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And so, once again, it's that time of year, where everybody lists all their favourites of the past year. I have a big love of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, so I'm always going to be biased towards those genres. I've enjoyed quite a lot of the movies I've seen at the cinema this year, enjoyed the books and comics I've read, and also been in awe of a lot of awesome art this year.
Here is a list of some of my favourite things from 2014.
on FaceBook
And so, once again, it's that time of year, where everybody lists all their favourites of the past year. I have a big love of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, so I'm always going to be biased towards those genres. I've enjoyed quite a lot of the movies I've seen at the cinema this year, enjoyed the books and comics I've read, and also been in awe of a lot of awesome art this year.
Here is a list of some of my favourite things from 2014.
Movies:
I love watching movies on the big screen, enjoying the movie experience, sometimes on the giant screen in IMAX or in 3D (or both). I usually make a watchlist of movies I want to see at the start of the year and find myself adding to, and sometimes taking away, movies to that list. But I've enjoyed the majority of films I've seen this year, and there are some standout favourites.
It's a three-way tie for my favourite film of the year this year, and they couldn't be any different.
I love the zaniness of 'The Lego Movie'. It certainly doesn't take itself too seriously, and there definitely are a lot of laugh out loud moments. But by the end of the film, and the twist, the message of creativity, fun and imagination (it is a movie with Lego after all) over uniformity and being happy with following instructions without question hits home. A very fun movie, loved it!
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'The Grand Budapest Hotel' is one of those films that isn't something I'd normally go to the cinema to see. But after hearing so many good things from reviewers I trust, I thought why not, give it a go. I'm glad I did. The story is told through a flashback, as the hotel's reclusive owner tells how he came to own the hotel to a hotel guest. What follows next is a farce, mostly involving the rare Renaissance painting 'Boy With Apple' by Johannes van Hoytle The Younger, with the cast hamming it up to fine effect, especially Ralph Fiennes' M. Gustave, and some brilliantly played cameo appearances too. Kind of reminded me of the 1999 indie flick, 'The Impostors', starring Stanley Tucci, Oliver Platt and host of others, which I also loved.
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And 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'. Now I'm not a Marvel fanboy, so this film was an unknown to me, as I'd not really known too much about the who or the what about GOTG. But once again, some great reviews from the blogs and Twitter people I follow, plus some great fun trailers, convinced me to go see it. I wasn't disappointed. It ticked all my boxes! We all know the story, a ragtag team thrust together saves the universe from the big bad, plus a good climactic space battle and a brilliantly creative 70's/80's pop soundtrack throughout tops it off! If it wasn't for the fact that a new movie is coming out next year, it could have been this generation's 'Star Wars'.
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Other films I enjoyed this year were:
(Click links for the trailers)
'Captain America: Winter Soldier'
'Edge Of Tomorrow'
'How To Train Your Dragon 2'
'The Box Trolls'
'Interstellar'
'The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies'
'Flash Gordon', from Dynamite Comics, by Jeff Parker (w), Evan Shaner (a) and Jordie Bellaire (c) hooked me straight from the first issue with it's mix of well written action, humour and gorgeous art. I love the 1980 movie starring Sam J Jones as Flash, and I would definitely say that this comic series captures the feel of that movie, with Flash, along with science reporter Dale Arden and Dr Hans Zarkov, travelling the realms of Mongo uniting the kingdoms against Ming The Merciless. Well worth checking out!
From one pulp sci-fi hero to another! I'm a big fan of the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and especially his 11 book 'John Carter Of Mars' series. I had already been picking up Dynamite Comics' previous "unofficial" 'Warlord Of Mars' series, but this year Dynamite and Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc, the estate that looks after his published works, got together after Disney/Marvel relinquished the publishing rights (Disney have also since returned the movie rights back to ERB Inc as well), and now this new series, 'John Carter, Warlord Of Mars', is officially authorised by ERB Inc! Written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Abhishek Malsuni, it's only 2 issues into the run, but I'll be looking forward to the expanded adventures of John Carter on Barsoom!
I initially picked up the first arc of 'Umbral' as part of a promotion from the digital comic store ComiXology. It was cheap so I thought I'd give it a go. I was so impressed with it, that I splashed out on the rest of the issues in this ongoing series from Image Comics. 'Umbral', set in a fantasy world rich in mythology, history, and blood by Antony Johnston (w) and Christopher Mitten (a), tells the story of a young thief called Rascal who witnesses the horrific murder of the royal family! Part quest, part coming-of-age, I really enjoy reading this series. I even got to meet writer Antony Johnston at this year's Thoughtbubble Comic Arts Festival and got my copy of the first volume signed!!
'Low', written by Rick Remender with art by Greg Tocchini, is an aquatic sci-fi / fantasy series, where in the far distant future, the sun's premature expansion has irradiated Earth, sending humanity to the lowest depths of the seas, hidden within radiation-shielded cities, while probes scour the universe for inhabitable worlds to relocate to. The art from Greg, both inside and on the cover, is superb. The story builds up slowly but is definitely worth sticking with!
