2017 was a fantastic year for the movie industry. Each genre experimented with their storylines and cinematic elements. And new themes were introduced to different genres. For example, Jordan Peele's Get Out experimented with racism and comedy in a horror film. In this article, I will be reviewing and recommending 7 movies from 2017 I believe you must-see!
Get Out
Get Out is a 2017 American horror film written and directed by Jordan Peele, this being his directorial debut. The film stars Daniel Kaluuya, former Skins (UK)star, and Allison Williams, daughter of news anchor Brian Williams andGirlsstar. Get out is a story about an African American photographer named Chris who visits the family of his Caucasia girlfriend, Rose. Chris expresses his feeling of uncertainty before visiting Rose's family as they do not know he is black, which will play a large part of the movie. During their visit, Chris begins to notice how strange the family, their black servants, and friends act.
The film not only crosses multiple genres, it touches many issues of racism. Throughout Get out, Chris experiences multiple racial comments, but the film goes farther than that. There are many subtle imagery references throughout the film on the subject of racism.
Jordan Peele's debut masterpiece was chosen by National Board of Review, the American Film Institute, and Time magazine as one of the top ten films of the year. The film finished with a $4.5 million budget and grossed a worldwide $254 million. Get Out has also received two nominations at the 75th Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Actor - Comedy or Musical for Kaluuya. This film is a must see as it is cinematically beautiful, the idea is fresh, and the acting is wonderful. Get Out also has a mix of multiple genres: comedy, drama, and horror while also touching the subject of racism, which makes the movie appealing to a larger audience. Get Out is a must see and for anyone wanting more, Jordan Peele has publically stated he has ideas for and is open to creating a sequel!
Lady Bird
The 2017 comedy and drama, Lady Birdwas written and directed by Greta Gerwig. Greta Gerwig is a Sacramento native and Saint Francis High School alumni. Gerwig's film is inspired by her upbringing and high school experience in Sacramento. She clarified that "nothing in the movie literally happened in my life, but it has a core of truth that resonates with what I know." Gerwig has also stated that she intends Lady Bird to feel like a memory. Gerwig prepared her cast and crew by taking them on a tour of Sacramento and showing them old pictures, yearbooks, and journals to study. The film itself holds a special place in my heart as I went to the same high school, grew up in the same area, and even saw the movie in the theater pictured in the movie, Tower Theater. Therefore, I found the film very relatable and this is why I believe the film is receiving such praise. Whether you're from Sacramento or not, you have felt or gone through the same things as teenagers like Christine or even the McPherson family.
The story of Lady Bird touches many topics including depression, coming out, becoming an adult, religion, and wealth. The protagonist, Christine played by The Lovely Bonesactress Saoirse Ronan is a senior in a Catholic high school who lives with her parents in which she has a shaky relationship with. Christine decides to rename herself " Lady Bird" and change her identity. Throughout the film, Lady Bird struggles with staying true to her identity and constantly wanting to be someone else, not even releasing the hardships those around her are dealing with.Lady Bird has overall received amazing reception. The film is nominated for multiple awards including four Golden Globe awards (Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Screenplay, Best Actress for Saoirse Ronan, and Best Supporting Actress for Laurie Metcalf), in which the film won two of the four awards. Lady Bird won Best Filmand Best Actress! Lady Bird also made history on November 27, 2017, on Rotten Tomatoes as it became the most-reviewed film ever to remain at 100% on the site with 164 positive reviews, beating previous record holder Toy Story 2, which has 163 positive reviews.
Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan wrote, directed, and co-produced the 2017 war film,Dunkirk. Dunkirk depicts the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II. Dunkirk stars many young and up-and-coming actors like Fionn Whitehead and Harry Styles along with many well accomplished and veteran actors like Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy. The film is unique in many ways as it is expressed through three different perspectives, land, sea, and air. The cinematography throughout the film enhances these viewpoints as you follow the struggles of the fighters, survivors, commoners, and heroes in the air, on land, or sailing into the sea. Nolan created suspense in the film as he gave the characters little to no dialogue enhancing the cinematography and music.
On Land: The film begins by following the sole survivor of a German ambush. Tommy retreats to the beach where he finds thousands of allied and wounded soldiers awaiting evacuation.
In the Air: Three Spitfires head towards France. During the journey, their captain is shot down. This forces Pilot Farrier to command with a shattered fuel gauge. Pilots Farrier and Collins continue their journey facing many enemies on their way.
