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Tetris Life: Making the most out of a busy week

Brett Fish
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Tetris Life: Making the most out of a busy week

Do you remember the game Tetris? That addictive shape-dropping game where you knew you had been playing too long once you started seeing the shapes fall in your sleep.

Well sometimes I think life can feel like that, certainly my life. It can be easy to get tripped up by the busyness of life and events and friends and projects-you-want-to-get-started and sport and games and, and, and…

DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE…

My wife and I have been back in South Africa for about two and a half years now, after a three year non-profit excursion to the States. For some reason it has felt like life has been so completely busy since we’ve been back. To be fair Val is running a non-profit called Common Change  and hosting the first ever Justice Conference in South Africa and  I have been involved in Peace Justice Witness duties on local university campuses and writing a book dealing with Race, so there is that.

But add friends and a new home that we are renting and trying to grow food and board games and church vibes and it really suddenly starts to feel like an advanced level of Tetris.

Life can tend to happen around you if you’re not careful and living quickly becomes existing and comments like “make it through the day” or “just get to the weekend” start to regularly flow from your mouth.

PLAN A PLAN

When life seems to be rushing you along, I have found that the best way to get on top of things is to plan ahead. Which to some people might be super obvious, but to a lot of us might not be the first thing we rush to.

Think early levels of Tetris, when the shapes are moving slowly and there is a lot of time to plan. In times when life is not so busy, make sure you have a diary and use it.

On the weekend Val tends to plan our meals for the week and then goes shopping so that before the new week starts we know exactly how food is going to work.

Setting aside certain evenings for regular activities (like my improv classes and her Pilates) is helpful because those become routine.

Going back to Tetris, another super helpful part of the game is when it highlights the next piece that is going to drop, so you can sneak a quick look and start planning a little in advance.

One of the things I have found to be so helpful in my life is when on Monday I write a ‘To Do’ list for the week. Everything I am hoping to get done that week and possibly a few extra items I would like to try and achieve if there is time. Some of them will have days next to them to help me prioritise and others will be left to see what gaps of leftover time I can give to them.

ENACT YOUR PLAN

It doesn’t help to have a diary and a ‘To Do’ list and then not use them. I also think different things will work for different people so experiment a little until you find out what works well for you.

Some people love Excel spreadsheets but those don’t work well for me. I tend to open a Word doc on my computer and just make a quick list of points for the week. Other people might stick reminder alarms on their phones. And so on.

But once you have come up with a plan to help you keep ahead of the metaphorical falling shapes of your busyness, then you need to do it. That is where discipline comes in.

I heard someone on the radio the other night suggesting that you make a list of max five things and put the most difficult thing on the top. Once you have finished the most difficult thing, everything else will seem easier and be quicker to do. Another suggestion was to give yourself a small reward after each item is ticked off (making sure it’s not a three hour nap for a two minute item). Once you have finished the list, create your next five item list. And repeat.

Hopefully once you start to get a system in place, you will no longer find yourself lying in bed with your list of ‘Things To Do’ flying at you like out of control Tetris shapes.

How about you? What are some of the methods you have found work for you? What advice would you give to someone who found like life was feeling a bit out of control at the moment? Share some ideas in the comments below.

 

Chasing Celebrity

Brett Fish
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Chasing Celebrity

You ever hear the story of a man named Zacchaeus?

A wealthy man is on a quest.

There is a visiting speaker walking around the town that there have been many rumours about. Stories of amazing teaching and even harder to believe stories of miraculous events happening around Him. Food has mysteriously appeared for an entire crowd to devour, some people have claimed that he healed them from various diseases and afflictions. There is even a story of a blind man who can now see.

So this wealthy man has decided he wants to see this guy. So he sets off to where he heard the crowds were heading. Because he is quite a short guy he decides to climb a tree above the one road they have to pass by, so he will definitely be able to get a glimpse of this amazing man. Can any of these stories really be true?

ZACCHAEUS WAITS

To be fair, some of the stories were a little less appealing. Apparently this man seems to invite those who are pushed to the back of the crowd to come and hang with him. You know: women and children. There is even a story of him touching a leper. So best to keep a bit of distance I guess.

