Best & Worst of 2017

The Worst of 2017

Before I go into detail on the best films of 2017, here are the absolute worst of 2017 in film. 

10) Monster trucks

Someone must have been super high to come up with this story.

9) Geostorm

A look another terrible disaster movie with way too much CGI.

8) Just Getting Started

I have nothing to say about this film.

7) Underworld: Blood Wars

They should just stop making these films.

6) Snowman 

The novel was brilliant, but this was so dull and boring. A waste of Micheal Fassbender's talent.

5) The Dark Tower

Not even remotely like the great King series. Basically just kept the title.

4) King Arthur

Felt like a 2004 film that had dated CGI for a 2004 film.

3) Flatliners

I sat through this film expecting it to be good at any moment. No such moment happened.

2) Birth of the Dragon

Very disrespectful of the great Bruce Lee. Walked out of the cinema and got my money back.

1) The Emoji Movie

Who thought that this would be a good film?

The Biggest Disappointments: Justice League and The Last Jedi

    Films like these are why I don’t go in with high expectations anymore. Now I don’t want to get butt hurt fans mad so I’ll say that these films aren’t necessarily bad, but once the film ended I did find myself saying out loud… “What?” Let me first delve into Justice League. My uncle says that I am biased when it comes to all things Batman, which is very true. I will defend BvS, Lego Batman, Batman Forever, etc. Then there’s this mess and lets face it… it is a big ugly crowded mess.  Okay the good bits of the film were Aquaman and at times, yes you guessed it, Batman. The bad bits of the film was the fact there was no story, the CGI, the villain, the CGI, superman’s CGI mouth, the CGI, Joss Whedon taking over, and lastly the CGI. It felt as if I was watching a superhero film directed by Roland Emmerich (Godzilla ‘98/ 2012/ White House Down). Next is the newest installment of the Star Wars franchise. Let’s use a quote from Jar Jar. Oh sorry I meant Rose, “This is how we’re going to win. Not by killing those we hate, but by saving those we love.” That’s not how war works dummy! The Last Jedi destroyed everything TFA tried to set up. No story. The film is just ships chasing other ships. Snoke was useless as was Phasma again. The Rose and Finn storyline was useless. He should have sacrificed himself that would have been more powerful. Don’t get me started on Carrie Poppins, badly animated yoda, Poe’s lesson on being a leader by not killing your whole fleet, the awful humor, and Luke’s portrayal. It was like a badly done mash up of Empire and Return. Over half the audience left the film before it was over. Never experienced that before. The only thing I liked about the film was Kylo Ren and I’m surprised to say that. I believe Disney will run Star Wars into the ground.

The Best of 2017

20) Novitiate

“The church gave me my work, my community, even my identity, and now the church is trying to invalidate all of that. Saying none of that matters. So my question is what is it that really does still matter?”

   Cathleen is madly in love, but it’s no one she can physically touch. Her perfect partner is God and she wants to be a nun so that she’ll become a “Bride of Christ”.  This idea takes its form when she attends a Catholic school where a nun/teacher encourages her to follow the same path. Cathleen is a lonely and shy girl who takes solace in the idea of being married to god. As she goes on her path to be married to god, we meet the Reverend Mother who has been a nun almost her entire adult life. She starts to struggle with faith and power when she receives the Vatican II papers, which would change her whole life and what she believed in. Cathleen too begins to struggle with the question “does he love me as much as I love him?” She wonders if she can handle this one-sided love for the rest of her life. The whole film is beautiful, but the last 20 minutes of the film brings it down when they try to add a relationship with no chemistry into the mix. I know what the director wanted to say that nuns get lonely, but if it weren’t for that random relationship the film would be higher on my list. I’m by no means a religious person and I’m definitely no fan of the Catholic history, but I find the process the nuns went through to be beautiful. It’s probably my favorite film about nuns other than Sister Act 2. There actually haven’t been many films about nuns other than “Doubt”, but that was more focused on the priest. All-in-all a pretty good film.

19) John Wick Chapter 2

“You stabbed the devil in the back and forced him back into the life that he had just left.”

