DOUBLEFEATUREPREACHERS
  • Home
    • David's Reviews
    • Shannon's Reviews
    • DFP Reviews
  • Browse
  • About
  • Contact

2017 End of Year Post

12/29/2017

0 Comments

 
We hope that everyone had a great year, I know we had some fun watching movie after movie in 2017! For our end of year post, we decided to pick our top 5 movies from 2017 as well as list our top 5 movies we are excited to see in the next year. 2018 will bring many movies to remember I'm sure!

Shannon: I started out by going through and writing down all the movies that I gave a “Loved It” rating this year. That left me with 28 films. It was pretty easy to cut that in half, but after I got it down to 14, man did it take some serious thought as to which I would take as my top 5. BUT here they are!! In the order that we watched and reviewed them!

David: I’ve taken a different tactic then Shannon for this. I’m only allowing movies to be put on this list if they came out in 2017. Otherwise, it would have been pretty much impossible because I watched so many movies. Without further ado, here are a few of my top movies of 2017 (in no particular order), and some honorable mentions. Disclaimer - keep in mind there are quite a few movies I haven’t seen from 2017, including a lot of the Oscar hopefuls. I’m sure that would influence my decision otherwise.

#1

Nocturnal Animals
Split
Shannon: Nocturnal Animals
This film was a last minute addition to our Oscar Movie Nominee watching fiesta. Too many movies in such a short time, but it was a lot of fun regardless of the stress it came with. I remember taking an entire day off work to see 3 movies in theaters because they didn’t have ANY times at evening. I also spent an entire Saturday in the movie theater too for this. Might as well kill three birds with one stone huh? Nocturnal Animals left me with something, a feeling of I didn’t know what, and complete awe of the acting and the overall story in this film. I do still suggest that you skip the first 10 minutes, but everything else is just great about this film. 

David: Split
Being back in a world where M. Night Shymalan is a good director is kind of fun. I had enjoyed his films pretty much up until The Happening, and then it really fell off. So I went into Split with a lot of trepidation. But I was blown away by how simple the story was, and the acting performances by McAvoy and Taylor-Joy. It was a phenomenal ride that led to a great pay-off in the credits. I now cannot wait to see Glass. ​

#2

Wonder Woman
Logan
Shannon: Wonder Woman
I hope you didn’t think that Wonder Woman wasn’t going to make on the list. I mean, c’mon, it’s by far my favorite superhero movie. Justice League was good… because of the parts with Wonder Woman and Flash, but it just couldn’t surpass the epicness of Wonder Woman. I left the theater in this one feeling blown away and wanting to see it again and again and again. I didn’t, because I’m broke, but I would have done it. Gal Gadot stole the show and was perfect next to Chris Pine. I’m excited to see more of her in future DC films.

David: Logan
If you read my review of this film, you had to know it would show up on this list. I ended up watching Logan a total of four times in 2017, which is probably more than any other movie I saw. I watched it twice in theaters, once on a plane, and once on the noir version in black and white. And every single time, I enjoyed it. Hugh Jackman will forever be Wolverine to me, and this swan song could not have been done any better.

#3

Baby Driver
Wonder Woman
Shannon: Baby Driver
I remember getting advanced screening passes to this one. David was so excited for this film to come out, and unfortunately I don’t think he ended up seeing this? After the film was over, I literally felt like I was speeding in my car on the way home. The fastness of the cars and the musical aspects of this film just made it that much more exciting and amazing and fun to watch altogether. I’ll definitely be adding this to my movie collection when I get the chance.

David: Wonder Woman
​
As soon as I say the words, I immediately hear the theme song in my head and see Gal Gadot. That’s a testament to how powerful this movie is. Between absolutely blowing the box office out of the water and setting up future movies for women superheroes, the movie also managed to consistently hold a solid critics score throughout the internet. I still can’t get over the fact that the storytelling was so solid in a movie about a race of Amazonian women. What could have been terrible was instead great, and therefore ends up on my list.

#4

Nerve
The Big Sick
Shannon: Nerve
Emma Roberts and Dave Franco star in this film, one that is based of a young adult novel, and has both adventure and young romance. My type of movie, and I don’t care what anyone else says. I rented this one to watch at home since we had it on the calendar way after it was in theaters. I’m not going to lie guys (it may say this in my actual review of it as well), I watched it twice before returning it to the movie store and went out and bought it for my collection the next day… and watched it again because my boyfriend (now fiance) needed to see it.

David: The Big Sick
​
A beautiful love story. A real love story. And a really funny comedy. All these could be used to describe the excellent
The Big Sick, which finds itself on my top 5 films of the year. Kumail Nanjiani takes the real story of how he met and married his wife and spins it into a love story that is not just believable, but relatable in so many ways. If you want to feel the love, do yourself a favor and find a copy of this and watch it.

#5

Moonrise Kingdom
IT
Shannon: Moonrise Kingdom
This one was on David’s watch list, and since it was on Netflix I said yes please let’s watch it! And you know what, this film was just glorious. A fun adventure that teaches both the parental characters and the young love birds different things. The adventure was fun, the dialogue between characters was humorous, and it was just overall a blast to watch!

