{"id":21523,"date":"2017-12-29T15:58:59","date_gmt":"2017-12-29T05:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=21523"},"modified":"2017-12-29T17:58:33","modified_gmt":"2017-12-29T07:58:33","slug":"top-ten-movies-of-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=21523","title":{"rendered":"Top Ten Movies of 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"tagfilm\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"2017bestmovies\"<\/a><\/p>\nT<\/span>he film industry’s most significant moment of 2017 came not from any particular movie or actor’s performance but from a New York Times article outing Harvey Weinstein as a sexual predator.\u00a0 The article was a spark that triggered a massive number of women and men to step forward, revealing their abuse at the hands of some of the most powerful men in Hollywood.\u00a0 The subsequent ripple effect\u00a0is still occurring across many other industries in what has been coined the\u00a0‘#MeToo’ social movement.<\/p>\n

#MeToo is another milestone in the reckoning that Hollywood is long overdue facing (coming\u00a0just a couple of years after #OscarsSoWhite).\u00a0 The world’s largest and most influential film industry has always portrayed itself as\u00a0a bastion of liberalism and yet it was plain to see that beneath its tissue-thin veneer, there were appalling prejudices and systems in place to grant the best opportunities to a select few.\u00a0 The industry not only tolerated but openly celebrated known abusers such as Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski and Woody Allen.\u00a0 The wave of revelations that broke after Harvey Weinstein’s outing has claimed the reputations of some of the most popular actors in Hollywood including Kevin Spacey, Ben Affleck and Louis CK.\u00a0 ‘Open secret’ was a commonly used phrase to describe their misdeeds.<\/p>\n

If the astonishing breadth and scope of this abhorrent behaviour\u00a0wasn’t bad enough on its own right, we also got a taste of just how institutionalised this culture still is\u00a0as a depressing line up of well-liked and respected Hollywood actors – Matt Damon (‘not all men’), Kate Winslet (‘how great is Roman Polanski you guys’), Angela Lansbury (‘women had it coming’), Ian McKellan (‘women brought it on themselves’) – all came out and said something stupid or dismissive in relation to the allegations.\u00a0 That so many prominent and influential\u00a0actors\u00a0willingly outed themselves as enablers of this culture was eye-opening and sobering.<\/p>\n

Although the current impact of #MeToo feels significant, I don’t think anyone can feel certain that Hollywood will be able to self regulate and clean itself up in the aftermath.\u00a0 But we can definitely be sure that there are voices in the industry who are doing their damnedest to affect that change.\u00a0 Voices like Jordan Peele, Ava DuVernay and Cheryl Boone Isaacs are rattling the cages in Hollywood and changing the preconceptions of who can be a powerful figure in one of the most culturally influential industries in the world.<\/p>\n

It’s been a miserable couple of years in the world of current events and to that end, its probably no surprise that audiences have flocked to films that offering respite in the form of colourful escapism – most notably super hero films.\u00a0 I’m one of those people.\u00a0 Don’t get me wrong – I appreciated Yorgos Lanthimos’ creepy psycho-sexual thriller The Killing Of A Sacred Deer<\/i> as much as the next guy but generally speaking I had a better time watching Chris Hemsworth hitting people with a hammer in\u00a0Thor Ragnarok<\/em>.\u00a0 To that end, this is probably my most blockbuster heavy top ten I’ve put together in a number of years.<\/p>\n

The film industry is undergoing a tumultuous cultural upheaval and its not yet clear what lies ahead.\u00a0 The pre-amble for my 2016 Top Ten movies list remarked ‘boy there sure are a lot of sequels coming out!<\/em>‘.\u00a0 This year I’ve written a 500 word screed on institutional sex offenders in the Hollywood system.\u00a0 Here’s hoping that twelve months from now, we can look at the movie industry with a sunnier disposition.<\/p>\n

Anyway, here it is, my ten favourite films of 2017.\u00a0 The usual rule applies.\u00a0 To make the list, the film has to have had its wider cinematic release in Australia in 2017.<\/p>\n

\"2017getout\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Get Out<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Film of the Year<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Director: \u00a0<\/strong>Jordan Peele
\nWriter:\u00a0<\/strong>Jordan Peele
\nCast:\u00a0 <\/strong>Daniel Kaluuya, Alison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you’re in the Sunken Place\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

Jordan Peele hit it big with his debut feature film Get Out<\/em> which was one of the best reviewed films of 2017 as well as being a huge hit at the box office, clearing a cool $245 million on a budget of just $4 million.<\/p>\n

