Bradley Weber’s Top Ten Films of 2017
The 2017 year of films for me is still far from over. I usually wait until mid January to create my best of list simply because many of the films of 2017 have not yet reached me or the area I live in. Very promising films like The Shape of Water and Phantom Thread won’t be released in my area until around then. So for this list I have compiled a list of the ten best that I have seen for the calendar year of 2017.
There were some notable surprises that no one saw coming (Get Out), to some big disappointments (Justice League, The Mummy). Most notable was that 2017 saw some bazaar films that were entirely different and deserved attention. A few made this list, a few (Dave Made A Maze) that didn’t but still deserve attention.
Bradley Weber’s Top Ten Films of 2017
10. Logan
The final outing for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine served as a beautiful and poetic send off. It was full of both amazing action sequences as well as heart rending moments. It fulfilled both the prophecy of Logan’s death from The Wolverine while also providing a send off to Patrick Stewart’s Professor X. If the Wolverine appears in films again I hope it would just be Dafne Keen, who in this film portrays X-23/Laura. Like in the comics, she should just assume the mantle of Wolverine rather then recast the part. Thank you Hugh Jackman for bringing as perfect of a charcter portrayal of Wolverine to life as we could have ever hoped for.
9. Coco
Pixar continues their wonderful tradition of taking us to places we have never seen and allowing us to get in touch with deep feelings. Coco is about family; pure and simple. It is about the people we remember, those we have lost, and those still with us. It is about following traditions verses following your dreams. It is as bright and colorful as anything Pixar has put out before and filled with traditional music from Mexican culture. Reportedly Pixar spent many, many years researching the culture Mexico before developing the story. The story is strong, the visuals inspiring, and another great entry into the Pixar original film canon.
8. Get Out
Very little is left to be said about Get Out. It is a horror film from the last person you would ever expect one from, Jordan Peele. Peele spent years bringing us some of television’s funniest moments through Key & Peele. Now he brings us one of this years, or any years, most though provoking movies. At a time of great civil unrest, during the era of the Black Lives Matters movement, Get Out is not only a timely film but an important one. It brings back memories of some of the best Twilight Zone stories while being wholly original.
7. Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2
When Marvel first announced Guardians of the Galaxy many were turned off by the idea. Many thought it would end the Marvel hit streak. Turns out it was one of their highest grossing and original films. A rag tag group of space pirates come together to save the galaxy from a greater threat. Now those same characters are back in a film that explores the meaning of what it means to be a family. From new characters, Ego and Mantis, to further exploring the existing ones; notably Yondu. GOTG2 managed to bring together a much more epic story by being more simply told. Also, no one can deny that Baby Groot was the most adorable on screen character of the year.
6. Wonder Woman
The DC films have had a rough few years. While making enough money both Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad were critically derided and divided the fan base. All the good will from Nolan’s Batman era…gone. Yet that all changed with Wonder Woman. Finally a female led, female directed superhero movie that epically brought to life one of comic book’s greatest characters. We now know it is possible to create a truly great film based on a DC character other than Batman, is only the studio would stop interfering with their creators. Reportedly one of this movies most bad ass scenes, No Man’s Land, was almost cut by a dumb producer. Let the directors and writers do their thing to bring these characters to life.
5. Okja
Netflix has been killing it recently with their original films. 2017 saw the release of many but Okja was by far the best. An eco thriller that is both family friendly while also making you question many of your beliefs of the food industry? I’ll take that. Okja feels both familiar and different. Featuring both new stars and ones you are used to seeing. It is maybe the most unique story Netflix has yet told, but it is one that captures a spirit of childlike wonder that thos great Spielberg films of the past were able to.
4. It
Stephen King’s It is one of the greatest horror novels ever written. The original television adaptation of the story was fine, but it missed critical elements and felt very sterile. Andy Muschietti’s film version captures both the terror and the magic of King’s novel. It still feels a bit incomplete if you ever read the book; but that’ll be fixed when the second part of the movie comes out in a year or so. It gives us a Goonies-style adventure while making you once again afraid of those horrors you dare not speak of. It’s no wonder it became the highest grossing horror film of all time.
3. Everything Beautiful is Far Away
Now for at least one movie very few people have heard of. Everything Beautiful is a very beautiful movie. A simple sci-fi film about two people and a broken robot walking across the desert trying to find a mythical lake. It is a journey unlike any other, filled with vast landscapes and thought driven dialogue. I can’t remember when I first heard of this film but once it started I did not regret for one second watching it. The sci-fi aspects are never overwhelming and the dialogue never become derivative or self important.
2. Brigsby Bear
Brigsby Bear is a post apocalyptic movie set in a bunker about a young man who only know that world and the parents who provide for him…and then it isn’t. Turns out that young man was kidnapped and made to think the world was destroyed and people who survived all live like him. His only entertainment while in the bunker a very odd, and badly produced looking TV show about a giant bear with special powers. When he gets out, his story is about growing up, moving on from bad things that dominated his childhood, and bringing his love of a giant bear with space powers to the world. Dave McCary and Kyle Mooney, both part of the current era of Saturday Night Live bring this original film to life. And the wonderful Mark Hamill plays not only the fake father but also uses his unique voice talents to bring the bear, and many other creatures to life. This film is long on fun, great original ideas, and and an emotional and heart rending conclusion.
1. A Ghost Story
A Ghost Story is the quietest, most beautiful, and simple film of the year. Yet it’s dialogue provides questions and some answers about life, death, and everything in between. David Lowery made last years Pete’s Dragon and took his paycheck from that to fund this very small movie. It is a short film, barely 90 minutes, but it is both psychological and hypnotic. I would have never thought that a film about a ghost in a sheet, usually the cheesiest image you can image, would be so profound. The ending will lead to days and days of discussions. This film must be seen. It must be cherished. It must endure. Although, if you have seen it, maybe it doesn’t need to do any of those things at all. To quote the house guest from the film, one the longest monologues I can remember from any film, “We build our legacy piece by piece and maybe the whole world will remember you or maybe just a couple of people, but you do what you can to make sure you’re still around after you’re gone”. This film is sure to be a cornerstone of Lowery’s legacy and a remarkable piece of film history.
Table of Contents
Honorable Mentions
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), The Big Sick, Lego Movies (Both Batman and Ninjago for providing the franchise with creative and new outlets).
2017 Films I Have Not Seen
The Florida Project, The Greatest Showman, The Disaster Artist, The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, Wonderstruck, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
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