Ah. Now this is better. Sure the bad movies were bad, but the following movies were well worth it. I’ve picked out the ten best movies of the year and listed them below. Even the causal movie fan should get around to seeing these 10 movies. They are the absolute best 2017 has to offer.

Now. First off, some honorable mentions. La La Land, Hidden Figures, and Fences were all officially 2016 films that I did not get to see until early this year. While I could easily consider them for the following list, I think they should stay with 2016, especially since they were all nominated for the 2016 awards season (#GetMoonlighted)

Additionally, I’m giving an honorable mention to the super hero/comic book movies of 2017. In my opinion, I could put all of these films on my list since they were all great (minus Justice League), but thought it would be better not to bog the list down with these movies. One of them does end up on the list below but that’s for very specific reasons that separate it from the rest of this years super hero movies. With that being said, shout out to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok. I love you all.

Now. With that out of the way, I present to you the TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2017????!?!?!?!!?!

War for the Planet of the Apes (Score: 8.4)– I’ll come out and say that there were a few movies that I rated higher than this film, yet I keep thinking about this one. War for the Planet of the Apes is the finale in the new Apes trilogy and it is the perfect end cap. While not very war-y, this film is just phenomenal from start to finish, and Andy Serkis continues to prove that Oscar nominations are just plain outdated because he shows more emotion through motion capture than almost any actor or actress this year. Again, it may not be the most action packed film of the year, but that’s not what makes it great. This is one of the most tense movies of the decade and, asides from one other film on this list, just oozes atmosphere. Plus, any movie that makes me care that much about a group of apes deserves to be in any top ten list.

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (Score: 8.8)– Alright let’s get the salt out of the way. Yes. I know some of you think this movie is awful and doesn’t deserve to be on any top 10 list, however my thoughts have already been stated on the record. The Last Jedi is just great. Sure there are some road bumps (or I guess space bumps…which I suppose are asteroids) but missteps aside, this movie is great and takes a bold new direction for a franchise that has be somewhat stagnant in a lot of ways for a long time. There are so many things I love in this movie and despite seeing it three times, I am itching to see it again.

Blade Runner 2049 (Score: 8.8)– This one also makes me kind of sad as it could’ve been so much better, and that’s saying something. An 8.8 on the Fridge Scale isn’t anything to balk at. This movie is phenomenal. It has one hell of a story, the acting from Ryan Gosling is nuts, and the visuals. Man oh mighty. The visuals are on another level. While Star Wars nails the “realistic” sci-fi look, 2049 is the perfect example of ‘artsy’ science fiction, and what I mean by that is it is just plain old pretty. I want to rewatch this film just to…well watch it. That’s stupid. What I mean is just I want to see it again to see the colors and presentation. The neon lights are almost heavenly while the blacks are so hyper vivid it looks like you’re starring into a black hole. It is really unfortunate that this film is as long as it is because at 2 and a half hours, many people might not be willing to give it a shot. On the other hand, if you set aside a Thursday night to watch it, I guarantee that you’ll be floored by everything you see and hear in it. Like the final Apes movie I talked about above, this film is nothing but atmosphere. After watching this film, you will be dying to live in that world. Score aside, this might be my favorite movie of the year, and in my opinion is the biggest Oscar snub of the decade.

Lady Bird (Score: 9)– Let’s now talk about the first of two movies that I did not review on this site. I’ll be honest. Lady Bird was not a film I was dying to see. Just based on the trailers, I figured it was not a film for me, but because of my dear friends over at MoviePass, I decided to give it a whirl and thank god I did because it’s fantastic. Lady Bird is a coming of age film set in 2002 in a US still reeling from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and our protagonist is a senior in high school trying to figure out her place in the world. It reminds me a lot of Edge of Seventeen, yet Lady Bird is a tad sadder and in turn more realistic. I felt Edge of Seventeen has an ending that’s just a bit to happy (which is odd to say) as life usually doesn’t always have a picture perfect ending. It can and that’s why Edge of Seventeen works. But Lady Bird, on the other hand, has an ending that is not perfect and hits home a bit more. It’s not sad. It’s just not Disney happy. It is the perfect end to her character and I cannot wait to see it again. A definite recommend to everyone, as it has something that everyone can relate to.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri (Score: 9.2)– The second film in the “Will Did Not Review” List is Three Billboards. This movie. Is. Different. I cannot really think of another way of describing this film. I did not see any trailers for this film and I only saw it because my boy Woody Harrelson is in it. That being said, this film is two steps from perfection. At times it is hyper dramatic and will make you feel the love and pain of the characters on screen as if you’ve known them for years. Then on a dime it will flip to some of the darkest humor I have ever heard that is so awful you cannot help but laugh at it. Yet the best part of the movie is that it does not hold your hand in any way shape or form. It presents the characters to you and lets you decide whether they are in the right or wrong. No character is perfect but everyone has their redeeming qualities. Even the absolute most evil character in the film has some halfway redeeming qualities. It’s great because you will agree and side with one character while your friend might think that character isn’t defend-able. As a whole. this movie is just on another level and I’m sure will be considered one of the classics of this decade.

