2016 Year in Review

It is once time to go through the multitudes of movies released last year, and compare what I liked to what the Academy is telling you is the best - spoiler alert, the academy and I rarely agree. The ceremony is Sunday, February 26th at 7:30 pm central.

I’ll start with the movies that got the most Oscar nominations, run those down briefly, then give you what I liked, and finally – give you what I hated, because that’s often more fun! I thought it was a decent year at the movies, but then I’m usually pretty pleased with most movies. The Italics below are the synopses from IMDB, followed by random thoughts from yours truly.  I’ll keep editing this as I see more of the movies.  

Again, I’ve included “Everything Wrong With” from Cinema Sins and the “Honest Trailers” from Screen Junkies when possible because they are brilliant – and you should definitely subscribe to their channels and watch all their videos.

1.       La La Land (14 nominations, PG13 – 128 minutes); A jazz pianist falls for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles. 
It’s certainly impressive to put forth an original modern musical. Fourteen nominations ties Titanic and All About Eve for the most nominations ever, and La La Land has certainly got the momentum. I thought it was well done, I enjoyed the colors and the dancing, but I thought the story was a bit weak and the cast was really only Gosling and Stone, which worked for the purposes of the movie. I’m not sure it lived up to all the hype, but it was an interesting watch.

2.       Arrival (8 nominations, PG13 – 116 minutes); When twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world, linguistics professor Louise Banks is tasked with interpreting the language of the apparent alien visitors. 
I enjoyed this movie, I liked the unique design of the aliens and their language. It is a lot of Amy Adams if you’re not an Amy Adams fan (I’m not), but it is really well done, and she carries the movie as she works through a non-linear time story.

3.       Moonlight (8 nominations, R – 111 minutes); A timeless story of human self-discovery and connection, Moonlight chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.
Tragically beautiful, and beautifully tragic, Moonlight is an awards-season movie that is tough to watch, but exceptionally crafted. Mahershala Ali does an amazing job as the positive influence in young Little's life that comes from an unexpected place.

4.       Manchester By The Sea (6 nominations, R – 137 minutes); An uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.
Yes, another year and another awards-season movie that brings up the question of whether you can separate the art from the artist.  Casey Affleck does an amazing job in this really depressing movie. However, he settled two sexual harassment suits out of court.  Can you watch this movie without that hanging over his performance? I haven’t tried yet, but I’ll let you know if I’m able to do that.

5.       Hacksaw Ridge (6 nominations, R – 139 minutes); WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people, and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.
Another question of separating the art from the artist with the Mel Gibson directed Hacksaw Ridge. Mel is a racist misogynist – can you watch this movie without that hanging over it?  He sticks to his typical hyper-violent directing style, with a fantastic performance from Andrew Garfield.

6.       Lion (6 nominations, PG13 – 118 minutes) A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
With fantastic performances by Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, this true life story is winning over everyone who sees it.

7.       Fences (4 nominations, PG13, 139 minutes); A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.
Denzel Washington directs and stars in this movie based on the August Wilson play he had already done on Broadway a few times.  It's tough to get into, it basically is the play just shot on location, so the beginning feels very unnatural and talky and very much like a play.  Viola Davis is a lock for Best Supporting Actress for this – but why is it not Best Actress?  After all, she won the 2010 Best Actress Tony for the same role. Perhaps to not get between the Meryl Streep/Emma Stone battle?

8.       Hell or High Water (4 nominations, R – 102 minutes); A divorced father and his ex-con older brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's ranch in West Texas.
Jeff Bridges is still stuck in barely understandable frontier gibberish mode as he chases down two brothers robbing banks.

9.       Hidden Figures (3 nominations, PG, 127 minutes); Based on a true story. A team of African-American women provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program's first successful space missions.
I loved this movie. It was well done, inspiring, and educational. Plus it shows what can be accomplished when people set aside preconceived notions and prejudices to work together on a common goal.

10.   Jackie (3 nominations, R – 100 minutes); Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband's historic legacy.
Natalie Portman plays Jackie Kennedy in a biopic.

11.   A Man Called Ove (2 nominations, PG13 – 116 minutes); Ove, an ill-tempered, isolated retiree who spends his days enforcing block association rules and visiting his wife's grave, has finally given up on life just as an unlikely friendship develops with his boisterous new neighbors.
I have no information on this foreign movie, but honestly, it sounds like a familiar story.

12.   Deepwater Horizon (2 nominations, PG13 – 107 minutes); A dramatization of the April 2010 disaster, when the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and created the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
I really have mixed feelings about this movie – that disaster was the worst environmental disaster in recent history, it makes me uncomfortable to make a movie about it – but I know there were people on it, and their story matters too. 

