Movies of 2017 - Recapped Vol. 1

Last year I don't think I watched nearly enough of the films that I wanted to see, but this year I've been making up for it. Not every film I watched was worth a whole review, so below is a quick summary of my feelings for each of the ones I saw between January and June of this year... think of it like my 2017 Vol. 1.

Grab the popcorn, and take a read...

Photo by Alex Munsell

January


I started 2017 off with a double feature, one carried over from last year's list and one that I wasn't sure I wanted to see.

I hit Cineworld first thing on New Year's Day to get this month's monies worth out of my Unlimited Card. First up was A Monster Calls, based on the Patrick Ness/Siobhan Dowd book. Shame on me, I haven't read it, it never really seemed like something I would want to read. Even after seeing it I can't tell you if I enjoyed it or not. For those of you who saw My Sister's Keeper you'll be able to identify with the reaction in the cinema. There were under ten of us in there, and all you could hear was sniffing. I would imagine that if you could have seen everyone there would have been sleeves pulled down to wipe tears away. [01/01]

The carry over from last year's list was Assassins Creed which was pushed for release. It wasn't the worst video game film I've ever seen... let's just leave it at that shall we? [01/01]

I saw Sing last week, and I had been really excited about it. Moral of the story, don't get your hopes up too much. I should have been suspicious as it was an Illumination films, and apart from the Despicable Mes, their other ones really aren't that good. [21/01]


February




Preview of Lego Batman? I think so. A really good laugh, but not as good as The Lego Movie. Yet again there's something for the adults as well as something for the kids. I was left a little meh by it, but it's still amusing. [04/02]

I missed the Unlimited screening for Hidden Figures, but I finally went to see it this month. It is a truly amazing film. Pleasantly surprised would be an understatement, but I'm not talking about the film, I'm talking about the viewers. I had kind of expected the viewing age to average out at over the 40 mark. But by the start of the film there were a couple of parents with their children who were certainly under the age of 12. They were explaining things to them and before the film started they were chatting about all sorts of things that would be touched on during it... honestly, it restored a little faith in humanity.  [22/02]

March


I had a preview ticket for Logan, but I was too sick to go. For me to not go to a Marvel film you know that I had to be really sick. Finally got round to seeing this with my friend though. It was a really good film, much more drama than superhero, and the performances were really good. I managed to stay away from spoilers too which was almost a miracle... but that ending. [06/03]

On a cinema high after Logan, I went to see Fist Fight. It was amusing, and I did laugh out loud, it isn't going to win any awards though. [07/03]

Kong Skull Island. Well Damn... Tom Hiddleston looks attractive no matter what happens to him. The after credit scene looked like it had potential, although it would be nice if they didn't leave it right at the end... the wait was really rather boring. [12/03]

I can't remember if I had already said that I wasn't looking forward to Beauty and the Beast. I wasn't disappointed... and by that I mean I was expecting bad things, and got bad things... but not where I expected. After seeing the trailers I wasn't really feeling it, Beast looked terrible, as did all the other CGId characters. Once there though I was pleasantly surprised by the animation of Beast (not so much the others). The original is obviously a hard act to follow, I mean, those songs were perfect... but the village song near the beginning of this new version was really difficult to decipher. And the one thing everyone loves about a Disney film is that there are singable moments, but there really weren't in this one, not in the same way... don't get me started with Tale As Old As Time. Incoming unpopular opinion... I didn't enjoy Emma Watson's singing. Disney leads should have powerful and moving voices, and she just didn't. The best think about the film was definitely Kevin Kline, he was amazing. [26/03]

As a double feature with BatB I saw Life, with Ryan Reynolds, spoiler alert, him being on the main bill was really misleading. While it was a passable story line and the actors were good, I predicted the ending and came out not really feeling like I'd seen a whole film. It almost felt like someone had asked for a synopsis of the whole film and they'd made that instead of making the whole script. [26/03]

April


Table 19 I originally had down for January, but it didn't actually pop up until April... and it was nothing like I was expecting. I think I thought it was going to be outright comedy, and it was funny, but it was a little bit of romance too. A surprising find that I'm glad I watched. [10/04]

I decided that after seeing Table 19 I'd go home and watch Rogue One as I'd picked up the DVD as they were putting them out on the shelved this morning... but then I noticed that Boss Baby had a showing in a few minutes, and it would have been rude not to see that too. There were some funny bits, and I quite enjoyed it, although I thought the "demon" children through Tim's glasses were a bit scary for a kids film. Probably that's just me associating it with horror films I've seen though. Where do I get a forever puppy? [10/04]

After two films yesterday I decided to go and see another today. Going In Style. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman in a very entertaining film. I laughed out loud, and smiled, it was a lovely story line. [11/04]

I haven't seen all the Fast and the Furious films, but you know me, I love a good action film with explosions and things so I thought, why not?! I got up early Easter Sunday and took myself to the cinema for Fate of the Furious. I'm really glad I did. It might not be the best films ever made, but it was really enjoyable... and ladies... Jason Statham with a baby... your ovaries will ache, and I'm not even particularly particularly keen on him! [16/04]

