Dynamite Review Best of 2017

Movies

1.      Thor: Ragnarok – I don’t get to watch new movies much as they come out, but I was so lucky to get to see this in theaters. It was AWESOME! I’ve already pre-ordered the steelbook from Best Buy, I got the theatrical poster off of Disney Movie Rewards and it’s framed and in my kids bathroom, and I can’t wait to watch it again and again.

2.     John Wick 2 – Great action movie and addition to the series. Awesome world, I’m interested in the Stars series that’s potentially coming out.

3.     Kingsman: The Golden Circle – In your face, over the top action.

4.     Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – While not as good as the previous one I loved so many things about this movie. The colors, the characters, the relationships. I’m so glad that this is part of the Marvel Universe.

5.     Spider-Man: Homecoming – I really enjoyed this movie but what’s potentially more important, my daughter loves this movie.

6.     Moana – This is more an honorable mention since it came out in 2016 not 2017. Love the music and the story, reminds me of the Disney I grew up with.

Books

1.      White Hot by Ilona Andrews – The long awaited sequel to Burn for Me, so good.

2.     Wildfire by Ilona Andrews – Love this series so much, want more. Wasn’t too happy with the ending, but still love.

3.     Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan – Beautiful art, interesting story, need some answers though. The only comic I pre-order.

4.     The Rosetta Man by Claire McCague – Picked this up randomly and I ended up loving it. So happy when that happens.

5.     Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs – Not my favorite Patricia Briggs book, too many Doctor Who references, lots of other little things, but still a Patricia Briggs book so it’s going on the list!

6.     Heartstrikers Series by Rachel Aaron – This series didn’t come out last year, though they did have a book release that I haven’t read yet, but I had to put it on the list because I enjoyed it so much.

7.     The Guardians Trilogy by Nora Roberts – This is the kind of Nora Roberts series that I love. It didn’t come out in 2017, but after being wary of starting it because of her more recent books I got to it late.

TV Shows

1.      The Crown – I resisted watching this because I heard so much praise, but I’m glad I finally did. I destroyed the second season that recently aired and I honestly think it might be better than the first. Amazing show.

2.     Sense 8 – I love this idea so much and the second season wasn’t as slow as the first. The ending killed me and then when they canceled it, ugh, I never do TV show petitions but I signed them all. I canceled Netflix for the first time in years. I was furious. I’m hoping that the movie will be able to wrap things up but I seriously don’t see how that’s possible. I’ll probably never keep Netflix running continuously because of how they did this show.

3.     The Good Place – I had no desire to watch this last year, it just didn’t seem that funny to me. I ended up having the end of season one spoiled for me and that changed everything. I was able to binge the first season on Netflix and I’ve watched every episode of the second as it’s aired. So freaking funny.

4.     The Orville – Wow, I had no expectations for this show. I had hopes, but because of Seth MacFarlane I didn’t have many. I was certainly surprised and this has ended up being one of my favorite shows of the year. It’s like getting new episodes of Star Trek, only instead of the Enterprise team we’ve got the D tier crew. The jokes don’t always land and they’re reusing a lot of Star Trek plots, but I don’t care. I’m so glad that this has been picked up for a second season and I’m hoping that they continue to find their footing.

5.     Future Man – Loved this, it was so crude and hilarious and just came out of nowhere. Time travel, video games, the 80s, James Cameron’s AI, a terrible future, so many things that add up to funny. So glad we’re getting a second season.

6.     Legion – This is not my usual type of show. It’s wild and out there and very trippy. The only reason I watched it was because I needed something to keep me up during late night feedings and I ended up staying up just to finish episodes. Half the time I’m not sure what’s going on, but I honestly didn’t care. They gave just enough answers not to drive me crazy, but still left me needing to know more.

7.     Black-ish – I just discovered Black-ish this year and thank goodness Hulu has all of the episodes. Most episodes are nice, funny episodes, but the episodes that aren’t, the episodes where they “teach” you something are so good. This year there was one about postpartum depression that really resonated with me.

