Top New Shows of the 2010s

2010                                                                          2011

1. Sym-Bionic Titan                                                  1. American Horror Story

2. Boardwalk Empire                                                2. Green Lantern: The Animated Series

3. Young Justice                                                        3. The Looney Tunes Show

4. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated                     4. New Girl

5. The Walking Dead                                                5. Falling Skies

6. Conan                                                                   6. Portlandia

7. The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes              7. Once Upon a Time

8. Ben 10: Ultimate Alien                                         8. The Kennedys

9. Victorious                                                             9. Terra Nova

10. MAD                                                                   10. The Amazing World of Gumball

Honorable Mentions:                                               Honorable Mentions

Tower Prep                                                               Austin & Ally

Hawaii Five-0 2010                                                 Jessie

Pretty Little Liars                                                     Grimm

Blue Bloods                                                              Hell on Wheels

Nikita                                                                        Revenge

2012                                                2013

1. Hatfields and McCoys                 1. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

2. The Legend of Korra                   2. Under the Dome

3. Gravity Falls                               3. Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited

4. Arrow                                           4. Rick and Morty

5. Ben 10: Omniverse                      5. Bates Motel

6. DreamWorks Dragons                 6. Sleepy Hollow

7. Revolution                                    7. Hostages

8. Awake                                           8. Mom

9. Elementary                                   9. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

10. Tron: Uprising                           10. The Following

Honorable Mentions:                       Honorable Mentions:

Alcatraz                                            Liv and Maddie

Common Law                                   Beware the Batman

Nashville                                          The Americans

The River                                          The Fosters

The Mindy Project                            The Blacklist

2014                                                                  2015

1. The Flash                                                      1. Daredevil

2. Gotham                                                         2. The Man in the High Castle

3. 24: Live Another Day                                   3. Ash vs Evil Dead

4. Fargo                                                            4. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

5. Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond      5. Better Call Saul

6. How to Get Away with Murder                     6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

7. From Dusk till Dawn: The Series                 7. Documentary Now

8. Madam Secretary                                          8. Agent Carter

9. Star Wars Rebels                                           9. The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore

10. The Spoils of Babylon                                 10. Jessica Jones

Honorable Mentions:                                        Honorable Mentions:

Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero                              Fear the Walking Dead

The Last Ship                                                    Supergirl

The Librarians                                                 Sense8

The 100                                                             The Last Man on Earth

NCIS: New Orleans                                         Killjoys

2016                                                        2017

1. Stranger Things                                  1. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

2. The Good Place                                  2. A Series of Unfortunate Events

3. 11.22.63                                              3. Ozark

4. American Crime Story                        4. Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later

5. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee        5. Mindhunter

6. Luke Cage                                           6. Legion

7. Preacher                                             7. 13 Reasons Why

8. Voltron: Legendary Defender             8. Feud

9. Designated Survivor                           9. DuckTales 2017

10. Class                                                 10. Santa Clarita Diet

Honorable Mentions:                             Honorable Mentions:

The Great                                               The Sinner

Milo Murphy's Law                                Brockmire

This Is Us                                               Castlevania

Lucifer                                                    The Punisher

Shades of Blue                                        Future Man

2018                                                                                               2019

1. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman  1. Chernobyl

2. The Terror                                                                                  2. The Mandalorian

3. Waco                                                                                           3. Infinity Train

4. The Haunting                                                                             4. Fosse/Verdon

5. Barry                                                                                          5. Watchmen

6. Manifest                                                                                     6. I Am the Night

7. The Rookie                                                                                 7. Swamp Thing

8. Black Lightning                                                                          8. The Act

9. Disenchantment                                                                         9. Creepshow

10. The Alienist                                                                              10. Catch-22

Honorable Mentions:                                                                     Honorable Mentions:

9-1-1                                                                                               Helluva Boss

The Last O.G.                                                                                 Hazbin Hotel

Trust                                                                                               What We Do in the Shadows

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina                                                      The Righteous Gemstones