The moment arrives and Jesus walks by. But He stops underneath the tree Zacchaeus is hiding out in and He looks up and calls out his name: “Zacchaeus, come down. For I want to come and have a meal with you.”

The crowds are not super impressed because Jesus has gone to spend time with someone who is a known sinner. Zacchaeus is a tax collector and known for dipping his hand in the bag on numerous occasions.

ONE MEAL LATER

This story above is one we find in the Bible, but there is a bit of a gap missing. We don’t have any details about the dinner or the conversations Jesus had with Him or any of their time together.

But the next words we read are these:

Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” [Luke 19.8]

So all we really know is that this not very nice man has an encounter with Jesus and it radically changes his life. Not simply the change of a verbal commitment to follow Jesus as many people make. But Zacchaeus has an encounter with Jesus that causes him believe it is worth giving up more than half of everything he has.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

There are a lot of people who have issues with church or religion because of various things that have been said or done in its name. But I would encourage you to embrace a moment of curiosity, like Zacchaeus did. Don’t let the rumours or the opinions of others define your opinion on this one. Seek out an encounter with Jesus Himself and see if His words don’t transform you.

If an encounter with a rich man could end with the rich man giving away so much of his wealth, imagine what it could mean for you.

The Best Birthday Gift

Brett Fish
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The Best Birthday Gift

I recently celebrated my #coughovernumber ‘th birthay! It was a day that started slowly, but by the end it was yet another great day of being celebrated.

I have quite a huge number of Facebook ‘friends’ and so there are 200 to 250 messages that come in. The majority of them say two words: Happy Birthday. Which is great – it’s great that people remembered or were notified by Facebook (only way I ‘remember’ 95% of birthdays myself) and did something. But by the seventh just ‘Happy Birthday’ it becomes old quite quickly.

MAKE SOME EFFORT

What stood out for me were all the messages where you could tell someone made a huge effort – an overly cheesy video which included lip-synching with kids from an old college friend, a meme created with a saying over my Instagram photo from a good buddy of mine, or a message mentioning something about me that they like or are inspired by or want to celebrate. Those are the messages that really make a difference.

This reminded me to make sure that I make a special effort when it is someone else having a birthday. If I am ever reduced to only being able to write the two words ‘Happy Birthday’ then I’d rather not write a message at all. I want that person  to know I was thinking about them and had more in me for them than 13 characters to type.

EVEN BETTER

But writing about this on a day that’s not my birthday got me thinking even further. As much as I like receiving those kinds of messages on my birthday, there is a sense of expectation (hopefully not entitlement) that comes along with it. How much MORE meaningful will a message like that be on a day that’s not my birthday?

So I am committing myself to creating moments this year to celebrate people not on their birthdays. With fun pictures and silly memes and “I see you” moments that just let them know they are special, they are loved and they are cared for. But more importantly I want to speak works to people. Because words, the right words, can bring life.

Taking moments to recognise character in people. To call out their gifts and talents, especially when it’s in areas that aren’t normally celebrated or noticed by the world. I want to highlight patience and humility, kindness and generosity, people who give freely of their time and those who are really good listeners.

BY THEIR FRUITS

I want to encourage you to do the same. Continue with the birthday messages and make them count on that special day. But also be looking out every day for opportunities to speak life into those around you.

Maybe it’s the person who cleans your office who goes largely unnoticed or appreciated. Stop her, look her directly in the eyes and let her know of your appreciation with gushing words.  Maybe it’s someone in your family who you haven’t spoken to for a while. Someone who would really appreciate just hearing from you, let alone the uplifting words you can send their way.

There is so much negativity in the world, on the news and too often on social media as well. Imagine if we could be a part of turning that around by choosing to use words that give life and giving them when they are lest expected.

To take it to yet another level, why not write something down. We tend to get all our information on screens these days, but a written note we are not expecting can really provided a much needed boost.

This really is the best ‘birthday gift’ – the one you receive when it’s not your birthday. Let’s conspire together to change the world of those around us, even if for just a moment.

