From sci-fi originals to hard-hitting dramas to superlative horror films, the year 2017
delivered a bumper crop of excellent flicks for film lovers.
The year was so chock full of cinematic wins that some critics have had trouble trimming
down their lists of favorites.
Even so, there's no doubt that these movies are part of what made 2017 such a memorable
year for movies.
Split Pretty much no one saw it coming, but M. Night
Shyamalan's surprise hit Split is among the best films of the year.
The taut thriller follows a group of young women abducted by a man with multiple personalities.
Their struggle for dominance threaten to either upend his plans… or make things even worse
for his captives.
"Everybody just take a minute!"
Critics have hailed it as an unexpected return to form for Shyamalan, and a big part of the
film's buzz comes from its twist ending.
It isn't just the shocking final act that makes Split so much fun—actor James McAvoy
ties it all together with a tour de force performance.
Get Out Helmed by debuting feature director Jordan
Peele, this comedy-horror hybrid follows the increasingly frightening misadventures of
a young man venturing into the suburbs to meet his girlfriend's parents.
The fact that they're an interracial couple underscores both the funniest and creepiest
moments of the film, and soon our hero finds himself under the town's sinister spell just
as the dangers of his hosts become clear.
"Get out!"
"Sorry, man."
"Get out!"
There's a reason everyone's been talking about Get Out since its release; see it yourself
and find out why.
Logan Although Hugh Jackman has been celebrated
for his portrayal of Wolverine for the better part of two decades, none of those outings
have truly captured the angst and rage that help make the character so poignant in the
comics.
That all changes with Logan, a loose adaptation of the Old Man Logan comics arc that finds
our hero in a grim wasteland largely devoid of mutants, called upon to defend a mysterious
girl targeted by a passel of bloodthirsty villains.
A brooding Western road trip with claws, Logan's been hailed by critics as a fitting farewell
for Jackman—and perhaps the best entry in the X-Men franchise to date.
Beauty and the Beast Disney's winning streak continued in 2017
with the box office bonanza that was their Beauty and the Beast live-action remake.
The faithful remake of its animated predecessor was a must-see for movie fans because it introduced
a new all-star cast, updated visual dynamics, and a few new songs and in-jokes to enjoy.
It was a rare movie that could be truly enjoyed by audiences of all ages, and arrived as one
of the year's most successful movies as a result.
Wonder Woman After 75-plus years of taking down baddies
in the comics pages, and one supporting appearance in Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman finally got
her shot at solo blockbuster glory in 2017—and she may have single-handedly saved the DC
Extended Universe.
Wonder Woman did everything it needed to and then some, serving as an effective origin
story as well as a superhero adventure that stood on its own while continuing to lay the
groundwork for Justice League.
Considering how underwhelming Justice League turned out to be, it looks like Wonder Woman
is going to be carrying the DCEU on her very capable shoulders from here on out.
Baby Driver With its eclectic soundtrack and insanely
impressive stunts, Edgar Wright's Baby Driver is an exciting action flick.
The pic centers on a young crook named Baby, who works as a getaway driver for a smarmy
crime boss named Doc.
Suffering from tinnitus, Baby drowns out the constant droning with an incredible collection
of iPods, and while he's grooving to the tunes, he's able to weave in and out of traffic,
dodge cars and avoid police pursuit by doing 180s in alleyways.
But Baby's life gets a little more complicated when he falls head over heels for a beautiful
waitress, which makes him want to straighten his life out.
But he's got one more job on deck, working with a who's who of psycho killers.
Needless to say, the robbery doesn't go as planned, and Baby is forced to take a stand
to save everything he loves.
With its dance-like action and its cool character line-up, the film has got a little something
special for everyone and arrived as an immediate standout for the year.
Dunkirk Of Christopher Nolan's greatest achievements,
Dunkirk is right up there with Inception and The Dark Knight.
The nail-biting World War II thriller tells the story of a real-life military retreat.
Roughly 400,000 Allied troops were trapped on a French beach, completely surrounded by
the Nazis, and the only thing keeping our heroes from home was the English Channel.