8.     Life in Pieces – I laugh in every single episode of this show. Love it.

9.     The Librarians – The third season was probably the weakest so far and I’m not overly thrilled with all that’s going on in the fourth season but I seriously can’t think of anything that would have me stop watching this.

 

Games

1.      Splatoon 2 (Switch) This was hands down my favorite game of the year. In an alternate universe I went pro, built a brand, and lived the life of the rich and famous.

2.     Stardew Valley (Switch) After putting in 160 hours on the PC version you’d think I’d be done with this game, but nope. As soon as it came out on the Switch I bought it and started all over again. Aided by the amazing guide my husband bought me for Christmas 2016 I’ve been chipping away at all the in game achievements.

3.     Lego City Undercover (Switch) I beat this once, then got halfway through beating it again before Splatoon 2 came out. I still plan on going back and working on unlocking everything, though, it’s not a priority because I certainly got my money out of this.

4.     Delicious Emily Home Sweet Home (PC) Really liked the story in this one, young married couple with a little kid get their dream house and fix it up. If I was crazy and didn’t mind construction around toddlers I could totally do this too.

5.     Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4) I’m stretching things a bit including this to my list. I got it for Christmas after trying it out at Red Box and finding it interesting enough to try more. I didn’t start playing it until December 31st and at this point I’m only a couple hours in, however, I love the idea a lot. I love that she’s a real looking woman and she’s kicking ass. So far they haven’t put her in super revealing clothes which is nice too. The world is interesting, however, I wish I didn’t have to use a bow and arrow. If I ever beat it, or put a significant amount of time in I’ll write a review.

Godless (2017-?)

Godless (2017)

Network:

Netflix

Starring:

Jack O’Connell

Michelle Dockery

Scoot McNairy

Merritt Wever

Jeff Daniels

Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Plot:

Frank Griffin, an outlaw terrorizing the 1880s American West, hunts down Roy Goode, his partner turned enemy. Roy hides out at a ranch as Frank’s chase leads him to La Belle, New Mexico – a town mysteriously made up almost entirely of women.

Review:

I canceled Netflix in 2017 because they canceled Sense 8 and I was pissed. At the end of October when I saw the trailer for Godless I decided I’d resubscribe. It looked incredible, it was a western where women were kicking butt. A whole town filled with women who’d lost their husbands tragically but were able to take care of business. It was everything I’d ever wanted.

Then the second trailer hit and I grew concerned. On November 22nd when it launched I wasn’t at home so I wasn’t able to watch and as impressions started to roll in I became incredibly disappointed.

I’m not sure who in the Netflix marketing department thought it would be a good idea to paint the series out to be something it wasn’t but I hope they had a stern talking too. I thought I was going to get a western where men were the bystanders and women took the wheel and settled shit. I understand that’s not what the creator ever intended and I feel kind of bad for him since that’s what a lot of people expected, but I’m also pissed. I would have watched the stupid thing if it was just a normal western, why did they have to go and raise my hopes with that amazing trailer?

It took me a while to work my way to watching Godless, then it took me a while to make my way through the seven episodes, and I know I didn’t give it a fair chance, but I don’t care. I enjoy westerns and this was certainly one of them. It was beautifully shot and the female characters were pretty awesome and diverse, but they barely had any screen time and they were still taken advantage of and weak.

There was no need to make this a miniseries, it was needlessly long and filled with unnecessary flashbacks. It took whole episodes to cover what could have been covered with a few words. It was boring and filled with longing glances. Most of the best scenes were in the last episode and you could almost skip everything and just watch that if you wanted.

The women ended up doing all the heavy lifting but it only followed them when there was a chance at nudity or a lesbian relationship. Merritt Wever’s character was so perfect and I wish we’d had more of her. Instead we spent most of our time following four men live out a story that has already been told a million times.

I know I’m being harsh, maybe even too harsh, but I saw a glimpse of what could have been and I can’t forget it.

2/5

Longmire (2012-2017)

Longmire (2012-2017)

Season 6

Network:

Netflix

Starring:

Robert Taylor

Katee Sackhoff

Lou Diamond Phillips

Cassidy Freeman

Plot:

Walt Longmire is the dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming. Widowed only a year, he is a man in psychic repair but buries his pain behind his brave face, unassuming grin and dry wit.

