Top 10 Movies I've Seen in 2017 So Far

Since I released my Top 10 TV Shows of 2017 So Far yesterday to mark the mid-point in the year, like I did last year, I wanted to do a movie list as well. Here's the problem: The first half of 2017 hasn't been that great for movies. While the TV/Emmy calendar front loads the year, movie studios back load the hell out of their schedules. Of the movies that have been released, not a lot has really connected with me. I'm sure it will even out by the end of the year. Already in July (which I won't be including here), I've seen two strong Top 10 contenders for the end of the year in The Big Sick and Spider-Man: Homecoming. The rest of July looks abnormally strong too.

Regardless, I tried to come up with a mid-year top 10 list for 2017 movies and it wasn't very good. So, I decided to try something else. I've watched a bunch of movies for the first time this year from years before 2017. I'm going to rank all of them. In that respect, a better name for this post would be "My Top 10 Recommendations From January to June 2017". This is what I came up with.

Top 10
1. The Blues Brothers (1980)
This is a classic that doesn't really need me to champion it. It really holds up.

2. Free Fire (2017)
I don't think this is for everyone, but it sure was for me. This 90 minute shootout is a stupid good time.

3. Margin Call (2011)
This is a smart screenplay that manages to squeeze a lot of tension out of some pedantic business matters, and it avoids many of the lazier "evil businessman" tropes without letting them off the hook. That's harder to do that it sounds.

4. Paradise Lost: Purgatory (2011)
It's hard to pick just one from the trilogy of documentaries about West Memphis Three. I'm going to go with the last one because of the cumulative effect it has even if you haven't seen the first two parts and for the happy(ish) ending it gets. This is a tremendous series that I strongly recommend.

5. Rashomon (1950)
I finally got around to this classic. As much as I liked the movie, I'm probably most excited to be able to say things like "It has a Rashomon quality to it" any time a movie I see plays with POV at all. I get to mark that off my pretension checklist. It's a classic for a reason though.

6. The Look of Silence (2014)
The powerful follow-up to The Act of Killing. Killing was more brutal. Silence was more dangerous. I know that a subtitled documentary about an Indonesian genocide is a hard sell on just about every level. I promise that it's worth it.

7. Tower (2016)
I swear, this will be the last documentary. I've gone documentary crazy over last few months. This is a pseudo-animated retelling of the University of Texas shootings in 1966 told by the people who were there. The mix of animation and actual footage make this feel more alive than I imagined possible. It's barely 90 minutes and is as tense as any thriller you'll find.

8. All About Eve (1950)
What can I say? Bette Davis is great. It's crazy to think the same year had both All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard.

9. The Handmaiden (2016)
I wasn't seeking out a twisty Korean/Japanese period film, but I kept getting enough recommendations from the internet that I decided to give it a try. I'm sure glad I did. This is a trip. Funny, smart, a little kinky, and surprising at every turn.

10. Baby Driver (2017)
I might as well fit in another 2017 movie. I don't know if this movie has any nutritional value, but it has all my favorite things put together for a great dessert.

Next 10
(I won't say anything about these. I just wanted to get them out there)
The One I Love (2014)
Superman: The Movie (1978)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
The Beguiled (2017)
Arthur (1981)
Mistress America (2015)
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)
Get Out (2017)

And in case you were wondering, my top 5 for 2017 so far are:
1. Free Fire
2. Baby Driver
3. The Beguiled
4. Get Out
5. Logan
(Wonder Woman barely missed the cut)