Ever since Marvel Studios began their box office hot streak with 2008’s Iron Man, some so-called “serious” film fans and critics have lamented that these movies are nothing more than cinematic popcorn, devoid of any real substance. But that’s the last thing they’ll be able to say about Black Panther, which is not only the most serious Marvel movie to date, but the most socially-conscious and thought-provoking as well.
Since its release in 1982, fans of the iconic and influential cyberpunk movie Blade Runner have been wondering what happened after Deckard drove off with Rachael. Now some of those questions have been answered, and in grand style, in one of 2017’s smartest and best movies, Blade Runner 2049, which is now available in a Blu-ray, DVD, digital combo pack, a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray combo pack, and on DVD. It’s just too bad the home versions, especially the DVD, leave some important questions unanswered as well.
Some games are good, some games are bad. And then there’s the game on this list: the worst games I played in 2017.
While 2017 wasn’t the best year for video games, there were a bunch that I had a lot of fun playing.
Here, in no particular order, are the best games I played in 2017.
The hope going into Star Wars The Last Jedi is that this sequel to Star Wars The Force Awakens will be the Empire Strikes Back of the new trilogy. But thanks to some issues with the script, it ends up being more like the Attack Of The Clones: not bad but not as it could’ve been, but certainly not as good as it should’ve been.
While it sometimes seems like smart action movies have been replaced by cheap knockoffs, dumb excuses to break stuff, and comic book movies, there have been some exceptions the last few years. Most notably: the Bourne movies, John Wick and its sequel, and now Atomic Blonde, a powerhouse action-pack spy flick newly available in a Blu-ray, DVD, digital combo pack; a 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, digital combo pack; and on DVD.
Depending on your perspective, R.E.M.’s 1992 album Automatic For The People is either one of their best, or their most uneven and inconsistent. But whether you adore it or just think it’s okay, you’ll find something to enjoy in the new Automatic For The People 25th Anniversary Edition. In fact, the only real question is whether you buy the regular version on CD, the deluxe version on CD, the digital edition, or the vinyl.
While they’re not the worst Marvel movies, Guardians Of The Galaxy and Guardians Of The Galaxy: Volume 2 would’ve been so much better without the cheesy visual tricks and cheap reliance on bad music. But while Thor Ragnarok has an even more obvious soundtrack, a similarly silly score, and just as much needless slo-mo, it somehow all works to make this the best Thor movie yet.
Eleven years ago, Rebellion Developments and Eidos Interactive released Rogue Trooper, a third-person sci-fi shooter inspired by the British comic books series by writer Gerry Finley-Day (The V.C.s) and artist Dave Gibbons (Watchman).
Or so they say. To be honest with you, I have no recollection of that game, despite the fact that I was writing for such gaming magazines and websites as GamePro, GameSpy, and Official PlayStation Magazine at the time. Though after playing Rogue Trooper Redux (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Switch), a newly updated remake of that game, I totally understand why I don’t remember the original.