13.   Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (2 nominations, PG13 – 133 minutes); The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York's secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.
I enjoyed this movie, but I didn’t love it. It’s really well done, and certainly enjoyable. It’s darker and grittier than previous Harry Potter movies, but the look of the magical creatures and the case they live in is lovely.

14.   Florence Foster Jenkins (2 nominations, PG13 – 110 minutes); The story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice.
I enjoyed this movie as well. It’s a true life story, but still somehow managed to feel tailor-made for Meryl to Meryl.  And there’s nothing wrong with that.

15.   Kubo and the Two Strings (2 nominations, PG – 101 minutes); A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.
I didn’t see this when it was out, it looked interesting and reminded me of the Book of Life. Honestly, I was more interested when I thought Kubo was a girl – I thought it would be nice if it had a female hero. I was also a little confused by the lack of Asian voice actors in what was clearly an Asian story.

16.   Moana (2 nominations, PG – 107 minutes); In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the Demigod to set things right.
I haven’t seen this yet either, though I did intend to.  I will see it soon, at least this one had Polynesian actors playing Polynesian roles.

17.   Passengers (2 nominations, PG13 – 116 minutes); A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers are awakened 90 years early.
Passengers is another movie I intended to see, but never really got around to it.  I am suffering from a little bit of Jennifer Lawrence over-exposure.  It’s not her fault, I’m just a little tired of her.

18.   Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2 nominations, PG13 – 133 minutes); The Rebel Alliance makes a risky move to steal the plans for the Death Star, setting up the epic saga to follow.
A brilliantly simple story, epically told, setting up the films you’re already familiar with using a cast of diverse actors and characters who come together to complete the mission you knew about but never saw.  Absolutely wonderful.

Everything else had just one nomination – so we’ll stop there at 18.  It’s still a pretty big list. To date, I’ve seen 8 of those 18, and I should be seeing more of them soon, but it sure won’t be all 18.

My Best of the Year, and again – it should be clarified, these are the movies I enjoyed the most, not the best quality films.  See the above if you are into film quality.  See the below if you are into movie fun and entertainment - no, they are not mutually exclusive, there are a couple that are on both lists!

19: PopStar: Never Stop Never Stopping (R – 87 minutes) When it becomes clear that his solo album is a failure, a former boy band member does everything in his power to maintain his celebrity status.
Honestly, the Lonely Island can be hit or miss for me, but this movie and it’s absurdity really made me laugh. Andy Samberg is hilarious as a popstar who leaves his friends in the dust, only to realize that he really does need them.

18: Keeping Up With The Joneses (PG13 – 105 minutes) A suburban couple becomes embroiled in an international espionage plot when they discover that their seemingly perfect new neighbors are government spies.
This is a pretty straightforward comedy, but what sold it for me was the performances of John Hamm and Gal Gadot as the undercover spies who attempt to hide out in a suburban neighborhood.

17: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (PG13 – 133 minutes); The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York's secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.
Even though I did not love this as much as the Harry Potter movies, I still really enjoyed it.  The main reason was the Fantastic Beasts themselves. Beautifully brought to life inside the mystical case that magizoologist Newt carries around 1920s NewYork, I instantly found myself wanting my own bowtruckle.  I thought the end felt a little forced, in that it was trying a bit too hard to set up sequels, but the middle was just lovely.

16: Office Christmas Party (R – 105 minutes) When his uptight CEO sister threatens to shut down his branch, the branch manager throws an epic Christmas party in order to land a big client and save the day, but the party gets way out of hand...
Honestly, this surprised me. I was expecting it to be just another nonsense holiday screwball comedy, and it is, make no mistake, but Jason Bateman’s earnest performance next to T.J. Miller’s madcap performance really sell it – plus Jennifer Aniston has really cemented her ‘crazy bitch’ role to near perfection for R rated comedies.

15: Arrival (PG13 – 116 minutes); When twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world, linguistics professor Louise Banks is tasked with interpreting the language of the apparent alien visitors.
It’s definitely a surprise anytime I have one of the “Oscar” movies on my list as well, but Arrival was so different and unique I wanted to include it. Amy Adams does an incredible job as a woman who is either predisposed to think like the arriving aliens, or becomes more able to think like them as she works with them. The movie didn’t have nearly enough for Forrest Whittaker or Jeremy Renner to do, but in a way, that makes sense because the story is really about her journey as she interprets the aliens language to determine why they are here, and what they want, and surprisingly, what it means for her life in particular.