2010s

1. Chernobyl

2. Stranger Things

3. The Mandalorian

4. Infinity Train

5. Daredevil

6. The Man in the High Castle

7. The Good Place

8. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

9. 11.22.63

10. The Flash

11. Fosse/Verdon

12. Watchmen

13. American Horror Story

14. Sym-Bionic Titan

15. I Am the Night

16. Ash vs Evil Dead

17. Gotham

18. Boardwalk Empire

19. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman

20. American Crime Story

21. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

22. Young Justice

23. Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated

24. The Walking Dead

25. Conan

26. 24: Live Another Day

27. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

28. Hatfields and McCoys

29. The Legend of Korra

30. Gravity Falls

31. Fargo

32. The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

33. The Terror

34. Ben 10: Ultimate Alien

35. Swamp Thing

36. Under the Dome

37. Waco

38. Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited

39. Rick and Morty

40. The Haunting

41. Barry

42. A Series of Unfortunate Events

43. Ozark

44. Luke Cage

45. Arrow

46. Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later

47. Preacher

48. The Act

49. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

50. Better Call Saul

Honorable Mentions:

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Mindhunter

Green Lantern: The Animated Series

Manifest

Voltron: Legendary Defender

Documentary Now

How to Get Away with Murder

Designated Survivor

Creepshow

Class

Agent Carter

The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore

Jessica Jones

Legion

Bates Motel

Feud

DuckTales 2017

The Rookie

Black Lightning

Ben 10: Omniverse

The Looney Tunes Show

Mom

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Star Wars Rebels

Venom: The Last Dance

Sony's third entry in its Venom focused series with Tom Hardy, Venom: The Last Dance, sees Eddie Brock and his unhinged symbiote travel to New York to prove his innocence after being framed for what happened in the last movie. It won't be easy as they're hunted down by creatures sent by Knull, the creator of the symbiotes trapped by them in a prison that can only be opened by the duo, and the American military who wants to experiment and use the alien entity. By this point, taking any of these films seriously is not the best way to watch, and especially with this third entry with its rather thin plot compared to the last two but Kelly Marcel's writing and direction knowing it works best by being over the top, silly, and rather stupid. The action scenes are well done while also being incredibly energetic and unhinged at times, especially with some unique symbiotic abilities that give the film really great visual effects. Even when the films get stupider, Tom Hardy still gives a fun and engaging performance, equal parts portmanteau farce and near emotional breakdown. Newer cast members like Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple also provide strong performances, but in a more serious way that makes Hardy really stand out. For a final entry in a trilogy, it does feel like not having Michelle Williams and Reid Scott return feel a bit empty. And by adding a big character like Knull with a post credit scene and played by Andy Serkis feels redundant for a final entry. Venom: The Last Dance may be a very stupid movie, but it's a very stupid movie that knows how to have fun. Over all: 75%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. The Wild Robot

3. Saturday Night

4. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

5. Deadpool & Wolverine

6. Transformers One

7. A Quiet Place: Day One

8. Inside Out 2

9. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

10. The Fall Guy

11. MaXXXine

12. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

13. Abigail

14. Monkey Man

15. Late Night with the Devil

16. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

17. Alien: Romulus

18. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

19. The Book of Clarence

20. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

21. Drive-Away Dolls

22. Joker: Folie à Deux

23. Kung Fu Panda 4

24. Lisa Frankenstein

25. Argylle

26. Venom: The Last Dance

27. Mean Girls 2024

Saturday Night

Depicting, though with some liberties in terms of the show's history and production for story purposes, the 90 minutes before Saturday Night Live's debut, Saturday Night takes a look at the absolute chaos that occurred just before the show's live premiere. Jason Reitman's love letter to the long running sketch show, released a year before its 50th anniversary, focuses on Lorne Michaels as he goes through rehearsals, Chevy Chase's ego, NBC's meddling, and disgruntled crew members before the show went live on the night of October 11, 1975. Between Reitman's numerous uses of long unbroken shots with scenes of characters walking as they talk and his and Gil Kenan's quick back and forth dialogue, the film definitely has a touch of Aaron Sorkin. Seeing all the troubles the show went through really makes you appreciate how it all could have gone wrong, between the higher executives having no faith and John Belushi nearly quitting with just a few minutes left. The writing's biggest strength is how it managed to pull off a solution to these problems, many of them thanks to Lorne's quick thinking. Gabriel LaBelle's leads an impressive cast all playing the original cast and crew who all play them to perfection. While a decade younger than when Lorne actually created the show, LaBelle is astounding and captures a combination of the creator's anxiety and belief in what he's creating. Cory Michael Smith captures Chevy's ego to perfection, Matt Wood is perfect as John Belushi, Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster is wonderful, and Finn Wolfhard has a fun time as a page trying to get people to see the show. The production design does an amazing job at capturing the look and design of how the show's original stage felt. Nathan Orloff and Shane Reid's editing definitely helps in giving the movie a very Aaron Sorkin-vibe to it. Serving as both the composer and a supporting role playing Billy Preston, the show's first musical guest, Jon Batiste gives the movie a two way in both a great score befitting the era while performing Preston's classic Nothing from Nothing while everyone prepares in the last few minutes before airing. Everyone involved with Saturday Night did a magnificent job in not only making a great movie, but a wonderful love letter to a beloved staple of American television. Over all: 100%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. The Wild Robot

