Well, guys, I'm back this year with a list similar to what I'd made last year. Disclaimer - this is not my list of best movies of the year. It is a list of movies which I believe not many people saw, and could have been missed out.
This year's list is pretty interesting. We've got two B&W movies, two movies which base their premise on 'rapes', two movies on heists, two movies set up with rioting in the background, a spy-thriller, a psychological thriller and some more. I welcome all and any comments!
Detroit is the real-life story of what happened in the Algiers Motel in Detroit during the riots of 1967. (What happened? Another case of white police taking it hard on black Americans) Kathryn Bigelow, in her own style, gets into the depth of an event and delivers 2 and half hours of terrifying, yet engaging footage. All actors have commendable performances, John Boyega being the outstanding one. Also, special recognition for Will Poulter as to how he has developed from a child-actor to giving award-winning performances.
Atomic Blonde is Charlize Theron playing a female John Wick, minus the assassin, minus the retirement and add James McAvoy to the mix. Based in Berlin circa eve of the breaking of the wall, the movie is set up in an environment where spies rule the world, and there are double, as well as triple agents. Charlize Theron is an MI6 agent tasked with retrieving a list naming all active agents in Berlin, and thus, starts the tale of crossing, double-crossing, betrayal and so much slick action. And the soundtrack is kickass too.
Get Out is one of my favourite movies of 2017. A psychological thriller, which twists and turns faster than a knife wielding attacker, the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat for all of 104 minutes and you keep wondering what's next. Who could have thought a trip to meet the parents could turn out so deadly? Jordan Peele kills it (literally) with his directorial debut. Signs of better things to come? (One can just hope. Remember the hoopla of M. Night Shyamalan after Sixth Sense? Downward trajectory since.
A black and white satire of just 71 minutes, The Party is an equal split between a tragedy and a comedy. We know that someone at the party is going to die, but we don't know who, when, how or even who shall be the murderer. This insanely talented ensemble cast delivers high-value entertainment and also many laughs. Patricia Clarkson steals the show with her wittiness. With just one set, 7 characters and 71 minutes, The Party is one of the most entertaining films of the year.
An Insignificant Man is a sublime story of how a former bureaucrat turned social activist rose to become the chief minister of the capital of the country. Although much of what Arvind Kejriwal was, is now a joke, what he did was revolutionary, and this documentary by young turks Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla is quite the attention-gripper. With unfiltered access to the party and some amazing editing, these people have quite successfully managed to capture the moment, the election that did change the country, or atleast tried to. It's up on youtube for anyone and everyone to watch.
Gook - A derogatory term used for the purpose of describing a Korean.
Gook is a story about two Korean-Americans running a family shoe store, when they get embroiled in 92' Los Angeles riots, and have to make decisions between saving themselves or their store. This movie gives a take on racism from a different perspective, where 'blacks' are going after oriental people. The raw intensity of the movie is enough to lookover the flaws of it.
All actors give a brilliant performance in this gripping tale.
Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Daniel Craig, Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston and Sebastian Stan. Need I say more? The Director? The person who gave us Ocean's series, Erin Brockovich, Traffic and Magic Mike. I guess lack of publicity led to this film's downfall. Logan Lucky is a great heist film that does not try to be all-fancy, and sticks to the point. Like Soderbergh likes it, there is always a sleight of hand, and thus, the movie is even more fun. Tatum, Driver and Craig have great comedic timing and manage to keep us amused throughout.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a movie by Martin McDonagh of the In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths and The Guard fame, some of the best black comedies in the last decade. He manages to strike the right cord here once again. Although this is a somewhat serious movie than all of his previous films, it is his best to date, as there is a careful mixture of crime, comedy and drama. The ensemble cast gives powerful performances, some having even won awards for it. Most critics are already saying it as the movie of 2017
Last, but not the least, my favourite movie of the year - BABY DRIVER. One of my favourite directors, Edgar Wright, who previously brought to us Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs the World, rocks us with another class act. This movie does not have even an ounce of dullness as its extraordinary soundtrack keeps you on edge throughout. The movie proves that even an action-clad thriller can be smartly written and shot as pretty much every shot of the movie was just about perfect. Do I need to say anything about the hugely talented cast? Also, the soundtrack is phenomenal, with songs also coordinating with the actual scenes in the movie (hardly a phenomenon in Hollywood)
An amazing mix of humour, action, great dialogue, soundtrack, acting and thrills, this movie is a classic.
Bonus - You could see 'Happy Death Day' or 'Lego Ninjago Movie' to while away your time if you're not up for something serious.
Bonus - You could see 'Happy Death Day' or 'Lego Ninjago Movie' to while away your time if you're not up for something serious.
