From psychological to political, here are some of our favorite thrillers since 2020
What is a thriller?
The thriller genre is difficult to nail down because the genre itself is so broad. Where does the thriller genre end and horror begin? Are all action movies thrillers, but not all thrillers action movies? While the definition isn’t exact, there are a few constants: red herrings, plot twists, cliffhangers, and, of course, suspense.
After a shift towards
And without further ado, here are my favorite thrillers since 2010!
The cast of environmental thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline. Courtesy of Neon.
What it’s about: A ragtag group of environmental activists race against the clock to sabotage an oil pipeline.
Why it’s great: In many ways, How to Blow Up a Pipeline is a classic heist thriller in the vein of Ocean’s 11 as we watch a group of prior strangers come together to pull off a seemingly impossible feat. Director Daniel Goldhaber uses every second of runtime to slowly ratchet up the tension as the crew sets their plan to blow up the eponymous pipeline in motion.
Using a clever non-linear narrative structure the movie feeds you new information about each of the characters and their dynamics to add color to their personal journeys and complications to the mission at hand. The result is a near real-time stunning and anxiety-inducing but deliciously entertaining eco thriller. Read my full review.
Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich appear in Fair Play by Chloe Domont, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
What it’s about: Emily (Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are a crazy, sexy, cool couple drunk (and horny) on their recent engagement that they have to keep secret since they work together at a highly competitive hedge fund firm. But when Emily is promoted over Luke, insecurity, competition and jealousy threaten to destroy their relationship.
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Why it’s great: Fair Play plays like a ticking time bomb as the couple’s relationship is put under the strain of Luke’s arrogance and Emily’s ambition.
It’s the balancing of those two threads that make the movie — particularly writer director Chloe Domont’s sharp screenplay — so impressive. At times, the movie is a corporate barnburner about Emily navigating her newfound success as a woman in an industry that is decidedly a boy’s club. In others, it’s a darkly funny psychosexual relationship drama about how deviations from the traditional gender dynamics can send men into a tailspin — let’s just say Luke probably loved Joker. And at its most satisfying, both worlds come careening together as the pair navigate the minefield of their relationship in the workplace.
Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich give powerhouse performances that give the melodrama some much needed gravitas. Cutthroat, sharp and entertaining as hell, Chloe Domont didn’t come to play. Read my full review.
What it’s about: Angela (Zoë Kravitz), whose agoraphobia due to a prior trauma — and now exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic — confines her to her apartment, works for a tech company monitoring the data from their smart speaker product Kimi (like an Alexa) for quality assurance. However, when one of the files she’s listening to sounds like a crime she’s faced with corporate red tape, conspiracy, and, her worst fear, going outside.
Why you should watch it:Kimi tells a story we’ve seen before — Rear Window and The Girl on the Train immediately come to mind. But Soderbergh throws in these tiny details that make it feel so relevant to our place and time.
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Like many people watching movies stuck at home, I had headphones on. In one scene, Angela puts on her AirPods to drown out the sound around her. When she puts her right earbud in, our right earbud goes silent. When she puts the left in, our left goes silent. It’s something that you might miss, but that small choice immerses you in this world that is so familiar.
When Angela goes outside for the first time, masked up with packets of hand sanitizer in her pockets, the camera switches from steady and deliberate to frenetic and chaotic as she’s faced with the anxiety of being around people. It elevates Kimi far past its thriller roots.
And sure, you can probably call many of the plot twists. But what Soderbergh constructed is a lean, mean, perfectly-paced thriller that recognizes the time that we’re in. Too many movies being made today ignore the pandemic and the past two years we’ve experienced. Instead, Soderbergh embraces it and uses it to his advantage to not reinvent the wheel but spin it at a different speed. Read my full review.
Jessie Buckley in I’m Thinking of Ending Things. Courtesy of Netflix.
What it’s about: A young woman (Jessie Buckley) is driving with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemmons) to meet his parents for the first time. There’s one problem, she’s thinking of ending things. When she meets his mother (Toni Collette) and father (David Thewlis) things go from odd to flat out weird as the world around her changes.
Why it’s great: Loneliness is a prison. The memories, regrets, and what-ifs of life become trapped on repeat in your head forming a blend of reality and fantasy in your psyche in an effort to fill the void of silence that it creates. In the time of the coronavirus pandemic that feeling may hit closer to home, which is why Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things feels so effective as a psychological thriller.
The movie is a slow-burn of conversations that begin as a little off and then become full-tilt bizarre as the world around the couple goes from real to surreal. At the core, psychological thrillers should make you question exactly what is real. In I’m Thinking of Ending Things, the question isn’t what is real, it’s what is reality at all.
Elizabeth Moss in The Invisible Man. Courtesy of Universal Pictures.
What it’s about: After escaping her abusive tech tycoon boyfriend (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), Cecilia (Elizabeth Moss) thinks she’s finally free from his grasp. However, a vague threat from the past and a series of odd occurrences make her think that he’s watching her every move.
Why it’s great: There is so much to love about director Leigh Whannell’s reinvention of the 1933 original film The Invisible Man, but the best place to start is perhaps the reinvention itself. Instead of treading similar territory, Whannell tackled the very 21st century story of toxic relationships, gaslighting, and emotional abuse.
However, the way he brings about those themes is by combining innovate modern cinematic techniques with the old-fashioned staples of building the suspense. Without compromising its rich themes or depriving the audience of moments of terror to hang onto, Whannell is able to make an artfully made and emotional movie that feels auteur-driven but still made for the mainstream. Read my full review.
The Haunting of Hill House is a near-perfect miniseries. Here’s how we would rank each episode of the first season.
The Haunting of Hill House is yet another triumph in horror for director Mike Flanagan who in recent years has delivered movies like supernatural horror Oculus, home invasion thriller Hush, and the second movie in the Ouija franchise.
With the series, he delves into the lives of the Craine family, who in the 90s lived in the infamous Hill House, which was haunted and eventually claimed the life of their mother.
As they navigate the trauma of their childhood, another trauma comes forcing them to come to terms with exactly what happened in the house. Every episode feels like a short film that balances horror and a family drama perfectly.
The Haunting of Hill House takes full advantage of its miniseries form. It has a solid driving plot that is well-paced throughout the series, but it uses the extra time it has over the episodes to dig deep into its themes and characters without feeling like it’s dragging. It truly blurs the line between movie and series. Here’s how we would rank each episode of the first season:
“The Twin Thing” (Episode 4)
For the first five episodes of The Haunting of Hill House, each of the five Craine siblings has an episode dedicated to their storyline. With Luke’s, more than any other, it feels disconnected from the main storyline. His drug addiction feels litigated within the first three episode and while there are some important plot points, thematically and tonally it feels a bit off from the rest of the series to that point.
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“Witness Marks” (Episode 8)
After the powerhouse sixth episode and profoundly sad seventh episode—we’ll mention both later on—”Witness Marks” feels like a step back. It feels like an episode that is meant to connect act two of the season to the final act, which makes it less exciting than other episodes. It still deals with some interesting character dynamics and has the best scare of the entire season, but it lacks the emotional strength and oppressive atmosphere of the other episodes.
“Open Casket” (Episode 2)
When kids are exposed to death at a young age there’s a struggle to help them process and understand it. The Haunting of Hill House portrays that struggle to process it beautifully with “Open Casket.” It also begins to work through the show’s theme of grief. However, it doesn’t delve into the theme as profoundly as other episodes, which is what prevents it from being truly great.
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“Touch” (Episode 3)
Of the episodes that focus on one of the Craine kids, “Touch” has the most successful B-plot as Theo deals with a case as a child psychologist. Both that plot and the main plot add a layer of how kids compartmentalize trauma as a theme, which elevates the entire episode as a whole. Plus, it successfully continues to explore the theme grief that the first few episodes touch on.
“Eulogy” (Episode 7)
“Eulogy” probably has the least horror of all the episodes of The Haunting at HillHouse. And that’s because the plot lends to that lack of horror. The episode is an opportunity for Hugh to get some much-needed redemption as his character is framed as the villain for much of the first few episodes. And the form that the series brings that about it beautiful and heartbreaking. Plus, Mr. Dudley’s monologue is a high point for the series as a whole.
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“Silence Lay Steadily” (Episode 10)
The season finale of The Haunting at Hill House is an encapsulation of everything that is good about the series. “Silence Lay Steadily” has effective tension-based horror, strong character interactions and growth, and a deep exploration of its themes of grief, parenting, and trauma. It is a satisfying finale that I wish had more of an epilogue, but overall its a great wrap-up to a great series.
“The Bent-Neck Lady” (Episode 5)
What makes The Haunting of Hill House so successful is its balance of horror with a family drama, specifically about grief. And that’s what makes episode five of the season one of the best. Not only does it propel the main narrative forward and offer genuinely chilling scares. It delves deeper into the theme of grief and adds a layer of dealing with mental illness and how family can offer a safe space from the real-life horror of it.
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“Steven Sees A Ghost” (Episode 1)
The first episode of The Haunting of Hill House sets up the tone and mood for the entire series without feeling like it’s bogged down by exposition. The family dynamics, both past and present, are outlined clearly and the central mystery of it all is setup. Plus, the horror in it is atmospheric and tense and genuinely terrifying. It’s a well-balanced and nearly flawless pilot.
“Screaming Meemies” (Episode 9)
Olivia is at the center of the mystery of The Haunting of Hill House and in “Screaming Meemies” we finally get to see the events of the house from her perspective. It’s exciting to finally learn exactly what happened “that night,” but the heartbreaking truth of it (and Carla Gugino’s Emmy-worthy performance) make this episode more than just horror. It shows the disintegration of a strong woman and how her husband failed her.
“Two Storms” (Episode 6)
“Two Storms” is not only the best episode of The Haunting of Hill House, it may be one of the best episodes for drama ever made. Told in what is essentially four single takes spanning both the past and the present. It’s a technical marvel and the staging is impressive, but what makes this episode so successful is that it is so rooted in its characters and allows them to just litigate the past.
The episode doesn’t further the plot, but it furthers the characters and becomes a turning point for the season. Not to mention the pure tension from both the horror and family drama that makes it impossible to turn from the screen. “Two Storms” is where The Haunting of Hill House goes from good to great.
How would you rank the episodes of The Haunting of Hill House? What was your favorite moment of the season?
From serial killers to ghosts to zombies, these are the best horror movies of the 21st century that keep us up at night!
From the slashers of the early 2000s to the renaissance of ghost stories and monster movies of the 2010s, the 21st century has been a rollercoaster for the beloved horror genre. However, for all the deep lows that the genre had to incur during the time, there have been some highs that have ended up being some of the best entries in the genre. In fact, to some, the 21st century has proven to be a second golden age for horror. Why? Because horror filmmakers have been able to honor the genre’s roots while infusing them with modern sensibilities. So, here are some of the best horror movies of the 21st century in reverse chronological order!
