2017 officially began two months ago, which makes this officially two months late! However, given recent local and global events, let's all agree to turn back time a little, yes? (To 2016, though, so it's not much better, haha.) Better late than never for my Fandom Review/Year in Media Consumption!
I've been extra active in some fandoms this year, resulting in a reduced intake of other forms of media. Still, as is almost always the case, I have many feelings and opinions. Must be a day ending in y.
In order, this contains:
Top 5 Fandoms
Top 5 Movies
Top 5 TV Shows
Top 5 Things to Binge-Watch on YouTube
Top 5 Things That Happened (in my pop culture life)
Top 5 Fandoms
5. Harry Potter
Same. I also enjoyed Albus Severs and Scorpius' interactions in the Cursed Child. HEHE.
The Harry Potter franchise (read: JKR) has given much to its (her) fans in the past year. A play, a published script of said play, a spin-off movie series, various short stories in Pottermore, and a new Wizarding school to fawn over. I loved most of these things (I actually really enjoyed Cursed Child so you can take your hating selves and go elsewhere), but there's still a part of me that feels this is milking the sad, tired cow for all its (it's? #grammarcrisis) worth.
Not to mention, the Fantastic Beasts movie was okay and Newt is adorable, but there's no possible way for me ship James McAvoy as Dumbledore with freaking Johnny Depp as Grindelwald. Yikes.
4. Late Night Talk Shows
Me while watching Colbert tbh.
Ask literally anyone I've talked to for more than 10 minutes in the past year and you'll know I've been obsessed with Late Night Talk Shows. (If there's anyone out there who wants to make one for the Philippines, let me know, and dibs on Ethel Booba as host.) This year has been so politically charged, it's actually great entertainment material if you forget for a while that it's happening in real life. I suppose there's also a part of me that revels in the fact that we're not the only who screwed up in 2016, lol. Oh, America!
3. Marvel/Avengers
Me about basically every Marvel thing I have watched/read this year. I WISH I WAS EXAGGERATING.
Though perpetual in my mind, heart, and spirit, this fandom has hurt me too many times to count this year, so it sits comfortably in the Number 3 spot. Between the Civil War movie fuelling anti-Tony hatred, my quitting Tumblr because everything was out of control, and Rhodey dying in the Civil War comic, there seems to be very little in the way of me having a reason to love this fandom.
STILL, Marvel did give me Doctor Strange, hope for some happiness for Tony in the form of Spider-Man: Homecoming, a bunch of fics that have kept me sane in the worst of times, and Ms. Marvel and (the first half of) The Invincible Iron Man - and Riri as Ironheart! So it was bad, but it wasn't ALL bad. I guess.
2. Arashi
See above: Arashi being blown away by their own awesomeness and success.
My happy place, my go-to, my everything. Thank you, Arashi, for giving me hope and a chance to escape reality when it was overwhelming me. I took a break from this fandom for a couple of years and came back a few weeks before 2016 started - and damn, was that a good decision. I don't think I've ever actually watched an Arashi show and came off feeling worse than when I started - even watching their hilarious losing streaks in VS Arashi (do continue to lose to V6 if they come on again!).
I don't know what else to say except Arashi is the best, and I've been in this fandom for a literal decade, and it's been so great. Ugh. I love Arashi.
1. Yuri On Ice
The best version of Yuri Katsuki and ya can't convince me otherwise.
CAN YOU FEEL?? MY HEART BEAT?? TIRED OF FEELING?? NEVER ENOUGH??
HILARIOUS AND AMAZING. Really, had I watched other Kate McKinnon movies this year (were there any others?), they probably would've made it on the list to. Still, this was all sorts of hilarious in some pretty unexpected ways. Did people actually hate this movie?? WHY???
4. Zootopia
No commentary to offer here except that THIS PART HAD ME IN LITERAL TEARS
I remember watching this having no idea what it was about, but then getting almost immediately blown away by it. I said it before, but it's literally like someone in Disney got tired of all the social issues in the world and decided to just screw it and throw some animals in for good measure. "That should be fine, right?" (IT WAS.)
This hit all the right spots for me. To say it was irreverent is putting it mildly, but Deadpool was the perfect break the superhero genre needed it to be. I loved pretty much every second of this, from the NSFW montages, to the 90's soundtrack, to the script, to the animated parts... Literally everything. Freaking Ryan Reynolds, man. Thanks for fighting the good fight to get this made. (We all know he was the one who leaked the footage on Twitter, LBR.)
I've had a lot of issues with the current political situation this country is in, but the MMFF is probably one of the few major things they got right (MMFF "ambassador" notwithstanding, haha). Many people called this the renaissance of Philippine cinema, and I certainly hope it was. I hope we have similarly amazing movies in the lineup this year, and I hope our filmmakers will see the receptive Filipino market they have at their fingertips instead of having to feel ~appreciated abroad.
