2017 was quite a year for movies.
Many of the films that year were not just good, they were fantastic and are films I will find myself re-watching for years to come.
So, I thought it would be best if I did a top 10 list of my favourite films of the year.
However, keep in mind that some movies like Ladybird will not be on this list because I have not seen them.
As for other critically praised movies like The Shape of Water, I live in New Zealand and that came out in January here, instead of in December of last year, so I do not count it as a 2017 movie.
Also, this is my own personal opinion and if you do not like the movies I mention or disagree with my placings that is fine.
Be sure to let me know what your favourite films of 2017 were.
Now enough chit chat and let’s start with number 10.
10. Wind River
Wind River was written by Taylor Sheridan, the person who wrote Sicario and this clearly shows as you can see Sheridan’s personal input and feel in the movie.
Wind River is about U.S Fish and Wildlife Service agent Cory Lambert, played by Jeremy Renner, who discovers the dead body of a teenage girl.
FBI agent Jane Banner, Elizabeth Olsen, is called in to assist on the murder investigation and the two work together to track down the killer.
Wind River has a dramatic sense of realism to it, making it all the more disturbing since things like this actually happen.
Renner gives the best performance I have seen him give as Lambert, who is struggling with his own past as he suffered a tragedy similar to the one of the murdered girl.
The other actors also give solid performances in a movie that really gets you thinking about the injustices in the world.
Wind River is the most realistic and disturbing murder investigation movie I have seen in a while.
9. The Big Sick
Romantic comedies are not my cup of tea so imagine my surprise when I found myself enjoying The Big Sick.
The movie is directed by Michael Showalter and stars Kumail Nanjiani as himself.
It is based on the story of how Nanjiani met his wife Emily, played by Zoe Kazan and the struggles they faced due to Nanjiani’s fear of his disappointing his family and a strange sickness that begins to affect Emily.
First of all, this movie is very funny.
There are many laugh out loud moments, like when Nanjiani suffers an emotional breakdown at a fast food drive-in.
Another highlight is Ray Romano who plays Emily’s dad, Terry Gardener.
Romano is just as funny as Nanjiani and the two share some great scenes together.
Above all else though, the movie is heartwarming and left me feeling good by the end of it.
The Big Sick is a really funny film that made me appreciate romantic comedies a little more.
8. The Disaster Artist
Directed by and starring James Franco as Tommy Weisau, The Disaster Artist centers around the true story of the making of the greatest worst movie ever made, The Room.
Franco plays the mysterious Tommy (a person so larger than life you could swear he was made up just for this film) as he sets off with his friend Greg Sestero, played by David Franco, to make a movie and become famous.
I have grown to respect The Disaster Artist the more I think about it because, even though it is about the making of a terrible film, it is still oddly inspiring.
Franco is fantastic as Wiseau and it actually feels like you are watching the man himself when you see his performance.
This movie just gets more fascinating and funny as it goes along, due to the various outrageous things that are shown to have happened on set.
And just like The Big Sick, only more so, the ending of The Disaster Artist left me grinning from ear to ear.
It is a movie that any fan of The Room needs to see.
7. Dunkirk
Dunkirk is considered by many to be one the best films of 2017.
The reason it is not higher on my list is because I found it kind of hard to get into during the first half because of the lack of character growth or personality and the timeline of the movie was confusing.
However, despite this, Dunkirk is still a very well made and investing film.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk is about the true story of the evacuation of soldiers from Dunkirk during World War Two.
This film is artfully directed, with war scenes playing out like scenes from a thriller.
The visuals and the music are also stunning.
Hans Zimmer’s score for this film is the best one all year.
Dunkirk only gets better and better as it goes along, until it all ends in a climactic and thrilling finale that had me on the edge of my seat.
If I had not had a problem with Dunkirk’s characters or timeline then this would have easily been in the top five best movies of the year.
6. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
This movie left a lot of people divided on whether it was good or not and, I will admit, I do like it less than when I first saw it and can understand why some people hate it.
However, that being said, I still think The Last Jedi is a great film that continued on from The Force Awakens’ success.
Directed by Rian Johnson the film stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Adam Driver, among others.
It follows directly after The Force Awakens with Rey (Ridley) meeting Luke Skywalker (Hamill), only to learn he is not exactly the man she thought he was.
What follows is a film full of great and memorable moments that get an unexpected level of hate from some fans.
I can understand why a fan of Star Wars might find the choices in this movie to be stupid or underwhelming but I just do not see it that way.
I love the choices this movie made and it all works perfectly with the theme of letting the past die for a new generation.
If you did not like The Last Jedi then that is fine but I personally loved this movie and I cannot wait to see the next installment.
5. IT
As a fan on the novel by Stephen King, I think that It is one of the best adaptations we have had in years.