Note: We’ll be updating this list whenever another great horror movie comes up!
Another Note: What’re your favorite horror movies of the 21st century? Let us know in the comments!
Hereditary (2018)
What it’s about: After the death of her mother, Annie (Toni Collette), her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne), and their kids (Alex Wolff and Milly Shapiro) begin to uncover sinister secrets about their family.
Why it’s great: Hereditary is without qualification the scariest movie I saw in theaters. It’s also a horror fan’s dream. It’s a puzzle that you have to solve and unlike a lot of slow burn horror movies, it gives you the clues, you just have to find them.
Hereditary is also patient in its scares—in addition to its story. The horror set pieces are long drawn out and some you don’t even notice until a second look. That’s what makes this a masterpiece. It replaces jump scares with truly frightening imagery and an unsettling atmosphere.
Everything from the score to the production design to the sound design drip with evil. And it also has a smoldering family drama underneath it all. Not to mention one of the great horror performances from Toni Collette. It’s also one of our favorite movies of 2018.
What it’s about: After an anomalous area that becomes known as “The Shimmer” appears on the southern coast, the government sets up a facility to explore it. However, no team that has gone into “The Shimmer” has returned — until Kane (Oscar Isaac) emerges weak and near-death. His wife, biologist Lena (Natalie Portman), signs up for the latest expedition led by Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to find answers. What she discovers is far more confounding than she’d ever imagined.
Why it’s great: In “The Shimmer,” the laws of nature don’t apply, leading to some stunning and terrifying sequences involving the living things enveloped by the area — you’ll never look at a bear the same way again. Director Alex Garland has a unique ability to get under your skin with the movie’s imagery, but the real beauty of Annihilation is what’s under the surface.
It’s a movie about humanity and our propensity for self-destruction. The movie has monsters, but the biggest monster is ourselves. With a chilling, impressionistic third act and a killer score by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, Annihilation ranks among my favorite movies of the decade.
Chloé Zhao makesNomadland‘s melancholic but hopeful story of nomads traversing the American West a stunningly complex character study of life on the margins of society.
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Get Out (2017)
What it’s about: Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) goes to Upstate New York with his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) to meet her parents (Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener). However, though they are hospitable at first, their intentions are darker.
Why it’s great: Get Out is perhaps one of the best horror satires ever made. Perfectly balancing its intricate plot and social themes with well-mined tension and blistering dark comedy, Jordan Peele creates a heightened world not different from our own. And with his story, he makes a devilishly entertaining point about progressiveness.
What it’s about: Don’t Breathe follows three would-be teen home invaders (Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, and Daniel Zavatto) who break into a house of a blind man (Stephen Lang) thinking it would be an easy score. They were wrong.
Why it’s great: Don’t Breathe is a breathtaking exercise in narrative efficiency. Director Fede Alvarez shows instead of tells. He sets up the house where the would-be robbers meet their grizzly ends in a beautiful one-take that shows us the field of play. From there on, he practices some incredible patience, which is something not seen in horror movies today.
He holds shots and moments as long as he can to truly make you uncomfortable and there are some moments that are truly unbearable to keep watching. That’s what makes this one of the best horror movies in recent memory. Read my full review forhere.
Train to Busan (2016)
The zombie genre has had its highs — we’ll be talking about the highest high a little later — and its countless lows. But surprisingly the 21st century has been kind to the genre with great entries like the remake Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Pontypool (2008). But a recent Korean movie has all the makings of a great zombie movie and then some.
Train to Busan doesn’t do much to add to the genre as a whole. It has all the characters that you’d expect in a zombie movie — precocious daughter, bad Dad, kickass supporting player — however, it throws them into a situation that we haven’t seen a zombie film take place in. Described as Snowpiercer with zombies is an oversimplification, but good enough description for the movie. Subtle class warfare and human nature are at the center of the movie’s themes and the zombie apocalypse is there to serve those themes. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some interesting action set-pieces and genuine scares. Train to Busan is a good ol’ suspensful zombie movie with updated themes that give it a modern flair.
Chloé Zhao makesNomadland‘s melancholic but hopeful story of nomads traversing the American West a stunningly complex character study of life on the margins of society.
It Follows (2015)
No movie in recent memory — or on this list — has come as close to classic 70s horror as It Follows. Director David Robert Mitchell took the horror cliche that character who have sex are killed and expanded into an impressive set of rules and an intriguing central villain. Instead of going for jump scares, he uses tension to put his audience into a state of constant anxiety. The opening scene — which doesn’t show the eponymous “it” — simply uses the intriguing camera work and innovative score to set the movie’s eerie atmosphere that never truly relents. However, what really lands this movie on this list is its timelessness. Mitchell created a piece that doesn’t exist in a specific time or place. The very best horror movies do that same, which is why it’s one of the best horror movies of the century.
The Babadook is not only one of the best horror movies of the century, it’s also one of the most haunting and profound movies of about grief in recent memory. On the surface, The Babadook is a great ghost story with an adeptly built creepy atmosphere and a fantastic central performance by Essie Davis. However, when you start peeling back the layers, you find a story about guilt, motherhood, paranoia, and most importantly, grief. Writer/director Jennifer Kent keeps the story lean and moving, but doesn’t skimp on character development and uses small moments — a coworker asking Amelia on a date, Sam caressing his Mother’s face — to give the audience enough to know the state of the characters without feeling heavy-handed. However, more importantly, this movie will scare you and give you nightmares for nights after you watch it
Found footage struggled to find its footing after the turn of the decade. Few were able to recreate the magic of the first few entries. However, I think the unjustly overlooked Unfriended uses the genre for all it’s worth. Unfriended would be an average horror movie at best without its intriguing “found footage” concept. Its general conceit is a slasher revenge film, all the way down to the characters involved. That being said, the concept of the entire film taking place on a laptop screen brings it above and beyond what many horror movies have been doing in recent years. It builds tension opposed to just going for constant cheap jump scares, and it even unsettles you from something in your everyday life.
Horror is hard to pull off. Comedy is hard to pull off. Horror comedy is almost impossible to pull off. However, when it works, it really works. This century has seen some of the best horror comedies from Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead (2004) to the best use of Bill Murray in a film Zombieland (2009). However, no horror comedy quite reaches the heights of Taika Waititi’s What We Do in the Shadows.
What Waititi was able to do with What We Do in the Shadows is build a world that is as quirky as the characters it follows. It’s easy to see a comedy about four centuries old vampire roommates going off the rails. But by playing into and then making fun of genre conceits — hypnotizing victims, a vendetta against werewolves — he creates a hilarious and nostalgic tribute to the monster movie genre. More importantly, it’s simply one of the funniest horror comedies you’ll see.
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Five friends go to an isolated cabin in the woods and are tormented by [insert movie monster here]. Basically, I’ve just described every horror movie from the 80s to the 2000s. That’s what Joss Whedon was both emulating and satirizing with his brilliant The Cabin in the Woods. While the set-up of the movie is one we’ve seen before, this is not your typical horror movie. Whedon simultaneously pays homage to the genre and criticizes its direction by playing into the tropes — the old man warning the characters of their impending doom, the creepy cellar, the stereotypical roles — then completely destroying its effectiveness. The final result is hilarious, terrifying, and downright entertaining.
The reason The Conjuring was as lauded and revered as it is is because it came at almost the perfect time in the history of horror movies. The 2000s saw the genre take a turn for the worst with copy after copy of slasher films. So, when an original movie about paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren was announced, there was a huge excitement around it. However, no one expected the terrifying movie experience that followed. James Wan used good old fashioned horror movie directing — as evidenced by the terrific hide and clap sequence, which I broke down here — to create incredible set pieces that built up to its chilling finale. However, what makes it one of the best horror movies is that it kicked off a new golden age for horror.
You’re Next (2011)
You’ll notice that almost all the movies on this list have little to no gore in them. That’s because I don’t think gore makes effective horror. Plus, most gory horror movie are uninspired and just copies of the rest. While there are a few that make the most of the “torture porn” like Saw (2004), one rises above the rest.
However, the grisly and gory You’re Next makes this list because it’s aware of what kind of movie it is and uses that to its advantage. Simply put, You’re Next is a B-movie that knows it’s a B-movie. The dark comedy brought on by the perennially morbid characters mixed up with the bumbling antagonists make the movie more ridiculous than the premise sounds — it’s pretty much a gorier version of And Then There Were None. And that’s one of the virtues of the movie. It takes the home invasion premise and turns it on its head making it part soap opera, part parody, and a genre enthusiasts dream.
Trick r’ Treat (2007)
For some reason, crafting a horror movie around Halloween is a task that few filmmakers have been able to do. John Carpenter’s original Halloween is perhaps the only exception — unless you count Hocus Pocus as a horror movie. Then comes along the little film Trick r’ Treat directed by Dougherty. This anthology film is split into six distinct stories that take place in the same town on Halloween. However, the reason it’s one of the best horror movies of the century is its ability to make you feel nostalgic for the holiday. With good old fashioned scares and a storytelling style that makes it feel like you’re sitting around a campfire listening to ghost stories, Trick r’ Treat was able to turn itself into necessary Halloween viewing.
The Mist (2007)
My one condition for The Mist being on this list is that it must be watched in black and white (it’s available here). When you watch the monochromatic version — the preferred one of director Frank Darabont — The Mist unfolds as an extended Twilight Zone episode before turning into an homage to the creature features of the 50s. However, what makes this one of the best horror movies of the century is its focus on the characters and their reactions to the apocalyptic event. If anything, the scariest part of the movie isn’t the monsters outside, but the human inside. Human nature can be a terrifying thing when it’s done right and The Mist certainly gets it right.
[REC] (2007)
Found footage is a hard filmmaking style to apply to the horror genre, which means that it rarely works. However, a few gems were able to rise above the rest like Paranormal Activity (2007) and Unfriended (2015). Still, there is one clear high for the genre from this century.
I’m coupling 2007 Spanish film [REC] and the 2008 English-language remake Quarantine together since the latter is essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the former. Found footage is hard to pull off. In terms of horror, only one movie was able to effectively use the genre to its full potential — The Blair Witch Project. However, [REC] finally took the concept of found footage and unlocked it for everything it is worth. By setting the film in the claustrophobic setting of an apartment complex, Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza were able to create a slow-building but completely terrifying dip into a Hell on Earth like none committed to film. What makes the movie so effective is its sense of space. It uses the spiraling staircase, dark corners, and winding passages to set you on edge and disorient you while the characters on screen fight for their lives. Then, we’re treated to one of the most chilling and horrifying endings to a horror movie.
What it’s about: Six adventurous women go spelunking in an uncharted cave where they fight the elements, each other, and for survival.
