrence. I felt like JLaw wasn't feeling her character anymore. Her performance was fairly emotionless and kind of flat. Don't get me wrong, Jennifer Lawrence is a very talented actress and her performance in this film overall was decent, there was just an atmosphere of "not caring." I'm a bit torn on what the actual problem was her acting or how her character was written.

The new faces were a delight. Oscar Isaac is having a killer career right now. He goes from being the best fighter pilot in the galaxy, Poe Dameron, to the most powerful mutant to ever live, Apocalypse. I thought his performance as Apocalypse was spot on. I enjoyed most of the new cast, the two that stood out the most was Tye Sheridan and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Sheridan captured a young Scott Summers nicely, but it was Smit-McPhee's Nightcrawler that captured my attention. The joy I experienced from Quicksilver in Days of Future Past is about equal to the joy I experienced from Nightcrawler in this film. The both of them together created good comic relief.        

• Cinematography: 7: I know what I'm about to praise belongs more to Production Design or even Costume Design. I really liked the design of each character minus Psylocke. I will give them props for being accurate to the comic book design. I thought it a bit odd that Psylocke doesn't get the same treatment as the other horsemen, cosmetically speaking. The other three horsemen gain bad ass battle armor-esk upgrades, Psylocke gains a leotard. I don't mind seeing Olivia Munn in that outfit, but it felt somewhat out of place, especially during the Auschwitz scene. I know there was a lot of hate going around the internet about Apocalypse costume looking like Ivan Ooze, not the case in the actual film. I also enjoy the set pieces. I really enjoyed the Egypt scene at the beginning. I guess I need more epic films set in Egypt. As far as the cinematography goes, the subject meant for this section of the review, it was adequate. The filmmakers use old school camera tricks to convey Superspeed, which added to the Quicksilver scenes.   

• Direction: 7: When I look at Bryan Singer's career, I see The Usual Suspects, a cinematic masterpiece to most, X-Men, X2: X-Men United, which was in my top five best comic book movies until the MCU happened. Continuing down the list of movies from Singer's filmography, I can say he's a decent director. I say that even with the few "duds" he directed, which in my opinion are Superman Returns and Jack the Giant Slayer. I was one of the few excited that he returned to the X-Men universe with X-Men: Days of Future Past. Since that movie was hit amongst critic and fans, I went into this film with high expectations. Unfortunately, I left slightly disappointed. I felt his directing chops wasn't on par with this film. Even though this sounds negative, a seven on my scale is good.             

• Editing: 6.5: There was a lot going on. The were a least three for four different storylines, which meant jumping between them. Some of the jumps were disruptive to what was happening on screen. I'm glad this aspect of the editing started to disappear near the middle of the act two when the storyline began to converge.

• Screenplay: 6: I think the weakest part of the story was character development. This wasn't a problem across the board. I thought Professor X, Magneto, and Apocalypse's stories and motives were the most fleshed out. On the other hand, I wasn't that interested in Mystique storyline, that may be due to JLaw's performance. Apocalypse horsemen weren't the most fleshed out either. Storm has aspirations to be a strong female hero, Angel / Archangel is down on his luck since his wings are broken, and Psylocke is sexy, I really don't know what is going on with her character. The characters on the X-men side of the fight were better, except for Jubilee. I'm curious to know the reasoning behind why the filmmakers cut the mall scene from the film. That would have driven home, the fact that these are teens.

• Sound and Music: 7: I really enjoyed the music selection. I'm glad they use Quicksilver as a window into the time period musically.   

• VFX: 8: The best scenes in the film are the Quicksilver scenes. I liked how they achieved the superspeed in the film. My understanding is it was a camera trick mixed with some visual effects. There were some really good particle effects as well. The Jungle Book sets the bar for the best visual effects of this year. So far, no film has quite hit that mark of quality in visual effects.

Overall: 7: I had a good time at the theater. As of right now, here is where I rank the films in the X-men franchise:

1. X-Men: Day of Future Pat
2. X2: X-Men United
3. X-Men: First Class
4. Deadpool
5. X-Men
6. X-Men: Apocalypse
7. X-Men: The Last Stand
8. The Wolverine
9.  X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Hopefully, that give you a better idea of how much I liked / disliked this film. Overall it wasn't that bad of a film.    

My 2015 Oscar Predictions

Here are my Oscar predictions for the 2015 calendar year. 

Oscar Challenge Ballot  

Best Picture: The Revenant

Runner-Up: Spotlight
Rooting For: The Martian

Actor in a Leading Role: Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant

Runner-Up: Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs
Rooting For: Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant

Actress in a Leading Role: Brie Larson - Room

Runner-Up: Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn
Rooting For: Cate Blanchett - Carol

Actor in a Supporting Role: Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Runner-Up: Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies
Rooting For: Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Actress in a Supporting Role: Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl 

Runner-Up: Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs
Rooting For: Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl

Directing: Alejandro G. Iñárritu - The Revenant

Runner-Up: George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Rooting For: George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road 