After I'd hit F8 I came out and looked at the app to see what else was on... the only think I hadn't seen was Smurfs The Lost Village... so to hell with it, why not? (I'm sure that one day "to hell with it, why not?!" is going to get me in trouble.) It was fine, I'm glad I didn't go out of my way to watch it. It was amusing, and they did put in something for everyone, so even the parents who were forced to go can have a laugh. By far the best bit about this film is Azrael... that damned cat is amazing. [16/04]

And now for something entirely epic... Of course I had to take a half day to go and see Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, and I wasn't disappointed. Well, not by the film itself, the music selection this time could have been a bit better. The opening sequence though... O. M. G. I love Groot. He is just so f*****g adorable... and yes, I'm sorry, but I did feel the need to swear there. I couldn't help but think that they were trying to make up for the lack of after film scenes in Logan though... because five seemed a bit over the top. It still amazes me that people leave before the end of the credits, especially as one of the scenes came on when they were walking out. There aren't many films that I would bother to see again at the cinema, even though I have my Unlimited card, but I'm probably going to go see this one again. It was very entertaining. [28/04]



So today I decided I needed cheering up, so I got a ticket to see A Dog's Purpose. Well it'll cheer you up in the fact that there are puppies in it, but for about 80% of the film you'll be crying. I really hope that dogs do think all of those things... especially about cats. I know there was controversy about animal abuse, but after reading about the incident I've drawn my own conclusions. You'll no doubt have your own too, and that's fine... so let's leave it at that shall we? [30/04]

May


To start of the first working day of May (thank you bank holiday Monday), I whizzed out from work to see Ghost in the Shell. I honestly thought I'd missed it, but luckily they had one showing on for a couple of days just after work. So it was a Tuesday double. I liked it as a film, story line wasn't bad and I liked the effects... what I did not like was her diving off buildings every chance she got. There were a lot of shots where the background suddenly comes rushing at you... if you have vertigo that is induced by things like that, this is not the film for you. I felt a bit queasy every now and then, I'm hoping I didn't miss anything good while I was looking at the floor! [02/05]

As I said, it was a double feature day. I'd already got a ticket for later in the evening as there was an Unlimited screening of Sleepless starring Jamie Foxx. Something I learnt is that every Unlimited member in Bristol South seems to know everyone else... loads of people were walking in and being perky and asking after families and whatnot... I may skip the next one! Anyway, the film. It was really good. But word to the wise Jamie, you are not Steven Seagal, stop fighting people in kitchens. And Dermot Mulroney as a baddie? I don't know how I feel about that. It was a great action film though, not one of the best, but I will certainly be watching it again. [02/05]

It was at this time that I learnt the sad, and annoying truth about Cineworld's Unlimited small print. Yes I can go and see as many films as I want, but I can't prebook them all. And at the moment I'm maxed out at three films booked in, which I booked while waiting for Sleepless to start. I always go through the app and see what days they have in advance, you get all the NT Live showings and things like that popping up so I check in case there's anything I fancy. You also get big pre-release films come up, That's how I got my Guardians ticket. Well, when I went in there this time I was faced with Baywatch, King Arthur Legend of the Sword and Wonder Woman... yes, yes and hell yes. So I book them in order, then I get to Wonder Woman and get a lovely error message... evidently you can only have three pre-bookings, and I already had a ticket booked for Alien Covenant... but don't worry, they told me on Twitter, I can go in and get tickets to any showings I want to see... unless they're in advance. This seems ridiculous to me, I can understand it throwing a strop if I was booking for the same film lots of times in different showings, but I was picking different films! I like planning in advance, I like having something to look forward to. I know I can book my Wonder Woman ticket next week after I've seen the new Alien, but it's not quite the same. It almost seems like some kind of punishment for wanting to see Baywatch... but it looks funny damn it!!

Alien Covenant, well, what do I say? I managed to meet some Unlimited nerds today. The guy sitting next to me sees so many films it makes me feel like I'm slacking! But even he fell asleep during the film. At one point I seriously considered going home because I was so bored. Beginning and end, okay. Middle, zzzzzz... sorry, I fell asleep that time too. [11/05]

Lots of people told me not to bother with King Arthur Legend of the Sword. I'm glad I did see it though, it definitely wasn't as disappointing as the naysayers would have had me believe. Admittedly I don't think it quite knew what sort of film it was. There were some fantastic funny lines, some good fantasy moments, and what (to me) looked like a lot of good "historic" drama. I didn't know until the day before that David Beckham was in it, while he might not be the best actors ever, that man has a good astonished look. [17/05]

So far this year I've seen 21 films, and we've just hit week 21 of 2017... this seems like an achievement, probably not a very good one, but still!