Is Jesus into that justice stuff?

Brett Fish
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Is Jesus into that justice stuff?

It is exactly fifty days to go til the first ever Justice Conference in South Africa. This is a significant occasion.

One of the biggest questions they are going to be looking at through a variety of sessions, workshops, panel conversations and artistic demonstrations is: Do Jesus and justice go together?

What is completely strange to me as someone who has grown up as a follower of Jesus for most of my life is that many people would answer ‘No!’ to that. Well, not quite. It’s not like people think Jesus is not about justice, but if you listen to some people and some churches speak about justice, you might easily imagine that this was something Jesus did in His spare time.

JESUS AND JUSTICE

I think a lot of people have walked away from Christianity because they don’t believe that it has anything to offer the present day situation. A lot of people who are Christians have not helped this picture by putting a huge emphasis on what happens after we die. So you might be forgiven for believing that Christianity is all about making sure that we end up in ‘the right place’ after we die.

But the Bible, in the book of Micah says this about the kind of thing  God is looking for in his followers:

‘With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? 

Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

Will the Lord be leased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.’

Those last words sum it up for me: To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

In fact, it is impossible to read through the whole Bible and honestly come to a conclusion that justice is not a really big thing on God’s heart. As part of the main thing, not an extra tacked on for those who have a little bit of extra time in their day and don’t know what to do.

COME AND WRESTLE WITH US.

50 days still gives you some time to register and book your spot at the first ever Justice Conference to hit South Africa.

But even if you can’t make it this time – stick it in your diary for next year then – let this be a reminder to us that justice is very much on Jesus’ radar. Not as an optional extra but as one of the key things He came to do on earth. Jesus came to demonstrate to mankind that it is possible to live well on earth in community with other people. He was always about reaching out the marginalised and those pushed to the edges of society.

GO AND DO LIKEWISE

I am reminded of the time Jesus shocked and probably scandalised the crowds by choosing to go to the home of a tax collector for a meal. After this encounter, we see this man, Zacchaeus, significantly transformed as a result of whatever conversation he had with Jesus and this is his response:

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19.8-10

If Jesus is so focused on justice and mercy in the world, then perhaps He really is worth paying closer attention to.

Giving up in 2017 (and it’s not what you think)

Brett Fish
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Giving up in 2017 (and it’s not what you think)

For 2017 I have decided to give up alcohol.

A statement like that probably makes you think I have a particular problem with drinking or something like that, which is not actually the case. This was more of a discipline thing for me. As 2016 raced towards its end, taking celebrities here there and everywhere, I was thinking about giving up a few things. Coffee and chocolate were the other two but in the end they made the cut.

A TEST OF ADDICTION

Choosing to not drink alcohol for a year was a way of me adding discipline to my life. Not only that but it’s also a test of myself I guess  – is this something I can do? After all, if there is something that any of us have an “I can’t live without that” attitude about, then surely we need to start thinking about addiction conversations. Am I controlling this thing or does it control me?

We live in a world where discipline is often not rewarded or encouraged. Except maybe in sport or some work environments. But when it comes to life we are encouraged to live free, do what we want, seize the day and YOLO (You Only Live Once) it out.

Also everything is fast-paced and so we tweet and text instead of calling, we microwave instead of slow-cooking and we binge watch series instead of taking it one episode at a time per week.

SWIM UPSTREAM

In this context, fasting is an attitude and action that says, “I am going to live a little differently, a little slower.” Fasting screams defiance at the lie that “Everybody is doing it” (That’s not true, because I am currently not doing it). Fasting often creates a space for introspection and the opportunity to notice some of the other issues in your life that might need working on.

So as you are reading this, does anything from your life jump out at you? If you decided to join me for this Fasting in 2017, what would your options be? Maybe there is actually something that takes up too much of your time or feels like it is having more control of you than you’d like. A friend of mine told me this week that he has given up Facebook for this year, as another example.

I was also at an event last night where the one guy was doing Teetotal January – so my fast but on a smaller scale. I didn’t get a chance to find out why he was doing it, but when alcohol was brought to our table I was actually one of three who declined and that felt good.