Why you should watch it: With its claustrophobic setting, dark cinematography, and tension-filled set pieces, Alien is indisputably one of the best monster movies ever made. Almost no movie has been able to fill the massive gap left by it, even sequels to the series. That’s why Neil Marshall’s 2005 The Descent is one of the best horror movies of the 21st century. Instead of a spaceship, The Descent takes place in a winding cave that never seems to end and has never seen light.
Instead of an alien, there are subterranean humanoids tormenting the group of spelunkers. The amount of screentime the monsters are given, like Alien, is minimal, which only adds to the dread when they show up. However, in true horror fashion, the scariest moments are the ones when they aren’t on screen. Lurking around the next bend, perhaps.
While Danny Boyle might be more widely known for 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire, most cinephiles will know him as the man who brought us one of the best zombie movies of all time with 28 Days Later. What makes the movie so effective (other than the fact that this is the first time that zombies could run faster than a pathetic gallop) is its sense of desolation and desperation. The first ten minutes after the cold open are perhaps some of the best filmmaking of the early 2000s. The composition of the shots aren’t just beautiful, but they remind us just how alone Jim (Cillian Murphy) is in his hospital scrubs and his lonely plastic bag. However, when he finally encounters Selena (Naomi Harris) it turns into a movie about humanity and inhumanity in the face of destruction.
The Ring (2002)
“7 days.”
This is a phrase that haunted my early adolescent years when I watched The Ring — probably way earlier than I should have. However, that fear wasn’t just my young self scared of the killer videotape at the center of the movie. The Ring is one of the most effective horror movies of the early 2000s, which was right when gore was being mistaken for horror. Instead, The Ring — with almost no gore at all — uses disturbing imagery and smart, well-executed horror set pieces to give viewers a sense of dread. Interestingly, the movie has little score, which has quickly become one of the essential horror movie staples. Instead, the movie sets up its shots in a way that make you fear what’s lurking behind the camera or around the corner or in your television.
From “Shampain” to “Blue” and The Family Jewels to Froot, here are the 13 best Marina and the Diamonds songs!
If you can’t tell, I adore Marina and the Diamonds, and I am pretty sure I could have justified every one of her songs to be on this list; but I tried to restrain myself. I mean, the list was originally supposed to be only 10 songs, but that clearly got out of hand when I kept looking at the track listing for her three albums.
All in all, the queen of indie pop has not ceased to amaze me. After seeing her in concert, I can say she is one hell of a performer, and I encourage you all to if you ever get the chance to see a true diamond shine. Covering all three “eras” of the pop princess’s breadth of work, here are the 13 best Marina and the Diamonds songs.
Honorable Mentions: Literally all of them
“Savages” — Froot
There is beauty in darkness, and that is exactly what this song is. Macabre and poignant, “Savages” ponders the truth of humanity. Are we just some beast hiding under the facade of picket fences and wedding rings, learning how to crawl? Every day we turn on the news or read a paper and are instantly inundated with the atrocities of this world. Rape, murder, lies, deceit, savage intentions; it’s inescapable. But some individuals like to pretend we are all safe behind our manicured lawns.
I’m not the only one who
Finds it hard to understand
I’m not afraid of God
I am afraid of Man
from “Savages” by Marina and the Diamonds
Besides this song being beautiful in its own melodic and lyrical way, the social message is just extremely prevalent. Every word of this song utters a philosophical reflection about our current society. School and public shootings have become far too familiar to us all. The true fear in this world is in every single one of us. Marina ponders how we have gotten to this point in our “evolution.” Has something so deep inside of us finally buckled and come apart within our psyche, or are we truly just barbarous creatures with only one prerogative? Self-preservation. In the end, no one really has the answer, but with this song, Marina has brought such a dark, serious subject to the forefront of our minds. What are our true faces behind our masks?
Is it a human trait, or is it learned behavior
Are you killing for yourself, or killing for your savior?
Lies – Electra Heart
I’m not entirely sure who broke Marina’s heart, but I am completely confident that he is crazy. But I cannot be mad that such a gorgeous, melancholy song came from it. Its alright, Marina. You know we all love you!
You’re too proud to say that you’ve made a mistake
You’re a coward ’til the end
I don’t wanna admit that we’re not gonna fit
No, I’m not the type that you like
Why don’t we just pretend?
from “Lies” by Marina and the Diamonds
“Teen Idle” — Electra Heart
Oh, our youth with ill-gotten memories, sorrowful reflections, and insurmountable desires. Being a teenager, for me, was one big desire. I want to be this, that, funny, liked, and the list goes on. As paradoxical as it was, I wanted it all. I wanted to follow every possible road life had for me. I wanted to be my idiosyncratic self, and I wanted to be nothing like who I was.
I wanna be a virgin pure
A 21st century whore
I want back my virginity
So I can feel infinity
from “Teen Idle” by Marina and the Diamonds
To me, Marina put a finger on this feeling of impermanence and confusion. She touches on the desire to live unencumbered, to internalize the eternal party, to live like those “teenagers” you see on the silver screen.
I wanna drink until I ache
I wanna make a big mistake
I want blood, guts and angel cake
I’m gonna puke it anyway
from “Teen Idle” by Marina and the Diamonds
“Hollywood” — The Family Jewels
You were right! “Hollywood” really did infect my brain, Marina! Ah, Hollywood, all its glitz, glam, and garbage. I think it is safe to say we are all completely enamored in Hollywood and its warped ideals. Just like Marina sings, we want to be kissed in the rain and have our live fit the contrived sense of a movie scene. In a world full of hollowed Instagram models and capricious socialites, be a Marina!
A fat security making place for me
Soon as I touch down in old L.A.
He said, “Oh, my God, you look just like Shakira!
No, no, you’re Catherine Zeta.”
“Actually, my name’s Marina.”
from “Hollywood” by Marina and the Diamonds
“Happy” — Froot
At one point or another, we have felt alone. Whether we were alone in isolation or a crowded room, we were alone nonetheless. To those that have not found their other half, partner, husband, wife, lover, whatever you crave, there is happiness for you yet, without finding it in another.
So now you know, you know it all
That I’ve been des-desperately alone
I haven’t found the one for me
But I believe in divinity
This song, in my opinion, would have been a perfect closer to the album because it is this slow, melodic crescendo of a song that builds you up and empowers you as her lyrics soar. I’ve found what I have been looking for in this song: satisfaction in myself.
I believe in possibility
I believe someone’s watching over me
And finally I have found a way to be
Happy, happy, happy
from “Happy” by Marina and the Diamonds
“The State of Dreaming” — Electra Heart
I love a song that can be so upbeat, catchy, and infectious, with such, well, sad lyrics. For a good period of my life, I was living in a contrived state of what I thought my life should be, feigning my role in a mechanized play.
If only you knew my dear,
How I live my life in fear
If only you knew my dear,
How I know my time is near
from “The State of Dreaming” by Marina and the Diamonds
And did I mention the song is just utterly catchy? It’s hard to write a song with a purpose; it’s hard to write a song that is infectious. It’s even harder to do both, but, for me, Marina never fails.
“Blue” — Froot
I do not know how this song was not one of the first singles off the album. It is by far one of my favorites from Froot, with its effervescence and 80s-like pop sound. Each and every time that I hear this song, I cannot help but do the little shoulder dance that she does in the video when the beat drops.
No, I don’t love you
No, I don’t care
I just want to be held when I’m scared
And all I want is one night with you
Just cause I’m selfish
I know it’s true
from “Blue” by Marina and the Diamonds
“Buy The Stars” — Electra Heart
https://youtu.be/Vf8e3OozHlI
To me, this song reminds me slightly of “Teen Idle,” with its sorrowful, thoughtful tone. Marina touches on some similar topics like loneliness, while crafting such a soothing, ethereal song.
Oh we don’t own our heavens now
We only own our hell
from “Buy the Stars” by Marina and the Diamonds
“Can’t Pin Me Down” — Froot
No one likes being told who to be or what to say. And that is what Marina makes abundantly clear with this song. On top of being an incredibly fun, spunky song, “Can’t Pin Me Down” just asserts Marina as the bad ass queen we all known her to be.
Do you really want me to write a feminist anthem
I’m happy cooking dinner in the kitchen for my husband
from “Can’t Pin Me Down” by Marina and the Diamonds
“Living Dead” — Electra Heart
https://youtu.be/CCELnFwUVXE
Macabre and dark. They are beguilingly entrancing words. Humans have an obsession with the morbid and grotesque, just look at our fascination with “American Horror Story” and basically every movie with some facet of the story being a tragedy. Marina creates this sort of at-times-light and at-times-heavy song, which immediately ingrained itself in my mind after hearing it. After all, we are all living a little dead.
I haven’t lived life
I haven’t lived love
Just bird’s eye view
From the sky above
From “Living Dead” by Marina and the Diamonds
“How to be a Heartbreaker” — Electra Heart
Apparently there are only four rules to be a heart breaker, but I am pretty sure they do not work out that well unless you’re drop-dead gorgeous and Marina herself. This is one of the first songs that I heard by Marina, and it made me fall in love with the pop princess because it is such a silly, energetic, entertaining song.
Boys they like the look of danger
We’ll get him falling for a stranger, a player
Singing I lo-lo-love you
At least I think I do!
from “How to Be a Heartbreaker” by Marina and the Diamonds
“Homewrecker” — Electra Heart
Hey, at least the song is honest! Maybe her life is a mess, but she is pretty damn sure she looks good while being said mess. This song sort of addresses the anti-fairy tale, the “happy-never-after.”
Girls and their curls and their gourmet vomit
Boys and their toys and their six inch rockets
We’re all very lovely ’til we get to know each other
As we stop becoming friends and we start becoming lovers
from “Homewrecker” by Marina and the Diamonds
“I Am Not A Robot” — The Family Jewels
Spoiler alert: none of us are robots. We all have feelings, despite how jaded some are with theirs. I love this song because it sort of deconstructs the “devoid of emotion” image that some people try to don. We are all terrifyingly adept at lying to ourselves and masking our true feelings. This song just calls us all out on our bluffs.
You’ve been acting awful tough lately
Smoking a lot of cigarettes lately
But inside, you’re just a little baby, oh.
It’s okay to say you’ve got a weak spot
You don’t always have to be on top
Better to be hated than loved, loved, loved for what you’re not
From “I Am Not A Robot” by Marina and the Diamonds
From the post-apocalyptic to the not-so-distant future, here are the ten best sci-fi movies of the decade (so far)!
Sci-fi is one of the most interesting and innovative genres because it poses a specific challenge. How do you show tomorrow while commenting on today? At least, that’s what good sci-fi tries to do. Look at Alien and its sexual politics or Children of Men and its now eerily commentary on xenophobia. Though they’re both formally wildly different, they both challenge certain pitfalls of our society by adding or subtracting an element — adding the Alien and subtracting children.