To put it generally (I really want to make a review post of all the MMFF films I've seen, but I'm pretty sure I've missed my timeframe lol), Die Beautiful featured solid acting chops at the hands of Paolo Ballesteros and Christian Bables, who played Barbs. Their awards were insanely well deserved. That shot of Paolo going from humiliated to Sassy AF while Joel Torre lambasts him was incredible, and Barbs overall just brought everything together. That scene toward the end where she sits the coffin and says, "Pagagandandahin ulit kita." INSTANT TEARS. HOW! THIS MOVIE!!
THIS MOVIE WAS SO WELL-SHOT YOU GUYS.
SBQ was much the same way but in a quieter way. Being a documentary, it didn't have the same opportunities for ~cinematic moments like DB, but it certainly delivered emotionally. It was a beautifully heartbreaking and heartbreakingly beautiful peek into the lives of Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong. It's hard to encompass all my feelings for this film here, but basically... it was great. Gah. I can't words?!
1. Moana
Me before taking a shower, chos. But honestly, this whole sequence had me weeping. THAT SOUNDTRACK.
AKA my nightly playlist for a good two weeks (then I had to stop because the OST is like... 30 minutes long and I sleep for 7-8 hours... we all have our limits haha) and the movie that finally made me get off my ass and listen to Hamilton. TIME WELL SPENT. Bless you, Disney! Take all my money!
Special Mention:
* Civil War - I cannot, in good conscience, include this in my list. IT HAS MADE ME OLD AND BITTER. Read my emotional review here.
* Kubo and the Two Strings - SO GOOD, but there was just a lot of competition this year! This was pretty solid though.
* Dr. Strange - It fun to watch and ayt story-wise, but this just didn't have the same lingering pull on me as MCU movies usually have. Review here!
Top 5 Shows
5. Great British Bake-Off
TOM, MY POOR, PERPETUALLY STRESSED BREAD PRINCE.
SO LONG, BRITISH BAKING, I WILL MISS YOU SO. This season was fun, though admittedly not as great as last season (there will never be another winner as iconic as kween Nadiya). Still, between soggy bottoms, chill competition discussion over tea, Mel and Sue's baking puns, and learning British baking words I will never actually use except ironically, this is definitely one of my all-time favorite reality shows. Fare thee well, GBBO! (Go away, Paul Hollywood!)
4. Survivor
Current mood: Ready for Queen Michaela's comeback next season
This show constantly keeps me on my feet and stresses me the heck out, but I love it for that. THANK YOU SURVIVOR FOR BEING A CONSTANT SOURCE OF AMAZINGNESS. And go away, Taylor and Figgy. Crappy winner almost makes me want to remove this from the list, but eh, it was still pretty fun to watch. TEAM ANYONE BUT JAY!
3. Arashi ni Shiyagare (and VS Arashi)
Just another episode of Arashi doing dumb stuff.
MAN, never underestimate the power of Japanese variety shows hosted by idols! Like I said, I don't think I've ever watched an episode of this that actually failed to improve my mood. Always hilarious, always quality entertainment. I honestly don't even know which hilarious moments/guest episodes to cite here because there are SO many, but I will go ahead and say that there's a reason Arashi's famous, and probably about 60% of that is how good they are with variety bangumi.
But also, here's Nino getting tired of human interaction:
Even if I explained, point by point, what was happening here, it still wouldn't make sense.
2. John Oliver
LAST CUCK TONIGHT WITH JOHNNY TRIGGER-WARNING
MY KING. Where do I even begin with John Oliver? I am constantly learning, constantly laughing, and constantly entertained by his unique brand of British-American rage. I honestly think the world would be a better place if more people just watched John Oliver. I'm hoping I can post this before the next season starts, but I'm writing this at a time where that seems to be too optimistic! Come back, John!! We have missed your hilarious tea-serving ways!
(Edit: I was right. The second episode of the new season has just aired as of this posting, haha.)
1. Yuri On Ice
YEAH IT DOES!
IT SAVED 2016, WHAT MORE DO I NEED TO SAY! Here's the link again in case you're skipping categories!
Things to Binge-Watch on YouTube
5. React Shows(tm)
I'm a sucker for a good React episode, and will most definitely binge-watch a couple of them after not having watched one in a while. It's almost embarrassing how many generations I've seen grow up and graduate from Kids React to Teens React, from Teens React to Adults React, and so on. I love YouTubers React too, and those quiz things they do with the staff. Ugh, so easy to watch without having to think too much.
4. Dan and Phil Games
My brother hates me for this because of Dan's constant screaming, but IT'S TOO LATE I'm already in too deep to get out now. I love the balance of Dan and Phil together (as you probably already know), but between their Undertale videos, Sims videos, and Gamingmas, there's no way I wasn't going to include these British bros in this list. (If you don't know these two but are interested, watch their Sims videos in order! Always hilarious.)