3. Saturday Night

4. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

5. Deadpool & Wolverine

6. Transformers One

7. A Quiet Place: Day One

8. Inside Out 2

9. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

10. The Fall Guy

11. MaXXXine

12. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

13. Abigail

14. Monkey Man

15. Late Night with the Devil

16. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

17. Alien: Romulus

18. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

19. The Book of Clarence

20. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

21. Drive-Away Dolls

22. Joker: Folie à Deux

23. Kung Fu Panda 4

24. Lisa Frankenstein

25. Argylle

26. Mean Girls 2024

Joker: Folie à Deux

Todd Phillips's sequel to his 2019 hit, Joker: Folie à Deux follows Arthur Fleck's time in Arkham and his eventual trial after the events of the first film. This time around Fleck meets his match with the arrival of Lee Quinzel, a fellow inmate whose infatuation with each other turns this entry into a musical at times. One can't deny the uniqueness to this movie, both as a sequel and a comic book adaptation, whether or not it helps or hurts it. Whereas the original was a psychological crime thriller, this followup acts more like a prison drama with bits of a courtroom drama alongside big musical numbers akin to Broadway shows. Instead of focusing on Fleck committing crimes and finding ways to get away with them, we're instead given a look into his infamy and psychological state, and whether or not he's truly the legendary lunatic he made the people of Gotham believe he was. The writing from Phillips and Scott Silver is both fascinating and often frustrating at times due to a combination of factors like not just going in and redoing what came before, their method of not always giving straight answers can often feel alienating, all the while their way of telling the fans of the first movie why they were wrong to connect with Fleck at all does often try too hard to get its message across, and how it handles the returning characters alongside new ones is definitely strong though with rough flaws. Returning as Arthur, Joaquin Phoenix still gives a strong performance and manages to add a touch of vulnerability even when Arthur tries to go back to his Joker persona to seem tough. Lady Gaga's take on Harley Quinn is really good, making her manipulations seem so believable while having pretty good chemistry with Phoenix. What helps this entry be memorable is its musical moments namely for the combination of popular songs that fit what's happening onscreen alongside Hildur Guõnadóttir's score, the choreography by the cast, the atmospheric cinematography from Lawrence Sher, and the patient editing by Jeff Groth. Yes, Joker: Folie à Deux is a very unique movie, but often that uniqueness is often what hurts it in its favor. Over all: 89%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. The Wild Robot

