2017 Potentially Oscar Nominated Movies

Are the Oscars earlier this year or have I just lost track of all time? I have done terribly in terms of watching all the movies I want to see this year within the appropriate time frame. Just yesterday I realized the Oscars were TOMORROW and that I haven't written my yearly round up post yet because I'm not even close to finishing all the 2016 movies on my list. Alas, I have an excuse: graduate school. I have been in grad school non-stop since May of last year. I graduate in early May and if I haven't fully caught up by then, I'll have time but right now I can only speak to what I have seen. As with last year, I'm going to be using the "few words" format because grad student. 

Actually, as I'm looking through my movies, it seems I did see a lot of movies this year but a good portion of them were movies from the last six years that I missed and I had been catching up. I've been on this mission to really clean up my movie list since last year and that was part of the effort I was putting in. Hopefully, I will reach my goal of getting it to 200 films this year.

Also as with last year, I'm going to list movies I don't care to see. In a bit of an update from last year, I did end up watching The Big Short and I actually loved it so, of course, there is always a chance I may see any of these. But probably not.

Movies I Don't Really Care About:

Hacksaw Ridge: I probably would have wanted to see this (I like movies about suffering) had it not been for a very specific set of experiences. I work at a bookstore and for months before this movie came out I had people asking for the book (often by the wrong title or with just a description) and explaining that it was going to be a movie. When I looked it up, I realized that it is supposed to go in the Christian fiction section. My immediate assumption was that the movie was some niche thing that would be in few theaters and not get much recognition. Imagine my surprise. Even if this movie doesn't mention God or Jesus or religion once, I'm still pretty sure it's not how I want to spend my time.

Hell or High Water: I read the description at one time and was just overcome with not caring. Something about a western and bank robbery and I'm asleep. Sorry.

Jackie: I feel like I should want to see this, at least for the costumes, but I just can't bring myself to want to.

O.J.: Made In America: I kind of want to see this and it will probably win Best Documentary but it's eight hours long. I don't have the time. At least not now. Also how can something that long even qualify as a movie. . .

And the movies I haven't seen yet. As I see them, I will move them to the appropriate section.

Movies I Need To See:
After Spring (this doc was directed by a college friend's sister; no clue how I will see it though since it's only in selected cities nowhere near me)
Embrace Of The Serpent (technically last year)
The Handmaiden
The Little Prince
Neruda
Under The Shadow

And now the lists. Movies with a + were ones not nominated for Oscars. 

Previous Years: 2016  2015  2014  2013  2012  2011


Movies I Loved:

Moonlight: The cinematography and music choices made my life. Also, the last 30 minutes.

Hidden Figures: I was completely enthralled by this movie the entire time. And I cried slightly.

Arrival: Science fiction + language studies = I'm a happy camper.

13th: The only movie I gave 5 stars to this year. Didn't even have to think about it.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: I went from really liking this movie to loving it the more I thought about it. Perhaps unfairly, the novelization may have colored my view but whatever.

Moana: The ocean is my life. And I wanted to cry at almost every song. 

Zootopia: I watched this. Then I watched it again two days later.

Sing Street+: This is just such a "me" movie. I'm hopelessly partial.

10 Cloverfield Lane+: Any thriller that makes me genuinely care about the characters and makes them behave like real people is doing something right. This one has layers.

Green Room+: Nazi punks, Nazi punks, Nazi punks, FUCK OFF. Also, see above comment.

Tower+: Really fascinating way to do a powerful documentary.


Movies I Really Liked:

The Lobster: One of the weirdest movies I've seen in a while. Very theater of the absurd.

La La Land: It seems like everyone loved ("it's so fun like a classic movie musical") or hated this ("fuck these boring white people"). I thought it was really good for reasons that no one is discussing but it's not without its flaws.

Fences: Performances: excellent. Direction: needed to be more creative to distance itself from the stage show.

Lion: A well done story but so transparently Oscar-baity if I'm being honest. Spent a lot of time staring at Dev Patel though so there's that. Glad David Wenham is getting work.

Captain Fantastic: I enjoyed the crap out of this. Kind of picked up some parenting ideas.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them: I appreciated this one more the more I thought about it and on a second watch. 

