Fanboys Anonymous

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Mighty Ducks Coming to Disney+

A new Mighty Ducks series is in development for Disney+. This makes perfect sense. Capitalizing on nostalgia with a concept that is fundamentally easy to do (it's not like the films are super complicated) is a formula for potential success. Also, as this has a sports focus, that's different than the fantasy stuff the other series have.

As far as the creative direction, who knows? If I were approached about this, I'd say make Charlie and Adam the new coaches, taking after Bombay, who has a cameo, of course.

For that matter, Get Shaun Weiss back as Greg Goldberg and Elden Henson as Fulton Reed. Bring back Marguerite Moreau and address the girls on the team and "breaking barriers." Bring Kenan Thompson in for one episode so he can teach the kids how to do the knuckle puck. Make it a legacy passing the torch thing to the new group.

A Motherbox in Suicide Squad

So David Ayer revealed that the original plan for "the machine" in Suicide Squad was that it was related to a Motherbox. That makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE. Why the hell did they cut that out? A lack of direction and cohesion on this series really made it harder to pull off and it's a shame as there was so much potential.

501st Helps The Mandalorian

While filming the finale of The Mandalorian, they ran out of available Stormtrooper costumes and enlisted the help of the 501st Legion—a group of fans that have been super dedicated Stormtroopers over the years and eventually were canonized as a tribute—to fill in the ranks. Very very cool!

Hulk and Namor Movie Rights Back with Disney?

Rumor has it Disney now has the rights to Hulk and Namor films, which previously were owned by Universal Pictures. That's awesome if that's the case. That means we could get more leeway with how they use Hulk going forward (even though I don't think there is a solo film left to tell) and Namor can be used in Black Panther 2 or Fantastic 4 or something else like that down the line. Very cool, if true.

The 77th annual Golden Globe Awards are scheduled for this evening, Sunday, January 5, 2020 at the Beverly Hilton on NBC, hosted by Ricky Gervais. This post will be updated with the full list of winners from all the categories. Tell us your thoughts on the results in the comments below!

Best Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film
Patricia Arquette in The Act as Dee Dee Blanchard
Helena Bonham Carter in The Crown as Princess Margaret
Toni Collette in Unbelievable as Det. Grace Rasmussen
Meryl Streep in Big Little Lies as Mary Louise Wright
Emily Watson in Chernobyl as Ulana Khomyuk

WINNER = Patricia Arquette in The Act as Dee Dee Blanchard

Best Supporting Performance by an Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film
Alan Arkin in The Kominsky Method as Norman Newlander
Kieran Culkin in Succession as Roman Roy
Andrew Scott in Fleabag as Hot Priest
Stellan Skarsgård in Chernobyl as Boris Shcherbina
Henry Winkler in Barry as Gene Cousineau

WINNER = Stellan Skarsgård in Chernobyl as Boris Shcherbina

Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film
Kaitlyn Dever in Unbelievable as Marie Adler
Joey King in The Act as Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Helen Mirren in Catherine the Great as Catherine the Great
Merritt Wever in Unbelievable as Det. Karen Duvall
Michelle Williams in Fosse/Verdon as Gwen Verdon

WINNER = Michelle Williams in Fosse/Verdon as Gwen Verdon

Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film
Christopher Abbott in Catch-22 as Capt. John Yossarian
Sacha Baron Cohen in The Spy as Eli Cohen / Kamel Amin Thaabet
Russell Crowe in The Loudest Voice as Roger Ailes
Jared Harris in Chernobyl as Valery Legasov
Sam Rockwell in Fosse/Verdon as Bob Fosse

WINNER = Russell Crowe in The Loudest Voice as Roger Ailes

Best Miniseries or Television Film
Catch-22
Chernobyl
Fosse/Verdon
The Loudest Voice
Unbelievable

WINNER = Chernobyl

Best Performance By an Actress in a Television Series (Comedy or Musical)
Christina Applegate in Dead to Me as Jen Harding
Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Miriam "Midge" Maisel
Kirsten Dunst in On Becoming a God in Central Florida as Krystal Stubbs
Natasha Lyonne in Russian Doll as Nadia Vulvokov
Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag as Fleabag

WINNER = Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag as Fleabag

Best Performance By an Actor in a Television Series (Comedy or Musical)
Michael Douglas in The Kominsky Method as Sandy Kominsky
Bill Hader in Barry as Barry Berkman / Barry Block
Ben Platt in The Politician as Payton Hobart
Paul Rudd in Living with Yourself as Miles Elliot / Miles Elliot's Clone
Ramy Youssef in Ramy as Ramy Hassan

WINNER = Ramy Youssef in Ramy as Ramy Hassan

Best Performance By an Actress in a Television Series (Drama)
Jennifer Aniston in The Morning Show as Alex Levy
Olivia Colman in The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II
Jodie Comer in Killing Eve as Oksana Astankova / Villanelle
Nicole Kidman in Big Little Lies as Celeste Wright
Reese Witherspoon in The Morning Show as Bradley Jackson

WINNER = Olivia Colman in The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II

Best Performance By an Actor in a Television Series (Drama)
Brian Cox in Succession as Logan Roy
Kit Harington in Game of Thrones as Jon Snow
Rami Malek in Mr. Robot as Elliot Alderson
Tobias Menzies in The Crown as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Billy Porter in Pose as Pray Tell

WINNER = Brian Cox in Succession as Logan Roy

Best Television Series (Comedy or Musical)
Barry
Fleabag
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
The Politician

WINNER = Fleabag

Best Television Series (Drama)
Big Little Lies
The Crown
Killing Eve
The Morning Show
Succession

WINNER = Succession


Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat for Little Women
Hildur Guðnadóttir for Joker
Randy Newman for Marriage Story
Thomas Newman for 1917
Daniel Pemberton for Motherless Brooklyn