14: Central intelligence (PG13 – 107 minutes) After he reconnects with an awkward pal from high school through Facebook, a mild-mannered accountant is lured into the world of international espionage. 
Sure – it’s a standard, formulaic comedy – but in casting the Rock as the outrageous one and Kevin Hart as the straightlaced one, this movie gives you just a bit extra.  It’s harmless fun, with a strong anti-bullying message, which is always good.

13: Warcraft (PG13 – 123 minutes) As an Orc horde invades the planet Azeroth using a magic portal, a few human heroes and dissenting Orcs must attempt to stop the true evil behind this war.
No, this wasn’t great, but it looked good.  I enjoyed the silliness of it – Ben Foster being completely insane, Travis Fimmel cashing in on his Vikings-ness, and Paula Patton being green.  I never really played any of the games, so I can’t even tell you if it was good on that level, but I sure did enjoy the nonsense once I stopped trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

12: Criminal (R – 113 minutes) In a last-ditch effort to stop a diabolical plot, a dead CIA operative's memories, secrets, and skills are implanted into a death-row inmate in hopes that he will complete the operative's mission.
This is on the list because it surprised me. I wasn’t expecting anything from this movie, especially since it was Ryan Reynold’s second body/age switch movies in the span of a few months.  In this one, they shove his brain inside Kevin Costner’s head, and it was really fun to see Costner’s horrible criminal character bumble his way into being a hero because of the Reynolds in his brain while Gary Oldman and Tommy Lee Jones chased him down.

11: Pride and Predjudice and Zombies (PG13 – 108 minutes) Five sisters in 19th century England must cope with the pressures to marry while protecting themselves from a growing population of zombies.
Here’s something that delivered on the title. It’s exactly what it says it is.  I really enjoyed it – and again, I had not read the book, so I can’t tell you if it delivers on the written version, but it sure was some absolute zombie fun nonsense.

10: Assassin’s Creed (PG13 – 115 minutes) When Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, he discovers he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society.
I was a little surprised by this one too – I was expecting to hate it, since I really love the games. It has enough of the games to feel familiar, but enough new to start a franchise (if it does well enough).  Honestly, my favorite part was near the end as a new team assembles, and prepares to go on their next adventure.  Basically, that’s where all the Michael K. Williams was, and that’s what I wanted more of.

9:  Hidden Figures: (PG, 127 minutes); Based on a true story. A team of African-American women provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program's first successful space missions.
Again, I just loved this movie. It is a true life story that I was not familiar with, but that everyone should learn. These women were incredibly strong and inspirational, and the movie tells their story, including the rough parts, but still manages to stay uplifting. It’s outstanding.

8: Bad Moms (R – 100 minutes) When three overworked and under-appreciated moms are pushed beyond their limits, they ditch their conventional responsibilities for a jolt of long overdue freedom, fun, and comedic self-indulgence.
This is another movie that surprised me. I wasn’t really expecting anything, but the trio of Mila Kunis, Katherine Hahn, and Kristen Bell were absolute genius. The movie is really fun, but what’s even better are the interviews over the end credits with the actors and their moms.

7: Star Trek Beyond (PG13 – 122 minutes) The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.
Finally one of the new Star Trek movies that I can really get behind. And ironically – yes, this is the one that felt like a long episode. With the inclusion of a new badass alien warrior and a villain whose motives are shady, this finally felt like the opportunity for the new cast to step out of the superior shadows of the previous cast and have their own adventure.  It’s basically an action movie set in the Star Trek Universe.

6: The Accountant (R – 128 minutes) As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise.
Another surprise was this Ben Affleck thoughtful action movie.  Anna Kendrick and Jon Bernthal play supporting characters in a simple story with an interesting twist at the end.

5: Magnificent Seven (PG13 – 133 minutes) Seven gunmen in the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.
We’ve had so many versions of the original Seven Samurai story by this time, I was almost positive we didn’t need another one, especially since I was particularly fond of the TV show version of the story from 1998.  But, the saving grace of this story you’ve seen a hundred times before is the cast.  Vincent D’Onofrio, Ethan Hawke, Byung Hun Lee, Martin Sensmeier, Manuel Garcia-Fulfo, with Chris Pratt, and Denzel just Denzeling his way through this western – it’s exceptional.  Fun, action-packed, and satisfying.  