3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

4. Deadpool & Wolverine

5. Transformers One

6. A Quiet Place: Day One

7. Inside Out 2

8. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

9. The Fall Guy

10. MaXXXine

11. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

12. Abigail

13. Monkey Man

14. Late Night with the Devil

15. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

16. Alien: Romulus

17. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

18. The Book of Clarence

19. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

20. Drive-Away Dolls

21. Joker: Folie à Deux

22. Kung Fu Panda 4

23. Lisa Frankenstein

24. Argylle

25. Mean Girls 2024

The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot is an adaptation of a 2016 novel about a service robot named Roz who gets stranded in an island and in an attempt to fulfill its duty by befriending the animals, ends up taking care of a gosling that Roz accidentally orphaned. This DreamWorks feature is an absolutely beautiful work of art all thanks to everyone involved in its production. While DreamWorks announced this will be their last animated film made in-house, they at least gave it their all with CGI that captures a very traditional and watercolor style similarly to classic Disney and Hayao Miyazaki. Chris Sanders as director and writer manages to take story elements that have been told numerous times before in such a way that neither feels cliche nor forced. Both the story and characters are well fleshed out, are given time to establish themselves, and tell great themes regarding families and individuality. The cinematography from Chris Stover does an incredible job at showing off the incredible animation regardless of how much light or darkness there is. While the editing done by Mary Blee doesn't do the usual thing of most animated films and go from one scene to another, as instead it lets you take in scenes by not cutting from one angle to another until it's necessary. Kris Bowers's score is an absolute delight, being able to seamlessly change from comical to tough drama when needed. And of course the cast, led by Lupita Nyong'o alongside Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, and Stephanie Hsu, all give such powerful vocal performances. With the book The Wild Robot is adapted from also having sequels, they're gonna have to pull off a miracle considering how incredible this movie is. Over all: 100%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. The Wild Robot

3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

4. Deadpool & Wolverine

5. Transformers One

6. A Quiet Place: Day One

7. Inside Out 2

8. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

9. The Fall Guy

10. MaXXXine

11. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

12. Abigail

13. Monkey Man

14. Late Night with the Devil

15. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

16. Alien: Romulus

17. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

18. The Book of Clarence

19. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

20. Drive-Away Dolls

21. Kung Fu Panda 4

22. Lisa Frankenstein

23. Argylle

24. Mean Girls 2024

Transformers One

The first theatrical film in the franchise since the first one in 1986, Transformers One is separate from the live action films since 2007 and tells an original story of how Optimus Prime and Megatron became who they are. While Michael Bay still serves a producer, the feel and tone are absolutely different from the previous entries that came before. The animation from Industrial Light & Magic is incredible, especially with its mix of modern and Generation 1 era character design from when the franchise first started. Director Josh Cooley puts together a well crafted and thoroughly enjoyable love letter to the origins of these characters. The script is put together thanks to Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari who manage to take an overdone franchise and give writing that makes the now 40 year old characters seem fresh, an often untold aspect of the franchise's mythology an epic take, and manages to know when drama and comedy should be well placed. But the biggest praise to their writing definitely goes to Megatron as so much of his fall to evil is so complex and very mature in ways no one would have expected from an animated family film. It wasn't just the writing though, as without Brian Tyree Henry's performance then it wouldn't have worked as well. He makes the role his own, while adding certain inflections from Frank Welker's original as the movie goes. The same goes for Chris Hemsworth as Optimus, who manages to grab that special charm that Peter Cullen is best known for. While the rest of the cast, including Jon Hamm, Scarlett Johansson, and Keegan-Michael Key all give great supporting performances. While the live action films can often be fun, Transformers One easily outshines all of them and needs to be seen as a step in the right direction for the franchise. Over all: 100%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

3. Deadpool & Wolverine

4. Transformers One

5. A Quiet Place: Day One

6. Inside Out 2

7. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

8. The Fall Guy

9. MaXXXine

10. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

11. Abigail

12. Monkey Man

13. Late Night with the Devil

14. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

15. Alien: Romulus

16. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

17. The Book of Clarence

18. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

19. Drive-Away Dolls

20. Kung Fu Panda 4

21. Lisa Frankenstein

22. Argylle

23. Mean Girls 2024

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

After numerous attempts to get a sequel made since the 1988 original, Michael Keaton finally returns as the over the top bio-exorcist in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Keaton returns alongside cast members Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara with director Tim Burton while introducing new characters played by Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe. The sequel sees Winona's Lydia return to her old home after the death of her father, alongside her stepmother and daughter, Astrid. With Betelgeuse aware of Lydia returning and his ex-wife being freed and seeking him out for revenge, he must figure out a way to escape his ghostly confines by once again trying to marry Lydia. The sequel definitely keeps the gothic and darkly comedic feel and tone of the original while still feeling fresh and unique from it. Burton's style has not lost its touch and he can still capture that over the top and weird feel that made the first film work so well. One strong aspect that keeps the movie from being stale is that Burton chose to do the effects more practically, alongside stop motion, rather than overdo it with CGI, which it still uses but when it's needed. The writing from Alfred Gough and Miles Millar does capture a lot of what made the original script by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren so special. They were smart not to overuse the title character similarly to the original and keep him minimally instead of just wholly focusing on him as one would expect due to his large popularity. Most of the story is pretty good and Gough and Millar both manage to make the characters memorable and have such fun moments, but certain storylines, such as Lydia's boyfriend taking advantage of her abilities and Betelgeuse's ex looking for him, often feel like they needed more time to them. All the while, the returning and new cast members all give strong performances and Keaton hasn't lost his physical prowess even in his 70s. Two strong aspects that also perfectly capture the essence of the '88 original are Haris Zambarloukos's cinematography and Danny Elfman returning to do the score. The movie wouldn't be as memorable without their work not only keeping the original's style and look but also further expanding on Elfman's music by incorporating instrumental versions of songs the first film used and newer songs this entry introduced. It can be agreed that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice may not reach the highs of its predecessor, but still manages to be incredibly entertaining on its own. Over all: 93%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