Review:

This is the last season of Longmire and it had a few things to wrap up.

I was disappointed with the previous season of Longmire because Walt, Robert Taylor, seemed to go off the deep end. He could not get past suspecting that casino dude of doing everything. This season finds him a bit more in control of his faculties, though just slightly.

The main story line was wrapped up by the end of the season and we got lots of character resolution. There were tons of beautiful shots of Wyoming and despite all the murders I would totally visit.

I enjoyed this season, there was enough small stories that it didn’t feel like just one giant buildup to an ending that couldn’t possibly deliver. The ending of the overarching story line was good, we saw all the characters develop, it was mostly an enjoyable season.

The part I didn’t like was

****SPOILERS***

the relationship development between Walt and Vic, Katee Sackoff. I wanted her to finally move past her thing for him. She mourned the loss of her child for most of the season and then gets together with a man that is past child raising years. I’ve never liked her character, she always seems to make bad personal decisions, but I really did not want her with Walt.

After getting with Vic, Walt then goes to see his daughter, Cassidy Freeman, and tells her that he thinks she’d make a great sheriff and he could retire if she took over. She’s spent the last few episodes telling her new man that she wants to go to NYC, that she wants to leave this small town, and now all of a sudden she’s running for sheriff. It greatly annoyed me.

If it wasn’t for the ending I would really have liked this season. As is, I’d still recommend watching the show because it’s honestly really good, especially if you like westerns.

3/5

Despicable Me 3 (2017)

Despicable Me 3 (2017)

Director:

Kyle Balda

Pierre Coffin

Eric Guilon

Starring:

Steve Carell

Kristen Wiig

Trey Parker

Plot:

Gru meets his long-lost charming, cheerful, and more successful twin brother Dru who wants to team up with him for one last criminal heist.

Review:

Gru, Steve Carell, and Lucy, Kristen Wiig, are working on getting into the groove of a married couple and in the case of Lucy a mom. Things of course are never easy and they get fired from the job they love. Then Gru finds out he’s got a twin brother and things go from there.

I freaking loved Balthazar Bratt, Trey Parker, as the villain. The 80s music and clothes, the mullet and balding spot at the top of his head, it was all perfect. So funny!

I didn’t like the Minions movie, but I thought this was a return to what made Despicable Me 2 so good. I really liked it and my daughter enjoyed it too.

4/5

Delicious Emily: Hopes and Fears

Delicious Emily: Hopes and Fears

Publisher:

gamehouse

Developer:

RealNetworks

Platform:

PC

About:

When Paige succumbs to a mysterious illness, Patrick embarks in search of a cure. Join Emily and Patrick in the twelfth installment of the Delicious franchise as they face Emily’s Hopes & Fears.

Review:

The game starts off with Emily and Patrick having some issues with being parents. Well, mainly Patrick wanting to work on his motorcycle and do his thing but Emily wanting him to be more hands on with Paige. Patrick is all whiny and annoying and honestly bothered me through the whole game.

Once Paige gets sick instead of sticking around to be with his daughter in the hospital he decides that a special flower his grandfather wrote about will cure her and so he freaking leaves. Wtf?!? Emily had a couple moments where she was angry at him but she was entirely too forgiving for his fucked up behavior.

Of course he finds the flower and it ends up curing her, which bothered me even more. Modern medicine failed and a magical flower cured all while at the same time a father got to bail and go on a “heroes” journey. I think considerably less of Patrick after this game.

I was able to beat it in about 17 hours then spent 3 hours trying to get all the achievements. I’m still lacking two because I can’t find the one freaking item that I have not sold to someone and I’m going to have to create a spreadsheet and checklist to get it. I’m not in a rush to do that, though.

Style and gameplay are the same as previous games. There are 65 levels and 3 stars for each level. You’ve got side quests and mice to catch. It was fun, but I wasn’t a fan of the story.

3/5