Jake Hamilton's Top 10 films of 2017
CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - It's time to count down the top 10 movies of 2017!
At the beginning of every year, I start a list on my phone and every time I see a movie that impact’s me in one way or another, I write it down.
By the end of the year, after seeing a few hundred movies, I usually have a list of about 25 great ones that I whittle down to my top 10.
They may not be the most prestigious films of the year, the most important films of the year, or even the movies that will win all the Oscars -- but, for one reason or another, they're my top 10 favorites.
And we're starting with number 10.
10. Good Time - This slick and sick race-against-the-clock crime drama tells the story of two brothers whose botched bank robbery lands one of them in Rikers Island prison.
The other on the outside -- played with a furious tension by Robert Pattinson, in one of the best performances of the year -- spends one dark and demented night doing everything in his power to get his brother out.
The film, mostly takes place during that one night of breakneck desperation and pulsating violence. It's a delirious and frenetic film that will shock you, sicken you, leave you needing a shower and then wanting to do it all over again.
9. Wind River - This brutal and blood-soaked crime drama set against the backdrop of an Indian reservation in Wyoming tells the story of a wild game hunter and a rookie FBI agent who team up to solve the murder of a young woman.
But don't be mistaken: this is not a standard, paint-by-numbers murder mystery.
The wicked cast of characters, complex social structures and horrifying resolution will shock you, terrify you and leave you feeling alone in the cold as you come to terms with the powerfully haunting story you just witnessed.
8. I, Tonya - What could have been a standard biopic about the fallen-from-grace figure skater Tonya Harding instead is presented in such a unique way, that we're left doing something we never expected: actually feeling bad for her.
Margot Robbie and Allison Janey give two of the year's best performances in a brutally funny and unexpectedly tragic look at fame and glory and those who are willing to pay any cost to achieve them.
It's as unconventional as it is emotional and shows that one of America's most famous punching bags might not be the person you think she is.
7. Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri - This angry, funny and heartbreaking tale of a mother looking for answers after her daughter's murder is both a "movie of the moment" and a classic tale of grief and humanity.
The film sports one of the best ensemble casts of the year -- Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrellson, all give awards worthy performances.
The movie refuses to fit into any corner of a traditional movie classification: it's both funny and sad, strange and relatable, and fresh and classic.
All of which adds up to one of the most sharp witted and viciously unforgettable movie-going experiences of the year.
6. Get Out - No movie this year held its finger to the pulse of our society quite like this little scary-movie-that-could.
This timely horror film tells the story of a black man who goes home with his girlfriend to meet her white parents only to discover that things are not quite what they seem to be.
On the surface, the film is an expertly crafted horror flick from first-time director Jordan Peele. But dig a little deeper and the film stands as a brilliant social satire, holding up a mirror to America's boiling racial tensions.
If you want to look at the film as just a horror film, it's a truly great one -- but if Get Out teaches us anything, it's that sometimes it's best to explore the horrors underneath the surface.
5. War for the Planet of the Apes - The final film in a trilogy of movies that were all far better than they were ever given credit for, War for the Planet of the Apes is, ironically, an awe-inspiring cinematic portrait of what it really means to be human.
This film is much more than a generic, effects-filled popcorn blockbuster -- it's a powerful and heartbreaking testament to the power of big-budget Hollywood.
The film reaches for more -- it asks big questions about what it means to stand on the right side of history, and the answers aren't always the easy ones, or even what we want to hear.
If you dismissed this film because you thought it was just "another Apes movie," you're doing yourself a disservice -- it's much, much more than that.
4. Dunkirk - Director Christopher Nolan takes the traditional "war movie" mold and breaks it, giving us something we've never seen before.
Told in three different time lines that move that three different speeds, Dunkirk feels like the final act of a war movie with that energy sustained for the entire two-hour running time.
The direction, the acting, the editing between the stories -- all top notch from a director at the top of his game.
The first viewing of this movie can be a bit jarring if you're not prepared for the unconventional presentation -- but in retrospect, it's clearly nothing short of genius and easily one of the best war films of all time.
3. The Post - Steven Spielberg's timely and topical film tells the true story of the Washington Post's battle with the Nixon administration as they try to decide whether or not the publish the infamous pentagon papers -- it also happens to be Spielberg's best film since Minority Report.
Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks give two of the best performances of their careers and the incredible supporting cast all turn in a-grade performances.
The Post manages to be both classic filmmaking -- Spielberg makes it look easy, as the best in the business tend to do -- but it's also a relevant pulse pounding and nail-biting drama that leaves you wondering what's going to happen even though you already know what's going to happen.
This is not just one of the best films of the year I'd argue it's the most important film of the year.
2. Logan - To simply call this a movie about Wolverine, an X-Men movie or even "just" a superhero movie would be doing it a disservice.
This dark, brutal, hopeless, violent, vulgar and R-rated drama is much more -- it's a classic western that features a guy with claws, it's Shane if the film featured a mutant.
Logan was, of course, Hugh Jackman's swan song for his iconic character and he saved the best for last, giving the best performance of his career.
Sir Patrick Stewart gives also gives the performances of a lifetime, turning his Professor X character in a mad and broken old man in the final moments of his life.
Logan is a powerful and heart breaking final chapter in the story of Wolverine -- not just one of the best super heroes films of all time, not just one of the best modern westerns of all time, it's one of the absolute best films of 2017.
1. Blade Runner 2049 - It was the film no one asked for -- a sequel to one of the most iconic science fiction films of all time. And yet, it stands on its own.
It's not just a sequel to an 80's sci-fi flick, it's one of the most beautiful, soulful, tragic and poignant science fiction films in the history of cinema.
It's a study about humanity, told through the eyes of someone who isn't human.
It's a story of love and sacrifice, told in a world that is cold and rainy and commercially soulless.
Like its predecessor, it didn't do well at the box office but, like its predecessor, it's a film that will develop a fan base over the years and will, in time, come to be known as a classic.
If you're looking for a mindless action flick, look elsewhere -- Blade Runner 2049 isn't for you.
But if you're looking for a mature and adult science fiction drama, Blade Runner 2049 shows you just what the genre -- and movie-going in general -- has the power to be.
And that's why it is the best film of 2017.