As I mentioned in my brief update post, due to personal matters I didn’t end up seeing anywhere near as many films this year as I have in previous years. As such, this top ten will probably lean a little harder on the big, mainstream blockbusters of the year than it has previously, though that’s also partly due to there being a far superior selection of them this year. As usual, I must begin with a few caveats; I’m choosing not to count last year’s big Oscar-contender movies that weren’t released worldwide until 2017 as there seems to be little point to it (though I feel the need to make a small exception). So there will be no Moonlight, no Manchester by the Sea, no Jackie, no Toni Erdmann and so on. They’ve had their due.
Similarly, the trend that seems to increase with every year I’ve been doing this is that so, so many of the critical darlings populating professional ‘best of the year’ lists simply have not been released outside of the US it would seem. It always happens. Without fail. I glanced at a post on Indiewire before writing this which compiled ‘The 50 Best Movies of 2017, According to Over 200 Film Critics’ – of those 50, almost half are completely unavailable to me. Here’s a sampling; Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Florida Project, The Shape of Water, The Post, I, Tonya, The Disaster Artist, and most importantly; Paddington 2. You get the idea. Some of these films are out in February for me, others not until April. On occasion I feel like these best-of lists are just taunting me, reeling off a load of supposedly brilliant films that you would only have been able to see if you were a professional US film critic. It sucks but, what can you do? Let’s look at what I actually was able to see.
10. The Lure (Agnieszka Smoczyńska)
This eighties-set Polish gothic horror musical about vampiric mermaids was without question one of the most unique films I saw in 2017 (where it saw it’s international release after a 2015 Polish one). It’s every bit as fascinatingly bizarre as that description suggests.
09. Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan)
Christopher Nolan takes on what looked to be his most traditional movie – a WWII epic retelling the evacuation at Dunkirk – and somehow manages to deliver his most experimental work since Memento. His often-wordless, multi-timeframe triple-perspective look at the event gives us a rare glimpse at what is essentially an art film on a massive scale. It’s approach can be a little confusing at first (it admittedly took me a little while to catch on to how the story was unfolding), and I’m hesitant to rank it higher in Nolan’s oeuvre after just one watch, but this may well be a film whose reputation, like Interstellar‘s appears to be already doing (deserving so), will only grow in stature. I wish more directors had the clout to work on the level that Nolan does but I’m so happy he’s doing what he is.
08. The Big Sick (Michael Showalter)
I know that sometimes your personal experience of watching a movie can colour your opinion of it somewhat, so I feel I must acknowledge that I saw The Big Sick on holiday in the quite lovely Hampstead Everyman theatre, lying back on a comfy sofa with an accompanying bottle of wine, and an audience that seemed to love every minute of it. Honestly though I’m not sure when the last time was that I saw a comedy on the big screen as entertaining as this, which manages to be a big hearted rom-com in a non-traditional sense, incorporating elements of relevant cultural clashes and a wonderful examination of family relationships to boot. Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordan’s re-telling of their own troubled courtship boasts several of the year’s funniest moments, Kumail attempting to explain the rules of cricket being a particular highlight.
07. War for the Planet of the Apes (Matt Reeves)
What in 2011 appeared as a reboot no-one seemed to be asking for has somehow become possibly the strongest blockbuster trilogy of recent years. Matt Reeves closes out this modern re-interpretation of the Apes saga in brilliant fashion; more of a prisoner of war movie than a combat one, seemingly drawing from stories of North Korean labour camps, this phenomenal conclusion is told almost exclusively from the PoV of small group of apes. And while the technology has improved to the extent that you never once doubt you’re watching fully formed characters who happen to be animals on-screen, it should be remembered for far more than just that. An extremely rare example of a part 3 that not only lives up to it’s predecessors, but arguably bests them.
06. Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins)
After giving us one of the more revisionist takes on a major superhero property with Logan, 2017 also gave us one of, if not the best examples of a traditional superhero origin story as DC’s most famous heroine finally gets her due. There’s a scene in this film, you’ll know the one I mean, that reminded me exactly why I was first drawn to superhero stories as a kid. I almost teared up during it, it’s what we hardly ever seem to see nowadays in the age of massive CGI superhero/supervillain battles. A superhero using their abilities to save a bunch of humans in a dire situation. It’s probably the best, most inspirational individual sequence in a superhero movie since the train scene in Spider-Man 2. And while Wonder Woman does get a little more standard in its later final battle, overall, I absolutely loved it and ended up seeing it a couple of times in the cinema. It’s exactly what the DCEU, and superhero movies in general needed right now. It seems like this will become seen as a definitive take on the Wonder Woman character that will influence public perception of the character for decades.
05. The Villainess (Jung Byung-gil)
If you thought Atomic Blonde’s admittedly very impressive central, one-shot fight/chase sequence was a shoo-in for action scene of the year then I have some news for you. Stuntman turned director Jung Byung-gil gave us a taste of what he was capable of bringing to an action sequence with 2013’s Confession of Murder but here, he takes it many notches further, showcasing a number of explosive action set-pieces that combine hard hitting practical effects work with digital trickery to create a number of scenes that are highly innovative for the genre. It’s not all style of substance either, in a typically Korean way Jung waves in a melodramatic revenge plot and a cabal of assassins as intriguing as those in John Wick. Anchored by a committed performance by Kim Ok-bin, I imagine this spectacular movie will have Hollywood knocking on Jung’s door.
04. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (S. Craig Zahler)
S. Craig Zahler follows up his brilliant genre mash-up debut Bone Tomahawk with a quite different but equally impressive crime drama. A rejuvenated, career-best Vince Vaughan plays a man whose life descends further and further in this hugely entertaining, grindhouse throwback enhanced by Zahler’s artful filmmaking and skilful dialogue. Showcasing surprising and occasionally wince-inducing approaches to shooting action and violence, Zahler marks himself out as a new talent to pay attention to. As loath as I am to do so, I’m almost tempted to make a Tarantino comparison, Zahler’s no imitator, he just appears to have a similar set of skills and principles, and after knocking it out of the park twice in a row, I’m really interested to see where his career goes next.
03. mother! (Darren Aronofsky)
Darren Aronofsky might deserve a place on this list just for the feat of managing to get this astonishing film produced and (widely) distributed by a major studio, that’s truly impressive in and of itself. This claustrophobic, confounding psychological horror movie has to be seen to be believed. There’s just so much going on with it’s various allegories that, as fascinated as I was watching it in the moment, I appreciate it more and more the further I think about it. And I still think I’ve barely unpacked half of what’s going on. An absolute return to form for Aronofsky following Noah and one of the most unique and fascinating major movies of the decade.
02. Silence (Martin Scorsese)
So yes I am breaking my own rule here as this was technically a 2016 movie, but it wasn’t released in theatres here until March (for context, I saw it the day after I saw Logan) and also was criminally overlooked at last year’s awards season. Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s novel is a phenomenally challenging exploration of faith and its consequences. Another absolutely essential entry into the canon of arguably America’s greatest living director, I hope that this monumental feat of filmmaking will eventually get its due, it’s one of most thought-provoking films I’ve seen in recent years, if not ever.
01. Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve)
When it was rumoured, I thought making a sequel to Blade Runner, possibly my favourite sci-fi movie, was just a bad idea in principle. When Denis Villeneuve signed on, I became far more optimistic but was still absolutely in awe of just haw good this film turned out to be. Entirely respectful of the original, this gripping, powerful, visually and sonically dazzling epic is an intriguing and provocative exploration on AI, creation and humanity. Without question the best theatre experience I had this year, and a more than worthy follow-up to the best sci-fi movies ever made. This is the second year in a row Villeneuve has made my number one spot (and his 4th top ten appearance over the last 5 years), truly cementing his position as one of the best and most consistent filmmakers working today. It’s a shame this didn’t resonate with general audiences as much, but I’m sure it will go on to be far more greatly appreciated as the years pass. I can’t wait to see it again. Incredible.