It's a three-way tie for my favourite film of the year this year, and they couldn't be any different.
I love the zaniness of 'The Lego Movie'. It certainly doesn't take itself too seriously, and there definitely are a lot of laugh out loud moments. But by the end of the film, and the twist, the message of creativity, fun and imagination (it is a movie with Lego after all) over uniformity and being happy with following instructions without question hits home. A very fun movie, loved it!
'The Grand Budapest Hotel' is one of those films that isn't something I'd normally go to the cinema to see. But after hearing so many good things from reviewers I trust, I thought why not, give it a go. I'm glad I did. The story is told through a flashback, as the hotel's reclusive owner tells how he came to own the hotel to a hotel guest. What follows next is a farce, mostly involving the rare Renaissance painting 'Boy With Apple' by Johannes van Hoytle The Younger, with the cast hamming it up to fine effect, especially Ralph Fiennes' M. Gustave, and some brilliantly played cameo appearances too. Kind of reminded me of the 1999 indie flick, 'The Impostors', starring Stanley Tucci, Oliver Platt and host of others, which I also loved.
And 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'. Now I'm not a Marvel fanboy, so this film was an unknown to me, as I'd not really known too much about the who or the what about GOTG. But once again, some great reviews from the blogs and Twitter people I follow, plus some great fun trailers, convinced me to go see it. I wasn't disappointed. It ticked all my boxes! We all know the story, a ragtag team thrust together saves the universe from the big bad, plus a good climactic space battle and a brilliantly creative 70's/80's pop soundtrack throughout tops it off! If it wasn't for the fact that a new movie is coming out next year, it could have been this generation's 'Star Wars'.
Other films I enjoyed this year were:
(Click links for the trailers)
'Captain America: Winter Soldier'
'Edge Of Tomorrow'
'How To Train Your Dragon 2'
'The Box Trolls'
'Interstellar'
'The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies'
Comics:
My love for comic books continues. 'Saga' and 'Red Sonja' are still the main titles I read each month, but there are new titles that have caught my attention and have stayed on my buy-pile this year. There's nothing from the 'Big Two' in my list, I'm just not into superhero comics, but my favourite new titles are from Dynamite Comics and Image Comics, which seem to have knocked it out the park this year for me with a slew of top notch creator owned titles.'Flash Gordon', from Dynamite Comics, by Jeff Parker (w), Evan Shaner (a) and Jordie Bellaire (c) hooked me straight from the first issue with it's mix of well written action, humour and gorgeous art. I love the 1980 movie starring Sam J Jones as Flash, and I would definitely say that this comic series captures the feel of that movie, with Flash, along with science reporter Dale Arden and Dr Hans Zarkov, travelling the realms of Mongo uniting the kingdoms against Ming The Merciless. Well worth checking out!
From one pulp sci-fi hero to another! I'm a big fan of the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and especially his 11 book 'John Carter Of Mars' series. I had already been picking up Dynamite Comics' previous "unofficial" 'Warlord Of Mars' series, but this year Dynamite and Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc, the estate that looks after his published works, got together after Disney/Marvel relinquished the publishing rights (Disney have also since returned the movie rights back to ERB Inc as well), and now this new series, 'John Carter, Warlord Of Mars', is officially authorised by ERB Inc! Written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Abhishek Malsuni, it's only 2 issues into the run, but I'll be looking forward to the expanded adventures of John Carter on Barsoom!
I initially picked up the first arc of 'Umbral' as part of a promotion from the digital comic store ComiXology. It was cheap so I thought I'd give it a go. I was so impressed with it, that I splashed out on the rest of the issues in this ongoing series from Image Comics. 'Umbral', set in a fantasy world rich in mythology, history, and blood by Antony Johnston (w) and Christopher Mitten (a), tells the story of a young thief called Rascal who witnesses the horrific murder of the royal family! Part quest, part coming-of-age, I really enjoy reading this series. I even got to meet writer Antony Johnston at this year's Thoughtbubble Comic Arts Festival and got my copy of the first volume signed!!
'Low', written by Rick Remender with art by Greg Tocchini, is an aquatic sci-fi / fantasy series, where in the far distant future, the sun's premature expansion has irradiated Earth, sending humanity to the lowest depths of the seas, hidden within radiation-shielded cities, while probes scour the universe for inhabitable worlds to relocate to. The art from Greg, both inside and on the cover, is superb. The story builds up slowly but is definitely worth sticking with!
Another new comic series on the list is 'The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw'. This is set in a world of fantasy and magic, populated by anthropomorphic animals, and where a secret conclave of wizards brings a legendary champion back through time to save the world, but things don't quite go according to plan. The double-sized first issue ended when all hell broke loose and things don't exactly improve for everyone in the second issue either! I'm looking forward to where Kurt Busiek (w) and Ben Dewey (a) take this new series.
