Sorry for the break on this series everyone. I was just getting settled back into school and try to catch up before the Golden Globes so I just never got around to writing more. But here we are with my top surprises of 2017. Starting of course with some honourable mentions.
Honourable Mentions
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
I haven't seen Dogtooth or The Lobster so I didn't know what to think going into this. This is by no means a movie that makes you feel good or anything, but it isn't supposed to be. I enjoyed this film on a more deeper level as it deals with lesser seen themes in a very unique way. Overall, a film that I ended up really enjoying.
Split
It wasn't until after I saw this film that I started getting into Shyamalan movies. This film holds an incredible James McAvoy performance and has some absolutely incredible twists. A surprise that ended up being one of my favourites from the first few months of 2017.
Columbus
I didn't know this movie existed until a few weeks ago and it really impressed me. It is a very subtle movie and deals with some interesting issues in a very benign manner. It is the story of a person who wants to leave but has to stay and one that wants to stay but has to leave and the relationship that the two form and it was a film I'm glad I watched.
#10- Coco
This isn't a surprise that I enjoyed it, it's a Pixar movie so chances were high that I'd have a good time. However I was nowhere near prepared for how emotionally invested I was in this film. It was a film I wasn't over the moon excited for but became by far my favourite animated film of the year. Yet another great entry from Pixar.
#9- Good Time
Based on the marketing campaign I didn't know how I'd feel about this film. I missed it in theatres so I had to stream it and it kept buffering. This just goes to show how good this movie is as I powered through the poor connection to watch a piece of great original cinema. Robert Pattinson is surprisingly fantastic in the leading role and the film is one I'm surprised I enjoyed as much as I did.
#8- I, Tonya
This movie was one I watched only for the performance of Margot Robbie. I was pleasantly surprised and treated to a really interesting story complimented by some pretty unique storytelling. Alison Janney is just as good as Margot Robbie and the rest of the cast is pretty solid as well. A surprise hit of the 2017 award season.
#7- Call me by Your Name
As I said in my review, I was not excited to watch this movie. I kinda feel stupid now though because this film excels as both a coming of age story and a romance film. The performances just get more and more touching as the film goes on and ended up nearly being one of my top 10 movies of the year. Not to mention the Italy backdrop makes the film oh so beautiful.
#6- Colossal
This movie isn't being talked about as much as it should. In a world of people complaining about not enough original films no one bothered seeing one of the most original movies of the year. The movie didn't look amazing to me but the premise intrigued me and it ended up being a movie I really really enjoyed. Anne Hathaway is great as is Jason Sudeikis in a supporting role. Definitely a movie more people should watch.
#5- It
As we all know, I bitched out of seeing this opening weekend, and didn't really want to see it cause I heard it was terrifying. It ended up being one of the most fun experiences I had in a theatre all year with all the scares making me and my friends jump out of our seats. Even if you take away the scares this is a great coming of age movie with amazing performances by its child actors and some really well shot scenes.
#4- Logan Lucky
This movie looked dumb as hell, but I heard some good things so I gave it a shot. This is one of the most hilarious movies of the year, making the most of the redneck humour. The whole cast is hilarious, especially Adam Driver and Daniel Craig who both give very different performances than we usually see them in. This is a film that looked bad but ended up being great.
#3- The Big Sick
I saw this as an excuse to go to the movies then saw it the next day and then talked about it ad nauseum because this is an amazing movie. It gives insight into the culture of Pakistani-American immigrants and the struggles they face and shows a really charming true story. I really love this movie and it no doubt surprised me.
#2- Lady Bird
I didn't see the hype before I saw this movie, I understand it now. This is one of the only movies I've seen in a while where I got so invested in the story I felt like I was a part of it and was sad when it ended. This movie feels a lot longer than it is in all the right ways and easily became one of my favourites of the year.
#1- Get Out
This movie was nowhere near my radar as I didn't know any of its actors well and I wasn't much of a Jordan Peele fan, not to mention the trailer just confused me. This film is brilliant and is in a tight race for my favourite movie of the year. I love everything about this film, I've seen it four times now and manage to find more things I love each time. Undoubtedly my biggest surprise of the year.