Directed by Andy Muschietti and based off King’s book, It is about a shape shifting entity known as It, which preys on children in the town of Derry, Maine.
It’s favourite form is that of the killer clown Pennywise, played brilliantly by Bill Skasgard.
After a boy named Georgie is taken by It, his brother Bill, played by Jaeden Lieberher, leads his friends of The Losers’ Club to take down It and save his brother.
It is an absolutely terrifying film, filled with killer clowns, creepy adults and stellar acting from its mostly child cast.
There are many memorable scares and so many subtle ones as well, making it the second best horror movie of the year, we will get to the best horror movie later.
Hopefully It Chapter 2 will be just as good, when it comes out in 2019.
4. Blade Runner 2049
I am among the small minority who do not think the first Blade Runner is a masterpiece but the new one definitely is (every movie from this point forward could be considered a masterpiece in my opinion).
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049 stars Ryan Gosling, as replicant police officer K and Ana De Armas, as his simulated girlfriend Joi.
After a shocking discovering, K hunts for the truth surrounding his past, which could spark a civil war between replicants and humans and seeks answers from Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard.
Blade Runner 2049 is visually spectacular, with many stunning shots that are enhanced by the sci-fi music.
Not only that, but the story is engrossing with its unraveling mystery and well developed characters.
Coming in at around two hours and forty five minutes, some may find this movie a bit hard to get through, due to its slow pace but I think the movie definitely earns that slow pace.
It really is a shame that Blade Runner 2049 was one of 2017’s biggest box office bombs because it is a really good film that should not be overlooked.
3. War for the Planet of the Apes
Directed by Matt Reeves and the final part of the new Planet of The Apes trilogy, War was a fantastic way to end Caesar’s story.
Taking place years after the second movie Dawn, War follows Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, on a journey to get revenge on an insane Colonel, played by Woody Harrelson.
Both Serkis and Harrelson give fantastic performances, especially Serkis, who sadly may never be recognized for it because of the use of motion capture.
Oddly enough, there is barely any war in this film, despite the title but this does not change the fact that War is an intense ride from start to finish.
There are various haunting scenes that will leave you shocked and tearing up at what you saw.
War is the first film in the trilogy to have a primarily ape perspective and it works brilliantly.
This is enhanced by the fantastic motion capture CGI that makes the apes look incredibly lifelike.
Gripping and haunting, War for the Planet of the Apes is a real emotional ride.
2. Get Out
Get Out is the first film Jordan Peele directed but you would not know that watching it because of how great it is.
Get Out is a very confronting film about the nature of racism in America and how it did not change post Barak Obama, only it has various horror elements in it.
What puts this movie at number two though is how it only gets better every time I watch it.
There is so much excellent use of subtly and foreshadowing throughout the movie that hint at what is really going on and it is great how, even after watching it three times, I am still noticing new hints.
Then there are the characters, which are the best in a horror movie for a while.
First there is Chris, played by Daniel Kaluuya, who is a very smart protagonist and easy to root for.
Then there is his friend Rod, played by Lil Rey Howery, who literally feels like a member of the film’s audience stumbled into the movie’s story.
Rod picks on and calls out things that usual movie goers do when watching horror movies and it is incredibly funny to watch him constantly wonder why Chris is staying in this creepy house.
Get Out has a good mix of both horror and comedy and an intriguing story that left me guessing what was going on right until the climax.
It is the best horror movie of the year and the second best movie on 2017.
1. Logan
Honestly, what else was it going to be?
If you read my Logan review then you would know how much I adore this movie.
It is my favourite super hero movie, I even think it is better than The Dark Knight (unpopular opinion, I know).
Hugh Jackman stars for the final time as Logan, the battered down former hero who is caring for a very sick Charles Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart.
Logan’s plan for the two just dying changes however, when a young girl named Laura, played by Dafne Keen, crosses their path and the two have to escort her to a safe place known as Eden.
Logan is not only a fantastic super hero movie but a fantastic western as well.
In fact, it is more western than super hero movie because the themes do feel more in line with a western.
Jackman, Stewart and Keen all give fantastic performances in this film and they are not alone.
Boyd Holbrook is very charismatic as the film’s villain Donald Pierce and Stephen Merchant is sympathetic as Caliban.
The fact that these characters are all so great makes it all the more gut wrenching when bad things happen to them.
I still tear up when I watch this movie because it really does get to me.
But, even though I know this movie will hit me hard emotionally, I still find myself watching it.
Logan is a brutal, gut wrenching film that takes a close look at family, death and change.
It is without a doubt, in my mind, the best movie of 2017.
So those are my top 10 favourite films of 2017. Do you agree with me or not? What would you have chosen? Please let me know because I would be interested to see if people share my opinions or what movies they consider to be better.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 