So...a little embarrassing but I went through the previous chapter and realized that a Reality Check at this point would be much of a retread. I mean, Jack’s interactions at school mirror my own (a trend for the beginning of his school years) and everything else is mostly from my brain. I didn’t want to waste your time by just reposting exactly what I had said before so...Yeah, just go ahead and reread previous Reality Checks to get an idea for where I’m coming from while writing.
HOWEVER!
Since I don’t want to leave you all in the lurch waiting for my next chapter to come out, I have decided to give you something a little bit extra. Since I love movies so much and I enjoy writing critiques and the like, I thought I might share my Top Ten Best and Worst Films of 2016. Personal opinion of course. I won’t give each a full review but I figure a little tag on each might suffice
Honorable Mentions
- Conjuring 2
- Swiss Army Man
- Kubo and the Two Strings
- Fences
- Arrival
Top Ten Best Films of 2016
Pete’s Dragon
A heartfelt, tender retelling of a Disney classic with amazing performances and some of the most surprisingly subtle characterization I’ve seen in a film in quite some time.
9. Midnight Special
A surprisingly tense and heartfelt thriller about the beginnings of fanaticism and the lengths parents will go to protect children who are ‘different’.
8. Zootopia
A film about racism and class injustice for kids? That doesn’t insult their intelligence? Looks like Hollywood doesn't just think kids are morons anymore.
7. The Witch
The best horror film of the year, one that relies purely on the tension of impending doom to create an atmosphere laden with dread and religious exhaustion.
6. Manchester By The Sea
A surprisingly funny film about grief that realizes that nothing hits harder and more honestly about grief and recovery than finding the humor we use to steady ourselves.
5. Moonlight
A remarkable feat of filmmaking that manages to track the life-course of a young man struggling with sexual identity and class restriction, filmed as though we are eavesdropping on a real life.
4. The Edge of Seventeen
Not since Easy A have we seen John Hughes’ winning style used so effectively, nor have we seen quite so honest a film about teenagers since his heyday, not afraid to delve into the complex, darker areas of teenage life that many don’t acknowledge.
3. Silence
Yet another masterpiece from Martin Scorsese, earning a place among the best religious films of all time and offering a sobering mediation about man’s search for God in the midst of doubt.
2. La La Land
As fun and vibrant as the homage to the musical films of yore is, the most remarkable feat this film manages is compellingly going beyond the expected ending to show what happens after.
1. Everybody Wants Some!!
Though not as perfect as Boyhood, Richard Linkater’s spiritual follow-up to Dazed and Confused acts as both a time-capsule and timeless celebration of youth, competition, and the bonds we don’t even try to make.
Dishonorable Mentions
- The Neon Demon
- Zoolander 2
- Norm of the North
- Fifty Shades of Black
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (purely for the disappointment factor)
Top Ten Worst Films of 2016
Dirty Grandpa
Did you want to watch Robert De Niro embarrass himself in a role that looks like they had to wave a paycheck at him off-screen to keep him on-screen? I thought not.
9. Warcraft
Faithful to the source material though it may be, this film didn’t have the boredom of watching someone play the video game...it had the boredom of having someone read the instruction manual.
8. Independence Day Resurgence
Nothing beats waiting twenty years to bring back half the actors who have half the interest for a story with half the excitement and half the effort.
7. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Michael Bay yet again takes a compelling real life story and uses it as window-dressing for another loud, boring, spectacle-filled light show that has all the emotional sincerity of spoiled milk.
6. Gods of Egypt
Because white-washing some of the most interesting mythos in history is a great way to disguise some of the most painfully awful CGI and direction you’ll ever have to suffer through.
5. God’s Not Dead 2
Yet another straw-man film that attempts to portray atheism as a no-holds-barred war on religion and argues that black-and-white is the only way to see the world.
4. Nina
About as insulting as a biopic can get, full of terrible acting, lackluster direction, and a completely cowardly approach to one of the most influential and interesting African American singers.
3. Collateral Beauty
An offensive, lazy, and shockingly inept film about grief that frames horrible deeds as the machinations of some ‘higher purpose’ and features top-notch actors giving career-worst work.
2. Hillary’s America: A Secret History of the Democratic Party
Personal politics aside, it’s hard to argue with the factually-lazy, morally-bankrupt, evidence-free nature of this ‘documentary’, made by a criminal who legitimately believes he was imprisoned because he spoke ‘The Truth’.
1. I’m Not Ashamed
Christian propaganda films, whatever your religious beliefs, have almost always been insulting. But making one about the Columbine massacre and using it to prop up your agenda? That’s a new kind of low.
These are just my personal opinions! If you agree or not, that’s perfectly fine I should have the next chapter up in the next few days.