My Top 10 Movies of 2017

This year I’ve decided to do things a little differently. Normally with each movie on my list I’d include a brief description of why it’s on there but I feel like I’ve just been repeating what I said already in my reviews. So instead I’m just going to include the link to my original reviews and you can reread my thoughts. But basically it’s the same- I’ll start at number 10 and work my way to number one. There’ll be a few honorable mentions as well. 

As always, these are my opinions. I’m not expecting everyone to agree with me on the movies I’ve included. Enjoy :) 

10. Last Flag Flying 

•Original review- http://adriannesreviews.blogspot.com/2017/11/film-columbia-2017.html?m=1

9. Brigsby Bear

•Original review- http://adriannesreviews.blogspot.com/2017/08/brigsby-bear.html?m=1

8. Mudbound

•There’s no review for this one since I generally don’t do them for Netflix movies. That may change in the near future however. 

7. Dunkirk

•Original review- http://adriannesreviews.blogspot.com/2017/07/dunkirk-imax.html?m=1

6. Coco

•Original review- http://adriannesreviews.blogspot.com/2017/11/coco.html?m=1

5. Detroit 

•Original review- http://adriannesreviews.blogspot.com/2017/08/detroit.html?m=1

4. War for the Planet of the Apes

•Original review- http://adriannesreviews.blogspot.com/2017/07/war-for-planet-of-apes.html?m=1

3. Get Out

•Original review- http://adriannesreviews.blogspot.com/2017/02/get-out.html?m=1

2. Logan

•Original review- http://adriannesreviews.blogspot.com/2017/03/logan.html?m=1

1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 

•Original review- http://adriannesreviews.blogspot.com/2017/11/film-columbia-2017.html?m=1

Honorable Mentions:

The Florida Project 

I Am Not Your Negro

Wind River

The Shape of Water

Blade Runner 2049

The Shape of Water

Plot:

Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a mute janitor working at a top secret research facility in the 1960s. One day she and her coworker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a mysterious, and classified, creature being kept there.

Pros:

•I have been waiting for so long for this movie to play at a theater near me. Now it is, I’ve seen it, and boy I wasn’t disappointed. WOW!! Guillermo del Toro has once again created another beautiful, unique adult fairytale that I’ve absolutely fallen in love with. 

•Only del Toro can tell a story about a romance between a woman and a fishman and make it convincing. It’s actually pretty sweet. 

•The creature design was really cool. I wish they hadn’t given away what he looks like in the trailers. Would’ve been a nice surprise. 

•Stunning cinematography. Loved the blue and green color tones throughout. 

•Hauntingly beautiful score by Alexandre Desplat. 

•Sally Hawkins deserves all the Oscar buzz she’s getting. There’s no spoken dialogue for her character, instead relying on her facial expressions and sign language. It’s amazing and definitely one of the best performances I’ve seen this year. 

•Another actor who I think deserves just as much recognition is Richard Jenkins. His character is very interesting and I felt a lot of sympathy for him. 

•Michael Shannon is Michael Shannon. Had anyone else played this character it would’ve come off as just another over the top, cartoonish villain but of course he made it work. 

•I can totally see people not liking this movie. It certainly not for everyone. But if you’re a del Toro fan like me I think you’ll love it. 

Cons:

•My only real complaint, and it’s nothing major, was Octavia Spencer. She’s fine in this, but really it’s just the same character she’s been playing for the last couple of years. Would’ve liked to have seen something different. 

My Rating: 9/10

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (IMAX 3D)

Plot:

The continuation of the sequel triology following the events of The Force Awakens. That’s all I’m going to say. It’s best going into these movies knowing as little as possible. 

Pros:

•For those of you going into this worried (like I was) that The Last Jedi was just going to be a remake of Empire Strikes Back, you’ll be happy to know that it’s not. Yes, there are a few moments where it does have an Empire Strikes Back feel. But it wasn’t like Star Trek Into Darkness, which was a blatant remake of Wrath of Khan. 

•Rian Johnson does a really good job directing not only the battle/action scenes but the quieter, more emotional scenes as well. I appreciate the amount of effort he put into this and making it fit in perfectly with the other movies. This is the first movie I’ve seen of his (I keep meaning to watch Looper but haven’t gotten around to it yet. I hear it’s good) but it certainly won’t be the last. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with the separate Star Wars trilogy he’s got planned. 

•Call me crazy of you want, but I think Mark Hamill gives one of the best performances I’ve seen this year. He continues to be one of my favorite actors. It’s great seeing him again as Luke. Some of the most touching moments and best humor comes from him. All I’ll say about his character in this movie is it’s very fitting and makes sense given all that’s happen to him since the events of the original trilogy. 

•Adam Driver as Kylo Ren annoyed the fuck out of me in The Force Awakens aside from a few scenes. I’m surprised by how good he was in this and how interested I was in his character. Much better written this time around. 

•I love what they did with the rest of the characters (Rey, Finn, Poe, etc.) as well. Not that those ones were badly written before. I just feel like here they were more fleshed out.