WINNER = Hildur Guðnadóttir for Joker

Best Original Song
"Beautiful Ghosts" by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Taylor Swift from Cats
"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" by Elton John, Bernie Taupin from Rocketman
"Into the Unknown" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez from Frozen II
"Spirit" by Beyoncé, Timothy McKenzie, Ilya Salmanzadeh from The Lion King
"Stand Up" by Joshuah Brian Campbell, Cynthia Erivo from Harriet

WINNER = "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" by Elton John, Bernie Taupin from Rocketman

Best Supporting Performance by Actress in a Motion Picture
Kathy Bates in Richard Jewell as Barbara "Bobi" Jewell
Annette Bening in The Report as Dianne Feinstein
Laura Dern in Marriage Story as Nora Fanshaw
Jennifer Lopez in Hustlers as Ramona Vega
Margot Robbie in Bombshell as Kayla Pospisil

WINNER = Laura Dern in Marriage Story as Nora Fanshaw

Best Supporting Performance By an Actor in a Motion Picture
Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood as Fred Rogers
Anthony Hopkins in The Two Popes as Pope Benedict XVI
Al Pacino in The Irishman as Jimmy Hoffa
Joe Pesci in The Irishman as Russell Bufalino
Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Cliff Booth

WINNER = Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Cliff Booth

Best Performance By an Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Ana de Armas in Knives Out as Marta Cabrera
Awkwafina in The Farewell as Billi Wang
Cate Blanchett in Where'd You Go, Bernadette as Bernadette Fox
Beanie Feldstein in Booksmart as Molly Davidson
Emma Thompson in Late Night as Katherine Newbury

WINNER = Awkwafina in The Farewell as Billi Wang

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Daniel Craig in Knives Out as Benoit Blanc
Roman Griffin Davis in Jojo Rabbit as Jojo Betzler
Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Rick Dalton
Taron Egerton in Rocketman as Elton John
Eddie Murphy in Dolemite Is My Name as Rudy Ray Moore

WINNER = Taron Egerton in Rocketman as Elton John

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Christian Bale in Ford v Ferrari as Ken Miles
Antonio Banderas in Pain and Glory as Salvador Mallo
Adam Driver in Marriage Story as Charlie Barber
Joaquin Phoenix in Joker as Arthur Fleck / Joker
Jonathan Pryce in The Two Popes as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio

WINNER = Joaquin Phoenix in Joker as Arthur Fleck / Joker

Best Performance By an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Cynthia Erivo in Harriet as Harriet Tubman
Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story as Nicole Barber
Saoirse Ronan in Little Women as Josephine "Jo" March
Charlize Theron in Bombshell as Megyn Kelly
Renée Zellweger in Judy as Judy Garland

WINNER = Renée Zellweger in Judy as Judy Garland

Best Motion Picture (Foreign Language)
The Farewell (USA, Mandarin)
Les Misérables (France, French)
Pain and Glory (Spain, Spanish)
Parasite (South Korea, Korean)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (France, French)

WINNER = Parasite (South Korea, Korean)

Best Motion Picture (Animated)
Frozen II
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
The Lion King
Missing Link
Toy Story 4

WINNER = Missing Link

Best Director - Motion Picture
Bong Joon-ho for Parasite
Sam Mendes for 1917
Todd Phillips for Joker
Martin Scorsese for The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

WINNER = Sam Mendes for 1917

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Noah Baumbach for Marriage Story
Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won for Parasite
Anthony McCarten for The Two Popes
Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Steven Zaillian for The Irishman

WINNER = Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Dolemite Is My Name
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Rocketman

WINNER = Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Motion Picture (Drama)
1917
The Irishman
Joker
Marriage Story
The Two Popes

WINNER = 1917

Welcome to another edition of 6 Flicks Picks, wherein I list all of the upcoming films that are scheduled to be released in the United States for the month which is about to begin and break down which ones I'll be watching in theaters, which ones I'll wait to rent at home, and which ones I'll be skipping out on entirely. After going through the list, I'll choose which six films stand out to me as the ones I want to see the most, even if there are more or less than six that interest me.

Note: The list below is based primarily off the expanded nationwide USA release dates on IMDB as well as some other random outlets if possible, so some information may be different. If I am missing some of the limited releases or the dates conflict in some fashion, please let me know in the comments below and any adjustments and corrections will be made!

Without further ado, another new month means another new set of films, so what's coming soon to theaters in January 2020?

The Grudge

Synopsis: A house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death.

Will I watch? = No


Like a Boss

Synopsis: Two friends with very different ideals start a beauty company together. One is more practical while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle.

Will I watch? = No

Underwater

Synopsis: A crew of aquatic researchers work to get to safety after an earthquake devastates their subterranean laboratory. But the crew has more than the ocean seabed to fear.

Will I watch? = No

The Informer

Synopsis: An ex-convict working undercover intentionally gets himself incarcerated again in order to infiltrate the mob at a maximum security prison.

Will I watch? = No


Bad Boys for Life

Synopsis: Marcus Burnett is now a police inspector and Mike Lowery is in a midlife crisis. They unite again when an Albanian mercenary, whose brother they killed, promises them an important bonus.

Will I watch? = No

Dolittle

Synopsis: A physician discovers that he can talk to animals.

Will I watch? = Maybe


The Gentlemen

Synopsis: A British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.

Will I watch? = No

Run

Synopsis: A home schooled teenager begins to suspect her mother is keeping a dark secret from her.

Will I watch? = No

The Turning

Synopsis: A young governess is hired by a man who has become responsible for his young nephew and niece after the deaths of their parents. A modern take on Henry James' novella "The Turn of the Screw".

Will I watch? = No

The Last Full Measure

Synopsis: Thirty-four years after his death, Airman William H. Pitsenbarger, Jr. ("Pits") is awarded the nation's highest military honor, for his actions on the battlefield.

Will I watch? = No


The Rhythm Section

Synopsis: A woman seeks revenge against those who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family.

Will I watch? = No

Gretel & Hansel

Synopsis: A long time ago in a distant fairy tale countryside, a young girl leads her little brother into a dark wood in desperate search of food and work, only to stumble upon a nexus of terrifying evil.

