Here are the movies I watched in 2017, separated by films that came out this year and those that came out prior that I just hadn't seen yet (or I had forgotten I'd seen).
Movies
- Take the 10
- XXX: Return of Xander Cage
- Mindhorn
- Split
- Get Out
- Logan
- Lego Batman Movie
- Beauty and the Beast
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Power Rangers
- The Belko Experiment
- Wonder Woman
- Kong: Skull Island
- John Wick: Chapter 2
- Spider-man: Homecoming
- Bleed For This
- Baby Driver
- It
- Alien Covenant
- Icarus
- Cult of Chucky
- The Babysitter
- Gerald’s Game
- Annabelle: Creation
- Don’t Kill It
- War For The Planet Of The Apes
- Daddy’s Home 2
- The Big Sick
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Clown
- Don't Breathe
- Blair Witch
- La La Land
- Doctor Strange
- Now You See Me 2
- Sisters
- The Brothers Grimsby
- Unfriended
- Mama
- Poltergeist
- The Green Inferno
- Victor Frankenstein
- Central Intelligence
- Cop Car
- Lolita
- Inside Llewelyn Davis
- The Bronze
- The Good Dinosaur
- The Lobster
- Hardcore Henry
- The To Do List
- Riddick
- The Visit
- The Martian
- Tomorrowland
- Cooties
- The Purge
- Purge: Anarchy
- Purge: Election Year
- Kill Your Friends
- Lords of Salem
- Ouija: Origin of Evil
- Assassins Creed
- Piranha 3DD
- Don't Think Twice
- Willow Creek
- Wait Until Dark
- The Forest
- Swiss Army Man
- What If
- Sleeping With Other People
- Search Party
- Café Society
- Dirty Grandpa
- Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things
- Demolition
- Almost Famous
- Man Up
- Secret Life of Pets
- Hacksaw Ridge
- Hesher
- Nerdland
- Other People
- Unfinished Business
- Big Hero 6
- Mud
- Pop star: Never Stop Stopping
- Chopping Block
- Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
- Hitchhikers Guide To The
Galaxy
- Torso
- Ghost Team
- War On Everyone
- Man Vs
- Backcountry
- Wreck It Ralph
- Infestation
- Jack Frost
- Stagefright
- Alice, Sweet Alice
- Prom Night 2 Hello Mary Lou
- Blood Rage
- Halloweed
- Dreamworks’ Scary Stories
- Why Him?
- Boy
- My Man Godfrey
Damn that's a lot of movies. Still, I slowed down considerably halfway through the year and then picked up again around Halloween time. I was on pace to blow my goal out of the water and only ended up surpassing it by a little bit so that's disappointing. Just means I need to try a little harder next year.
Books
Unfortunately, I didn't quite make it with my 12 book goal. Oh well. Here they are.- A Series of Unfortunate Events: A Bad Beginning
- Shock Value
- Allstar Superman
- Stephen King's IT
- Modern Romance
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
- Bossypants
- Crazy is My Superpower
- Dracula
- Alice in Wonderland
Favorites
It's been a pretty good year for a movies and a lot of films have surprised me. As with most years, I've seen mostly the big movies, with a few indies sprinkled in here and there. However, I've noticed in past years that I tend to catch up on all the smaller movies the following year as they come onto Netflix/Amazon Prime. So my list is pretty vanilla in terms of big releases.I'd say this was one of the strongest Top 5's of any year in recent memory.
ADDENDUM: I saw a film right after I made this list that I felt needed to be added, so here it is, just an extra, with the original list entirely intact.
1. The Shape of Water
I can't stop thinking about this movie. Who could have pulled off a modern Creature From The Black Lagoon retelling but GDT? He somehow was able to create a love story between a mute girl and a sea creature and it fucking works! Not only that, audiences are actually seeing it and loving it. This isn't just some random weird movie that few appreciate, this has been a tour de force. If it's playing near you, please seek it out and treat yourself to one of the finest films this century.
1. It
I fucking loved this movie. That should be apparent with the rest of these films but this one especially. I saw it twice during the opening week which is something I hadn't done since probably The Dark Knight. Skarsgaard's Pennywise is incredible and seemingly reached the pop culture pantheon. Now to see if he really has staying power.
2. War For The Planet Of The Apes
The new Apes trilogy may be the best modern trilogy since Lord of the Rings. Not only do I think that Andy Serkis needs to be nominated for an Oscar, I think he should win. I don't think there's been any other performance that's as impressive as the one he gives here.
3. Spider-man: Homecoming
Tom Holland is the perfect Spider-man AND Peter Parker. Michael Keaton gave us the most layered comic book villain we've seen in an MCU film. Honestly, I think this film just got me even more hyped about the future of the series and all the awesome places they can take it.
4. Kong: Skull Island
John C Reilly stole the show. Hell all of the side characters stole the show. This is probably the most well layered blockbuster (especially for a series that's not really established) we've gotten in terms of character.
5. Baby Driver
This is Edgar Wright's baby and it really shows that off in the editing. As an editor that loves cutting to the beat, this was an absolute treat. This is going to be one of those movies that I show people for years to come since so many failed to give it a chance upon release (seriously, everyone I spoke to had no clue what this movie was even about and would just scoff at the title).
