My first 10 films of 2017 (+1); a random set of reviews.

First of all, I realize it may seem odd for me to do a recap of the first half of the 2017 film season having seen only eleven of the films first released in L.A. County this year. Honestly, I was going to do this after ten, but accidentally ended up seeing two back-to-back, and so decided to move forward with a list of 10+1. My reasons for going ahead and doing so are as follows: First, it has been an interesting year so far for movies, and this gives me an opportunity to comment on several a bit more in-depth than would be the case if I waited for the end of the year. It is a fact that the bulk of the truly great films come out during the second half of the year, but the first half sure sees some good ones, and I wanted to spotlight some of these. Second, I haven't been posting many articles, and wanted to let everybody know I'm still here and watching movies. And third, one of the reasons I haven't been posting much is that there has been so much nastiness going on in the world, and I've been conflicted about continuing to devote so much time to movies and TV. But, let's face it, the state of the world is one of the reasons why I DO need an escape, and my hope is to help others find one themselves. Honestly, I also have one more interest in posting this article--call it an experiment for movie geeks. I find it curious how incredibly random best-of lists are before one truly has enough quality material to work with, and my current Top 10 amuses me--may it amuse you too.

Anyway, the year thus far has seen me slacking on my viewing, hence my only just now reaching and surpassing ten 2017 releases. Though I very much wanted to see The Circle and The Dark Tower, I appear to have missed my chance to see them in theatres; I may still have a shot at Dunkirk, and am leaning towards declaring that I will see It within the next week or so. I do intend to go see mother!, and have earmarked Battle of the Sexes, Coco, Thor: Ragnarok, The Shape of Water, Justice League, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Lady Bird as essential viewing this fall. I also have checked out from the library The Zookeeper's Wife, and have several films on hold: Get Out, Gifted, Ghost in the Shell, Going in Style, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, The Big Sick, Megan Leavey, Colossal, Beatriz at Dinner and The Hero. That's going to be a big change in my list within the next four months or so. But in the meantime, I have an odd list. Nine of the eleven are really good films that are shy of being great, one is pretty good, and one was pretty weak. So, if you wish to be amused while hopefully learning a bit, read on.

I'm afraid I can't seem to place the movie posters to the right of my article like usual. My apologies; I like the old way better, but apparently it is no longer an option.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2

It should perhaps be no surprise that Marvel Studios' crazy band of intergalactic misfits rings in at number one on my list. Sadly, however, despite two viewings thus far I am not as wowed by this film as I was by the first installment of the series. Therefore, this is a relatively weak number one, and not head-and-shoulders above the competition. That said, it is very nearly a great film nonetheless. Chris Pratt continues to rock as Peter Quill, aka Star Lord. Zoe Saldana is still pretty badass as "the most dangerous woman in the galaxy," Gamora. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel still give wonderful arguments for Best Voice Acting Oscars, as the "raccoon" Rocket and "Baby Groot," respectively. And Dave Bautista still surprises as Drax the Destroyer, though his character is played more for laughs this time around, and that's not entirely a great thing. Meanwhile, Michael Rooker and Karen Gillan return as Yondu and Nebula, and both get much more to do this time around ("I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" One of the best lines of the year!). The big name addition, though, is Kurt Russell as the living planet (and Quill's father) Ego. I'm not too crazy about them changing up Quill's parentage from the comics, especially since his actual father (J'son of Spartax) is already a delightfully evil bastard, but they made the change work for the film; ditto Pam Klementieff's peculiar Mantis, who is an interesting if slightly off-key character. Overall, the film is a fine adaptation of the comics, and an excellent continuation from the first film; one merely hopes that Vol. 3 blows us all away--fingers crossed for a miracle make-nice between Fox and Marvel-Disney that will allow Ben Grimm and Kitty Pryde to join the Guardians! And if the soundtrack rocks half as much as this one... I know I'm a broken record on this, but BEST USE OF MUSIC IN FILM OSCAR, PLEASE!

2. Wonder Woman

I really, REALLY didn't think at the start of the year that I'd be saying this, but DC actually came really close to matching Marvel at their own game this year--Wonder Woman's not only a good movie, it's a really good one! After the decent-but-underwhelming Man of Steel, the deeply depressing (in more ways than one) Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the nearly as depressing (and insultingly slapdash) Suicide Squad, DC apparently decided to mess with everybody's head by releasing a film that did everything right that those other films did so wrong, thus lulling us all into a false sense of security before we inevitably will be reminded of how little they think of the fans when Justice League comes out. I jest, but only slightly. Seriously, though, Wonder Woman is a fist-pumping, humorous, effectively emotional adventure that's actually FUN. As the eponymous Diana Prince, Gal Gadot shows that the good press she garnered for Batman v. Superman (among the little earned by that film) was not misplaced. As fighter pilot Steve Trevor, Chris Pine continues to show he is a rather underrated talent. David Thewlis shines in a supporting role, and Lucy Davis steals nearly every scene she's in as Trevor's assistant Etta. What's more, the story mostly holds together nicely, which is far more than one could say for DC's last two films, and it actually allows COLOR into the palette. The film is not perfect, and even by the standards of DC films I'd rate it closer to Batman and Batman Begins than The Dark Knight, but given what my expectations had been, I was pretty blown away.