Get Out<\/em> is an entertaining satirical thriller that draws its best moments from subverting audience expectations.\u00a0 It is simultaneously the scariest and funniest film I have seen this year.\u00a0 Get Out<\/em>\u00a0starts out as a modern day\u00a0Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner<\/em> as Caucasian Rose Armitage brings her black boyfriend Chris home to meet her parents in their WASPy neighbourhood.\u00a0 But Chris quickly works out something is very wrong in the Armitage household and…well, the less you know going into the film, the better really.<\/p>\n

Get Out<\/em> is a film that really<\/em> goes there.\u00a0 It is an incredibly timely film, arriving in theatres mere months after the 2016 Presidential election and it has some sharp commentary on race relations, crime in America, and the attitudes of politically correct ‘West Wing’ liberals towards black people (which is mined effectively for many of the gags).\u00a0 It is a film where the viewing experience is absolutely enhanced when watched in a packed cinema screening.\u00a0 Hearing an audience\u00a0reacting so audibly\u00a0to the twists and turns of\u00a0Get Out<\/em> (‘where are the keys Rose’, the cop car pulling up at the end) was hands down my favourite movie-watching experience of 2017.<\/p>\n

\"2017hiddenfigures\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hidden Figures<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Director:\u00a0 <\/strong>Theodore Melfi
\nWriter:\u00a0<\/strong>Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi
\nCast: \u00a0<\/strong>Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get to the peak together, or we don’t get there at all.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

Katherine Johnson turned 99 years old this year.\u00a0 An accomplished NASA mathematician, she was so brilliant that she calculated the trajectory for the Apollo 11 mission by hand.\u00a0\u00a0BY HAND<\/em>.\u00a0 Such was quality of her work that legendary astronaut John Glenn trusted her calculations over those produced via a computer.<\/p>\n

Frankly, it’s a crime that it took until 2017 for her and two other pioneering African American women in aeronautics, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, to star as the subjects of a film that gives them their due recognition.<\/p>\n

To be involved in the NASA program in any capacity, requires a person to be one of the very elite in their field of expertise.\u00a0 But for Johnson, Vaughan and Jackson, they not only had\u00a0the intellectual excellence to make important contributions to NASA’s burgeoning space program, they did so whilst navigating the severe prejudices impeding black women in the workforce in the Sixties.<\/p>\n

Hidden Figures<\/em> is a film that delights in celebrating the accomplishments of three extraordinary women and despite the film’s trappings which are rooted in prejudice, it is an optimistic film at heart, preferring to focus largely on how the women overcame setbacks and reached the heights that they did.\u00a0 Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae all put on wonderful performances as the central characters.\u00a0 We feel their frustrations when they are hindered by bigots around them then share in their jubilation as they persist and achieve the impossible.<\/p>\n

Hidden Figures<\/em> is a\u00a0film that made my heart sing.<\/p>\n

\"2017wonderwoman\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wonder Woman<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Director: \u00a0<\/strong>Patty Jenkins
\nWriter:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Allan Heinberg
\nCast:\u00a0 <\/strong>Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright<\/p>\n

\u201cBe careful in the world of men, Diana. They do not deserve you.\u00a0\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

Considering Hollywood smashes out a million super hero movies a year, it took an absurdly long time for Wonder Woman, the most famous female superhero in DC Comic’s stable, to receive her due.\u00a0 Well, in 2017 we finally got the film we’ve been waiting an age for and the results are plain to see.\u00a0 It’s the highest grossing super hero origin film of all time and its quite easily the only super hero film in DC’s current catalogue that isn’t completely dreadful.<\/p>\n

Gal Gadot puts in a star-making performance as Wonder Woman, where she is every bit as iconic as Christopher Reeves’\u00a0Superman and Heath Ledger’s\u00a0Joker.\u00a0 Her Diana Prince is someone who is righteous, altruistic and compassionate.\u00a0 The juxtaposition of her incredible might and her naivete about human nature draws parallels with Reeve’s Superman from the Donner films of the Seventies.\u00a0 In fact Jenkins draws on those films very closely, with two scenes – one involving an alleyway shooting and another with a revolving door – both lifted directly from\u00a0Superman\u00a0<\/em>[1978].<\/p>\n

I haven’t much cared for DC’s recent output of super hero films.\u00a0 To me they seem needlessly dark and obtuse, not to mention overly long.\u00a0 By comparison,\u00a0Wonder Woman<\/em> was a refreshing tonic.\u00a0 It is buoyant and uplifting film full of wide-eyed optimism.\u00a0 Seeing Wonder Woman lay waste to Nazis, particularly in that memorable ‘No Mans Land’ scene was one of the best things to come out of 2017.<\/p>\n