Will I watch? = No


Which films make the cut?

Oh boy...this month is not good. There are so few picks to begin with and I'm not interested in a single one of them.

6. Underwater — No interest in this, but I had to pick something and it wasn't going to be Like a Boss.

5. The Gentleman — Guy Ritchie's gangster movies have disappointed me in the past and I didn't even come close to smirking at this trailer. But crime is more my speed than some of the other options here.

4. The Informer — Again, crime over horror.

3. The Rhythm Section — Again...crime over horror.

2. Bad Boys for Life — I saw Bad Boys 2. Oddly enough, I didn't see Bad Boys 1. At least this will be stupid action fun.

1. Dolittle — Maybe this is interesting or heartfelt enough to not make me feel like I wasted my time. However, even this is a movie I just know that I'm not going to bother watching.

Welcome to the annual New Year's edition of 6 Flicks Picks that will jump-start the year 2020!

Naturally, this breakdown won't be listing the releases of every single movie that will be coming out in the year—partially because that's too daunting of a task and partially because even the studios don't know all of those yet—but it will still follow the same format as far as the picks go.

This will be much harder, as there are hundreds of films that will be coming out, but it still boils down to the same concept: if I had to pick only six movies that I could watch, which ones would they be?

Without further ado, let's take a look at what makes my cut for 2020!

What is so difficult about this type of thing is that I have to go by the general breakdown of the big releases, as there can definitely be movies that pop up that I'm completely unaware of that are smaller in scale. A major summer blockbuster is already in promotion now, but what about the little indie flick?

Those end up being ignored in this generic year scope, but on the monthly basis, they'll get much more attention, so keep that in mind.

Last year, I had over 30 movies on my list, to varying degrees. I didn't end up seeing all of them. Naturally, I also saw some other films that weren't on my list, so that's proof in the pudding that there are always movies that you're not aware of at the start of the year that will catch your attention.

This year, I don't have 30 movies to pick from. That means I'll be narrowing it down to 24 and taking out the Bottom Tier Honorable Mentions list. Then, I'll proceed to break things into 6-film lists, leading up to the main 6 Flicks Picks that made the final cut.

Bottom Tier Honorable Mentions:

n/a this year.

Low Tier Honorable Mentions:

24. Dolittle — I don't have the highest hopes for this, but this narrowly beat out some other "meh" entries like Jungle Cruise, as well as Bill & Ted Face the Music (I remember liking the other movies as a kid, but I have a feeling if I rewatched them now, I'd hate them). Dolittle isn't something I'll probably actually watch, but if I'm feeling like I need to get out of the house, maybe I'll peep it.

23. Bad Boys for Life — Funny enough, I've seen Bad Boys 2, but not the first one.

22. Fantasy Island — Uh....

21. Onward — Pixar.

20. The New Mutants — I still think this needs to be released on Hulu...

19. Snake Eyes — G.I. Joe was never my biggest passion, but I did enjoy it as a kid. I saw the other two films and if this movie is better than those, then cool.

Middle Tier Honorable Mentions:

18. Morbius — I have little faith in Sony to pull this off, but since it's tangential to Spider-Man, I'll see it.

17. Bloodshot — I know nothing about this, but it's based on a comic, so it might be cool.

16. Birds of Prey — This absolutely 100% is going to suck. Not a single thing about the movie, from its title to the way they dressed the characters to the choice of characters in the movie makes me think this is anything but an ENORMOUS disaster.

15. Wonder Woman 1984 — I have little faith in this movie, particularly as the first one is massively overrated and I don't think the time period aspect is going to be anything but "wouldn't it be neat if we referenced ___" masturbatory nonsense. But...like many other superhero things...it's a Wonder Woman film, so I'll see it opening night.

14. Top Gun: Maverick — I actually didn't see Top Gun until 2019. While I wasn't totally in love with it, I can see why people were high on it when it came out. Some of that nostalgia is completely lost on me, but on the strength of that film alone, I'll be interested to peep this.

13. Free Guy — This looks super fun! I didn't know anything about it until seeing the trailer before Jumanji: The Next Level. I'm so down.

Top Tier Honorable Mentions:

12. Coming 2 America — I actually also just watched Coming to America for the first time in 2019, as recommended by my girlfriend. She and I will definitely be watching this together.

11. A Quiet Place: Part II — Big fan of the first one.

10. Sonic the Hedgehog — Gotta go fast. Give me Tails and Knuckles in there somewhere, too.

9. Godzilla vs. Kong — I don't know how they're going to make this work by stepping backward and doing two babyfaces against each other while they already had Godzilla fight everyone else the last time. But hey, King of the Monsters was a visual spectacle.

8. The Purge 5 — It's weird. The first Purge was blah. The second, third and fourth, I enjoyed. I'll go see this one on the strength of that trajectory.

7. Venom 2 — The first film has its flaws and its charm. It's a Spider-Man related movie. Naturally, it's an opening night viewing for me.

What Made the Final Cut:

6. The Eternals — I know virtually nothing about The Eternals, but this is the MCU, so it gets a top spot by default.

5. The King's Man — The first Kingsman film is amazing. The second one suffered from some really bad decisions, like killing off certain characters. I hope this is a step backward to what worked the first time.

4. Ghostbusters: Afterlife — Pleeeeeeease don't screw this up. I absolutely love the first film and I have a fond attachment to the second one, too. Bustin' makes me feel good. Don't make me feel bad.

3. Tenet — I still have no idea what this is about, but it looks neat and it's Christopher Nolan.

2. Black Widow — MCU. Of course this is high up on the list. Black Widow's a great character and although I'm nowhere near as excited about this as I was last year for Avengers: Endgame, I'm more confident I'll like the movie than most things on this list, strictly because it's the MCU.

