My TOP 15 Movies of 2017

So, before I start this, I just wanna inform everyone that has supported and has read my work on Analyzing Film, that this will be my last post on this site. I started this site to, what else, analyze films. What was the bigger meaning behind them and I wanted to share my thoughts on them with you all. And it’s been pretty fun doing this, but honestly I feel like I’m not being able to get across my point through this site and I’m not motivated to keep writing on Analyzing Film. I will however start another blog soon where I will share reviews. You can also check out my work on my Letterboxd account.

Again, I wanna thank everyone that supported my blog. I thought it would be a good idea to quit my blog with ranking my top 15 movies of 2017. So let’s being:

 

15. THE BIG SICK

Director: Michael Showalter

You know I’m a sucker for rom coms sometimes. Especially ones that are able to keep you laughing at the comedy, but then ultimately hit you pretty hard emotionally. The Big Sick sometimes struggles with it’s comedy, but the characters and the emotional weight of it all just makes this an amazing movie in my book. It reaches a perfect balance between tragedy and comedy. And It even has some pretty honest and great social commentary. The performances are great. Kumail Nanjiani gives a great comedic and sometimes emotional performance and has a lot of chemistry with Zoe Kazan, who is also charming and funny here. Also the moment Ray Romano and Holly Hunter entered this movie, it became so much better.

14. LOGAN LUCKY

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Soderbergh is back! And he’s given us another stylish heist film with unique and memorable characters, full of heart. Hilarious and at times very sweet. The characters are all well written and Soderbergh always does a fine job with humanizing them. The performances are spectacular. Daniel Craig seems like he had a blast filming this movie. Besides his performance as James Bond, this is my favorite of Craig. As a big fan of Magic Mike, it’s nice to see Channing Tatum work alongside Soderbergh again and Tatum manages to give another fantastic performance. As does Adam Driver, Riley Keough and the rest of the cast.

13. LOGAN

Director: James Mangold

Ah, the other movie with the name “Logan”. Director James Mangold, in my opinion, has managed to created a comic book movie that I believe has reached the same level of quality as Nolan’s The Dark Knight. But really Logan is less of a comic book movie and more of a western. It does a smart job by distancing itself from the larger X-men universe and solely focusing on it’s most beloved character as he faces his own mortality and tries to find peace and family again. It’s quite a touching movie, honestly. And the performances are incredible. Hugh Jackman has played this character for 17 years and this is by far his most emotional and powerful performance. As is Patrick Stewart’s. And I have to mention Dafne Keen, who is surprisingly amazing for a child actor. This was one of my most anticipated movies of 2017 and it didn’t disappoint.

12. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

Director: Rian Johnson

Boy, oh boy. Where do I even start with this one? The Last Jedi was a lot of people’s most anticipated movie of 2017 and director Rian Johnson managed to completely flip the Star Wars franchise on it’s head and create something new and engaging. He also managed to divide the Star Wars fanbase, which is pretty scary. I however, love this movie. The characters, the story and just how it manages to mirror Empire Strikes Back and all the twist and turns that movie took, but also feeling quite different at the same time. It’s…amazing and the cast is just full of talented actors and actresses.

R.I.P Carrie Fisher

11. THE SHAPE OF WATER

Director: Guillermo del Toro

It’s nice to finally see director Guillermo del Toro get the attention he deserves. This is probably his best and my favorite movie of his. Strange and odd, but charming and full of heart. It’s 1960s setting, atmosphere and color palette gives it sorta a nostalgic feel and it’s word feels alive and engaging. More interesting that it’s world, is it’s characters. Sally Hawkins is charming as she gives one of the best performances of 2017. Doug Jones also gives a lot of character to his monster without even saying a word and the relationship between the monster and Sally Hawkins’ character is what drives this movie. Also Michael Shannon plays the villain and he’s amazing.

10. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

Director: Martin McDonagh

Martin McDonagh has been a director I’ve been quite interested in lately. His two previous films, In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths have been hilarious dark comedies that seem to balance the seriousness of it all and the comedy. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is no exception. McDonagh perfectly balances what is a pretty dark and serious story with some great black comedy. The story itself is pretty engaging, as is the ultimate meaning behind it. Frances McDormand is a force to be reckoned with in this movie. She’s both badass and funny and this is one of her best performances. It’s also finally nice to see Sam Rockwell get some more appreciation and he’s entertaining as always. It’s a blast until it gets pretty emotional and depressing.

9. THE DISASTER ARTIST

Director: James Franco

An amazing comedy about the making of one of the worst movies ever made, The Room, but also a detailed and passionate film about the art of making films. James Franco steals the whole movie as Tommy Wiseau. Tommy is an oddball, but this movie does a great job at showing different sides of him. And James Franco is just fantastic in this role. Dave Franco, more or less, is playing himself, but he still gives a pretty decent performance as Greg Sestero and his relationship with Tommy Wiseau is understandable as they share the same dream. It’s a movie about following your dreams and making it big. Even if it is with making the worst movie ever.