Honourable Mentions
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
I haven't seen Dogtooth or The Lobster so I didn't know what to think going into this. This is by no means a movie that makes you feel good or anything, but it isn't supposed to be. I enjoyed this film on a more deeper level as it deals with lesser seen themes in a very unique way. Overall, a film that I ended up really enjoying.
Split
It wasn't until after I saw this film that I started getting into Shyamalan movies. This film holds an incredible James McAvoy performance and has some absolutely incredible twists. A surprise that ended up being one of my favourites from the first few months of 2017.
Columbus
I didn't know this movie existed until a few weeks ago and it really impressed me. It is a very subtle movie and deals with some interesting issues in a very benign manner. It is the story of a person who wants to leave but has to stay and one that wants to stay but has to leave and the relationship that the two form and it was a film I'm glad I watched.
#10- Coco
This isn't a surprise that I enjoyed it, it's a Pixar movie so chances were high that I'd have a good time. However I was nowhere near prepared for how emotionally invested I was in this film. It was a film I wasn't over the moon excited for but became by far my favourite animated film of the year. Yet another great entry from Pixar.
#9- Good Time
Based on the marketing campaign I didn't know how I'd feel about this film. I missed it in theatres so I had to stream it and it kept buffering. This just goes to show how good this movie is as I powered through the poor connection to watch a piece of great original cinema. Robert Pattinson is surprisingly fantastic in the leading role and the film is one I'm surprised I enjoyed as much as I did.
#8- I, Tonya
This movie was one I watched only for the performance of Margot Robbie. I was pleasantly surprised and treated to a really interesting story complimented by some pretty unique storytelling. Alison Janney is just as good as Margot Robbie and the rest of the cast is pretty solid as well. A surprise hit of the 2017 award season.
#7- Call me by Your Name
As I said in my review, I was not excited to watch this movie. I kinda feel stupid now though because this film excels as both a coming of age story and a romance film. The performances just get more and more touching as the film goes on and ended up nearly being one of my top 10 movies of the year. Not to mention the Italy backdrop makes the film oh so beautiful.
#6- Colossal
This movie isn't being talked about as much as it should. In a world of people complaining about not enough original films no one bothered seeing one of the most original movies of the year. The movie didn't look amazing to me but the premise intrigued me and it ended up being a movie I really really enjoyed. Anne Hathaway is great as is Jason Sudeikis in a supporting role. Definitely a movie more people should watch.
#5- It
As we all know, I bitched out of seeing this opening weekend, and didn't really want to see it cause I heard it was terrifying. It ended up being one of the most fun experiences I had in a theatre all year with all the scares making me and my friends jump out of our seats. Even if you take away the scares this is a great coming of age movie with amazing performances by its child actors and some really well shot scenes.
#4- Logan Lucky
This movie looked dumb as hell, but I heard some good things so I gave it a shot. This is one of the most hilarious movies of the year, making the most of the redneck humour. The whole cast is hilarious, especially Adam Driver and Daniel Craig who both give very different performances than we usually see them in. This is a film that looked bad but ended up being great.
#3- The Big Sick
I saw this as an excuse to go to the movies then saw it the next day and then talked about it ad nauseum because this is an amazing movie. It gives insight into the culture of Pakistani-American immigrants and the struggles they face and shows a really charming true story. I really love this movie and it no doubt surprised me.
#2- Lady Bird
I didn't see the hype before I saw this movie, I understand it now. This is one of the only movies I've seen in a while where I got so invested in the story I felt like I was a part of it and was sad when it ended. This movie feels a lot longer than it is in all the right ways and easily became one of my favourites of the year.
#1- Get Out
This movie was nowhere near my radar as I didn't know any of its actors well and I wasn't much of a Jordan Peele fan, not to mention the trailer just confused me. This film is brilliant and is in a tight race for my favourite movie of the year. I love everything about this film, I've seen it four times now and manage to find more things I love each time. Undoubtedly my biggest surprise of the year.
Decent list Matt, not very surprising though.
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