Honourable Mentions
I went back-and-forth with the latter half of the list and ultimately removed Logan from the pile, a decision I feel I may come to regret. A tremendous future-western with both brutal action and real emotional power. Shows what can be achieved when you let a talented director take a big risk on a valuable studio property, and a perfect send-off for Hugh Jackman, drawing from his 17-year portrayal of the iconic character throughout this patchy series’ history, and saving the best for last. The quiet, tearful atmosphere in the cinema when it finished was unlike that for any other recent superhero blockbuster.
Runner-up: It (2017)
A highly effective distillation of Stephen King’s hefty novel’s earlier timeline, inhabited with commendably believable kid characters that doesn’t lean too much on nostalgia, but is excellently directed and frequently, quite terrifying. The best King adaptation in at least a decade, and a pleasingly huge global smash-hit to boot.
Other films I really enjoyed include;
Colossal, Get Out, Okja, Wind River, John Wick 2
Underrated Film: Super Dark Times
I first heard of this movie in some article that compared it to the Netflix show Stranger Things (that I do not like a all) so I was hesitant to even give it a shot, but it fact it’s quite different, being considerably more believable and not featuring any supernatural element. Assisted by it’s nondescript nineties setting and a casts of teens who actually look and talk like real teens, Super Dark Times plausibly shows the affects of a tragic accident befalling a bored group of outcasts, and despite going a little of the rails in it’s final moments is otherwise highly recommended.
Runner-up: Get Me Roger Stone
I can understand why someone might be put off by the very existence of this documentary profiling the longtime Trump associate throughout the 2016 election but it’s an eye-opening and necessary film, made even more so by the fact that Stone was seeming happy to promote despite being portrayed as an unrepentant asshole who’s openly willing to lie, cheat and steal his way through life as long as his team comes out on top. The state of current politics folks!
Film I Just Didn’t Get: Columbus
On paper this sounded like a film that’d be ideal for me. Early reactions had cited Richard Linklater as a point of comparison, and I’ve always been a fan of John Cho so him getting a decent dramatic lead role was something I was very keen to see. However I just didn’t connect with this film at all, and can’t really say why. I’m going to give it another shot at some point but for now it sadly did very little for me.
Runner-up: A Ghost Story
I appreciated more of what David Lowery was going for with this film, and while atmospheric, just seemed a little too slow and gimmicky in places.
Most Overrated: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
One of the year’s top earners is a waste of time that sees Disney soullessly cashing in on nineties nostalgia, and it’s massive success means were only going to get more and more of these.
Runner-up: Girls Trip
I was hesitant to name this here as I know that it is, in multiple ways, showcasing people that rarely get to be the focus of a major movie. However, considering that this was both a huge box-office success and highly acclaimed, I have to admit that I found it about as overlong and unfunny as a Hangover sequel, while needlessly parading celebrity cameos like the worst of Judd Apatow. Hey, if one woman drunkenly urinating from a rope onto a crowd of people below, followed immediately by another doing the exact same thing is your bag then whatever, it didn’t work for me at all.
Biggest Disappointment: The Circle
A few years ago James Ponsoldt made one of my absolute favourite films of the year in The Spectacular Now, then followed it up with the solid drama The End of the Tour. Yet somehow, adapting an acclaimed novel and working with dependable major stars like Tom Hanks he ended up with this dull and forgettable movie.
Runner-up: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets – Luc Besson’s return to huge sci-fi space opera boasts some decent visual invention but sadly little else.
Worst Film: Power Rangers
What should have been a fun, kid-friendly fantasy team-up film is instead a misguided, incompetent pile of crap that doesn’t seem to know who it’s trying to appeal to, beginning with a bestiality joke and only going further downhill from there.
Runner-up: Assassin’s Creed – what looked like it would finally be the video-game adaptation to break the mould ended up being one of the worst examples of the genre.
White on Film 