6. Split
M Night Shamalyan sure made one helluva comeback. And the fact that James McAvoy didn't get more praise for his performance is a damn shame.
7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
I loved so much with this movie but I think the reason it stood out to me is the story between Quill and Egon. It's a complicated Father/Son relationship that just gets even better once Yondu really comes into the picture again.
8. Star Wars Episode VII: The Last Jedi
What a Star Wars movie. This is definitely one of the more shocking films in the series and, in general, did a good job. Was I a little disappointed? Sure but it's hard not to be when a movie takes a different turn than what I was expecting. While I really appreciated those changes, this uneasiness still remained with me. Here's hoping that a second viewing helps to iron out any of the minor issues I had (mostly with how slow the film felt). Why am I venting so much about this movie? I really liked it. I swear.
9. Get Out
There was a twist that was obvious and one that wasn't. I don't consider that a bad thing yet this film has been knocked for being "too obvious" and I'm not sure I get that.
10. Bleed For This
I love a good boxing movie. I don't have much more to say about it than that but dammit, this movie deserves a watch while knowing as little about it as possible. Thank me later.Honorable Mentions: Logan, Wonder Woman, Power Rangers
Films I still haven't seen: Blade Runner 2049, Thor: Ragnorak
I've said this before and I'll say it again: I don't see many of the years Indie films until the following year, so my list is mostly mainstream stuff I was able to catch.
I won't go too far into what I hated this year but definitely avoid Alien Covenant like the plague. Actually it's worst than the plague because at least that kills you. You're just stuck to let the memories of Alien Covenant stew and fester in your brain hole. Ergh.
Television
I don't watch enough of a variety of TV in order to properly create a list, so here are some shows I've watched that I really enjoyed this year. Note: There aren't many dramas as I kind of stayed away from those this year as comedies just seemed better suited to my mood. I'll be catching up on shows like Legion, Fargo, and Better Call Saul at a later date.
GLOW
I love wrestling, I love acting, and I love Marc Maron so really, what's not to love about this show?
Games of Thrones
I almost didn't even post this because I feel like it should be obvious but just in case it isn't... god damn this season was amazing.
Lovesick
Originally titled, "Scrotal Recall" this may be the best comedy that Netflix has produced and no one has seen it or knows about it. I can't sing this shows praises enough. It is both hilarious and so heartwarming that you can hardly believe it comes from a show based around a guy informing his past conquests that he has the clap, and they may too. The lead girl is on that "The Good Doctor" show so I'm not sure about the shows future but at least we got three perfect seasons.
Stranger Things 2
I loved season one but this season just took things to a whole...nutha... level. They were able to take the original concept and expand it in such a way that it still follows along the path of nostalgia while still providing more than enough original and satisfying story progression. And hell, I'm even a fan of the Eleven standalone episode which seemed to be universally disliked.
Superstore
This show is so much better than it has any right to be. I should state that I have a soft spot for fun single-camera comedies so this one really hits the right stop. Outside of a few faces, the cast is mostly unknowns and they really nail it.
Life in Pieces
I'd put this in a similar category as Superstore but maybe a tier above in terms of pure quality. This is almost a more complex version of Modern Family.
American Vandal
I never watched Making a Murderer and even then I found this parody to be absolutely hysterical. While it may have gone maybe one or two episodes too long, I love how much it shows how absurd most crime documentaries are, in that they're trying to push a dramatic narrative.Games
Games are one of my primary stress relievers these days and 2017 was a decent year for them. I'm not going to include any annual sports entries because... well they're pretty much the same every year anyway and there weren't any that I played that really stood out.I pretty much just play Xbone these days so that's where all of these happened to have been played. I have a gaming PC but I really just haven't bothered with it much this year. If I'm on the computer, I'm usually writing. I like making the distinct different in my head between work and play. And Microsoft has really been killing it with their Backwards Compatible/Remaster model making damn near everything I want to play all on one console. So here are some of my favorites from this year.
1. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Goddamn what a unique game. And so fucking badass. You are literally killing nazis. And there are so many twists and turns that there was at least half a dozen times where I was left with my jaw dropped and repeating "No way did that just happen." Few games provide that level entertainment and dammit if this didn't blow everything else out of the water.
2. Assassin's Creed Origins
Sure, it's an AC game so it certainly has its fair share of repetitiveness but the game is what you make it. Not liking having to do "Hunt down and kill so and so" missions over and over again? Build your character up by hunting. Or go discover some tombs. Or just explore. There's more than enough to do to always make the game feel somewhat fresh.It's likely the best AC game ever and part of me doubts they'll ever outdo it as the franchise has the tendency to add unnecessary elements after a good outing.
3. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
There's no other game in the history of video games that properly make you feel like you're in your favorite TV show quite like these South Park games. They have broken the code for how to make an incredible game and I'll be very sad if we aren't treated to another one before they decide to hang it up. They teased a sequel at the end but I'm not sure if that was just a dig at Superhero movies or an actual tease for a new game. Let's hope it's both.
4. Mass Effect: Andromeda
If this hadn't been such a good year for video games then this would have easily been game of the year but you wouldn't know that by the response. This game has gotten more hate than I even knew was possible for such a well made game. But who cares about them, this is my opinion dammit! I loved it. Love, love, loved it. The story was great, as well as providing the best combat the series has ever seen. So I'm one happy Mass Effect fan.
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