The Best of The 2010s (SPOILERS)

Well here we are, the end of the decade. There have been several amazing films to come out of this decade, some of which you'll see on my list. Probably the hardest one I had to make, I really tried my best to pick the ones that I felt the best about. To make this fair, I picked two films from each year that I saw and felt had the best chance of deserving a place on the list. I'm sure they'll be disagreements, but hey, opinions are opinions. Reviews for movies I've covered will be linked, and be sure to check out my lists for the best movies from 2017, 2018, and 2019. Now let's begin:
 20. The Revenant
 19. Rise of The Planet of The Apes
 18. Alpha
 17. Deadpool
 16. The VVitch
 15. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
 14. The Wolf of Wall Street 
 13. The Irishman
 12. Prisoners
  11. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2
 10. Django Unchained 
 9. The Dark Knight Rises
 8. Coco
 7. Logan
 6. Whiplash 
 5. Dawn of The Planet of The Apes
 4. Avengers: Infinity War
 3. How To Train Your Dragon
 2. Joker
 1. Toy Story 3

And that's a wrap on the 2010s. What a decade it has been! Here's to what the 2020s have in store. As always, tune in for more posts coming your way and till then...

The Best of 2019 (SPOILERS)

Well, we are about to each the end of the 2010s, and what a decade it's been. Before we take a look at the best that this decade has had to offer, let's take a look at some of the best the year of 2019 had to offer first. 2019 was an interesting one in that it started off pretty good before meandering in the middle then blowing me out of the water by the end. As such, this was a pretty hard list to make. Reviews for the movies I've covered will be linked here, and be sure to check out my lists for the best movies of 2017 and 2018 in the links below:

• The Best of 2017
• The Best of 2018

Now let's begin:
 10. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

 9. Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood

 8. Avengers: Endgame

 7. IT: Chapter Two

 6. Toy Story 4

 5. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

 4. Doctor Sleep

 3. Marriage Story

 2. The Irishman

 1. Joker

And that's it for this list guys. Tune in for my Best of The 2010s coming up!

In The Mind Of: Hiccup and Toothless (SPOILERS)

It's you and me, Bud...

The best kinds of friendships last a lifetime and persevere against all obstacles. In the realm of fiction, there are many friendships that encapsulate this idea and no different from them is the bond shared between a boy and his dragon. In the world of Berk, vikings and dragons were constantly at odds with each other, fighting an endless war that would only end with one or the other dead. That all changed when Hiccup met Toothless, and together the two formed a friendship that brought the two worlds closer together instead of further apart. 

Hiccup and Toothless share a bond that is one of the purest and most genuine friendships I have seen in the realm of fiction. Their bond has not only affected each other, but those around them. As such, people like Stoick and Astrid are able to grow into better people because of them. Together, even if the odds are stacked against them, they still push through because nothing can stand in the way of their bond and their pursuit of everlasting peace between humans and dragons.

Retro-Reviews: How To Train Your Dragon (Complete Trilogy/SPOILERS)

We Go Where No One Goes...

I always love a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and that is the beauty of a trilogy. There are many movie trilogies that I love, but which one is my absolute favorite? Honestly, I try to use that term as loosely as possible because I really can't pick a favorite out of any of them. However, if there was one that moved me the most, that holds the most impact for me personally, and tells its story as fully and completely as possible, then I think I have to go with the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy. Words cannot begin to describe the love I have for these movies. Without further adieu, let's get into why I feel this way, and whatever major or minor caveats they hold:

UPS

1. For starters, Hiccup and Toothless. The bond these two share is one of the most touching, pure, and genuine friendships I have ever seen put into any work of fiction. What makes their bond better is how it develops Hiccup as a character and how he becomes a better person because of it. The two go to Hell and back together, and nothing that stands in their way drives them apart, which really speaks volumes about how powerful their friendship is. 
2. Going into each movie, each one has something to love about it. The first one is an excellent starting point, with all the characters being introduced in satisfying ways and developed to points that will shape them for the future. Most affecting of all is the arc of Stoick, who goes from this hard-hearted brute of a Viking with high standards set for his son to a more vulnerable individual who allows himself to open up in more personal ways and admit his shortcomings, which culminates in this profoundly affecting moment. That's just one of the many moments in this film that is genuinely awe-inspiring and it would be easy to think after such a strong start that we wouldn't reach the same heights again. Well...
3. The second one proves to be just as stellar as the first and even takes things to higher heights by providing darker and more emotional scenes, in particular the death of Stoick, which really just needs to be seen to be believed. The introduction of Valka also brings in more drama and seeing Hiccup really come into his own despite everything that happens really helps to round him out as a character. Finally...
4. The Hidden World, while admittedly slightly weaker than the first two, is a beautiful and satisfying conclusion to the story. Everything comes full circle in ways that feel earned, and it provides a perfect bittersweet conclusion that moves you and helps you feel hopeful that things will get better in the future. Also, the romance between Toothless and the Light Fury is simply adorable and that final scene may just be my favorite moment in the entire trilogy. It couldn't have ended on a more perfect note than that.
5. The music! Good Lord, THE MUSIC!!! If there one thing that I could definitively say, it's that these movies hold, for me, the best soundtrack to a movie ever! EVER! It is so moving, so powerful, so...AGH! Let's just leave it there, shall we?

DOWNS

1. Remember how I said The Hidden World was slightly weaker than the first two. Well, everything about it was mostly stellar...except one thing: this one subplot featuring Snotlout having a crush on Valka and getting jealous of Eret, with the latter two getting very little to do in this film, which is kinda surprising given the rather major roles they played in the second one. It's really odd and what makes it more distracting is that it's given a heavy amount of screentime, even when it adds nothing to the film. I may be overreacting a bit, but I think if there was one thing from these movies that I could do without, it was definitely this.

OVERALL

The How To Train Your Dragon trilogy is pretty much my favorite movie trilogy of all time. If you haven't seen any of them yet, please give them a watch. I promise you won't regret it.  

And that's it for this post guys. Tune in for more on the way :)