2017 in Film: Mid-Year Recap

The first act of the 2017 cinematic year has been a roller-coaster ride full of triumphs and disappointments galore for the good ol' Hollywood movie machine. After a hot start that spawned a number of top-notch blockbusters (Ghost in the Shell, Kong: Skull Island), ballsy original projects (Get Out, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore) and terrific sequels that matched or topped  the quality of their predecessors (The Fate of the Furious, John Wick: Chapter 2), the first two months of the summer season have been pretty underwhelming, with only Lucia Aniello's Rough Night and Edgar Wright's Baby Driver managing to deliver any form of lasting resonance. Despite this recent downward trend, the abundance of potential gems currently slated for release from July through December has me really excited to see how the rest of the year in film unfolds. Below you'll find a list of everything I've seen this year ranked from worst to best (w/ star ratings) as well as some miscellaneous mid-year awards honoring my favorite and least favorite things of the year in movies so far. I encourage all of you fine people that took the time to read this piece to bitch about my list and/or leave your own in the comment section below.

31.Monster Trucks (1.5/5)
30.Okja (1.5/5)

29.Take the 10 (2/5)

28.Split (2/5)

27.King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2.5/5)

26.The House (2.5/5)

25.Wonder Woman (2.5/5)

24.War on Everyone (3/5)

23.Life (3/5)

22.Before I Fall (3/5)

21.The Great Wall (3/5)

20.Fist Fight (3/5)

19.Sleepless (3/5)

18.Logan (3/5)

17.Win It All (3/5)

16.Baywatch (3.5/5)

15.Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (3.5/5)

14.Underworld: Blood Wars (3.5/5)

13.T2: Trainspotting (3.5/5)

12.The Lego Batman Movie (3.5/5)

11.Power Rangers (3.5/5)

10.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (3.5/5)

9.Kong: Skull Island (4/5)

8.Rough Night (4/5)

7.xXx: Return of Xander Cage (4/5)

6.Ghost in the Shell (4/5)

5.I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (4/5)

4.John Wick: Chapter 2 (4/5)

3.Get Out (4/5)

2.Baby Driver (4.5/5)

1.The Fate of the Furious (4.5/5)

Still Need to See:
A Cure for Wellness
A United Kingdom
The Last Word
Table 19
Raw
The Belko Experiment
CHiPs
Wilson 
The Discovery
The Zookeeper's Wife
Gifted
Aftermath
Colossal 
Going in Style
The Lost City of Z
Free Fire
Buster's Mal Heart
Sleight
Chuck
Alien: Covenant
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
War Machine 
Band Aid
Dean
Beatriz at Dinner
The Mummy 
The Hero
It Comes at Night
All Eyez on Me
The Book of Henry
Transformers: The Last Knight  
The Beguiled 
The Big Sick 
The Little Hours 

Mid-Year Awards:
Best Performance: Jamie Foxx, Baby Driver 
Best Direction: Edgar Wright, Baby Driver
Best Script: Jordan Peele, Get Out
Best Visuals: Ghost in the Shell
Best Ensemble: Get Out
Worst Ensemble: Okja 
Best Showcase of Unknown/Little-Known Actors: Get Out
Biggest Waste of Top-End Talent: Okja 
Top Breakout Performance: (tie) Lil Rel Howrey, Get Out/Zoey Detuch, Before I Fall
Best Performance in a Bad Movie: James McAvoy, Split
Worst Performance in a Good Movie: Karen Gillian, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2  
Best Blockbuster Spectacle: The Fate of the Furious
Biggest Failed Attempt at Blockbuster Spectacle: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword 
Best Movie Theater Experience: (tie) The Fate of the Furious/Get Out
Worst Movie Theater Experience: Split
Best Piece of Overacting: Elizabeth Banks, Power Rangers
Worst Piece of Overacting: Jude Law, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword 
Biggest Surprise: xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Biggest Letdown: The House
Most Underrated Film: Ghost in the Shell
Most Overrated Film: Wonder Woman
Film I'm Most Excited to see in the 2nd half of 2017: The Disaster Artist