With 2017 coming to an end, it’s time to recap some of the best movies of the year. The staff came together and collaborated on this list that highlights all of our collected tastes. Although, there were several great films that fell short of making our overall Top 5. Such as Wind River, What Happened To Monday, Coco, Mudbound, I, Tonya and Call Me By Your Name.
5. Wonder Woman
Superb direction from Patty Jenkins, a great script from Allan Heinberg, and a true star-making turn from Gal Gadot have helped to create not only a comic book film on par with Marvel’s best but a genuine cultural touchstone. This year also brought the excellent Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, a biopic on the fascinating life of the character’s creator William Moulton Marston.
4. Logan
One of the darker films of the year, ‘Logan’ offered viewers the end of an era for Hugh Jackman and his portrayal of the beloved X-men character, Wolverine. Jackman has been the clawed mutant for just about 17 years now and seeing such an epic end to a saga (especially in an R-Rated way) was the perfect way to celebrate this feat. With James Mangold’s directing, Patrick Stewart’s brilliant supporting performance and a heart-wrenching story, Logan was one of the must-watch movies of the year.
3. The Disaster Artist
While ‘The Disaster Artist’ is certainly more impactful if you’ve seen ‘The Room’, this story easily stands up on its own. At its core, the film is about the power of friendship and following your dreams no matter how outlandish they may seem to others. Couple that with Franco’s legendary portrayal of Tommy Wiseau and ‘The Disaster Artist’ is easily one of the best films of the year.
2. Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk truly emphasizes the urgency and importance of ‘time’ in war. Based on the true story of British & French troops being trapped on the beaches of ‘Dunkirk’, with Germany closing in on the allied forces. Despite barely having any dialogue, the movie follows the miraculous story of one soldier (Fionn Whitehead) and his journey to survival, which will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
1. Get Out
When I first saw Get Out, I really liked it. Jordan Peele had crafted a clever, terrifying, and darkly funny commentary on race in America packed with exciting twists and turns. But it wasn’t until the second viewing that the sheer brilliance of “Get Out” really clicked for me. Peele is operating on a number of different levels here, and there’s not a single mistake in the entire film. It’s a searing vilification of the current state of race in America that doesn’t just zero in on the outwardly racist, but those who see themselves as above bigotry and yet traffic in subtle, sometimes even more harmful racism that doesn’t just marginalize people of color, but silences them completely. That Peele is able to do all of this under the guise of a “social thriller” that works tremendously well as a horror film, with bits of razor-sharp humor sprinkled throughout, solidifies him as a truly great new filmmaking voice.