The Sea: Not only was the Royal Navy sent, commoners took it upon themselves to rescue their own. The film follows one family in depth, Mr. Dawson, his son Peter, and Peter's friend George as they sail to France to save their own.
Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk stayed true to history, even being shot on the same beach. This along with many other attributes is why the movie is so critically acclaimed. Dunkirk is the highest-grossing World War II film of all time and some critics claim the movie is Nolan's best work. The film also received praise for its screenplay, direction, musical score, and cinematography. Lastly, the film is even nominated for three Golden Globes (Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director, and Best Original Score).
IT
Itis a supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti and based on the Stephen King novel. The fil is also a remake of the original It directed by Tommy Lee Wallace in 1990. The film follows seven children in Derry, Maine that are terrorized by Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Pennywise lures the children by forcing them to face their personal demons.
One thing interesting about the film is it is not solely a horror film. The film incorporates a great amount of humor to lighten the mood. The film has been described as a loss of innocence movie as the children struggle with the themes of fear, mortality, and survival. Love and friendships can also be seen as themes of the movie as the children have to stick together to defeat the clown.
The producer, Roy Lee stated that It is meant to be envisioned in two movies. Lee also announced that "Part one is only about the kids. Part two is about these characters 30 years later as adults, with flashbacks to 1989 when they were kids ." The sequel will be released on September 6th, 2019.
The Disaster Artist
The Disaster Artistis one of the few comedies of the year! James Franco directed, produced, and acted in the film as the main character, Tommy Wiseau. The Disaster Artist is not only a comedy, but it is also a biographical drama on the mysterious Tommy Wiseau. What makes Wiseau so mysterious is his unexplained wealth, his not so New Orleans accent and his age.
Wiseau is well known for his 2003 cult film, The Room, which is considered one of the worst movies ever made.
Franco, alongside Dave Franco and Seth Rogen, portrayed Wiseau's life from the moment he met his film partner, Greg Sestero through the making and failure of The Room.
The Disaster Artist has received phenomenal feedback even earning itself two nominations for the Golden Globe Awards. One of the two awards is for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. The second nomination is for Best Actor - Musical or Comedy for James Franco's role portraying Tommy Wiseau, which Franco ended up winning. Not only has this movie been critically acclaimed, but even Seth Rogen, producer, and actor in The Disaster Artist tweeted:
Not only will this movie make you laugh, it will make you reminisce the dreamer inside of you. James Franco even stated that Tommy's story touched him after reading the book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made. The reason being is that all artists have gone through similar hardships while trying to make it into the industry.
Blade Runner 2049
Calling allBlade Runnerfans! The follow-up movie is not only accurate to the original, it stars Harrison Ford, who was the protagonist in the original film, and is cinematically a masterpiece. For those of you who have not seen the original Blade Runner, I recommend watching the film before you see Blade Runner 2049. Not only is the movie WAY before its time, it is a unique concept and it helps make sense of the second film.
Blade Runner 2049 stars not only Harrison Ford but Ryan Gosling. The film is set thirty years after the first Blade Runner. Gosling plays K, a blade runner, who hunts and kills rogue replicants. On one of K's missions, he finds a box of buried bones. He is later told the bones belong to a replicant who bared a child, which replicants cannot do. K is told to find the child and terminate it as this could lead to a human-replicant war. During K's journey to find the replicant child, he discovers and questions a lot about himself.
Blade Runner 2049 was critically praised for multiple elements of the film including its cinematography, musical score, performances, and ability to remain faithful to the original Blade Runner. The film did so well, talks about a sequel are in play. Overall, I would definitely recommend seeing the new Blade Runner if you are a fan of the first film or have an interest in neo-noir science fiction.Logan
Loganis the third and final Wolverine film. The film begins in 2029, 25 years since a mutant has been born. Logan is shown aged and weak as his healing abilities have weakened. He begins drinking heavily and driving a limo for a living, giving up his superhero past. Once Logan is hired to protect and relocate an 11-year-old girl named Laura, he is forced to embrace his abilities again.
The film is easily one of the best superhero movies of our time and it experiments with new ideas and climaxes that other superhero movies have not experimented with. Logan is not only a unique film with an unexpected ending, it is a must-see, especially for all the Wolverine fans!