2017 was touted as a down year for cinema due in large part to poor box office numbers during the summer. But as 2017 draws to a close, the year finished strong with so many great films that it was really difficult to narrow it down to just ten. So I copped out and included a list of honorable mentions to make myself feel better. Oh and I also included a list of films I know I'm going to love but haven't been able to see yet because of where I currently live. This is the time of year that I miss living in Los Angeles. Okay let's get started.
Honorable Mentions: Wonder Woman, Spider-Man Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, War for the Planet of the Apes, IT, The Founder and All the Money in the World
Movies I haven't seen yet (because I live in the middle of nowhere): Phantom Thread, The Disaster Artist, The Shape of Water, Darkest Hour, The Post And Wind River
10. Lady Bird
Lady Bird is a coming of age story about a girl in her senior year of high school, who longs to leave the boring confines of suburban life in Sacramento, California. Saoirse Ronan gives a great performance as the titular character but it's Laurie Metcalf who steals this movie as her combative mother. Can't recommend this film enough.
9. Logan
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a comic book junkie so I made it a point to include only one superhero movie on this list. While I adored what Taika Waititi did with Thor Ragnarok and Marvel Studios made me care about Spider-Man again, Logan has to be the best comic book movie I saw this year. It was a fitting ending for a character Hugh Jackman has been playing for 17 years! Man I feel so old.
8. Baby Driver
The most fun I had in a movie theatre in 2017 had to be the opening car chase sequence in Baby Driver. Went into this film knowing nothing about it except that it was directed by Edgar Wright, whose movies I've loved. Got the Blu Ray for Christmas and I can't wait to watch it again. So so fun.
7. Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri
Another film I knew absolutely nothing about outside of the Oscar buzz it was receiving. Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri is a fantastic film with an incredible cast. Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell give incredible performances and should definitely receive Oscar nods.
6. The Big Sick
The best comedy I saw in 2017 has to be The Big Sick. Based on a true story, Kumail Nanjiani plays himself in the story of how he met the love of his life (played by Zoe Kazan) and her parents (played brilliantly by Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) in a very awkward and unconventional way. Been a fan of Kumail long before Silicon Valley and it was nice to see a romantic comedy where the lead character is of Muslim descent. Really funny movie. It's currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Highly recommend it.
5. Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner 2049 is the most visually compelling film I saw in 2017. And narratively even at a robust 164 minutes, I never felt the length of this film. Set 30 years after the events of the first film, Ryan Gosling plays K, a new Blade Runner, in search for answers to a long buried secret having to do a child possibly born to a replicant/robot. I absolutely loved this movie. After Prisoners, Arrival and now Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve just might be my favorite director working today.
4. Get Out
I love horror movies. I love Jordan Peele. I love that Jordan Peele is a horror movie junkie. And so it seems only natural that I loved Get Out, a funny, terrifying and thought-provoking horror/thriller written and directed by the aforementioned Jordan Peele. Daniel Kaluuya plays Chris Washington, a young African-American who is going on a weekend trip to visit the parents of his white girlfriend, played by Alison Williams, for the first time. Let's just say the trip doesn't go well for Chris. Get Out is a film that is equal parts thriller and biting social commentary. Get Out is more thriller than horror so don't let the fact that it's advertised as a horror film deter you. I highly recommend Get Out.
3. The Last Jedi
Here come the comments. I almost didn't put The Last Jedi in my Top 10 because this film has become so divisive amongst hardcore Star Wars fans. But if you love something, you shouldn't be afraid to show it. Say what you want about The Last Jedi, the latest installment of the Star Wars saga, but to me this movie delivered in ways I didn't imagine it could. Please refrain from trying to change my point of view on this film. I was initially surprised by the backlash so I've done my research and I know what everyone is upset about. This film is certainly not without its flaws but for me the good far outweighed the bad. I'll probably write a detailed review this week once I've seen it for the fourth time. Thank you MoviePass.
2. Dunkirk
Every two (or three) years, Christopher Nolan releases a film on or near my birthday and I always joke that each and every amazing cinematic piece is a birthday present from Nolan to me. With that being said, Dunkirk was the best birthday present I got this year. Based on true events, Dunkirk tells the miraculous story of the evacuation of British and French soldiers off the coast of a German-occupied Belgium during World War II. This was a story I'd never heard before probably due to the fact that it had nothing to do with America. It's an amazing story that showcases the bravery and compassion of humanity. Great cast. Brilliant direction. It will most likely win Best Picture. Really wish I'd seen this film on an IMAX screen.
1. Coco
Coco won't win Best Picture because outside of Beauty and the Beast, Up and Toy Story 3, animated films are rarely even nominated let alone win. But I don't care. Coco was my sentimental number one film I saw this year. Like most Pixar films, Coco left me in a heap of tears by the end. But unlike any Pixar films, Coco is a love letter to Mexico and Spanish culture, centering on the holiday of Día de Muertos. The timing of this film's release seems so ironic considering our current climate. But I'd rather not get into politics. I'd rather talk about this beautiful film. Miguel Rivera, a 12 year old boy, longs to become a musician like his hometown idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. But the problem is that ever since his great-great-grandmother was abandoned by her musician husband, the Rivera family has had a strict policy against music. They would rather Miguel go into the family business of shoe making. Through fantastical circumstances, Miguel enters the Land of the Dead in search of his great-great-grandfather, determined to live out his dream of being a musician even if it kills him. I related to Coco more than any Pixar film I've ever seen and that made it even more special to me. Now I'm of Puerto Rican descent and despite what most people (I call them racists) believe, Mexican and Puerto Rican cultures are very different. But the one thing that's the same is the way in which the family interacts with each other. Mama Coco reminded me so much of my great-grandmother even down to her appearance. The way the family interacts with Mama Coco in such an enduring, loving and coddling way evoked so much emotion in me that zapped me right back to my childhood. Pixar got the details right even down to the Abuela hitting and throwing her chancla as a tool of discipline in a comedic way. Coco is not just a love letter to Mexican culture but a love letter to our families both here and gone. I recently took my three year old son to see it and even he was emotional by the end of the film. When I asked him why he was crying, he explained that he was sad because Mama Coco was sad. Pixar movies are special and they are special because they speak to all of us even my three year old son. I love this movie. I've seen it four times and I can't wait to see it again.