•Great special effects. It really is beautiful and thankfully isn’t CGI overkill to the point of being super fake (Unlike the prequels, mainly Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith). 

•Most of the humor really worked (more on that in a bit). I was laughing out loud several times. 

•The second half had me on the edge of my seat and was so compelling and bad ass that by the time it ended and the credits rolled I was like, “Noooooooo!! Keep going damn it! I don’t want to wait another two years.”

•Surprisingly the Porgs didn’t annoy me like I thought they would. While I couldn’t call them my favorite part of the movie, they were no Jar Jar that’s for sure. 

•BB-8 is still adorable and funny and remains one of my favorite parts of this sequel trilogy. 

•Carrie Fisher. It was hard seeing her in this and not tearing up :’( RIP

•Looks amazing on an IMAX screen and if you can I highly recommended seeing it in this format. The 3D was fine but I wouldn’t call it anything special. 

Cons:

•The first half of this movie was good but I wouldn’t call it great. I mentioned earlier that I liked most of the humor. However, some of it in the beginning just wasn’t working for me and felt forced. No pun intended. Also, and it could be because I was a little tired at the time, some of the scenes really seemed to drag. There’s a certain subplot that happens that felt like it was never going to end and had me feeling like I was going to nod off. Thankfully the second half more than makes up for this. 

My Rating: 8.5/10

Loving Vincent

Plot:

Made entirely using oil paint animation. A man goes to the hometown of Vincent Van Gogh to deliver the artist’s final letter. Also delves into the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. 

Pros:

•I’ve been wanting to see this movie for a long time and it didn’t disappoint. Wow!! This is one of the most beautiful, unique, and fascinating movies I’ve ever seen. 

•Over 100 artists work tirelessly for years to bring this movie to life and I really hope they get recognized during award season. They did an amazing job. I really felt like I was seeing things the way Van Gogh so them. 

•The story of Van Gogh is so fascinating and tragic. What I love about this movie is they don’t try and give you an exact explanation to what really happened. Did he commit suicide? Was he bullied and then murdered? Who knows. You get insight from various characters and can draw your own conclusions. 

•Wonderful cast. I assumed it would be actors providing voices or maybe some motion capture but from what I heard they shot this as live action and then painted over it. Makes it even more impressive. 

•If you’re a fan of Van Gogh or just of animation in general then you’re going to love this movie. I highly recommend it. 

Cons:

•Nothing that really affects my rating. A few moments in the beginning where I felt the story wasn’t quite as strong but that’s about it. 

My Rating: 10/10

The Disaster Artist

Plot:

Based on the book of the same name. Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), an aspiring actor, meets the mysterious Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) at an acting class. A friendship forms and eventually the two of them end up making what many consider the best bad movie of all time- The Room. 

Pros:

•I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a long time. The Room itself is bizarrely fascinating but just as fascinating is the making of it. I haven’t read The Disaster Artist yet, although after seeing this movie I definitely plan on ordering a copy. This stands a good chance of making my top ten list. I had a blast! 

•You can tell how huge of a fan James Franco is of The Room. Very much a passion project. At first I was worried his portrayal of Tommy would come off as just a bad impression but it totally didn’t. And he doesn’t shy away from showing you the really shitty things Tommy did (and from what I’ve read there was even more that wasn’t shown here). 

•It’s also a very interesting look at just how hard it is to make it in Hollywood. 

•So many funny moments! I’d call this more of a dramedy though. 

•While James Franco does a great job, The one that really stood out was his brother Dave. He was amazing as Greg. 

•So much attention to detail. I’m not spoiling anything by telling you this but during the credits they do side by side comparisons showing you a few of the classic moments from the actual movie and the ones they recreated here. They totally nailed it from the props right down to the exact same wardrobe. 

•If you’re a fan of The Room (and if you’re interested in this movie you probably already are) you’re going to love The Disaster Artist. 

Cons:

•A few minor issues with the pacing and editing in a few spots but nothing that should stop you from seeing the movie. 

My Rating: 9/10

Jane

Plot:

Documentary about the life and career of Jane Goodall and her groundbreaking work in the study of chimpanzees. 

Pros:

•I had known about Jane Goodall before, but this movie really gives you insight into just how important her work has been over the years. She really is a remarkable woman. 

•They recently discovered hundreds of hours of footage from the early years of Jane’s work and this is mostly what this movie is made up of. It holds up really well I must say. There’s a very beautiful quality to it that only film can have. 

•So many adorable animals! 

•Impressive sound mixing/editing especially when it comes to the scenes with all the chimpanzees. You really feel like you’re there. 

Cons:

•Just to warm you, this movie does feature animals getting sick and dying. I tend to avoid any movie involving animals for this reason. Luckily they don’t linger on these moments for very long. 

•They really hit you over the head with symbolism in certain scenes. I kept thinking, is this really necessary?

•Could’ve use just a little bit tighter editing. 

My Rating: 8/10