- STOP THE PRESS - Currently I’m halfway through Kingsman - The Golden Circle and unless it suddenly reaches out of the television and hands me everlasting life and every back issue of the Beano will go down as the most disappointing film of the year. It’s not 1* bad on its own terms but compared to its predecessor it most certainly will disappoint any logical person. The charm has all but gone, the plot has become beyond ludicrous (robot dogs!?) and the jokes are practically nonexistent. Seeing as it was made by the exact same cast and crew as last time baffles me that it could go this wrong.
The following movies came close to making my best of ‘17 but just couldn’t break the top 10. All of these are really good 4* films and should be viewed by everyone.
Colossal
It’s great to watch a hidden gem as I call them and have no clue as to the story or even the general jist of the genre. I had heard Anne Hathaway lavish praise during a podcast interview she was on a few months ago and luckily for me, I had forgotten how she described the film as I do often do.
A few reviewers have likened Colossal to a marmite movie and I can see what they mean. There is a certain sense of disbelief you have to have watching this and if you find yourself scoffing halfway through, the second half isn’t going to pull you back but if you can switch off and take it for what it is, it’s splendid. Whilst there is action in it which can rival superhero films, there is also suspense involving a simple footstep. Put it this way...you’ll never look at a playground the same way again. Trust me.
Spider-Man Homecoming
Somehow I managed to find the worst poster in existence but of the Marvel films this year, this felt like the closest to the comics themselves. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, the hero is still innocent enjoying his new found skills and romance is not the be all end all.
The newly agreed Marvel-Sony co-production means that Spidey can now interact with his fellow superheroes and Tony Stark as his mentor and guide is a natural fit post Civil War and beyond.
We all felt we had it so good with Tobey Maguire until he started dancing and harassing women in bars with his black hair. Then we had Andrew Garfield who wasn’t too bad but got landed with dodgy villains and rebootitis. We always say this but it feels right this time. Tom Holland embodies petty mischief, loyalty and a childhood that is yet to be extinguished by great responsibility via great power.
It’s not all roses. The MCU is forced in fairly heavily in parts (a list of items on the Stark jet is unnecessary) and the last action set piece was hardly a thrill ride especially seeing as we saw a lot of it in the final trailer. Arguably, it’s Holland’s scenes as schoolboy Peter Parker who steals the show rather than his web slinging alter ego.
The Big Sick
Arguably the only “Rom-Com” on my recommend list this year although when you think about it, there wasn’t much in that genre to speak of this year (can you think of one?) so maybe this is why The Big Sick resonated with moviegoers. It took film festivals by storm and the independent movie got very respectable box office numbers due to its authentic story wth characters we can believe actually exist in the real world. Probably helped by the fact that it’s based on true events with Kumail Nanjiani playing himself and Zoe Kazan playing his on off girlfriend.
Worth seeing alone for what in my opinion contains one of the best jokes/one liner this year in reference to September 11th. Again, trust me.
Wonder Woman
Much has been written about how it empowers women and how it has given a shot in the arm to Hollywood and the mostly male power players. That’s very likely true but for me, it was just a bloody good film and that’s why it resonated so well with the public. It wasn’t bogged down in Extended Universe business, it had heart, soul, humour, solid set pieces and a charming lead character. The third act in my opinion became a bit too explodey (technical term) but nearly every superhero film is guilty of that.
It’s worth pointing out that although Batman V Superman : Dawn of Justice is utter shite, it does have some redeeming qualities, one of which was casting the perfect Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot. So in a way, Ben Affleck saved cinema and equality, right?
Okja
Director Boon Joon-Ho made my list way back when with Snowpiercer (which to my knowledge has yet to have been released in the UK despite being made nearly 5 years ago). Okja doesn’t make the top 10 but is certainly original with themes of greed, capitalism and animal cruelty concerning an animal which looks mostly pig 🐽 but crossed with a hippo. Sounds shit but I assure you shit it ain’t. Co-written by author/podcaster Jon Ronson and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano (my official spirit animal) this is extremely likeable, insane and sad in equal measure.
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