I'm not into horror, but with the creative team of Scott Snyder (w) and Jock (a) behind another of Image Comics' new creator owned series, I thought I'd give the free preview of 'Wytches' a read. The six page preview definitely introduces us to the horrors to come and sets things up for the series. 'Wytches' follows a family as they move to a new town to hopefully find a fresh start for their teenage daughter, who had a horrible experience at her last school. The 'scratchy' art from Jock, who also does the nightmarish cover art, and the 'splattered' colour by colourist Matt Hollingsworth, gives an unsettling appearance and is definitely suited to this series. If you love horror, especially of the sinister kind that hide out in the deep dark woods, I'd definitely recommend 'Wytches'.
A late addition to my list, and thanks to the free issue promotion on ComiXology just before Christmas. Billed as a Sci-Fi Western, 'Copperhead', written by Jay Faerber and with the art team of Scott Godlewski (a) & Ron Riley (c), follows single mom Clara Bronson as she takes over duties as the new sheriff of Copperhead, a small mining town on the planet of Jasper. Clara's first day on the job isn't an easy one either as she has to deal with a resentful deputy, a shady mining tycoon, and a murder homicide. Only a handful of issues in but enjoying it so far.
Art / Illustration:
Another very good year for pop culture art, and from artists showcasing their work at gallery shows from the likes of Hero Complex Gallery, Gallery1988, Spoke Art, Bottleneck Gallery, Print Club London, Thoughtbubble Comic Arts Festival and more and on websites like Behance and Deviant Art, plus featured on websites like Blurppy, CromeYellow, XombieDirge, OMG Posters as well as this fine blog too of course! Way too much awesome art out there to even attempt to make a judgement on what my favourite print of the year is or who my favourite artist is either - very much spoilt for choice!
My collection of limited edition screenprints has grown this year. Difficult to choose a favourite out of the prints I've bought this year, but as soon as I saw a print of one of my all-time favourite Sci-Fi films, 'Forbidden Planet' by Laurent Durieux, which was part of his Mondo Gallery show earlier in the year, I had to add it to my collection! It now hangs proudly on my wall.
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My library of artbooks has expanded as well this year. Books featuring art from classic movie poster and paperback and magazine illustrators, plus a few movie and video game 'The Art of' books, as well as artbooks that were available as limited editions or through crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, plus a few compilation books like the Spectrum and Fantasy+ volumes. My favourite of the year features one of my all time favourite artists from the pulp paperback era. The Art Of Robert McGinnis, published through Titan Books, is one very well put together artbook and features a lot of his stunning art. From his book covers featuring his typically long legged pin up girls, to his movie poster art and magazine work, there is a lot to keep you interested and well worth splashing out on!
My collection of limited edition screenprints has grown this year. Difficult to choose a favourite out of the prints I've bought this year, but as soon as I saw a print of one of my all-time favourite Sci-Fi films, 'Forbidden Planet' by Laurent Durieux, which was part of his Mondo Gallery show earlier in the year, I had to add it to my collection! It now hangs proudly on my wall.
My library of artbooks has expanded as well this year. Books featuring art from classic movie poster and paperback and magazine illustrators, plus a few movie and video game 'The Art of' books, as well as artbooks that were available as limited editions or through crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, plus a few compilation books like the Spectrum and Fantasy+ volumes. My favourite of the year features one of my all time favourite artists from the pulp paperback era. The Art Of Robert McGinnis, published through Titan Books, is one very well put together artbook and features a lot of his stunning art. From his book covers featuring his typically long legged pin up girls, to his movie poster art and magazine work, there is a lot to keep you interested and well worth splashing out on!
Books:
You can read my quick review here, but I loved it. Despite the situation he finds himself in, astronaut Mark Watney's intelligence and personality keep him going. I also revisited the story by listening to the audiobook recently, and I think that enhanced the experience of the story too as the performance by narrator RC Bray is superb and gets across Mark's personality very well. No small wonder that the book was nominated and won the 'Best Science Fiction Book' in the GoodReads Choice Awards, and is being made into a film, directed by Ridley Scott with Matt Damon starring as Watney, out in cinemas November 2015.
Soundtracks:
Other movie and video game soundtracks I've enjoyed this year include:
(Click links to listen to the soundtracks)
'The Grand Budapest Hotel' by Alexandre Desplat / Various
'Guardian Of The Galaxy' by Various
'Under The Skin' by Mica Levi
'Dragon Age Inquisition' by Trevor Morris
'Broken Age' by Peter McConnell
'Assassin's Creed Unity' by Chris Tilton & Sarah Schachner
'Child Of Light' by Cœur de pirate
'How To Train Your Dragon 2' by John Powell
So there you have it, a list of some of my favourites from 2014. Thanks once again to everyone who drops by the blog, and follows me on the various social networks, making the Geeky Nerfherder a lot of fun to do! Here's to 2015 and more of the same!
'How To Train Your Dragon 2' by John Powell
So there you have it, a list of some of my favourites from 2014. Thanks once again to everyone who drops by the blog, and follows me on the various social networks, making the Geeky Nerfherder a lot of fun to do! Here's to 2015 and more of the same!
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