The 5th Annual Coopies! Top 5 Films from 2017

The Poopie Coopie (Most Disappointing Movie of the Year) - American Made

Even as an eternal Tom Cruise fan (and knowing what he's capable of delivering), I just don't understand how this film was so widely accepted as it was in 2017. It felt sloppy, chaotic. Cruise's Barry Seal protagonist character never really did it for me and at the end of the day it just felt like a messier more mediocre version of Blow.

And now without further ado, the 2017 Coopies from 5 to 1. 

5. Lady Bird

4. Dunkirk

3. Good Time

2. Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri

1. A Ghost Story

Nothing lingered with me after 2017 like A Ghost Story. It's dreary, slow, cold. But it's so hypnotic and has such heavy and memorable imagery. In a way it feels authentic. Like if you actually passed, were not able to let go of some place or some person or some thing - you would be stuck in this nothingness dimension. This lovesick netherworld. Emotional purgatory. David Lowery really created an outstanding film here - and had the artistic balls to put a sheet over an Oscar winner for close to 90 minutes.


Here is a list of the 2017 Films I saw:
A Ghost Story
Alien: Covenant
American Made
Baby Driver
Beauty and the Beast
Blader Runner 2049
Brawl in Cell Block 99
Bright
Dunkirk
Get Out
Good Time
I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore
It Comes at Night
Kong Skull Island
Lady Bird
Logan
Lost City of Z
Murder on the Orient Express
Phantom Thread
Spiderman: Homecoming
T2 Trainspotting
The Big Sick
The Boss Baby
The Girl with all the Gifts
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri
Wind River

​

The 4th Annual Coopies! Top 5 Films of 2016

Poopie Coopie: Most Disappointing Film of 2016 - Don't Breathe (Review)

When there is a lot of hype on a modern horror film these days, it brings up memories of 2014's It Follows. There was probably an equal amount of hype surrounding this film in 2016. But it doesn't deliver. Not only that, it's a surprisingly well-reviewed film. I just don't understand why.

5. Hell or High Water (Review)

4. Rogue One (Review) 

3. Deadpool (Review)

2. Train to Busan (Review)

1. Manchester by the Sea (Review)

Sometimes a movie changes you forever. When I walked out of the theater after viewing this, I felt like I got punched in the stomach. But Manchester mirrors life in some ways. Life is filled with a lot of beautiful moments. But sometimes horrible things happen. Horrible things that forever change you, your family. Sometimes you can't move on from these things. Manchester is fortunately or unfortunately one of those films that will never leave me.



List of 2016 films that I saw:

1. 10 Cloverfield Lane
2. Arrival
3. Blair Witch
4. Captain America: Civil War
5. Captain Fantastic
6. Deadpool
7. Doctor Strange
8. Don't Breathe
9. Fences
10. Green Room
11. Hacksaw Ridge
12. Hell or High Water
13. La La Land
14. Manchester by the Sea
15. Midnight Special
16. Mountain Men
17. Rogue One
18. Sing Street
19. Spectral
20. Swiss Army Man
21. The Confirmation
22. The Invitation
23. The Jungle Book
24. The Shallows
25. The Wailing
26. Train to Busan
27. What We Become

The 3rd Annual Coopies! The Top Five Films of 2015

Poopie Coopie (Most Disappointing film of 2015) - American Sniper

Original Review

American Sniper is so forgettable that I almost forgot that it was released in 2015. With some of the great war movies released in the past 10 years (Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds) , the standards are higher than this and I expect more from veteran filmmakers like Eastwood. This was a shallow, one dimensional look an American hero who should have had a more elaborate film treatment that wasn't just a plain watered down Hollywood feature. 

5. Room

Original Review

An unsettling but completely memorable movie. Unbearably tense at times. An unforgettable story that introduced audiences to Jacob Tremblay and gave Brie Larson another opportunity to shine on screen. 

4. Kingsman: The Secret Service

Original Review

Sharp, refreshing, witty and fresh and fun. 

3. The Revenant

Original Review

Innaritu outdoes his work in last year's Birdman with this visual masterpiece. Certainly a style over substance piece, but there are some lasting images that will stick with me for some time. Especially the single take sequence early in the film. 

2. Ex Machina
Original Review

There are so many great things to walk away with from this cautionary AI tech tale. 

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
Original Review

This just felt like the obvious choice this year. I'm with the masses on this. Nothing was as energized, entertaining and inventive as Fury Road.

If you were wondering, here is a full list of the 2015 films that I saw.

