2017, as a whole, was a great year for movies. As the year came to an end, it is nice to reflect back on the year and celebrate its amazing victories. 2017 brought us a lot of great superhero films in Wonder Woman, Logan, and Thor: Ragnarök, A whopper of a surprise horror film in Get Out, and enough Academy noteworthy films to keep you occupied for a month of evenings. Choosing the best films out of all that came in 2017 was a tasking matter. After a ton of deliberation, a final top 10 list has finally surfaced. Here is the top 10 Movies of 2017.
Continue on for Popcorn Sushi’s Top 10 Movies of 2017
Honorable Mention:
Ghost Story
Director David Lowry’s tale of timeless love and devotion. This quaint supernatural tale involves a woman (Rooney Mara) haunted by her deceased lover (Casey Affleck). It is a film made on a micro-budget that is a quaint balance of supernatural and wonderful.
10. The Disaster Artist
If you haven’t experienced Tommy Wiseau’s movie The Room, then you truly haven’t ever known disaster. It gained notoriety in the early 2000s and quickly became a cult classic. The film is far worse than you can guess, and gets worse upon each viewing. It is in this disaster that a masterpiece was born.
James Franco’s amazing portrayal of Tommy Wiseau while he makes his train-wreck of a film is nothing less than spectacular. The Disaster Artist will show you how even in ignorance you can attain greatness. This is a movie that will keep you laughing at its sheer nonsense.
9. Phantom Thread
A stellar cast serves as the foundation for a film full of eccentric characters, controlled and constrained, Phantom Thread takes risks and becomes something beautiful. Phantom Thread stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville. PT is a film worthy of the #9 spot on this year’s countdown, but could have easily been higher, if not for the stiff competition.
8. Lady Bird
Lady Bird is a gentle, tender film about a teenager outcast (Saoirse Ronin) growing up in the early 2000s in Sacramento, California. Director Great Gerwig nails this coming of age tale, with its innocent openness and its portrayals of growing up broke with a difficult mother. It is a brilliant little film that will make you miss your adolescence and yearn for times when the complicated troubles and situations of adulthood were but a possible future.
7. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a film that instantly made a fan base divisive, but challenges the norms of a franchise that multiple generations grew up with. Is it a film that every Star Wars fan will love, no. Will time show that The Last Jedi will be one of the best SW films ever made? I think so. Not everyone loved The Empire Strikes Back, but time proved that it was the best film in the franchise, and remains that even today. The Last Jedi takes risks, and is a visually stunning aircraft. It is a lot different from any SW film that came before it, in a great way.
6. Get Out
Get Out is the directorial debut of Jordan Peele. It’s a film that stands in stark contrast to his acting career, which has mostly been comedy. This isn’t a run-of-the-mill horror film. Get Out is a horror film that drives a stake through racial tensions and hypocrisy, and forces the viewer to recognize the ignorance in suburban America. It is ambitious, unsettling, funny, and builds upon an already uneasy situation, a black man meeting his white girlfriends parents. It is a situation that is handled perfectly, and has you asking if it truly is a horror film until its final act.
5. Logan
Logan is easily the best film in the X-Men movie franchise. It is an introspective character study of what happens to superheroes and mutants as they age. The film surprises us at how brutal the aging X-Men member can be, until a pint-sized clone of his shows up, and then he is faced with his biggest challenge yet, allowing himself to love and care for others before himself. Logan is a fantastic conclusion to Hugh Jackman’s tenure as Wolverine in the X-Men movie universe. It is the best swan-song for Jackman who has retired from the role. The recent possible acquisition of Twentieth Century Fox by Disney may open the door up for the hero in the future, but the role will most-certainly be recast.
We are only halfway through the Top 10 Movies of 2017. Continue reading for the rest of the list!
4. Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner 2049 is an extremely beautiful film. It is one of those rare cases where the original film is a masterpiece, and the sequel is arguably better than that. This film is sophisticated and full of great performances. Cinematographer Roger Deakins has garnered 13 Oscar nods in the past, but he should be a shoe-in this year for Blade Runner 2049. It is a living, breathing work of art, that honors the immersive world that Ridley Scott created in the first film. This is a movie that begs to be seen on the big screen, so don’t let it leave theaters without watching it once.
3. The Shape of Water
Guillermo del Toro is a master when it comes to creating movie monsters and fantasy worlds, and The Shape of Water is no different. A love story of another color, is a description that does this film no just, because its themes lie far deeper than that. It is a film that turns an ordinary love story into a fairy tale, that asks you what it means to be labeled an ‘alien’. The cast is brilliant, and the setting of this film stand out as brilliant choices made to complete this dream world, where anything is possible.
2. The Post
Steven Spielberg tells a history tale about Nixon’s White House in a way that feels relevant in today’s political landscape. With every attempt, Spielberg doesn’t shy away from comparing Nixon to Trump’s Administration. Streep is on a collision course with another Oscar, and Hanks is spellbinding. The beauty of Spielberg’s craft are on full display as the film plays out, from his control of tempo and pacing, to his ability to frame a shot perfectly.
1. Dunkirk
Dunkirk is this years’ best film, which is why it is in the number 1 spot of the Top 10 Movies of 2017. Christopher Nolan gives us a war epic that rivals the cinematic realism of Saving Private Ryan. Dunkirk was a history loss for the Allied Forces, which showed the world just how mighty the German forces were, and how relentless Hitler was to crush his opponents. (If you are looking for the complete tale, you can also check out Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour, starring Gary Oldman, which gives you the political side of this conflict.)
With jaw-dropping visuals, and a fair share of cinematic hopelessness, Dunkirk will give you the sense of dread felt by the people of the time. Nolan captures the spectacle of this defeat, rather than focusing on what the viewer should think. It shows just how dark this war was, and how hope was the only thing holding people’s spirits together. This is a film that begs to be seen on the big screen. Do yourself a favor, and see the number 1 pick in the Top 10 Movies of 2017 while you still can.
