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Archive for the 'Top 10' Category

Films, Albums, TV & 4Ks — Adam’s Top MEDIA of 2023!

It’s a new year, so why not start it off with a list of things I loved last year? Seems like an afterthought, but it’s been a complex journey getting this list together. I thought I hadn’t seen much or heard much. The form the list took was even different. In years past, I would compile films in one list, and 4K discs in another.  This year, I decided why not throw in my favorite music and TV shows… Who doesn’t like more work, am I right? So read through my list of favorite media of 2023, and let’s see if our tastes align, shall we?

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Gregg’s Triumphantly Terrific Top 10 Films of 2023

And with that, another year of cinema has come to a close. As always, there were standouts, letdowns, pleasant surprises, and your generally fun popcorn films. Reflective of 2023’s greatest pictures, the award ceremonies should be interesting in early 2024. Just when you thought Cillian Murphy was a shoe-in for a Best Actor Oscar, here comes Bradley Cooper in Maestro. That’s a potential coin flip right there. Meanwhile, Carey Mulligan seems to have the Best Actress category all wrapped up, in my humble opinion. Those things aside, the following list, as always, is not totally focused on critical acclaim, but what films I enjoyed the most this year.  With the formalities out of the way, let’s get down to business!

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Gregg’s Best Comics of 2023

It was the year of debuts on a number of levels in 2023. As a result of Disney being the largest shareholder of 20th Century Fox, the Predator and Alien franchises saw their mini-series come out under Marvel instead of Dark Horse. In another publisher switch, Transformers and G.I. Joe recently got their reboot under Image instead of the recently familiar IDW. Meanwhile, characters like DC’s Beast Girl and Marvel’s Hallow’s Eve made their entrances this year as well. But after all the firsts, which titles rose above the smoke?

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Aaron’s Most Anticipated Films of 2023 – A Month-By-Month Look

Let’s do this thing. I’ve assembled my list of Most Anticipated Films for 2023. It’s always exciting to look ahead at the upcoming releases for the year. Keeping that in mind, I’m well aware that some movies may not even be on my radar as of yet. However, it’s always fascinating to have an idea of all the current potential and narrow it down to a collection of intriguing or fun-looking titles. The following is a month-by-month look at what movies I am looking forward to seeing this year (links for trailers where available). Feel free to name the films you are all looking forward to in the comments.

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The Best Comics of 2022

Lots of big splashes were made in the industry this year with Detective Comics releasing its DC vs. Vampires miniseries and Marvel delivering the Judgement Day event. Meanwhile, Aliens and Predator both saw their respective miniseries get launched for the first time not under the Dark Horse label. And speaking of firsts, Batman and Spawn teamed up for the first time in years to put the dark duo back in the hands of fans. But who stole the show as the year’s best?

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Brandon’s TÁRiffic Top 10 Films Of 2022

In good years and “bad” years at the movies, there are still great films gifted upon us. Old faithfuls deliver and new voices step into the light. Small films will climb high and a blockbuster or two will remind people of why something needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. And in every year, as a film writer, we craft together our Top 10, 20, 30…films of the year. No matter the year, its never an easy task for people who appreciate the art and love and live for the medium. For 2022, culminating a top 10 was aggravating as the cuts to make were pretty deep. There were films I’d love to highlight, but being honest with myself, I have to go with what meant more to me while at the same time not being phony in trying to include what I “should” or exclude something because plenty of other people will have it on their lists and I want to be hip and different just for the sake of trying to stand out. As I say every year, there were plenty of films I still wish I would have been able to get to, but at some point, you have to call “time” and just get to it. With all top 10s, its that person’s film experience for the year. Whether they were able to see 12 films of 200, their top 10 is their top 10. So, let’s get to cracking on my Top 10 Films of 2022! Continue reading ‘Brandon’s TÁRiffic Top 10 Films Of 2022′

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Super-Sized Top Ten: Aaron’s Formidable 4K & Blu-ray Picks for 2022

I’ve joked in the past about trying to shrink this super-sized top ten post down. This year, I think I actually did it! Okay…so it’s maybe only a few titles shorter than usual, but that’s not nothing. Once again, I’ve had the privilege of taking in Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases all year, along with a region-free player, to enjoy import releases, much like my fellow Why So Blu writers, allowing me an optimal viewing experience to go along with these excellent releases. As usual (see: 2017201820192020, 2021), the final top ten list has a key rule – I have to have gone through the disc as far as assessing the audio and video quality, along with the special features available. There are some releases that I’m sure are terrific, but I just haven’t had the time to watch everything. With that said, I have plenty of bonus sections as well. So, let’s do this thing!