1. No Time to Die — After the Star Wars sequels and Terminator: Dark Fate, I'm entirely convinced this movie is going to piss me off by either killing off James Bond and/or trying to make Nomi the lead going forward, rather than "hoping for a spin-off." However, it's still a James Bond film (at least, for now, it seems) and I'll be there opening night, hoping there's a gun barrel at the start, that it does the series justice and that it doesn't end with passing the torch or anything like that.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Riley Howell Added to Star Wars Canon

Riley Howell, a young man who had died earlier this year while saving many people during a shooting, was a huge fan of Star Wars. As a tribute to him, the character of Ri-Lee Howell was created, as an historian Jedi in the visual dictionary of The Rise of Skywalker.

That is awesome and very touching. More people should be rewarded for such amazing acts of heroism. It never brings those people back, but it's a nice way to say thank you and to help society heal and promote positivity. Very, very cool.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl/Hawkwoman in Black Adam

It seems the Black Adam film could have the JSA battling it out with the titular...well, not hero...but protagonist, I guess.

Considering the ties to Egypt and all, I think it makes sense for the Hawks to be in the movie. However, I still maintain that it's a mistake to give Black Adam his own film in the first place. That's like doing an entire film about Metallo before having him fight Superman in a sequel.

The Mandalorian Season Finale

The Force Awakens disappointed me. Rebels underwhelmed in some big ways sometimes. Rogue One was meh. The Last Jedi killed my passion for Star Wars. Solo was trash. And yet, The Mandalorian—completely lacking in the Jedi, which is the main thing I like about Star Wars (I'm not as big a fan of the aliens and spaceships side of the series)—got me hooked from the start.

This is a well made show that was very interesting. I'm looking forward to season 2.

Welcome to the third annual FANBOYS FILM AWARDS! This is my attempt to counterbalance the Academy Awards bias when it comes to movies that are often ignored due to their genre.

So rather than focus on the Oscar-bait, the Fanboys Film Awards pays tribute and extends gratitude to the movies which are overlooked because they're more along the lines of science fiction, fantasy, action/adventure and so on.

The only qualification for the nominees is that they must fall somewhere into the geek culture spectrum, which means superhero films and similar genres. Everything else is not eligible for any of the categories, so you won't see Ford v Ferrari or Ad Astra on this list. That isn't what this focuses on, even though I enjoyed them.

Also, you may notice that the awards structure isn't the same as the Academy Awards. That's because I feel this is a more efficient way of doing things and an easier list to make, rather than diving into technicalities that I'm not qualified to judge. But by all means, if you want to create your own categories, go ahead in the comments!

— All possible films came out in the time frame of January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 as far as release dates.

— This is only one person's opinion. You're encouraged to leave your choices for the nominees and winners in the comments below to keep the discussion going!

— Admittedly, I haven't even seen every film that could potentially be nominated. For instance, I skipped Men in Black: International, Alita: Battle Angel, Hellboy, Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw, The Kitchen, Angry Birds 2, Gemini Man, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Charlie's Angels, and some others. That is obviously going to put a significant bias on this, as I'm not working with a full deck of cards.

BEST PICTURE

WINNER = Avengers: Endgame / Joker (tie)

EXPLANATION = I can't pick. Joker is fundamentally a better solo film, but Endgame is built with the understanding that you've seen everything leading up to that point, and it was just magical.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Glass

BEST ACTOR

WINNER = Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck in Joker

EXPLANATION = I think even in the grand scope of all film from this year, not just the geek culture ones, he has to be at least nominated for Best Actor.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Shout out to Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans from Endgame and Tom Holland in Far From Home.

BEST ACTRESS

WINNER = Florence Pugh as Saraya "Paige" Knight in Fighting with My Family

EXPLANATION = She got Paige down super well.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Man do I wish I could give this to Linda Hamilton for Terminator.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

WINNER = Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman in Shazam!

EXPLANATION = I almost gave this to Jake Gyllenhaal for Mysterio, but the more I thought about it, Shazam wouldn't have worked as a film without Grazer's performance. He is the glue that holds it all together, and that means more.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Outside of Gyllenhaal, shout out to Will Smith for being the best Genie they could have done, as nobody could fill the shoes of Robin Williams.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

WINNER = Zoey Deutch as Madison in Zombieland: Double Tap

EXPLANATION = I loooooooooooved the character of Madison. She was the perfect level of cute, obnoxious, pathetic and lovable, and could have easily been too annoying or something if in the wrong hands.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Kyliegh Curran as Abra Stone in Doctor Sleep

BEST STORY

This is an alternative to Best Adapted/Original Screenplay where the execution of the overall product might not be the equivalent of Best Picture, but the idea was there.

WINNER = Avengers: Endgame / Joker (tie)

EXPLANATION = Same explanation to Best Picture, but I'm leaning more toward the idea of Endgame winning this, if I had to pick. Joker is a little too much of a copy of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy for me to give it as much credit.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Doctor Sleep

MOST FAITHFUL ADAPTATION

Which felt like it was the most honorable to the source material it was trying to represent?

WINNER = Avengers: Endgame

EXPLANATION = They knew exactly what people wanted and gave it to them. It took 10 years and they still didn't disappoint.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (kind of), Zombieland: Double Tap

BEST VISUALS

This examines special effects, cinematography, production design and even editing.

WINNER = Godzilla: King of the Monsters, The Lion King (tie)

EXPLANATION = It's hard to distinguish a winner between these two. The Lion King is the best as far as animation, by far. However, the "acting" of the characters suffered from not having faces that could express things better. Godzilla is the best as far as blending live action with CGI. That Mothra stuff was beautiful.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Captain Marvel for de-aging Samuel L. Jackson. Terminator: Dark Fate for de-aging Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Avengers: Endgame was nuts. Spider-Man: Far From Home for the illusions. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker for pretty much all of it.

BEST ACTION SET PIECE

This honors the stunt work as well as the choreography and idea of an action sequence.