3. Deadpool & Wolverine

4. A Quiet Place: Day One

5. Inside Out 2

6. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

7. The Fall Guy

8. MaXXXine

9. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

10. Abigail

11. Monkey Man

12. Late Night with the Devil

13. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

14. Alien: Romulus

15. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

16. The Book of Clarence

17. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

18. Drive-Away Dolls

19. Kung Fu Panda 4

20. Lisa Frankenstein

21. Argylle

22. Mean Girls 2024

The Brave and the Bold Vol. 1 #28

A lot of well known DC Comics characters were introduced in various anthology books meant to gauge whether or not they were popular enough to come back and maybe lead their own series, and The Brave and the Bold Vol. 1 #28 did something similar by introducing the Justice League. While the comic sees the first appearance of the League, it isn't an origin story to how the team was formed as they're already established and well known. With the exception of Batman and Superman dealing with their own things, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and Aquaman have to contend with an invasion from Starro the Conqueror. The comic definitely has the rather dated elements of its time and certain flaws of the Silver Age, but still manages to be fun and engaging. Gardner Fox knew that for the writing to be believable he had to challenge each of the heroes in a way that would mean working together would mean Starro's defeat. Now sure you have the rather silly conclusion of Snapper Carr being able to be immune to Starro's mind control due to being covered in lime, but that's par for the course of this time and the rest of it works much better. The art of the era is pretty good, but since DC knew this needed to hit differently the look for this one definitely needed a big push. And thanks to the work of artist Mike Sekowsky and the coloring of Bernie Sachs, Joe Giella, and Murphy Anderson the comic has a more livelier and detailed style to it. The world of comic books definitely changed in 1960, and all thanks to The Brave and the Bold Vol. 1 #1 introducing the Justice League. Over all: 100%

Top list so far for 3rd set of comics:

