By now we're about a week into 2017 and so far so good. No major deaths or anything. There was a shitty airport attack, but all in all pretty good. Pretty sort of good. But I was thinking a bit more about 2016 and there was a handful of stuff I wanted to address that didn't have any place anywhere else.
Now, I rarely do quick, unfocused posts like this, but for what it's worth, here's my final collection of 2016 thoughts:
Best Villain: Somehow this made a ton of money but critically and Internet-ally, The Jungle Book (2016) seemed under the radar. Still, it really deserves some props for its stunning effects, even if the lack of a real environment is kind of a pain and some animals come off pretty creepy. The voice work isn't really good at all here, but damn if Shere Khan isn't the Best Villain to hit cinemas all year. Idris Elba is far better here than in Star Trek Beyond (2016), which is kind of a mess. You'd cheer for Khan's perspective if he wasn't also so damn evil. His viewpoint is perfectly captured and the threat whenever he's on screen is palpable.
Most Exaggerated Disaster: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) was unconscionably bad anyway you slice it, but the framing of the conversation was far more wicked than it needed to be. It still grossed a ton of cash, and Warner Bros shouldn't be all that worried. Still, every thing that happened was remarkably stupid and groan-worthy.
Best Sister Accomplishments: No one in music had a better year than the Knowles Sisters. Solange, who up until 2016 was mostly known as Beyonce's sister got to be known as Solange this year, and the pair somehow churned out some of the most artistic videos of the year. Beyonce is at a point in her career where she's just having proud insane cheeky confident fun, albeit with some devastating (? I guess?) subject matter. Solange still needs to prove herself, but in doing so came up with the more opaque but nevertheless compelling material.
Worst Oscar Stutter: Birth of a Nation (2016) went from Oscar frontrunner to dead in the water, mostly on Nate Parker's Penn State Rape acquittal. That's all kind of bullshit that shouldn't reflect on the film itself, but needed to be brought up every time the flick is mentioned. We're also honestly weary of the slavery narrative. It's amazing how much this film fell off, though.
Most Forgettable / Unnecessary Sequel: 2016 will forever be known for its horrible, horrible sequels that all went no where and bombed. Or to be more accurate, it won't be, because no one will remember this trash. Between Jason Bourne, Star Trek Beyond, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out of the Shadows, Independence Day: Resurgence, Kung Fu Panda 3, Ride Along 2, Zoolander 2, London Has Fallen (I actually really liked that one), The Divergent Series: Allegiant, The Huntsman: Winter's War, X-Men: Apocalypse, Now You See Me 2, Bridget Jones' Baby, Blair Witch, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Bad Santa 2, and Underworld: Blood Wars. That list is actually more staggering than I thought. I want to call out Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for being decently successful (#8 on the year), but never really reaching Harry Potter heights commercially or culturally. The worst of course, though has got to be the film no one wanted, Alice Through the Looking Glass. It grossed about 23% of its predecessor domestically and up until this paragraph you had forgotten it even existed. Hell, you probably forgot that Alice in Wonderland (2010) even existed.
So that just about wraps up 2016. Finally. Probably. Anything you'd add?
Now, I rarely do quick, unfocused posts like this, but for what it's worth, here's my final collection of 2016 thoughts:
 |
| "Be prepaaaaared!" |
Best Villain: Somehow this made a ton of money but critically and Internet-ally, The Jungle Book (2016) seemed under the radar. Still, it really deserves some props for its stunning effects, even if the lack of a real environment is kind of a pain and some animals come off pretty creepy. The voice work isn't really good at all here, but damn if Shere Khan isn't the Best Villain to hit cinemas all year. Idris Elba is far better here than in Star Trek Beyond (2016), which is kind of a mess. You'd cheer for Khan's perspective if he wasn't also so damn evil. His viewpoint is perfectly captured and the threat whenever he's on screen is palpable.
Most Exaggerated Disaster: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) was unconscionably bad anyway you slice it, but the framing of the conversation was far more wicked than it needed to be. It still grossed a ton of cash, and Warner Bros shouldn't be all that worried. Still, every thing that happened was remarkably stupid and groan-worthy.
Best Sister Accomplishments: No one in music had a better year than the Knowles Sisters. Solange, who up until 2016 was mostly known as Beyonce's sister got to be known as Solange this year, and the pair somehow churned out some of the most artistic videos of the year. Beyonce is at a point in her career where she's just having proud insane cheeky confident fun, albeit with some devastating (? I guess?) subject matter. Solange still needs to prove herself, but in doing so came up with the more opaque but nevertheless compelling material.
Worst Oscar Stutter: Birth of a Nation (2016) went from Oscar frontrunner to dead in the water, mostly on Nate Parker's Penn State Rape acquittal. That's all kind of bullshit that shouldn't reflect on the film itself, but needed to be brought up every time the flick is mentioned. We're also honestly weary of the slavery narrative. It's amazing how much this film fell off, though.
Most Forgettable / Unnecessary Sequel: 2016 will forever be known for its horrible, horrible sequels that all went no where and bombed. Or to be more accurate, it won't be, because no one will remember this trash. Between Jason Bourne, Star Trek Beyond, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out of the Shadows, Independence Day: Resurgence, Kung Fu Panda 3, Ride Along 2, Zoolander 2, London Has Fallen (I actually really liked that one), The Divergent Series: Allegiant, The Huntsman: Winter's War, X-Men: Apocalypse, Now You See Me 2, Bridget Jones' Baby, Blair Witch, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Bad Santa 2, and Underworld: Blood Wars. That list is actually more staggering than I thought. I want to call out Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for being decently successful (#8 on the year), but never really reaching Harry Potter heights commercially or culturally. The worst of course, though has got to be the film no one wanted, Alice Through the Looking Glass. It grossed about 23% of its predecessor domestically and up until this paragraph you had forgotten it even existed. Hell, you probably forgot that Alice in Wonderland (2010) even existed.
So that just about wraps up 2016. Finally. Probably. Anything you'd add?
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