However, in my opinion, we’ve tapped into a new potential for the genre. We have the ability to go places where we never thought we could go before — the tesseract in Interstellar or the wasteland in Mad Max: Fury Road. That’s why I thought it’d be the perfect time to countdown the best sci-fi movies of the decade.
For this list, I decided to mainly look at the sci-fi elements of the movie and how they affect into the narrative as a whole. So, just because it’s a great action movie, doesn’t mean it’s one of the best sci-fi movies. The other parameter I looked at was how its vision of tomorrow supported its commentary of today. Whether that’s thematically or technically. Here are the best sci-fi movies of the decade (so far)!
Coherence (2013)
What it’s about: Coherence follows a group of friends at a dinner party on the night a mysterious comet passes overhead. As the night goes on, increasingly unsettling and mind-bending events occur.
Why it’s great: Though the twists and turns in Coherence may pale in comparison to the big budgets of some of the other movies on this list, its virtue is its minimalism. It’s a small movie with big concepts. And it keeps itself grounded despite that.
Playing on the classic Twilight Zone episode “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” Coherence is as much about the mistrust and paranoia as it is about the mysterious cosmic event at its center. Boiled down, it’s a social experiment that is entertaining to watch, but you’d never want to be a part of.
Where to stream Coherence: Coherence is available to stream on Prime Video, Hulu, or Shudder.
Gravity (2013)
What it’s about: While circling above Earth doing a spacewalk, Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) become untethered after the debris from a destroyed satellite strikes destroys their shuttle. Now freely floating through space, the pair must do whatever they can to survive and somehow get home.
Why it’s great: By the time the nearly 17-minute one-shot opening sequence of Gravity concludes, you barely have time to breathe again before the next thrill begins.
However, that’s not what makes it one of the best sci-fi movies of the decade. It’s almost impossible to describe the movie without using the word groundbreaking. That’s because Alfonso Cuarón gave us one of the most immersive trips into space to date.
Even though it is narratively simple, the pure craft involved is enough to elevate the movie. We’ve seen man survive at sea and on a desert island. It’s about time we saw a woman have a chance to show her strength.
Where to stream Gravity: Gravity is available to stream on IndieFlix. It is also available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
Snowpiercer (2013)
What it’s about: After a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, an ever running train called “Snowpiercer” houses a mini-society that still has rich and poor — overseen by the second-in-command Mason (Tilda Swinton). However, an uprising is coming led by Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, and John Hurt.
Why it’s great: Sure. Maybe a constantly moving bullet train around the world isn’t the most efficient form of preservation during a post-apocalyptic ice age. But that element of Bong Joon Ho’s Snowpiercer is simply the catalyst for the class struggle at the center of the film.
The mythic title train provides the perfect setting for the assault on the class system that suppresses those at the back of the train. However, the real standout is the whimsical and nearly surreal world that the movie takes place in. It’s the type of place where you’d want to adventure again.
The relationship between man and artificial intelligence has always been a point of interest in sci-fi. And while 2001: A Space Odyssey pretty much reached the pinnacle of the discussion of the subject, Spike Jones revived it with his humanist take on AI. What if AI existed? And what if we fell in love with it? Jones’ vision of the future almost feels too close for comfort. Her is as much a tender love story as it is a meditation on the not so distant future. It’s the delicate balance act of those two genres that make it one of the best sci-fi movies of the decade.
While Her studies artificial intelligence from the perspective of the heart, Ex Machina tackles it from the brain. If man plays god, what does its creation think of itself? Of its creator? Those are the questions at the center of Ex Machina. At a high-level perspective, it’s a modern take on Shelley’s Frankenstein However, this time, the monster is more machine. The movie keeps its card close to its chest unfolding like a three-person play. However, digging deeper proves fruitful because the themes don’t just stop at man versus machine. It’s subtle in almost every way. That’s what makes it so brilliant.
Creating a follow-up to a film as technically dazzling and thematically rich as Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic Blade Runner seemed like a fool’s errand. That is until Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) stepped into the director’s chair. What makes the film one of the best sci-fi movies of the decade is it continued to explore the themes of humanity, while also delving into new directions, most interestingly involving Ryan Gosling‘s K. Though it has a nearly 3-hour running time, it’s endlessly engrossing as its mysterious plot reveals itself. What differentiates it from the original, though, is it has a strong emotional center that catches you off guard and brings warmth to an otherwise cold world.
Arrival (2016)
Jodie Foster’s character in Contact is a woman who knew she were good enough to do the job, but gender politics said she wasn’t. On the other side of the spectrum, Amy Adams’ linguist character in Arrival is a woman who feels in over her head, but is given the power she needs to succeed. It’s a subtle contrast for two movies that have a lot in common. But what pushes Arrival into the pantheon of great sci-fi movies is its scale juxtaposed against its own sentimentality. It’s an alien invasion drama that we’ve never seen before. Still, one of its most groundbreaking elements are the humanist ones. When faced with a common enemy, will we corporate with each other or close off? Is language what bonds us together or tear us apart? At the surface, those are the questions. But then, when you go deeper, they become even more existential. I won’t spoil those for you. Arrival is a movie that begs to be discovered — emotionally, scientifically, cinematically. And still, it never fully reveals itself all at once. Its mystery is its greatest asset. And Denis Villeneuve guards it with everything he’s got.
Why it’s great: When thinking about the top spot on this list, I really had to consider my guidelines. While I think the insane post-apocalyptic steampunk future that is Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best movies of all time, I think its sci-fi elements are overshadowed by George Miller’s incredible action scenes and unforgettable filmmaking. That’s not to take away from the world that Miller created. It’s one of the greatest practices of world-building since Star Wars first blasted onto our screens.
His incredible attention to detail in all departments brought the world to life and immersed us from the first epic beats of Junkie XL’s iconic score. And though the world included souped up oil tankers and radiation infected war boys, it still felt like a future familiar to us.
Whether it’s the fact that the cars all used scraps you might find in a post-apocalyptic future or because thematically it’s actually more relevant than ever, Mad Max: Fury Road is just one of those movies you give yourself into.
Where to stream Mad Max: Fury Road: Now streaming on TNT or TBS with cable login. It is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
Interstellar (2013)
What it’s about: In the not-so-distant future, Earth is on its final legs as widespread famine and drought threaten the human race. After a mysterious wormhole appears in the far reaches of the solar system, a group of explorers (Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi) must evaluate potential new homes for the planet.
Why it’s great: Just when you thought Inception was going to be Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi magnum opus, along comes Interstellar. Upon first viewing, it may seem like it buckles under the weight of its ambition. However, when you take a close look, the brilliance of its plot reveals itself.
The world is falling apart. So, as always, we look to the stars. It’s a simple enough premise. However, the concepts that Nolan explores are not only complex — they’re astrophysics, after all — but accurate. It’s an epic in every sense of the word. It’s a space adventure with a keen sense of its characters, their motivations, and an idea of what it would be like to be put into their position.
“It’s as grand as it is introspective and as grounded as it is existential,” as I said in my review. Nolan doesn’t water down the science as Gravity does. Instead, he embraces it. It’s something shockingly rare in the genre today.
Interstellar is something we’ve never seen before and presented in a way that fully takes advantage of everything filmmaking has to offer. However, it doesn’t forget that we exist. That at the center of great sci-fi is humans. That’s what makes it the best sci-fi movie of the decade.
The Conjuring Universe is the first horror cinematic universe. See how we rank each of the movies in the franchise from worst to best!
With five movies and over one billion dollars at the box office—and counting—The Conjuring franchise of movies has become one of the most unlikely cinematic universes following in the model of Marvel’s. It all launched in 2013 with James Wan’s The Conjuring, which premiered to critical acclaim and a box office to match. It eventually spawned two spin-off series and shows no signs of stopping—The Nun recently posted a franchise-best opening weekend. However, as the franchise expands, the expectations for each installment rises. So, below we’ve ranked all The Conjuring Universe films from worst to best!
Let us know in the comments if you agree with our list and your rankings!
The Nun (2018)
The Nun is incredibly well shot and designed—its the first move in the franchise to not take place in a house—but that’s really where the compliments end. This entry is the first to feel like a big horror blockbuster, and that’s not a good thing. As with The Conjuring 2 later in this list, the reliance on CGI to support the scares cheapens the movie as a whole. Also, the movie has no tension because it goes from 0 to 100, then stays there, which would be fine if every scare didn’t follow the exact same formula. Its visually striking and has a strong lead performance by Taissa Farmiga, but this is the first movie in the The Conjuring Universe that makes me nervous for its future.
Annabelle is actually better than it’s been made out to be. Yes, it relies too much on jump scares, has a formulaic plot, and two wooden leads that don’t add much substance. However, its horror, while fleeting, is effective—the home invasion set piece is particularly effective. Had the plot broken away from a typical horror movie formula and given interesting supporting characters like Alfre Woodard more screentime, it had the potential to be a solid entry in the franchise.
The Conjuring 2 finds the Warren’s tackling yet another family being tormented by a demon. This time, however, the Warrens are also being tormented by their own demons. Beginning with a stellar cold open featuring the infamous Amityville haunting, The Conjuring 2 has its moments, but fails to live up to the original. Its issues can be traced back to the problems most sequels have—it’s too big of a movie. The scares, while sometimes effective, are too reliant on CGI and retracing the patterns of scares from the original. The plot also became to complicated for the deeper emotional arc of the Warrens to truly pay off.
For franchises like The Conjuring Universe to work, studios need to hire interesting directors to tackle the projects—like Taika Waititi for Thor: Ragnarok or Patty Jenkins for Wonder Woman. That’s exactly what happened with Annabelle: Creation. Director David F. Sandberg, who broke out with his debut feature Lights Out, tackles the second movie in the Annabelle series with old-fashioned scares and atmospheric tension that make it a tense experience from beginning to end. Instead of relying on sudden loud noises, the movie relishes in its imagery and the silences that add tension.
Even five movies in, James Wan’s original The Conjuring remains the best movie in this franchise and one of the tentpoles of this new golden age of horror. Truly, The Conjuring holds up as a nearly pitch-perfect ghost story that treats its scares as fully thought-out set pieces—something that the franchise has strayed away from. It even arguably has one of the best horror set pieces in recent memory with the “hide and clap” scene (pictured above). However, the scenes connecting the scares are just as impressive. Unlike a lot of horror movies, The Conjuring actually develops its characters, specifically the Warrens. Even the scares are often character driven. There’s yet to be another movie in this franchise that has risen to this level. Granted, it set quite a bar.
This year has been one of the best movie years in recent memories with films that pushed the boundaries of filmmaking. Here are the best movies of 2017!