3. Umi Yori mo Mada Fukaku (After the Storm)

I mentioned before that I accidentally blew right past ten movies for 2017; I was sitting on go with T2 Trainspotting, and elected to watch After the Storm first, only then realizing that the North American debut of the film was in early 2017. The newest film from Hirokazu Kore-Eda, the esteemed director of last year's lovely Umimachi Diary (Our Little Sister) and the utterly heartrending 2004 film Daremo Shiranai (Nobody Knows), this quiet family drama is hardly the showiest film on this list. Ryouta Shinoda (Hiroshi Abe) is a would-be novelist and half-assed detective with a gambling issue who wants nothing more than make enough to keep hanging out with his son Shingo whenever possible (oh, and he'd like his ex-wife Kyoko to stop seeing the guy she's with now). Meanwhile, Kyoko (Youko Maki) has her own doubts about her relationship, Shingo's not too happy with any of the above, and Ryota's aging mother (Kirin Kiki) does her best as his family and his sister's keep milling about. All this is a (very) slow build to the titular storm, a typhoon that maroons Ryota, Kyoko and Shingo at the elder Ms. Shinoda's apartment for an entire night. That's about it, really. I liked the film a lot, though; it will not appeal to people who require constant action, but those who enjoy actual character development should be pleased.

4. Logan

Back to the realm of comics, we have the third (and supposedly final) film centering on Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Logan. This is also easily and indisputably the best of the three, though The Wolverine was not a bad film (the less said about X-Men Origins: Wolverine, however...). Much like Wonder Woman, this is a film that benefited greatly by comparison to some of its predecessors (though in this case the record is more checkered, and I'd definitely rate Deadpool higher, with X2: X-Men United and X-Men: Days of Future Past pretty close). Loosely based on the "Old Man Logan" storyline in the comics, the film is very spare, centering much more on character and story than special effects. Basically, the only characters of note from the comics are the mutants Wolverine, Charles Xavier, Caliban and X-23/ Laura (Wolverine's female clone), as well as the Reaver Donald Pierce. As Pierce, Boyd Holbrook is particularly delightful--one the year's better villains. Hugh Jackman continues to own the role that really made him famous, and Patrick Stewart still makes a fine Xavier. Newcomer Dafne Keen, meanwhile, is easily one of the year's breakout stars, and her feral performance as X-23 definitely put her on my radar as an actress to watch. This is a downbeat film, make no mistake--one of the darkest so far this year. That said, I don't think I'd have it any other way. I only wish they'd found a way to bring back Liev Schrieber as Sabretooth--what a great and terrible missed opportunity that was!

5. Spider-Man: Homecoming

After Tom Holland introduced the world to the new Spider-Man in a couple great sequences in Captain America: Civil War, I think it's safe to say that few films had more buzz going for them than Spider-Man: Homecoming. Not bad for the THIRD attempt to start a franchise around the Peter Parker character in less than twenty years. I have to say, while the franchise will be hamstrung by continued rights issues between Marvel Studious and Sony Pictures, I am nonetheless encouraged by what I've seen so far. Holland continues to be great in the role, and it was fun seeing Robert Downey, Jr. and Jon Favreau lending support in their MCU roles of Tony Stark/ Iron Man and Happy Hogan, respectively. I like Marisa Tomei's far more youthful take on Aunt May, and Michael Keaton continues to show his mastery of winged characters as Adrian Tooms/ The Vulture, the character who had helped precipitate Sam Raimi's exit from the franchise in the first place (he wanted a Vulture film with John Malkovich, and how awesome would that have been?). This film, however, is also notable for the supporting cast: the always fun Tony Revolori as radically different interpretation of Flash Thompson, Disney Channel star Zendaya as the delightfully kooky Michelle, and the charming Laura Harrier as Peter's ain true love Liz. Most notable of all, however, is the "guy in the chair," Peter's best bud Ned; Jacob Batalon steals just about every scene he's in, and he's flippin' hilarious. Add to all this a great story (with a fun final-act twist), solid visuals, fun easter eggs (including a glancing reference to Miles Morales courtesy a fun Donald Glover), and a great soundtrack. Here's hoping Sony and Marvel keep playing nicely together!

6. T2 Trainspotting

I didn't realize until I was already halfway through Danny Boyle's 22-years-later sequel to his seminal classic Trainspotting that I am sitting on an unwatched copy of the film in my own collection, and that wanting to see the sequel constituted a great excuse to watch that copy. That said, I have seen the original (twice, I think), it's just been a minute. However, the new film does a masterful job of liberally cribbing scenes from the original in such a way as to make them seem fully organic to the film, and the overall effect is one that would likely allow this film to be accessible even to one who hasn't seen the first one. That said, this is a film that revels in the past, and knowing the first film adds a great deal to the viewing experience. I was never a huge booster of the original, but I've always liked Boyle as a director, and I was impressed that he managed to take one of the year's most head-scratching ideas for a sequel and make it into a damn good one. I particularly enjoyed the aspect of seeing where each of the main cast ended up, from one end of the scale (Robert Carlyle's Begbie) to the other (the lovely Kelly Macdonald has a single scene reprising the role of Diane). I also was delightfully surprised that the cute nurse who treats Begbie at one point was none other than miss Cho Chang herself, Katie Leung. This is a strange film, with lots of violence, pervasive language and drug use, some (comical) nudity, and lots of barely intelligible dialect; you know, like the first one. Also, like the first one, there is a pretty great soundtrack--Best Use of Music in Film contender here. If you liked Trainspotting, you will need to watch T2, and in the end there is no higher praise for most sequels.