Full Review<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"2017dunkirk\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dunkirk<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Director: \u00a0<\/strong>Christopher Nolan
\nWriter: <\/strong>Christopher Nolan
\nCast: \u00a0<\/strong>Barry Keoghan, Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

Christopher Nolan\u2019s\u00a0Dunkirk<\/em>\u00a0is an impressive film and one of his finest works to date. \u00a0I was initially a little dubious about a contemporary WWII film carrying an M-rating but I needn\u2019t have worried. \u00a0Nolan\u2019s largely bloodless production still viscerally captures the horrors of war and the lower age classification broadens the audience\u00a0Dunkirk<\/em>\u00a0can reach.<\/p>\n

Dunkirk<\/em>\u00a0is a film where actions speak louder than words. \u00a0There is very little by way of dialogue. \u00a0Most of what happens speaks for itself.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Nolan once again asserts himself as one of the most assured directors in Hollywood, delivering a film with complicated themes and intricate composition, which he trusts\u00a0that his audience can follow.<\/p>\n

Like the pocket watch that inspired the soundtrack,\u00a0Dunkirk<\/em> is a triumph of craftsmanship. \u00a0Each shot, each edit and each action ratchets up the tension to unbearable heights. \u00a0The highlight for me was a sequence intercutting a pilot drowning in his downed spitfighter and a French soldier\u2019s deception slowly being uncovered by the English troops. \u00a0That passage of the film had me completely enthralled and holding my breath for the better part of a minute.<\/p>\n

Unusually for a big budget WWII production,\u00a0Dunkirk<\/em>\u00a0clocks in at a snappy 106 minute running time. \u00a0It has the pace and action beats of a thriller. \u00a0The film doesn\u2019t ever really feel grandoise. \u00a0The few wide shots we see of the soldiers on the beach and the boats in the water don\u2019t feel momentous. \u00a0The film sets its lens much closer to the action and follows its cast from moment to moment.<\/p>\n

Nolan has made plenty of fine films in his accomplished career and\u00a0Dunkirk<\/em> ranks right up there with the best of them.<\/p>\n

Full Review<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"2017bladerunner\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Blade Runner 2049<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Director: \u00a0<\/strong>Denis\u00a0Villeneuve
\nWriter: <\/strong>Hampton Fancher, Michael Green
\nCast: <\/strong>Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Dave Bautista<\/p>\n

\u201cI always told you. You’re special. Your history isn’t over yet. There’s still a page left.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

Making a sequel to the seminal science fiction classic\u00a0Blade Runner<\/em>\u00a0[1982] feels like the best and worst of ideas.\u00a0 On one hand, it seems like a terrible proposition because in this age of remakes, reboots and sequels, it feels like hardly any of these projects works out the way you want them to or come close to matching the quality of the originals.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, in the year 2017,\u00a0it feels like the themes explored in the original\u00a0Blade Runner<\/em>, both politically and technologically, have never been more relevant.\u00a0 And if you\u2019re going to do a new\u00a0Blade Runner<\/em>, what better person to have at the helm than Denis Villeneuve who not only has a spotless record with the catalogue of films he has directed (Sicario, Prisoners, Incendies<\/em>\u00a0etc), he most recently produced one of the most interesting contemporary science fiction films since\u00a0Contact<\/em>, with last year\u2019s\u00a0Arrival<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In this instance, the gamble has paid off.\u00a0 Despite some occasionally ponderous pacing,\u00a0Blade Runner 2049\u00a0<\/em>is a worthy companion piece to the original with stunning visual effects and a terrific neo-noir journey that feels like a solid successor to Ridley Scott’s original.\u00a0 I think this is due in no small part to the return of Hampton Fancher (who worked on the original all those years ago) as one of the screen writers.<\/p>\n

If you have a fondness for the original\u00a0Blade Runner<\/em>, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what Denis Villeneuve has accomplished.<\/p>\n

Full Review<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"2017logan\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Logan<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Director: \u00a0<\/strong>James Mangold
\nWriter: <\/strong>Scott Frank, James Mangold
\nCast:\u00a0 <\/strong>Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen<\/p>\n

\u201cA man has to be what he is. Can’t break the mold. There’s no living with the killing. There’s no going back. Right or wrong, it’s a brand. A brand that sticks. Now you run on home to your mother… you tell her everything’s alright.\u00a0\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