WINNER = Avengers: Endgame (Avengers...assemble climactic battle)

EXPLANATION = COME. ON. Cap wielding Mjolnir? "On your left"? Everyone shows up. That goddamn music. He says the line! SO. MANY. GOOSEBUMPS. I legitimately don't know if I've ever felt as much pure joy and excitement while watching a movie in my life and I cried in this film, which has happened less times than I can count on one hand. Insane.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Spider-Man: Far From Home's illusions from Mysterio is my #2 pick. I also really enjoyed the action in Zombieland: Double Tap.

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN

This combines makeup, costumes and the CGI build of characters.

WINNER = Avengers: Endgame

EXPLANATION = By the sheer number of characters alone.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Shazam! (particularly the rest of the family) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

BEST MUSIC

This category examines both the score and the soundtrack.

WINNER = Joker

EXPLANATION = This was the only one of the bunch that I downloaded some of the soundtrack from.

HONORABLE MENTIONS = It sure as hell wasn't going to be The Lion King with that Spirit song, or Aladdin with that new Jasmine song, even though both of their original films have some of the best music ever in films (A Whole New World, This Land, The Circle of Life, etc). Those two new additions killed them, though. Glass has some great tracks. Avengers: Endgame, naturally, has some great music, but it had already been established, so I don't know if that deserves as much credit. Plus, you've got to love the music from Star Wars.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Superman: Red Son Trailer

So in on this. Why isn't there a release date if it's "early 2020"? That's cutting it close.

Wakanda = Free Trade

Apparently, the US Department of Agriculture had some test files they forgot to remove and for a while, Wakanda was listed as a free-trade partner.

Tenet Trailer
Oooooh so it's about time, in some fashion. Inception but time-based? I'm totally down.

Knives Out

I finally got a chance to see this and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was lighthearted enough for some laughs and had a mystery worth tracking. I recommend checking it out!

On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous REVIEWPOINT podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by discussing what worked, what didn't, and whether you should see it or skip it.

The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more as Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron's journey continues. With the power and knowledge of generations behind them, the final battle commences.

Make sure to subscribe/follow on whatever platform you're listening, leave your comments on the videos or this post, share this with your friends and geek out with us!

As requested through our Patreon "Pick Your Poison" tier by Guest Five, Fanboys Anonymous is providing you with another edition of the FanTracks podcast, this time for the follow-up to Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, which is animated film Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero tied into Batman: The Animated Series.

For copyright reasons, we cannot provide the movie itself, but after a short introduction, you will be told when to sync your copy of the film so you can following along with us and listen to our thoughts on the movie as we crack some jokes, expose plot holes, and discuss anything else that comes to our minds for commentary.

Make sure to subscribe/follow on whatever platform you're listening, leave your comments on the videos or this post, share this with your friends and geek out with us!

The 92nd Academy Awards will take place on February 9, 2020 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, broadcast by ABC.

Here are the following nominees announced. Tell us your predictions for the winners in the comments below!

BEST PICTURE

1917
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite

BEST ACTOR

Antonio Banderas for Pain and Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver for Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix for Joker
Jonathan Pryce for The Two Popes

BEST ACTRESS

Cynthia Erivo for Harriet
Scarlett Johansson for Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan for Little Women
Charlize Theron for Bombshell
Renée Zellweger for Judy

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Tom Hanks for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins for The Two Popes
Al Pacino for The Irishman
Joe Pesci for The Irishman
Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Kathy Bates for Richard Jewell
Laura Dern for Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson for Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh for Little Women
Margot Robbie for Bombshell

BEST DIRECTOR

Martin Scorsese for The Irishman
Todd Phillips for Joker
Sam Mendes for 1917
Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bong Joon-ho for Parasite

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Knives Out
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
The Two Popes

BEST FILM EDITING

Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Parasite

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1917
Avengers: Endgame
The IrishmanThe Lion King
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

1917
The Irishman
Joker
The Lighthouse
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

1917
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

1917
Bombshell
Joker
Judy
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

1917 (Thomas Newman)
Joker (Hildur Guðnadóttir)
Little Women (Alexandre Desplat)
Marriage Story (Randy Newman)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (John Williams)


BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from Toy Story 4
"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman
"I'm Standing With You" from Breakthrough
"Into the Unknown" from Frozen II
"Stand Up" from Harriet

BEST SOUND EDITING

1917
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

BEST SOUND MIXING

1917
Ad Astra
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Toy Story 4

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Dcera (Daughter)
Hair Love
Kitbull
Sister

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

American Factory
The Cave
The Edge of Democracy
For Sama
Honeyland

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

In the Absence
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
Life Overtakes Me
St. Louis Superman
Walk Run Cha-Cha

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

Corpus Christi (Poland)
Honeyland (North Macedonia)
Les Misérables (France)
Pain and Glory (Spain)
Parasite (South Korea)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

Brotherhood
Nefta Football Club
The Neighbors' Window
Saria
A Sister

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Ford v Ferrari

I got a chance to check this out and surprisingly, I'd recommend it. I'm not in the slightest bit a fan of cars, racing or anything that would draw me to the movie and I still enjoyed it. I'll never watch it a second time, I'm sure, but hey, I thought it was worth my time.

Wonder Woman 1984 Trailer

The first one is MASSIVELY overrated. The DC film franchise has gone down the shitter and doesn't exist anymore. I'm over the idea of era gimmicks after X-Men and some others have run it into the ground for no reason. I don't get the casting of Kristin Wigg. They'd better have a good justification for bringing back Steve. And ugh..I'll see it opening night...

Crisis on Infinite Earths

- I haven't been into these shows for a while. I stopped watching each of them one by one over the years. But I wanted to see the cameos.

- They killed Oliver Queen off in that shitty way? That's it?? How lame. I'm very glad I stopped watching Arrow when they killed Laurel. Even with the whole idea of him becoming The Spectre, I'm still underwhelmed. He went out by just having a bunch of ghosty things nipping at him.

- The CGI hasn't gotten any better.

- I bet you'd be able to solve this problem if you had Batman on the team instead of Batwoman, and you had Green Lantern somewhere in there, and you had Wonder Woman, and you had....

