Happy New Year! My top 24 films of 2017 are...

2017 was a banner year for me personally because I've watched more films in a single year than ever before. Not counting the classic films I checked off my list, all of the random movie nights with friends and family, and one-off streaming viewings, I watched more than 50 new movies at the theater this year.

Since re-launching this blog I also published 7 film reviews among other things, was invited to contribute my thoughts on film over at Reel World Theology where 7 more of my reviews were published and I was a guest on 2 podcast episodes. It's been a great year and I'm excited to continue to work towards becoming a full-fledged film critic and having more great discussions about movies in 2018!

Movie Pass was a game changer for me. I wish I would've known about it sooner. I didn't get my card until the end of the year, but I probably would've watched more if I had known about it earlier. It's an amazing value for film lovers, so check it out!

Here's my list of 24 favorites, ranked. Why pick 24 you say? Well, because I can:


24. Ingrid Goes West

This dark comedy is part social satire part tragedy. Highlights for me were Audrey Plaza's performance and some genuinely funny and sincere moments despite the fact that Ingrid is certifiably insane. Say what you will about how outrageous some moments are, Plaza does not hold back in her performance and in our our social media obsessed age, there's something to learn for everyone.

23. Your Name

Anime is far from my favorite genre, so you know they did something right here. I was awestruck by the beautiful animation and interesting premise. 

22. Logan Lucky

Even though I expected more form this movie, there's no doubt I enjoyed it all the way through. You can expect delightful performances from Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig, and Adam Driver and a twist at the end that makes it a bonafide heist movie.

21. Downsizing

Reactions to this film were all over the map, but despite its shortcomings, I think there were some really great themes to wrestle through. That combined with an outstanding performance from Hong Chau and some moments that made me chuckle, I think more people should give it a fair shake.

20. Colossal

This film surprised me in a number of ways, despite the one-of-a-kind premise (AKA a drama that deals with addiction and also giant monsters in Korea) the story took a turn that was both unexpected and surprisingly deep. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's anything but boring.

19. Phantom Thread

This film is hard to talk about because of its simplicity and complexity. In what he claims is his last role before retirement, Daniel Day-Lewis gives an incredible performance that earned him an Oscar nomination, but it's the women that really elevate the story. Newcomer Vicky Krieps is stunning and Oscar nominated Lesley Manville brings the heat as well.

18. The Shape of Water

The best way to know if you'll like this movie is to find out if you enjoy Guillermo Del Toro fare. His unique and fantastical approach to storytelling is always a trip. It's a beautiful sweeping fairytale that has something to say about discrimination, love, and much more.

17. A Ghost Story

Perhaps one of the most wonderfully odd and unconventional stories of the year, I never quite know how to describe A Ghost Story to people. It's beautiful in its simplicity and is a story that has really grown on me over time.

16. Wonderstruck

It's not often that you come across a film where the child actors shine. It helps that director Todd Haynes painted a beautiful canvas for the characters to shine on. It's a slow story, but has a lot of heart.

15. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

Family dysfunction is Noah Baumbach's forte and he really outdid himself in this film. It's always impressive how easy it is to identify with his characters even when they're having a complete meltdown.

14.  Baby Driver

This movie doesn't slow down for one moment. Edgar Wright used a phenomenal soundtrack to push forward his fun-loving story. There are some outrageous characters and moments per Wright's style, but there's no doubt it's one of the stand-out films of the year.

13. Darkest Hour

This film is pretty much everything you would want from a historical biopic. Gary Oldman's performance is jaw dropping. He portrays Winston Churchill with near perfection - both his vulnerability and power. That along with some beautifully composed shots makes it a worthy watch.

12. Wonder Woman

Watching Wonder Woman was one of the most empowering moments for women at the movies this year. Patty Jenkins handled the character with such deftness. Diana was both a badass and vulnerable in a way that made a whole new generation fall in love with the character.

11. The Florida Project 

This film is painful in its realness, but also a breath of fresh air in its tiny actors' buoyancy and love for life. The fact that both seemingly contrasting emotions are present in one film is amazing, even if exhausting at times.

10. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The Last Jedi gave everyone hope that the franchise isn't headed for a rut. Not only did it do justice to stories that came before it, the characters were well-developed and it still had the usual action flick excitement and humorous moments.

9. Wind River

I walked away from this film learning so much about the Native American culture. The film is one of the best dramas of the year and I wish it was getting more love from critics and audiences. Jeremy Renner isn't in the running for best actor as far as I can tell, but he should be.