Baby Driver (Score: 9.4)– Oh boy. What a great action romp this flick is. From the beginning, you know exactly what Baby Driver is going to give you and you’re going to love every single solitary second of it. The way this movie uses music is satisfying on a level I did not know was possible. I read that director Edgar Wright was having this film edited on set in real time so he could ensure it was as perfect as possible and it shows. The soundtrack lines up perfectly with all the shots (and I mean all the shots) and many of which are things you probably won’t notice on the first watch through. It makes for a terrific movie and that’s before mentioning the story, acting, and everything else, which are all fantastic in their own right.

Logan (Score 9.6)– SO. Up top, I purposefully left the generic super hero movies of 2017 off this top ten list because while I thoroughly enjoyed them, they did not exactly break any new ground…except for Logan. Logan in my opinion is the best made super hero movie since Nolan’s Batman trilogy. It does not rely on the traditional super hero formula that has been used repeatedly since 2012 and instead presents a truly “adult” story and set up. Like Three Billboards, it does not hold your hand and throws you into Logan’s world, letting you piece together what has occurred since his last appearance on film. Plus, the acting from Mr. Jackman and Sir Stewart is impeccable and while I am sad that this is (most likely) their final appearance as X-Men, I am extremely pleased that their last call is one of the genre’s best.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (Score: 9.6)– Holy hell. This is how you make an action movie. While it might not be as good as the original or other pure full throttle action movies like the Raid, John Wick Chapter 2 stands tall as the best action movie of the year. Keanu Reeves is the action star we needed but not the one we deserved because he is just too good. While the ending is a bit blah, the overall story that is presented is still fun and getting to see more of this world of assassins is worth the price of admission alone. I don’t think there is much else to say about this movie. If you are any kind of action movie fan, you need to see this movie. No questions asked.

Get Out (Score: 9.6)– In terms of classics of the decade, this one will also be high on that list. Get Out is such a special movie, as it has no business being as good as it is. Director and writer Jordan Peele was known for writing comedy sketches and while many of them are will thought out, there is no reason to think a good horror/mystery film written by him would be great. But he did and it is. Get Out is a phenomenal experience from start to finish and that is before any of the cultural overtones that will make this mandatory watching for all film nerds for years to come. This film is so good, it has earned Jordan Peele the right to do whatever he wants for the rest of his career because even a film with a tenth of magic of Get Out would be an instant classic and I can only imagine his next film will be just as good if not better. Mr. Peele. My hat goes off to you.

Dunkirk (Score: 10)–Dunkirk is perfect…or as perfect as any movie can be. You watch this movie and you feel like you were there at the British evacuation of Dunkirk. From the sound effects to the soundtrack from Hans Zimmer, it is just the perfect war movie. Certainly the best PG-13 war movie out there. Now of course, Nolan could not just make a war movie. He had to “Nolan” it. The movie has three timelines and each one runs at a different speed. The ground plot takes a week, the sea plot is over the course of a day, and the spitfire flight runs for an hour and the way he warps those three timelines and how they eventually crossover is mindbreaking, yet in a subtle way. The causal viewer will understand (for the most part) what happened while the movie leaves enough there to enjoy and process on future viewings. To cut to the chase. This movie is Nolan at his finest and is hands down one of the best movies of this decade.

And there you have it. 2017 definitely had some instant classics and this was just the top 10 movies. I can only hope 2018’s best can hold up to this list. With that, 2017. Thank you for your service. May you rest in peace my friend.

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