2017 is a year that started strong and ended even stronger, which is refreshing considering the end of the year always has an influx of awards-friendly prestige movies. But what is even more refreshing is the variety of movies this year that were successful commercially and critically. Horror had a huge year, as did comedy. Action made a comeback and romance became original again. But these genres don’t totally cover the movies on this list. If movies in 2017 could be summed up, you could say it was a genre-bending year. More and more movies have escaped classification, which is the right direction for the industry. However, more importantly. It seems that movies that had something real to say about our current political and societal moment are being seen.
The more movies that stray away from the typical movie formula and become successful, the more original movies we will start seeing. This list, I believe, is a testament to those new original directions and voices. Here are what I consider the best movies of 2017.
When I heard that Saturday Night Live’s Kyle Mooney — one of my favorite repertory players — was co-writing and starring in a movie I was expecting something hilarious, awkward, and downright weird. Brigsby Bear was all those things, but what surprised me is that it had a surprising amount of heart. Mooney brings his usual endearingly awkward persona to his character, but the story makes it both charming and a bit devastating. It’s actually a rational exploration of trauma and how we deal with it. That doesn’t stop it from being a hilarious “fish out of water” comedy with the sensibilities as Mooney’s sketches on SNL. Still, its weird exterior is just a way to take the audience off guard and hit them with the kind of warmth and hope we need today.
2017 was a great year for first-time filmmakers. However, no first film quite made an impact as large as Jordan Peele’s Get Out. Not only did it make an impact critically and commercially, it sparked a national conversation about race while also being eminently entertaining. It has the sharp wit that Peele has become known for along with his collaborator Keegan Michael Key (who didn’t work on him for this film) that drive big laughs, but also a really smart take on racism, particular that of the liberal elites. However, what makes Get Out one of the best movies of 2017 is the incredible attention to detail. It’s the type of movie that is more rewarding on multiple viewings. Every line and image serves a purpose in the grand scheme of the movie. Not only that, it makes a star out of Daniel Kaluuya. To which, I say, it’s about time.
Director Sean Baker specializes in making films about people on the fringes of society. In The Florida Project, he tells a story about the invisible homeless on the outskirts of the family resorts of Orlando. But what makes this movie truly great and one of the best movies of 2017 is that he tells it firmly in a child’s perspective. To the protagonist Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), everything is magical. However, she doesn’t understand that some of the things her young mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) are less than normal and sometimes even illegal. But Baker never judges his characters. He has sympathy for their experiences, much like Willem Dafoe‘s character, who manages the hotel where Moonee and Halley live. In the end, audiences will view it with the same childlike wonder that Moonee has. It’s heartfelt, a bit dark, but also a delight to watch.
To say that Paul Thomas Anderson created a romantic comedy with Phantom Threadmight be overreaching, but he came close. In what is apparently his last performance, Daniel Day-Lewis continues his streak of playing complicated and difficult men. However, this time he has a complicated woman (Vicky Krieps) to go up against. And that battle of the Titans is one of the most thrilling relationships to see play out on screen. Reynolds Woodcock is a character for the ages and is certainly fitting to be Day-Lewis’ march into movie history, but more importantly, we have been introduced to an exciting new star in the making in Vicky Krieps. While this is a movie about a tortured artist, it’s also very much about the women — the other being his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) behind that tortured artist who have to find new ways to both support him and keep him grounded. Phantom Thread is a meditation on marriage. And if I was Maya Rudolph, Anderson’s wife, then I might be a bit worried.
Blade Runner 2049
Creating a follow-up to a film as technically dazzling and thematically rich as Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic Blade Runner seemed like a fool’s errand. That is until Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) stepped into the director’s chair. Along with Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch, who composed the score, and Roger Deakins, who shot the film, Villeneuve created one of the dazzling worlds seen on film this year. Splashed with neon tones that contrast to the industrial infrastructure that has befallen Earth, Blade Runner 2049 is a visual feast. But what made the film one of the best movies of 2017 is it continued to explore the themes of humanity, while also delving into new directions, most interestingly involving Ryan Gosling‘s K. Though it has a nearly 3-hour running time, it’s endlessly engrossing as its mysterious plot reveals itself. What differentiates it from the original, though, is it has a strong emotional center that catches you off guard and brings warmth to an otherwise cold world.
My top five favorite movies of the year are an eclectic group of films that I believe balanced beautiful filmmaking with profound storytelling. These filmmakers have certainly earned their place as the best movies of 2017!
Columbus
What made Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy such an amazing achievement is its ability to make conversation so compelling. The same could be said for Kogonada’s film debut Columbus. Although this conversation isn’t as contained as Jess and Celine’s in terms of time, Casey (Haley Lu Richardson, who gives one of the best performances of the year) and Jin (John Cho) help each other come to terms with their pasts and plan for the future. All of this happens in the shadow of the modern architecture of Columbus, Indiana, which is captured beautifully by Elisha Christian. However, what makes this film great and one of the best movies of 2017 is that Columbus is the third lead of this film. Its existence is a juxtaposition much like Casey and Jin are to each other, and it’s exactly what they need.
I’ve tried to describe Personal Shopper to people and it always comes out sounding like an overzealous student film. But masterful director Olivier Assayas takes the seemingly disparate elements and competing genres to create a profound meditation on grief — with a detour towards the supernatural. The ghostly elements of the film are legitimately terrifying mostly because there is so much mystery behind them. Assayas doesn’t give audiences the answers, which makes the film into a puzzle that we have to solve. And that’s thrilling enough, but he then instills Hitchcockian tension that turns it into a psychological thriller. While all these genre elements are happening, Maureen, played by a masterful Kristen Stewart, has to come to terms with her own mortality and her grief. It’s an emotional powerhouse of a movie disguised as a psychological thriller, which makes it one of the best movies of 2017.
The same way movies like Clueless and Never Been Kissed so accurately portrayed the painful awkwardness of growing up in the 90s, Lady Bird is almost a near perfect coming-of-age dramedy about adolescence in the post-9/11 era. Though the movie is based on writer and director Greta Gerwig‘s teenage years growing up in Sacramento, California, Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) is the kind of character that nearly anyone can see themselves in. In particular, she’s a teen that is trying out different versions of herself, and Gerwig captures that in a quick-paced, hilarious romp that hits emotional beats that will make you want to give your parents a call and tell them that you love them. Lady Bird reminds us that even though we may see ourselves as the star of our own story, we may be a supporting character in someone else’s.
No studio filmmaker is pushing the boundaries of cinema quite like Christopher Nolan. But he may have launched us into a new frontier with his World War II movie Dunkirk. I so often use the word epic when describing Nolan’s films. Interstellar was a nearly 3-hour journey through space and time. Epic is really the only word you can use to describe it. However, Dunkirk is almost the antithesis of that. It deconstructs the war movie and only leaves the action, which makes it an unrelenting and tense experience that makes a fantastic argument as to why movies have to be seen in the theater. With the sweeping cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema and dissonant score by Hans Zimmer, Nolan was able to achieve full immersion into the world. By the end, you’ll feel like you went through war. It’s a cinematic experience of the highest caliber. Read by
For all the movies giving commentary on our current political moment, commenting on the injustices of our society, or simply bringing stories forward that are no often told, the one that stands out and tops this list as the best movie of 2017 is largely unpolitical. Call Me By Your Name is at its heart a romance. Specifically, a first love. And it captures that feeling brilliantly under the direction of Luca Guadagnino who, along with cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, present the movie with the feeling of a fleeting summer’s glow. And like Moonlight, my number one film last year, Call Me By Your Name recalls feelings that nearly everyone has felt — love, hate, jealousy, fear, hope, helplessness — without doing much to force those feelings on you. Movies are emotionally manipulative. However, the best movies are the ones that are getting you to feel something without you even noticing. And Call Me By Your Name achieves this flawlessly.
James Ivory’s screenplay and Guadagnino’s sensitive direction gave the cast the room to play with their characters, which gives every conversation an authentic quality. But, much credit must be given to the cast. Michael Stuhlbarg‘s intellectual father character is bubbling with excitement over the prospect of discovered artifacts or sparring over the origin of words. But by the time we get to his closing speech, we understand that his character is more sensitive than we’re initially led to believe and the love for his son knows no bounds. With the enigmatic Oliver, Armie Hammer constantly keeps us guessing about his motives, his thoughts, and his feelings. However, at the center of it all is Timothée Chalamet. He’s effortless in his portrayal of youthful energy, but when the emotions that come with the exploration of sexuality hit him, it’s like a floodgate is opened.
Call Me By Your Name is the rare film where really nothing is happening on screen, yet everything is at the same time. It’s beautiful and bold and sexy and sensitive. It’s a film about love that is impossible not to love.
Honorable Mentions
Looking back, it has been an incredible year for movies. So, parring this list down to a top ten was nearly impossible, and I’m still not completely confident in my rankings or inclusions. Although, that’s just a testament to the quality of films this year. So before I get to the “best movies” — if there’s really such a thing in this crop — I want to take a moment to highlight some of the high points of cinema this year.
It’s safe to say that this year included some of the most original and best superheroes movies in the past few year. Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, in addition to being the highest-grossing film to be directed by a woman, did something that no film in the DC universe of films has done. Be good. Not only that, though, the film has some of the best action scenes of the year and a strong heart at its center with Gal Gadot. Marvel also had a great year with Spider-Man: Homecomingand Thor: Ragnarok, both of which felt like departures from the usual Marvel formula with the former being a John Hughes-inspired high school movie and the latter being a broad comedy.
However, action also had other great entries. In particular, David Leitch (co-director of John Wick) brought us one of the greatest female action heroes with Atomic Blonde. Even though the Cold War plot gets convoluted, it boasts the single best action scene even made with the now famous stairwell scene.
There were two fantastic ghost stories this year. One of them made this list, the other, A Ghost Story, just missed out. However, its melancholic journey through time is beautifully captured in a way that feels wholly unique. Another ghostly film with a more family-friendly approach also proved to be one of the emotionally satisfying experiences of the year. Pixar hits it out of the park again with Coco, an entertaining, funny, and sentimental take on processing loss.
Two real-life stories also made a strong impression this year. The first was one of the most surprising revelations of the year. Strongeron the surface looked like another “based on a true story” movie about a man overcoming incredible odds. But with sensational performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany and a smart directorial style, it turns into a real story of triumph in the face of adversity. The other, The Big Sick, tells a story that seems too crazy to be true. But Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon adapted their real-life love story with enough of a witty realistic punch to make it a charming reinvention of the romantic comedy genre.
Lastly, the film that just barely misses out on my top ten best movies of the year is Bong Joon-Ho’s Okja. More than any film this year, it takes creative swings that test both genre and filmmaking conventions and ends up being a sweet and profound tale of friendship and without a doubt the best original Netflix film to date.
From the moments that make us swoon to the ones that break our hearts, here are the best romance movies of the decade (so far)!
With Valentine’s Day coming up, it’s time to cuddle up with your significant other or your best Valentine’s day friends and binge romantic movies. However, these aren’t your typical romantic comedies. These romances talk about the highs and lows of relationships in a way that your typical rom-com wouldn’t.