YOU READY TO JUMP IN?

So how about you? A lot of people choose Lent as a time to give up something for a certain duration, but I think to many that has become a routine or tradition they do for tradition’s sake.

My encouragement is to choose a time period from once a week to a month to a whole year. Figure out something that you actually enjoy and that it might be a good discipline to see if you can step away from it. Maybe find a friend who will do this with you because safety in numbers definitely applies here. The longest food fast I ever did was ten days and I joined a friend on that and the group dynamic and accountability was what made it doable.

Then go for it. Make yourself accountable to a friend or family member. Or be brave like me and post in online – nothing like having everyone you know keep an eye on you for an entire year just to see if you’ll grow through with it.

Embrace the discipline. Find out who you really are. See if any things to be worked on are revealed. And become a stronger person because of it.

Let us know in the comments below if this is something you are going to try to what your thing is going to be.

Improv yourself to a better story with “Yes, let’s!”

Brett Fish
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Improv yourself to a better story with “Yes, let’s!”

Would you like to hear a secret about how to increase the adventure in your life? (Hint: The answer is “Yes, let’s!”)

Tonight and for the next two nights in Cape Town I am going to be part of an Improv show at the Alexander Bar called ‘Two Parrots and a Sandcastle’. Each night two actors from the Improguise crew (Cape Town’s longest running Improv troupe) are going to make stuff up for close to an hour. No script, no rehearsals, no idea of what’s going to happen.

We might ask for some suggestions from the audience before we start (a style they’d like to see or an interesting job perhaps) which we will weave into our performance. But otherwise every single thing we do will be completely improvised.

For some of you that will sound like the most exciting idea you’ve ever heard, while I imagine others of you might find it completely terrifying.

YES, LET’S 

I have been part of the Improguise (formerly called TheatreSports) group for close to twenty years now. And it really is the story of, “Yes, let’s!”

Say for example I run on to stage and my first line to my fellow actor is, “Hey, do you want to come to the beach?”

If they respond with, “No!” the story dies immediately. Now we have to start again from the beginning and hope to find something we agree on.

If, however, my friend gives their best “Yes, let’s” and adds their own flavour to the suggestion, something like, “I heard they are about to judge the Sandcastle competition” then suddenly you have a story.

“Yes, let’s” opens up the possibilities of story and of adventure.

NOW TO LIFE

I have always said everyone in the world should do the Improv course we run at least once, even if only for that one lesson.

Because “yes, let’s” is not just something we need to use when we are on the Improv stage, but it can be a tool for life.

Too often we are faced with an obstacle or a problem that can feel overwhelming. The temptation can quickly become, “It’s too big for me” or “How can I do anything about this?” and so often we give up and move on.

The A.I.D.S. crisis in South Africa, the orphan problem, education – all of those can be a mess and when we look at them as a whole, it really does seem like we are powerless to make a difference.

But what about volunteering at a local clinic, or choosing as a family to adopt a child, or giving some time at a local school that is struggling to help with extra maths classes? Suddenly that great big giant thing has been broken down into a more manageable chunk – especially if you can inspire others to do the same.

GIVE IT A GO

For you, the idea of standing on a stage in front of a small audience and making things up for an hour might literally make you want to run and hide. For me, it is such an exciting thing and I cannot wait to be there.

But my challenge and encouragement to you today, in whatever context you find yourself in, is to look for the “Yes, let’s” that might be presenting itself to you.

Let 2017 be a year of becoming creative with your responses to the opportunities that come across your path. More climbing mountains than hiding behind them. More swimming through rivers than waiting for boats to carry you across.

Make this the year of “Yes, let’s” and let us see what we can build and grow and start and encourage and create together.

Values: In this house we do

Brett Fish
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Values: In this house we do

What are some of the ‘we do’ statements that you are about?

Sometimes in life we can get caught up with avoiding things instead of pursuing them.

I am married to the beautiful Val (aka tbV) and in our house we have a beautiful wooden design that was created for us by friends which says the following:

IN THIS HOUSE…

We do Grace

We do Joy

We do Real

We do I’m Sorry

We do LOUD

We do Hugs

We do family

We do mistakes

We do love

Which, to be honest, is more a reflection of where we would like to be and some of our values, than where we actually find ourselves.

