Clayton’s Best & Worst of 2017
Seeing as I don't play a ton of games, my list of year-end favorites is typically simplified down to best of movies and music. For the blog I'll narrow my focus on movies and shows I enjoyed the most. There were a lot of great things and a lot of bad things which I tended to avoid so here is what stood out to me! Also be sure to check out our 2017 podcast episode here!
Best
10. I Don’t Feel At Home In this World Anymore - Boy did this movie surprise me, the trailer couldn't have been more subtle which was perfect for going in with no expectation. Great performances from Elijah Wood and Melanie Lynskey and a plot that was hilariously simple yet wonderfully entertaining due to the characters interactions. Check it out on Netflix now if you haven't already.
9. Game of Thrones S7 - There's been so much news and entertainment to consume since it ended but we got a rather exciting season this year. Storylines got sped up a bit, creating some geographical inconsistencies since HBO decided to wrap things up at a faster pace, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the show and sooo much was crammed into these 7 episodes the season was over just as quickly as it began. This will make the wait for the season 8 more torturous knowing the final season will be just as brief.
8. IT - Fun and much better than I expected, this felt like a much-needed remake of the original made for TV movie which was a bit dated. Though not really all THAT scary I enjoyed the portrayal of Pennywise so immensely, I was rooting for him by the end of the movie, even with the very relatable main characters played for the most part exceedingly well for such a young cast. Can't wait to see who translates to their grown-up personas in the sequel!
7. Get Out - I had no clue what to expect from this one with Jordan Peele at the helm but it seems he does, in fact, know the horror genre well enough to turn around a fresh concept that hasn't been explored nearly enough. I laughed I jumped and I cried tears of joy, this was my top horror film of the year.
6. Baby Driver - It was bound to disappoint with all the hype but THAT it certainly did not. I was all in on the music alone when I saw the trailer and the movie held up well on all fronts, leaving me feeling overly satisfied with my movie-going experience. I don't think it should have been any surprise either seeing how masterful Edgar Wright has gotten at what he does, he's a huge movie and music nerd which you can tell just from watching this film.
5. Thor: Ragnarok - Speaking of music, the Immigrant Song was used twice in this film to great effect! The on-screen battles were awesome, the humor made sense in the setting (for me at least) and the most important thing of all, it got me to finally care about Thor!
4. Dark - A small town turned upside down with the disappearance of a young boy, an alternate dimension and a group of kids who are trying desperately to figure everything out in a coming of age story. No, I'm not talking about Stranger Things. I'm talking about the German produced Netflix series Dark which is actually quite dark compared to it's more campy counterpart. Another fine example of marketing that gives you just enough to not go in with certain expectations. I'm not sure what more I can say without giving anything away but I found it hard to stop watching after each episode. It's a great moody sci-fi series that was just what I needed. Dubs or subs you should be able to enjoy it either way and enjoy it you must!
3. Logan - Nailed it. Enough said.
2. mother! - And boy am I glad I saw this in the theater. It obliterated my eyes and my brain and in the end, I was left with my jaw agape wondering what the heck I had just watched. Not in a disturbed way like Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, more in a "where the heck did that come from and what does it all mean" kind of way. I think it helped that I wasn't familiar with the bible story it's apparently based on but even knowing that now, it's still enjoyable to me for the visceral and experimental nature of storytelling alone.
1. Blade Runner 2049 - Yet another film I'm so happy I saw in theaters, twice! A more than worthy follow up to Ridley Scott's 1982 film guilty of only being too long (which I didn't mind at all). The cinematography was on point thanks to Roger Deakins, the directorial vision was tight thanks to Denis Villeneuve who has yet to make a movie I've disliked, the sound effects and soundtrack gave me chills and eargasms. Everything about this movie from acting to production and effects was just so pleasing to experience in a large theater setting. A rare example of a great delayed sequel. It still bothers me just a little that not enough people went out to see this movie. I'm now very interested in seeing what Villeneuve can bring together for his recently announced Dune reboot.
Honorable Mentions
Okja
Spiderman Homecoming
It Comes At Night
A Ghost Story
Dunkirk
War for the Planet of the Apes
2017 Movies/Shows I Still Want To See
The Shape of Water
Killing of a Sacred Deer
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
The Disaster Artist
Lady Bird
Black Mirror Season 4
The Beguiled
Phantom Thread
Wind River
Dishonorable Mentions
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets - OOOOffffff, a bloated drag. A good example of style over substance. Sure everything looked good but the story was unfortunately just so run of the mill with sub-par performances making for an unbalanced approach to a classic French comic that deserved much better. Here's my Valerian Review from earlier this year.
The Last Jedi - It wasn't as bad as Valerian but it wasn't the most well executed Star Wars movie for me. I mean sure it was a fun one for the general audience and perhaps I was expecting too much of it but I mean, it's Star Wars for crying out loud, should we really be expecting less? You can read my more in-depth perspective in our shared review.
Life - This movie could have been good considering Alien: Covenant was a bit of a misfire for a lot of people but it was just okay. The characters made some really dumb choices throughout the entire run-time (like space cobra Prometheus level bad choices) which ultimately left me not caring what happened to anyone.
DeathNote - Having not seen the animated series I figured I was the prime audience for this movie. Unfortunately, it was not the best for anyone. William Dafoe was the best part about it but the problem was he was hardly in it. The romance between the two leads was eye-rollingly cheesy and to boot they were a lot dumber than their counterparts from the original series which was what made the concept of the show so interesting to begin with and what left this movie so uninteresting.
Movies I Intentionally Avoided
Transformers: The Last Shite
The Tom Cruise Mummy
The Greatest Animal Abuser (I mean Showman)
Daddy's Home Poo (2 why was there a sequel to this movie!!!???)
Fifty Shades Farter
Power Rangers
Pirates of the Caribbean AGAIN
Resident Evil: The Final Crapter
XXX: The Return of Vin Diesel's Most Popular Movie
RIngzzz (HA)
Underworld Blood Whores
Pitch Perfect 2.5
Kidnap (Yes this movie came out in 2017)
The Snowman
Leatherface: Who Cares
Chips: Yeah it was a Movie
The Emoji Movie
Geosnore(m)
Smurf's: What Sequel are They On?
The Bye Bye Mannnn
Boss Baby (because just no)
Unforgettable (but was it really?)
A Bad Mom's Christmas (I'll end it here)
So there you have it. All the crap I loved and most of the crap I decided not to waste my time on in 2017. There are so many good looking things coming next year and so many more awful things as well. Hope you all have a happy and healthy New Year!