Top Favorite Movies of 2018

Below is a list of my favorite movies of 2018 (list subject to change): 



TOP FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2018



1. "Solo: A Star Wars Movie" - This STAR WARS movie set ten years before the Original Trilogy told the story of the early years of Han Solo as a smuggler and criminal. Directed by Ron Howard, Alden Ehrenreich starred in the title role.





2. "Incredibles 2" - The direct sequel to the 2004 hit Disney animated film follows the Parr family as they try to restore public's trust in superheroes, while balancing their family life. They also find themselves combating a new foe who seeks to turn the populace against all superheroes. Directed by Brad Bird, Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson provided the voices.





3. "BlacKkKlansman" - Spike Lee directed and co-wrote this Oscar winning adaptation of former police officer Ron Stallworth's 2014 memoirs about his infiltration and exposure of a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs. The movie starred Golden Globe nominee John David Washington and Oscar nominee Adam Driver.





4. "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" - In this sequel to the 2016 hit film, agizoologist Newt Scamander helps his former teacher Albus Dumbledore search for the powerful Obscurus Credence Barebone in 1927 Paris before escaped wizard Gellert Grindelwald can find the latter. Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller and Johnny Depp starred.





5. "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" - In this sixth film in the "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE"franchise, Ethan Hunt and his IMF team are ordered to track down stolen plutonium, while being monitored by a CIA agent after a mission goes awry. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the movie starred Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt.





6. "Vice" - Oscar nominees Christian Bale and Amy Adams starred in this Oscar nominated biopic about former U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney. Directed by Adam McKay, the movie co-starred Steve Carrell and Oscar nominee Sam Rockwell.





7. "Aquaman" - Jason Momoa starred in this film adaptation of the D.C. Comics hero Aquaman and his bid to assume the throne of Atlantis. Directed by James Wan, the film co-starred Amber Heard and Patrick Wilson.





8. "Black Panther" - Chadwick Boseman starred in this adaptation of the Marvel Comics hero Black Panther aka King T'Challa of Wakanda about the title character's efforts to maintain his position as Wakanda's king, while dealing with a vengeful relation. Directed and co-written by Ryan Coogler, the movie co-starred Michael B. Jordan and Lupita 
Nyong'o.





9. "Ant-Man & the Wasp" - While serving out the last days of his house arrest, Scott Lang aka Ant-Man is recruited by Hope van Dyne aka the Wasp and her father, Dr. Hank Pym to help them retrieve Dr. Janet van Dyne from the Quantum realm. Directed by Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly starred.





10. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" - When Isla Nublar's dormant volcano becomes active, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event, which proves to be a scam kick-started by a greedy corporate executive. Directed by J.A. Bayona, the movie starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Ranking of Movies Seen During Summer 2018

During the summer of 2018, I only saw seven new movies. I want to say that I had enjoyed watching each and every one of them. However, below is my ranking of those seven films: 

RANKING OF MOVIES SEEN DURING SUMMER 2018 

1. “Solo: A Star Wars Movie” - This STAR WARS movie set ten years before the Original Trilogy told the story of the early years of Han Solo as a smuggler and criminal. Directed by Ron Howard, Alden Ehrenreich starred in the title role. 

2. “Incredibles 2” - The direct sequel to the 2004 hit Disney animated film follows the Parr family as they try to restore public’s trust in superheroes, while balancing their family life. They also find themselves combating a new foe who seeks to turn the populace against all superheroes. Directed by Brad Bird, Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson provided the voices. 

3. “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” - In this sixth film in the “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” franchise, Ethan Hunt and his IMF team are ordered to track down stolen plutonium, while being monitored by a CIA agent after a mission goes awry. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the movie starred Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. 

4. “Ant-Man & the Wasp” - While serving out the last days of his house arrest, Scott Lang aka Ant-Man is recruited by Hope van Dyne aka the Wasp and her father, Dr. Hank Pym to help them retrieve Dr. Janet van Dyne from the Quantum realm. Directed by Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly starred. 

5. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” - When Isla Nublar’s dormant volcano becomes active, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event, which proves to be a scam kick-started by a greedy corporate executive. Directed by J.A. Bayona, the movie starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. 

