Fave Things Of 2016: Part 1

2016 was the longest year of my life. It's fair to say that worse things have happened in 2017, and yet I still don't feel as bad as I felt last year. I looked back at the other lists I've made, and they all start with: "Ugh, that was the worst year EVER! Nothing could be worse than that!"

...I would give almost anything to go back to days that happy and rewarding. I realize now I had more hope in me than I gave credit for. Because it all came out like blood from a wound.


Well, time to pick up my limbs, dust myself off and try to list the positives to a terminal illness:


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10. Captain America: Civil War

I have problems with Marvel comics. Most recently, they blamed lackluster comic sales on "diversity"(after a disgraceful attempt to turn Captain America into a literal nazi, written by a literal nazi). But for now, Marvel Studios movies are still a higher grade of popcorn entertainment than they need to be.

It's almost like there's an internal schism in that company. If only I had a suitable metaphor for the situation...

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9. Zootopia

Boy, this movie did not fuck around.


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8. Deadpool

Years ago, I expressed hope that Ryan Reynolds would get another chance at Deadpool, after the underwhelming X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I didn't think it would happen. Why would anything good happen in a year where all the joy of living was flushed down the toilet? Why, after fucking Green Lantern would anyone be crazy enough to let this guy have another crack at a superhero lead role?

It was better than I could have imagined. It managed to do a lot more with a lot less, and I think people will remember Deadpool a lot longer than they'll remember X-Men: Apocalypse.


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7. TIE: Pokemon & Overwatch

Not specific games. Just the sense of togetherness they brought to a lot of people last year. The memes, the fanart, the essays, the porn the joy people shared was infectious. We need that now more than ever.


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6. The Jungle Book Remake

Christopher Walken singing "I Wanna Be Like You" makes it all worth it. It could have just stopped there. But the rest of this movie works for me too. It is unmistakably The Jungle Book, while still managing to justify the changes it does make. It earned its' existence comparative to the 1967 film.


Part II of this list can be found here.


END OF LINE

~A.H.