1. American Sniper
2. Avengers: Age of Ultron
3. Bluebird
4. Circle
5. Creed
6. Creep
7. Danny Collins
8. Druid Peak
9. Ex Machina
10. Far from the Madding Crowd
11. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
12. Infinitely Polar Bear
13. Inside out
14. It Follows
15. Jurassic World
16. Kingsman: The Secret Service
17. Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
18. Mad Max: Fury Road
19. Maps to the Stars
20. Me Earl and the Dying Girl
21. Preservation
22. Pressure
23. REC 4: Apocalypse
24. Room
25. Sicario
26. Slow West
27. Spotlight
28. Spring
29. Steve Jobs
30. Tangerine
31. The Big Short
32. The Lobster
33. The Revenant
34. The Visit
35. The Walk
36. These Final Hours
37. Trainwreck
38. Welcome to Me
39. While We're Young
40. White God
41. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead

Top 5 Most Anticipated Fall-Winter Films of 2015

5. Room 
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Release Date: October 16, 2015

The followup to 2014's avant-garde Frank, Abrahamson directs this film based on the book by Emma Donoghue. Starring Brie Larson, Joan Allen and William H. Macy. It's a cold drama about a boy who is locked in a shed with his mother for his entire life.


4. The Hateful Eight
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Release Date: December 25th, 2015 (Limited)

This one is sort of bending the rules because it doesn't go wide until the beginning of 2016, it felt worth including. This one makes the list simply because it has Tarantino's name on it. As one of the greatest filmmakers of the past 50 years, at this point anything he makes is worth seeing.


3. The Martian
Director: Ridley Scott
Release Date: October 2, 2015

What was a really entertaining book gets the film treatment. It's one of those books that while reading it's easy to imagine it in movie form. Miraculously enough, it also seems to be a film that is perfectly cast not only with Matt Damon in the lead (who seems fit to maintain a sense of humor in the face of terrifying isolation in deep space) but a supporting cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels and Kristen Wiig. When I saw the cast listing it felt surprisingly appropriate to the personalities in the novel.


2. Steve Jobs
Director: Danny Boyle
Release Date: October 16, 2015

What's sort of become a legendary script in Hollywood, surrounded by controversy. It was a big part of the Sony Hack where a lot of big names were thrown around as if everyone was playing a big game of hot potato with the movie. Fincher was originally signed on to direct, but couldn't get on the same page with the studios and walked. Dicaprio was going to play Jobs, but ultimately passed. Boyle then approached Christian Bale who was Fincher's original choice, but Bale passed because he didn't feel like a good fit for the role. Eventually it went to Fassbender, which originally felt like an odd choice. But after watching the trailer it seems like he will manage to balance ego and brilliance together well.


1. Star Wars - The Force Awakens
Director: J.J. Abrams
Release Date: December 18, 2015

How could this one not be number one? Expectations are very high, the franchise seems to be in the right hands with Abrams who did a good job with the Star Trek reboot. He seems to appreciate the narrative, is well aware of the rabid fan-base and will certainly do his best to respect something considered cinematically sacred to millions.

The 2nd Annual Coopies! The 5 Best Films of 2014

The Poopie Coopie (Most Disappointing Film of the Year): Guardians of the Galaxy
ORIGINAL REVIEW

This is probably a sign of things to come. A paint by numbers approach to adapting comic book to film. Hits the predictable beats and reaps big profits. Just because a movie makes a ton of movie does not make it good. What is this movie other than an space-age version of The Avengers that basically just rips the oddball soundtrack off of Reservoir Dogs? Unlikely friends who come together to defeat a common enemy. The Avengers just did it better. I know its sacrilege right now in early 2015 to criticize anything that Chris Pratt stars in, but this one needed more. A lot more. The only memorable moment in this film is when they fly into the city with Bowie playing.


5. Edge of Tomorrow
ORIGINAL REVIEW

We only seem to see Tom Cruise pop up in the Sci-Fi genre these days, and that's fine. This hybrid of Groundhog Day & Starship Troopers was really entertaining.

4. Force Majeure
ORIGINAL REVIEW

Force is one of the more enduring and unique films to be released in 2014. Hard to say if its the family dynamics, the dark humor, great performances, or the great film-making. Or all of it.

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
ORIGINAL REVIEW

Possibly Anderson's best work since Rushmore.

2. Whiplash
ORIGINAL REVIEW

Such a well put-together film. Great outlet for Teller and Simmons. They work off of each other brilliantly. A really tense piece about pushing ones own limits, and the personal cost of success. 