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Gregg’s Tenaciously Tactful Top 10 Films of 2022

A full year of movies in the cinema! Granted, that happened last year too, but it’s great to have normality back in the mix for consecutive years, even if it feels like the cinema is slowly passing away, sadly enough. Nevertheless, the early part of 2022 saw a few films that made the most of a cinematic experience, certainly ones you will see on this list. Marvel dotted the landscape with its expected trio of films this year,  streaming services continued their increasing library of solid films, and finally, an old friend from the 90’s showed up to close out a trilogy.  One film I did not get to see in time was the James Cameron epic, Avatar: The Way of Water.  Then again, I fell asleep in the first one so perhaps that omission isn’t a drastic one.  That aside, 2022 gave us plenty of other titles to fill our lists with.

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BRANDON’S 2022 List Of Top 10 Blu-rays And Top 10 4K Ultra-HD Blu-rays!

2022 is coming to a close as possibly the strongest year for 4K we’ve seen or may yet to see. Many gigantic staples of cinema made their jump this year as well as some regular offenders in the collectibles department. Blu-ray was solid, but this was the first year I noticed a shift and found it hard to scrape up a list. Or, moreso easier to. The 4K list could have been a top 50, but we are going to stick with 10. As I did last year, I’m doing these via videos again. One video is for my favorite standard Blu-ray releases of 2022 and the other my faves in the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray department. As always, thank you for your reads, comments and pre-orders throughout the year. I’m already excited for 2023’s first couple months for 4Ks and am excited as the rest of the year unfolds. Next year I’ll also hit 10 years of writing physical media reviews here at Why So Blu? which feels utterly insane! Continue reading ‘BRANDON’S 2022 List Of Top 10 Blu-rays And Top 10 4K Ultra-HD Blu-rays!’

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The Colour And THE SHAPE: The Music Of HALLOWEEN

David Gordon Green’s Halloween Ends is now playing in theaters and streaming on Peacock. And I’m sure EVERYONE on social media has their very strong opinions on it for better or for worse. Either way, I love seeing that big dork in the white mask return again and again on the big screen. Also returning in Halloween Ends is Blue Oyster Cult’s 1976 rock staple “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper,” the first song ever featured in a Halloween movie. While Halloween has been more known for scores than they have soundtracks, there are some notable songs featured in the films and even attempts to nab a hit single and sell records while counting box office receipts. I wanted to look at each film in the series and select one song that significantly ties into the movie in some way, SHAPE or form that feels memorable. Some are less memorable than others, some are a bit of a stretch, and some you may not even remember. Continue reading ‘The Colour And THE SHAPE: The Music Of HALLOWEEN’

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A Fred Ward Tribute – Top Five Film Performances

Talented actor Fred Ward recently passed, and for a massive fan like myself, the news is indeed sad.  Having grown up watching a gaggle of highly memorable flicks featuring Ward right alongside my movie-going father, I can safely say that his work greatly influenced my love and nostalgia for great cinema.  Fortunately for fans, he left behind a plethora of damn fine film performances that can be watched and enjoyed over and over again.  From early turns in iconic flicks like Escape From Alcatraz and The Right Stuff to his later collaborations with Robert Altman (The Player and Short Cuts!), Ward’s choices were much like the actor himself – highly original.  (Plus love that he wasn’t afraid to explore his wacky side with the likes of Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult and Joe Dirt!)  But for the sake of this tribute article, I’m looking at what I consider to be THE best of the best in terms of characters that Ward ever brought to the screen.  Turns that stuck in my movie mind and burrowed in like a Tremor worm on a mission. (And narrowing them down to five was a truly difficult – shout out to MIA flick Timerider: The Adventures of Lyle Swan!)  And so what follows are, for better or worse, my definitive picks of Fred Ward’s….Top Five Film Performances!

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Aaron’s Most Anticipated Films of 2022 – A Month By Month Look

Time for another look at the rest of the year from the top of it. I’ve assembled my annual list of Most Anticipated Films for 2022. I find it’s always exciting to look ahead at the films set to arrive this year. It’s also a relief to be more or less back on track and not have to deal with too many more leftovers, as far as films that were delayed because of the pandemic (although there are still a few). With that in mind, I’m also well aware some movies aren’t even on my radar yet. However, I’m still plenty happy to see all of the current potential and narrow it down to some interesting or fun-looking titles. The following is a month-by-month look at what movies I am looking forward to seeing this year (links for trailers where available). Feel free to name the films you are all looking forward to in the comments.

