Top 10 Best Movies of 2017
2017 was a good film year. Unlike 2016, when I could barely think of 5 films I genuinely enjoyed, the past twelve months were filled with fantastic productions. Granted, my love for film grew even further in 2017 and I saw more films than I did in 2016, but I’m positive that this was definitely one strong year.
Here are the ten movies I think were the best of 2017. I must mention though – I have yet to see: ‘Shape of Water’, ‘Lady Bird’, ‘Call Me by Your Name’, ‘Wonder’, ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’, and ‘The Florida Project’. All those movies are supposedly very good and some of them surely would have made this list. Unfortunately, I must still catch up on some cinema, so this list excludes the titles mentioned above.
10. ‘Rough Night’
‘Rough Night’ still remains my favorite source of pure comedic entertainment since ‘The Hangover’. Excluding films as ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, which are fairly comedic, but altogether function in a different genre completely, ‘Rough Night’ manages to achieve what most before it have failed: to make the viewer laugh. It’s well written, directed, and acted; it aims, and succeeds, to bring back the genius genre of satire. Most importantly, its layers and layers of intertwined irony and self-irony make it an accidental masterpiece.
9. ‘Thor: Ragnarok’
‘Thor: Ragnarok’ was an extremely pleasant surprise. While at this point many, including myself, are getting sick of the whole ‘Guardian of the Galaxy’ type MCU productions, ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ managed to stay innovative and interesting. With a different story, a great cameo from Hulk, high-stakes, and exciting plot-twists, this productions remains one of the few fresh MCU films in recent years.
8. ‘Logan’
Ah, yes: the perfect ending for an altogether perfect character. Listen, I’ve said it before and I’ll say ti again: the X-Men cinematic universe is better than the MCU. It’s more interesting, more bold, and they manage to keep things exciting. In that sense, ‘Logan’ was something fresh in a universe that remains, nevertheless, still fresh. This was not a superhero movie; rather, it was a character story. A layered tale of an exhausted man, not superhero, who remains trapped with his inner demons. A tale that was a much needed exclusion from the superhero genre. ‘Logan’ was all we wanted, needed, and more.
7. ‘Get Out’
*googles whether Jordan Peele is directing something else soon*
People adore this film and there’s been much hype around it, but I believe that many don’t completely realize why exactly they like ‘Get Out’. Yes, it is original, it is beautifully directed, and the acting is brilliant. And yes, the story and the characters are some of the most layered we’ve seen in decades. People adore it, however, because they understand it; because Jordan Peele knew so well what he wanted to do with this film and actually achieved doing it; thus, the film reaches all. And no, I don’t mean the message one must learn after watching the production; no, it’s about intentions and emotions. Jordan Peele’s intentions are clear as day to the viewer’s perspective (either subconsciously or continuously) and thus the appropriate emotions surfaced in people. That alone makes this feature film absolutely brilliant.
6. ‘Wonder Woman’
Hands down, my favorite superhero film of 2017. This was the first really good DCEU production, which alone must be cherished and appreciated. It was the first amazing superhero film with a female in the lead. It was exciting, new, and entertaining as hell. Gal Gadot is officially a symbol of… many things, actually. I’ll surely rewatch ‘Wonder Woman’ more than anything else on this list; it’s the best source of entertainment I’ve gotten in a while. Most importantly, similarly to ‘Get Out’, ‘Wonder Woman’ knows exactly what it wants to do and actually does it.
5. ‘It’
My opinion of ‘It’ bettered with every rewatch. And so it turns out, I’ve seen this horror flick five times now. First couple of times it was Pouty Boy ‘the reviewer’ sitting in the theater, then it was Pouty Boy ‘who wants to chill with friends’, and then it was Pouty Boy ‘who needs to see it again’. If I were to have stopped at that first viewing, ‘It’ probably wouldn’t have made the list. And now it’s at number four.