1. The Complete Peanuts Vol. 15: 1979-1980

2. Daredevil Vol. 1 #170

3. The Brave and the Bold Vol. 1 #28

4. The New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #1

5. Green Arrow Vol. 1 #1

6. Star Wars: Dark Empire #1

7. Amazing Adventures Vol. 1 #1

8. Barbarella Vol. 1

9. Aquaman Vol. 1 #21

10. Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #48

11. Deadman: Love After Death #1

12. Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library Vol. 1

13. Blue Beetle Vol. 5 #1

14. Showcase Vol. 1 #75

15. Detective Comics Vol. 1 #441

16. Marvel Super-Heroes Vol. 1 #18

17. Eternals by Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection (Eternals (1976-1978))

18. Hulk Vol. 5 #1

19. Avnegers: War Across Time #1

20. The Yellow Kid

21. Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 1 #8

22. Archie and Me #132

23. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1

24. Action Comics Vol. 1 #674

Alien: Romulus

Taking place between the first two films and using plot points from Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, Alien: Romulus focuses on a group of disgruntled colonists who have grown tired of Weyland-Yutani's corrupt ways of forcing them to work much longer than they thought. Commandeering a hauler after detecting a signal from an abandoned station that entered the planet's orbit, the group find a lot more than they bargained for when they thought they found their escape. It's easy to tell how much of a fan of the Alien franchise director and cowriter Fede Álvarez is as this brings back the menace that the titular monsters are best known for since the original films, though while tying in elements from the Ridley Scott, who serves as a producer, directed prequels. The writing from Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues doesn't try to do anything too new and for the most part plays it in the most typical fashion for the franchise. While it taking place in between Alien and Aliens is a reason for this, it's also the most quintessential one since 1997 to not be either a crossover with the Predator franchise or a prequel explaining and delving into the origins of the Xenomorphs. It does everything straightforwardly but done so in a way that definitely shows the love of this franchise and often over does it with references, but while having well thought out characters with understandable motivations, some new ways of them coming up with how to kill the deadly threats, and using a byproduct of the substance introduced in the previous Scott films. Something else that this entry has over the last few is Álvarez's direction giving the franchise back its dark, foreboding, and atmospheric vibe that made the early films so loved. All thanks not just from Álvarez but through Galo Olivares's brilliant cinematography, the unnerving score by Benjamin Wallfisch, the great production design made to make you unsure of what you're looking at, and the great mix of both practical and computer effects. Though one thing that really hurts the movie is the use of a robot made to resemble Ian Holm's character from the 1979 original. While it's understandable that there would be androids with similar looks, the CG unfortunately tries too hard to make it look like Holm while also clearly not having well finished and make it look really terrible. Daniel Betts does a great job at giving a performance similar to how Holm did and manages to have a similar voice, but this was so unnecessary to do. While the rest of the cast, including Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced and David Jonsson all give strong performances. Spaeny, especially, definitely has a look that is a combination of both Sigourney Weaver and Noomi Rapace's characters from the past films. Alien: Romulus can often feel like it has the atypical weaknesses of a legacy sequel, but does manage to be better than most thanks to its incredible production and strong cast members. Over all: 93%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

3. Deadpool & Wolverine

4. A Quiet Place: Day One

5. Inside Out 2

6. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

7. The Fall Guy

8. MaXXXine

9. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

10. Abigail

11. Monkey Man

12. Late Night with the Devil

13. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

14. Alien: Romulus

15. The Book of Clarence

16. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

17. Drive-Away Dolls

18. Kung Fu Panda 4

19. Lisa Frankenstein

20. Argylle

21. Mean Girls 2024

Amazing Adventures Vol. 1 #1

Released just a few months before Marvel Comics changed its name from Atlas Comics, Amazing Adventures Vol. 1 #1 is the debut of an anthology series that would go through two name changes and only last 15 issues in which the last one introduced Spider-Man. But this issue, while not having Spider-Man, still has a collection of very entertaining stories that Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko all worked on. The first sees an alien conqueror called Torr land on Earth with an astronomer being the sole witness and the only one to stop him, the second is a literary romance reprinted from an older comic, while the third story has a thief hiding from the police at a wax museum soon being haunted by the figures coming to life, and the final story sees the origins of the mystical Doctor Droom who was an early take of what Doctor Strange would eventually become. While the comic is certainly of its time, the work put towards it can't be denied as the writing between Stan and his younger brother Larry Lieber manage to make the stories engaging, thrilling, and entertaining even when it's often over-wordy with its dialogue and exposition. Kirby and Ditko's art is not as highly defined as their later work, but still very breathtaking, creative in certain alien designs, and managing to make the more terrifying moments stand out. What helps out above all else is the coloring from Stan Goldberg that keeps the lighting at the right amount to convey whenever a scene is ordinary or frightening. Before Marvel became who they were, comics like Amazing Adventures Vol. 1 #1 showed that they were taking one step closer to getting to that point. Over all: 100%

Top list so far for 3rd set of comics:

