Best of 2017, Part 1: The Films

In spite of everything, this was an astoundingly strong year for film. From soaring superhero adventures to deeply unsettling horror to upbeat comedies, there was a lot of things that I enjoyed, but I ultimately had to narrow it down to ten. So, let's take a look.

(I should let you know, this list will likely be updated at the midpoint of next year, once I've seen more of this year's films.)

10. IT

Directed by: Andy Muschietti

Written by: Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman

No film this year left me quite as uneasy and frightened as IT, the latest in a long line of Stephen King adaptations. Standing far superior to the 1990 original, IT benefits primarily from a fantastic turn by Bill Skarsgard, who injects Pennywise with an uncanny sensibility to his every word and movement. The film's child cast is equally solid, giving the film a much needed levity to balance out the horror, while Muschietti's usage of unsettling imagery ratchets up uneasiness in every scene. While not necessarily the best Stephen King film, it's certainly capable of standing with some of the greats.

Best Scene: The opening scene, in which Pennywise lures in Georgie, is a masterwork in building tension and establishes the film's tone in just a few short minutes. 

Best Line: "It's a fucking gazebo!"

9. The Big Sick

Directed by: Micheal Showalter

Written by: Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon

As a nice counterpoint to It, The Big Sick, Kumail Nanjiani's autobiographical story of meeting his wife Emily, was the rare romantic comedy that actually managed to actually be both deeply sweet and very funny, largely due to the smart writing of the couple themselves. The entire film bounces from comedy to tragedy near-effortlessly, and is buoyed by fantastic work by the cast. Ray Romano and Holly Hunter, in particular, steal every scene they're in, giving a perfect vibe as an old-married couple with contrasting personalities. It's a simple, sweet, funny film in a year that sorely needed it. 

Best Scene: Kumail's final stand-up, where we witness his slow breakdown with a full range of emotions. 

Best Line: "We lost 19 good men that day." 

8. Blade Runner 2049

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve

Written by: Hampton Fancher and Micheal Green

Who knew that a distant sequel to a 30 year old cult classic could be as engaging, exciting, or stunning as this? Turns out, the trick was leaving it in the hands of skilled creators to leave their own stamp on the universe. Visually stunning, Blade Runner 2049 thrusts viewers headfirst into the dystopian vision without stopping. Everything great about the original Blade Runner is there, from it's conversations of sentience and humanity to it's visual style, but it never feels like a rehash, particularly through it's take on the traditional "Chosen One" mythos and the work of known genius Roger Deakins. Anchored by a strong cast (except for Jared Leto), I really don't think we'll see another film like this until the inevitable Blade Runner 2079.

Best Scene: Officer K and Deckard's brawl through a broken-down Las Vegas is visually and audibly disorienting, never quite feeling as smooth as it should, and given the nature of the fight, this is clearly intentional. 

Best Line: "I've been inside you. Not as much there as you think." 

7. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2

Directed by: James Gunn
Written by: James Gunn

Guardians Vol. 2 received a fairly lukewarm response when it was released, which I feel was undeserved as I found it every bit as delightful as the first. With most of the groundwork out of the way, Vol. 2 gets a chance to hit the ground running and uses it to split the crew up into two separate adventures before bringing them back together for the climax. The film is obviously colorful and often very funny, but it contains surprising emotional depth, telling a story of family and the purpose of fatherhood that ends with a sense of lump-in-throat catharsis that caught me entirely off-guard.

Best Scene: The film's final scene, which left several of my friends in tears. 

Best Line: "My nipples!"

6. The Lego Batman Movie 

Directed by: Chris McKay
Written by: Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern, and John Whittington

Turns out the best DC film of 2017 was the one in which Batman is played by Will Arnett and not Ben Affleck. Lego Batman may be comedic, but it's written with such an affection for the characters that it's hard not to root for the surly, childlike Batman as he tries to overcome his issues and be the hero he's meant to be. It's a natural evolution of the character from The Lego Movie, and it's so jampacked with references that even the most die-hard fans will be smiling along with every joke and beat. (As a note, DC diehards: this is what "made for the fans" actually looks like.)