3. Billy on the street
I just?? Love watching Billy scream at random passersby and get into weirdly heated arguments?? On one hand, he relies on the ridiculousness of New York street etiquette, but on the other hand, it's hard to keep up with that on the fly as a comedian, and Billy does a fantastic job of it. This show is a gem, please watch it when you have time (if you're on earphones, just maybe keep the volume a little lower than you normally would).
2. Conan doing things
Can we just petition to have Conan's show be a series of remotes and/or him bullying his staff around? That's the kind of quality content we need and deserve from him. From his Jordan Schlansky videos to his trip to Korea, and everywhere in between, Conan is somehow effortlessly hilarious and quick on his feet. I mean, I knew he was smart, but damn, he's really at his best when nothing's scripted.
1. Satirical Political Commentaries
Like I said, this is BASICALLY ALL I'VE BEEN WATCHING. Colbert, Seth Meyers, Trevor Noah, John Olver, Samantha Bee... I just live for satirical political commentaries, Everything seems bleak and stressful and vaguely hopeless on its own, but if you wrap up your indignation in some humor, it becomes a little easier to breathe. So, thanks for that, Hollywood. And thanks, Ethel Booba, for being that for the Philippines. Again, hopefully you get your own show soon, like I've been petitioning for months now. (Y'all laugh but I'll keep saying it because you know it could work.)
Top 5 Things That Happened
5. All Taylor Swift-related events
We don't speak of this, but that doesn't stop us from ALWAYS KNOWING IT HAPPENED.
MAN but this one's tiring! Is it anti-feminist to be pissed at Taylor Swift for being how she is?? Is it more anti-feminist to resent her brand of "feminism"? WHO KNOWS! But it sure makes for some truly hilarious comments sections on ONTD. (I should say that Buzzfeed has recently posted an article doling out the receipts to prove her history of playing the victim, but damn if that isn't a more boringly worded compilation of ONTD's comments!)
4. Arashi released new con DVDs, new album, new singles
Above: Arashi being a more subdued version of themselves
Subheadline: Bea loses most of her salary to said releases. HAHA. What a great year to be an Arashi fan! I say that now, but honestly, every year is a great year for this fandom. They have hilarious variety shows all year round, they release fun pop songs that get stuck in my head forever, they have the greatest concerts... I dunno, man, there's just nowhere to really go wrong?? My return as an (embarrassingly) active member of this fandom is an event in itself though ♥
3. I watched the V6 anniversary concert
THIS WAS AN ACAPELLA PERFORMANCE, YOU GUYS. If I could stream this, I 100000% would so you can witness the VOCAL POWER.
HOWEVER, more than something I've been doing for the past decade (see: Arashi fan since '07), is the fact that I have recently given in to fate and watched V6's recent anniversary concert. AND LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT V6: they are absolute joys to watch in concert. Not a lot of the flash, bang, and boom of Arashi concerts - as I'm sure they don't have the same budget for production - BUT ALL OF THE TALENT. Can they please cover a bunch of Arashi songs?? Not to mention, this led me to watch more footage from their concert DVD (they have versions of their medley where the camera concentrates on just one member! ARASHI GET ON THIS LEVEL). This also led me to their anniversary episode of Gakkou e Ikou, which I only knew from before as "that show where Nino kissed people through a sheet of glass" lmao. It's apparently more hilarious than I ever imagined. Thank you, V6, for this power of your lolz.
I know he has a lot of serious tweets about the political goings on in America, but I thought this onion tweet was more appropriate for the mood of this review blog. HAHA.
Did anyone expect private, socially anxious, RDJ-had-to-convince-me-to-accept-the-Cap-role Chris Evans to be this vocal about politics?? Probably not, but boy, am I glad he is. Most of the Avengers cast are pretty vocal, actually! A lot of them were in that Hillary ad encouraging people to go out and vote, but Chris takes it one step further with his tweets. DAMN. *fans self* Praise be. 1. Finally listened to Hamilton
It took watching Moana a bunch of times to finally make me listen to Hamilton and wow. I knew it was good - I'd seen the Tony performances and the I listened to the first few tracks - but it's just something else. The powerful beat (which tbh makes me 100% more productive at work), the powerful lyrics and seamless rhymes... man. Yes. Thank you. This is also the music I walk home to, and it's great. Consider working out to this music!
AND THAT'S IT! ♥ If you're actually reading this far, wow, thank you. :D
Compiled review of things I've watched this year coming next, hopefully! :)
Bea, 242526 27, Filipina. The reviews in this blog are my opinions and mine alone. I am not a professional critic in any way, shape, or form; I just have a lot of thoughts and I love reviewing things, so here goes nothing!
Upcoming Reviews (...probably?):
Movie: 19 movies I have failed to review since November 2017, including, but not limited to Thor 3, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Solo, TLJ, Deadpool 2, The Greatest Showman, Crazy Rich Asians, Oceans 8, and To All the Boys I've Loved Before
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