1. The Complete Peanuts Vol. 15: 1979-1980

2. Daredevil Vol. 1 #170

3. The New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #1

4. Green Arrow Vol. 1 #1

5. Star Wars: Dark Empire #1

6. Amazing Adventures Vol. 1 #1

7. Barbarella Vol. 1

8. Aquaman Vol. 1 #21

9. Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #48

10. Deadman: Love After Death #1

11. Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library Vol. 1

12. Blue Beetle Vol. 5 #1

13. Showcase Vol. 1 #75

14. Detective Comics Vol. 1 #441

15. Marvel Super-Heroes Vol. 1 #18

16. Eternals by Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection (Eternals (1976-1978))

17. Hulk Vol. 5 #1

18. Avnegers: War Across Time #1

19. The Yellow Kid

20. Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 1 #8

21. Archie and Me #132

22. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1

23. Action Comics Vol. 1 #674

Deadpool & Wolverine

After Disney bought Fox there was much worry over whether or not the MCU would continue any of the old X-Men continuity or completely ignore it and start from scratch, but thankfully Deadpool & Wolverine quelled those fears and then some. After Deadpool's time travel shenanigans from the end of his second film, which includes traveling to the main universe failing to join the Avengers, Wade has retired and lost his purpose. Wade is soon recruited by the TVA as he serves a purpose in a future conflict but when he learns that his universe is planned to be erased due to his Wolverine's death, Deadpool suits up again and rebels against them to save it. Believing that getting a new Wolverine would help, the Merc with a Mouth travels the multiverse, finds and gets beaten by various Wolverines, finds one with a dark past, ends up in the Void, runs into other Deadpools, recruits fallen heroes, and takes on the twin sister of a version of Professor X. If one thinks this movie is way over the top, has glaring story problems with a rather thin plot, is overstuffed with cameos and references, and over relies on fan service, then you're right but it does it all in a very on the nose and self aware way. Director Shawn Levy, who also cowrote with Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells, still gives this entry the series's familiar over the top violence, crude humor, and fourth wall breaking and meta style while adding his own distinctive inventive action scenes. The writers knew that for a movie that is meant to pay homage to the Marvel films that Fox produced you have to make an absolutely wild and unhinged movie that would also befit the MCU's first R rating. Yes, some of the writing has large plot holes and certain story decisions just feel like an excuse for certain moments to happen for the sake of happening, but it's done so cleverly, quick, and entertaining that one can overlook it knowing what kind of movie it's being. Although the one flaw with the writing that certainly cannot be overlooked that hasn't improved from Deadpool's first two films is that Vanessa is once again relegated to such a small role and splitting them up until the end. What adds to the wild and fun style is the mixture between Rob Simonsen's playful original score and the use of popular songs for each action scene that really fits with both the type of action and how it relates to the story itself within. Ryan Reynolds has not lost his touch in playing Wilson despite the six year gap, while Hugh Jackman manages to return with a bang after saying he had retired the role in 2017. While it's not the same version as his original, Jackman has a good mixture of familiarity while having small nuances to show some slight differences. But the aspect that is the essential driving force behind this movie is the buddy trip chemistry between Jackman and Reynolds that is just absolute perfection. The rest of the cast excel just as well, whether they be entirely new, the regulars who return from the previous films, or even long awaited returns of actors who had last played well known characters years or even decades before. Sometimes it's okay if a plot is a bit convoluted just to get the story moving, and while Deadpool & Wolverine is one of those films it at least manages to be an engaging, self aware, and absolute joy ride with a wonderful tribute during the credits. Over all: 100%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

3. Deadpool & Wolverine

4. A Quiet Place: Day One

5. Inside Out 2

6. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

7. The Fall Guy

8. MaXXXine

9. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

10. Abigail

11. Monkey Man

12. Late Night with the Devil

13. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

14. The Book of Clarence

15. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

16. Drive-Away Dolls

17. Kung Fu Panda 4

18. Lisa Frankenstein

18. Argylle

20. Mean Girls 2024

MaXXXine

MaXXXine is the third part of Ti West's X horror trilogy and sees Mia Goth return as Maxine Minx from the first movie. Now set in 1985, Maxine has found success as a porn actress since the events of 1979 and auditions for and manages to grab the lead in a horror sequel. All the while, Los Angeles is terrorized by a serial killer targeting provocative women who sets its sight on Maxine while she's also being investigated by a mysterious private investigator. What makes this movie, and the trilogy as a whole, so unique is how much West managed to make each movie unique and capturing different aspects of horror over the decades. This entry goes for a slasher vibe similar to the first entry but with the stylistic violence of a giallo film with the aesthetic, mood, and feeling of a neo-noir similarly to those of Brian de Palma. Ti's direction and writing is spot on, capturing great moments of absolute terror while having smaller light moments that balance the horror and drama well. The characters are well defined, the pacing is brisk thanks to West also editing, and the reveals at the end are well done. Eliot Rockett's cinematography and Tyler Bates's scoring really do capture the grunginess and paranoia of the 80s. Much like the last two films, Goth not only gives a strong performance but also shows why her character should be seen as some of the most iconic in horror alongside Laurie Strode and Sidney Prescott. The rest of the cast also manages to stand out thanks to the writing and their performances, with special mention going to Kevin Bacon, Giancarlo Esposito, and Lily Collins. Whether or not Ti West decides to follow up on MaXXXine, it'll definitely won't be easy to try to top it. Over all: 100%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

