Earlier this week, the Geeky Guy and the Geeky Dad came together long enough to start compiling a list of their favorite movies of 2017.
They each started with their own separate lists.
Here is the criteria they used:
Which movies would I tell my friends to spend their time and money on?
Which movies are most likely to result in my friends thanking me for the recommendation rather than wanting to punch me in the face for wasting their time?
Which movies do I want to own for my personal collection?
The Geeky Guy
A beautiful image... but still not a kids movie.
Here are the the four "R" rated movies that require the Geeky Guy to sneak into the basement so he can watch them without his kids:
4.John Wick
3.Atomic Blonde
2.Logan
The Geeky Dad
The following are the the four films the Geeky Dad would watch again with his kids:
1.Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
The Best of Both Worlds
Here are the five movies the Geeky Guy and Geeky Dad would watch together. It doesn't matter if these movies were intended to be family friendly or not. These movies deserve repeated viewing.
I don't care if it is a cartoon, this movie is freaking hilarious. The writers worked in so many jokes for adult Batman fans that I couldn't stop laughing. They also made a reference to the movie Gymkata. I think it would have made my list for that reason alone. The animation is spectacular. The voices are all perfect. The story has a little bit of heart. You don't need a child with you to enjoy this one.
I have seen the movie six times and I would watch it again right now. Three women show the world the importance of not making judgements based on ignorance. Oh they also happen to help the U.S. astronauts get to the moon. And that is it. Nothing else happens. And it is incredible. The story is compelling. The acting is perfect. The message is deep. This movie should probably be number one on my list for one simple reason: it provided me with one of my most memorable movie going experiences ever.
At one point in the movie, my ten year old daughter (who happens to be very good at math) said something unforgettable to me. When Katherine Johnson is setting a man straight about assuming she were less because she were African American or a woman, my daughter leaned over to me and said, "I wear glasses just like her". My daughter connected deeply not because she shares her race or gender, but because she shares her love of math... and poor eyesight.
That is how I want my daughter to see the world. Look at a person and find how you are similar. Too many people look for the differences.
3.Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
Here's another one that would have been number one in many years. When I sat down in the theater to watch this film, I was not expecting it to be as good as the original (which I think is the second best comic book movie ever). I was merely hoping for an engrossing story filled with fun, action, and humor; while still maintaining its soul. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 delivered in each of those areas. This movie is just pure fun.
2.Wonder
My daughter took me to see this again over winter break. Thank you MJ!
Wonder is based on one of my favorite books of the same name. I was expecting to be disappointed by the film. I was so wrong. Instead of a hollowed out version of the book, they created the perfect companion piece to the novel. Although the movie did not include every detail of the book, it had enough that it felt like a complete story. And the story is beautiful. It is a fairy tale filled with heroes. The movie has the perfect balance of humor and emotion. In addition, the director did a great job of taking advantage of the visual medium in order to show us a little bit more of Augie's imagination.
But the highlight of the movie is Augie's sister Via. She was my favorite character in any movie this year. Here's what I wrote in my review of Wonder.
After the scene portraying what Via does for her little brother on Halloween, she became one of my favorite characters of all time. If the writers' goal was to show the epitome of compassion, love, selflessness, and friendship, they should pat themselves on the back for a job well done. I will never forget that 120 seconds of movie magic. It was... amazing!
I have to admit I'm a complete sap so movies like Hidden Figures and Wonder really hit home this year. But I am also a geek who loves to have fun.
Thor: Ragnarok is the most fun-filled comic book movie I have ever seen. The Dark Knight and Guardians of the Galaxy are both better movies... but they are not more fun thanThor: Ragnarok. That is because nothing is. I was either laughing or enthralled by incredible action sequences every second I was in the theater.
This film harkened back to the buddy cop action comedies of the 1980s... but with a Hulk and a god as the buddies. This will be one of those movies that I leave on any time it comes on cable for the rest of my life. I honestly don't think I will ever get bored of it.
If you pinned me down and forced me to name a best picture of 2017... I would disappoint you because I wouldn't do it.
Instead, I would take the easy way out and let each half of my split personality pick their own favorite movie.
If you see only one movie from 2017...
The Geeky Dad says you should see Thor: Ragnarok.
The Geeky Guy says you should go with Baby Driver.
Both agree 2017 was a great year for movies!