So here we are, Gowtham and Arunan, as the year is coming to an end with our first edition of "Best of" series that consists of those movies that upped the movie going experience that much to warrant our (and in some cases everyone's) attention.
Nevertheless with awards season picking up, many movies are getting released for nominations under various categories, there’s plenty of movie watching left for us to even though the Calendar year 2017 is officially signing off.
We would’ve missed many new releases (Read: 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, I Tonya, The Post etc) but these are the few releases of the year which we think no one should miss!!
Some choices are obvious and some are bewildering. Fell free to pitch in with your recommendations that you think we missed out.
For the ardent fan in us and all……………
Here goes the Top 10 (in our View) Hollywood Production Ventures for the Year 2017, not in any particular order!!
Mother 5/5
Genre: Mystery | Thriller
This unabashedly daring movie transcends topics that are what making us more and more chaotic, exploitative, violent and inhumane. The movie traverses from faith & religion to global warming & gender inequality and creation of life itself (and the elixir of it!). Mother! is a fiercely metaphor rich symbolic tapestry woven with one of the best ever lead performances and master class direction by Darren Aronofsky which makes it trippy, fantastical, metaphysical and hysterical. It is a movie that accepts audience to go home with a view of their own rather than trying to drive home the point of context. Watch out for the year's intense climax!
You may not like it, you may not connect with it, you may not get along with it, hell you may even dislike it, but that is exactly what we feel this picture wanted to do! To each their Opinion, to each their space only if there is Harmony!
Coco 5/5
Genre: Animation | Fantasy
If ever there was a more touching animated movie after Toy Story and Up it's gotta be Coco. Unkrich and Molina (Monsters, Inc) have done some serious research on Mexican traditions and folk culture and have chosen characters to fit their idea. Ably aided by spectacular visualization - oh what a treat! - And foot tapping Mariachi ensemble. Coco is poetic and vivid in every way possible, even while portraying death.
This year's only animated movie worthy to make it to our top ten.
Thor: Ragnarok 4/5
Genre: Action | Fantasy
Fasten your seat belt, get your popcorn/snacks tub, and don’t dare looking at your mobile or anywhere else. For, once this jolly good fun ride commences you wouldn’t want to miss a minute of screentime. A soaring movie with ridiculous and effortless comic timing, courtesy: Watiti's brilliant exchange of hammer with humour. Ragnarok is almost the best Marvel movie till date and its funniest too!
MCU strikes Gold in making a Seriously Funny Movie with earnesty!
Gifted: 4.5/5
Genre: Drama
A splendid soak that leaves you with a feel of happiness and wave of other emotions. Chris Evans, after his rhetorical flag waving duty for Marvel, totally nails it as the caretaker of a 7 year old child Prodigy, McKenna Grace, who solves differentials like it is breaking biscuits and is the natural lifeline of the movie. Webb's film-making is so delicate that it rises above the cynical expectations and clichés to find a cult status.
IT - 4.5/5
Genre: Fantasy | Horror
When was the last time you saw a horror movie and came out satisfied, smiling and thrilled as well? IT adopts an old school approach successfully to bring to life a book by a difficult author. Banking on the craze and cult for Stranger Things, IT unmasks a terrifying old clown who gets you totally! You will definitely need motivational quotes to switch on the lights in your house after watching IT. Fun filled, beautifully paced, coming off age movie for the teens of today with a dash of horror/thrill sprinkled all over it!! Go Feast on IT!!
The Big Sick: 5/5
Genre: Comedy | Romance
True story of Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) that really doesn't feel like a biopic but deals more with stuffs that define relationship and what it is to exactly have the one thing that universally connects us all – Love - The Real Big Sick. Well written, directed and acted and it comes off as one of those movies that you want every other movie to be.
We have a split view on this, so we leave the decision to the well mannered audience ;)
Dunkirk: 5/5
Genre: Action | War
How do we start? Did we watch it – Check. Did we like it – Check. Did we Enjoy it – Check. Was it easy on the eyes and soothing for the years – check. Was it technically brilliantly – check.
This is an amalgamation of visual brilliance, soul stirring BGM and masterful film-making from one of the greatest story tellers of our time. A story not touched upon as much as it deserves to be. It's only apt that Nolan took this up, and boy has he made a movie out of it!! Two years of work, shown in less than two hours. The shortest running and Nolan’s best till date. With almost no bullets (very few actually), here's a war movie set in beaches and about to be etched in our minds forever. This is an immortal and humongous achievement.
Oscars may finally open its arms to this maverick director.
War for the Planet of the Apes: 4.5/5
Genre: Action | Sci-fi
Emotions conquer guns in this engrossing and spectacular conclusion to a trilogy that began bombastically as a commercial tent-pole (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and saw a much grimmer and darker sequel (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes). War's make up and set pieces are what CGI is to Transformers (pun definitely intended). They speak volumes, albeit in action just like the Apes do. Story telling and the technical wizardry at display are a class apart from the rest of the pack.
Get Out – 4/5
Genre: Horror | Thriller
Slowly starts off as a romantic movie and the more and more you get in to it, you will not want to Get Out of it! Racism could not have been portrayed with such ease and class on the big screen and leave the audience holding on to their seats simultaneously.
Truly genuine horror thriller classic!
Split – 4/5
Genre: Thriller
Just when Hollywood forgot that an individual by the name M Night Shyamalan existed, the man makes a resounding re-entry to his favorite genre – mystery/thriller/horror! Psychologically mind bending and believable at the same time this is very serious take on Multiple Personality Disorder. What actually happens when all the personalities in an individual share a particular trait of theirs and altogether take an all new Avatar?! With a delicious twist at the end to link it to one of his first films we can't wait for more spin-offs and plot development! Watch it to know more.
Logan – 4/5
Genre: Action | Sci-Fi
Highest grossing R rated movie of Hollywood!! We need not bother about that. What a character turning movie! For the first time a STORY was being conveyed in the WOLVERINE series!! Technicallly brilliant, very well enacted and a poetic ending to the WOLVERINE trilogy!! We will miss you Hugh Jackman!!
Blade Runner: 2049 - 4/5
Genre: Sci-Fi | Thriller
Dennis Villeneuve creates a colossal, mind bending story, adds layers and layers of plot to it and gives us one of the best reboots in recent memory. With cinematography so good (Oh! The long shots of LA in ruins!) and sound design reaching its zenith, BR49 is a pure example of what brilliance can be manufactured when every hand involved is doing its job!
Honourable mentions: some that we just couldn't accommodate, else the best of will become too long a list!
Logan Lucky – Masterfully crafted heist by Steven Soderberg.
Baby Driver – That Kick-ass movie of the year!!
Colossal – Innovative comedy movie of the year with Stellar performances from the lead actors
Alien: Covenant - Sometimes as audience we are at fault for not giving due credit to a story which deserves one. Such a riveting origins plot sadly written off with tags like rehash.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Overwhelming and brilliant in every way possible with beautiful new avenues for future movies.
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