10)Mother-This film got some love from critics and an F from audiences. Part of that problem was they marketed this as a straight up horror film when in reality it was far more subjective and weird. JLaw stars as a married woman whose life in a country home goes bad when guests arrive and will not leave. The film gets stranger and stranger and even devolves into rape and cannibalism as the party guests become more and more insane and violent, This was not a film for everyone, the dead baby scene had many running for the toilet, but if you have a strong stomach and like these types of films, this one will haunt you for weeks afterward.
9)Get Out-What could have been a tirade against white people turned out to be a socially important, scary horror film directed by a comic who should have failed miserably at this but didn't. Jordan Peele is a front runner for best director and he should get it as this movie about a black guy finding members of his race being turned into Stepford wives in a CT town is really well done. The fact that Peele didn't go for the obvious racism angle made this a real winner.
8)John Wick 3- Any other year, this may have been my top pick. But because Marvel and even DC put out such strong work, this fell further down the list. Picking up a few weeks after the last one, Keanu Reeves returns as the quiet assassin, forced into a job that he does not want to do in Italy. We get to see even more of the Continental and even find out that it is global, with new tailors, gunsmiths and even a guy with blueprints to help our favorite anti hero. The violence is awesome and Ruby Rose is stunning as the mute bodyguard to the bad guy. A must see for action aficionados.
7)Star Wars: The Last Jedi- A lot of people I know did not like this movie. I was not one of them. I was actually thrilled that it was a new movie and not rehash as the last one was (not Rouge One which was new and different but the Force Awakens.) Daisy Ridley is gorgeous and I could stare at her all day, which is funny because apparently the Chinese say different. This movie is tanking there, petering out at around $50 million, and one of the reasons is audiences say the cast isn't pretty enough. Is the entire country gay? Part of the problem is Disney is putting out too many of these films and diluting the brand. The new Han Solo movie looks terrible for example and will most likely be the first Star Wars film I don't see in the theater. Maybe pull back a little guys as the world is getting sick of Star Wars.
6)The Big Sick- This is everything I love about films. A romantic comedy that thinks outside the box and becomes a real winner as a result. Kamil Nanajani wrote and stars here about an Uber driver who finds love with a white girl, even though his parents want a arranged marriage. When he breaks it off, she is devastated and in the process of getting through this, she gets real sick and falls into a coma. When he comes to visit, he meets her parents and realizes he made a huge mistake. The rest of the film is him and his ex-girl friends parents coming to terms with love, death and mistakes. Best of all, this is a true story about how Kamil met his wife in real life. Don't miss this great film which better be up for best picture.
5)Spiderman- This movie should have sucked. It was the third reboot in a decades and the last two were just awful. But, when Marvel got involved again, they knocked it out of the park with this tale of high school Peter Parker (which is really what the character is) fighting the Vulture, played expertly by Michael Keaton. This movie is funny, sharp and fits right into the Marvel universe. We will see him again in Infinity Wars later this year which will probably be the greatest film ever made.
4)Guardians of the Galaxy 2- Another film that any other year may have hit the top spot. This was a winner in which the break out star was David Batista's Drax who was probably the funniest person in all of cinema last year. Considering how bad the comedies were this year that is not a high bar. Baby Groot got a lot of love, but Rocket was also a huge part of the movie as was Michael Rooker and Nebula who really added a lot of depth to what could have been a silly movie. And no film with Kurt Russel can ever really suck. This film was awesome and they too will be seen again in Infinity Wars, giving Thor a ride home apparently according to the previews.
3)IT- This was a really scary horror film that I will watching again real soon. Pennywise was terrifying and the cast, which had to measure up to the excellent ABC miniseries, knocked it out of the park. Finn Wolfhard did double duty as both Richie and Stranger Things this year as he was the go to kid for 80's retro films and Sophia Lillis was a breakout star here. Expect to see her in many more things, like Millie Bobby Brown as 11 is now too. The first attempt at a screenplay died and thank god because this was way better than what I heard they wanted to do like change the names of everyone for no apparent reason. Watch this with the lights on.
2)Wonder Woman- The only good film from DC so far was awesome. Gal Gadot shines as the title character in such strong ways I am pissed she isn't up for best actress anywhere. Christ, best picture should be given to this anti war film but it won't because that gay drama about underage homosexuality is still up for awards, which strikes me as odd in the days of Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein. They do know this kind of stuff is unacceptable now right? I could stare at her reading the phone book and be happy
1)Thor:Ragnarock- This film Ragnarocked. I knew it would as I am a huge fan of the director who I still felt got robbed of awards last year for the funny, charming Hunt for The Wilderpeople. By and far, this and Guardians were the two funniest movies of the year. Considering neither was actually one, that means comedies this year sucked and they did as you will see on my worst of lost coming soon. Hulk's face plant was hilarious and I am still laughing about it. From Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster to Loki having to team up with Thor, this film was non stop action and hilarity. I cannot wait to watch it again and again.
Runner ups- The Shape of Water, The Belko Experiment, Hitman's Bodyguard, The Foreigner, Logan, Kong: Skull Island, Dunkirk, Kingsman 2, Blade Runner 2049.
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