- Kevin Conroy. THE Batman.

- Jason being Superman's son is a good reference to Superman Returns, as many problems as that had. I really was into all the little references here and there.

- LUCIFER!!!!

- Wait...they're making everyone have to wait how many weeks until the finale? Another reason I'm glad I don't watch these shows anymore. Yeesh.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer

This has a VERY different feel to it than I expected...and I don't know how to feel. It seems very much Stranger Things, and I love that show, but I don't know. I really hate the idea of this revolving around a bunch of kids and I'm just nervous.

On the latest edition of the Fanboys Anonymous REVIEWPOINT podcast, host Tony Mango breaks down the hits and misses of Jumanji: The Next Level by discussing what worked, what didn't, and whether you should see it or skip it.

When Spencer goes back into the fantastical world of Jumanji, pals Martha, Fridge and Bethany re-enter the game to bring him home. But the game is now broken -- and fighting back. Everything the friends know about Jumanji is about to change, as they soon discover there's more obstacles and more danger to overcome.

Make sure to subscribe/follow on whatever platform you're listening, leave your comments on the videos or this post, share this with your friends and geek out with us!

The 77th annual Golden Globe Awards will take place Sunday, January 5, 2020 at the Beverly Hilton on NBC, hosted by Ricky Gervais. Here are the nominees for all of the categories. Give us your predictions on the winners and your favorites in the comments below!

Best Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film
Patricia Arquette – The Act as Dee Dee Blanchard
Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown as Princess Margaret
Toni Collette – Unbelievable as Det. Grace Rasmussen
Meryl Streep – Big Little Lies as Mary Louise Wright
Emily Watson – Chernobyl as Ulana Khomyuk

Best Supporting Performance by an Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film
Alan Arkin in The Kominsky Method as Norman Newlander
Kieran Culkin in Succession as Roman Roy
Andrew Scott in Fleabag as Hot Priest
Stellan Skarsgård in Chernobyl as Boris Shcherbina
Henry Winkler in Barry as Gene Cousineau

Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film
Kaitlyn Dever – Unbelievable as Marie Adler
Joey King – The Act as Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Helen Mirren – Catherine the Great as Catherine the Great
Merritt Wever – Unbelievable as Det. Karen Duvall
Michelle Williams – Fosse/Verdon as Gwen Verdon

Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film
Christopher Abbott – Catch-22 as Capt. John Yossarian
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Spy as Eli Cohen / Kamel Amin Thaabet
Russell Crowe – The Loudest Voice as Roger Ailes
Jared Harris – Chernobyl as Valery Legasov
Sam Rockwell – Fosse/Verdon as Bob Fosse

Best Miniseries or Television Film
Catch-22
Chernobyl
Fosse/Verdon
The Loudest Voice
Unbelievable

Best Performance By an Actress in a Television Series (Comedy or Musical)
Christina Applegate – Dead to Me as Jen Harding
Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Miriam "Midge" Maisel
Kirsten Dunst – On Becoming a God in Central Florida as Krystal Stubbs
Natasha Lyonne – Russian Doll as Nadia Vulvokov
Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag as Fleabag

Best Performance By an Actor in a Television Series (Comedy or Musical)
Michael Douglas – The Kominsky Method as Sandy Kominsky
Bill Hader – Barry as Barry Berkman / Barry Block
Ben Platt – The Politician as Payton Hobart
Paul Rudd – Living with Yourself as Miles Elliot / Miles Elliot's Clone
Ramy Youssef – Ramy as Ramy Hassan

Best Performance By an Actress in a Television Series (Drama)
Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show as Alex Levy
Olivia Colman – The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II
Jodie Comer – Killing Eve as Oksana Astankova / Villanelle
Nicole Kidman – Big Little Lies as Celeste Wright
Reese Witherspoon – The Morning Show as Bradley Jackson

Best Performance By an Actor in a Television Series (Drama)
Brian Cox – Succession as Logan Roy
Kit Harington – Game of Thrones as Jon Snow
Rami Malek – Mr. Robot as Elliot Alderson
Tobias Menzies – The Crown as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Billy Porter – Pose as Pray Tell

Best Television Series (Comedy or Musical)
Barry
Fleabag
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
The Politician

Best Television Series (Drama)
Big Little Lies
The Crown
Killing Eve
The Morning Show
Succession


Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat – Little Women
Hildur Guðnadóttir – Joker
Randy Newman – Marriage Story
Thomas Newman – 1917
Daniel Pemberton – Motherless Brooklyn

Best Original Song
"Beautiful Ghosts" (Andrew Lloyd Webber, Taylor Swift) – Cats
"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" (Elton John, Bernie Taupin) – Rocketman
"Into the Unknown" (Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez) – Frozen II
"Spirit" (Beyoncé, Timothy McKenzie, Ilya Salmanzadeh) – The Lion King
"Stand Up" (Joshuah Brian Campbell, Cynthia Erivo) – Harriet

Best Supporting Performance by Actress in a Motion Picture
Kathy Bates – Richard Jewell as Barbara "Bobi" Jewell
Annette Bening – The Report as Dianne Feinstein
Laura Dern – Marriage Story as Nora Fanshaw
Jennifer Lopez – Hustlers as Ramona Vega
Margot Robbie – Bombshell as Kayla Pospisil

Best Supporting Performance By an Actor in a Motion Picture
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood as Fred Rogers
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes as Pope Benedict XVI
Al Pacino – The Irishman as Jimmy Hoffa
Joe Pesci – The Irishman as Russell Bufalino
Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Cliff Booth

Best Performance By an Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Ana de Armas – Knives Out as Marta Cabrera
Awkwafina – The Farewell as Billi Wang
Cate Blanchett – Where'd You Go, Bernadette as Bernadette Fox
Beanie Feldstein – Booksmart as Molly Davidson
Emma Thompson – Late Night as Katherine Newbury