David: IT
I was so scared of this movie. Not because it was terrifically scary, but because it could have been so bad. After coming off my Dark Tower experience, I was extremely nervous to have another huge Stephen King book coming to the screen. However, what happened next was amazing. IT was terrific, featuring wonderful portrayals of the Loser’s Club, and a very creepy Pennywise. It toppled expectations for a horror film, and I look forward to seeing Chapter 2 in the coming years

Honorable Mentions go to:
  1. Gifted - because the movie really did a number on my heart
  2. Future ‘38 - for probably being the best independent film I’ve watched in a while
  3. Hell House LLC Extended Cut - for scaring the absolute piss out of me - Interesting side note - all three of these movies are smaller independent films. If that doesn’t show you that these are movies worth your time and money, I don’t know what will. ​

Shannon: I just wanted to add quickly my least favorite movies we watched and reviewed this year. It was hard narrowing this list down too, but I figured it would be best to list the ones that I just felt so completely upset that I spent my time to watch it. That would probably be the ones I hated the most.
  1. Fences ​- Yes, I know this was an Oscar nominated film and yes I believe that she should have one that Oscar, but I don’t like watching people bicker and complain for an entire movie.
  2. Trainspotting - Disgusting. Just disgusting.
  3. The Lobster - You know why...
  4. Geostorm - Truly Awful. Even a not-so-bad idea for a sci-fi film couldn’t save it.
  5. Life - Three words: Pissed. Me. Off.

What's next in 2018?

Shannon: Now for the movies that I'm excited for in 2018. David and I wanted to try and pick different movies, so I purposely did not pick superhero movies even though I'm excited for any and all of them. 
  1. Insidious: The Last Key - In theaters 05-JAN - Because Insidious is my favorite horror movie. I'm actually surprised that they are able to keep the franchise going. The second one was my least favorite, and I think that has something to do with Elise not being around as much. I love that they are doing flashback movies to tell more of Elise's story now instead of Patrick's.
  2. Maze Runner: The Death Cure - In theaters 26-JAN - Because I read these books and thought they were page turners. Though the second movie wasn’t great, I’m not giving up on it. I'm hoping that this last movie in the trilogy (I'm just assuming they stay true to the books here) can actually stick closer to the story and end the way it's intended to. 
  3. Fifty Shades Freed - In theaters 08-FEB - I loved the first two films, just like I loved the books. I understand that there is nothing cinematically relevant or amazing about these films. But it's a guilty pleasure and I just have to see the last movie in the trilogy! #SorryNotSorry
  4. The Red Sparrow - In theaters 02-MAR - Jennifer Lawrence is a Russian spy... what more could you ask for of a thriller? Plus... J. Law is *almost* boss (sorry she hasn’t surpassed Emily Blunt yet) and I can't pass this one up.
  5. Tomb Raider - In theaters 16-MAR - ​I love Alicia Vikander and I loved the original Tomb Raider. Would love to see what they do with this reboot.
David: So I’ll be honest, when I first made a list of movies I looked forward to seeing in 2018…. It was… expansive to say the least. So the first thing I did was cut out (almost) all superhero films. I know, I know - they are arguably the biggest movies of the year, and I’m terribly excited to see them. However, I figured that just about everyone is excited to see them, so I figured I would try and enlighten people on a few movies that people may not have heard about. A few films like:

  1. Annihilation - In theaters 23 FEB 2018 - Annihilation is a film based off one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read. Recommended to me by previous DFP writer Ryan, I tore through a book that was incredibly strange but also delightful. When I saw that this was going to be adapted into a movie, I first responded with extreme trepidation. But as the production continued, Natalie Portman was cast, and I began to have higher hopes for the film. Here’s looking forward to it.
  2. Ready Player One - In theaters 30 MAR 2018 - Ready Player One is directed by Steven Spielberg. If that’s not enough to get you into the seats, just watch the trailer. It’s essentially every pop culture nerd’s dream. Somehow incorporating easter eggs and references to so many different icons is something that could only be possible in Spielberg’s hands. I for one, am already ready to be there.
  3. New Mutants - In theaters 13 APR 2018 - Take the director of The Fault in Our Stars, add Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), and Anna Taylor-Joy (The VVitch, Split) and mix together. What you’ll come out with is the only thing that’s a superhero film on this list. But it’s also a horror film, and that’s why it’s fascinating to me. Can’t wait to check this out.
  4. Goosebumps: Horrorland - In theaters 21 SEP 2018 - I’ll be really honest here. I think this movie is going to tank, and tank hard. However, I was a big fan of the original that we covered last year, and I can’t help but think that the material is there for a continued franchise. If it’s handled with the same love and care that the last one was, I’ll probably enjoy it too.
  5. Jungle Book - In theaters 19 OCT 2018 - No, not the movie that made a ton of movie in 2016. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling doesn’t have any rights issues, which leads to multiple adaptations. Enter Andy Serkis, king of motion capture. He’s directing the film, and has assembled a cast that includes Christan Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan. Count me in for that film

Shannon: Thank you to all that have been with us from the beginning, and all the new viewers for sharing with us your love for movies. We look forward to continue bringing movie reviews in 2018!

Picture
0 Comments
    Picture

    Author

    David and Shannon write about movies. 
    ​
    Enjoy reading! Subscribe!

    Categories

    All
    Comedy
    Drama
    Fantasy
    Foreign
    Horror/Thriller
    Independent
    Mystery
    Science Fiction
    Short
    Superhero
    TV Tuesday

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
    • David's Reviews
    • Shannon's Reviews
    • DFP Reviews
  • Browse
  • About
  • Contact