COCO: A really beautifully animated movie and another home run by Pixar studios. It really did a great job creating a different take on the Dia de los Muertos story and the way it used music and the culture was really fantastic.
LADYBIRD: A great coming-of-age tale that was full of great performances and true to life situations and writing that anyone can relate to. A great Directorial debut for Greta Gerwig and one of Saoirse Ronan's best performances.
GET OUT: Speaking of great debuts for a director, Jordan Peele directed this really unique thriller earlier this year and it was a big surprise hit. A great movie with a very topical theme, a creepy and sometimes even funny story, a movie that didn't rely too heavily on cliches to scare the audience.
INGRID GOES WEST: I think this movie kind of fell below the radar this year, but it was a really cool and unique comedy. Aubrey Plaza plays an obsessive Instagram stalker who tries to befriend an "Instagram Famous" person played by Elizabeth Olsen. It's weird how much I enjoyed watching a movie full of characters that are pretty terrible people in a way, only to realize that a lot of the world is actually like this now, maybe including myself. The Idea of people wanting attention and creating fake lives on social media to make everyone think they are awesome is real. This movie uses that idea and takes it to an absurd place and it makes for some funny moments.
SPLIT: After several years of terrible movie after terrible movie, M. Night has finally created another great movie. With a stellar performance from James McAvoy playing several different roles and a twist ending that actually worked. Hopefully this is the start of another string of good M. Night films.
THE LAST JEDI: There were a lot of problems with the new Star Wars movie, and I think many people made that clear over the last few weeks. While I definitely saw the problems, it didn't stop me from enjoying a lot of the movie and having a good time. I was going to write a short post about the good and bad parts about this movie, but I think there's enough of that out there that I really don't need to do so. While the stories for the great characters Finn and Poe sort of fell flat, the story and relationships between Luke, Rey and Kylo really drove the movie and was very very good. Really the worst part about it was how it ended in a way that didn't seem to set much up for the final film in the saga and threw away what potentially could have been an awesome and game changing team up between Rey and Kylo.
Now it's time for the actual list! Starting with:
10. Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman was a surprisingly different movie from all the other DC movies that have come out in the last couple years. It was a very nice movie to look at, as in it wasn't dark and ugly and full of bad CG. The performances and characters were all great and very likable, even the side characters. Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman worked really well in the movie and she portrayed Wonder Woman in a way that I think lots of people know the character as. It had a lot of heart and good humor, as well as emotional moments that actually worked. The only thing keeping this movie from being higher is the last act of the movie, with the silly twist and the boring CG fest of a battle.
9. The Big Sick
I feel like this movie didn't get enough love, but that's only because it was one of my favorites of the year. Not only was this movie very funny, it actually had some really strong emotional scenes and actually has a great message. The movie is actually based of the real life story of Kumail Nanjiani and how he met his wife. They both wrote this movie together. Definitely my favorite comedy of the year and it's also great to see Kumail get a big role like this in a great movie. Can't forget how hilarious Ray Romano is in this movie too.
8. The Shape of Water
This was one of the most beautiful movies to look at all year. I'm a sucker for a genre film that takes place in the late 50's early 60's too. This movie was so strange and bizarre and yet beautiful and a joy to watch. I mean, the story of a woman who falls in love with a fish man has to be pretty awesome, right? Add Guillermo del Toro's name to it and you got a fantastic movie. There are a lot of great scenes with good laughs, good tension, actual strong emotional connections and lots of eggs (you'll know if you watch it).
7. Your Name
This movie technically came out in 2016, but it wasn't released in the US until 2017. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie. The concept of a high school boy switching bodies with a high school girl isn't exactly unique or groundbreaking. In fact it's kind of played out and old, but somehow this movie made that concept fun and exciting again. Mostly because it doesn't lead to where I thought it was going and it really turns the body switch formula on it's head for the last parts of the movie. Also can't forget how good the animation was, very detailed and colorful and full of life.
6. Thor Ragnarok
I really didn't care much for the Thor movies. The first one was okay, a decent intro to the Thor character and the second film... well I can't remember what even happens in that movie. Then came the third movie for Mr. Thor, and wow it was the most fun I've had in a Marvel movie. It was really funny, had great action, great music, great effects, hilarious performances and just had a lot of style. It's the kind of movie you can go back to and enjoy multiple times, much like the first Guardians movie.
5. Wind River
Wind River came out later in the year for a short time in cinemas. It's a smaller film starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen taking place in a small Native American reservation called Wind River. Renner plays a hunter who tracks predators that kill the local's livestock and while searching for one of those predators, finds a dead body. Olsen comes in as the "fish out of water" FBI agent who needs help from the hunter who knows the lands better than anyone to find out who committed the crime. It turned out to be way better than expected, as both actors gave a great performances and the story along with the setting was really interesting to watch. There was never a dull moment and the story doesn't go exactly where I thought it would, which was also nice.
4. Three Billboard in Ebbing, Missouri
With a title like that this movie has to be good right? Well yeah, because it was the biggest surprise of the year for me. I wasn't really sure what to expect going in, I just really liked the premise. A woman's daughter is murdered and after several months of the police not investigating the murder, she buys three billboards and uses them to call out the Police Chief of the town (played by Woody Harrelson). What we get is a strangely funny movie about a lots of dark topics with top-notch performances from Frances McDormand, Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell, with a special appearance from Peter Dinklage. It's definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it, as long as you are okay with dark humor.
3. Baby Driver
This movie was just SO COOL. The bad-ass driving sequences, the sweet soundtrack, the wacky over the top characters and quirky humor were all just so much fun. I don't think I had as much fun with any movie as much as I did with Baby Driver. Director Edgar Wright has made some of my favorite movies of all time like Scott Pilgrim and Shaun of the Dead, and this is just another to add to the list. Seriously, if you just want a fun popcorn movie to watch you can't go wrong with Baby Driver.
2. Logan
The story of Wolverine was all leading up to this, the movie we've all been waiting for. After one of the worst comic book movies in Wolverine Origins and an almost great Wolverine movie in Japan, we finally get the perfect Wolverine movie. This is in my opinion one of the best acted comic book movies of all time. Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman killed it in their roles and deserve to be nominated for some award (though probably not going to happen?), even the young girl playing X-23 (Dafne Keen) was awesome. If this ends up being the last movie with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, then it was the perfect send off for him. This wasn't just a great comic book movie, it was a great movie period. It was hard to choose between this and my number one pick and honestly it could easily change with time, but for now...
Drumroll...
1. Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner 2049 was such a beautifully made film. Going back to the world of Blade Runner with today's technology was just plain awesome to watch on the big screen. Everything from cinematography, acting, sound, score, storytelling, dialog was done very very well. There are a lot of sequels and remakes to beloved movies coming out these days, so I think a lot of people were worried that this could be another one of those movies that just seemed to be trying to make money off nostalgia and a big name. Blade Runner became a beloved film and no doubt it would be a hard name to live up to, but everyone did a good job here making a movie that was worthy of being called a sequel to the original. They tried new things, but brought back familiar elements from the original to keep things fresh. Ultimately this became my favorite of the year, and I think it's a movie that deserved to be watched by everyone who is a fan of movies. While i'm sure it's not going to be loved by everyone who watches it, it's just my opinion and I hope more people give it a chance.
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