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Peter’s Tremendous Top Ten Video Games of 2021

2021, amirite? We’re now over a year into the current generation of consoles, yet being able to actually purchase a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X/S is still nigh impossible. Proving what we already knew: scalper bots are truly the worst. The shortage of chips and other factors have made the supply fall far short of demand. Fortunately, many of the year’s best were playable on the older PS4s and Xbox Ones too. Meanwhile, Nintendo released an OLED version of their Switch alongside the first Metroid in years. The year in games saw plenty of highs, although nothing hit the masterpiece level of 2020’s The Last of Us Part 2. Instead, 2021 spread the love with different kinds of experiences: an incredible shooter that heralded the return of Master Chief, a colorful Pixar-level tale featuring not one but two Lombaxes, and plenty of abominations courtesy of the Umbrella Corporation.

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Adam’s Super Smooth Top Ten Films of 2021!

I must start this year’s top ten list off by radiating my excitement about this particular list.  I have been lucky enough to write for Whysoblu for approaching 3 years now.  I have written reviews, top ten lists, and published PR too.  I have loved all the work I’ve been able to do – even when the movies haven’t been great.  The fun of this list for me, and what makes me so excited is that I’ve finally seen enough movies to make a year-end list, and it’s been a blast being able to take in so many varied movies… The good, the bad, and the ugly…

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Brandon’s Sensational Top 10 List of His Favorite 2021 Films

Last week was the favorite physical media I had to weed down to a short list, this week its the actual films of 2021 to which I must choose a mere 10. As is true in any year, its hard as hell to crack this thing down to 20-30, let alone 10. But, that’s the sort of “fun stress” we film writers/reviewers tend to enjoy putting ourselves through. This year seemed super loaded with filmmakers I admire and adore and it pained me to cut some of them from this list. At the end of the day, there were films I just found I want to watch more and others that surprised me or took me for a wild and unique journey, while some just kind of did their thing (very) well. My final cut that didn’t make the list might end up being one I revisit or think about more than some of these on here. I’m pretty certain there’s a few here I like more than most and are probably on the other end of the spectrum and despised by people. But here, on this day, this 29th day of December at the end of the year, this is how I have felt in this moment, in this capsule. Continue reading ‘Brandon’s Sensational Top 10 List of His Favorite 2021 Films’

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Brian’s Sensual Top 10 List of His Favorite 2021 Films

Brian Top 10 2021 I feel like a broken record spewing the same sob story every year, but in calendar year 2021 I saw the least amount of movies ever in recent memories.  It was definitely a weird year.  COVID-19 still had impacts on box office releases, but that didn’t stop new movies from rolling in on other digital platforms.  Streaming juggernauts like HBO Max swung for the fences with same day Warner Bros. releases, Apple had plenty of representations and even Peacock got in on the action with the new Halloween movie.  So there were plenty of ways to ingest new film releases, but I opted to focus on experiencing life for a change of pace.  And what a rocket ride that was, but I digress.  I actually do have a Top Ten list of favorite 2021 flicks so I want to turn my focus there, but before I do… Continue reading ‘Brian’s Sensual Top 10 List of His Favorite 2021 Films’

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Gregg’s Best and Worst Films of 2021

2022?! But we just started 2021! Yes, time does seem to be flying by awfully quick these days, but I’ll take it considering the further we move ahead, the more we can eventually put Covid-19 in the rear view. Speaking of which, before we get to the films on the list, can we just look at how much better things are right now than they were twelve months ago? Yes, I’m aware numbers are spiking, but the things we can do in society today that we couldn’t a year ago is quite the positive upswing. In over a decade of writing for Why So Blu, last year was the first time my Top 10 list was shrunk to a mere five films. This was of course due to the tremendous lack of new releases combined with the closures of cinemas across the country. But, here we are.

We persevered and leapt over another covid hurdle. Theaters are bustling and streaming is more like a tsunami when it comes to new, big budget films. Productions like Netflix exclusives The Harder They Fall and Red Notice are just a few of the streaming-specific movies that completed a list of what to watch in 2021. While I did not get to see The Last Duel or Nightmare Alley, and this list was due before The King’s Man is to be released, I am feeling rather confident about the placement laid out here before you.

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BRANDON’S Top 10 Blu-ray And Top 10 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray For 2021!

The year comes to a close in a matter of days, so that means its time break out the obligatory end of year/best of/top 10 of things from 2021. This year saw a nice surge in titles coming to 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray, ending the year with Criterion FINALLY getting on board and getting involved in a big way to launch. Up front, time has not been something I’ve had much of in the past few weeks, so I’ll be delivering both my Top 10 standard Blu-ray list and my Top 10 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray lists via my 4K BLUsday method – on video! For those who like to read, As much as I appreciate your love of the typed word, my digits didn’t have it in them this year for that. I’ll provide you a cheat sheet below the video, but if you watch the video you’ll receive my reasoning for each choice. Thanks, as always, for indulging me!

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