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Daniel Craig – Knives Out as Benoit Blanc
Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit as Jojo Betzler
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Rick Dalton
Taron Egerton – Rocketman as Elton John
Eddie Murphy – Dolemite Is My Name as Rudy Ray Moore

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Christian Bale – Ford v Ferrari as Ken Miles
Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory as Salvador Mallo
Adam Driver – Marriage Story as Charlie Barber
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker as Arthur Fleck / Joker
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio

Best Performance By an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)
Cynthia Erivo – Harriet as Harriet Tubman
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story as Nicole Barber
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women as Josephine "Jo" March
Charlize Theron – Bombshell as Megyn Kelly
Renée Zellweger – Judy as Judy Garland

Best Motion Picture (Foreign Language)
The Farewell (USA, Mandarin)
Les Misérables (France, French)
Pain and Glory (Spain, Spanish)
Parasite (South Korea, Korean)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (France, French)

Best Motion Picture (Animated)
Frozen II
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
The Lion King
Missing Link
Toy Story 4

Best Director - Motion Picture
Bong Joon-ho – Parasite
Sam Mendes – 1917
Todd Phillips – Joker
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Noah Baumbach – Marriage Story
Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won – Parasite
Anthony McCarten – The Two Popes
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Steven Zaillian – The Irishman

Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Dolemite Is My Name
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Rocketman

Best Motion Picture (Drama)
1917
The Irishman
Joker
Marriage Story
The Two Popes


I certainly haven't seen all of these movies and television shows to be able to fully judge what's going on, which is why I don't give predictions for the Golden Globes. However, to chime in on the things I did see that are nominated:

• Wow. I have no horse in any of the TV races.
• Wow...the movie side of things feels so flat to me. I didn't think there would be such little for me to buzz about. I feel so unenthusiastic about this, and that doesn't make me feel all that confident that the Oscars will be something great, either. This seems like a dud year.
• Give Joker everything it's nominated for.
• Don't you dare give Spirit the best original song. That was stupid.
• I'm not surprised to see The Irishman all over the place, even though I was underwhelmed.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Black Widow Teaser Trailer

Man, I really...really need to echo my previous thoughts about this, as my opinions haven't changed at all:

1 - It would not surprise me at all if Taskmaster ended up being Rachel Weisz.

2 - This movie makes a lot more sense if it would have come out after Civil War when it takes place, rather than post-Natasha's death.

3 - Yelena is definitely a replacement Black Widow for the future and will join the Thunderbolts.

4 - Red Guardian is totally going to die.

5 - Hawkeye's got to be in this in a flashback.

6 - I'll see this opening night and probably think it's great like damn near everything else in the MCU.

No Time to Die Trailer

- Don't screw me out of the gun barrel by having some twist on it. Give me the opening gun barrel.

- I'm still really disappointed that every Daniel Craig movie has been about him being on the outs of MI6 with 3 of them being about how he's "too old" and past his prime while the first and technically second were "he's not quite Bond yet."

- I'm a big fan of how the whole gang is back. Felix, Moneypenny, Q, Swann (though I'm hoping she dies), Blofeld. Neat.

- I'm still worried they're trying too hard with this female 007 thing. I really, REALLY hope it's just a matter of her having taken over for the 007 codename and then she dies or retires and he takes it back, rather than an attempt at doing movies in the future with her as the lead. I watch these movies for James Bond as 007 just the same as Bruce Wayne as Batman. Even if I like Lashana Lynch's character, she won't be Bond/007, no more than Dick Grayson (who I'm a huge fan of) is not Batman.

- General rule of thumb: if you're a Bond villain, your face must have something wrong with it.

- God I love the Bond theme.

Peter Sarsgaard is Two-Face?

Rumor has it Peter Sarsgaard has been cast as Harvey Dent in the new Batman film. I'm...meh...about this. Sarsgaard is a good actor, for sure. But I don't know if I'd go with him for Two-Face. To me, he'd almost be a better Penguin than Colin Farrell and they should swap. Actually, to be fair, Andy Serkis should be Penguin. Sarsgaard strikes me more as Hugo Strange, even.

No More Star Wars for Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and John Boyega

ROFL they either truly mean it when they say they're done, or it's complete and utter bullshit, and both scenarios are awful. Either they sacrificed the entire future of the Star Wars franchise in a piss poor attempt to get over primarily 2 characters (since Poe was supposed to die anyway) only for them to not win people over and then fuck off, or this is just the actors building up hype for when they inevitably return however many years from now and people go "woaaaah they said they wouldn't come back but they diiiiiid."

Terrible.

Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel and She Hulk Coming "End of Next Year"

According to Kevin Feige, those shows will be ready by then. WTF? Seriously? They're only now filming Falcon & Winter Soldier and WandaVision and whatnot. We haven't even heard any casting for these three shows. I hope that doesn't mean that these programs will be lower budget than expected and that's how they can pump them out so fast. I don't want more Agent Carter CGI.

Welcome to another edition of 6 Flicks Picks, wherein I list all of the upcoming films that are scheduled to be released in the United States for the month which is about to begin and break down which ones I'll be watching in theaters, which ones I'll wait to rent at home, and which ones I'll be skipping out on entirely. After going through the list, I'll choose which six films stand out to me as the ones I want to see the most, even if there are more or less than six that interest me.

Note: The list below is based primarily off the expanded nationwide USA release dates on IMDB as well as some other random outlets if possible, so some information may be different. If I am missing some of the limited releases or the dates conflict in some fashion, please let me know in the comments below and any adjustments and corrections will be made!

Without further ado, another new month means another new set of films, so what's coming soon to theaters in December 2019?

Playmobil: The Movie

Synopsis: Animated feature film inspired by the Playmobil brand toys.

Will I watch? = No

The Aeronauts

Synopsis: Pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) and scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) find themselves in an epic fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a gas balloon.