It doesn’t really seem probable and yet here we are.\u00a0 The best X-Men movie is the tenth<\/em> film in the series.\u00a0 They should be out of ideas by now and yet James Mangold and his team have produced the most unique and interesting film about Marvel’s mutants in this latest installment.<\/p>\n

Set in the future where mutants have been wiped out by a virus and only a handful survive, we follow the fortunes of an aged Logan and a terminally ill Professor X.\u00a0 The world is now a harsh and unforgiving wasteland and a disillusioned Logan has little to live for.<\/p>\n

He is given a renewed sense of purpose when he is unwillingly granted custodianship of Laura, an eleven year old with mutant powers of her own who\u00a0is pursued by the sinister Donald Pierce, a cyborg security officer of Transigen corporation.<\/p>\n

What makes\u00a0Logan<\/em> so interesting is that the film uses the framework of a classic super hero tale and then\u00a0constructs it with the look and feel of a Western.\u00a0 If you really want to go the whole nine yards, the Blu Ray copy even comes with a black and white edition to make it look even more like\u00a0High Noon<\/em>.<\/p>\n

This isn’t the first time 20th Century Fox have tried this type of genre-blending with the X-Men.\u00a0\u00a0X-Men First Class<\/em> opens with a riveting first act that plays like James Bond with mutants.\u00a0 Unfortunately, that film eventually lost its nerve and reverted to being a more conventional super hero film by the third act.\u00a0 Where\u00a0Logan<\/em> succeeds so smartly is that it has the heart and soul of a Gary Cooper or John Wayne Western through and through, right to the last.\u00a0 It’s one of the most innovative and interesting super hero films of recent years and is a fine send off for Hugh Jackman’s time as Wolverine.<\/p>\n

\"2017bestcoco\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Coco<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Director: \u00a0<\/strong>Lee Unkrich
\nWriter: <\/strong>Lee Unkrich, Jason Katz
\nCast: \u00a0<\/strong>Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt<\/p>\n

\u201cI will never forgive you.\u00a0 But I will help you.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

I don’t know how Pixar’s latest film\u00a0Coco<\/em> is doing at the box office but I feel like it is sailing under the radar.\u00a0 Nobody I know is talking about this thing.\u00a0 Which is a pity because\u00a0Coco<\/em> is excellent – one of Pixar’s best in recent years – and deserves to find an audience.<\/p>\n

Set in Mexico at the time of the Day of the Dead festival, it tells the story of Miguel, a boy raised in a\u00a0family of shoemakers, who aspires to break away from the family vocation and become a musician, against their wishes.<\/p>\n

There’s a lot to enjoy about\u00a0Coco<\/em>.\u00a0 By animated film standards, it has a unique setting and soundtrack.\u00a0 As you’d expect for a Pixar production, the aesthetics are sumptuous and the writing is sharp and engaging.\u00a0 It is\u00a0also a film that transcends the usual limitations of All Age’s entertainment and has meaningful things to say about family legacies, dementia, valuing your work and respecting the experiences and wisdom of your elders.\u00a0 In short, I loved it.<\/p>\n

\"2017it\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Director:\u00a0 <\/strong>Andy Muschietti
\nWriter:\u00a0<\/strong>Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga
\nCast:\u00a0 <\/strong>Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Jaeden Lieberher<\/p>\n

\u201cAin’t nothing like a little fear to make a paper man crumble.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

In retrospect, you can see what Steven Spielberg was trying to do with\u00a0Super Eight<\/em> six years ago.\u00a0 Mixing horror with Eighties nostalgia.\u00a0 Creating a mish-mash between\u00a0Stand By Me<\/em> and a creature feature.\u00a0 It just took a little longer before\u00a0Stranger Things<\/em> and\u00a0It<\/em> perfected the formula for television and film respectively.<\/p>\n

It\u00a0<\/em>was a surprise hit in 2017.\u00a0 A remake that no one was asking for, director Andy Muschietti struck gold by centering the film around the first half of Stephen King’s novel, where the story unfolds from the perspective of the kids in the town of Derry.\u00a0 Despite its horror movie trappings,\u00a0It<\/em>\u00a0feels like a love letter to summer holidays as a kid, where you ride around on BMX bikes all day with your friends, looking for adventure and getting up to mischief.\u00a0 To that end, there is a genuine disconnect between all the adults in\u00a0It<\/em> and the dangers facing the children.\u00a0 Where the kids see a bathroom with walls caked in blood, the adults see nothing at all.\u00a0 The world that the kids and adults inhabit are completely separated and I kind of like that.<\/p>\n