Writing: Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short 

Runner-Up: Room
Rooting For: The Martian

Writing: Original Screenplay: Spotlight

Runner-Up: Inside Out
Rooting For: Ex Machina 

Cinematography: The Revenant

Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Rooting For: The Revenant  

Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-Up: The Big Short
Rooting For: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Visual Effects: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Rooting For: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-Up: The Revenant
Rooting For: The Martian

Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-Up: Cinderella
Rooting For: The Revenant

Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road

Runner-Up: The Revenant
Rooting For: The Revenant

Sound Editing: The Revenant

Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Rooting For: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Sound Mixing: The Revenant

Runner-Up: Mad Max: Fury Road
Rooting For: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Music: Original Score: The Hateful Eight

Runner-Up: Star Wars The Force Awakens
Rooting For: Star Wars The Force Awakens

Music: Original Song: “Til It Happens To You,” - The Hunting Ground

Runner-Up: Writings on the Wall - Spectre
Rooting For: Writings on the Wall - Spectre

Animated Feature Film: Inside Out

Runner-Up: Anomalisa
Rooting For: Inside Out

Animated Short Film: Sanjay’s Super Team

Runner-Up: World of Tomorrow
Rooting For: Sanjay’s Super Team

Documentary Feature: Amy

Runner-Up: Cartel Land
Rooting For: Amy

Documentary Short: Body Team 12

Runner-Up: Chau Beyond the Lines
Rooting For: Chau Beyond the Lines

Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul

Runner-Up: Mustang
Rooting For: Son of Saul

Short Film: Ave Maria

Runner-Up: Shok
Rooting For: Shok

Best / Worst 2015 + Most Anticipated 2016

Preface: I haven't seen as many films this year as years past. This is partly due to the size of the town I live in and the availability of films at my local theater. Therefore, my list of the best and worst film of 2015 may not reflect the "popular" view. Before giving my list of best movies of 2015, let me share with you, my favorite films separated out via genre.      

Action: Mad Max: Fury Road 
Adventure: Tomorrowland 
Animation: Inside Out 
Comedy: Ant-Man 
Comic Book: Ant-Man  
Crime / Mystery: Mr. Holmes 
Drama: Tentatively: Spotlight 
Fantasy: Star Wars: The Force Awakens 
Historical or Bio Pic: Straight Outta Compton  
Horror: It Follows 
Indie Film: Ex Machina 
Musical: Straight Outta Compton  
Sci-Fi: The Martian 
Thriller: Mission Impossible Rogue Nation 
Western: Tentatively: The Revenant

Notes: I still have a lot of films to catch up on that came out in 2015, hence why Spotlight and The Revenant have "Tentatively" attached to them. As far as Western go, The Hateful Eight could give The Revenant a run for its money, but then again I'm more anticipating The Revenant. The Drama genre has quite a few films that could slide in as my favorite, but Spotlight looks the most promising. The weakest genres this year was comedy, horror, and musicals. Most of the "pure" comedies in 2015 were stinkers critical, therefore, I didn't buy a ticket and watch them in the theater.

Best:

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens 
2. Ex Machina 
3. The Martian 
4. Inside Out 
5. Ant-Man  
6. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation 
7. The Peanuts Movie 
8. Mad Max: Fury Road 
9. Kingsman: The Secret Service 
10. Straight Outta Compton  

Honorable Mentions: 

Avengers Age of Ultron 
Jurassic World 
Mr. Holmes

Notes: Let me start with my honorable mention. Avengers Age of Ultron and Jurassic World got me in the theater and gave me a good time while I was there, but didn't quite make my top ten. Mr. Holmes just barely made my list. Mr. Holmes was by far in my top films of 2015, but when I narrowed my list to 10 it didn't make the cut. Star Wars: The Force Awakens might not be the "best" film overall, but it impacted me on all levels. Personally, I think Ex Machina is a better film than Star Wars, but I was more entertained by Star Wars.

Worst: 

1. Fifty Shades of Grey 
2. Pixels 
3. Pan 
4. Jupiter Ascending 
5. Minions 
6. Fantastic 4 
7. Chappie 
8. Pitch Perfect 2 
9. The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials 
10. Tomorrowland

Notes: I got to be honest, I didn't watch half of these movies. Primarily because they had bad reviews across the board, including the people in my closest social circles. Some of you may be confused at seeing Tomorrowland on my worst list since it's on my favorites list above. Well, Tomorrowland, had really good adventure qualities, you may say the best of the year. Heck, overall Tomorrowland wasn't really that bad of a film, but it was very disappointing, hence why it's at the bottom of the list. Fun fact: Pixels was on my most anticipated list of last year, but sank to the bottom of the barrel after seeing the trailer.

Most Anticipated 2016: 

1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 
2. Captain America: Civil War 
3. Deadpool 
4. X-Men: Apocalypse 
5. Warcraft 
6. Suicide Squad 
7. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 
8. The Jungle Book 
9. Doctor Strange (not sure if this trailer is the REAL official or not) 
10. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Notes: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice started near the top of this list but drop drastically once I saw the full trailer, and it revealed what seems to be the entire movie. I'm equally pumped and nervous for Captain America: Civil War. On one hand, it could be just as good Captain America: The Winter Soldier or it could swing the other way and just be Avenger 2.5 and focus too much time on the ancillary characters.