The White Helmets: Man, oh man.

The VVitch+: I'm weak for anything really historical. And witches. And demons.

Ghostbusters+: I laughed a lot. It was also distracting.

Deadpool+: Also laughed a lot. The only superhero movie I even thought to bother with. Well sorta (see far below).

The Neon Demon+: I thought this was better than "Only God Forgives." Still riding the Refn train. Got distracted a lot by Jena Malone until that one scene . . . (Note: I was a real pervert at the movies this year apparently)

The Nice Guys+: Solid Shane Blackness. No "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" but very similar.

A Street Cat Named Bob+: My heart was warmed exactly the right amount.

Eye In The Sky+: Tense. So tense. 

The Edge Of Seventeen+: I have been waiting for a teen movie like "Easy A" to happen again.

Weiner+: More thought provoking than I was expecting. The intersection of politics and personal lives.

Elle+: Verhoven is on his game. Violent and unsettling and engaging.

Paterson+: Quiet. Soft.

Love & Friendship+: Hilarious period drama.

Kubo And The Two Strings: Laika always does good work but never seems to get enough recognition. 

Finding Dory+: This was a fine sequel but I kind of can't remember it (Unlike Moana and Zootopia).


Movies I Liked:

Noctural Animals: I enjoyed this but felt like I missed the point of this film.

Florence Foster Jenkins: Perfectly fine biopic. Nice to see Nina Arianda in movies!

Imperium+: I predicted the end early but I was still on the edge of my seat for most of the film.

Hush+: Unique alteration for a horror film.


Movies I Thought Were Okay:

Nerve+: I watched it because I thought it'd be fun. It was.

Goat+: I like suffering. 

The Purge: Election Year+: I must watch every Purge movie. Such a good concept; Always pooly executed.

Me Before You+: Wanted to understand both why people like the book and why this film was controversial. It was actually better than expected but still kind of shlocky.

Pride And Prejudice And Zombies+: More 'watched because it was fun.' Great combination of things I like: period drama and ladies kicking ass.

Batman: The Killing Joke+: This should have been better. The first 30 minutes were absolutely shameful to Batgirl.


Movies I Thought Were Over-Rated:

Manchester By The Sea: It was okay. No idea why this movie is so praised. Casey Affleck is a bad person.


Movies I Didn't Like:

The Girl On The Train+: Only okay book. Not good movie. Love Emily Blunt though. She always does a good job.

Suicide Squad: What is plot? Why do I develop more than three characters? Can Jared Leto be more of a embarassment?

Pass Thru+: Neil Breen should be going down in history with Tommy Wiseau in the Bad Movie Hall Of Fame. Unfortunately this one wasn't as good delightfully bad as 2013's Fateful Findings. Actually, why did I put this in this category? I really liked this, just in the wrong way.

My Guilty Pleasure Movies

I watch a lot of movies and I have said before that my preferred choices of movies really only fall into two nonspecific categories: very good movies and very bad movies. I don't like to watch movies that aren't well crafted and smart or so bad they're funny. But what happens when I do watch movies that are in between? Those films that are not good but are not bad enough for me to laugh it. There lie my guilty pleasure movies, movies that I actively enjoy but can't really justify my liking of them. Whenever I talk about them with other people I  need to clarify that I KNOW they aren't good but I am going to watch them anyway. This is that list.

Some of these I thought of off the top of my head and for the rest I looked through the movies I had on my hard drive because therein lies the truth. If it's on my hard drive, I saved it for a rewatch. These are all films I can't in good faith rate higher than a 3/5 but there's a place for them in my heart anyway

Albatross (2011)

I doubt many people have seen this one. It's a British indie film starring Felicity Jones and Jessica Brown Findley and it's pretty mediocre. JBF is a bad influence on Felicity Jones because she wears t-shirts with risky slogans, flashes a cashier to buy liquor underage, and has sex with Jones' German author dad. There is a great use of the word "fuck trumpet." Aside from the actresses and the liberal water shots, I think part of what I like about this movie is how it's so middle-of-the-road indie that I die. The bad girl isn't that bad. The girl sleeping with her friend's dad trope is so overdone it's ridiculous. I somehow relate to both girls. I want to go to the sea.