    Straight up action with a hardcore Keanu Reeves… what’s not to love? Lots of action movies have way too much CGI like the “FAST” franchise. The film has nonstop on the edge of your seat action throughout the film. I was never once bored with John Wick like I am with most Hollywood blockbusters. If you enjoyed the original you’d love the sequel. It’s everything a sequel should be and it most definitely doesn’t disappoint. It’s a full throttle thrill ride that is unquestionably worth a watch. Plus who doesn’t want to watch Keanu Reeves and Ruby Rose have a badass fight.

18) Thor: Ragnarok

“There was one time my brother transformed himself into a snake because he knows how much I like snakes, and so I picked the snake up to admire it, but then he turned back and went "AAHH! It's me!" And then he stabbed me. We were 8 at the time.”

   Who would have thought that a Thor film would be the most hilarious entry in the Marvel cinematic universe? I never would have guessed that. I enjoyed the first Thor, despised Thor 2, but this Thor is by far my favorite.  The Kiwi director Taika Waititi’s humor is just what Thor needed. The film even has quite the impressive cast from the ever so talented Jeff Goldblum, the divine Cate Blanchett, the very underrated Karl Urban, and even some surprise cameos from Sam Neill and Matt Damon. I’ve actually enjoyed a villain in a Marvel film!! I’ve never really thought of Loki as a villain. This is actually the second time a film from the MCU has made my top 20 films of the year. The first was “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

17) War for the Planet of the Apes

“I did not start this war. I offered you peace. I showed you mercy. But now you’re here, to finish us off for good.”

   Never in a million years did I think that I’d love every single film in a Planet of the Apes series because lets face it a whole lot of them are pretty darn bad. Then something wonderful happened when “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was released. I was pulled into something wonderful. Then “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” happened and it was even better than the first. It had action, a story, and I was rooting for the apes the whole time. Then I was extremely excited and it was one of my most anticipated films of the year. I went into the marathon with so much anticipation and left with such satisfaction, which is something that rarely happens anymore because most films sort of let me down. It was such a perfect proper conclusion to Caesar’s storyline.

16) A Ghost Story

“A writer writes a novel. A songwriter writes a song. A symphonist writes a symphony, which is maybe the best example because all the best ones were written for God. So, tell me what happens if Beethoven’s writing his “Ninth Sympohony” and suddenly he wakes up one day and realizes God doesn’t exist. So, suddenly all of these notes and chords and harmonies that were intended to, you know, supersede the flesh, you realize, “oh that’s just physics”. So Beethoven says, “shoot, god doesn’t exist so I guess I’m writing this for other people. It’s just nuts and bolts now.” He didn’t have any children that I can recall… But let’s leave love out of this and let’s wrap this all up under the blanket of someone thinking, “This is something that they’ll remember me for.” And they did and we do. And sure enough, we do what we can do endure. We build our legacy piece by piece, and maybe the whole world will remember you, or maybe just a couple of people, but you do what you can to make sure you’re still around after you’re gone.”

   A Ghost Story won’t scare you, but it’ll haunt you. Whether you love it or hate it you’ll still think about it. It’s a film about pain, loss, how our death is unavoidable, and time. A24 really killed it this year.

15) After the Storm

“I wonder why it is that men can't love the present. Either they just keep chasing whatever it is they've lost... or they keep dreaming beyond their reach.”

    Hirokazu Kore-eda is not a well-known director, but he definitely should be. He’s one of my favorite directors working today. He’s made amazing films like “Nobody Knows”, “Still Walking”, “Our Little Sister”, and “After the Storm”. “After the Storm” is his best film to date. The film is about Ryota who is a struggling novelist and deadbeat father. He is full of guilt about the path he chose for his life and how he tore his family apart. He strives to make amends with his wife and son. The film is full of emotional dialogue and focuses on lot on parental selfishness. “After the Storm” is a quiet yet beautiful honest melodrama. Criterion needs to release this film immediately.

14) Darkest Hour

“When will the lesson be learned! You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth!”

