2016 in review
Well, that's another year down the drain.
Trump is president.
We lost a lot of good people. Carrie Fisher, Prince, Bowie, the list goes on and on.
I got a book out. Elder marked my return to self-publishing and was well-received.
And the Cubs won the series!
Yeah, that's a pretty hefty year.
So once again...I present the things I have enjoyed in the past 12 months. It's the year in review.
MOVIES
2016 was a pretty good year for the movie biz. The blockbuster season delivered some gems. Here are some of the ones I enjoyed and one I loved. There are still a lot of flicks I haven't caught yet i.e. Kubo, Don't Breathe, Manchester by the Sea, etc.
Captain America: Civil War Just when you think Marvel is getting ready to falter a bit and their movies are getting too big, the above happens. How do they make this work? This is the biggest battle yet and they re-introduced a character in Spidey to the universe. The film was spectacular, and while not really a Captain America movie per se, who really cares?
I mean, if this is just your average Marvel dish, what is Infinity War going to be like? Avengers and Guardians and Doc Strange and Spidey all in the same movies? The only thing better is.....(and it will happen, mark my words).....
X-Men vs. Avengers.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Speaking of the mutants, why so much hate, people? I really like this movie. Remember the 3rd X-Men movie during the first go around?It was utter crap. Yeah, Apocalypse is the X-Men movie we've been waiting for. It is a bit long, but this was right in my wheelhouse as these are the stories I loved so much in the comics.
Deadpool
I was hesitant. But the promotional videos and Ryan Reynolds kept me interested. And I did not see it in theatres. So I started behind. But yeah....Deadpool is here and the world is better for it.
10 Cloverfield Lane
Is it a sequel/prequel to Cloverfield? Who knows? But the tone is there and John Goodman is great. Sure, the ending is batshit crazy but still works. The movie is a slow burn and if you have not seen it yet, go redbox it. The experience is unique, which is something Hollywood rarely gets right.
Star Wars: Rogue One
The expectations were high for me. Very much. And that first 1/2 hour was not looking good. I was bored. But the caper started and everything fell in place. The best thing, if you know nothing about Star Wars, you can still enjoy this movie. As much as I liked Force Awakens, this is the superior film.
Before I share my favorite movie of 2016, here are a couple of shout-outs to some others I enjoyed:
Star Trek: Beyond
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
and what I can't wait for in 2017:
more Star Wars
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Wonder Woman
Dunkirk
Logan
Alien
Spidey
John Wick 2
Lego Batman
Dark Tower
Blade Runner (OMG!!!!!)
and more!
OK....drumroll.......
For me....this was the year's best:
I was not really into this when I first saw the previews. It was sci-fi and I'm always up for another sci-fi flick. But at the time we were waiting excitedly for Doctor Strange and this was just something that came out after that movie. But as the trailers kept hitting and I realized who directed it, I became more interested.
This year my divorce was finalized. It's whatever, but I am always trying to find ways to be with my kids. Movies have been instrumental in this. So anytime I can take them to see a flick, that's great. My son and I went to see Arrival. No real expectaions. We walked out agreeing it was one of the best things we had ever experienced.
It's a sci-fi alien movie but so much more. Remember how good Interstellar is? Now take that movie and pretend it's a 10 times better. I know, right? And I love Interstellar.
Arrival is coming towards the end of it's theatrical run. Go see it. Take your family, your friends, someone you care about. It deserves this year's best pic award.
FYI...Denis Velleneuve directed this, Prisoners, and Sicario. His next is the Blade Runner sequel. I'm all in.
Television
I am ashamed. I have started and not finished both Daredevil and Stranger Things. Yeah, yeah, I know. Epic fail. I'm going to get back to them, I swear. My TV watching was mitigated by school and work and pokemon. But I did find a couple of new things that I enjoyed immensely.
The Detectorists
It's about a couple of metal detecting fanatics. I stumbled upon it on Netflix and instantly got hooked. It's a quirky comedy with these lovely characters that play and bounce off each other. Looking for something different? I highly recommend this.
Black Mirror
Intense. Unsettling. Captivating. This show is crazy. Take Amazing Stories and plunge 10cc's of crack into it and you have Black Mirror. A show that provokes you and makes you uncomfortable without even being gory or scary, just challenging you to think about where we, as a species, are heading with our continued relationship and reliance on technology. Highly recommended.
Pokemon:Generations
I became a huge Pokemon fan this past year. Pokemon Go was tremendous which led me to the cards which led me to this new show. Each episode contains a short, stand-alone vignette that alludes to some larger back story. Classic characters from throughout the universe make appearances and each episode is done very well. You may not like them if you are looking for complete stories with resolutions and such. But I think this format works pretty fine.
Clarence
It's hilarious!!
Oh yeah and that happened.....
.....but this was better.....
Nothing really to add bookwise. I read Roadside Picnic by a Russian author whose name I forget and The Fireman by Joe Hill. Also enjoyed Old Man's War by John Scalzi.
Right now I'm halfway through Warm Bodies and just started the new Michael Chabon novel. There is a huge pile of books waiting for my attention.
Writing is ongoing right now. Cube will be released in paperback form within the next month or so. I'm really excited about that as it is my favorite thing I've written. There will be some new novellas hitting soon followed by another short story collection. By the end of 2017, I want to have Worldbreaker and Pied Piper 3 complete and out.
Hit me up with what you enjoyed this year.