1. Boyhood
ORIGINAL REVIEW

A true cinematic masterpiece. One that people will be talking about for a long time, and for me, and easy choice for the best film of the year. The second viewing was even more enjoyable than the first. A touching coming of age drama that spans 12 actual years. So risky hoping to retain a cast for more than a decade, and somehow it all worked out better than anyone could have expected. Linklater explores his fascination with time that he's done so often through his career. Hopefully the widespread acclaim of this movie sets up a "Manhood" sequel like he did with the "Before" trilogy. It would be so great to see Mason experience life through his twenties.

Here is a list of the 2014 films I watched:

After the Dark
Awful Nice
Birdman
Blue Ruin
Boyhood
Burt's Buzz
Calvary
Captain America: Winter Soldier
Cheap Thrills
Chef
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead
Edge of Tomorrow
Enemy
Frank
Fury
Godzilla
Gone Girl
Guardians of the Galaxy
Happy Christmas
Joe
Last Passenger
Locke
Mistaken for Strangers
Neighbors
Nightcrawler
Noah
Obvious Child
Only Lovers Left Alive
Print the Legend
Ragnarok
Snowpiercer
The Battered Bastards of Baseball
The Fault in our Stars
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Heart Machine
The Lego Movie
The One I Love
The Purge: Anarchy
The Theory of Everything
Under the Skin
Whiplash
Willow Creek
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Starred Up

Force Majeure

Top 5 Creepiest Scenes

5. The Road - House (2009)

(CLIP) 

(Can I Stream it?)

Viggo Mortensen's "man" character discovers a house with his son (character "boy") that is inhabited by a group of ruthless bandits. What they discover in the house is the most memorable scene from one of the best apocalyptic films ever made.


4. The Blair Witch Project - Basement (1999) 

(CLIP)

(Can I Stream it?)

Heather and Mike have finally made it to a house in the middle of the terrifying woods where they suddenly hear their missing friend Josh's voice calling for help from inside.


3. Insidious - Dream & Table (2011)

(CLIP) 

(Can I Stream it?)

Lorraine describes a vivid dream she had that involved Josh and Renai's son. But in moments in the dream comes to life.


2. Se7en - Sloth (1995)

(CLIP)

(Can I Stream it?)

The detectives discover another victim of serial killer John Doe's. But this discovery is arguably the most gruesome of them all.


1. [REC] - Penthouse (2007)

(CLIP) 

(Can I Stream it?)

Angela makes her way to the penthouse of the infected apartment building. They find the source of the infection, but probably wish they hadn't. 

Top Five School Dance Scenes

For most of us, school dances were a memorable part of our young existence. Everything about the entire experience was quite uncomfortable. A room filled with mid-pubescent teens who weren't comfortable in their own skin, dancing to a lingering 80's hit or attempting to make out during Stairway before you got in your friends parents car and went home. The awkward school dance scenes are a constantly used theme in Hollywood. A lot of these scenes would carry some weight, with a lot riding on it. Maybe it was the moment where the guy finally got the girl. Maybe it was when someone finally got their big moment in the spotlight. For some it was the peak of their lifetime, the happiest moment they've ever experienced. Just like in real life, the moments pass by quickly but leave some lasting memories.


5. Caveman dance - Encino Man (1992)

The memorable choreographed caveman dance scene is so 90's it hurts. In a good way.


4. Johnny B. Goode - Back to the Future (1985)

The iconic scene where their minds couldn't even handle Johnny B. Goode yet.


3. Strange Magic / Come Sail Away- The Virgin Suicides (1999)

Such a beautiful blend of music and visual elements. A really pivotal point in an underrated film.


2. Dance competition - Grease (1978)

Even if you aren't a fan of this film, or musicals for that matter, it's a high school dance scene that is undeniably impressive. So many moving parts. So much going on.


1. The bloody prank - Carrie (1976)

The unforgettable scene where all of the pretty paper flowers become incinerated in a matter of minutes.

Top Five Unlikely Friendships in Film

The unlikely friendship theme is played out in film so often. It's a reliable device that pulls the audience in, a lot of the time playing off of an opposites-attract dynamic. Sometimes it's about two universes colliding. Other times it may be about two people just trying to get through something together. They don't always get through something together either. Sometimes the couple truly engages you for the sometimes short period of time they are together on screen, only to break your heart when the pairing is gone.

5. Chuck and Wilson - (Cast Away, 2000)

Quite possibly the most unlikely based on the fact that it's literally a man forming a connection with an inanimate object. One of Hank's best performances, he really puts it out there in this Zemeckis picture.