   Gary Oldman has quite an impressive record in film and has not won a single Oscar. He’s played Sid Vicious, Count Dracula, Lee Harvey Oswald, Beethoven, Smiley, Sirius Black, Commissioner Gordon, and now he has played one of my ultimate heroes Sir Winston Churchill. This may be the role that’ll finally get him his well-deserved Oscar. The film is about Churchill becoming prime minister leading up to the events of Dunkirk. It’s an excellent film. I still can’t believe the people that try to justify their hate for Churchill. I usually have to distance myself from such people. The man was determined to keep fighting against the Nazis and it was a crucial point in human history. He even had to fight against peers who wanted him to make peace with the Nazis. It seemed like everyone was against him. Imagine if he had made peace with Hitler, like some of the people wanted, the world would be a much different place.

13) Lucky

“There's a difference between lonely and being alone.”

    Lucky is an Ode to Harry Dean Stanton. When he passed away, at the age of 91, I told my friends that there would be a Harry Dean Stanton marathon at my place, but they’d have to pay rent because it’ll take months to watch all his films. He’s starred in like 200 things. His character in this film contemplates his own mortality. Lucky doesn’t believe in life after death and he refuses to change his mind on the subject. The film really doesn’t focus on the subject, but rather leaves the subject of life after death open to a sense of mystery. Lucky accepts his mortality and says goodbye. It was one of his best roles since “Paris, Texas”. David Lynch steals all the scenes though with tortoises. The film is beyond transcendent and simply watching Harry Dean Stanton singing with a mariachi band is something I didn’t know I needed in my life. The film was a beautiful send off.

12) The Killing of a Sacred Deer

“You know not long after my dad died someone told me that I eat spaghetti the exact same way he did. They said what an extraordinary impression this fact had made on them. Look at the boy look how he eats the spaghetti exactly the same way his father did. He sticks his fork in twirls it around and around and around then he sticks it in his mouth. That time I thought I was the only one who ate spaghetti that way… me and my dad. Later of course I found out everyone eats spaghetti the exact same way... the exact same way… the exact same way. This made me very upset… very upset. Maybe even more upset when they told me he was dead, my dad. I don’t know if what is happening is fair, but it’s the only thing I can think of that’s close to justice.”

   Killing of a Sacred Deer is one of the most disturbing films I’ve seen of 2017. It’s a pure psychological horror delight. This film is full of symbolism, moral themes, and metaphors, which is what I really love to see in a film. The first 45 minutes we try to figure out what the relationship is between Steven and Martin. Are they friends or lovers? Turns out that Martin is out for revenge. Martin is one of the best villains I’ve seen on film. I can’t go into much detail without giving away major spoilers. Yorgos Lanthimos made a modern day tale of “Iphigenia in Aulis”, which is about a man who is forced to sacrifice his child to a vengeful god. Also the film teaches us that doctors have really nice hands.

11) God’s Own Country

“It’s beautiful here, but lonely, no?”

   My friend calls this film Brokeback UK, but it’s so much better than that Brokeback Mountain film. Even though I love Ang Lee I didn’t care for the film since it’s extremely depressing, but this film is so much better. Yes it’s a romance, but it’s also a story of breaking from tradition and actually has a happy ending. It’s good to see a happy ending in a romantic drama. The film is deeply touching, gorgeously shot, and beautifully acted.

10) Logan Lucky

“Now I’m about to get naked back here, so no peaking. I said no peaking!”

   In a summer full of remakes, sequels, and gigantic blockbusters it’s nice to see something that strays from the rest. My friend called it “The Italian Job, but with rednecks”. Well she’s not totally wrong. The film is about the Logan family, Jimmy Logan and Clyde Logan Logan (yeah his middle name is Logan also) along with their sister Mellie Logan, who are known for the bad-luck in their family. After Jimmy loses his job he decides to pull off an elaborate heist and possibly break the family curse in the process. It’s a funny film and has quite the impressive cast, but Daniel Craig as Joe Bang is the scene-stealer. Also, I’m not a fan of Seth MacFarlane at all and him getting beat up made the film even better in my opinion.

