Best of 2017

The Top 10ish Movies of 2017

/ / Top Tens & Lists

The Top 10ish Movies of 2017

While 2017 lacked the one film to knock my socks off and earn itself a perfect score, it did turn out to be a deep year for quite a few quality films to whittle down into a single list. Here’s the thing, I’ve got nine movies that made the cut and four equally-good movies to somehow try and fit into a single remaining slot. Rather than expand the list, break my list off one short of the magic number, or randomly pick one to include (doing a disservice to the others), I’ve decided to do something a bit different and give you some say in what movie rounds out the list. Here are The Top 10ish Movies of 2017.

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Molly’s Game

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Molly’s Game
  • IMDb: link

Molly's Game movie reviewIn choosing to adapt Molly Bloom‘s true story, writer/director Aaron Sorkin begins with an already intriguing subject matter which is only helped by his trademark pacing and smart dialogue. Jessica Chastain is terrific as the failed amateur skier whose life took a dramatic twist after washing out of Olympic qualifying to become the what tabloids dubbed the “poker princess.” Filled with celebrities and high rollers, Molly Brown ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for almost a decade before being arrested by the FBI. Sorkin rounds out the cast with Idris Elba as Molly’s lawyer, Kevin Costner as Molly’s father, and Michael Cera as one of the regulars at Molly’s games.

Sorkin’s script takes us through Molly’s journey from the ski slopes to underground poker clubs, while offering insight on how Molly rose to fame and the struggles she faced long before the FBI started knocking on her door. Although she has a court case looming, and much of the film is spent with her talking about her past with her lawyer, Molly Bloom stays out of the courtroom in favor of flashbacks to her glory days and mistakes made along the way.

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Beauty and the Creature from the Black Lagoon

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Shape of Water
  • IMDb: link

The Shape of Water movie reviewGuillermo del Toro puts his own spin on the Beauty and the Beast tale in The Shape of Water which stars Sally Hawkins as a mute janitor at the the Occam Aerospace Research Center who discovers just what the scientists and military men are studying. Doug Jones, who worked with del Toro before in the Hellboy films and Pan’s Labyrinth, is transformed by practical and CGI effects into a creature who is part Abe Sapien and part the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Never given a name, nor able to speak (just like the woman who falls for him), the design of “the asset” is terrific.

The story is pretty standard. Girl meets boy from the wrong side of the tracks, they fall in love, and all hell breaks loose. The talent both in front and behind the camera elevates the words on the printed page into a magical fairy tale which is joyful to watch. The setting of the 1960s, Elisa’s (Hawkins) inability to speak, Richard Jenkins as her confidant, and Michael Shannon as the brutal colonel in control of the experiment, all add interesting pieces to the puzzle making The Shape of Water more than the sum of its parts. Supporting performances from Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Lauren Lee Smith all bring something to add and help flesh out the world.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
  • IMDb: link

Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie reviewI love Star Wars. I’m a fan. Always have been. My love of film, science fiction, and movie merchandise can be traced back to the film that sprung from the mind of George Lucas. I mention this because, as a fan, it’s not always easy to look critically at what you love. However, I will do my best (while avoiding spoilers).

Star Wars: The Force Awakens gave me a taste during its final moments, but Star Wars: The Last Jedi finally delivers on the Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) film I have been waiting impatiently for since 1983. Adding to my interest in the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise was the fact that a grizzled Luke would get paired with my favorite of the new characters introduced in the previous film. Those expecting Luke to jump immediately into action on behalf of Rey‘s (Daisy Ridley) plea might be initially disappointed, but (despite small complaints I have with the film) I think you’ll agree that writer/director Rian Johnson succeeds in paying homage to what has come before while shading a bit more outside of the lines than J.J. Abrams was willing, or able, to do.

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Detroit

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Detroit
  • IMDb: link

Detroit Blu-ray reviewKathryn Bigelow‘s distressing and unflinching look into the Algiers Motel killings during Detroit’s 1967 12th Street Riot, is as masterful as it is hard to watch. It’s a brutal film to sit through as the director refuses to pull punches or tack on any kind of happy or hopeful ending. As a result the film struggled mightily at the box office despite being a critical success. There are obviously parallels between the story we see unfold and recent events, such as those in Ferguson, Missouri. In 50 years we may not have come as far as we had hoped.

Screenwriter Mark Boal pieced together the script from written accounts and interviews with survivors. Algee Smith leads an exceptional cast as one of many held captive at gunpoint, threatened, beaten, and subject to psychological torture by racist police officers (Will Poulter, Jack Reynor, and Ben O’Toole) and members of the National Guard in the Algiers Motel. The longer the police stay, looking for a shooter that doesn’t exist, the deeper the hole they dig for themselves and potential witnesses to their actions.

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