My top 10 Films of 2017

   It's that time again, where we look back on the movies that had the most impact and impression on me. Getting right to it, we'll start at 10  and work our way down to my favorite film of 2017.


10. Victoria & Abdul  A film about an unlikely friendship superbly acted and beautifully told. I'm almost certain very few people reading this have neither heard of this lovely film or seen it. Check it out now available on most streaming platforms.






9. The Greatest Showman In my eyes, this is the biggest surprise of the year. If you had told me back in March, when Jackman's film performance as Logan came out, that he has a movie musical coming out where he plays P.T. Barnum, singing, and dancing, and that it would be an incredible movie musical, I'd say that you were crazy. Turns out that it's true. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? It's playing now at a theater near you.

8. IT- The film version of Stephen King's horrific tale about kids dealing with Clown from Hell is scary, thrilling, funny and endearing all at once. It's one of the best film adaptation of King's work to be made in years.








7. Beauty and The Beast  I had my doubts that the powers that be at Disney would have trouble adapting the animated classic Beauty and The Beast into a live-action film version. They did it and somewhat better than the animated classic. This is a classic film that the entire family can watch together.









6. The Last Jedi   The eight chapter in the Star Wars saga maybe not be as great as The Force Awakens but is certainly not by any stretch of the imagination the horrible movie "fan babies" claim it is. Like this interpretation of an Old Luke Skywalker or not, this is one of the most entertaining films you are likely to see all year. You can disagree with me all you want. You can also go suck on a lightsaber while you're at it. Salty? Just a little.








5. Coco  Disney/Pixar's latest release is beautifully animated and soulfully entertaining film about the love of music and family. You are tapping your foot and singing along one minute, and reaching for your Kleenex the next.  Another winner from the House of Mouse.







4. Dunkirk  Christopher Nolan's WWII story about The Battle of Dunkirk is part nonlinear and part linear story as only Nolan can tell it. Some dislike it because of its lack of an actual protagonist, others love it because it's another Nolan masterpiece. It's out now on Blue Ray and streaming services.







3. Blade Runner 2049   A sequel to a sci-fi classic 35 years later that has been received by moviegoing audiences just like the 1982 original-very lukewarm. Maybe because of its deliberately slow pacing. I'm not sure what kept audiences away from this visually stunning and ultimately compelling sci-fi film noir. I believe it's because audiences don't like to use their brains while watching a movie anymore. They want everything spelled out for them. To me, that's a crying shame.




2. Baby Driver  Edgar Wright's instant classic about a young man who is a getaway driver for crime organization blew me away when I saw it back in June. Its use of classic rock and soul music blended with the off the wall action sequences and a star-making performance by Ansel Egort as Baby is one of the very best of this year.


That leaves one that I believe isn't necessarily better than Baby Driver but I choose it above that film because it got into my bloodstream more. It left me thinking about the story and characters for weeks after. What movie could that be?


1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri  Written and Directed by Martin McDonagh (In Burgess), Three Billboards is a gut-punch of a movie. It tells the story of a Mother( an excellent performance by Francis McDormand) who rents out three dilapidated billboards outside of town on a road no one travels down anymore since the new highway was put in. She does this to get the Sheriff's (Woody Harrelson) attention. Why? She wants her daughter's 7-month-old unsolved murder solved. Three Billboards has the most memorable and three dimensional characters that I've seen put to film in the past year. You leave the theater thinking about them all. Great movie.