Angels And Demons (2009)

Dan Brown is a garbage writer and this was the first book I read by him. I was in high school and I enjoyed it on a simple adventure mystery fun level while knowing it wasn't actually good so it wasn't too big a surprise when I enjoyed the film too. The plot is super contrived but there are so many things I like about this film. Science vs. religion. Rome and lots of running around Rome looking for historical stuff. Ewan McGregor as a priest making me want to sin. I actually watched this WHILE IN ROME because I am the worst.

Another Gay Movie (2006)

I watched this twice in one week the first time I saw it. It's basically just a gay version of American Pie but I genuinely think it's better than American Pie. Four gay friends want to lose their virginities before they graduation high school. Spoiler: they do. The jock and the nerd fall in love. The awkward one has a three way. The flamboyant other has the Stifler's grandad plotline. The more I think about it, the harder it is to actually distinguish from American Pie which also isn't good but I'd much rather watch this one. Plus this one gave me the word "Aberzombie" and the song "Everything Makes Me Think About Sex." There was a sequel which had ridiculous musical numbers but wasn't good. (I watched a lot of gay romcoms in college including Eating Out and But I'm A Cheerleader which might warrant rewatches)

Halloweentown (1998)

This one might not really count as a guilty pleasure so much as it's nostalgia but still. I just like magic and would want to live somewhere where it's Halloween all the time. 

Live Freaky! Die Freaky! (2003)

This movie was a full on thing with my friends in college and then we started spreading it like an STD to everyone we know. It's a claymation musical about Charles Manson and the Manson Family voiced by people in the rock community. Seriously. Billy Joe Armstrong plays Charles Manson. Davey Havok plays a gay hairdresser. Kelly Osbourne plays Sharon Tate. This movie is just tasteless and I love it so much. It's highly quotable and wildly inappropriate.

The Purge films (2013, 2014, 2016)

Every time a new one comes out I just have to watch it and I hate this about myself. The problem is that the concept of The Purge is so interesting and each movie hints at something more profound about it but each new installment is just another violence-fest pandering to the lowest common denominator. The first movie specifically takes place in a home after a boy lets a homeless man (a veteran at that; both topical now and specifically applicable to the fact that the Purge means no more military) into their house and a bunch of rich college students want him out so they can kill him. This classism is further expanded in the second movie about a bunch of people stuck outside in the city during the Purge. The idea of a resistance group who believes the Purge is meant really to control the poor is established as well as human hunting clubs for the rich. In the third a presidential candidate is running on an anti-Purge platform and her opponent wants to have her dead before the election. The ideas of Purge tourists and Purge-as-a-religion are introduced. Honestly, I will keep watching these if they keep making them but ultimately what I want is for the idea to land in the hands of someone who could make them a cerebral mediation on current issues.

Shock Treatment (1981)

The sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show barely resembles the movie it follows. The town of Denton has been turned into a game show (or something) and Brad and Janet are the contestants although Janet is now played by Jessica Harper and Brad is some guy who isn't Barry Bostwick. I don't know what's happening most of the time but the songs are just as bananas as the ones in Rocky Horror. I especially love Jessica Harper's deep voice and the song "Looking for Trade."

Showdown In Little Tokyo (1991)

I have seen a lot of 90s martial arts movies (my best friend is a martial arts instructor so this is entirely his fault) but most of them are bad movie night quality. This movie, starring my favs who aren't Cynthia Rothrock, Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee, is definitely a dumb 90s martial arts movie but it's trying to also be a buddy cop movie so it manages to be slightly better quality while still being silly as hell. I have seen this movie at least five times and I can't really tell you the plot but I think it has to do with a drug bust in Little Tokyo. Brandon Lee's character is half-Japanese but comically knows nothing about Japanese culture while Dolph Lundgren really knows what's up. It's full of odd lines and odd line reads ("That was nuts!") and it's just delightful.

Sorority Row (2009)

I have seen this movie at least fifteen times. I'm not even sure if I can explain why. It's just so ridiculous. I knew I had to watch it after hearing my junior year college roommate (who was in a sorority, by the way) laughing hysterically at the opening scene. It's pretty much your typical horror movie but I find it hilarious and some of that humor seems to be intentional. It has so many great things. You know who is going to live from the very beginning. The head bitch is practically a sociopath in how she responds to people (and is funny). The pop music score is kind of brutal and badass. Carrie Fisher has a shotgun! RIP.

