Films of 2017: The Year in Review

2017 has turned out to be a pretty excellent year for films. I've watched a grand total of 97 of them at the cinema, which is a slow year for me. I've seen some brilliant ones, I've seen some awful ones, and compiling my top ten of the year was really, really difficult - a testament to the quantity of great films we've had this year.

This is, it's obvious to point out, entirely my own personal top ten. Everyone, quite rightly, has the right to say "what the fuck were you thinking?" Some entries in my top ten may surprise you by their inclusion, some might surprise you by not being there, but I hope you'll consider taking a look at any on the list that you haven't seen, as they're all worth your time.

So, without further ado . . .

1. Baby Driver

Everything about this film was just brilliant. The story, the performances, the direction, the cinematography, the car chases, and that soundtrack. The coolest cinema experience of the year and a triumph for director Edgar Wright, who's been trying to get this film made for years. Outstanding!

2. La La Land

A wonderful love letter to the musicals of the golden age of Hollywood, and one of the most heartbreaking romance stories to boot. Fantastic dramatic and musical performances from both Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling help make this one of the best of the year - let's just try and forget the Oscars mix up . . .

3. Logan

Hugh Jackman's swansong as Wolverine was a triumph, not only one of his best performances ever but the best superhero film of the year. Dark, brutal and bloody, with an incredibly emotional core that hits you right in the gut. A fitting end for the character.

4. Wind River

Director/writer Taylor Sheridan continued to impress with this bleak tale of revenge and loss, beautifully shot against the frozen winter backdrop of Wyoming. A phenomenal performance from Jeremy Renner as a mourning father was the highlight of this excellent thriller.

5. Colossal

An absolute delight of a film that was incredibly funny and one of the most original story ideas I've seen in a long time. Anne Hathaway is fantastic as the alcoholic Gloria who, bizarrely, finds herself unwittingly controlling a kaiju monster attacking South Korea. Absolutely brilliant!

6. Manchester By The Sea

A heart wrenching, bleak story of family loss with brief touches of dark humour. Incredible performances from Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, and beautifully shot and directed.

7. Blade Runner 2049

The biggest surprise of the year for me was how much I enjoyed this film. A thrilling, absorbing work of science fiction that had me completely engrossed for its three-hour run time.

8. Spider-Man: Homecoming

Marvel's biggest success of the year was, for me, the triumphant return of Spidey to the MCU. Funny, action-packed and full of charm, with a fantastic supporting turn from Michael Keaton. Just brilliant.

9. The Disaster Artist

A film about one of the worst ever made, was one of the year's best for me. Hilarious, and brilliantly acted and directed by James Franco, this poked gentle fun at The Room but also celebrated the idea of two people taking a chance on their dream.

10. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

You either loved it or hated it. I loved it. One of the best Star Wars films to date, and a magical third act that gives you an experience that no other film franchise can provide.

Honourable Mentions

Or, the other films that I thought were fantastic this year and didn't quite make my top ten:

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol.2

The return of the Guardians was just what we wanted - hilarious, and full of action and heart.

Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel completed their hat-trick of excellent films this year with this, the funniest tale of the Thunder God yet.

Loving

A true story about a couple overcoming racial boundaries, with fantastic performances from Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton.

Hidden Figures

A joy of a film, celebrating the important role that the largely unknown black women of NASA played in the US space programme.

Free Fire

A hilarious film from Ben Wheatley, revolving around a huge gunfight that occurs when a weapons deal goes wrong. The impressive cast includes Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley and Armie Hammer.

Wonder Woman

Finally, DC really got it right and brought us this fantastic, action-packed film - Diana kicks serious ass.

The Beguiled

A slow-burning, tense story set in the Civil War, from my favourite director Sophia Coppola.

IT

Pennywise is back and better than ever in this fantastic adaptation of the Stephen King story, with the impressive teenage cast forming the heart of the film.

A Ghost Story

An (excuse the pun) haunting tale of loss in an original concept, with brilliant performances from Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. 

And that's it for 2017! I hope you've enjoyed my reviews this year, there are already a lot of promising films coming our way in 2018 and I'm aiming to bring you at least one new review each week, along with reviews of video games - and hey, I may even start reviewing anime as well, like I intended to do. Cheers!