So, here are the 8 best romance movies of the decade (so far)!
Beginners (2010)
“You point, I’ll drive.” It’s a moment that feels ripped out of the indie romance playbook. However, in just a few scenes, Mike Mills makes the moment feel like the most important interaction in Oliver’s (Ewan McGregor) life. Stylish without being unsentimental, Beginners is a beautiful look at love at the beginning and end of life. However, more than a romance, what Beginners is really about is how the people in our lives and the people in their lives and the people in their lives affect who we are and what we become. Luckily for us, it’s filled with touching moments, clever banter, and all the things that make us swoon about romances. Rent Beginners on Amazon >>>
Brooklyn (2015)
The book that John Crowley’s 1950s romance is based on is a cold look at homesickness. Essentially, all the romantic potential of the plot is sucked out. However, the movie adaptation grabs all the potential (and more) and spins it into a whirling cross-continental love story. While Ellis (Saoirse Ronan) isn’t exactly the love-stricken, romantic protagonist we hope for in a movie, Tony (Emory Cohen) certainly is. And his baseball loving, Brooklyn-accented ways will charm you to no end. So, when Ellis has to make the trip back to Ireland, your heart breaks just a little with Tony’s. However, it is just a means for the couple to earn their ending — and quite an ending it is. Rent Brooklyn on Amazon >>>
Her (2013)
I realize that this is a love story between a man and a computer but stay with me here. Spike Jonze’s Her is possibly one of the best-written movies of the decade. Much of the genius comes from the long two-way conversations between Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) and Sarah (Scarlet Johansson). It is an interesting look at what it exactly is to love. Without a body, there is no sexual attraction between the two. Their love comes from their complexities and how they compliment each other. If not for the relationship between the two, watch Her for one of the best voice-over performances in a movie by Johansson. Rent Her on Amazon >>>
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber have pretty much changed the course of the romance genre. While their two most famous movies — 500 Days of Summer and The Fault In Our Stars are drenched in some of the worst facets of the genre — overt cynicism, grand romantic moments, a plot soaked in irony — they make it work. John Green’s novel, which the movie is based on, captured the hearts and minds of the world by delivering a young adult novel that feels wholly grounded. But the adaptation adds something more to it. The irony and cynicism are there, but they feel natural with the characters of Augustus (Ansel Elgort) and Hazel (Shailene Woodley). Watch The Fault in Our Stars on Amazon >>>
La La Land (2016)
If you didn’t swoon over the romance between Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), then I don’t know where your heart went. Damien Chazelle’s love letter to Hollywood musicals has all the moments that you love. The clever banter, honeymoon stage montage, and a dance in the stars (literally). However, what lands La La Land on this list is its ability to tap into our generation’s stance on love. At what point does love for another person lose out to your dreams. It perfectly sums up the age of alienation we’re in. While parts could be heartbreaking, the heart-stopping musical numbers are more than enough to make up for it. Check out our full review of La La Land >>>
Like Crazy (2011)
Of all the movies on this list, Drake Doremus’ Like Crazy is probably the most overlooked and under appreciated. However, what the creators were able to make for a measly $250k is astonishing. While yes, pieces of the plot are improbable — I don’t think the American visa system works like that — it is a means for some pretty deep introspection on relationships, particularly long-distance. Anton Yelchin as Jacob and Felicity Huffman as Anna are astonishing in their portrayal as the young couple. It’s even more astonishing when you consider almost all the dialogue in the film was improvised. It makes for an experience like none other in a romantic movie. Their connection feels genuine. That’s all we can ask for in the genre. Rent Like Crazy on Amazon >>>
The Spectacular Now (2013)
I mentioned Scott Neustadter and Michal H. Webb earlier for The Fault in Our Stars. As I explained they’ve nailed this genre by embracing its worst elements. However, with The Spectacular Now, they subvert our expectations by serving an understated look at the senior year relationship between certified asshole Sutter (Miles Teller) and the sweet girl-next-door Aimee (Shailene Woodley). The great Robert Ebert put it best. “here is a lovely film about two high school seniors who look, speak and feel like real 18-year-old middle-American human beings. Do you have any idea how rare that is? They aren’t crippled by irony. They aren’t speeded up into cartoons. Their sex lives aren’t insulted by scenes that treat them cheaply […] What an affecting film this is.”
Weekend (2011)
Two characters, one set, and a weekend. That is the simple setting for Andrew Haigh’s near masterpiece Weekend. For years, Brokeback Mountain was the representative for gay romances. However, Weekend feels more timely. The premise is simple, Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New) meet at a club and have an immediate connection. However, with just the weekend to decide whether they want to become something more, the movie breaks off into an epic two-person conversation about love, identity, and fear of the unknown. It’s romantic without being sentimental, realistic yet poetic, small but endlessly complex. It’s that movie that comes along once in a while that feels intimate, yet endlessly important.
Lana Del Rey has an entire library of unreleased songs. These are some of our favorites!
It seems like just yesterday the queen of floral crowns bestowed upon us her first masterpiece of an album Paradise. While beautifully written songs with thought-provoking lyrics like “Born To Die” and “Off To The Races” are readily available, Lana Del Rey (Elizabeth Grant) has an immense body of work that has gone unreleased. You may have noticed her sexy, sultry track “Black Beauty” on her album Ultraviolence, which was a track that was long unreleased until her decision to incorporate it into her latest album. This post is to celebrate the beauty and talent of a singer-songwriter who is simply outstanding at crafting vulnerable lyrics and songs of self-loathing that still make you feel like a 1960s beauty queen.
1. “Angels Forever”
With her enigmatic voice, Lana has created yet another mystifying track that, in my opinion, would have fit quite well in one of her albums. A melody of Rock and Roll guardians fused with gorgeously entrancing vocals from the stunning Lana has resulted in the masterpiece that is “Angels Forever.” This has to be one of my favorite Lana Del rey songs released or unreleased. It is simply strikingly poignant.
2. “Serial Killer”
The lyrical murderess takes to “Serial Killer” with a more up-beat melody with lyrics professing a love that is just a little too strong to be healthy. Beguiling lyrics layered over a beautiful melody solidify this song as one of her best unreleased tracks. Lana even performs this unreleased song as a part of her set when touring, and fans wait with eager anticipation for the latter portion of the song when Lana emits a tantalizing, lustful moan that her audience adores.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlf9e9PnJZM
3. “Backfire”
With an infectious initial beat, Lana takes to this track with a love that was created to be destroyed. A love that would simply and inevitably backfire. I would have enjoyed to have had this track on her album Born To Die, but I am happy to have it any sense. With ravishing vocals, Lana conjures a story of lovers lost and those who could not change.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZOmN4pNu4A
4. “Queen Of Disaster”
With her most up-beat and lively melody, Lana asserts herself, rightfully so, as the Queen of Disaster. This song, in its simplest definition, is just so pleasantly fun, bubbly, and effervescent that I cannot help but be drawn to it. With a 60s stylish flair, this track beguiles her fans with the sounds of a lost era and a glamorous age which we can only dream of with nostalgia.
5. “Trash”
“Trash” is on the far end of the spectrum in comparison to “Queen of Disaster.” With mysteriously esoteric lyrics paired with an elegantly simple yet gorgeous melody, Lana makes “Trash” simply beautiful with its glamorous and captivating charm. I adore Lana Del Rey for creating a soothing, relaxing melody that is just as infectious as her other elegant and alluring tracks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrbwrbHCl8o
6. “Jump”
A magnificent song with a radiant beat and vocals layered with stoic lyrics of drug abuse, death, and the love of an older and dangerous man. This song is what I would define as Lana Del Rey. A beautiful voice of a wayward soul careening dangerously down the highway of life with the aim of dying young and leaving a beautiful corpse behind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZwhexF7puU
7. “Driving In Cars With Boys”
Another quintessential track of Lana Del Rey serves to reinforce the lyrics of red lipstick, dangerous living, rock and roll, and mysterious boys that surround her sexy, delinquent life. With an ability to make the grunge and danger of her unruly life sound like a beautiful lullaby, Lana has created yet another gorgeous track layered with danger, beauty, death, and a pretty corpse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAqK7xiaJmQ
8. “JFK”
What can transport you back to the era of sex, love, glamour, and rock and roll more than a song about such an iconic president and time in history? “JFK” is another striking track that evokes within the listener a sense of rock and roll and a lost time. An intrepid love song that is simply one of the most stunning songs of her unreleased body of work.
9. “You, Mister”
A soft melody with even softer lyrics create a warm and soothing song. Lana’s voice is that of an exquisite angel in this track, and I immediately find catharsis when I listen to this mystifyingly delicate song. “You, Mister” encapsulates the warm and tender beauty of Lana Del Rey’s voice with vulnerable lyrics that speak from her heart directly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BbmfIuYYO8
10. “Prom Song (Gone Wrong)”
Finally, Lana creates a magnificent song that will make you remember your first, true love, and she does so by crafting a beautiful melody with soothingly sweet vocals. A track of young love that would last a life time, “Prom Song” earns its rightful place among these other 9 masterpiece songs. This beautiful song evokes within the listener a tale of young love that would never die and eternal, blissful youth.
Because my commute involves two hours on three trains every morning, I was able to read 41 books this year. While I am very proud of this fact, I’m also sad about it. But these ten (well, eleven) books were well worth it. Here are my favorite books I read in 2016!
10. Looking for Alaska (tie)
I think the reason John Green has been such a lauded young adult author (save for Will Grayson, Will Grayson, which was one of the worst books I read this year) is his ability to subvert genre cliches. There is no better example of this than his first book, Looking for Alaska. While many of the stereotypes – awkward protagonist, too-cool-for-school – are there, by the end of the story they become fleshed out characters. To say this book surprised me is an understatement. While the first half can be a bit of a slog if you’re not a fan of young adult, the second half more than makes up for it. It’s heartbreaking, funny, and a surprisingly profound story about what it means to be alive.
“What truly struck me as an amazing facet of this novel was the decision that ultimately all the characters were faced with. Following the idiom of “If you love something, set it free,” Moyes leaves the reader with one question. What should you do if what makes the person you love truly happy completely destroys your own happiness and heart? I found this philosophical question to be truly engaging and entertaining throughout the story simply because I would not know what I would do. Is it better to instill happiness in a loved one by going without, or shall you be selfish as long as you are content? It may seem to some like a simple answer, but I truly enjoyed the journey of one woman coming to her own conclusion on this emotionally charged question in Me Before You.” – From our review
I think sometimes we don’t give our kids enough credit to understand more complex topics. That’s why I loved Zootopia so much. It tackled the topic of acceptance and race while maintaining a fun and entertaining tone. While Wonder certainly has its moments of emotion, overall it tells the story of Auggie in an idealistic tone. This is partially thanks to the characters that surround him. Their stories and backgrounds are there to help define Auggie as a person as much as the moments during the story. However, the point of Wonder is to teach the very important lesson of empathy. It does so without feeling heavy-handed – a turnoff for adult readers – or patronizing.