Unfortunately, the beach was too shallow to accommodate military-sized vessels, so English
civilians sprang into action, sailing to Dunkirk in their yachts and fishing boats.
It was an incredible moment in history, and Nolan does a masterful job of capturing the
suspense.
In true Nolan fashion, the story is divided into three interwoven narratives which are
all ultimately connected.
Audiences are put in the middle of the battlefield and feel the same desperation of those soldiers,
waiting for a boat to arrive with a chance of rescue.
It Andy Muschietti's It isn't the first adaptation
of Stephen King's weighty novel.
In 1990, Tim Curry made horror history by playing Pennywise the Dancing Clown, the Derry
demon with a fondness for floating.
"Kiss me, fat boy!" (laughs)
But with Bill Skarsgård wearing the carnival makeup, things are a lot darker and bloodier
in the new take.
The first of a two-part tale, It tells the story of "The Losers' Club," a group of outcast
kids who are beaten by bullies and plagued by horrible home lives.
But when they're together, these kids are pretty powerful—and they need as much strength
as possible when they find themselves facing a flesh-eating clown.
The Losers eventually head into the sewers to end the evil that's been plaguing their
town for years.
And under all the gore and grime, behind the monstrous apparitions and evil sinks, there's
a lot of heart in this movie…even if the creepy clown wants to eat everyone.
Blade Runner 2049 While it's become one of the most influential
sci-fi movies ever made, when Blade Runner hit theaters in 1982, it divided critics and
flopped at the box office.
35 years later, Denis Villeneuve's sequel has been similarly unsuccessful at the box
office, but it completely impressed critics with its stunning visuals and intensely philosophical
plot.
The film's dynamic landscape feels equal parts terrifying and fabulous, and even beyond the
gorgeous imagery is a movie still grappling with and building on the same meaty themes
from the first film—namely, the nature of humanity.
With Ryan Gosling as K, a blade runner hunting for answers about his past and the truth about
the android race known as "replicants," the story explores the depths of the human soul.
So, while the film may have not been a commercial success this time either, we can count on
Blade Runner 2049 to inspire the sci-fi scene for generations to come as well.
I, Tonya Directed by Craig Gillespie, I, Tonya is an
examination of what really happened in 1994 when ice skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked
before the US Figure Skating Championship in Detroit, and how one woman was at the center
of it all: Tonya Harding.
Played to perfection by Margot Robbie, Harding comes off as a tragic anti-hero, caught between
an abusive mother, a violent husband, and her desperate need to succeed in a snobby
sport that treats her like dirt.
"Maybe you should pick another sport."
"Suck my d---."
Surrounded by creeps and idiots, she claws her way to the top, only to see everything
come tumbling down fast.
You might already have an opinion on the notorious ice queen, but thanks to Robbie's powerhouse
performance we actually come to sympathize with this woman—who's so often reduced to
a simple, trashy villain.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi While it's controversial among some Star Wars
fans, The Last Jedi cleaned house at the box office and used its Force powers to win over
most every critic in the galaxy.
Picking up pretty much immediately after The Force Awakens, the film finds Rey desperately
trying to convince a world-weary Luke Skywalker that the Resistance needs his help.
But the old Jedi is holding on to some secrets, and refuses to leave his deserted planet,
frustrating Rey and causing her to seek answers from her old enemy, Kylo Ren.
In addition to the main plot, The Last Jedi takes us to some incredible new worlds and
pays homage to the originals while setting up an exciting new future for the franchise.
Thor: Ragnarok For the most part, the Marvel Cinematic Universe
has delivered solid, entertaining films…with the exception being the Thor franchise.
While the character always had potential, the first two films didn't quite do justice
to the God of Thunder.
So thank Odin for Taika Waititi whose Ragnarok is an apocalyptic good time.
The plot follows Thor as he's trying to stop Hela from taking over Asgard.
Unfortunately, his superhero plans don't pan out, and after the hammer is crushed into
tiny pieces, he finds himself imprisoned on a planet where he's forced to do battle with
the Incredible Hulk.
