Favorite Movies from 2017

Hidden Figures: started 2017 off right, by watching this with a few friends. I absolutely adored it and nominated it for a Hugo.

Logan: really good, really sad, loved the character of Laura.

Wonder Woman: loved the first 2/3 of this. Last 1/3 devolved into a more typical action movie, but was still good.

The Big Sick: absolutely wonderful, heart-breaking movie about inter-racial love and traumatic illness

The Last Jedi: I have mixed feelings about Admiral Holdo and the entire subplot of Canto Bight, but Carrie Fisher rocks, Kelly Marie Tran rocks, Oscar Isaac (amusingly) has chemistry with everyone he meets, and the porgs are adorable.

Deadpool (late to the party, I know): finally watched this and loved it, as expected.

Murder on the Orient Express: nothing very new in this new version of the classic, but the acting is great and the cinematography is gorgeous.

Blade Runner 2049: I never quite bought the hype about the first one, with its many different versions, so I went into this with realistic expectations. Sadly for me, I spotted one of the the major plot twists far too early. But I did like most of the plot and the scenery was gorgeous and yes, I'd totally watch it again.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets: I really like Cara Delevigne and she made the movie sparkle in her (unfairly limited) role as Laureline. The sets were gorgeous and the first major scene of the agents in action was truly mind-blowing. After that, the movie devolved into "meh" territory, including the insta-romance and the half-baked conspiracy plot. But I'd still watch it again...

Coco: look, I'll be honest... despite loving the music, I'm that one person who made major issues with this movie. Of course, seeing a Mexican family centered in a major motion picture is a huge step forward for Disney. But I kept thinking about how the kid was pretty clearly being physically abused, and how terrified he was of his older relatives, and how his wishes were completely ignored by them. It's not a pretty picture, when viewed through that lens. Also, the religious view of the movie is that you can't ever get away from your family, even in death... which means that if your family include your abuser(s), you can never get away from them. Grim stuff in what's supposed to be an uplifting children's movie. But I'll watch it again just for the music.