It’s time to crack the top ten of the year!  In case you missed them, click here for #25-21, here for #20-16, and here for #15-11!  And now we get into the top ten of . . .

The Top 25 Films of 2017

10. Ingrid Goes West

You know those people who can’t watch a movie or even a thirty-minute television show without staring at their phone, nonstop?  Or maybe they pull it out in the middle of a date to check their most recent likes?  Or they live and die by the number of followers they have?  Or perhaps you have that friend with the huge online personality when, in reality, it’s all a façade?  Ingrid Goes West is the dark comedy that they all need to see.  It’s also the dark comedy that everyone who is irritated by them needs to see.  Heck, flat out everybody should see Ingrid Goes West.  It’s the most biting and on-point social satire in years with spot-on performances by Elizabeth Olsen, Aubrey Plaza, and O’Shea Jackson, Jr., not to mention some of the funniest lines of 2017.  Turn this one on, put your phone away, and enjoy laughing at how absurd much of our day-to-day life has become.  (Original review.)

9. Spider-Man: Homecoming

The announcement that Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures had struck an agreement allowing Marvel to integrate Spider-Man into their Marvel Cinematic Universe was perhaps – without exaggeration – the most exciting film announcement in history.  What is Marvel without Spider-Man (and the Fantastic Four but that’s another post on another day in another year)?  Marvel initially introduced their version of the iconic character in Captain America: Civil War before letting him fly (mostly) solo in his own film, the cleverly titled Spider-Man: Homecoming.  And what fun it was!  Nobody knows Spider-Man better than Marvel.  They turned out a spectacular crowd-pleaser that highlighted everything that has made Spider-Man so popular and enduring for over fifty years while also updating him where necessary and bringing him into 2017 high school culture.  Tom Holland perfectly encapsulated the character and the film reinvigorated the property.  Audiences, Marvel, and Sony all came out winners, here.  (Original review.)

8. A Ghost Story

A24 always puts out at least one of my favorite films of each year, so it should be no surprise to see another one of their pictures so high on my list.  Simply put, A Ghost Story is unlike any other film I’ve ever seen.  A supernatural drama (not a horror film, not a suspense film, and not a thriller), the film reminds the viewer that no aspects of life are more important than love and time, yet human beings are prone to take both for granted.  Director David Lowery forces the viewer to sit, ponder, and stare life’s challenges straight in the eye.  No avoidance is allowed as a young couple is forcibly separated on the physical plane, but never on the ethereal.  Rooney Mara turns in an especially powerful and memorable performance while barely speaking a word.  If you want something unique and challenging (and why wouldn’t you?), look no farther than A Ghost Story.  (Original review.)

7. Wind River

Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River packed a lot of punch into a single package.  Based on the true story of a missing Native American woman in Wyoming, the film is not only a blood-pumping thriller with a pair of dynamite performances by leads Elizabeth Olsen (making her second appearance in the top ten) and Jeremy Renner, but also brings awareness to the important issue of unreported missing Native American women.  It’s a spectacular police procedural thriller that also serves as a much-needed public service announcement.  But no other PSAs are going to have this kind of talent behind them, whether it be in front of or behind the camera.  This should have been Elizabeth Olsen’s moment to shine during the current awards season, but the combination of the early release and the ties to Harvey Weinstein (his company produced the film) killed any chances for that.  Nevertheless, Wind River is an important and relevant piece of art that deserves to shine alongside the very brightest of 2017.  (Original review.)

6. Thor: Ragnarok

I would have never guessed that Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok would end the year sitting outside my top five, but here we are.  That’s in no way an indictment of the film, though, but rather a massive compliment to those that topped it.  Thor: Ragnarok was everything it should have been.  Director Taika Waititi took his experience helming buddy movies (his Hunt for the Wilderpeople in 2016 was virtually perfect) and expanded it into a galloping, riotous, atom bomb of an action comedy.  If I were to do a list of my twenty favorite film characters from 2017 (no!  Don’t ask!  I’m tired!), about six or seven of them would be from this movie.  Thor got to really let loose, Hulk got his spotlight, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie stole scenes like they were bases, Cate Blanchett’s Hela intimidated us all, Korg took audiences by surprise, Karl Urban’s Skurge was unexpectedly poignant, Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster made our skin crawl, and Surtur made our jaws drop.  Thor: Ragnarok may not be number one on my year-end list, but it was the most pure fun I had at the movies all year.  (Original review.)

Okay, that’s it!  Only one part left and it’s coming tomorrow!  Like us on Facebook and share the earlier parts to get your friends caught up for tomorrow’s finale!