Some of my favorite books are those disguised as other books. On the surface, The Long and Far Away gone is a crime novel. However, in reality, it’s a character study about two different people who had two life-changing experiences. While much of the book does focus on these experiences, those aren’t the focal points. Actually, these stories beget more questions than they do answers. The real focus is how these experiences shaped who the two main characters become. It asks the eternal question, “why me?”
“And that is what is really refreshing about Wonders of the Invisible World is that Barzak doesn’t force Aiden’s personal storyline or the fantasy storyline into melodrama. In fact, for all the fantastical elements or potential for a soaring high school outcast story he keeps the story pretty lean. You’ll thank him for that in the end because it would pay a disservice to Aiden. His entire story is that he leads a non-fantastical life. The magic and curses and visions speak for themselves.” – from our review
Hilarious, witty, and damn entertaining, it’s no wonder that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has captured the attention of the world. From a two-headed president of the galaxy to a depressed robot, Douglas Adams knows how to carve make ridiculous characters feel real. However, who really cares about character.The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is easily the most hilarious book I’ve read. Setting up a joke in words in books is difficult, but Adams has comedic timing like no other. He’ll build up a joke for pages and hold his payoff until the perfect moment. It lands time and time again.
At just over 500 pages, The Power of the Dog is by no means a short book. However, I read it almost one sitting. It is a thriller that you actually can’t put down. Don Winslow, who wrote Savages, which I also loved this year, mixes strong visual writing with gorgeous prose to put together this epic look at the drug war. When you look at that page count, you wouldn’t even realize the scope of the book. Covering decades and various characters and places, Winslow balances an interconnected world that feels like it exists in both time and space.
I know that I was late on this train, but it was certainly worth the wait. Gone Girl is a thriller that uses its literary devices so elegantly that it becomes something different in itself. Specifically, the use of unreliable narrators is key to the story. However, Gillian Flynn isn’t obvious. You truly don’t know when someone is telling the truth. While the entire premise of the book has the making of a typical crime novel, Flynn is a fastidious writer. By the end of the book, you’ll be itching to go back to the beginning and seeing what you missed.
I love books that are poetic with strong characters that are complex. Gravity is not one of those books. But that’s why I love it. Gravity is essentially the literary equivalent of a big-budget blockbuster that is actually good. I mean, it’s unsurprising considering it came from the author of the Rizzoli & Isles series. It’s one thing to write a book with a great plot, but the way Tess Gerritsen is able to paint images so adroitly that you can so easily visualize the entire book in your head. Why this movie wasn’t made before the Sandra Bullock one I have no idea, but this book is a great time to read. If you have someone who “doesn’t like to read,” start them off with this one.
“Once in awhile a book comes around that reminds me why I love books. It reminds me why I love books about real people. It reminds me why I don’t need an epic to feel like I’ve lived an entire life through a book. “Tell The Wolves I’m Home” is one of those books, which is even more impressive considering it is a debut. Tell the Wolves I’m Home is an epic meditation on love, grief, change, and the necessity of growing up that disguises itself as a young adult coming-of-age. Though the tropes of our odd heroine, major life event, and life-changing relationship are there, Brunt uses them in a way that I don’t think has been committed to the page before.” – from our review
“Not everyone is going to love this book (just look at its Goodreads rating) because it’s not a book that’s written for everyone. It’s a book written for the subset of society that has alarms set for 7:30am and has to be at work at 9am. For the people that can’t wait to hear a piece of office gossip. It’s for the people look forward to noon when they get one hour of freedom. For those people, this book will be a hilarious and poignant look at 8 hours of their day. But more than that it begs the question: “is this really the meaning of life?” For others, the humor will be hit or miss and the characters could be annoying or not relatable. For us, these characters are you and me.” – from our review
We teamed up with Instagram superstar @bookishsmaug to bring you some of her favorite books! We’ll let Cath (aka bookishsmaug) take it from here:
“There are just some books in the world where you can never let go off as it stays etched deep in your heart. Doesn’t matter what genre, really, cause you never know. You might loathe contemporary romance or sci-fi or even fantasy, but it takes the right book to just suck you in. Today, I bring you five of my all time favorite reads. And trust me, you will not regret picking them up.
Illuminae by Jay Kristof and Amie Kaufman
I loved this book. It’s true what the people say – it’s like titanic in space! The story is told through a series of Instant messages, maps, blueprints, countdown systems, emails, interviews, and more! The characters were absolutely hilarious as well! very sarcastic and sassy. I’m not the biggest fan of sci-fi but illuminae was exceptional. Very unique and thrilling indeed.
The story starts off with an interview regarding an invasion that happened just this after on earth, the year 2575. One of our main characters, Ezra, talks about evacuating to one of the spaceships, leaving behind his ex girl friend Kady who is now on board a different evacuating ship. Of course, being ex couples things should work out, right? Well, the problem’s just getting started.
A deadly plague broke out, resulting in mutation and disastrous outcomes, and with the whole fleet being under the command of the computer system AIDEN, only two passengers on board can work this out.
Then again, these two swore to never speak a word to each other ever again, that is until they found out their lives depend on one another.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
WOW this book was amazing. So heartbreaking but amazing. I’ve only read the first three books but I can tell this series is going to be one of my favourites! Prince Kai is one of my faves as well, I feel so sorry for him and I just want to hug him and never let him go *weeps*
So this story follows a sixteen year old teenage girl who’s a mechanic. Totally normal, perfectly safe, but guess what? She’s a cyborg living under the commands of her evil stepmother. But that’s the least of her problems – a deadly disease is slowly killing her village, not to mention her step sister Pearl. So when Cinder meets prince Kai, she finds herself in a position that’ll threaten not only herself but the whole kingdom.
If you’re a fan of retellings, this series is perfect for you. A collection of stories inspired by Cinderella, Little red riding hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White, you’re bound to fall for this series.
The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
This book made the top of my ‘fave book of 2015′ list and it was so amazing and charming and all the good things in life <3
So this story follows a king named Khalid who brings in a new wife each day and kills them by dawn. One day a girl named Shazi volunteers to be his next bride and plans a way to seek vengeance after she’s heard what the king has done to her best friend, Shiva. Shazi does so by telling the king stories each day to prevent her death, but then the improbable happens. She starts falling for the king *dramatic music* but after all the king’s done? All the lives he took? How can Shazi find a way to end this once and for all?
A tale inspired by A Thousand and One Nights comes a story so heart wrenching it’s sure to have you guys hooked!
Isla and The Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
My fave contemporary ever! The author’s whole series is amazing, really. It flutters your heart and makes you sob and laugh and swoon over the characters <3
Meet Isla, your average straight A student whose life is an absolute bore. Meet Josh, an insanely talented tattoo artist who’s just as passionate about travelling. For the longest time, Isla’s had a crush on this mysterious artist, so what happens when Josh breaks up with his girlfriend and the two meets at a small little cafe?
With Josh, Isla’s life has taken a turn for the better, but of course, drama gets in the way. So what happens when the two are constantly separated from the possibility of bringing their futures together?
This story’s all about taking a leap of faith and trusting in yourself. Like Isla, everyone has insecurities. Like Josh, we all have dreams. It’s such a warm story – very realistic and original. Stephanie Perkins’ stories remind us that not all happily ever afters are fairytales.
November 9 by Colleen Hoover
I finished this book in well about one night *breathes heavily* so much feels. Literally. Every flick of that page evokes a different emotion every time.
So this story follows a girl named Fallonwhose dreams are well about shattered due to what happened to her six years ago. Half her skin is covered in scars and because of that her ambition of becoming an actress is over.
One day Fallon meets an aspiring writer named Ben in a small restaurant. With their timing being stretched thin, the two agrees to meet every year for five years on the same date, same place, and same time. Of course, five years is a long time. And a lot happens.
This book is bewitching, seriously. So much happened over the course of 300 pages. I’ve got no words, i’m truly in awe. I love everything about this book, even the drama. Colleen Hoover wears your soul until you fall on your knees weeping. I swear, read. this. book.”
You can follow Cath on Instagram or check out her own blog here!
At the end of every month we are going to review all the books we read and say which ones we recommend and which we think you should leave on the shelf. Enjoy our January Reading Wrap-Up!
The Martian – Andy Weir
The year is 2035, the Ares III manned mission on Mars is forced to evacuate due to a severe storm that supposedly kills astronaut Mark Watney. The crew takes off away from Mars. The only problem, Mark Watney is alive and so begins his story of survival where he must stretch a mission that was to last 30 days to more than 3 years. NASA, the world, and most importantly, we are watching and hoping that he does.
I finally read the book after the I watched Ridley Scott’s adaptation, which Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) wrote. The movie is piercingly funny, thrilling, suspenseful, and an emotional roller coaster. If it was able to affect me in a way that made it one of my favorite movies of the year, then the book would probably do even better — and it almost achieved it. The voice that Andy Weir writes Mark Watney in is so wonderfully witty that you forget that he is alone on an entire planet. As his story of survival lurches on, it’s his personality the we cling to for salvation. However, the entire ensemble of the book is truly cast of characters.
However, part of the reason the book didn’t quite reach the heights of the film — and why Goddard deserves much praise for his adaptation — is because sometime the book goes too deep into the science. I have to commend Weir for his dedication and gratitude for science, which is really what the book is about, but sometimes the long stretches of it bog down what otherwise would be a fast-paced read. Also, there are a few too many “Mark Watney might die” close calls that also slow down the narrative, however when it’s thrilling then it’s heart-racing exhilarating.
Recommend? Yes! Despite some of its flaws, science geeks will love the deep analysis of certain decisions and book worms will love the witty writing style and fast paced plot. ★★★★
The Book of Joe – Jonathan Tropper
“The Book of Joe, Jonathan Tropper’s second novel, takes that biting humor and puts into that “return to hometown” plot. However, although those types of books and movies get tedious and cloying, Tropper’s overall wittiness and brutal humor makes it a refreshing read. The novel tells the story of Joe Goffman, a bestselling offer who did what any great writer does — write from experience. In his case, he writes about his hometown Bush Falls, the people, and his experiences. His book becomes a hit and is turned into a popular movie. He never thought he would have to return to Bush Falls again. That is until his father falls into a coma.” –from our full-review of The Book of Joe
Most of you probably know Jonathan Tropper from This Is Where I Leave You (which suffered from a subpar movie adaptation) which used the similar trope of going home to cause change in our main character. However, what makes This is Where I Leave You so successful is its incredible cast of characters that make up the Foxman’s family. In The Book of Joe, the characters surrounding Joe are hit or miss. You have quite interesting and dynamic characters in his best friend, dramatically drawn ones in his old high school’s bully, however for every great character there are some that feel too one-dimensional such as his old girlfriend and brother.