‘It’ is a fantastic horror movie. Its built on emotional and psychological horror, which is very hard to do and very easy to mess up. It’s really well written and brilliantly acted. Furthermore, ‘It’ is a very important stepping stone for the horror genre: it’s accessible. It’s not just for horror fans, it’s for everyone. And a good horror film becomes a thousand times better when everyone can appreciate it.
4. ‘The Disaster Artist’
‘The Disaster Artist’ is, without a doubt, the most fun I’ve had in a movie theater in my whole life. The humor in this is absolutely flawless. Furthermore, it’s not your run-of-the-mill comedy, a.k.a. ‘Rough Night’, but there are actually some fantastic dramatic sequences as well, which was definitely unexpected. The characters are layered and layered and I never expected such a great and honest depiction of Tommy Wiseau. The attention to detail is astounding and the whole film is beautifully self-aware.
Oh, and James Franco. Hands down, best performance of 2017.
3. ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’
Listen, I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again: I was never a huge fan of the ‘Star Wars’ movies. I mean, I like them very much, but I still think there is a lot of nostalgic value added to them. ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’, however, was a game-changer for me.
It was the first time I was able to truly feel the ‘Star Wars’ magic and understand what everyone has been talking about for so many decades. This movie ranks so high on my list not because it’s a nearly flawless production, which it is, but because it made me feel more than any film on this ranking. I went on a journey and left the theater a different man. The emotions ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ made me experience are incomparable to anything I’ve seen in 2017.
2. ‘Brigsby Bear’
This is the ‘Swiss Army Man’ of 2017. Not only do the two films share many motives and themes, but they are both underappreciated and, sadly, flew under the radar of many. ‘Brigsby Bear’ is, story-wise, the best film of this whole list. It teaches the most and gives back to the viewer the most. ‘Brigsby Bear’ also tells the tale in an extremely original way; from a filmmaking perspective, the movie is also as flawless as it can get. What truly puts this production in my number two spot, however, is its complete tonal awareness. ‘Brigsby Bear’ combines beautiful imagery, great music, and well thought-out pacing to fully capture the ‘indie vibe’ and immense the viewer in the story.
The Lonely Island produced it by the way. These guys remain the f*cking geniuses of Hollywood.
Oh, and thank you, Odeon ScreenUnseen. I never would have seen this if it weren’t for you.
1. ‘Molly’s Game’
YES! My favorite film of 2017 is ‘Molly’s Game’!
There is an episode of the TV show ‘Entourage’ where Aaron Sorkin cameos and someone pitches him the idea of directing, to which he responds: ‘I don’t want to direct. I’m a writer. I like writing’.
Well thank f*cking God he changed his mind because his directorial debut is phenomenal.
I went into a screening of ‘Molly’s Game’ a month before its official release and I had no idea what to expect. Three minutes in, I was hooked. And the film didn’t let me go once during its 140 minute runtime. ‘Molly’s Game’ is extremely dynamic; it gives you no time to breathe… but in a good way. You deeply care about the story and the characters. Funny thing is, the general premise and story behind the plot of this film are equally ridiculous and fascininating and Sorkin manages to capture that in a flawless manner, thus making the movie extremely enticing.
It’s fairly evident the movie is directed by a writer because everything is very well layered. The narrative compliments the story great and the scenes are arranged and written perfectly.
‘Molly’s Game’ is simply a movie that does not let go. Once you are in it, you are in it, and believe me, you will be in it. It’s a film that, in its entirety, functions perfectly; it knows what it wants and does it. It’s the best picture of 2017 because, well, its built on detail. And when a movie is built on detail and that detail is created good, there is not much more we need.
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And there you have it! My top 10 films of 2017! DO you agree with this list? What is your favorite movie of 2017? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, please. Also, don’t forget to LIKE and SHARE this article if you enjoyed it and SUBSCRIBE to Our Movie Life.
As always, thank you so much for reading and have an amazing 2018,
Pouty Boy