8. GET OUT

Director: Jordan Peele

You know I almost didn’t see this movie. Me and horror don’t go so well, but I’m so glad I saw this. And I really wasn’t expecting to like it this much. Jordan Peele’s darkly comedic social commentary is wonderful! Peele perfectly balances a great thriller with some pretty fun and hilarious moments. It amazes me how this is a directorial debut. The cast and performances are incredible. Daniel Kaluuya is terrific. Everything I’ve seen him from, he’s been incredible in. And he shares a lot of chemistry with Allison Williams here. The rest of the cast also gives terrific and some quite terrifying performances. A unique movie that manages to say a lot about today’s world and also deliver quite a few laughs.

7. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

Director: Luca Guadagnino

First of, let me admit that I cried at this. Call Me By Your Name is a beautiful film that celebrates love and all the other emotions that come with it. It’s setting in Italy tremendously elevates it’s romantic nature. It’s generally calm and peaceful as it tends to focus longer on a single shot. It’s cinematography and soundtrack make this one of the most beautiful films of the year. Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer have great chemistry together and you truly believe their love for each other. Michael Stuhlbarg is also quite great, especially in his final monologue. What else can I say, but beautiful.

6. THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES

Director: Noah Baumbach

Noah Baumbach continues to be one of the greatest modern filmmakers working today. His writing is charming and his characters are lovable and warm. Honestly his movies sometimes feel like a big hug. If that makes any sense to you. Adam Sandler should honestly be in more serious roles like this with some comedy. Sandler is really terrific when he wants to be. Ben Stiller and Elizabeth Marvel are also fantastic and all three of them share quite a great bond together. A charming little film about family relationships that made it into my top 10 list among all these blockbusters.

5. LADY BIRD

Director: Greta Gerwig

I was so excited for Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut and she blew me away with this movie. It perfectly captures the raw emotions of a teenage life and the struggle of maturing into adulthood. It is hilarious, chaotic and emotional. Saoirse Ronan honestly became one of my favorite actresses. The rest of the cast is amazing as well. And I continue to love Greta Gerwig. I had a feeling this movie would make it in my top 5 and I’m so happy I was right about that.

4. DUNKIRK

Director: Christopher Nolan

Whenever Christopher Nolan makes a film, I know it will probably be one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. And yeah Dunkirk is exactly that. A thrilling epic depicting the harshness of war and the battlefield. It’s Nolan’s most captivating film in my opinion, as it throws you into this war alongside these soldiers. Through Hoyte van Hoytema’s beautiful cinematography and Hans Zimmer enthralling score, Nolan creates a near masterpiece of a film.

3. A GHOST STORY

Director: David Lowery

A Ghost Story is another movie I wasn’t expecting much from, but ended up leaving with a lot of my emotions jumbled up. It’s slow and melancholic nature make this a fascinating watch that hit me pretty hard emotionally and left me thinking about it’s nihilistic philosophy on life and moving on. I also can’t believe a sheet with two eye holes cut out of it can convey so much emotion.

2. BABY DRIVER

Director: Edgar Wright

Edgar Wright is back again with another well edited, fast paced, comedic and smart action flick. A big part that plays into this movie is it’s music. It elevates the plot and plays a big part in it. It shows off Wright’s love for music in this movie as he perfectly blends it into the movie’s identity. The cast is amazing and their characters are memorable and nuanced. It’s also a real blast!

Alright, so before I talk about my number 1 movie of 2017, I would like to name a few honorable mentions that didn’t make my top 15, but still left a great impression on me.

Honorable Mentions:

Free Fire (Dir: Ben Wheatley), Wind River (Dir: Taylor Sheridan), Thor: Ragnarok (Dir: Taika Waititi), A Cure For Wellness (Dir: Gore Verbinski), GoTG Vol.2 (Dir: James Gunn), War For The Planet Of The Apes (Dir: Matt Reeves), IT (Dir: Andrés Muschietti), Split (Dir: M. Night Shyamalan), John Wick: Chapter 2 (Dir: Chad Stahelski), The Lost City Of Z (Dir: James Gray), Mudbound (Dir: Dee Rees), Wonder Woman (Dir: Patty Jenkins), Alien: Covenant (Dir: Ridley Scott), The Killing Of A Sacred Deer (Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos), Good Time (Dir: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie), Lucky (Dir: John Carroll Lynch)…

And now finally…my favorite movie of 2017…

1. BLADE RUNNER 2049

Director: Denis Villeneuve

This movie…woah! Where do I start? Blade Runner 2049 had everything going for it and I’m still shocked at the masterpiece that came out. The gorgeous cinematography by Roger Deakins, I mean this is by far the man’s most beautiful and breathtaking work. The soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch, also help immerse us deeper and it all just creates this beautiful film. But the story and characters are also well written and developed and it’s…it’s…Christ, I’ve ran out of things to praise. The performances are outstanding. Ryan Gosling, man. What a terrific actor. His best performance, in my opinion. Harrison Ford (a legend), Jared Leto, Sylvia Hoeks, Ana de Armas and the rest of the cast are outstanding. This movie has well earned it’s place as the best movie of 2017, in my opinion.

What a great year for film, to be honest. And there’s still some more movies I’m planning on watching that came out in 2017. But for now, this is my list. And like I said, this is the final thing I’m going to post on my blog. Thank you all for supporting Analyzing Film.