After some reshuffling due to schedule changes, my parents and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean Salazar's Revenge. Why aren't all follow up films that good? I really enjoyed it. I liked that they'd found a new idea to play with, and I liked how they managed to link the previous incarnations with this latest one. I'm going to say it though... I thought McCartney's cameo was a bit rubbish. [29/05]

I finally got to see Baywatch last night, after having to miss the ticket I pre-booked. I wasn't expecting anything particularly good, it's Baywatch after all. But it was really entertaining, just enough slow motion running, with a lot of taking the piss out of itself. Something for everyone, scantily clad women, and bulging men. It was well worth watching. [30/05]


June





Part of me thinks I really should have got up and gone to the midnight showing of Wonder Woman, I went at 7.30 on the first Saturday it was out... and jesus, other people are annoying. But... that didn't stop me from enjoying the film. Yes, that's right everyone, a DC film that was finally good. I have never understood how they can make a good series but have somehow done a whole slew of bad films. Wonder Woman really was amazing though. All the way through the film I was hooked, a big round of applause is due! [03/06]

Before my week off I managed to squeeze in a screening of The Mummy before whizzing home. I was a little bit on the come down from stress, but I don't think it massively changed my mind that I was confused by this movie. I really wish everyone had left off with the "it's a reboot" thing. Say it's a reimagining of the mummy monster movie, but saying it's a reboot really makes you want to compare to the original, and quite frankly, every mummy movie is a bad knock off of the original. I liked some of it... That's as enthusiastic as I can get about it. The ending for me was too bizarre. And afterwards when I looked into it leading in to the Dark Universe... well, I wept a little for classic monster movies. [09/06]

I went to see Baby Driver this evening at an Unlimited Screening, the cinema was a great choice as the temperature was beyond ridiculous outside and at home. Evidently this is a prequel to Drive, or so I've been told. But I don't really know how that works when the idea supposedly came from a music video Wright did that was in 2003 and Drive was out in 2011... but anyway. As is always the way, the first big advert for the film was good, and honestly, I didn't feel like I was watching the same film when it started. Never the less, I enjoyed it. There are some quirks that I recognise from other Edgar Wright films, and I enjoyed the way the music was incorporated into the action... although him prancing down the street to get coffee... not so much. [20/06]

Despite the fact I haven't seen all of the others (I know, I'm making a habit of that.) I took myself to see Transformers: The Last Knight. The ticket cost me an outrageous £1.60 as it was the 3D one that coincided with me leaving work. I enjoyed this one. Was it the best film ever? No. Was it diverting and amusing? Yes it was. I did feel a little bit conned that Optimus switched allegiance so quickly. But I loved the little dinosaur bots... they were adorable. I'm not going to buy this one on DVD, but it was an amusing way to spend an afternoon, and I wasn't horrendously bored... so that's all good.

Today is the last day of June, midway through the year, and I'm imminently going to be a Cineworld Unlimited Black Card holder. How did I celebrate this momentous occasion? I went to a 3D showing of Despicable Me 3 and had to pay for the privilege because my new card is still on it's way. The volume was massively loud, and I'm almost convinced it was to drown out the few kids that were in there. (NOTE: It didn't work, they just shouted louder.) I always worry that you can do a franchise to death. But actually, this was a nice entertaining film, and I'm really happy they put 80s music in it. Toe tapping through the film and now I'm home I'm trying to restrain myself from getting the playlists out and dancing round my living room. Hands down favourite part of the film... Agnes is talking with the barman about unicorns... just so wonderful.

I had intended to finish this month with a double feature, but when I came out of the screen I was faced with hoards of families... Normally when I try this it isn't a Friday, I realised it was instantly a terrible idea and headed back to my car. I should mean I'll be able to get a good start on next month though.

As I mentioned above, my new card is making it's way to me as we speak and Cineworld, clearly trying to prove what an amazing investment I'd made, sent me an email telling me how much I'd saved... "Emma, since joining Unlimited, you've saved yourself a total of £182.44". Evidently that is compared to if I'd paid the cheapest adult ticket prices for the films I've seen... I might have to do some of my own calculations... [insert the illusion of time and calculator clicking here]

I don't really have a record of what I went to see last year so I'm going on this year's worth of watching. Needless to say, I've abused the system a lot more this year.

I have seen 28 films in 2017, and if we say they're £9 a ticket at full price that means I would have spent £252.00 on tickets in six months.

My Unlimited subscription currently costs me £17.40 a month (it's going up by 50p shortly), that means I've actually spent £104.40 on tickets in six months.

Therefore, drum roll please... I have "saved" £147.60, in this six months.

But... those 28 films were in 23 visits, and each visit I buy food and drink from the cinema... because you always need a raspberry iceblast... so I've spent roughly £179.40 on that (give or take), and I also saw two films in 3D that cost me an extra £1.60 per ticket.

What is the moral of this story of mathematical woe? Well, none really. Have I been enjoying myself going to the cinema? Yes. Have I actually saved any money? Noooooooope. Am I going to cancel my Unlimited card and save myself a hell of a lot of money in the long run? Also, nope. I might as well spend it doing something I enjoy rather than staying at home and spending it on something I don't get any enjoyment from.

That's that for the first half of this year, 26 weeks in and I've seen 28 films... I'm not sure whether to celebrate this milestone or seriously consider getting a life!

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