9) Wind River

“You don't catch wolves looking where they might be; you look where they've been.”

    This is probably the most depressing film on the list due to its subject matter. Wind River is a murder mystery thriller by Taylor Sheridan. The story is about a rookie FBI agent that teams up with Cory a tracker/hunter in order to investigate a murder of a young local girl on a Native American Reservation. The acting is beyond phenomenal in this film. Jeremy Renner gives one of his greatest performances as Cory Lambert. He’s reserved and charismatic, while concealing a deep emotional pain underneath. This role proves that he is more than just a useless Marvel character. Gil Birmingham (Into the West/ Hell or High Water) is probably the one who shines the most in this film as a father unsure how to cope with the loss of his daughter. He deserves an Oscar already. Two of the most powerful scenes in the film were between him and Renner. The rest of the supporting cast is great. Julia Jones (Winter in the Blood) plays Cory’s wife. You could feel the tension and the grief she still has over the loss of their child. Graham Greene (The Green Mile/ Into the West) was fantastic as the tribal police officer. I was surprised to see Tokala Clifford in the film because I loved him in my favorite mini-series Into the West and the film adaption of Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee. I wish he were in the film longer. I hope Taylor Sheridan keeps directing and writing. You should see Wind River at least once.

8) Dunkirk

“I told my dad I’ve, I’ve done nothing at school. But I know I would do something one day. Maybe get in the local paper. Maybe my teachers would see it.”

    I consider this a sequel to Darkest Hour. Christopher Nolan is a cinematic genius and always has a way of bringing you to the edge of your seat right off the bat with the opening scene. The first thing we see in this film is a young man, played by Fionn Whitehead, hearing gunshots and begins to run with his fellow men with each one being taken out right next to him. He’s finally made it to the beach, but he’s the only one. The film just keep going nonstop as it moves to characters on the beach, on the boats, and in the air. It has an impressive cast with Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, and Kenneth Branaugh (the one true Hamlet). All of them are great actors, but the one who really stood out to me was Fionn Whitehead, who rarely even speaks in the film. He says everything with his eyes and body language, which absolutely speaks volumes. He has a bright future ahead of him. Dunkirk is a great film. Is it the best war film? No, but it doesn’t stop me from loving it. After I saw it in IMAX I was deaf for about 30 minutes it was that loud, but totally worth it.

7) Lady Bird

“We’re afraid that we will never escape our past. We’re afraid of what the future will bring. We’re afraid we won’t be loved, we won’t be liked, and we won’t succeed.”

    Greta Gerwig’s talent for dialogue alone immediately got Ladybird in my top 10. Lady Bird is her second film she’s directed with “Nights and Weekends” being her first (go check it out). This is the coming-of-age film I wanted “Boyhood” to be. It’s a funny warm and wise film about growing up. It captures all the ups and downs of high school to university from our relationships with friends, family, and essentially ourselves. Lady Bird has the desire to be unique compared to everyone else, which we all want to be unique. The hilarious opening scene really sets the tone for the film. Ladybird and her mother had just finished driving to college tours around California. On their way back home an argument arises between the two because Ladybird doesn’t want to spend all her life in Sacramento. She wants to be somewhere full of life like the east coast where she will find her true self. She wants to be better than some girl whose family is having financial struggles. Hopefully this film will get Laurie Metcalf more recognition and more dramatic roles because she really is a good actress. She shouldn’t just be remembered for Roseanne and playing Sheldon’s mom on Big Bang.

6) The Disaster Artist

“It’s not going to happen for you. Not in a million years!”

“But after that?”