ONGOING IN-YOUR-FACE REMINDER

It is super helpful for us to have it hanging on the wall in our lounge. Because it is a constant reminder that these are some things we need to be attending to.

If you ask either Val or myself we will tell you that we do some of them (different ones) much better than others. We will also tell you that some of them come to each of us more easily or more naturally than others.

Some of them feel like good descriptors of who we are, while others are signposts to where we are trying to get to.

The hanging is a positive vision statement of who we as a family would love to be. Not a list of negative things we are trying to avoid or habits or actions we know we need to get rid of in our lives (although those exists as well). It’s a declaration of hope mixed with triumph that calls us on towards better things.

It also serves as a message to anyone who comes to visit – here are some of the things that are important to us. Also as a means of accountability as people might look at the board and look at us and say: You don’t seem to be so good at mistakes or joy. Or whatever. And we can be called back to it and reminded that these are things we are wanting to have and be and see. So a constant journey onwards.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR HOUSE?

There are different variations of our sign – different words and phrases that people feel will go well in their houses. But I wonder about you. If you were going to stick nine statements of intent up in your living room, what would some of those be? Share some of yours with us in the comments below. 

 

 

Suffering: Where is God when things hit fans?

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Suffering: Where is God when things hit fans?

Life can be tough. It seemed to be particularly so in 2016. And while we hope that 2017 is going to be a little bit easier, with less crazy weather, fewer celebrities dying and more peaceful political situations around the world, chances are that may not be the case. At least not always.

At some point in 2017 things are going to hit fans and life is going to feel a lot like a mess. Someone you love may die, someone you know may be diagnosed with an incurable disease, a relationship might end, a car accident might happen. Who knows, you might even be unlucky enough to be friends with one of the 13 people every year who die by having a vending machine fall on them.

WHERE IS GOD?

What is interesting to note that when tragedy strikes God is often one of the first to be blame. Even people who don’t believe in God start asking loudly, “Where was God? How could He allow such a thing to happen?”

There is a well-known cartoon of two guys lying under a tree. The first guy turns to the second and says to him, “I’ve always wanted to ask God why He doesn’t do more to alleviate suffering. I’ve wanted to ask God where He is when there are so many homeless people and orphans. To ask Him why He doesn’t put a stop to racism and sexism and the spread of A.I.D.S. and so much more.

His friend thinks about it for a minute and then turns back to him, “Well why don’t you?” To which his friend replies, “I’m scared He is going to ask me the same thing.”

Many of the questions of tragedy in the world could be couched under the question, ‘How did we allow this to happen?’ And since God’s primary instrument of change and activity on the earth is His followers, it really is something we sometimes need to take a lot more seriously.

HE IS ALREADY THERE

My favourite Psalm in the Bible is number 34 which contains this most amazing line in verse 18:

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted. He saves those who are crushed in spirit.

I love that verse for two reasons:

Firstly, it really describes the lowest of the low perfectly. Do you think it’s possible to be any lower than someone who has either had their heart-broken or their spirit crushed? A crushed spirit speaks to me of torture – circumstances so bad that they suck the very life and emotion out of you. And we all know in different ways what it is like to have your heart-broken – to have love or affection that is not returned. At the time it seems like the most painful thing possible.

Secondly, what I really like about this passage, is that it doesn’t end by saying, ‘And God will swoop in and save the day and make everything alright.’ Well, let’s be honest, on some days I really hate that. But what it does speak of is the presence of God in the face of absolute mess and pain. He is close… and He saves…

That has really been my experience of God in life. There have been some times when it has felt like God has swooped in and removed the problem and brought a miracle and suddenly everything is okay. But most of the time that has not been the case. There has been a real sense of His presence (although sometimes it can take a while to notice) or an awareness, that He is there.

He knows, He gets it, He understands and He loves us enough to let us get through the situation with all the growth and strengthening that will happen through that, rather than simply removing it.

