2016: The Year In Movies

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2016 saw a bit of an uptick in movie watching for me, with the vacation over the past 3 weeks of December helping to greatly boost my total to its highest level since 2011.  I managed to watch 88 movies last year, 19 more than last year, though my fifth consecutive year under 100.  Again, many things contributed to this, chiefly the insane amount of TV I’ve been watching, the greater effort made towards going out for walks, and the awful amount of time I spend either at work or getting to and from work.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I did manage to watch last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

RU Awake? (2015)
A short film starring the lovely and talented Molly C. Quinn.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
A young kid tries to solve a mystery connected to his father who died in the 9/11 attacks.

The Pact (2012)
A bad horror film starring TV’s Caity Lotz.

Tell Tale (2010)
A short that I have no real recollection of.

Let’s Be Cops (2014)
Two Purdue alums find that impersonating cops is better than their normal lives.

John Wick (2014)
Keanu Reeves returns in a surprisingly good turn about a mourning hitman who returns to work after his former boss turns on him.

If I Stay (2014)
A teenage girl faces a choice to live or die after a car accident puts her in a coma.

Two Night Stand (2014)
A snow storm forces a hookup to last much longer than either participant anticipated.

Hot Pursuit (2015)
Reese Witherspoon is a no-nonsense cop who learns to bend the rules while trying to arrest Sofia Vergara.

Backcountry (2015)
A city couple gets lost in the woods while camping. Continue reading →

Book 14 (of 52) – Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire – J.K. Rowling

The fourth installment of the Harry Potter series sees our heroes return to Hogwarts for their fourth year of schooling, with the wizarding world aflutter with the return of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, held for the first time in hundreds of years.  When Harry finds himself chosen as school champion, despite not having entered, he must figure out who is trying to kill him, while surviving the three challenges of the tournament.

The stakes kick up a bit in this entry, as the villain of the series, Lord Voldemort, makes his first real appearance.  I did manage to read most of this book either on the way to or at Universal Studios, home of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park.  That certainly boosted my enjoyment somewhat.  Now that I’m more than half way through this reading experiment, I’m glad the end is in sight.