I settled on the Film of 2017 pretty early in the year, but there were a lot of films that were released that gave it a solid run for its money. Unfortunately, I've missed out on a lot of movies that I wouldn't be surprised if they made the list had I seen them (The Big Sick, Shape of Water, etc.). Maybe I'll update the list after I've seen them. Maybe not. Either way, here are my favorite films that I have actually seen in 2017!

Film of 2017

Baby Driver

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m quite biased, and even if Citizen Kane dropped in 2017, I’d probably still pick an Edgar Wright film over it. With that being said, I didn’t think there could be a better technically executed film than Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, but somehow Wright has me questioning that line of thinking.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a film quite like Baby Driver, but at the same time, there’s is something so timeless and classically American to it. We have editing and a style that is so modern and contemporary, but with the coolness and swagger of a Steve McQueen film. Some people might say that the heavily choreographed film is a bit of a gimmick, and they might not be completely wrong. With that being said, it completely succeeds at pulling it off and making it crucial to the experience. Wright marked his territory with Baby Driver, and we will either see other film makers inspired by the style, try to imitate it, or completely avoid it entirely in order to prevent any comparisons.

The Runner-Ups (In no particular order)

The Disaster Artist

I’m a big fan of the genre “so bad, it’s good.” While there are dozens of those movies that I absolutely love, the granddaddy of them all is Tommy Wiseau’s masterpiece of s***, The Room.

I've spent years making fun of that movie, and its absolutely absurd writer/director/producer/star. So when I heard that we would be getting a movie covering that film and the great story behind the making of it, I couldn’t have been more excited.

I’m happy to say that the movie delivered the experience I was hoping for, but also provided something quite unexpected. I had no doubt that the movie was going to have its laughs, and it definitely did. What caught me off guard was the fact that I was surprisingly moved and inspired. I found a new respect for Mr. Wiseau and his desire to chase his dream. It was quite the challenge for me to pick between The Disaster Artist and Baby Driver, and while I named the latter the Movie of 2017, The Disaster Artist is easily the most heartwarming film of the year.

Get Out

Get Out is the perfect movie to go into without knowing anything about it. Jordan Peele successfully created an experience that will make you realize that you actually watched a film that you didn’t know that you were watching.

While Get Out clearly examines racial tensions and does a fantastic job of allowing all audiences to experience the discomfort of being a minority, the film unfolds to be something even stranger, and is actually quite the fun ride.

Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve might not be a household name, and that’s just tragic. Villeneuve, who directed Prisoners, Sicario, and Arrival, took on the daunting task of directing the sequel to one of the most highly regarded cult-classics of all time.

Not only did Villeneuve succeed in making the long-awaited sequel, Blade Runner 2049 is actually a better film than the original. We’re not just talking about the advancement in visual effects and technology. 2049 tells a better story, respects and answers questions from the original, and only gets better as it goes along.

Dunkirk

I’m an anxious mess, so I’m not really sure why I love movies that are as tense as Dunkirk. There was actually a sequence that caused me to have an irregular heartbeat. While that might not be an “enjoyable” experience, I was quite impressed with how well Christopher Nolan accomplished that dread. Dunkirk is unequivocally a war film, but I honestly feel like it plays with the genre in the same way that The Witch did for the horror genre in 2015. I had very similar experiences with both films, with Dunkirk being the more accessible of the two.

Logan

When the trailer for Logan first dropped, fans immediately knew they were in for something special. Logan takes the best things from the X-Men franchise (Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart), and provides an emotional depth that we hadn’t quite seen before. Not only is the story more intimate and touching, Logan’s action sequences finally allow fans to see what Wolverine could actually do. The carnage is satisfying, but doesn’t ever feel gratuitous.

Of all the things that Logan does right, the underlying commentary on the state of film with the seemingly unstoppable superhero hype-machine is undoubtably its most interesting aspect. Logan is a superhero film that successfully asks “do we really need superhero films?”

Best Films of 2017