As my first year of blogging comes to an end I am very grateful for the fact that I seem to have picked a phenomenal year in which to start. Picking out what I considered to be films of the year was a very hard task. I have to say I have really enjoyed putting my posts together and getting an audience.

The Stats

My viewing at the cinema this year was as follows:

• 120 Film viewings
• 107 of which were 2017 releases
• 8 of which were “classic” viewings (re-release of a film)
• 5 of which were repeat views of 2017 releases

This makes it a record breaking year of cinema viewing for me. My previous highest total was 114 unique films in 2000 and I have managed 115 unique films this year. A number I imagine I will find very difficult to beat!

The Future

One thing that I feel that I will be forced to do next year is move with the times and start to review major “streaming” releases. As much as I am concerned about this being the impending death of the cinema it is clear that this is going to become an increasingly popular method of distribution. Especially with one of my most anticipated films of 2018 reportedly to be distributed in the UK via Netflix; Alex Garland’s sci-fi adaptation Annihilation.

I would also like to do some more director retrospectives following my Ridley Scott piece if I get the time. You can read that here… Ridley Scott Retrospective

Best Films of the Year

1. Blade Runner 2049 A perfect sequel to a sci-fi great.
2. La La Land Bitter sweet musical about the magic of film and jazz.
3. Dunkirk Nolan brings a new weight to war films.
4. Star Wars: The Last Jedi Rian Johnson sends the saga in a fresh new direction.
5. Baby Driver Car chases set to music!
6. Get Out Uniquely original horror.
7. Manchester by the Sea A devastating lead performance in a crushingly sad film.
8. Moonlight Quietly moving and powerful.
9. Paddington 2 Sheer heart warming joy in film form.
10. War for the Planet of the Apes A great end to a great trilogy.
11. The Lost City of Z Old fashioned and complex.
12. Logan The Wolverine film everyone wanted.
13. The Death of Stalin Scary and hilarious.
14. It You’ll float too!
15. The Big Sick Brilliant scripted comedy.
16. Silence Thought provoking exploration of faith.
17. Alien: Covenant Ridley Scott returns to AI again.
18. Atomic Blonde Brutal, gloriously shot action.
19. The Disaster Artist A loving portrayal of a terrible artist.
20. Detroit Searingly powerful.

Special mention to Jessica Chastain, a phenomenal actress who featured in both Miss Sloane and Molly’s Game without making it into my top 20.

Worst Films of the Year

1. Transformers: The Last Knight
2. Sleepless
3. Daddy’s Home 2
4. Geostorm
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge

I would not recommend you watch any of these. I think my reviews speak for themselves.

Comic Book Films Ranked

1. Logan
2. Wonder Woman
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
4. Thor: Ragnarok
5. The LEGO Batman Movie
6. Spider-Man: Homecoming
7. Kingsman: The Golden Circle
8. Justice League

With comic book films dominating the box office I thought I would rank them specifically this year. I found numbers 7 & 8 particularly disappointing but otherwise it was a good selection.

Next year there are at least 10 more to look forward to!

Marvel – Black Panther, Ant Man & the Wasp, Infinity War

Fox – X-Men New Mutants, X-Men Dark Phoenix, Deadpool 2

Sony – Venom, Spider-man (animated)

DC – Aquaman

Pixar – The Incredibles 2

Biggest Dissapointments

1. Justice League The fact that people were calling for Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League really summed up how muddled the re-shoots made this film. Where on earth do DC go from here?
2. Suburbicon Given the talent involved this is such a mess. An old Coen Brother script. George Clooney in the director’s chair. Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac on screen. The result is two bad movies for the price of one.
3. The Snowman Another waste of talent. A thrilling Jo Nesbo novel. Directed by Tomas Alfredson and starring Michael Fassbender amongst others and it fails to make a mark. Alfredson later claimed production was rushed and he was not able to film the entire script leaving big holes in the plot.
4. The Dark Tower I guess it was too much to ask to have two good Stephen King adaptations in a year? The film barely feels finished.
5. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword I am generally a Guy Ritchie fan. His films normally gallop along at a pace and are genuinely fun and stylish. This was a big miss. Perhaps next time keep David Beckham in a blink and you will miss it cameo?