The Crow (1994)

I feel like some people would argue that this movie is too good to be a guilty pleasure but honestly, it's not that good. It has a lot of style to mask how not good it is. I basically watch this movie like porn because Brandon Lee is so pretty in it. Also for the strangely realistic way he shouts out, "OH FUCK!" when he gets shot in the leg. RIP.

Vampire Academy (2014)

Another movie I watched twice in one week. I think I secretly like some dumb teen girl shit. The plot of this movie is so convoluted but I love the cheesy lines, the weird premise, the totally inappropriate relationships, the fact that it is one of TWO movies that exist where people get into a car accident while listening to "Bad Girls" by MIA, and vampires who are not like your vampires.

Underworld (2003)

Speaking of vampires who aren't like your vampires. What a dumb action movie that is so much fun!

I am horrible.

A Scale For Siblings Who Are Close

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Ode To The Strangers I've Met On My Travels

I've just done a thing. Pretty soon I will be quitting my job in banking after nearly five years in the industry to go back to school to get my masters in secondary English education. It's a step in my life that's mostly exciting and a smidge scary but something that I feel I absolutely have to do. Banking was always just a way to pay off my undergrad loans so that I could eventually go back to teach. 

Before starting school, however, I will be going to visit my signother in his homeland of England since it will be a while until we are both free again. Because he still has to study for exams and such during his Spring Break, he'll be kicking me out after a little over a week and because I have no real commitments at this time, it seemed like a waste to just go back to America right away. Sure, I won't have much money but plenty of wanderers don't have much! 

One problem: I have never really traveled alone before. I've taken most of my plane rides alone but I've always been meeting someone there. Only once have I ever stayed in a hotel alone and that was when I drove up to Montreal to meet Ana (and at the time I had kind of stupidly thought most people in Montreal speak English). With this in mind I decided to pick a place on these foundations:
1.) A place in Europe that I haven't been
2.) Where English is widely spoken (or at least Spanish)
3.) And that would be safe to travel alone while being female

Essentially this list lead me to the Nordic and northern countries. I've been to The Netherlands and while I love Amsterdam and would like to go back, it wouldn't be as fun alone. I've seen all the museums and the nightlife stuff is only fun with someone else. I can't go to Sweden because the signother is half-Swedish and has family there and would be sad if I went without him. Norway got ruled out partially because I know absolutely nothing about Oslo and partially because it's close to where the signother's family is in Sweden anyway and could be part of a trip there. He even has an uncle who knows it well and could show us around. Everyone I know who has been to Finland has said it's boring so I've never had a desire to go. Iceland is somewhere I really want to go but the signother poo-pooed it so hard I kind of backed away. Relatedly it's the only other country aside from Ireland (which I've been to a lot) that is in between our countries so perhaps it would be better to go together.

So that left me with Denmark and, more specifically, Copenhagen. The signother, in spite of his joking inbred Swedish hatred for the Danes, gave full approval when I mentioned that it's near water and looks like Amsterdam, knowing that I would probably be happy there. So I've booked it and gotten myself a bed in a hostel.

Now, I've stayed in hostels before but I've never had to share a room with anyone other than the signother. While there's obviously the fear of thieves (I literally have nothing worth stealing though), murderers (that'd be a hard murder to get away with), and loud people (ugh), I'm actually pretty excited for this. I've had good and bad roommates before, I'm pretty friendly and very quiet, and I'm pretty shameless and don't get uncomfortable easily. Maybe I'll even make a friend who will hang out with me. 

And this got me thinking about all the amusing strangers who have passed through my life in brief moments while traveling excluding family of friends, friends of friends, and tour guides. This is my ode to these people.