What results is possibly the funniest movie in the entire Marvel franchise and one with
a surprising amount of heart.
"That doesn't sound right."
"Well, it's true."
Unlike the previous two films, Ragnarok actually has something to say about the destructive
influence of colonialism and how great nations often hide their bloody pasts.
And most importantly, Thor is no longer a Shakespearean straight man.
Instead, he's a good-natured goof who's forced to truly reckon with his own godhood, with
a few werewolves and fire demons in the mix.
Phantom Thread 10 years after There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas
Anderson reunited with Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread, a period drama that marks
the last time Day-Lewis steps in front of a movie camera.
The story follows his powerful and obsessive dressmaker who goes through women like they're
spools of thread until he meets his match in a waitress who turns the artist's life
upside down.
Soon, the relationship goes from sweet to toxic, allowing Day-Lewis to unleash all of
his thespian powers along the way.
While it's lacking the fire and brimstone of There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread is
just as powerful in its suave and simmering, mild-mannered English way and marks a fitting
end to Day-Lewis' illustrious career.
The Disaster Artist Widely considered one of the worst movies
ever made, The Room has left audiences howling for years with its bizarro scenes and nonsensical
dialogue, courtesy of Tommy Wiseau.
"You are lying.
I never hit you.
You are tearing me apart, Lisa!"
An oddball auteur who wrote, directed, and starred in this epically awful film, Wiseau
has long been one of cinema's craziest and most mysterious characters.
He's been treated as a laughingstock and a villain, but according to The Disaster Artist,
maybe he's just the ultimate embodiment of the Hollywood dream.
Directed by and starring James Franco, the film depicts the relationship between aspiring
actor Greg Sestero and Wiseau, an out-of-control egomaniac with incredible amounts of cash
and zero ability to memorize lines.
Wiseau hopes to become an A-list star, but when he's rejected time and again, he decides
to make his own movie, sucking Greg into the world's weirdest film shoot.
While it would be really easy to make Wiseau look completely foolish, Franco gives a much
more layered performance that's being called one of his all-time best.
The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro is a master at telling
enchanting tales, as seen in films like Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, and Crimson
Peak.
And now the director has crafted what might be his magnum opus with The Shape of Water,
a film that looks like Creature from the Black Lagoon but feels more like Beauty and the
Beast.
This film follows a mute janitor who works at a government lab and discovers an Amphibian
Man locked away in the bowels of the building.
Despite their very apparent differences, the two form a bond, and soon there's a romance
brewing, one threatened by Cold War intrigue and a vicious military officer.
The result is a truly magical movie with gorgeous direction and moving performances from its
leading duo.
All the Money in the World Ridley Scott managed to turn what could've
been a show-stopping scandal into a point of positive buzz through sheer force of will.
After Kevin Spacey was accused of multiple accounts of inappropriate behavior against
minors, it seemed there wasn't enough money in the world to save the director's true-life
thriller.
But Scott quickly recalibrated by recasting Spacey's role with Christopher Plummer and
re-shot 22 scenes with just six weeks to go until the film was due in theaters.
Not only did he complete the ultra-ambitious adjustment in time, but critics were also
highly impressed with Plummer's misanthropic performance as the billionaire who refused
to pay ransom for his kidnapped grandson.
As a result, the movie which could've become a casualty of the 2017 reckoning was actually
one of the year's most impressive productions.
The Post Based on a true story, Steven Spielberg's
The Post follows Washington Post owner Katharine Graham and editor Ben Bradlee as they debate
whether to publish the Pentagon Papers, leaked documents that exposed the U.S. government's
lies about the Vietnam War.
With pressure coming down hard from the White House, the two must grapple with concepts
like the value of a free press, knowing full well their decision could wreck the paper
or worse.
"We could all go to prison."
An old-school movie from an old-school master, The Post brilliantly jumps back and forth
from historical epic to a comedy to crackling thriller.
The A-list stars are on the top of their game, and more importantly, in an era when "fake
news" and divisive politics rule the day, The Post is a timely reminder of the importance
of journalism.
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