Peace,
Mike
Trump is president.
We lost a lot of good people. Carrie Fisher, Prince, Bowie, the list goes on and on.
I got a book out. Elder marked my return to self-publishing and was well-received.
And the Cubs won the series!
Yeah, that's a pretty hefty year.
So once again...I present the things I have enjoyed in the past 12 months. It's the year in review.
MOVIES
2016 was a pretty good year for the movie biz. The blockbuster season delivered some gems. Here are some of the ones I enjoyed and one I loved. There are still a lot of flicks I haven't caught yet i.e. Kubo, Don't Breathe, Manchester by the Sea, etc.
Captain America: Civil War Just when you think Marvel is getting ready to falter a bit and their movies are getting too big, the above happens. How do they make this work? This is the biggest battle yet and they re-introduced a character in Spidey to the universe. The film was spectacular, and while not really a Captain America movie per se, who really cares?
I mean, if this is just your average Marvel dish, what is Infinity War going to be like? Avengers and Guardians and Doc Strange and Spidey all in the same movies? The only thing better is.....(and it will happen, mark my words).....
X-Men vs. Avengers.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Speaking of the mutants, why so much hate, people? I really like this movie. Remember the 3rd X-Men movie during the first go around?It was utter crap. Yeah, Apocalypse is the X-Men movie we've been waiting for. It is a bit long, but this was right in my wheelhouse as these are the stories I loved so much in the comics.
Deadpool
I was hesitant. But the promotional videos and Ryan Reynolds kept me interested. And I did not see it in theatres. So I started behind. But yeah....Deadpool is here and the world is better for it.
10 Cloverfield Lane
Is it a sequel/prequel to Cloverfield? Who knows? But the tone is there and John Goodman is great. Sure, the ending is batshit crazy but still works. The movie is a slow burn and if you have not seen it yet, go redbox it. The experience is unique, which is something Hollywood rarely gets right.
Star Wars: Rogue One
The expectations were high for me. Very much. And that first 1/2 hour was not looking good. I was bored. But the caper started and everything fell in place. The best thing, if you know nothing about Star Wars, you can still enjoy this movie. As much as I liked Force Awakens, this is the superior film.
Before I share my favorite movie of 2016, here are a couple of shout-outs to some others I enjoyed:
Star Trek: Beyond
Doctor Strange
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
and what I can't wait for in 2017:
more Star Wars
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Wonder Woman
Dunkirk
Logan
Alien
Spidey
John Wick 2
Lego Batman
Dark Tower
Blade Runner (OMG!!!!!)
and more!
OK....drumroll.......
For me....this was the year's best:
I was not really into this when I first saw the previews. It was sci-fi and I'm always up for another sci-fi flick. But at the time we were waiting excitedly for Doctor Strange and this was just something that came out after that movie. But as the trailers kept hitting and I realized who directed it, I became more interested.
This year my divorce was finalized. It's whatever, but I am always trying to find ways to be with my kids. Movies have been instrumental in this. So anytime I can take them to see a flick, that's great. My son and I went to see Arrival. No real expectaions. We walked out agreeing it was one of the best things we had ever experienced.
It's a sci-fi alien movie but so much more. Remember how good Interstellar is? Now take that movie and pretend it's a 10 times better. I know, right? And I love Interstellar.
Arrival is coming towards the end of it's theatrical run. Go see it. Take your family, your friends, someone you care about. It deserves this year's best pic award.
FYI...Denis Velleneuve directed this, Prisoners, and Sicario. His next is the Blade Runner sequel. I'm all in.
Television
I am ashamed. I have started and not finished both Daredevil and Stranger Things. Yeah, yeah, I know. Epic fail. I'm going to get back to them, I swear. My TV watching was mitigated by school and work and pokemon. But I did find a couple of new things that I enjoyed immensely.
The Detectorists
It's about a couple of metal detecting fanatics. I stumbled upon it on Netflix and instantly got hooked. It's a quirky comedy with these lovely characters that play and bounce off each other. Looking for something different? I highly recommend this.
Black Mirror
Intense. Unsettling. Captivating. This show is crazy. Take Amazing Stories and plunge 10cc's of crack into it and you have Black Mirror. A show that provokes you and makes you uncomfortable without even being gory or scary, just challenging you to think about where we, as a species, are heading with our continued relationship and reliance on technology. Highly recommended.
Pokemon:Generations
I became a huge Pokemon fan this past year. Pokemon Go was tremendous which led me to the cards which led me to this new show. Each episode contains a short, stand-alone vignette that alludes to some larger back story. Classic characters from throughout the universe make appearances and each episode is done very well. You may not like them if you are looking for complete stories with resolutions and such. But I think this format works pretty fine.
Clarence
It's hilarious!!
Oh yeah and that happened..........but this was better.....
Nothing really to add bookwise. I read Roadside Picnic by a Russian author whose name I forget and The Fireman by Joe Hill. Also enjoyed Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Right now I'm halfway through Warm Bodies and just started the new Michael Chabon novel. There is a huge pile of books waiting for my attention.
Writing is ongoing right now. Cube will be released in paperback form within the next month or so. I'm really excited about that as it is my favorite thing I've written. There will be some new novellas hitting soon followed by another short story collection. By the end of 2017, I want to have Worldbreaker and Pied Piper 3 complete and out.
Hit me up with what you enjoyed this year.
Peace,
Mike
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