8. Thor: Ragnarok

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It didn't fall into the normal superhero genre trappings. It might win my personal award for most laugh out loud moments. With Taika Waititi at the helm I guess I shouldn't be too surprised since he has been one of my favorite directors in recent years.

7. I, Tonya

This is the second biopic that made my top 25 list, but where this film was really able to outshine the genre was in its tone and presentation of a story with lots of conflicting facts and voices. It's a fun, snarky film that proves that truth is stranger than fiction. 

6. Logan

Similar to Thor, I didn't have high expectations for this film with superhero movie fatigue setting in recently, but James Mangold really transcended the genre with this beautiful and harrowing final chapter for Wolverine's story.

5. The Big Sick

I was immediately intrigued when I heard that The Big Sick was written by husband/wife team Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, especially since the movie is based on their real life romance. This film is a fresh take on the rom-com genre with some of the best comedic moments of the year from its cast.

4. Dunkirk

It's hard to believe that Christopher Nolan can outdo himself after the career he's had. Memento and The Prestige still remain at the top of my list of favorite films. Based on the incredible true story of the battle at Dunkirk, this film was one of the most immersive and emotionally stirring of the year.

3. Lady Bird

This film is deceptively simple. It's a coming of age story, but Greta Gerwig managed to deliver a fresh take on the genre with lovable characters and a sincerity that is simultaneously cringe-worthy and endearing. It's a story that everyone can relate to in some way.

2. Coco

This film left me speechless. Not only because of the gorgeous animation, but also because this film represented so much of my beautifully rich culture. It was the first time I felt that a story portrayed on the screen was able to do the Mexican culture justice. And it's just a great time all around.

1. Get Out

If you had told me at the beginning of the year that my top film of 2017 would be a thriller/horror film about a black guy meeting his white girlfriend's parents for the first time, I wouldn't have believed it. I am not a scary movie person. What Jordan Peele was able to accomplish with this film is unmatched by any filmmaker this year. It provided an opportunity for everyone who watched it to experience true empathy and understanding. And that's why it's the best.

Breaking Bad will go down as one of the best shows of all time...

I recently finished the harrowing journey through the Albuquerque dessert with Walter White. I know I know...I'm late to the party, but Breaking Bad has been and continues to be one of the most beloved and hotly debated shows of the last decade, so I figured I needed to get on the bandwagon.

I LOVED IT. It was emotionally jarring, infuriating, exhilarating... everything a good story should be. I immediately starting watching the successful spinoff Better Call Saul, which I didn't enjoy as much, but was still impressed with. It won multiple Emmy's this year, which makes me think Vince Gilligans world of chemistry teachers turned meth cooks and corrupt lawyers will go down in history as one of the best dramatic TV shows of all time.

Here are my all-time favorite moments from the series:

WARNING: Spoilers ahead

Walter White feeds his victim

After Walter is tasked with killing someone, the first in a long line of victims, he can't bring himself to pull the trigger so to speak. He keeps the man tied up and locked in the basement until he can muster the courage to kill the only witness to his and Jesse's crimes. Instead of swiftly ending the guy, he ends up feeding him crustless sandwiches and giving him water and a way to relieve himself. It's a far cry from the cold blooded killer he becomes by the end. 

Walter blows up Tuco's office

In one of Walter's craftiest moments, he creates an incendiary substance that he presents to the ruthless drug lord, Tuco. Along with everyone else in the room we're made to believe he is handing over meth, but in a slow motion shocking reveal, Walter throws the substance to the ground causing everyone to be blown back by the explosion. Walt walks away unharmed, indulging in his new found power.

Jesse cares for the crack baby

In an effort to establish his dominance, Jesse shows up at a crack house to steal back his money and meth from a couple who pulled a fast one on his guys. What develops is a sloppy effort at intimidation on Jesse's part where he shows that he's actually compassionate by protecting the sweet little boy who's "parents" are more obsessed with getting high than taking care of him.

Hank finds out Walter White is Heisenberg

Breaking Bad fans had spent much time throughout the show imagining what the big reveal would look like when Hank discovered Walter's secret identity. The man he had spent the better part of a year hunting down and trying to catch, the biggest drug lord in the city, was actually... his brother in law! Not many of us imagined his revelation would come while sitting on the toilet, but you know, the acting is superb and the scene works.

