Special: Best of May 2017

Best Theatrical Film:

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

May was pretty good for movies overall as it normally is but this year one stood above the rest and that's the Guardians of the frickin' Galaxy (except he didn't say frickin'). It was fun, it was action packed, it was funny when it needed to be, and heart wrenching just to make you cry (you bastards!). Likely one of the best films of the year so far so you won't want to miss out on this one.

Best Rental Film:

Logan

I usually don't like putting films that have previously won "Best Theatrical Film" category in the rental film category but with May there was only 2 really good Movies, Logan and Resident Evil 5, although I could've given the nod to RE5 that just didn't seem right since Logan is the better film so against my best wishes I rolled with Logan but feel free to grab both when you go and rent movies at a Family Video near you.

Best Album:

blink-182 - California (Deluxe)

Sorry Paramore, I expected you to take this spot but after a few listens I'm just not into it as much as I thought I'd be and with blink debuting California before this column was a thing I felt it was appropriate to give California the nod it deserves for reminding us that blink still makes proper pop-punk records.

Best Graphic Novel:

Jessica Jones, Vol. 1: Uncaged!, by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos

Bendis and Gaydos, the creators behind Jessica’s original iconic series (on which the Netflix show is largely based), return to the character after a decade. A lot’s changed for the character and for the larger Marvel U, but Jessica is back behind the desk of Alias Investigations. She comes into possession of some potentially very damaging information about other Marvel heroes while facing down a killer with cannibalistic tendencies.

Best Video Game:

Injustice 2 (Xbox One & PS4)

Special: Best of February 2017

I know we're late with this but that's what happens when the March Madness Bracket takes up all the Sunday specials. Speaking of which in the final showdown everyone's favourite superhero archer took down a bunch of lawyers by only 2 votes leading to Arrow being the winner of this years bracket. On with the list!

Best Theatrical Film:

The Lego Batman Movie

February was a surprisingly strong month which featured surprise hit Get Out and surprise sequel to a hit John Wick: Chapter 2 but Lego Batman stole the spotlight from both those releases in my eyes. It's funny, it's beautifully animated and a mess of family friendly fun. It's the Batman spoof we didn't know we wanted for the hero we deserve.

Best Rental Film:

Justice League Dark

Sure there were lots of films released on DVD/Blu-Ray in February but I decided to give the nod to JLD in sticking with the DC Comics film theme. You really can't go wrong picking up one of the many Oscar nominated films to hit the shelves in February (Arrival, Manchester By The Sea, Moonlight, Hacksaw Ridge, Loving, Nocturnal Animals) or one of the big budget blockbusters (Trolls, Dr. Strange) but in the end the JLD was just a bit more likable.

Best Album:

The Menzingers - After The Party

Man this was the toughest category. Anyone who follows my Top 10 Countdown (posted on Saturday's - shameless plug) knows the kind of music I enjoy and knows that a lot of those bands released new music in February, including Carousel Kings, Less Than Jake and my favourite song writer Andrew McMahon (now "In The Wilderness"). But I have to give it to The Menzingers at this writing, maybe it's just because I spent more time with it being released the first week in February but this may be The Menzingers growing up and all that, After The Party puts an exclamation point on the band’s remarkable run of poignant and genre-defining punk rock and boldly catapults the band into the next chapter of their careers.

Best Graphic Novel:

Deadpool & the Mercs for Money, Vol. 1: Mo’ Mercs, Mo’ Monkeys, by Cullen Bunn and Iban Coello

Wade Wilson’s taken on a new job, this time as leader of a super-team. Which is a terrible idea. The team’s first paying job is an assignment to take out some radioactive villains, including Negasonic Teenage Warhead. Unfortunately, only Deadpool himself is immune to radiation. Details, details. I love Cullen Bunn, I love his Deadpool stuff even more. This is a must have for me and many other Deadpoolites.

Best Video Game:

Halo Wars 2 (PC & X-Box One)