Best Scene: Most of the film's final battle, which is audaciously over-the-top in the sheer amount of characters thrown into the mix, perfectly catching the nature of Legos.

Best Line: "It's weirder if it's not your son."

5. Dunkirk

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan

Dunkirk is Nolan's take on a war film, and it's easily his most intense work and possibly his best film since Inception. Depicting the fateful evacuation of British troops in the early days of World War II, Dunkirk splits it's time between three stories, one about the troops on the beach, the second about pilots trying to fight off German air raids, and the last about one of the many ships trying to reach the beach. The film is light on action, but heavy on dread. The German troops are never seen as anything beyond a faceless, nightmarish entity hellbent on advancing and dooming the stranded men, and the film goes a long way with portraying them as a simple force. It's largely sparse on dialogue, enabling the actors to build characters without heavy exposition, and despite it's grim and tense tone, it never loses the hopeful edge that floats through all of Nolan's films. It's no Saving Private Ryan, but it's pretty damn good.

Best Scene: Most of the air battles with Tom Hardy's Farrier, but the final one, in which he's reduced to the last line of defense, had me on the edge of my seat.

Best Line: "Men my age dictate this war. Why should we be allowed to send our boys to fight it?"

4. Baby Driver 

Directed by: Edgar Wright
Written by: Edgar Wright

Edgar Wright is obviously one of the best directors working today, but Baby Driver is potentially him at his most visually compelling. Every scene in this film lets music flow perfectly through it, from it's hero dancing down the street to it's many shootouts, giving it a natural flow not unlike a music video. And like a good music video, it's a lot of fun, full of twists and turns and laughs. I mean, it's an Edgar Wright film. Did you expect not to have a good time?

Best Scene: The opening chase is so perfectly synced that it's hard to top, and is practically a short film on it's own.

Best Line: "Here's your killer track, Baby!"

3. Thor: Ragnarok 

Directed by: Taika Waititi 

Written by: Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost

On the topic of fun, I don't think I enjoyed any film this year quite like I enjoyed Ragnarok. After two films that were (at best) just okay, it was refreshing to see Taika Waititi bring a sense of wonder and color to the character of Thor. Packed to the brim with jokes, great performances, and memorable characters, Ragnarok is one of the best MCU's best films that just so happened to come out of it's weakest franchise. 

Best Scene: Thor's battle with the armies of Hela on the Bifrost Bridge, which made me audibly whisper, "Fuck yes." 

Best Line: Thor's entire speech about Loki's childhood pranks is so good I refuse to spoil it. 

2. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Directed by: Rian Johnson

Written by: Rian Johnson

Few films surprised me in the way The Last Jedi, which used the experience of director Rian Johnson to craft a tragic deconstruction of morality, the Force, and what it means to be seen as a hero or villain. Assisted by strong performances across the board,  (but especially Mark Hamill, whose jaded, broken Luke Skywalker was the film's highlight) the film showed that Star Wars can still be original and daring in the best possible ways. Most importantly, it showed that franchise films can succeed without milking cliches or nostalgia, which was a refreshing shot in the arm. 

Best Scene: The Throne Room, where the film truly goes rogue and makes it clear that none of this is going the way you think it will.

Best Line: "See you around, kid."

1. Logan

Directed by: James Mangold
Written by: James Mangold, Scott Frank, and Micheal Green

Anyone who knows shouldn't see this as a surprise. Logan is the crown jewel of the superhero films this decade and potentially the greatest superhero film of all the time. It's so many things at once; A road movie, a neo-western, a character study about an old killer coming to terms with violence, but most importantly, it's a chance for a career-best Hugh Jackman to give a blood and tears soaked send-off to the character of Wolverine while giving newcomer (and scene-stealer Dafne Keen) a chance to continue the legacy. Just brilliant and satisfying from start to finish.

