2017 Capsule Reviews

Logan
rating: *****
review: One of the truly great superhero movies, the kind the genre will be able to tout among the classics in decades to come, at last treating Wolverine as the icon he is but also as the man he is.

Dunkirk

rating: *****

review: Christopher Nolan usually has some high concept attached to his films, and while stories play at different intervals, this one's merely a piece of WWII history at its most human level, tracking events related to a massive evacuation of the British army.  

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

rating: ****

review: A wicked satire of the age but unexpectedly poignant for the two characters you least expect, played by Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson.

A Ghost Story

rating: *****

review: A modern classic from David Lowery.

Gifted

rating: *****

review: One of those movies that hits hard on a personal level, and another sign that Marc Webb is a modern treasure.  Chris Evans in one of his finest roles as a brother whose sister dies, leaving behind a niece who needs caring for, brilliantly portrayed by Mckenna Grace.

Justice League

rating: ****

review: At this point a DC movie being trashed by critics and/or audiences (and an MCU being praised by both) is so old hat you just have to laugh.  I loved this one, but the later Snyder Cut is better.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

rating: ****

review: As far as esoteric movies starring Colin Farrell from this general period go, I liked The Lobster better, although this one does feature the secret origin of Barry Keoghan.

Star Wars - Episode VII: The Last Jedi

rating: ****

review: The period surrounding its release was a trying time for me, but even that didn't stop me from viewing Last Jedi very differently from its (un)popular reception.  Contains at least one definitive moment in the saga.

Wonder Woman

rating: ****

review: Took me a few viewings, but I eventually understood what everyone loved about it.

Murder on the Orient Express

rating: ****

review: The stellar cast led by director Kenneth Branagh makes this a statement on a classic.

John Wick: Chapter 2

rating: ****

review: I only got into the series later, so I was playing catch-up when I saw this one, but the ending brilliantly set up the next one, and as such sold me on the series itself.

Logan Lucky

rating: ****

review: What were the odds that two movies released in 2017 featuring "Logan" in the title would not only exist but be well worth watching?  This one stars Daniel Craig in probably the role that led to his far more famous turn as a Southern-voiced gentleman in Knives Out.  And a great cast around him, including Adam Driver.

I, Tonya

rating: ****

review: It wasn't just my sister who in later years carried the torch forward, but at the time these events played out figure skating was a huge deal, so you really couldn't help being aware, to the point where I have a distinct memory of a classmate acting out the programs that headlined the resulting Olympics, neither of which featured Tonya Harding.  This is a movie that will hopefully help you feel some sympathy for her.

Darkest Hour

rating: ****

review: Winston Churchill was a tough pill to swallow both before and afterward, but he was the hero Britain and the Allies needed, and Gary Oldman portrays him brilliantly.  

Wind River

rating: ****

review: Director Taylor Sheridan has become one of the voices of modern film, but at the time this was also one of the last headlining performances in film for Jeremy Renner.  Well worth experiencing for both.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

rating: ****

review: Sometimes people are just looking for disappointment, especially when they know there's something at stake, such as a potential franchise around this one.  But Charlie Hunham and company are a fine new version of the story all the same.  Also the movie that definitively made me a fan of Guy Ritchie.

Good Time

rating: ****

review: The Robert Pattinson renaissance began with this performance as a bank robber who makes one terrible decision after another.

The Beguiled

rating: ****

review: Sofia Coppola has been one of my favorite directors for years, and this is her take on a forgotten Clint Eastwood film, this time starring Coli Farrell and a host of famous actresses.

It Comes At Night

rating: ****

review: Joel Edgerton trumped, for me, the team of John Krasinski and Emily Blunt from the similar A Quiet Place.  I just couldn't bring myself to even let them compete.

Blade Runner 2049

rating: ****

review: Hey, I actually got into Ryan Gosling for this!  Probably a better film than its predecessor.  If Keanu Reeves can star in sequels to all his notable movies like Harrison Ford, he'll really have something.  

The Fate of the Furious

rating: ****

review: The one where everything starts blatantly hinging on Dom, which in this instance means that everyone thinks he's defecting (but he's really not).

The Hitman's Bodyguard

rating: ****

review: Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson.  I mean, do you really need a further explanation?

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

rating: ****

review: This really shouldn't have worked.  But it did!

The Only Living Boy in New York

rating: ****

review: Marc Webb's other offering.  Not as compelling for me, but it's still a testament to his talent, and probably his most conventional movie to date.

T2: Trainspotting

rating: ****

review: The fact that this happened at all is amazing.  The fact that it repudiates the ending of the first one is astonishing.  But, since there's a sequel now, is maybe to be expected.  

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

rating: ****

review: I actually think Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne as disaffected space agents is a breath of fresh air in space opera filmmaking.

American Made

rating: ****

review: The fact that Tom Cruise even made a conventional drama at this point in his career should be celebrated.

Hostiles

rating: ****

review: Christian Bale as a soldier attempting to rebalance the portrayal of Native Americans after the hero worship of recent decades.

Molly's Game

rating: ****

review: Jessica Chastain navigating poker games and Aaron Sorkin.

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

rating: ****

review: Not quite the achievement Denzel Washington got out of Flight, but still noteworthy.

The Dark Tower

rating: ****

review: Another supposed bomb, but it really couldn't be with the perfect casting of Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, in exactly the opposite of the roles anyone would have expected, and all the more perfect for it.

Atomic Blonde

rating: ****

review: Charlize Theron stars in this straight up Cold War action flick from emerging director David Leitch.

Baby Driver

rating: ***

review: All style makes Edgar Wright lose some of his cool.

Get Out

rating: ***

review: A satire so wicked its point was completely lost.  

The Mummy

rating: ***

review: Tom Cruise starring in a would-be franchise starter that also features Russell Crowe.  Probably the only time these two will ever be in the same movie, which is itself fascinating.  A totally different tone from the Brendan Fraser movies, and that is itself refreshing.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

rating: ***

review: Its best moment, Yondu's goodbye, elevates the results.

Baywatch

rating: ***

review: It's definitely better than the TV series.

Daddy's Home 2

rating: ***

review: I haven't seen the first one, but I don't think that really matters.  Love how this one basically subverts it, though.

Split

rating: ***

review: Got people to like M. Night Shyamalan again, and ends with a surprise link to Unbreakable, not to mention being the secret origin of Anya Taylor-Joy, but Glass is better.

The Greatest Showman

rating: ***

review: Probably gets a little ahead of itself, but a rare original musical in film, starring Hugh Jackman.

mother!

rating: ***

review: Darren Aronosky can get a little too precious, but this is worth experiencing.

The Bad Batch

rating: ***

review: In what is otherwise strictly B-grade material, this is actually the start of Jim Carrey's comeback in a supporting role.

My Little Pony: The Movie

rating: ***

review: Anyone who's seen the show knows exactly what to expect.  If you like one you'll like the other.  If your niece has you watching, there's no problem.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

rating: ***

review: I think Ned as "the guy in the chair" cheapens the results, but he's there for at least the next two movies, so what am I gonna do?  Not as riveting as the two previous incarnations.

Thor: Ragnorak

rating: **

review: I'm being generous, here, as I honestly think this was a jump the shark moment.  Of course, it was otherwise popular.  And of course Love and Thunder, which I love, is considered the shark moment for everyone else.  This only figures.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

rating: **

review: I will forever have to revisit the fourth and fifth films in this series, trying to figure out what they really add to it, except more entries.  Not terrible.  Just not noticeably necessary.