Walter laughs maniacally under his house

In one of the most creatively shot scenes in television Walter is scurrying around under his house desperately trying to find all of the money he had made as a meth cook, but can't find it. When Skyler shows up to tell him that she had to give the money to her lover Ted to pay him off for knowing too much we get an aerial shot of Walter yelling and then laughing maniacally as he realizes all of his money has been given to the man who cheated with his wife. It's intense and ironic and a superb performance from Cranston.

The poisoning of the drug lords

As Gustavo's (Gus) story unfolds, we start to understand his connection to the Latin American drug cartel, which makes the scene where he takes his revenge on them all the more crazy.  

Walter's final confession to Skyler

Not everyone would agree with me that the ending of Breaking Bad was satisfying, but one of my favorite elements of the ending was Walt's last interaction with Skyler. When he goes to tell her goodbye for the last time, he finally confesses what drove him to do all that he did. "I did it for me," he said. "I liked it. I was good at it...I was alive." It's one of the most genuine scenes of repentance I've ever seen at a show's conclusion, and it's beautiful.

Gus' death

When it starts to become clear that Walter and Gus can't exist in the same town anymore, the question about when and where Gus' demise will happen keeps us guessing. In a scene that shocked and astounded, Gus' own archenemy (with the help of Walter) takes Gustavo down, and sacrifices himself in the process. It's definitely a moment that will go down in TV history.

THE ENTIRE 'OZYMANDIAS' EPISODE 

The news of Hank's death reaching his wife, Walter kidnapping his own daughter, Skyler pulling a knife on Walter. If that's not great television, I don't know what is. The episode is all great drama as the climax of Walter's story unfolds in the ante-penultimate episode of the show. It was directed by upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi's, Rian Johnson, which speaks to its excellence.

Casablanca has graced the screen for 75 years! (and it's my movie pick of the week)

If you can imagine a tense political climate, half of the world at war, and a general sense of fear and uncertainty at home and abroad, (it shouldn't be too hard to imagine) that was the atmosphere in the United States when Casablanca was released. Debuting on Thanksgiving Day in 1942, it is celebrating its 75th anniversary this week. This timeless classic is a wartime romance that was released in the midst of World War II. It was explicitly an anti-Nazi film, making it one of the most historically relevant and emotionally resonant stories to ever grace the screen.

Casablanca has been screened in theaters and on television more times than any other film in history. It is one of the most quoted movies and is frequently hailed as one of the best films of all time. In spite of all of its political themes, the characters and storyline aren't overshadowed by its agenda, beautifully developed, making it one of the best told stories in cinema history.

Ingrid Bergman stars as Isle, the wife of Victor Laszlo, a concentration camp escapee who is on the run from the Nazis during the early stages of World War II. They take refuge in Casablanca, Morroco, which is a French territory that has yet to be occupied by the Nazis, though their presence is still very much felt. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Blaine, the elusive bar and nightclub owner in Casablanca

Rick and Ilse have a history that is marked by heartbreak and unanswered questions, which makes Ilse and Victor's arrival in Casablanca complex for everyone involved. Meanwhile, refugees from the war are trying to find an escape to America while the Nazi regime grows ever closer, impacting the lives of everyone in the story and beyond.

The film took home Oscars for Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Director, not to mention 5 other nominations and countless other awards. Whether you've seen the film one hundred times before, or you've never seen it, you'd be remiss not to take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate this iconic achievement in filmmaking on its 75th anniversary.

Here are some other interesting facts about the film:

- In the famous scene where the "Marseillaise" is sung over the German song "Watch on the Rhine, many of the extras shed real tears because many of them were actual refugees from Nazi persecution in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

- Many of the actors who played the Nazis were in fact German Jews who had escaped from Nazi Germany.

- Due to wartime restrictions on building supplies, many of the sets were reused from other Warner Bros movies.

- Warner Bros was the first studio to prohibit its films from being distributed in Nazi-occupied territories and Casablanca was not the only anti-Nazi film it produced during the war.

- Two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entered the war, studios rushed to produce patriotic films including Casablanca

- In 2006 this film's script was named the best screenplay of all time by the Writer's Guild of America  - "Here's looking at you, kid" was improvised by Humphrey Bogart

- The film has six quotes on the American Film Institute's list of top movie quotes, more than any other movie on the list. Including these quotes with their ranks: (5) "Here's looking at you, kid." (20) Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." (43) "We'll always have Paris" (67) "of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."

- In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked Casablanca as the #3 greatest movie of all time

- The script was written by twins Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, the first and only (to date) twins to ever win an Academy Award