Other than some character issues, the book is phenomenally readable and surprisingly has a lot of heart. I think what makes an interesting main character is one that you’re not always rooting for. Sometimes you feel that they have to be struck down for their own good, and Joe is one of those characters. You want him to change for his own good. I think that some plot points are made simply to have fun passages of comedy, but in the end never add much to the narrative, but it’s okay because they do conjure a smile. If you’re a visual reader, then this is the book for you because it plays so much like it was written like a movie in mind, which if happened would be a movie about a book about a book that was turned into a movie. Give it to us Hollywood!
Recommend? If you’re not looking for the next Crime & Punishment and want a funny and easy read, then this one is for you! ★★★½
The Power of the Dog – Don Winslow
The Power of the Dog opens on the bloody massacre in a home filled with men, women, children, and babies. It perfectly sets the tone of the novel. Don Winslow is able to create an atmosphere with his words that is unsettling, foreboding, and almost sickening. So begins the three-decade look at the war on drugs. The novel switches perspectives through several characters throughout the novel. From a DEA-agent on a mission to right past wrongs, an Irish mobster, a prostitute who gets involved in the border war, a priest going against the Vatican, and several heads (sometimes severed) of different Mexican cartels. However, the novel mostly focuses on Art Keller’s trajectory into the DEA to starting a manhunt on an epic scale.
Don Winslow has a fascination with the cartel that I hope he never loses. Between Savages, The Kings of Cool, and his most-recent novel The Cartel, he has a way with writing about the war on drugs that is entertaining, complex, but so readable. Although The Power of the Dog stretches to 550 pages, he never wastes a single sentence. He writes with such intent that it makes the novel’s 30 years of story feel like it goes by in a flash. He has a way of tying complicated characters into a complex plot without taking from either. The book is just as much a character study as it is historical fiction as it is a thrilling crime novel. He is able to balance every single aspect with a grace and flow that most crime novelists would envy.
As the years move by and the plots get continuously intertwined, you begin gripping the book tighter. It’s what Winslow does best. He is a highly visual writer, which adds so much tension and excitement, especially when he writes action. However, even scenes that are static are written in a way that slowly burn, waiting to explode. It’s so hard to write about this book without talking about the plot, but it’s one of those books that you really have to go in with a clean slate. That’s how it’ll grip you. By the end, you’ll feel like you’ve really lived through the 30 years covered, but you’ll want to dive back into them — I certainly do.
Recommend? YES! A thousand times, yes. Not only do I think this is one of the best crime novels I’ve read. It may be one of the best novels I’ve read. ★★★★★
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
Amy is gone. Her living room shows signs of a struggle, the front door was left open, and her husband is acting distant. Even more interesting, she disappeared on their However, nothing is as it seems in Gone Girl. Gillian Flynn does something with Gone Girl that makes it one of the most inventive contemporary novels. Switching between present day from the perspective of Amy’s husband Nick Dunne and her private diary, we watch as the case unfolds and and their marriage unfolds. Amy’s diary tracks her and her husband’s relationship from when they meet to a few weeks before she disappeared. Reveals are made as Nick solves the scavenger hunt his wife always leaves for him on their anniversary and as Amy grows deeper into her relationship with Nick Dunne.
I watched the Gone Girl movie first. Not only was it directed by David Fincher, it was based on a book that you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about. The movie was one of my favorites of the year and ranks as one of the best works by Fincher. So when I finally picked up the book to read, it had big shoes to fill. I think what makes the book so wonderful is that it uses the unreliable narrator trope so adeptly. We don’t know who to believe. Nick or Amy. The police or the media. It paints a realistic world that doesn’t have any clear cut answers. Flynn has found a way to draw such vivid, extremely flawed, and frankly, f*cked up characters that have motivations and feelings that are actually terrifying.
I’m going to go no further in describing the book. Just know that Gone Girl is an extremely taut thriller that is so methodically written that it feels like a puzzle, better yet, a riddle. It comments on marriage, the media, and even our society. Books that are able to change our perception of the world, and more importantly, people are in a league of their own. I am a stern believer that entertainment should make you uncomfortable and this book will have you jumping out of your own skin.
Recommend? Yes! Gone Girl is essential contemporary reading. A wonderful take on a mystery and thriller, it’s a novel that will be remembered for years. ★★★★★
Me Before You – Jojo Moyes
I ended the month on a lighter read than the last couple books, but no less emotionally charge. Me Before You centers on Louisa Clark, a 26 year-old who just can’t seem to find her place in the world. She has never left her hometown or moved out of her childhood home, but she’s content there. However, after losing her job and her parents in dire financial straits, she must step out of her comfort zone and take a job as a caregiver for a C5-6 quadriplegic, Will Trainor. Initially a man who seemed invincible, Will’s accident has taken the one thing he cherished most: his freedom. Louisa’s task is to keep him happy, sane, and feel as if he still has a life.
Romances are very rarely my kind of book. Very few have been able to break through me. The Fault in Our Stars is really the only example of one that actually affected me. However, what Jojo Moyes did was take a subject that seems very young adult oriented and inject a maturity that makes the novel as much of a romance as it is a look at life of the misguided. Louisa Clark may be one of my favorite book characters in recent memory. She’s so unapologetically different, however when you dig into why your heart will break. Her relationship with Will causes both of them to grow in the best ways possible. However, what makes Me Before You such a successful book is that Moyes is so brave in her portrayal of life. The situation the characters are in is hard and she doesn’t sugar coat that fact.
The characters surrounding the main couple are so well drawn out as well. Louisa’s family isn’t perfect by any means. The people featured are victims of their circumstance. They are not living in a world that is as romantic as we want it to be. However, don’t think that the novel is as dull or dark as it sounds. Moyes is so bitingly funny in her dialogue and in the situations she presents. She is also a highly visual author, which makes some scenes soar like you’re watching the climax of a movie or break your heart. That being said, it is wildly readable, affecting without being preachy, and romantic without being cheesy. Me Before You is the rare romance that realizes that hurt exists.
Recommend? If you’re not that into young adult plots or romances, then this may not be for you. But I certainly recommend it for anyone willing to go through an emotional roller coaster. Check out our full review here! ★★★★★
A pinch of Lady Gaga. A dash of Christina Aguilera. A big helping of an even bigger voice. And, last but not least, a whole hell of a lot of style, spunk, and personality. And that, my friends, are the components of the pop princess Ivy Levan.
Thanks to Amazon, I recently stumbled across the album “No Good” by Levan, and I certainly owe Amazon one because I freaking loved it. At first this album surprised me with its idiosyncratic, effervescent, pop melodies that immediately replaced the stores of information in my brain with only her catchy song lyrics.
On top of this, I was even more surprised by some of the beautiful power ballads and softer songs on that album that go to show you just how versatile and talented Levan truly is.
I’ll start with the first half of the album, which was packed with contagiously, catchy, unique, distinct songs
that I immediately knew I loved. Songs like “The Dame Says,” “Biscuit,” “No Good,” and “Champagne Taste” are all great pop songs that make you want to party on a bud light budget.
I am not sure what impresses me more about Levan. I mean, I certainly wasn’t expecting that voice from her or that I was going to love the album as much as I do. I love her style, her persona, and her gorgeous imagery in the videos. Sign me up for whatever comes after this album because I certainly need more from Levan!
On top of her infectious songs, she has a flamboyantly endearing artistic style to her that I love. Gorgeous, avante-garde, and a booming voice, Levan has created quite an impressive debut album. I will say the duets on the album are not my favorite, but it seems my only complaints on those songs are the singers she collaborates with. It is not that “Like a Glove” and “Killing You” are bad songs. I just think I love Levan’s style, voice, and persona so much that I feel like the introduction of featured artists on her tracks takes away from Levan. And I am incredibly selfish and want Levan all to myself on this album!
Despite this, I absolutely love the second half of this album. We move away from the constant party that Levan crafts in this first half of the album and delve into something deeper.
“27 Club” is one of my favorite songs from her album. Taking a macabre topic (the infamous deaths of many celebrities at the age of 27), Levan turns it into this gorgeous song that so seamlessly blends a dark subject with an entrancing, alluring melody that infects you.
Everybody’s gonna know me when I die,
So I don’t give a damn if I survive.
I’d rather burn out than spend my life waiting.
Ah, on to the finale of the album so soon? Oh, time just flies! Color me impressed because I am absolutely obsessed with the two final songs to her album. “Johnny Boy” and “It Ain’t Easy” are everything that I need in the finale of an album.
Slow, melodic, gorgeous, and emotional, these last two songs put the seal of approval on this album. “Johnny Boy” is a stunning song from her album that she so simply weaves with heavy lyrics that feel light as air.
Now, “It Ain’t Easy” is the perfect closer for quite a few reasons. I
mean, hello, it’s spectacular! On top of that, it is a slow, enchanting build. She picks us up with each verse and, before we know it, she is soaring with her seductive arc and finale of a verse to close the album. You were wrong, Ivy. It is easy loving you!
When I ordered this album, I was expecting some silly pop songs I could bob my head to. I did get some fun, funky songs that made me want to dance, but they were paired with a killer, emotionally charged second half of the album that left me shocked. No, I was not expecting such captivating slow songs from Levan, but I am damn glad that I found this fierce femme fatale.
![[REC]](https://smashcutreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/rec-e1491247140149.jpg)
crew takes off away from Mars. The only problem, Mark Watney is alive and so begins his story of survival where he must stretch a mission that was to last 30 days to more than 3 years. NASA, the world, and most importantly, we are watching and hoping that he does.
people, and his experiences. His book becomes a hit and is turned into a popular movie. He never thought he would have to return to Bush Falls again. That is until his father falls into a coma.” –
on drugs. The novel switches perspectives through several characters throughout the novel. From a DEA-agent on a mission to right past wrongs, an Irish mobster, a prostitute who gets involved in the border war, a priest going against the Vatican, and several heads (sometimes severed) of different Mexican cartels. However, the novel mostly focuses on Art Keller’s trajectory into the DEA to starting a manhunt on an epic scale. 
unfolds and and their marriage unfolds. Amy’s diary tracks her and her husband’s relationship from when they meet to a few weeks before she disappeared. Reveals are made as Nick solves the scavenger hunt his wife always leaves for him on their anniversary and as Amy grows deeper into her relationship with Nick Dunne. 
quadriplegic, Will Trainor. Initially a man who seemed invincible, Will’s accident has taken the one thing he cherished most: his freedom. Louisa’s task is to keep him happy, sane, and feel as if he still has a life. 
enchanting build. She picks us up with each verse and, before we know it, she is soaring with her seductive arc and finale of a verse to close the album. You were wrong, Ivy. It is easy loving you!