Top 10 films of 2017

This list gets harder to make every year. I had to eliminate some films that deserved to be on this list like "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" but in the end their can only be 10. It doesn't mean I don't like only these 10 films. Plenty of fantastic films that I'm sure will even win Oscars had to go, simply because there was not enough room.

10. Kong: Skull Island: I thought this was fantastic! It wasn't just a simple monster movie, it was quite complex. Had a great cast, a great plot, and got me pumped for "Kong vs. Godzilla" in 2020.

9. Split: James McAvoy deserves an Oscar for this film. I was skeptical given M. Night Shyamalan's recent track record and the fact that this opened in early January, which is usually a bad sign. I was pleasantly surprised.

8.  My Little Pony: The Movie: This felt like a Disney Renaissance film, had a great cast, and great songs.

7.  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Didn't take itself too seriously, and was just an all around fun film.

6. Spider-Man: Homecoming: Felt like classic Spider-Man while also bringing something new and a fresh new actor, who in my opinion is the best Spider-Man yet.

5. Wonder Woman: Had a great story, subtle humor, great action sequences, and finally shut the whiney DC fanboys up.

4. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: Felt like watching a classic sci-fi, and I could tell Star Wars took a lot of inspiration from the source material. It was fun, had some nice visuals and I actually saw this movie in theaters twice!

3. The Lego Batman Movie: My face hurt from laughing at this movie so much. It's a fantastic film that I never get tired of, and actually find something new every time I watch it. Perfect film for all ages.

2. Coco: This had an important story, an important message, eye-grabbing visuals and was a welcome return to Pixar's roots of making stories with a message and heart instead of cashgrab sequels.

And the number 1 movie of 2017 is.....

1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Come on, don't act like you're surprised. You had to know this would be the number 1 spot. I know a lot of fans are divided on this film, and if you're in the camp that doesn't like it, you're probably telling yourself "This blogger is a moron. I'm never reading his reviews again!" and that's perfectly fine if you feel that way. I, however, thought this was a phenomenal movie. It was different enough but still felt like Star Wars. Had great twists that I didn't see coming and replaced "Empire Strikes Back" as my favorite Star Wars movie. (Sue me.)

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Fair warning to parents who want to take their kids to this film: It is NOT  for young children. It is PG-13, not PG. And, boy, does it earn that 13. Although the movie is hilarious, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, a lot of the dialogue is really crass. There are sexual references and profanity throughout the film. I'd say if you were okay with your kid watching the  "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, it's about that same level, but I still urge you to use your discretion. I think the idea behind this was "This is for the kids who grew up with the 1995 original and are adults now so let's make it "edgy."" So dumb, and so unnecessary. As for the quality of the actual film, I did enjoy it. I was worried that the jokes would get stale, especially since for the most part they are essentially repeated, but they actually got funnier as the film went on. It took the original premise, set it in modern day, and actually had a pretty good message behind it about loving yourself for who you are and making the most of life. So it's a shame this had to be so crass. What were you thinking, Sony? I thought the film was hilarious in the parts that weren't crass and those really worked, so why couldn't the whole film have been like this? It would have actually been better as a PG. Making something more "adult" ironically makes it more "childish." There was a parent at my screening who brought their young child to this film and they left halfway through because she got sick of all the inappropriate dialogue and innuendo. (Which I realize is redundant). This felt like a parody of the original, while also honoring the original, (including a mild 5-second shoutout to Robin Williams' character from the original) and had some good action scenes. It's not only a mild parody of adventure games but also the tropes of the characters from those games. (Invincible hero, smart mouthed comic relief, strong female character). It was clever and I can tell the actors had a lot of fun making it. At points, it even felt like a Guardians of the Galaxy film. So, yeah, great, hilarious movie. Just don't take your young kids to it.

Grade: A-   9/10   4/5 stars

The Greatest Showman

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This movie was fantastic! The attention to detail for the time period in which it is set was impressive! The opening logo/credits are in the style of how they were in the 40's. This was a nice little touch that enhanced the film, and it wasn't even a full minute in yet. From that moment, I was pulled into the movie and didn't come back out until the end credits were over. Everything from the costumes, to the acting, to the sets is impressive! One of my complaints was the music seemed too modern for a film set in the 1940s. I would have preferred if they had been more true to the style of the music from that time, and also some parts were very obviously autotuned. The narrative also seemed to be all over the place at points. One of the subplots is started early in the film, and it's not even acknowledged again until the last 20-30. I actually forgot it was a subplot. I did enjoy the musical sequences. Even the slow ones were great because the singing was so impressive. (Except for the occasional "autotune" at some points.) This felt like a Baz Luhrmann film, and I mean that as a compliment. It even made me like Zendaya. I did not care for her work on the Disney Channel or Spider-Man: Homecoming earlier this year, but she was good in this. The character felt genuine, and that she was actually trying as opposed to her earlier mentioned works where her performance felt phoned in and canned. I was impressed that Zac Efron was able to still sing well, considering he hasn't been in any musicals that I know of since 2008's "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" which was almost 10 years ago now. I smiled throughout nearly the whole thing, and was intrigued by the story. I definitely enjoyed myself at this one. 

Grade: B     8/10     4/5 stars

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

I'm still reeling and processing what it is that I just watched! Holy cow this movie was intense! It challenges what we thought a Star Wars movie could be. It takes the franchise and shakes it up to new levels of writing and intensity we never thought possible! As a huge Star Wars fan, I've tried my hand at writing fan fiction and I could not have written anything better. The first 5 minutes alone are some of the best in the franchise. I have never laughed so hard during a Star Wars movie than I did in the first 5 minutes. The dialogue is riveting, the plot twists are insane, and the characters, both old and new have definitely developed a lot more. There's a reason Lucasfilm gave the director of this film, Rian Johnson, 3 more Star Wars films to direct after episode 9 comes out. It is certainly well deserved. The film is like a rollercoaster that flips you upside down, backwards, zigzags and jsut when you think you're done, throws you for a loop one last time. Rian Johnson has definitely earned his place among the great Star Wars storytellers, and deservedly so. It's got everything I want in a Star Wars movie, and more. Heart, humor, edge-of-your-seat thrills, emotional moments that made me cry, and just a touch of nostalgia.  Johnson has done what we never thought would be possible. He dethroned "Empire Strikes Back" as the best Star Wars movie! There was nothing about this movie that I did not like. It was perfect! The Force is definitely strong with this one.

Grade: A+     10/10     5/5 stars