My favorite films this year, (so far) ranked

2017 has been a stellar year for film. Coming out strong in January, Get Out wowed critics and fans with its brilliant commentary on race, its humor, and artistic execution. Its permanence as a groundbreaking social thriller can't be stressed enough.

Disney came out swinging with Beauty and the Beast, which despite its mixed reviews still managed to make billions of dollars. The super hero genre has provided some notable offerings that have broken the mold with both Logan and Wonder Woman (and I hear Spiderman: Homecoming, though I haven't watched it yet). Throw Baby Driver into the mix and you have an eclectic mix of fun summer blockbusters. 

We've also had some clever and moving Indie films in The Big Sick, A Ghost Story, and Colossal. For only being halfway through the year, I'm really looking forward to seeing what else is going to surprise and delight at the movies. 

Here's my list of favorite films this year so far. I would highly recommend all of them!

1. Get Out

2. Dunkirk

3. The Big Sick

4. Logan

5. Baby Driver

6. Wonder Woman

7. Kong: Skull Island

8. A Ghost Story

9. Colossal

10. Your Name

11. The Lost City of Z

12. War for the Planet of the Apes

13. Split

14. Guardians of the Galaxy II

15. Beauty and the Beast

16. Okja

I'm watching 16 classic films over 6 months

I had an opportunity to watch 12 Angry Men last weekend and absolutely loved it. It made me realize that I haven't seen nearly enough classic films, so I did some research and made a list of all of the movies that critics and audiences almost unanimously agree on as being some of the must-watch classics of all time. Obviously this list could be longer, but these films have in some way or another inspired modern day film.

I'm working on a larger project right now (that I'll discuss in a later post) that is making it really important for me to learn about the art of storytelling. So it's partly research, but I am making a goal to watch these 16 films by the end of the year. With award season approaching, it's going to be a challenge, but I am going to try my hardest to make the time to watch these iconic films. I'll probably highlight my favorites from time to time on the blog. Here's the list: 

Chariots of Fire

Citizen Kane

Casablanca

Lawrence of Arabia

Psycho

All About Eve

A Clockwork Orange

2001: A Space Odyssey

Alien Trilogy

Jaws

The Godfather Trilogy

Seven Samurai

What are your favorite classic movies?

The Big Sick accomplishes what most Rom-Coms don't

How do you address the cultural tension of interracial relationships, explore the complexity of a decades long marriage on the rocks, and show a man falling in love with a sick woman fighting for her life all while making people laugh? Somehow The Big Sick, a romantic comedy thats currently showing in theaters across the country, accomplishes this and more. 

When I first read about The Big Sick months ago I was immediately intrigued because I learned that the the screenwriters, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon were married and actually wrote the story based on their own experience of meeting and falling in love. I'm always a drawn to deeply personal stories coming to life on the screen. It wasn't until later that I realized the co-writer and star also plays Dinesh in the hilarious HBO comedy, Silicon Valley.

While there were some creative liberties taken in the film, The Big Sick very closely mirrors the real life love story of Kumail and Emily beginning in the comedy club where Kumail started out as an aspiring standup comic, following the cultural tensions with his family's desire for him to marry a Pakistani woman, and even portraying Emily's serious illness that put her in a medically-induced coma. 

Despite dealing with weighty topics, the film carries a certain airiness to it. Ray Romano and Holly Hunter play Emily's parents in the film, and the comedic interplay between them and Kumail really elevates the film. The exchanges between Terry (Ray Romano) and Kumail are especially hilarious.

Kumail and Emily's relationship seems to be progressing at the beginning of the film, but when Emily finds out that Kumail has been hiding their relationship from his parents because they are trying to force him into an arranged marriage, they have a big fight  and go their separate ways until one of Emily's friends calls him one night to let him know that she has been admitted to the ER. 

When the doctors are unable to diagnoise her illness and she is put in a medically-induced coma, her parents rush to Chicago and Kumail decides to stick around even though things with Emily were strained before she got sick. What follows is a beautifully executed turn in the film where Kumail gets to know Emily's parents and they are drawn together because of the scary circumstances they find themselves in.

Kumail slowly begins to realize he is falling in love with Emily and finds the courage he needs to confront his family and tell them what he really wants. The film explores the struggles of first generation immigrant parents and how their traditions collide with the world their children are growing up in in the U.S. It deals with the fear and uncertainty of serious illness, and even delves into the wounds and unhealthy patterns of a decades-long marriage. All of this is balanced with just the right dose of honest comedy that helps the audience hang in during the heavy moments, and a commentary on topics like racism, cultural differences, and following your dreams.

It's no surprise that this film has been so positively received by critics and audiences alike. The performances are stellar and while I would've liked to have a little more time to feel emotionally invested in Emily and Kumail's relationship before she goes into a coma, this was a refreshing and heart-warming film that I feel like I learned a lot from, but it was subtle - I didn't feel like anything was being shoved down my throat. I would highly recommend this film and I hope to see it recieve some award nominations and wins come the beginning of next year.