6. “The Avengers: Infinity War” - The Avengers and their allies struggle to prevent the powerful Thanos from collecting all of the Infinity stones and using them to commit genocide against half of the universe. Joe and Anthony Russo directed. 

7. “Deadpool 2” - Former mercenary Wade Wilson aka Deadpool Wade Wilson form a team of fellow mutant rogues to protect a young boy with supernatural abilities from the brutal, time-traveling cyborg, Cable.  Directed by David Leitch, the movie starred Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson aka Deadpool.  

Top Ten Favorite Movies of 2015

Below is a list of my ten favorite movies of 2015. Since my movie attendance was pretty low during that year, I missed a great deal of films. (List subject to change in near future): 


TOP TEN FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2015



1. "Jurassic World" - In the fourth movie for the JURASSIC PARK franchise, a new dinosaur created for the Jurassic World theme park goes amok and creates havoc. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, the movie starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.





2. "SPECTRE" - Daniel Craig returned for his fourth movie as British Agent James Bond in which the late "M" (portrayed by Judi Dench) reaches out from the grave to send him on a mission to go after a sinister organization behind his former nemesis, Quantum. Sam Mendes directed.





3. "Ant-Man" - Convicted thief Scott Lang is recruited to become Ant-Man for a heist in this new entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily and Michael Douglas starred.





4. "The Hunger Games: Mockinjay - Part 2" - Francis Lawrence directed this fourth and last entry in "THE HUNGER GAMES" movie franchise, an adaptation of the second half of Suzanne Collins' 2010 novel. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth starred.





5. "Tomorrowland" - Brad Bird directed this imaginative tale about a a former boy-genius inventor and a scientifically inclined adolescent girl's search for a special realm where ingenuity is encouraged. George Clooney, Britt Robertson and Hugh Laurie starred.





6. "Far From the Madding Crowd" - Thomas Vinterberg directed this surprisingly satisfying adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel about a young Victorian woman and the three men in her life. Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Tom Sturridge and Michael Sheen starred.





7. "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." - Guy Ritchie directed this adaptation of the 1964-1968 television series about agents for the C.I.A. and KGB working together to fight neo-Nazis in the early 1960s. Armie Hammer, Henry Cavill and Alicia Vikander starred.





8. "Bridge of Spies" - Steven Spielberg directed this account of the 1960 U-2 Incident and the prisoner swap that followed. The movie starred Tom Hanks and Oscar winner Mark Rylance.





9. "Kingsman: The Secret Service" - Matthew Vaughn directed this adaptation of Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar's 2012 comic book, "The Secret Service". The movie starred Colin Firth, Taron Egerton and Samuel L. Jackson.





10. "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" - Earth's Mightiest Heroes are forced to prevent an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner from destroying mankind. Joss Whedon wrote and directed this second AVENGERS film.





Honorable Mention: "The Hateful Eight" - A motley group of stagecoach passengers find refuge at a stage station during a blizzard in the Wyoming Territory. Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Oscar nominee Jennifer Jason-Leigh and Walton Goggins starred.

Ranking of Movies Seen During Summer 2015

Usually I would list my ten favorite summer movies of any particular year. However, I only watched ten new releases during the summer of 2015. Due to the limited number, I decided to rank the films that I saw: 


RANKING OF MOVIES SEEN DURING SUMMER 2015



1. "Jurassic World" - In the fourth movie for the JURASSIC PARK franchise, a new dinosaur created for the Jurassic World theme park goes amok and creates havoc. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, the movie starred Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.





2. "Ant-Man" - Convicted thief Scott Lang is recruited to become Ant-Man for a heist in this new entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily and Michael Douglas starred.





3. "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." - Guy Ritchie directed this adaptation of the 1964-1968 television series about agents for the C.I.A. and KGB working together to fight neo-Nazis in the early 1960s. Armie Hammer, Henry Cavill and Alicia Vikander starred.





4. "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" - Earth's Mightiest Heroes are forced to prevent an artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner from destroying mankind. Joss Whedon wrote and directed this second AVENGERS film.





5. "Tomorrowland" - Brad Bird directed this imaginative tale about a a former boy-genius inventor and a scientifically inclined adolescent girl's search for a special realm where ingenuity is encouraged. George Clooney, Britt Robertson and Hugh Laurie starred.