Will I watch? = No

En Brazos de un Asesino

Synopsis: Victor (William Levy) is one of the world's most handsome men, but he has a deep secret - he is a cold blooded assassin. Smooth talking and seductive, Victor was raised to do one thing only, which is to kill for money. When he is sent to the home of a brutal drug lord to collect payment for his most recent hit, he encounters the beautiful Sarai (Alicia Sanz), who has been forced to spend the last 9 years of her life with the drug lord. After Victor leaves the compound, Sarai seizes her chance at freedom by hiding out in Victor's car. But things don't go as planned and instead of being transported back to her home, she finds herself free from one dangerous man only to be caught in the clutches of another. While on the run from the vengeful drug lord and his brutal henchmen, Victor's conscience catches up with him as he risks all that he stood for to protect his captive. In the end, the power Sarai unknowingly holds over Victor and their undeniable attraction may be what places her right in the arms of a killer.

Will I watch? = Maaaaybe?

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Synopsis: On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.

Will I watch? = No

Little Joe

Synopsis: Alice, a single mother, is a dedicated senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species. Against company policy, she takes one home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe.

Will I watch? = No

Midnight Family

Synopsis: In Mexico City's wealthiest neighborhoods, the Ochoa family runs a private ambulance, competing with other for-profit EMTs for patients in need of urgent help.

Will I watch? = No


Jumanji: The Next Level

Synopsis: The gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expect. The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world's most dangerous game.

Will I watch? = Yes

Black Christmas

Will I watch? = No

Synopsis: A group of female students are stalked by a stranger during their Christmas break. That is until the young sorority pledges discover that the killer is part of an underground college conspiracy.

Will I watch? = No

Richard Jewell

Synopsis: American security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely report that he was a terrorist.

Will I watch? = No

Uncut Gems

Will I watch? = No

Synopsis: A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score, makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.

Will I watch? = No

Seberg

Synopsis: Inspired by real events about the French New Wave darling and Breathless star, Jean Seberg, who in the late 1960s was targeted by Hoover's FBI, because of her political and romantic involvement with civil rights activist Hakim Jamal.

Will I watch? = No

A Hidden Life

Will I watch? = No

Synopsis: The Austrian Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, a conscientious objector, refuses to fight for the Nazis in World War II.

Will I watch? = No

Cunningham

Synopsis: The iconic Merce Cunningham and the last generation of his dance company is stunningly profiled in Alla Kovgan's 3D documentary, through recreations of his landmark works and archival footage of Cunningham, John Cage, and Robert Rauschenberg.

Will I watch? = No


Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Synopsis: The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga.

Will I watch? = Ugh. Yes.

Cats

Synopsis: A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.

Will I watch? = Hell No

Bombshell

Synopsis: A group of women decide to take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network.

Will I watch? = No


Little Women

Synopsis: Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

Will I watch? = No

1917

Synopsis: Two young British privates during the First World War are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of the soldier's brothers, from walking straight into a deadly trap.

Will I watch? = No

Spies in Disguise

Synopsis: When the world's best spy is turned into a pigeon, he must rely on his nerdy tech officer to save the world.

Will I watch? = Download?

Clemency

Synopsis: Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams. As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.

Will I watch? = No

Just Mercy

Synopsis: Just Mercy shadows world-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson as he recounts his experiences and details the case of a condemned death row prisoner whom he fought to free.

Will I watch? = No

The Song of Names

Synopsis: Tim Roth and Clive Owen star in an emotional detective story spread over two continents and a half century. Beneath the film's stunning and pulsing musical revelations burn the horror of a war and the lost souls extinguished from history.

Will I watch? = No


Which films make the cut?

6. 1917 — Bad month. I have no interest in this, but even less interest in everything else.

5. En Brazos de un Asesino — The plot is solid. I'm not much for foreign films, but maybe it could be decent.

4. Richard Jewell — My interest in this basically is only based on the lead and how well he did in I, Tonya. I have no interest in the story itself.

3. Spies in Diguise — This seems kind of funny and cute. Sure. Why not? It's a weak month.

2. Jumanji: The Next Level — The last one was pretty fun. I'll definitely check this out.

1. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — The Force Awakens was disappointing. The Last Jedi was a nightmare that legitimately turned me off as a Star Wars fan to a level I didn't think it could, where I just stopped caring about the franchise. Solo was so blah, too. I have my ticket for this, but I have zero faith that I'll feel okay afterward.

Welcome to another edition of WEEK IN GEEK here at Fanboys Anonymous—a rundown of some of the events, news and stories that went down over the past few days in the geek culture spectrum.

Here are some of the topics I felt like voicing my opinions about:

Godzilla vs. King Kong Pushed Back

The movie is no longer going to be released March 2020. Now, the target date is November 20, 2020. I'll see it regardless and not have the biggest expectations in the world, but if they're pushing it back, hopefully that's because they have ideas in mind to make it better. Sure. Go for it. I still don't quite know how you go from Godzilla fighting the multiple monsters in the last one to just King Kong when they're both "good guys" and all, though....

Nightwing on Titans

Finally, we got Nightwing on the latest episode of Titans. This season was SO MUCH better than the first season, and I'm super, super happy with the look that we got. Even though I feel like Dick is a little moodier and darker than I would have liked for this show, overall, I do think this has been arguably the best representation we've seen of the character on a show/film to date. Actually, the only one to surpass it is Young Justice...and I did like the way they had him on Bruce Timm's animated series, for the most part. But yeah, Nightwing was rad.

I do have to say, though, that Donna Troy's death was meh. The episode was rushed in general. I don't think we needed the Cadmus arc for this season, in retrospect. It would have been better to focus entirely on Deathstroke and save Connor and Cadmus for season 3. Then, maybe if they wanted to kill Donna, they could have done it by Deathstroke's hand or something. #Hindsight

Harley Quinn Episode 1

The animated Harley Quinn series is so fun! I loved the first episode and I definitely recommend checking it out.

I like the voice acting. I like the characterization as sort of a Daria meets DC kind of vibe. I really hope the next episodes are as strong as this one was.