Firstly, I am going to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi in about 2 hours so if that turns out to be da bomb, you may see it further down this page (In which case, sorry Caesar!)
Update - Star Wars was good but not top 10 good.
Again I must stress that I haven’t seen every film that came out this year. Which means by proxy that I haven’t seen that amazing Bulgarian factory drama or the movie about ‘the guy with the thing.’ Having looked at Empire’s Top 20 of 2017, I haven’t seen 8 of them (sorry, Death of Stalin) but that’s what’s great about lists, they’re open to interpretation, opinion and debate...unless you have Kingsman 2 on it because if you do you’re a fucking idiot.
Let’s go!
10.
War for the Planet of the Apes
I’ve been a fan of this series since the first instalment in 2011 (Rise of...) and the sequel that took it one step further (Dawn of - I know it’s confusing). But now it’s war and there’s no going back.
Apes has so much depth to it that naysayers will never get to see because they think it’s all computer graphic monkey bollocks. But there is so much more character to these apes that it puts two hairy fingers up at other blockbusters who toss in a damsel in distress to bump up the numbers. Caesar the ape has become a true leader with hopes of peace but in this film, those beliefs are tested to the absolute limit hence the title.
Andy Serkis deserves the vast majority of praise for the evolution of Caesar and Motion Capture in general. If Daniel Day Lewis ran round in a monkey costume, they would throw all the awards his way but because it’s a CGI character, seemingly that isn’t good enough for the academy to notice that the acting behind those pixalated eyes is bursting out.
If I were critical, the female characters in the franchise have always been weak and this film to my recollection only has one fully fleshed out female character and the big bad (Woody Harrelson) isn’t much to shout home about either but the trilogy has an beginning, a middle and an end with no weak entries.
At least they didn’t start singing and dancing!
Film in a nutshell - Ape-calypse Now
9.
Thor: Ragnarok
(Blind Watch)
Post Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel proved that it doesn’t all have to be all Dr Doom and gloom. It can’t be light and funny and have enough colour to put your eyes into a coma. We all could see through the years that Thor/Hemsworth like so many other characters had great comic timing but to switch Thor from a action movie to a comedy buddy movie was still bold as fuck! And it paid off royally!
Retro is back thanks to the already mentioned Guardians but also Stranger Things and a cosmic psychedelic trip through space with the God of Thunder was a masterstroke. Then add in a Hulk and you have a hit on your hands.
But we’re not done...how about Jeff Goldblum playing Jeff Goldblum but in space?”
Stop! You’ve done enough! you had me at Jeff.
Ragnarok works on many levels but none more so than forcing the character to evolve due to some extremely bold decisions which will affect his ability to function in future MCU chapters.
Film in a nutshell - Thor-oughly enjoyable!
8.
Get Out
Empire and many other publications announced this as their film of the year and it’s easy to see why. It plays as an indie thriller, a socio-political satire and yet another example that original films can be extremely profitable.
Written and directed by Jordan Peele (of sketch duo Key and Peele fame), the premise is simple. A boyfriend travels with his girlfriend to meet her parents for the weekend. However the colour of his skin gives him doubts that the encounter will be in his favour. What happens after that is layer upon layer of mystery, tension and cringe.
The Golden Globes recently nominated it for best film under the Musical/Comedy category. I wouldn't go as far to say it's piss your pants hilarious but it definitely has the odd chortle.
It’s the kind of film that demands a second viewing once you know how it ends. As I write this, it almost feels like a movie length episode of Black Mirror so if you’re into that style and substance, you should find enjoyment here.
Film in a Nutshell - Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner + Being John Malkovich
7.
Blade Runner 2049
I would never have imagined this being on my list when it was announced to be finally happening. I’m not a fan of the original having tried a few times to find why its beloved. It’s terribly nerdy as to why I decided to go see it but it was the team behind the camera that I trusted. Director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Roger Deakins have not put a foot wrong in their careers and Villeneuve’s last three films (Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival) made my lists and this continues that tradition.
To start with, the film is absolutely gorgeous. And with other films to come on the list with amazing cinematography, that category will be hard to predict come Oscar night. Every frame is crafted to within an inch of its life whether it’s a sandy terrain or a city street. Ryan Gosling is immensely watchable as the main character who gets drawn into a deeper mystery than he ever imagined. If he had only ate a bowl of cereal on screen, this would be my film of the year!
Despite the fact that there’s two guns on the poster, there is not as much action as you would expect. When it arrives it’s well executed but you don’t find yourself itching to see it either. The same can be said of the running time. It’s closer to three hours than two but again you don’t find yourself hoping that one set piece is the last. Yeah, it could chop off a few scenes and not lose its heart but it’s only a minor gripe.
I would say you would have to see the original to fully enjoy the film but as with many long awaited sequels, there is a way to watch it unaided by nostalgia. The only downside is that by the time you read this, the movie won’t be on the cinema and you really ought to watch this with the biggest and noisiest screen you can find. It’s a visual triumph.
Film in a nutshell - Blockbuster with Brains
6.
Logan
I think it would be fair to say that the X-Men movies have been left far behind since the MCU came on the scene. Not since X-Men 2 has the mutants been on top form until now. As with Thor Ragnarok, the powers that be decided “fuck it.” In actual fact those voices was just one, Hugh Jackman. In exchange for lower salary and a lower budget, Fox agreed to let Jackman make the Logan movie he always wanted to make.
The result is bleak, brutal and bloody. Jackman looks like this was the Wolverine film that he always wanted to make and he's having fun exercising his acting chops. The surprise weapon is the Wolfie/Professor X dynamic that is at times hilarious but also deeply moving. It's the human angle that makes this a great watch rather than the mutant one. A clever side effect to the professor's worldly powers is a good concept which in parts makes up for the lack of a true cold villain, a weakness in many a comic book movie.
This is Jackman's NINTH appearance on screen as Logan and it's been a bumpy ride especially in the latter years but to see him in this justifies the choice and because we've been with him every step of the way, through good and bad, it's gleeful to see him finally find the sweet spot with the character which makes it more devastating as we're led to believe that his time as Wolverine is coming to a close.
Film in a Nutshell - The one where Logan has to get up twice a night to take a piss.
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That's it for this week. Next week sees the final chapter of 2017 where I run down all of my 5* movies and find out which one gets the honour of Film of the Year 2017. A hint...Unlike the last three years, this film did not get released in January!
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