My First London Cab Driver

The first time I went to London was a big deal: I met my signother for the first time in person (we had met online a little more than a year prior) and it was my first time ever visiting another country. The signother and I met at the airport and then traveled by train and then tube to his hood in Wimbledon where we then needed to take a cab to get to his house. This craziness was all because he didn't have his license yet and I was insistent on the fact that we need to meet before I meet his parents. So we got into the cab and when the driver noticed my suitcase he said enthusiastically, "Ah, a suitcase! I'm jealous. Coming here or going somewhere else?" I told him I had come here. He said, "Oh, for the tennis or for the handsome guy sitting next to you?" Next ensued a long pause before he exclaimed jokingly, "I've made you uncomfortable! Great way to start my morning!" Eventually I answered with, "Both" even though I obviously didn't care about the tennis. When we told this story to my signother's mom, she said, "Oh, so you got a real London cabbie then!"

Katrina From Germany

This one isn't really a tale of my travels so much as a tale of hers. I was in New York City which is only a two and a half hour trip for me and I go there every few months but I was mostly going to be on my own. I had come down to see my friend Alex but I stayed around to go see "Once" by myself right before the Tonys. Courtney, another friend, kept me company waiting in line for tickets and, because Courtney's really friendly, we talked a bit to the girl behind us about my and her odds of getting tickets. Luckily, she ended up getting the last one and I was sitting next to her during the show. At intermission, we talked the whole time about how she had just graduated college and was going on a trip around the world. This was her one day in New York before heading to DC and seeing "Once" had been get biggest wish. We talked about places we love and the show and then settled in for the second half. When the show was over we parted ways on the street and I asked her name, realizing then that I never had before.

The One Employee At The Dublin Writers Museum

On our first trip to Ireland, the signother and I stayed with a friend of his family's and after going to his office and eating lunch with him, we headed out on our own. Our first stop on an unusually warm day was the Dublin Writers Museum where there was a guy standing outside in the sun. He told us the museum was closed and then admitted he was joking and motioned us inside. It turned out he was the only person working there and there was no one else in the museum so he had been trying to enjoy the rare rain-free day. He gave us our audio guides and I walked over to the door to look at a drawing of James Joyce, accidently setting off the alarm on the guide that is meant to keep people from stealing them. The guy motioned to me with a look of joking disgruntlement as he reset my guide and told my signother to keep an eye on me. Later, I dropped my camera on the ground and looked over to see the guy shaking his head at me. He kept the act up the whole time we were there.

The Two American Girls On The Tube

I lived in Boston for three and a half years. This is important for understanding my behavior. During my second trip to London the signother and I were trying to make our way to St. Paul's Cathedral and had just gotten onto the platform when the doors of the subway were closing. I did what seemed natural: I made a running dash for it. I ran and jumped and the doors tried to crush me to death. Now, in Boston, if there's an obstruction in the doors, they open again so I did this thinking 1.) they would only tap me and 2.) they would then open so he could get on. Instead I had to wiggle my way onto the car with horrified onlookers. Two girls asked if I was okay and I assured them I was fine and that my partner knew the way and we'd meet up when he got there. In the excitement, it took me a few seconds to say, "Oh, hey, you're American!" They said they went to school in DC and it was their first day there and they were on their way to St. Pancreas to see platform 9 3/4 (although they obviously said King's Cross). I told them I had never been and they asked if I was familiar with London and what would I recommend. I tossed out a few obvious suggestions because, heck, I don't know what they like, and got off before them, meeting up with the signother when the next train arrived. What a welcome to London.

Maple Candy Guy In Montreal

After quite an experience driving up to Montreal with instructions written on a paper bag, arriving late, having trouble parking and needing to call Quebec Tourism, and then finally meeting up with my friend Ana, we ended up having a good day exploring Chinatown and Old Montreal. Inside Bonsecours Market there was a gift shop we went in so Ana could get some maple syrup. The guy working there overheard us talking in English and then asked us in rapid, heavily accented English if we realized that Canada has its own white house and that they offered it to Obama when he visited but he refused and then pointed to a shirt that said "Canada's White House" with an igloo. We laughed and he asked us where we were from. On hearing that Ana was from Brazil and up visiting her cousin, he told us all about Canada's immigration laws. Then, on seeing that Ana was getting maple syrup he started explaining the different concentrations of maple syrup and gave us each a piece of maple candy. When we left Ana said he was nice but by the end she could barely understand him because he was talking so fast and admittedly I was having a hard time of it too.