4: Deadpool (R – 108 minutes) A fast-talking mercenary with a morbid sense of humor is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers and a quest for revenge.
There was a lot wrong with the Wolverine movie from 2009, but one thing that was right was the casting of Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool – even if the portrayal of Deadpool was completely wrong. Luckily, Reynolds never gave up on wanting to make a Deadpool movie true to Deadpool, a wise-cracking, fourth-wall breaking, mercenary who brutalizes his way through the Marvel universe. This movie delivered – on every level. The action is great, Reynolds is great, the comedy is great, and it’s really really violent.  It’s what Deadpool fans, and probably Deadpool himself, wanted.

3: Doctor Strange (PG13 – 115 minutes) A former neurosurgeon embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts.
Marvel continues to deliver, even when tackling characters that seem a bit difficult to translate. The trippy 1960s universe of Doctor Stephen Strange is beautifully brought to screen in this movie, telling the simple tale of a doctor who thinks of himself as a god – who is then lost when he loses the use of his hands, and finally looks to places other than modern medicine to save himself, which of course, leads him to end up inadvertently saving the world. I cannot wait to see Doctor Strange interact with other Marvel Characters.

2: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (PG13 – 133 minutes); The Rebel Alliance makes a risky move to steal the plans for the Death Star, setting up the epic saga to follow.
Not a shock here, I really loved this movie. I wasn’t sure about opening up the Star Wars universe to varying ‘stand-alone’ films, but directed Gareth Edwards really proved me wrong. The story is simple, we know in Episode IV, Princess Leia is trying to get the stolen plans to the Death Star back to the rebels so that they can mount an offensive.  But how did she get those plans? This whole movie is how she got those plans, and that’s really it. Honestly, I liked this movie more than Episode VII. It’s cleaner and simpler, plus introduces a really diverse team of unique characters – each of which is worthy of their own spin-off movie.  They come together here and eventually gel as a unit thanks to the focus of the importance of their mission. Eventually, they are successful, and we’re left with an action/war movie that just happens to be set in the Star Wars universe with epic battle sequences, and easily the best Darth Vader sequence ever put on film. It’s a triumph – and even if you’re not a Star Wars fan, you should check it out.

1: Captain America Civil War (PG13 – 147 minutes) Political interference in the Avengers' activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man.

My favorite of the year. Really – it’s almost a tie between this and Rogue One, but this movie managed to delicately balance the two view points of the split avengers (we need more government control so that someone can keep us in check! Vs. we need to be operate as we see fit to save as many people as possible!) without really suggesting which stand is correct (Cap’s stand is correct).  Chris Evans continues to grow into Captain America and make what was a fairly two dimensional character deeper and more relatable as these movies go on.  With what is possibly the best comic-book movie action sequence ever, a fantastic use of AntMan, plus the introduction of what could become our best SpiderMan, and finally the beyond epic introduction of Black Panther to the screen; the movie is near-flawless entertainment. It builds towards a huge conflict, but just before the end, takes a quick turn into a deeper, more personal conflict between two friends, as one feels betrayed by the other. Some stated this was anti-climatic, but personally, I thought it was a beautiful finish for such a large movie. The Avengers are left split, but with no doubt that they will be able to reunite when needed. 

Once again, Marvel wins, and I cannot wait to see what they do next. And since that’s GOTG2 – I’m willing to bet they’ll be the top of my list again next year.

Equally if not more fun to put together, my worst of the year, or – those that I really did not care for!

8: XMen Apocalypse ( PG13 – 144 minutes) After the re-emergence of the world's first mutant, world-destroyer Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.
I like the idea of rebooting the franchise by giving us the same characters younger, and I didn’t mind the new cast, but honestly, Bryan Singer just got Apocalypse wrong. It’s a shame, because he’s an incredible villain, and I was looking forward to this, but again it’s a little Mystique heavy, due to JLaw’s fame, and it just didn’t make as much sense as it should have, or any at all.

7: Gods of Egypt (PG13 – 126 minutes) Mortal hero Bek teams with the god Horus in an alliance against Set, the merciless god of darkness, who has usurped Egypt's throne, plunging the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict.
Here we have that movie about ancient Egypt starring zero, count ‘em, zero Egyptian actors. I love ancient Egyptian mythology, and the story here is actually not bad, and some of the effects are interesting to look at.  However, the movie is really, really miscast and the leads are unlikeable.  Gerard Butler chews all the CGI scenery, and does what he can to cheese his way through, but it’s not even enough to make this fun-bad. It’s just bad-bad.

6: London has Fallen (R – 99 minutes) In London for the Prime Minister's funeral, Mike Banning discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders.
Two Gerard Butler movies back to back in the bottom list.  I really enjoyed Olympus Has Fallen, but this sequel really took a wrong turn. It’s surprisingly violent and racist, and once you tune out to all that nonsense, it just becomes boring – a huge sin for an action movie. If you do watch it, be sure to check out the scene where Morgan Freeman is clearly not there, but a double is.

