Saturday, January 9, 2021

BEST OF 2020 (Film and Videogames)


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 My top films of the year are here...
https://letterboxd.com/ci0ci0san/list/2020-top-10-but-actually-5/


5.Host 2020
★★★½READ REVIEW


4.Da 5 Bloods 2020
★★★★½READ REVIEW

3.Freaky 2020
★★★★READ REVIEW





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My top videogames of the year are here...
https://www.grouvee.com/user/CopperBoom/shelves/620937-2020-top-5/?num=50

5. 

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity


4.

Carrion


3.

Final Fantasy VII Remake


2.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons


1.

Signs of the Sojourner


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Friday, January 3, 2020

My Best of the Decade (2010-2019) (Films, Albums, Videogames)

I decided to also make a list of my top this or that of the decade...



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FILMS
-----------------------------------
https://letterboxd.com/ci0ci0san/list/2010-2019-top-ten-of-the-decade
Links to my reviews when applicable...


10. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT
This is for all the MI films of the era because they are ALL classics!

09. ANNIHILATION
Thoughtful and gorgeous to look at, great performances and VFX, a gem!

08. SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN
Sweet and slow, a RomCom without the nonsense, but better than that makes it sound.

07. THE RAID
Changed the way films of the future are made with its focus on amazing choreo and physical intelligence.

06. THE WORLD'S END
The best of the already excellent Cornetto trilogy, more humour, more pathos, more... editing!

05. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Peerless filmmaking, visual finesse and strong feminist work.

04. SING STREET
Like comfort food and nostalgia with a killer soundtrack, this is tuned to me.

03. ARRIVAL
This is exactly the film everyone in 2016 needed to watch, sadly its main themes still resonate.

02. RAW
Sexy and smart. The film opposition to the idea of "male gaze". Brutal and beautiful Belgian FILM!

01. PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
Devastating égalité. Emotional and cinematic intelligence. A rare and true EXPERIENCE!



-----------------------------------
MUSIC
-----------------------------------

10. "Lover" Taylor Swift August 23, 2019
I love every song on this album. The only TS I can say that about, and I LOVE TS!

9. "If You Wait" London Grammar September 9, 2013
Amazing album and such a mood! That voice is spun sugar.

8. "Pure Heroine" Lorde September 27, 2013
Since 2012 I have stanned. This includes the Love Club EP now. And "Ribs" one of my favourites ever!

7. "Vulnicura" Björk January 20, 2015
If this was which album made me cry the most and the hardest this would win.

6. "Boomtown" Ozma February 11, 2014
Top of the (power) pops! 

5. (TIE)
"Slow Buzz" Remember Sports May 18, 2018

"Swear I'm Good At This" Diet Cig April 7, 2017
The albums I listened to most 2019 and also never tire of screaming along to!


4. "Provincial" John K. Samson January 24, 2012
Lots of cool tunes and tall tales from my favourite songwriter.

3. "Sway" Merriment April 8, 2014
A beautiful folk-pop that reminds me of driving up or down the mountain to Big Bear, CA.

2. Turn Out the Lights Julien Baker October 27, 2017
 A start-to-finish masterpiece that feels like hopelessness and hope at the same time. An emotional ride to be experienced.

1. "Tancred" Tancred October 15, 2013
An amazing album, a time machine, a mood, and it probably saved my life. If everyone was only allowed one album for "night drives" mine would be this one. I love all Tancred and she keeps growing but this one is imprinted on me in a particular way.



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VIDEOGAMES
-----------------------------------
https://www.grouvee.com/user/CopperBoom/shelves/550344-2010-2019-my-top-10-of-the-decade/?sort_by=&dir=asc&dateFrom=&dateTo=&num=25&compact=-1

Links to my reviews when applicable...



10. Yakuza 0
The "Shenmue" of this decade. Streamlined and polished. Very funny and very Japanese!

9. The Jackbox Party Pack
There are 6 of these at this point and I cannot pick just one but this is the best casual multiplayer game on the market.

8. Pokémon Go
It is fun (enough) and my partner and I could play it even though she does not play videogames, also, it was a mini-revolution and they keep improving it.

7. The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories
A lovely bittersweet and spot-on metaphor that it would spoil the game to explain further.

6. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
An experience! It uses music and platform and gameplay in a harmonious marriage.

5. Tomb Raider (2013)
Wonderful storytelling and great gameplay. It out Uncharts Uncharted.

4. Undertale
Revolutionary in how it commits so wholly the lore and gameplay. Also, revolutionary is its message.

3. Night In The Woods
The platforming is fine but the story and the character's I feel in my bones!

2. Gone Home
An amazing story with a radical way of telling it. Killer soundtrack too!

1. Life Is Strange
I have been thinking about Chloe and Max and their lives together REGULARLY since I first played this game! There is no other game that occupies a space in my brain like this one does.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Best Of 2019 (Videogames, Film)

Collecting all my 2019 best of choices here...

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VIDEOGAMES
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I made a shelf of my top 5 for 2019
but I figure I would give a brief word about each here...
(Links to reviews when applicable)
  1. Shenmue 3
Something I have been waiting for 18 years and exactly what I wanted, even though I did not realize how much I missed it until I was back again.
The console versions came out in 2019, so I am counting it! This game is pure light in the maw of darkness, a needed brightness in the past year.
A sequel to one of my favourites of all time, and while it does not live up to that one it certainly tries to be a bigger better thing. Still great.
A decent platformer and a fun intro to socialism.
A Hitman-lite where you are a medium asshole with charming visuals and humorous animations.



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FILMS
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This is a list of all the 2019 films I saw in 2019...
https://letterboxd.com/ci0ci0san/list/2019-films-i-have-seen-in-2019/

This is the Letterboxd of my top 10 but I will also list it...

https://letterboxd.com/ci0ci0san/list/2019-top-ten/

10. THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
09. KNIVES OUT
08. SERENITY
07. JOHN WICK 3: PARABELLUM
06. MIDSOMMAR
05. EARTHQUAKE BIRD
04. LITTLE WOMEN
03. BOOKSMART
02. PARASITE
01. PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE

Thursday, January 10, 2019

BEST OF 2018 (Film, Album, and Videogames)

So these are my favourite things in 2018.
One thing to note is with VIDEOGAMES I considered what I played in 2018 even if they were NOT released in 2018.


TOP TEN VIDEOGAMES...
10. Pokemon GO (Google Play)
09. Subsurface Circular (Switch)
08. The Jackbox Party Pack 5 (Steam)
07. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)
06. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
05. West Of Loathing (Switch)
04. Soma (PS4)
03. Florence (Google Play)
02. The Missing – J.J. MacField and the Island of Memories (Steam)
01. Vampyr (PS4) / Undertale (Switch)


TOP TEN ALBUMS...
10. Meg Myers "Take Me To The Disco"
09. Tancred "Nightstand"
08. Frankie Cosmos "Vessel"
07. Liza Anne "Fine But Dying"
06. Pale Waves "My Mind Makes Noises "
05. Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour"
04. Mitski "Be the Cowboy"
03. Kendrick Lamar/Various "Black Panther: The Album"
02. Diet Cig "Swear I'm Good At This"
01. Snail Mail "Lush"


With films, it is tough because there are a lot of films I LOVED but getting to ten when I saw 235 2018 films in 2018 (all listed here... https://boxd.it/1rOCe ) there are going to be concessions, anyway...


BOTTOM TEN FILMS…
10. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
09. SLENDER MAN
08. I FEEL PRETTY
07. ROMINA
06. WHEN WE FIRST MET
05. MILE 22
04. GAME OVER MAN
03. FIRST MAN
02. READY PLAYER ONE
01. A QUIET PLACE


TOP TEN FILMS…
10. TOMB RAIDER
09. I KILL GIANTS
08. CHRISTOPHER ROBIN
07. SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
06. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
05. ROMA
04. FIRST REFORMED
03. ANNIHILATION
02. DUCK BUTTER
01. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT
_

Friday, January 13, 2017

"Best Of 2016 ; Film Edition"

I am back with another installment in my looking back... thing.
This one is a little different because I recorded it.

My top and bottom 10 with my friend P.
You can use this link to download or stream it...
https://archive.org/details/cbcbestof2016film

I will also put it here but after the list of films I have seen this year so it cannot be spoiled.
You can find my list on Letterboxd here...
http://letterboxd.com/ci0ci0san/list/2016-films-i-have-seen-in-2016/

Here is my films of 2016 in print form...