Curious Border Patrol Guy

Obviously, being from two different countries makes people very curious about the relationship between me and my signother but I don't think either of us has encountered a more curious stranger than this one guy at the UK border patrol. After visiting Paris and Amsterdam, we were coming back into the UK to go to the opera for his dad's birthday and to road trip up to Scotland. While he breezed through the EU passport line, I had to talk to someone about my intentions which went something like this: "Why are you coming to the UK?" "Spending time with my boyfriend." "Is he American too?" "No, British." "Are you staying with him?" "Yes, in Wimbledon." "That's a very long distance relationship." "Yeah." "How did you two meet?" "Online a few years ago." (I have a ton of London stamps in my passport so he knew I had been there before). "That must be hard. How often do you see each other?" "Twice a year if we're lucky." "Wow. Is he traveling with you now?" "Yeah, he's right over there" (I point to him waiting behind the gates clearly wondering why I'm being interrogated when I've been to England so many times before). "Huh. Most people wouldn't be able to do that." "Well, we're not most people, I guess." (Finally stamps my book). "Well, enjoy your time together!" "Thanks."

Joe, The Australian

During a mildly conflicted trip through Ireland the signother and I stopped off in what ended up being one of our favorite Irish towns: Kilkenny. We went to Kilkenny Castle and Rothe House and then realizing we still had some time before stuff closed we looked at the free little map we got at the castle and realized there was a brewery across the street called Smithwick's. Neither of us had tried the beer before but we figured what the hell and went. We had a really fun tour guide named Shelia and the only other person on the tour was a guy named Joe from Australia. He had graduated college and was travelling through Europe and America, his journey eventually ending in Brooklyn where his sister lives. At the end of the tour we each got pints (the beer's really good by the way) and the three of us sat and chatted until they kicked us out. We gave him suggestions for what to do in New York and Brooklyn and he told us about the weirdness of shooting a gun in Texas (which neither of us have done) and then we parted ways as he went off to catch a bus to Dublin. Shelia took a bunch of pictures of us throughout the tour so Joe remains the only stranger I have pictures with.

The Two Nicest Guys In Milan

The signother and I lived a tourist's worst nightmare in Milan. After getting off the train from Verona, we headed over to where the hotel we were staying at was supposed to be only to find an office building. Multiple attempts to call the hotel wouldn't work from his phone and we realized we were stuck with no plan. He asked a janitor in Italian about the hotel, which he had never heard of, and then soon an accountant whose office was in the building joined in. It would take too long to explain the full story but ultimately, the accountant let us use his phone to call the hotel, let us store our bags in his office, and recommended a great, really cheap restaurant nearby. The janitor let us sleep in his office for two hours (we were both sick) and then went with us to check out the room we were given (which sucked) and to help us deal with the guy who "ran the hotel" and screwed over both us and many other travelers. Both the guys kept insisting that "true Italians" would never do something like this. We tried to give the accountant money but he refused. The janitor had left by the time we came back so we slipped money under his office door with a note of thanks. The kindness of strangers can be amazing. 

Siena Bus Station Guy

While all the stories on this list are of people who I encountered who were nice or funny and who I chatted with for some amount of time, this guy did not fall into any of these categories but was very memorable. After a seemingly neverending bus ride from San Gimingano to Siena, we finally got to the station and realized we had no time to explore Siena because we had dinner plans with friends of the signother's parents and we needed to find a bus to the nearest stop to their house in nowhere Tuscany. On asking the guy working at the station when the next bus was he told us it was departing from the other station in a few minutes. We asked if there was any way we could get there in time and he said with more laughter than I have ever heard in the voice of someone who wasn't actually laughing, "it's impossible!" At this point I was so broken and tired I thought it was the funniest thing ever. Things worked out all right. The friends picked us up from Siena and we had an hour to explore the signother's favorite Italian city but I will always remember the guy who made no attempts to hide his schadenfreude.

Here's to meeting more interesting people in Denmark!

2016 Potentially Oscar Nominated Movies

Ah, yes. My yearly roundup of everything I've seen. I've been much more on the ball this year than in previous years and I only have six movies left from this year on my watch list with "Son of Saul" being the only one I want to see before the Oscars air. In spite of how diligent I've been, I definitely feel like my relationship with award-nominated movies has changed this year in a fun, new way: apathy. I am done with watching things just because they were nominated for an award and I can tell you exactly when I reached this breaking point.