Best Scene: The ending. C'mon, you know you cried.

Best Line: "This is what life feels like: people who love each other. A home. You should take a moment. Feel it, before it's too late."

The Usage of Color in The Defenders

I'm a responsible human being, so I naturally chose to binge all of Marvel's highly anticipated Netflix crossover series The Defenders, which brings Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist together in a pulse-pounding action-packed team-up. I enjoyed it for the most part, largely due to my love for the characters, and one of my favorite aspects of the series was it's usage of color to represent it's characters. Each of the four members of the team has a color that represents both them as people and their role on the team, and it's leaned on heavily in both the show's advertisements (each character had promo images with their color) and in the show (characters wear their colors as clothing or their scenes are sometimes shot with a slight tint of their color).

Matt Murdock aka Daredevil wears red, a color largely associated with suffering and pain, and he's the character that has arguably suffered the most. He was blinded horribly in an accident, then orphaned at a young age, and his sense of right and wrong combined with a refusal to back down has more or less cost him everything and everyone he has held dear. By the time we see him, he's working as a pro bono lawyer who lives alone, having driven away his friends and lost the love of his life. Throughout the series, the realization strikes the viewer that being Daredevil is an addiction to Matt, and he frequently wears a red tie and shades even when he's not being the costumed hero (who, obviously, wears red.), showcasing that Daredevil is always a part of him He also takes the most physical punishment, as he's beaten, stabbed, thrown through walls, and at one point hit so hard he has to stop and spit blood before fighting on.

Jessica Jones's color is purple, a color associated with, in her case, powerlessness, negativity, and apathy. The victim of a sexual predator known as the Purple Man, Jessica's struggles with PTSD leave her largely bitter and apathetic to the greater superhero world around her, choosing to use her powers of strength as a PI rather than a costumed hero. Jessica outright leaves the group in episode 4, only returning when her clients are threatened by the mysterious force that has united the group. Unlike the rest of the group, Jess never wears purple, as it represents trauma in her life, but it often surrounds her without her realizing. Some of her scenes have a slight purple tint, and at one point she stands under a purple neon sign, ignoring it's light as it shines on her.

Luke Cage is never seen in the show without wearing yellow, be it a hoodie with yellow insides or his classic yellow t-shirt. Yellow is a bright color, which reflects on Luke's role as the group's optimist and his overall worldview. Luke frequently says, "Always forward, never back." as a way of reminding himself not to give up on moving ahead, resembling the classic "Light at the end of the tunnel." slogan that is often used a go-to for optimists. Unlike the rest of the group, Luke is entirely certain that his fight is the right thing to do, and he's seen as a positive influence throughout Harlem and on Jessica, his ex-girlfriend, and Iron Fist, who slowly grows into a good friend by the end.

Lastly, Danny Rand aka Iron Fist wears green, a color associated with both relaxation and inexperience. Danny, who spent most of his life training in a faraway monastery, is both zenlike and largely naive in the concrete jungle of New York, and he's frequently portrayed as something of an idiot over the course of the series. He's criticized by the group as a whole for being impulsive and not thinking about the greater good as opposed to his own struggle, and it isn't until he attempts to relax and bonds with Luke. that he realizes the proper way to be a hero. The relaxation comes in through his frequent, largely fruitless, attempts to meditate and calm his spirit, which are regularly interrupted, until the finale, by nightmares or other characters. Fittingly, his last scene is him meditating on a rooftop, having taken his friend's words to heart.

I thought the usage of color motifs was a smart thing for Marvel to do, as it enabled me to dissect and understand each character a little bit better than I would have had they all just been wearing black or gray like many superhero adaptions are wont to do. (Looking at you, X-Men) The idea of characters having recurring motifs is one of my favorite things in fiction, and I really liked it's usage here.

Champions #3