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1.The Forest   

2.Deadpool   

3.Triumph’s Election Special    

4.The Witch   

5.Whiskey Tango Foxtrot   

6.Grimsby   

7.13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi   

8.The Boy   

9.10 Cloverfield Lane   

10.Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice   

11.Whitney Cummings: I’m Your Girlfriend   

12.Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny   

13.The Chickening   

14.The Little Prince   

15.Hot Bot   

16.Hail, Caesar!   

17.How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town   

18.Bleed   

19.Kung Fu Panda 3   

20.The Boss   

21.Sing Street   

22.The Jungle Book   

23.Keanu   

24.Everybody Wants Some!!   

25.Captain America: Civil War   

26.The Angry Birds Movie   

27.Alice Through the Looking Glass   

28.Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising   

29.X-Men: Apocalypse   

30.The Lobster   

31.Zootopia   

32.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows   

33.Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping   

34.Warcraft   

35.Midnight Special   

36.Casual Encounters   

37.Now You See Me 2   

38.Dudes & Dragons   

39.Get a Job   

40.Independence Day: Resurgence   

41.Gods of Egypt   

42.The Legend of Tarzan   

43.The Nice Guys   

44.Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping   

45.Ghostbusters   

46.Star Trek Beyond   

47.Jason Bourne   

48.Tallulah   

49.Don’t Think Twice   

50.The Purge: Election Year   

51.Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru   

52.The Huntsman: Winter’s War   

53.Beta Test   

54.They’re Watching   

55.Suicide Squad   

56.As I AM: the Life and Times of DJ AM   

57.Pete’s Dragon   

58.The BFG   

59.Sausage Party   

60.Ben-Hur   

61.Yoga Hosers   

62.Love & Friendship   

63.Don’t Breathe   

64.The Secret Life of Pets   

65.Green Room   

66.Into the Forest   

67.A Bigger Splash   

68.Hardcore Henry   

69.Sully   

70.Hunt for the Wilderpeople   

71.The Magnificent Seven   

72.Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children   

73.Deepwater Horizon   

74.Bad Moms   

75.The Accountant   

76.13th   

77.Finding Dory   

78.Blair Witch   

79.Hell or High Water   

80.Jack Reacher: Never Go Back   

81.Inferno   

82.Doctor Strange   

83.Arrival   

84.The Edge of Seventeen   

85.Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them   

86.Manchester by the Sea   

87.Weiner   

88.Allied   

89.Mascots   

90.Moana   

91.Moonlight   

92.Kubo and the Two Strings   

93.Kids in Love   

94.Pride and Prejudice and Zombies   

95.Hacksaw Ridge   

96.Supersonic   

97.Tickled   

98.Lion   

99.The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again   

100.Hairspray Live!

101.Traders   

102.La La Land   

103.Ouija: Origin of Evil   

104.Florence Foster Jenkins   

105.The Autopsy of Jane Doe   

106.Trolls   

107.American Honey   
         
108.Rogue One: A Star Wars Story   

109.The Fits   

110.King Jack   

111.The Witness   

112.Nocturnal Animals   

113.Sun Choke   

114.Elle   

115.Hush   

116.The Invitation   

117.Café Society   

118.Borealis   

119.Tricked

120.Morgan   

121.Snowden   

122.The Birth of a Nation   

123.The Bronze   

124.O.J.: Made in America   

125.Nerve   

126.Eye in the Sky   

127.Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates   

128.The 5th Wave   

129.The Neon Demon   

130.Lights Out   

131.Swiss Army Man   

132.The Girl on the Train   

133.Loving

134.Hidden Figures

135.The Handmaiden

136.Assassin’s Creed

137.Fences

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My bottom 10...

10. La La Land
09. Mascots
08. Green Room
07. King Jack
06. Dudes & Dragons
05. Kids in Love
04. Sun Choke
03. Get a Job
02. Hot Bot

01. The Invitation

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My top 10...

10. Pete’s Dragon
09. Manchester by the Sea
08. Lion
07. Hell or High Water
06. The Handmaiden
05. Sing Street
04. The Fits
03. Moonlight
02. Hunt for the Wilderpeople 
01. Arrival

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