I encourage you, the next time you find yourself in a tough situation, to call out to God. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He is already there as He is promised and sometimes we just need to have our eyes opened to that true.

Twitter hashtag: #IfApartheidDidNotHappen

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Twitter hashtag: #IfApartheidDidNotHappen

Hashtags on Twitter can often reveal a lot about people.

I was sitting at my computer writing some articles when I got a message from my friend, Innocentia, on Facebook. Check out the hashtag #IfApartheidDidNotHappen on Facebook and Twitter she said. So I did.

tweeted, ‘Our grandparents would be overly educated people with enough retirement money.’ 

 tweeted, ‘Your name and skin colour would not determine a salary increase, job interview and promotion.’ 

 tweeted, ‘ Chris Hani would Still be alive.’

tweeted, ‘ Blacks wouldn’t be working so hard just to prove that they are equally competent.’

So many different thoughts. Some of them light-hearted, many painting a beautiful hope-filled picture of what might have been and some of them, like this next one, just punching you right in the stomach:

 tweeted, ‘1976 school kids would be grandfathers today ‘

HOW DO I THINK LIFE WOULD HAVE LOOKED?

I decided to try and write a few of my own:

then maybe more people would be okay with calling you Nosiphiwo instead of changing your name to Gift

maybe white people speaking African languages would seem more normal and less applauseworthy.

then maybe ‘being woke’ would refer to a time of the day and not a particular date on the calendar.

then maybe we would be working together on how to build this country and not working together on how we can work together.

LEARNING FROM THE NET

What an amazing experience that was. When there is a hashtag that invites people to engage on something that means something to them, it can be so illuminating.

Reading through what people are writing, I get to see some of what they are feeling and thinking. I get glimpses of hopes and dreams of what could have been. Hopefully by listening to each other in this very simple way, we can start to find each other. We can start committing to some of those same outcomes, although from a different starting point.

That is one of the reasons I often prefer Twitter to Facebook. Facebook often seems a lot like posturing, like creating the kind of image you want people to see. And that does happen on Twitter as well, but Twitter for the most part feels more like people letting it all hang out.

We saw it so strongly during the American election – there was not much doubt which side of the line individuals were on with that one. We see it with popular culture from movies, to music and books. And we see it in daily fashion and food choices. The little tweet-tweet-tweet that gives you a sense of the heartbeat of the person behind it.

Have you ever followed a Hashtag on Twitter that gave you this kind of sense? Share some thoughts with us in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.

My top 10 highly anticipated movies for 2017

Brett Fish
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My top 10 highly anticipated movies for 2017

I love me some movies.

2016 was not the worst year when it came to movies. In the aftermath of a new Star Wars movie in December 2015, 2016 delivered a lot of fun and entertainment. Marvel as always was on form with ‘Captain America: Civil War’ which I think is one of their best movies to date and possibly even their best Avengers movie.

They followed that up with the visually incredible ‘Dr Strange’ and other movies that were fun included the amazing live action ‘Jungle Book’, the animated classic ‘Zootopia’, the beautifully mesmerising ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’.

Other pics I enjoyed that come to mind were the Coen Brothers ‘Hail Caesar’, the musical delight ‘Sing Street’, a return to form with ‘Jason Bourne’, the stunning ‘BFG’ movie and even the visually mindblowing ‘Warcraft’ film. ‘Captain Fantastic’ with Viggo Mortensen as a recently widowed father raising his children off the grid was probably drama of the year for me. Check it out.

 

As I write this I am still anticipating watching ‘Fantastic Beasts and where to find them’ as well as the new Star Wars movie ‘Rogue One’. I imagine both will be added to that list.

LOOKING FORWARD

If 2016 could be described as fun, then 2017 can be anticipated as year of the Blockbuster. Every single movie on my list is a remake or follow-on to something we have already seen. But it is not purely the ‘sequel to other movie I enjoyed’ that is getting me excited – each movie on this list has its own reason for why I am excited. So let’s get to it.

[10 & 9] Jumanji and Bladerunner2049. I start the list with two outside bets. I loved the original Jumanji with Robin Williams, and Bladerunner is an absolute classic. So tackling both of those movies is either a really brave or insanely stupid move and possibly both.