     A film based on the making of my favorite bad movie “The Room”. I remember the first time I saw “The Room”. It was in the early 2000s and the local cinema (that also played independent films from time to time) was showing some classic cult film that was barely in theatres during its original theatrical release. There was a line outside and I asked if the tickets for Episode II went on sale (people didn’t think it was going to be that bad) and they responded no we’re waiting to see “The Room”. They proceeded to tell me the plot and why it was a great film. I had to see it after their description, but then I questioned myself after my friend and I got our tickets once I saw the poster of Tommy Wiseau staring right at me. The movie was god-awful, but I loved every second of it. My chest hurt badly from laughing so hard at Tommy’s masterpiece. It’s easy to see why it’s a cult classic. It’s so bad it’s good. When I heard that there was going to be a film adaption of Greg Sestero’s memoir “The Disaster Artist” detailing Tommy Wiseau making “The Room”. I was in because Wiseau is this generation’s version of Ed Wood. The casting was prefect from James Franco playing the man Tommy and Josh Hutcherson who plays man-child Denny. Franco did great directing too. All those people complaining about him blocking Tommy from saying a few words at the golden globes, Franco knows Tommy and has been on plenty of interviews with him. Once Tommy starts talking there’s no stopping him.

5) Logan

“Nature made me a freak. Man made me a weapon. And God made it last too long.”

   The Dark Knight of the Marvel films. After some pretty bad X-Men and solo Wolverine films, James Mangold and Hugh Jackman made the best film out of the entire X-Men franchise. Logan isn’t your typical superhero film because it’s more drama than action to be honest. The film is about an aging Logan who’s abilities have slowed down with age. He’s taking care of Xavier who is suffering from a degenerative brain disease. They’re one of the few mutants still left. A mysterious easily angered girl named Laura crosses paths with them and they embark on their final adventure. This is the Wolverine film that fans have been asking for.

4) The Phantom Thread

“I'm incurable.” 

    I like the story of how Phantom Thread came about from the words of Paul Thomas Anderson, “I was very, very sick in bed one night and my wife looked at me with a love and an affection that I hadn’t seen in a long time. So I called Daniel the next day. I said, ‘I think I have a good idea for a movie’.” As soon as I saw the trailer I knew it was going to be something truly spectacular and by George it was. I will watch anything with Daniel Day Lewis in it because he’s a universal treasure. I will also watch anything directed by Paul Thomas Anderson because he’s the new Kubrick or Hitchcock. Every film he makes is groundbreaking. The film is about a troubled genius Woodcock who lives with his sister Cyril. He designs dresses for members of status around the world. He goes through muses left and right. They come and go when he becomes bored with them. He discovers his new muse named Alma who is a waitress. Her rawness intrigues him so, which results in him asking her to come with him to his house to become his next muse. The film at first feels like a beautiful love story, but then nearly turns into a psychological thriller. Daniel Day Lewis was wonderful as Woodcock, who is so very dedicated to his work and his craft that he ignores most everyone else. Sex to him is a secondary concern because where most men would desire to undress women Woodcock desires to dress them. His obsession could destroy him and Alma tries to find a way to stop that from happening. I’ve been thinking about this film long after viewing it. That final act in the Phantom Thread has been stuck in my head longer than any other film besides BR2049 of course. Bright colors, wonderful directing, phenomenal acting, and my god the music. Who would have thought Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood could make such beautiful music. I want to live in that score.

3) Call Me By Your Name

“When you least expect it, nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot. Just…remember I’m here. Right now you may not want to feel anything, maybe you never wanted to feel anything. And maybe its not to me you wanna speak about these things, but feel something you obviously did. You had a beautiful friendship, maybe more than a friendship. And I envy you. In my place, most parents would hope the whole thing goes away, or pray that their sons land on their feet, but I am not such a parent. We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster that we go bankrupt by the age of 30 and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste! Have I spoken out of term? And I’ll say one more thing. It’ll clear the air. I may have come close, but I never had what you two have. Something always held me back or stood in the way. How you live your life is your business. Just remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart is worn out, and, as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it. Right now there’s sorrow, pain. Don’t kill it. Embrace it with the joy you felt.”

     This was the biggest surprise for me. It’s rare for a film to improve on the novel, but Call Me By Your Name does that. I’m glad that they took out old Elio looking back to the days when he was young. The film was about Elio’s father has a man over named Oliver who is his intern. Elio has to give up his bedroom for Oliver, but has to share a bathroom and the two of them become close over time. The film simply blew me away with its cinematography and acting. There is one thing that bothered me Elio’s family hide the fact they’re Jewish for social position.