This year my movie watch list hit an all time high of 450 and I realized that life is way too short, especially when I also have a book read list of 220 (many of which I thankfully own) and a television watch list of about 9 completed shows and 5 currently airing potential watches (that seems short but television is a real time commitment). So, I went through the whole list and removed a ton of things that no longer seemed important or appealing and then binge watched every movie on my list that I could find on Netflix. Yes, it was exhausting and I really should never movie binge again. 

In the middle of watching "The Aviator," a perfectly decent Scorsese film, it just occurred to me that I no longer want to bother with movies I don't care about. I don't care if the director is usually good; if they aren't one of my must-watch directors, I'm not bothering if it doesn't interest me. I don't care if it has a high Rotten Tomatoes rating; I'm not watching another sports movie. I don't care if I've seen the first two; if I wasn't too into it, I don't need to complete the trilogy. And I am going to need something more than "white guy struggles against adversary" if I'm going to watch the movie.

In this spirit, before talking about movies I saw, I'm going to list some movies I have not seen and don't really care to with explanations why. Maybe I'll watch them one day if they stand the test of time or someone I know recommends them but I'm not going to actively seek them out or put them on my list.

Movies I Don't Really Care About:

The Martian: My signother saw this movie and he has a much higher tolerance for not great space movies than I do and he said not to bother unless you really want to see lots of Matt Damon messing around in space. I've seen the clip with Sean Bean making a "Lord Of The Rings" reference and that's honestly all I need. I'd rather just watch "Moon" again.

The Big Short: I read the description of this once and was convinced I had already seen it. Maybe there hasn't been a movie like this before and I've just seen too many movies. Lots of white guys, I know that much.

Bridges Of Spies: Actually this one seems like the one I'm most likely to randomly watch one day because it's historical and about the Cold War. I'm just instinctually put off by the fact that Steven Spielberg directed it (I'm just done with his schmaltzy, emotional directing style) and the fact that it sounds like a James Patterson novel.

Steve Jobs: "white guy struggles against adversary". Also, Windows all the way.

Joy: David O. Russell is nothing special and every movie I have seen by him has been underwhelming ("Silver Linings Playbook" was the least underwhelming, "American Hustle" was two hours I'll never get back). I could not care less about this movie. Also why is Jennifer Lawrence always playing so much older than she is? And, as great as she is, she has done way better than this movie and probably doesn't deserve the Oscar nomination this time.

And now the proper list. You will notice that this year I saw a ridiculous amount of movies (and these are just from this year; I saw just as many if not more from previous years) so I will be very brief. As always, the order is partially nonsense and ones with plus signs are movies that weren't nominated for Oscars (usually films I saw earlier this year or movies nominated for other awards). I'm not starring movies for Best Picture this year because of my blatant disregard for the Academy and because my picks would obviously be the first four movies I listed below plus one of the first three + movies that I loved that the Academy ignored. 

Previous Years: 2015  2014  2013  2012  2011


Movies I Loved:

Room: My second 5 star movie of the year.

Spotlight: Amazing story and cast. Minimal camera work.

Brooklyn: I felt a lot of things about everything about this movie.

Mad Max: Fury Road: Like getting punched in the face by God.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: I am a nerd but I can acknowledge the flaws.

Ex Machina: I love low-key cerebral sci-fi.

Tangerine+: I really liked it. Then I watched it again and fully realized its awesomeness. 

What We Do In The Shadows+: My first 5 star movie and uncontested fav for a long time. Comedy does not get enough credit.

The Duke Of Burgandy+: An intelligent S&M movie with amazing sets and costumes? My life.

Girlhood+: Such good gender dissection. Love it more every time I think about it.

Mustang: Speaking of gender stuff.

Phoenix+: World War II noir with complicated relationship. Yes.

World Of Tomorrow: Liking the existential dread today?

Anomalisa: Didn't get the hype until about halfway through. Then I really got it.

Inside Out: The logic behind this movie is a thing of beauty.

Amy: Really honest documentary. Great sad double feature if you pair it with . . .

Kurt Cobain: Montage Of Heck+: Amazing journey into this man's mind.

Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison of Belief+: Needed to be done and done well.

The End Of The Tour+: Perhaps it's more a great story than a great story, well told but whatever, I love this.

Mistress America+: Hilarious and affected me on a level too personal for me to be unbiased.


Movies I Really Liked:

Carol: Only my second favorite lesbian love story of 2015 (see: "Duke Of Burgandy" above).

The Revenant: Beautiful direction, okay plot, a bit overly long.

The Hateful Eight: Not Tarantino's best but darn fun.

45 Years: I love character studies.

CInderella: Who would have thought this would be so well thought out?

Sicario: I wasn't as wowed as everyone else but this really is a good one.

Straight Outta Compton: Solid biopic brought down by very obvious rose tint.

When Marnie Was There: Studio Ghibli is here for your heartstrings.

Boy And The World: A really pleasent acid trip.

Crimson Peak+: My favorite not-amazing movie of the year. It has everything I like in it.

It Follows+: Every year produces one really solid horror film. Here you go.

Clouds Of Sils Maria+: Two characters in a room is everything I write in my own life.

Beasts Of No Nation+: Where's Idris Elba's nomination? Seriously.

Testament Of Youth+: I'm trash for anything World War I.

Dope+: More good teen movies, please. This was delightful.

Me And Earl And The Dying Girl+: Delightful teen movies, part 2.

99 Homes+: Good job making something kind of boring, interesting.

White God+: Puppies! And racism metaphors!

The Tribe+: Hardcore crime movie.

A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence+: What did I just watch? I liked it though.

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter+: Journey over destination. Reminded me of "The Big Sleep" in a weird, good way.

Goodnight Mommy+: Freaky thriller. Kind of predictable twist.

He Never Died+: Henry Rollins in the role he was meant to play.

The Last 5 Years+: Good adapation of a stage musical that I really like.

Trainwreak+: Funny and felt very real.

Diary Of A Teenage Girl+: Unrelatable to me. Smarter than you might notice. Sex is icky.

The Gift+: Somewhat unexpected psychological thriller.

Man From Reno+: Still not sure of the plot but it was captivating.

India's Daughter+: I'm not done crying yet.

Dior And I+: As a Dior fan, I was all about this.

The Wolfpack+: I'm a voyeur who likes seeing people liberated and discovering life.

Hot Girls Wanted+: While slanted, this one showed a new side to porn outside the pro.

Batkid Begins+: Warms the heart and then makes you a bit concerned.


Movies I Liked:

The Danish Girl: Beautiful visuals! So-so everything else.

Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2+: Still not sure the split was necessary.

Suffragette+: Pretty good historical film. I was engaged but not blown away.

Jimmy's Hall+: I think I expected this to be better but it was still fine.

'71+: Ditto, expected to be better but fine. 

He Named Me Malala+: Best part: Malala googling guys she thinks are cute and denying it.

The Final Girls+: I got a lot of laughs. Sometimes I just need movies to be fun and this was.

The Night Before+: Ditto plus Michael Shannon. 

The Overnight+: Not as many laughs. Mostly odd but engaging.

Unfriended+: Dead teen horror movie but I was really into how it was done.

Kingsman: The Secret Service+: Action movie with a cup of tea. Kind of silly but mostly fun.


Movies I Thought Were Okay:

To Write Love On Her Arms+: I actually thought this would suck. Not bad at all really.

Paper Towns+: Perfectly fine teen movie overshadowed by better teen movies.

Pitch Perfect 2+: I got some laughs but not very memorable aside from Flula Borg.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel+: They shouldn't have made a sequel.

Maps To The Stars+: Cronenberg, you gotta step it up. This was messy.


Movies I Thought Were Over-rated:

The Age Of Adaline+: Only overrated because this movie was really not good. I kept looking for a purpose and couldn't find one.


Movies I Didn't Like:

Jupiter Ascending+: Watched it on Bad Movie Night. Cool visuals though.

Hot Pursuit+: Saw at drive-in. Played 20 questions the whole time; it was so bad.

The Boy Next Door+: Watched knowing it was suck. It did. I was pleased.

Fifty Shades Of Grey+: Hey, still 100x better than the book. There was a screenwriter!