5: Independence Day: Resurgence (PG13 – 120 minutes) Two decades after the first Independence Day invasion, Earth is faced with a new extra-Solar threat. But will mankind's new space defenses be enough?
Talk about wasted potential. This movie could have been really big and really fun, but it just attempted to give you more of what you loved from the first one! Bigger ships! More Judd Hirsch! More bickering pilots!  More Brent Spiner! But, I didn’t want any of that. Honestly, none of the young squad was watchable, I would have preferred a movie with just Jeff Goldblum as he tracks down and studies the aliens that were left here as they attempted to call back to their home planet for a rescue. Nevermind a bigger ship or alien queen. Smaller would have been a smarter way to go for this sequel.

4: Jason Bourne (PG13 – 123 minutes) The CIA's most dangerous former operative is drawn out of hiding to uncover more explosive truths about his past.
Good lord, Paul Greengrass – the Steadicam was invented for a reason. There is absolutely no reason to use a shaky hand held camera for every single scene in a movie, especially scenes focusing on cell phone with a text message you want us to read! We can’t read it – because the camera is shaking!  A waste of Vincent Cassel, a surprisingly engaged Tommy Lee Jones, and not enough Riz Ahmed. Might be time for Bourne to retire.

3: Masterminds (PG13 – 95 minutes) A guard at an armored car company in the Southern U.S. organizes one of the biggest bank heists in American history. Based on the October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery.
I know that this was made several years ago and just recently released.  And I know the point was that the heist-pullers are dumb, but sheesh – they are so dumb that they become really unlikable and unwatchable.

2: Batman v. Superman Dawn Of Justice (PG13 – 151 minutes) Fearing that the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the Man of Steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs.
Sigh, I wanted this to be good, I really did. My Batman is Kevin Conroy and all the pieces of the 90s Animated Series. My Superman is Tom Welling and cast from Smallville, but with the Tim Daly Justice League Unlimited Superman in there too.  This movie got so much wrong.  Superman is still mopey and dark, and really self-centered – we get it! Your planet blew up!  

Jesse Eisenberg was 100% the wrong choice for Lex Luthor and comes off whiny and idiotic instead of as a dangerously brilliant supervillain, which is what Michael Rosenbaum’s was, and would clearly grow into Clancy Brown’s elegant, charming, super-evil choice.  The pre-assembling of the Justice League feels forced.  I did like Batfleck, and thought the scene that looks like a level of Arkham Asylum was fabulous. I enjoyed Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, and feel cautiously optimistic about her stand alone movie. I hated that Batman was so easily manipulated, he should be far smarter than that, and I hate that Batman is the one assembling the Justice League at the end.  Go back and watch the premiere episode of the Justice League animated series. Superman wants to assemble the league and asks Batman to stay.  The response? “I don’t work well with others, but when you need me, and YOU WILL, you know where to find me.”  Do yourself a favor and go back and watch that series - the DC animated universe so far has been much better than the live action one!

1: Suicide Squad (PG13 – 123 minutes) A secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.
The movie I disliked the most last year. The only reason this is above BvS is that movie actually had some pieces I liked. This had none. NONE. The movie is so choppy that some characters are introduced in one scene and killed in the next while other characters have three introduction sequences. It has way too much of Jared Leto’s horrible portrayal of the Joker and that’s after half his stuff was edited out of the movie!  

It has way too much Will Smith and Margot Robbie for an ensemble movie, but that’s what you get when you cast big movie stars in an ensemble movie. It wastes Viola Davis, who is actually a pretty good choice for Waller (tough after Pam Grier and CCH Pounder have already done her brilliantly), and has the most ridiculous villain and villain plot ever. I liked the end scene with Waller and Wayne talking, mainly because I like those two actors, and the scene was very juicy – like Waller’s steak – but I hated the content of the scene because Batman would never, EVER, ask Waller for help.  

Whatever, this is what you get when DC insists on making movies using people who are not fans of the original material and don’t care what fans of the original material think.  

The director, David Ayers, started off the premiere screening of this movie by yelling “F*ck Marvel!” at the audience. Well, perhaps if you payed more attention to the way they have carefully crafted their movies, developed their characters, and perfectly blended drama, action, and comedy instead of cussing them out at your screenings, you could make a better product.

There you have it, a fairly comprehensive look at what was released last year.  If that doesn’t give you a bunch of things to add to your Netflix Queue, I don’t know what will!  Did I miss anything? Was there something you loved from last year that I should see? Let me know!