3. A Quiet Place: Day One

4. Inside Out 2

5. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

6. The Fall Guy

7. MaXXXine

8. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

9. Abigail

10. Monkey Man

11. Late Night with the Devil

12. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

13. The Book of Clarence

14. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

15. Drive-Away Dolls

16. Kung Fu Panda 4

17. Lisa Frankenstein

18. Argylle

19. Mean Girls 2024

Barbarella Vol. 1

More famous for its 1968 adaptation with Jane Fonda, Barbarella Vol. 1 depicts the original serialized stories of the French erotic sci-fi adventurer. The stories, originally published in issues of V Magazine throughout 1962 and written and drawn by Jean-Claude Forest, sees the title character fly through space, take on crazed dictators, travel through underwater caverns, and other such things normally depicted in these adventure sci-fi stories known for at the time. One big difference to those other stories is how often Barbarella ends up barely clothed or even outright naked throughout each of her adventures. It may have been seen as too salacious and controversial back then, and often very dated and sexist in today's standards to how Barbarella's nudity was depicted, but she's definitely a character who often knows how to use her sexuality and allure to get ahead. Forest's writing is very simple and standard, especially for the time, but manages to be well done, fun, and keeps one invested enough for the next adventure. While his art style is good and manages to convey a lot of colorfulness despite mostly being black and white. He gives a lot of detail to each of the characters' faces and has very well done backgrounds and technology designs. While there are aspects to these stories that are definitely dated, the collection given in Barbarella Vol. 1 still gives some really engaging tales. Over all: 100%

Top list so far for 3rd set of comics:

1. The Complete Peanuts Vol. 15: 1979-1980

2. Daredevil Vol. 1 #170

3. The New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #1

4. Green Arrow Vol. 1 #1

5. Star Wars: Dark Empire #1

6. Barbarella Vol. 1

7. Aquaman Vol. 1 #21

8. Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #48

9. Deadman: Love After Death #1

10. Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library Vol. 1

11. Blue Beetle Vol. 5 #1

12. Showcase Vol. 1 #75

13. Detective Comics Vol. 1 #441

14. Marvel Super-Heroes Vol. 1 #18

15. Eternals by Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection (Eternals (1976-1978))

16. Hulk Vol. 5 #1

17. Avnegers: War Across Time #1

18. The Yellow Kid

19. Sabrina the Teenage Witch Vol. 1 #8

20. Archie and Me #132

21. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1

22. Action Comics Vol. 1 #674

A Quiet Place: Day One

The third film in the franchise, A Quiet Place: Day One is a prequel to the first two installments depicting the start of the alien invasion. Unlike its predecessors, this entry focuses on entirely different characters, though Djimon Hounsou does briefly reprise his role from the second film. Lupita Nyong'o leads as Samira, a dying cancer patient who must traverse an invaded Manhattan alongside her cat and an English law student she befriended to escape the island and the aliens without making too much noise. Taking over from John Krasinski as writer and director, though sharing story credit, Michael Sarnoski manages to keep the essence of the other two films while still making this his own. By setting it in the middle of Manhattan, it not only gives this entry a new location but makes the tension more intense and the characters' actions a lot harder compared to that of a forest or the woods as the previous entries were set. Sarnoski's direction has a lot more movement and more unique camera choices that take advantage of its bigger locations. What helps heighten the tension is the incredible sound design that these films always take advantage of, the cinematography from Pat Scola never making it easy to discern what could be appearing in the background, and the editing by Gregory Plotkin and Andrew Mondshein being very smooth and well paced. Of course, without the cast giving strong performances audiences wouldn't be as taken to the film if they hadn't. Nyong'o makes the feeling of being scared by aliens while also feeling hopeless from her cancer seem so easy. And her chemistry with Joseph Quinn, who plays the student Samira befriends, is incredibly strong and is the absolute heart of the movie. As either a prequel or on its own, A Quiet Place: Day One is magnificent, terrifying, and an absolute blast from start to finish. Over all: 100%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

3. A Quiet Place: Day One

4. Inside Out 2

5. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

6. The Fall Guy

7. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

8. Abigail

9. Monkey Man

10. Late Night with the Devil

11. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

12. The Book of Clarence

13. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

14. Drive-Away Dolls

15. Kung Fu Panda 4

16. Lisa Frankenstein

17. Argylle

18. Mean Girls 2024