I Still Believe in Heroes

2017 has been a ridiculously good year for film. The amount of legitimately great movies we got is outstanding, but it also made this list extremely difficult to make. There are so many films I genuinely thought deserved to be on my list and having to pick which ones were going to be left out was harder than I thought it would be. I would like to point out that these films are on my list because of how they made me feel, and not necessarily just because of how well-made they are. So, without further ado, here are my top 15 best films of 2017! Honorable Mentions: The Shape of Water, The Disaster Artist, The Babysitter, Gerald's Game, Battle of the Sexes, I Tonya, Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. 15. Wonder Woman, dir. Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman  has to be looked at as one of the most important superhero films we've ever had. It came out in a year where the female voice was louder and clearer than it has ever been. There has never been a female-led supe

For most kids growing up in the 90s, Home Alone was THE Christmas movie to watch. This is the story of Kevin, an 8-year old kid who gets forgotten at home when the entire family leaves to Paris for the holidays. As a result, he has to fend for himself while also protecting his home from intruders. Macaulay Culkin as Kevin was a representation of what most kids wanted to be, which was totally independent and the smartest guy in the room.              There are certain films that you can watch and no matter how much time has passed, it still feels like a story you could tell today in the exact same way as it was told back then. This is not one of those films. Home Alone very clearly a product of its time. It’s like digging up a time capsule from the 90s and seeing what the world, or just movies in general, were like. The entire premise and the way it all unfolds would probably never work in today’s world. I mean it barely worked in 1990 when it was made, but that’s part of its ch

            When Phantom Thread   ended, the very first thing that came out of my mouth was, “Wow.” I just wasn’t sure what else to say after that. I knew I absolutely loved the film, but I couldn’t think of the right words to express how I felt about it. I don't typically sit through the credits of a film unless I know there's a scene attached after them, but with Phantom Thread   I just sat there after the fact trying to take it all in. As I walked out of the theater, I found myself unable to stop smiling like an idiot because I had just witnessed a love story unlike anything I had ever seen before. “Wow” ended up being the perfect way to sum up my thoughts on the film.             Paul Thomas Anderson's  Phantom Thread  has been one of 2017’s most secretive films. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock in what he has announced will be his final role before retiring from acting.  Joining Day-Lewis is Lesley Manville as his sister, Cyril,

"Oh, what's the use? Walter, you wouldn't know what it means to want to be respectable and live a halfway normal life." Hildy Johnson - His Girl Friday           When His Girl Friday  came out, way back in 1940, society was in a place where women were still not fully integrated into the work force. For the most part, women worked in clerical or sales work and they were often faced with hostility from many of the men that worked with them. Women working in journalism was a rare thing, and that is where this film takes place.           There are many things that make this a great film, but one of the things that I admire the most about it is how ahead of its time it was. It wasn't just the fact of placing Hildy (Rosalind Russell) in a male-dominated work environment, it was the fact that Hildy was a character who was respected and admired by her male peers. There are multiple comments throughout the film from the male reporters where they praise Hildy and

Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple and Jim Belushi star in Woody Allen's new drama,   Wonder Wheel . The film takes place in 1950s Coney Island and centers around Ginny (Winslet), a waitress that is unhappily married to Humpty, a carousel operator (Belushi). When Ginny falls for a young lifeguard (Timberlake), she begins to find happiness again. When Humpty's estranged daughter shows up and also vies for Mickey's attention, however, Ginny's life begins to unravel. At this moment, I'd like to point out that I've never seen a Woody Allen movie that I actually liked. Movies like   Annie Hall ,   Sleepers  and   Play It Again, Sam  are, in my opinion, absolutely dreadful. Needless to say that going into   Wonder Wheel,  my expectations were about as low as they possibly could have been. For the most part, I was correct in expecting a dull film, but that's not to say that there weren't any redeemable qualities in it. The best part about  Won

             Sometimes a movie comes out and it seems to speak directly to you. It might be because you relate to the characters or it has a message that you need to hear. Watching Coco , Pixar’s first story revolving around Mexican culture, I felt like I was watching something that was made specifically for me. Much like most of Pixar’s other works, Coco is the kind of animated film that can be thoroughly enjoyed by adults just as much as kids. It is a wonderfully made story that uses Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) to celebrate Mexican culture.             Coco centers around Miguel and his family, all of whom are shoemakers. Although Miguel is being raised to follow in the footsteps of all his other family members, he has a different dream. His dream is to become a musician just like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. The only problem is that music has been banned from Miguel’s family for generations, so following his dreams would mean to go against everything his family beli