It<\/em> is a fantastic horror film because it accomplishes precisely what it sets out to do.\u00a0 It isn’t the scariest film in the world and nor does it try to be.\u00a0 But it does a wonderful job of recreating the dynamics of childhood friendship\u00a0as well as the anxieties and fears that you have at that age.\u00a0 This is that rare instance where a remake\u00a0improves upon the original film.<\/p>\n

The Big Sick<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"2017bigsick\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Director:\u00a0 <\/strong>Michael Showalter
\nWriter: <\/strong>Emily Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani
\nCast:\u00a0 <\/strong>Kumail Nanjiani, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Zoe Kazan<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s my stance on 9\/11? Oh um, anti. It was a tragedy, I mean we lost 19 of our best guys.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

The Big Sick<\/em> is a rom-com movie that uses the same formula you have seen a million times.\u00a0 Two single people from different cultures have a meet-cute.\u00a0 They fall in love.\u00a0 Have a falling out.\u00a0 Overcome their differences and live Happily Ever After.\u00a0 You know exactly how it goes.<\/p>\n

What makes\u00a0The Big Sick<\/em>\u00a0so great then is that it is written and performed by Kumail Nanjiani of\u00a0Silicon Valley<\/em>\u00a0based on how he came to meet and marry Emily Gordon which means two things:\u00a0 1.\u00a0 It has an air of authenticity that makes individual scenes and lines of dialogue ring true and feel authentic in a way that they seldom do in this genre.\u00a0 2.\u00a0 It’s genuinely funny and has a generous number of gags that’ll make you laugh or smile.<\/p>\n

Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan have a natural rapport and a warm chemistry between them.\u00a0 But the film also comes alive thanks to the excellent supporting cast including Emily Gordon’s parents (played by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter) as well as the entire Nunjiani clan.\u00a0 I thought Adeel Akhtar was especially great as Kumail’s brother.<\/p>\n

The Big Sick<\/em> is a\u00a0funny film that will make you feel warm and fuzzy about the romantic leads and laugh in exasperation at the eccentric family members that enrich their lives.\u00a0 That’s a movie worth watching in my book.<\/p>\n

\"2017warforapes\"<\/a><\/p>\n

War for the Planet of the Apes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Director: \u00a0<\/strong>Matt Reeves
\nWriter: <\/strong>Matt Reeves, Mark Bomback
\nCast: \u00a0<\/strong>Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn<\/p>\n

\u201cThis war is madness.\u201d<\/em><\/h3>\n

It’s been a long road but this is the end of the line for Caesar.\u00a0 After leading an army of apes to freedom in\u00a0Rise of the Planet of the Apes<\/em> and surviving a bloody battle with humans and apes alike in\u00a0Dawn of the Planet of the Apes<\/em>, Caesar plots to lead his simian brethren to the promised land in\u00a0War for the Planet of the Apes<\/em>.\u00a0 Standing in his way is the demented Colonel (played by Woody Harrelson), who leads humanity’s last stand against the apes.<\/p>\n

I’ve been carrying the flag for Matt Reeve’s\u00a0Planet of the Apes<\/em> trilogy ever since\u00a0Rise<\/em> improbably overcame the casting of James Franco as a neuro-scientist and delivered one of the most satisfying and heart-felt Apes movies since the original way back in 1968.<\/p>\n

These films are so well made.\u00a0 The visual effects for the apes by Weta Workshop are some of the finest I’ve seen of any film.\u00a0 The physicality and emoting of the apes is utterly convincing.\u00a0 Andy Serkis’ motion capture performance is every bit as good as his turn as Gollum in\u00a0The Lord of the Rings<\/em>.\u00a0 And the breadth and scope of the storytelling is as satisfying and engaging as any fantasy film trilogy I can think of.\u00a0 I genuinely don’t think these films get the praise and attention they’re due.<\/p>\n

War for the Planet of the Apes<\/em> is a worthy conclusion to Caesar’s story.\u00a0\u00a0It’s a rather predictable road to the finish line but its the journey that counts.\u00a0 And when a film is made with this much finesse and expert craftsmanship, you can’t help but admire the results.<\/p>\n

Honourable Mentions<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

\"2017thelastjedi\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Star Wars: The Last Jedi\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 I don’t understand what the fuss is all about.\u00a0 The Last Jedi<\/em> is a fantastic follow up to\u00a0The Force Awakens<\/em> and bravely sheds a lot of the baggage from the Original Trilogy so that future iterations can carve out an identity all of their own. (p.s I thought the porgs were great)<\/p>\n