7. Beauty and the Beast

There are many who are quite happy to watch Disney remake all their classic animated films in live action, and many others who see it as no more than a cynical money-grab. I lean towards the first camp, but cannot help but wonder if the other camp has a point; The Jungle Book was mostly awesome, Cinderella was great, and I am impressed with the pedigrees they are putting together on each film, but I have been downright offended by much of the news surrounding Aladdin, and even I cannot discount that Beauty and the Beast hewed just a bit TOO closely to the original version. That said, it is a gorgeous and well-acted film that does pepper the script with a few great new one-liners, and it is overall very nearly as enjoyable as the original. It just isn't all that original. I wanted to rate this film higher, but as it is here is where we go from films I definitely give an Oscar rating of 4 (could be a Best Picture nominee, but should not win) to those I may drop to three (a good film but not fully Oscar level).

8. Split

This film and the next are also on the bubble regarding whether I'd rate them at 3 or 4. In the case of Split, the biggest issue is the nearly glacial pace of much of the film. It also starts on a deeply unsettling note, and I spent the first half hour or so wondering what in the hell I'd gotten myself into. That said, the performances by James McAvoy in 24 different roles (the different personalities of Kevin Wendell) are pretty damn impressive, and if he doesn't get some awards buzz there is little justice in this world. Not to be outdone, Anya Taylor-Joy does a fine job in the role of Casey Cooke, and now I cannot wait to see her as one of my favorite comic characters (Illyana Rasputin, aka Magik) in the New Mutants movie. I also am thoroughly intrigued by M. Night Shyamalan's plan to tie this film to his 2000 movie Unbreakable. Let's just hope he picks up the pace slightly for Glass. Regardless, it's nice to see he still has good movies in him--the question is simply whether there's also a great one in there somewhere.

9. The LEGO Batman Movie

I was one of the first people on board for The LEGO Movie, and I was not disappointed; Will Arnett's aggressively arrogant take on Batman was one of the highlights. That said, I am worried they will milk this franchise until there is nothing left. For now, though, we can enjoy The LEGO Batman Movie, and yes, it is thoroughly enjoyable. Arnett is still spot-on perfect for this version of Batman, and the film plays his simultaneously self-aggrandizing and self-alienating behavior to the hilt, contrasting it nicely with Ralph Fiennes' wearily supportive Alfred Pennyworth, Michael Cera's hyperactively cheerful Dick Grayson and Zach Galifianakis' strangely sympathetic Joker, who only wants to be acknowledged as a worthy foe by Batman. The film is definitely not without flaw, and I personally feel they should have more prominently used Poison Ivy and Catwoman (not to mention using versions based from better source material), but it is a rollicking good time that is probably the single funniest 2017 film I've seen so far.

10. Kong: Skull Island

And now we definitely leave the company of the debatably Oscar-level films. That said, Kong: Skull Island was a lot better than expected. Much of this is due to the film's pretty phenomenal cast: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, etc. The effects are pretty good, the story holds together remarkably well despite its absurdity, and the film offers some genuine thrills. That said, and I don't care what people say, I still liked Peter Jackson's King Kong much better.

11. Fist Fight

And now we have the weakest film of the year so far, a movie that would have failed utterly were it not for Charlie Day's utter likeability. Seeing Ice Cube thug it up as the hardass with a heart of gold is also amusing, but we've seen it before (and Barbershop was SO much better). This is a movie that REALLY needed a few more edits to the screenplay before it was greenlit. Tracy Morgan is borderline funny playing the exact same crazy-person role he played better on 30 Rock, but he is out of place in a high school setting; not nearly as out of place, however, as the downright offensive shenanigans of guidance counselor Holly (Jillian Bell), who should have been fired five times over and perhaps even jailed based on this movie. The film was nowhere near as dull and tedious as last year's Whisky Tango Foxtrot (not as good either, though); neither did it deeply offend me to the degree Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 did. So, maybe this is not bad to bring up the bottom of my list. Let's just hope I can avoid any lower entries.

I thank you, as always, for reading my take on the cinema of the year. Now, however, starts the real movie-viewing season, as the Oscar-bait films start dropping in theatres and more 2017 releases hit DVD and Blu-ray. I have little doubt that by the time Oscar season rolls around I will have dropped Fist Fight from my Top 50, maybe even my Top 80. One can hope. As always, I welcome comments, suggestions of films I need to see, and those that you think I've rated either too well or too poorly. Happy viewing!