Opinion Battles Year 4 Round 8
Favourite Film From 2017
We are well into 2018 now, so now it is a good chance to look back at 2017 and our favorite film from that year, we had some classic join the libraries of many, we also had some stinkers though, we don’t want to talk about them though. We are focusing on the ones we enjoyed the most, so lets see what we are picking.
Next Round Favourite Martin Scorsese –Closing Date Friday 7th September 2018
Darren – Movie Reviews 101
The Shape of Water
The Shape of Water is one film that struck home perfectly, it showed how loneliness can be difficult to get through and finding hope in the most different person can turn the life around. We have beautifully shot movie with stunning performance and it did go onto to win Best Picture at the Oscar, which says something about the quality of the film.
Stephen King’s IT
My favorite movie from 2017 was the new adaptation of Stephen King’s It. I’m still kind of in shock that a Star Wars film didn’t make it to the number one spot on my list but I really did love It. I’m a huge King fan and am always happy when I see a really good adaptation of one of his books. Here’s hoping Part 2 is as good!
Emma – Emma Explains It All
Stephen King’s IT
It was between this and Detroit (which I reviewed recently on my blog – go read it, plug plug plug!) but in the end I had to go with my horror loving heart and choose IT, which I not only loved, but also thought was pretty much as sturdy, brilliant, scary, enjoyable and fabulous as it could possibly be, especially given the amazing 1990 original (though let’s just get this straight everyone, it’s not really a ‘remake’ when it’s based on a book…). That is mainly the reason that I chose IT. I mean, to make any sort of mark after enjoying Tim Curry for soooo long, would have been impressive. But to make SUCH a big mark and to hit the nail on the head so darn well – I just couldn’t choose anything else.
Milo – Stuff and That
The Disaster Artist
As a big of a cult boy myself, it’s no surprise that the story of the ultimate cult film (the cultimate if you don’t mind) is my pick. With James Franco’s passion for the project showing in both his performance and his painstaking direction, everything here is really, really done well and with a meticulous level of detail. That, and it’s just bloody brilliant.
Tom – Plain Simple Tom Reviews
A Ghost Story
It’s actually hard to figure out just what constitutes a 2017 film these days. There’s great films like Lady Macbeth and Hacksaw Ridge which we in the UK would have seen in 2017 but are officially 2016 films according to IMDB, there’s amazing ones like Coco, The Shape of Water and Phantom Thread that we’ve only been able to see this year, and then there’s the mighty Paddington 2 which is surely one of the very best but one that I believe US audiences only got to see earlier this year.
But anyway, as one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2017, A Ghost Story truly is an incredible film – it’s a patient, powerful and extremely moving tale about life and death set over the course of several decades which looks at where we’re heading as a species and it of course talks about great love and great loss.
There are those moments where nothing happens (Rooney Mara eating a pie, anyone?) but it’s never boring and many moments, especially those brief moments involving the neighbor ghost, are incredibly sad and jarring. Plus, the idea that there’s so much history in a building really speaks to me – it’s something that I often think about.
A memorable experience and an overall intelligent and important film.
Kim – Tranquil Dreams
Kong Skull Island
2017 was a fairly decent year in movies. I still have a lot to catch up but from what I saw, it was honestly a battle between IT and Kong: Skull Island. The reason Kong: Skull Island won is because of the entire movie coming together so well. Its one of my first King Kong experiences and the fight and the island setting and the good comedic inserts to break up the tension and all the thrills were absolutely fantastic. Not to mention, the cast overall is great including Samuel L. Jackson who always elevates a movie even when he is playing a stubborn soldier masked with vengeance. Its some impressive stuff and it was so entertaining to watch.
John – Johnrieber.com
“The Shape Of Water” was the somewhat surprising and completely worthy Best Picture of 2017. Director Guillermo Del Toro brought his cinematic passions for fantasy, sympathetic creatures and evil governments into clear focus with this story of a cold war science experiment that becomes an otherworldly love story.
I read that Del Toro wrote the film with Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon in mind, and you see it in their performances. Richard Jenkins was also perfect in his role as a gay man seeking love in an uncaring world.
In a year when some films sledge-hammered home their points, Del Toro spoke to so many current issues in a much more relevant way.
Rob – Movie Rob
Dunkirk
Amazing film that is told so well by Nolan. He is a master at telling complex stories in complex ways and this film is no exception to that rule. The cast is less important here because it is the story that acts as the main character throughout. The story expertly weaves three storylines together in a unique way to give us an even grander perspective on the whole event. The music by Zimmer helps keep the tension high as things get more and more tense as the story moves along. One of the best films of 2017, if not THE best.
Ryan – Ten Stars or Less
War For the Planet of the Apes
It will be no surprise what my favorite movie of 2017 was, although I did think about going with other movies I enjoyed from last year like Wonder Woman, Gifted, Patriot’s Day, or Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. War for the Planet of the Apes is the kind of movie you either love or hate, there really isn’t a middle ground. Caesar and his apes really altered the Planet of the Apes universe, providing us with unbelievable performances that go above and beyond the original story by Pierre Boulle. This story was admirable because Caesar persevered through many hardships and never give up hope for his apes to live a peaceful life they deserved.
Gill – Realweegiemidget Reviews
Blade Runner 2049
So last year may have brought you Wonderwoman and Thor in those comic book superhero comedies we’ve been wanting to see since Antman… but for me this film was undoubtedly the best. Also as one of the “Harrison Ford Returns to…” series following Star Wars The Force Awakens and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, its probably the best of the bunch. So I prepared for this by rewatching the first film and discussed it at length with my husband on the all things sci-fi that go with it, I’ll admit I was prepared to be disappointed as most sequels, reboots etc just don’t measure up to that retro original.. But yay, it turned out to be just as fantastic as the first. It got 5 Oscar nods too and won two for winning Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. And there are plenty of opportunities to marvel at the stunning backdrop to this great film, which certainly meets the high standard of the original.
The sequel, has Ryan Gosling in center stage – an actor I also recently enjoyed in The Nice Guys and La La Land – as a replicant called K who works as a Blade Runner for the police force. A Blade Runner – for those who confused already – kills replicants gone rogue. On his discovery that a replicant can reproduce, he is ordered by his superior to find the child of a replicant to avoid war between the replicants and humans. And on finding this child, K is to retire or kill it. The replicant child is believed to be the spawn Rachael and Deckard (Harrison) from the first film. And of course its a case of who is it? rather than who done it?. And when will Harrison Ford turn up? And more importantly which of Harrison Ford’s 80s films will be next in the “You’re the daddy” series…
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