But the reason that they made the cut is that Jumanji has an excellent cast that includes one of my favourites in Kevin Hart as well as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Jack Black and Doctor Who’s Karen Gillan. Reteaming Hart and Johnson who were recently in the immensely funny Central Intelligence just feels like it might be something that could work. Let’s give it a chance. With Bladerunner, Harrison Ford is back on board and the original director Ridley Scott is producing and so we have to hope it can work.

[8] Wonder Woman has always struggled to make it to the big screen. Yet when Gal Galdot showed her off in a cameo spot in Batman v Superman she made a lot of people excited and start to believe that maybe this can happen. The trailer backs this up.

[7] Lego Batman – Will Arnett almost completely stole the show in The Lego Movie, so much so that he has been given his own movie. The humour that flies through all three of the previews tells us this is going to be great!

[6] Logan [aka The Wolverine 3] Surprisingly I somehow managed to get my hands on the Old Man Logan comics that this third, final (for Hugh Jackman) movie while I was in the States and so actually know what it’s about. And it is going to be super different from anything we’ve seen before. Quite a lot darker I imagine. But this is the movie Hugh Jackman has wanted to make and might be the ideal sending off for one of our most loved ‘can’t-imagine-anyone-else-ever-playing-this-person’ characters.

[5] Fate of the Furious When you read that the Fast and the Furious franchise has somehow made it to number 8 (and you’ve watched and pretty much enjoyed every one), it is hard to believe and yet here they are again. With the sadness that was inherent in Fast 7 that followed the passing of one of the two main leads Paul Walker, it seemed like it was time to move on. In seven movies surely all the stories have been told. And yet having just seen the trailer, they have got a story so unique and so oh-my-word-how-is-that-happening that we will be there waiting for this one to land. Doesn’t hurt that Charlize Theron will be taking baddy duties in this one.

So those are all movies I am excited about, but it is the Top Four that really have me chomping at the bit:

TOP FOUR

[4] Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – this should be higher on the list but Johnny Depp has really had a troubled few years. I enjoyed the Alice in Wonderland sequel last year but it would be amazing if Pirates could rediscover the absolute zing of the original movie for one more outing.

[3] Spiderman Homecoming – Spiderman is definitely a franchise most feel is done, especially with a reboot so quickly after the previous series. Yet when Tom Holland showed off his Peter Parker/Spiderman combo in the all-too-brief Captain America: Civil War cameo we were all sold. Maybe they have finally found the one. The trailer complete with Robert Downey Junior Tony Stark mentoring confirmed that this should be an absolute smash in 2017. And that’s before you even add in Birdman’s own Michael Keaton as the villain, The Vulture.

[2] Star Wars Episode VIII – How is it possible that the latest Finally-Got-It-Working-Again sequel to Star Wars only makes it into the number two spot. With Daisy Ridley’s Rey and John Boyega’s Finn helping us to believe again, there are so many people anticipating this movie will add the meat to a story was that was revived in The Force Awakens. The anticipation of Luke Skywalker himself playing a key role in the continuation of the story is enough to make this a big challenge for most anticipated movie of 2017.

[1] Guardians of the Galaxy II – But it’s the presence of Chris Pratt that jumps the  Guardians sequel to the number one spot. One of the riskiest movies for Marvel in 2014 taking a group of largely B-status actors (hiding the two most well-known in Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel behind a racoon and a tree character respectively) as unknown superheroes on a Star Wars type adventure and hoping it would land. Fueled by the hit 60s and 70s Awesome Mix Volume 1 Tape, the film was a runaway success and the sequel was  inevitable.

Somehow managing to combine humour, drama, serious action and throwing it all together in a brilliantly fun sci-fi adventure, I am expecting Guardians II to be one of my biggest movies this year.

Some honourable mentions and outside chances go to the live action Beauty and the Beast (with Emma Watson), Toy Story IV, War for the Planet of the Apes, Thor: Ragnarok and the Justice League movie.

How about you? What has you dashing for your tickets in 2017?

 

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