Kong: Skull Island\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 An entertaining romp through Skull Island.\u00a0 Creatively, the film makes an interesting choice to draw aesthetic and thematic parallels to the Vietnam War.\u00a0 I look forward the upcoming clash between Kong and Godzilla in the next film.<\/p>\n

The Villainess<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 If the last great Asian action movie you saw was The Raid<\/em> or Ong Bak<\/em>, you owe it to yourself to see Ok-bin Kim lay waste to the Korean mafia in\u00a0The Villainess<\/em>.\u00a0 That final scene involving the take down of the bus is really something.<\/p>\n

The Handmaiden<\/strong> – Another Korean film that is worth checking out is Park Chan-wook’s\u00a0The Handmaiden<\/em>.\u00a0 Chan-wook is best knowing for his eye-watering thriller\u00a0Oldboy<\/em>\u00a0but this time he has tried his hand at creating an\u00a0erotic period drama.\u00a0 Gorgeous to look at with lavish production values,\u00a0The Handmaiden<\/em>\u00a0has a memorable final scene you won’t soon forget.<\/p>\n

The Killing of a Sacred Deer\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Yorgos Lanthimos’ follow up to The Lobster<\/em> is an unnerving thriller where people talk with a strange affectation and a jarring soundtrack in the background never lets you get comfortable.\u00a0 It’s creepy, unsettling and gets under your skin.\u00a0 If you’re up for a challenging film that takes you places,\u00a0The Killing of a Sacred Deer<\/em> is the film for you.<\/p>\n

Thor: Ragnarok\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 When a well liked indie film director gets put at the helm of a big budget Marvel movie, you want the soul of their film making to shine through the cogs of the machine.\u00a0\u00a0Thor: Ragnarok<\/em>\u00a0does exactly that.\u00a0 It may have been a production made in collaboration with a cast of thousands but it is unmistakably a Taika Waititi film.<\/p>\n

Baby Driver<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Edgar Wright’s latest is an entertaining thriller with great tunes and even better car chases.\u00a0 If I’m honest, it didn’t hit quite the heights that I hoped it would (those early trailers showed so much promise) but its still a damn fine movie.<\/p>\n

Worst Film of 2017<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

\"2017xmaspince\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A Christmas Prince<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 I don’t exactly know what was going on with Netflix’s holiday season production\u00a0A Christmas Prince<\/em> but it appears someone lost a bet and had to make a movie that crammed in every terrible Christmas movie trope and cliche into a single ninety minute show.\u00a0\u00a0A Christmas Prince<\/em> is a terrible movie to be sure but it is so jaw-droppingly awful that I wouldn’t be surprised if it breaks through the\u00a0so bad it’s good<\/em> barrier and becomes a cult classic in years to come.\u00a0 It really is a very, very bad film.<\/p>\n

Archives<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

\"2016huntforthewilderpeople\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Top Ten Films of 2016<\/a>\u00a0 | <\/strong>Film of the Year – Hunt For The Wilder People<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Top Ten Films of 2015<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0| \u00a0Film of the Year \u2013\u00a0Mad Max Fury Road<\/a>,\u00a0Star Wars Episode VII: \u00a0The Force Awakens<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Top Fifty Films of 2014<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0Film of the Year \u2013\u00a0Grand Budapest Hotel<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

Top Ten Films of 2013<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0| \u00a0Film of the Year \u2013\u00a0Gravity<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

Top Ten Films of 2012<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Film of the Year \u2013\u00a0The Descendants<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Top Ten Films of 2011<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0|\u00a0 Film of the Year \u2013\u00a0True Grit<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Top Ten Films of 2010<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0| Film of the Year \u2013\u00a0The Social Network<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Top Ten Films of 2009<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0| Film of the Year \u2013\u00a0In The Loop<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There were super heroes, giant apes, Star Wars and remakes of horror classics. In a year crowded with high profile releases, these were ten best films of 2017.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":21673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1802,15],"tags":[2692,2652,2689,2691,2688,2690,779,2693,2660],"class_list":["post-21523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-of-the-year-movies","category-blog","tag-blade-runner-2049","tag-dunkirk","tag-get-out","tag-hidden-figures","tag-it","tag-logan","tag-star-wars","tag-the-villainess","tag-wonder-woman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21523"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21746,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21523\/revisions\/21746"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}