Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist For 2018!
Once again, the time of year has come upon us; the end of the Blu-ray release year. I’m a little later than prior years on this and its because the announcement to release window is becoming incredible short. Just last week I posted about four Transformers movies coming to 4K Ultra-HD within the next couple weeks. And I’m still afraid we may get some December announcements still, but I’m confident those would merely be 4K. Which, you’re probably wondering why, after two years of coverage on Why So Blu, that there isn’t a 4K wishlish. Well, that’s because the format is still in complete infancy and isn’t under the full embrace or changeover of the studios (Or at least as we’d hope it would be). The amount of stuff still not on the format is just massive and that’s just too easy and fun. I could do a wishlist of hundreds for that format. I stick to Blu-ray as the movies still not on the format, it could be their last stop in terms of physical home media. It could be the best presentation they ever see. And there are still PLENTY of things that would benefit in jumping over. We are seeing some fantastic double dips as well, and I hope those continue (When they are worthwhile, like the recent Scream Factroy Silent Night, Deadly Night, Arrow’s The Thing or Criterion’s upcoming Silence of the Lambs upgrade). Whatever the case, every month, studio press releases, especially those from the sublicensees, always excite me. Continue reading ‘Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist For 2018!’
Of all the memorable columns from my previous movie site stomping grounds, there was one in particular that was a favorite not only of mine but tops with readers too. It was an 80’s movie character expose that debuted on September 3, 2011 that came straight from my childhood love of quirky characters and quite quickly became the one article that consistently stayed at number one in terms of my body of written work. So since it was recently taken down to make room for lighter fare and in tribute to actor Terrence Mann whom I adore and who personally gave some of his interview time to enhance my article, I’m proudly reposting and resurrecting it here in its entirety for all film fans to enjoy. It’s my….
As a long-time movie geek, one thing I miss are those creative early teaser trailers. You remember – the quick sneak peeks where there was only a hair of footage and what was put on display most of the time wasn’t even from the film itself. In today’s day and age of showing every shiny piece of celluloid shot via over-bloated trailers that give away everything, I miss that cinematic air of mystery and lost is the main marketing purpose in the first place – to tease. So I decided to dig deep into my nostalgic movie childhood to come up with ten tasty examples of teasers that ultimately made me excited to go and seek out the film in question.
“There are only so many hours in the day.” That’s a statement we have all heard and probably even used ourselves. The same thing applies to movie watching and then some. There are only so many hours in a day and only so many movies we can get to in a year. Every year at least one person that sees my Top 10 list in January asks me, “Oh, so you’ve seen EVERY movie from last year?” No. Of course not. That’s not realistic, but since I have a keyboard and an opinion, I’ll write about what I did see. Still, that can leave a multitude of pictures out of a person’s viewing experience. So what happens to those great films we missed?
It’s no secret that Dave Matthews Band has been one of the most successful bands since the 90’s. There’s just something about their music that connects with me on a very soulful level. Maybe it’s the unconventional singing voice of Dave himself. It could be the marriage of all those instruments that blend into a unified musical journey. There’s also the story-telling element of Dave’s lyrics that add depth to their content. In actuality, it’s truly a combination of all those things and more. While the live concert is where the band thrives, there’s no overlooking their roster of studio albums. There’s no real timetable for their next release, but there is and admirable library to pick from today so let’s take a look at how they rate.
I likely saw more films in theaters in 2016 than I have any other year. And that includes when I used to work at a theater. Even with that, making a top 10 list still feels strange to me, as there are just so many films that I didn’t see that I really think I would enjoy. So, to avoid the perception of expertise, let’s consider this more of a Top-ish Ten-ish films/film-going experiences of 2016 that I had the opportunity to see. We will be starting off with a few worsts to set up a little contrast, then I will briefly discuss some honorable mentions, the films I didn’t get to see that appear to be things I would enjoy, and then the main course. Let’s go! 
It was certainly a turbulent year in the entertainment business as 2016 saw the passing of numerous stars. Bowie left us, then Alan Rickman and the list went on with Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds passing just days apart. While they have moved on to whatever the next stage may bring, we will always have them on film. Music and movies are two things that can bring people together so take a moment to remember those we admired while continuing to enjoy to the films we loved in 2016. Keep in mind this is not a list of the most artistic films of the year, just my personal favorites as well as a few that had me squirming in my seat in boredom.
Of all my years of fervent movie watching, 2016 is by far my most proud. Thanks to my new home 
As always when I do these “Best” lists, I ask two things of you, the reader. Take the words best or top and replace it with “favorite”. And importantly, number or ranking doesn’t matter, what is included does. 2016 was an interesting year for me, in that I feel a hair underqualified, but still, this is the best films of the ones I saw over the year. During the summer, I found myself purchasing a new home (still trying to sell the other) and all that sort of “real life” stuff preventing some trips to theater for me. Also, sometimes I was just flat out exhausted or just selfishly wanting some time to myself. Who knows. But, I figure, while I’m not Aaron Neuwirth, I probably did see more than the average bear through going to the theater, reviewing Blu-rays or renting. There were a lot of disappointments during this year in terms of highly anticipated blockbusters, but many bright spots as well as some I look forward to checking out next year that I wasn’t able to see (Edge of Seventeen; Scott, I friggin TRIED to get to it and Moonlight; the night I was gonna go was the first night it wasn’t playing). I realize though, that of the “prestige” films I may or may not have missed, high end critics will be talking about them and my picks may be more unique. Aside from my #1, a lot of these could swap around their functional order. Anyway…I’ll just shut my yap and get to the ten films that made my list when I sat down and had to choose. 
It’s that time of the year again, and I’m not referring to the expensive Holiday season. I’m talking about the dreaded TOP 10 Favorite Films lists us reviewers annually face. While some of us love putting these lists together others I know absolutely dread it. It could be the notion of the extra work involved or just the burdened thought of the controversy and negative, judgemental comments these can carry. Therefore, Top 10 annual lists like this can be quite cumbersome, at least for me. The good thing about all of this is you the reader can definitely feel free to disagree with my choices below. You can also completely dismiss them too. For me, Top 10 Favorite Films lists are all about instilling and creating controversy in the critical sense. I don’t expect anyone to whole-heartedly agree with my choices. After all, the below selections as I’ll go on to explain are all very much personal ones. However, I believe as a reviewer it is your duty to stir that proverbial pot of controversy. You should desire to create that insatiable dish of debate that follows in the wake of such a list like this. That’s what the comments section below are all about. Down there’s it’s your turn to provide the voice of undeniable reason. Go for it! 
For a thorough movie purist like myself putting together a year-end list of stellar standout performances is a truly taxing task. Not one to simply cherry pick from work within my Top Ten Films of the year, I scour movies in every genre and performances both big and small to bring the best of the best to the film forefront. As a result this year’s list of favorites I feel is my most eclectic yet – in some cases even elevating the subpar cinema that surrounds it. And while I did watch the year end group of Academy hopefuls (both Natalie Portman in Jackie and Jessica Chastain in Miss Sloane were good, but a tad one-note!) and critical darlings (Viggo Mortensen’s work in Captain Fantastic missed the list by a hair!), my findings are from a year-long dissection featuring five-star work that stands and delivers. From layered ladies to mysterious men, from bitter broads to silent but deadly equalizers these are tasty turns that deserve to be recognized for possessing a memorable character quality that’s undeniable. (At least in my humble movie geek opinion!) Proud to present my list of the…Top Five Male & Female Performances of 2016!