4. Red and Andy (The Shawshank Redemption, 1994)

If Andy didn't get wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, he would have certainly never met fellow prisoner Red. But meeting Red changes his life and saves it in certain ways. Their long-standing company becomes eternalized as one of the most meaningful friendships in cinema in this widely-appreciated picture.


3. Philippe & Driss (The Intouchables, 2011)

One of the more heart-warming selections on the list from an under-rated French film. Driss gets hired by Philippe and turns his life upside down.


2. Leon and Matilda (Leon: The Professional, 1994)

Two oddly different people of vastly different ages who share dark pasts come together in this great Luc Besson picture. This film also showcases the very obvious natural talent of a young Natalie Portman.


1. Elliot and E.T. (E.T., 1982) 

The ultimate sentimental unlikely friendship tale. Elliot finds a creature who becomes his best friend. It's this bond between them that fuels this Spielberg masterpiece.

Top Five Car Crash Scenes

There is something about the car crash scene that touches you on a visceral level. Perhaps its because you've been in a car accident yourself. It's very common. Over 30,000 people die from car accidents every year. It's also the leading cause of death for healthy Americans traveling abroad. But there is something particularly terrifying about it. The suddenness of it. Going from silence to the abrupt sound of crushing metal and shattered glass flying through the air. When/if you come out of it in one piece, you feel like you were spared by some universal force. Anyone who has experienced a major accident can describe that feeling where it almost feels like time slowed down for those few seconds. And if it doesn't result in a positive outcome for someone you care for, you blame the universe for stripping that person from your life. Almost as if they were just suddenly pulled from existence, with one loud smash. In just a few seconds, everything in your life can change. Car crash scenes are one of those elements in movies that are quite accurately simulated. Those particular scenes create some lasting images that haunt us for years after. If Jaws made us afraid to swim, some of these scenes made us afraid to drive.


5. Disturbia

Can I Stream It?

Falls into the category of SUDDEN. Quite tragic actually. The modern nod to Hitchcock's Rear Window is not an awful film either. Not great, but not awful.

4. Vanilla Sky

Can I Stream It?

Such a powerful scene in a tragically underrated film. Sets a certain course for the rest of the film.


3. Enter the Void

Can I Stream It?

One of those really surprising scenes in a raw, at times disturbing film by the controversial auteur Gaspar Noe.


2. Adaptation

Can I Stream It?

In the same category as the #3 pick in terms of being a really surprising scene that really comes out of nowhere and really jolts the great Spike Jonze film. Certainly puts things in a different perspective.


1. Final Destination 2

Can I Stream It?

A completely ridiculous, unrealistic, off-the-wall scene in a mediocre film. On a lot of people's guilty pleasures list. But it's so well orchestrated and shocking, and it's at the BEGINNING of the film. The first scene, really.

Top Five Films That Take Place in a Day

Some films take place in a single day, and it actually feels quite evident (12 Angry Men, Clerks). It’s doesn’t necessarily indicate a negative aspect of it by any means. Nothing wrong with a simple story if it works. But there’s also others, ones that are able to develop rich characters in a short period of time, or are just simply loaded with action (Die Hard, Cloverfield, From Dusk till Dawn), or others that take you on an emotional journey. But ultimately there’s those precious few that make such a lasting impact that the the single-day story is just cemented in our minds.

5. Before Midnight (2013)

Can I Stream It?

Linklater’s previous two Before films could have easily made the list, but the third really takes it to a different level. While the first two have a more budding innocence powering them, the third is charged with unfiltered honesty and a comfortable lack of restraint. The final act feels so real that it’s haunting to the married couples viewing it.

4. Dazed and Confused (1993)

Can I Stream It?

Another Linklater film to make the list. Dazed captures the uncomplicated freedom of one’s youth during the high school years. Where minor conflicts feel so big, and little do you realize how small they will actually be when you grow older.

3. Training Day (2001)

Can I Stream It?

Not only a single day film but rookie cops first day on the violent, unforgiving streets of Los Angeles. And hey, what do you know? Two Ethan Hawke films make the top five. Weird.

2. Magnolia (1999)

Can I Stream It?

Magnolia packs an emotional punch and of course, some unforgettable imagery. It’s largely performance-driven from Tom Cruise’s incredible supporting role to Julianne Moore’s manic meltdown. Probably has the most developed characters of all of the films on the list, big surprise (*sarcasm) coming from the extraordinary Anderson.  

1. Groundhog Day (1993)

Can I Stream It?

The ultimate (many, many, many) single day picture. What is left to say about this film? It’s a beloved American classic, easily one of the best films ever made. Certainly not the last time it will appear on a top five list. Ned Ryerson? BING!