6. "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" - Tom Cruise starred in this fifth entry in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE" film franchise about Ethan Hunt's efforts to find and destroy a rogue intelligence organization engaged in terrorist activities.





7. "Mr. Holmes" - Ian McKellen starred in this adaptation of Mitch Cullin's 2005 novel about the aging Sherlock Holmes' efforts to recall his last case. Directed by Bill Condon, Laura Linney and Milo Parker co-starred.





8. "Fantastic Four" - Josh Trank directed this reboot of the Marvel comics series about four young people whose physical form is altered after they teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe. Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell starred.



 

9. "Entourage" - Doug Ellin wrote and directed this fluffy continuation of the 2004-2011 HBO series about a movie star and his group of friends dealing with a new project. Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven starred.





10. "Terminator: Genisys" - Alan Taylor directed this fifth movie in the TERMINATOR franchise, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline when Resistance fighter Kyle Reese goes back to 1984 in order to prevent the death of leader John Connor's mother. Arnold Schwartzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney and Jason Clarke starred.

Disappointing Hollywood Summer

DISAPPOINTING HOLLYWOOD SUMMER

The movie season for the summer of 2015 has been very disappointing for me. In different ways, it has been more disappointing than the summer of 2014. This disappointment stems from an observation that some of my favorite films during this summer have either bombed at the box office or have barely made a profit. 

I believe that the quality of these films have nothing to do with the box office performance. However, I also suspect that today’s moviegoers have become increasingly conservative in their tastes in movies. These movie fans tend to cling to what is familiar to them . . . especially the younger moviegoers. This is why movies like "JURASSIC WORLD", "THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON" and "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION" have been such major box office hits. Even "TERMINATOR: GENISYS" is transforming from a flop to a hit, thanks to its release in China. Are they the best this summer has to offer? I personally felt that "JURASSIC WORLD" was among my favorite films. I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed the other two movies, but to be honest, I also found them disappointing . . . to a certain degree. I believe that the Marvel Cinematic Universe and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise are in danger of running out of steam in the near future. I believe the TERMINATOR franchise already has ran out of steam. Worse, it has become just as convoluted as the X-MEN movie franchise. And a part of me wishes that the studios will move on to something new.

Then there are the films that did not do so well. "ANT-MAN" barely did well at the box office. Personally, I found it to be one of the most unusual films released by Marvel in so many ways. But it was not one of the typical films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And instead of facing the unusual nature of the film, many fans accused it of being politically incorrect. I am still shaking my head over that. Both "TOMORROWLAND" and "THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E."bombed at the box office. Personally, I felt that both movies were first-rate and the types rarely seen in today's movie theaters. But moviegoers did not want to see or acknowledge an unusual film like "TOMORROWLAND". And no one was really that familiar with the old "THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E." television series. Those who were, seemed pissed off that it was not an exact copycat of the old series. And then there is "THE FANTASTIC FOUR". Granted, I do not believe it was a great film. The three scenes deleted by 20th Century-Fox Studios left the film with a rushed ending. But so many fans are so determined to label it as the "worst film of the summer". Why? I honestly do not know. But I have this uneasy feeling that fandom's racist reaction to Michael B. Jordan portraying Johnny Storm aka the Human Torch may have played a role in this ridiculously rabid insistence in labeling the movie as "the worst ever". 

Judging from the reactions of these films, I suspect that Hollywood will become less and less willing to take chances. Look at the new "STAR WARS" movie that is due to be released in December. Aside from some new characters, it almost seemed like a copy of the Original Trilogy films that were released between 1977 and 1983. The idea of something completely new seemed to be repellent to many of the franchise’s fans. Many fans are relieved that Disney and Lucas Film will not be inclined to take chances with the franchise, which is now in the latter hands. They have made it clear that they do not want Disney and Lucas Film to . . . "repeat George Lucas’ mistake" with the Prequel Trilogy. Frankly, I wish the filmmakers would take chances. One of the reasons why I loved the Prequel Trilogy so much is that Lucas took chances and offered something completely new. If Lucas Film and Disney manage to do something completely new and surprising with the franchise, I will be very surprised.

I will also be surprised if the Hollywood industry, along with movie industries from other countries, will continue to take chances in the films they release from their studios. But after what happened this summer, I doubt it very much. Pop culture is truly going to the dogs.