2) The Shape of Water

“When I think of her, the only thing that comes to mind is a poem, whispered by someone in love, hundreds of years ago, unable to perceive the shape of you, I find you all around me, your presence fills my eyes with your love. It humbles my heart, for you are everywhere.”

    Guillermo del Toro is back with his best film since Pan’s Labyrinth. The Shape of Water is like if Beauty and the Beast and Creature from the Black Lagoon had a gorgeous yet very weird baby. The story is about a mute janitor who works at a laboratory and she eventually develops a relationship with a creature trapped there that’s being used for research. She makes it her mission to help him escape. It’s one of the most beautiful and mesmerizing films of 2017. The film has great music, incredible cinematography, a lovely atmosphere, perfect directing, and wonderful acting. Sally Hawkins gives the best performance of the year and she doesn’t utter a word. The spectacular supporting cast that includes the always perfect Octavia Spencer, an angry Michael Shannon, Doug Jones as the dancing creature, the pie loving Richard Jenkins, and Michael Stuhlberg as the caring scientist. Guillermo del Toro has created one of the most unique and captivating love stories. I like what del Toro said about love, “I think love is the greatest force in the universe. It’s shapeless like water. It only takes the shape of things it becomes.” This film is perfection.

Honorable Mentions: Your Name/ Lego Batman/ Good Time/ Florida Project

“Edgy, scary music that would make a parent or studio executive nervous and logos really long and dramatic logos. Warner Bros, why not Warner Brothers? I don't know. DC, the house that Batman built. Yeah, what, Superman? Come at me, bro. I'm your Kryptonite.”

     Your Name is one of the best anime films I’ve seen in a long while. Actually it’s one of the best anime films period. I absolutely love everything about this film. The story is wonderful and so is the voice acting. Makoto Shinkai really knows how to play with the viewer’s emotions. I won’t go too much into the plot because I believe you should go into the film knowing nothing at all. It’s best that way and you won’t be disappointed. You’ll love the film I promise. Then there’s the romantic comedy The Lego Batman Movie. Joker feels like he’s in an one sided relationship and wants Batman to admit that there could be no Batman without the Joker. Joker just wants to be noticed by his Bats. Then there’s another film about love, but it’s not romantic love it’s brotherly love gone wrong. Lastly, there’s The Florida Project. The trailer of the film didn’t initially blow me away, but it was directed by Sean Baker (Tangerine) so I knew it would be good. The film was really good. Brooklyn Kimberly Prince and Willem Dafoe blew me away. All-in-All these films were pretty good.

1) Blade Runner 2049

“I can see it. As clear as dreaming. He loves her.”

     Saying that Blade Runner 2049 is a masterpiece isn’t doing the film justice. I wasn’t worried when they announced that Denis Villeneuve was set to direct the sequel, which is definitely saying something. He’s one of the great directors working today. Since his directorial debut way back in ’98 he’s been killing it in the film industry. He’s not afraid to make adult films that ask the bigger questions and makes us truly think. Each film he directs continues to get better and better. Blade Runner 2049 is by far his best film. The sequel actually improves and deepens on the source material. In the original they state “more human than human”, but in BR2049 they ponder, “What does make one human”. There is a lot of symbolism along with philosophical and moral questions in this film as I stated in my review. It makes me mad that hardly anyone saw this film making it a box-office bomb compared to “The Last Jedi”, which was mediocre at best. I’m glad that I am one of the few who were able to see it in the cinema as many times as I did. It was a rare cinematic experience that I’ll always cherish like those who saw “A New Hope” back in 1977. Everything from the acting, directing, score, writing, and cinematography is perfection. It truly is my favorite film. The last six minutes of the Blade Runner 2049 has more emotion than most of the overrated Oscar nominated films over the years.  Warner Bros you have redeemed yourself with this film. Lastly, let us take a moment to appreciate cinematographer Roger Deakins.