The Best Movies of 2017

Many reviewers have criticized 2017 for a down year in film, but I heartily disagree.  This was the year of the good film, and at times even the great film.  There was far less mediocrity and definitely less abysmal to suffer through (unless you have kids and watched Transformers or The Emoji Movie).  Of the 55 or so films I watched in 2017, less than five fit the category of horrifically bad and more than 70 percent were better than average.  This year I had a lot of fun in the movie theatre whether it was watching Kong: Skull Island, Star Wars, or Thor: Ragnorok, this was a year where fun and good were synonyms for each other.  Today, I will present my top 13 movies of 2017.  This films were all a cut above the other 42 and warranted a spot on my list.  If the list were longer films, like the coming of age Patti Cakes, the brilliant documentary Icarus, and the foreign horror thriller Raw would surely find their names added, but thirteen is my lucky number.  Without further ado, the best films of 2017.

13.  Star Wars:  The Last Jedi 

I like The Dark Knight Rises.  There I said it, go ahead and stone me to death.  It has many problems from a meaningless Joseph Gordon to a very convoluted plot, but hell, it’s fun and after all, aren’t movies, especially blockbusters supposed to be fun?  The Last Jedi is a flawed film.  Everything that happens on Canto Bight is ridiculous, some of Luke’s comedic choices were out of character, and Leia’s brief stint as Mary Poppins is just plain weird, but guess what, I had fun.  It was a blast watching this film in the theater at midnight.  The connection between Ridley and Driver was excellently executed, the throne room guard fight was one of the best in Star Wars film history, and Holdo’s jump to lightspeed is one of the most silently beautiful images I’ve ever seen on film.  Don’t try and make this into something it isn’t.  Don’t try and say, “It ruined my childhood,” (I watched Episode II, it was already ruined).  Don’t attack Rian Johnson for listening to the fans and deciding to not make a carbon copy of Empire.  I applaud him and I liked this film. 

12.  Darkest Hour 

In a year consumed by the retreat from Dunkirk, (Dunkirk, Their Finest) Darkest Hour gives us a look at the behind-the-scenes political intrigue by following an overwhelmed Churchill at the start of his Prime Minister stewardship.  This film is widely heralded for Gary Oldman’s performance, but largely overlooked as a complete film.  While I had some issues with the few scenes of poorly constructed CGI (budgeting issues), I was enthralled by a captivating story and I wonder if it came out in a year without Dunkirk if it would be receiving the same level of negative reverberation.  Yes, Gary Oldman is superb as the stodgy, but resolute Churchill; however, the real stars of this film are the supporting cast.  Stephen Dillane, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Lily James are all performing with grace and defiance, and the true standout of the movie is Ben Mendelsohn finally proving that he can play more than just a villain.  On top of the cast, Joe Wright deftly directs the picture with class and dignity. 

11.  Lady Macbeth 

For all the talk surrounding the acting performances of Gary Oldman and Francis McDormand, clearly the nomination boards missed a small Spring movie from Roadside Attractions.  Florence Pugh is breathtaking is the lead role.  With just a couple of credits, Pugh transforms from an actress ingenue into a seasoned veteran. Based on the short story, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, the film follows a newlywed locked in a loveless marriage to a bitter, hateful man twice her age.  In many ways this is film operates like Jane Eyre if Jane went to boarding school with Hannibal Lecter.  This film is helmed by Director William Oldroyd (Full length film debut) and Ari Wegner, director of photography.  If you don’t know these names, that’s ok, because no one does, but I hope to see their names working again soon.  Back in 2013, I raved about a scene in 12 Years a Slave, talking in length about the courage it took for director Steve McQueen to film the hanging scene.  Five years later, I will again rave about the courage it takes to film the opening 20 minutes of Lady Macbeth.  Two films this year understood the importance of sound and lack of sound (Dunkirk being the second).  The sparse, cold, echo of the house in this film haunt the audience for its entire run time.  A mixture of Oldroyd’s artistic vision and Pugh’s phenomenal breakout performance made this a film to remember.  

10. Brigsby Bear 

It’s hard to talk about Brigsby Bear without giving away the plot of the film so I will simply say this:  I was completely shocked by how much this movie made me cry and how much it made me laugh.  Despite its subject matter, it’s one of the funniest movies of the year and one of the better coming of age movies in the past decade.  Kyle Mooney could’ve easy played this film for cheap laughs and over-the-top humor, but instead gives the film heart, kindness, and consideration for all the characters involved, villains and heroes alike.  This is a perfect children’s film that no child should ever see.  

9.  A Ghost Story 

A Ghost Story is a film with everything working against it.  The “Art Film” aesthetic, the hipster approach to costuming, an aspect ratio that begs us to wonder if David Lowery was wearing a beret and smoking cloves as he directed.  There’s the cliche of “The Light”, a self-righteous monologue that comes in the middle of an otherwise heavily silent film and happens to explain the entire theme, and a completely unnecessary cameo from Kesha.  This is a movie that yearns for “look at me” attention seekers.  It screams of artistic indignation.  It’s almost as if Lowery is sitting in his director’s chair smirking and thinking, “I’m fucking brilliant.”  —He might be.  For all of the problems working against the movie, it works in spite of them.  Lowery has found a niche at turning cliche into authenticity.  He found this aesthetic first in his 2013 western noir, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (Also starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck), but he has perfected his vision with A Ghost Story.  Believe me, I didn’t want to like this film.  With all the negative news surrounding Casey Affleck, I hesitated to even watch it, but while I derive no feelings of sympathy for the actor, his character embarks on a mystical journey to the dark recesses of both the film and my own nostalgic sensibilities.  In other reviews, three words hit me like a ton of bricks and I think they sum up the film:  Melancholy, Mundanity, and Meditation.  This movie is at its core a melancholic walk through the mundanity of time, but it’s also a meditation on time as a concept.  I find it fascinating that in recent years the films that have resonated with me have all dealt with time.  2013’s About Time, last year’s Arrival, and now A Ghost Story.  There’s something about the way in which we appreciate and simultaneously discard time that turns me into an emotional wreck.  A Ghost Story has continued where the first two films left off.  It’s the type of film that you watch less with your eyes and more with your soul.  It’s the first film of the year that had me screaming at the screen, “Let him read it.”  And that self-righteous monologue I remarked on, yeah, it had me in tears wondering the meaning of my own life.  A Ghost Story is not a film for everyone and if you leave the theatre feeling bored or unfulfilled — I’d completely understand, but for me it was the longest, shortest film of the year.  It made me ponder my own life, relationships, and connection with the world around me.  I applaud David Lowery for his gutsy approach to directing: less can be more.  For some, the film’s ending with leave them unsatisfied and hollow, but for me, you don’t need to know the answer to understand it.

8.  Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 

Does a movie always have to be about a larger social message?  Can you redeem a racist?  These questions surround the center of the debate on Three Billboards.  I’ll admit that there are problematic parts with the racial elements of Three Billboards. I will admit that the film needed to dive deeper into the racial politics of Sam Rockwell’s character and the background characters of the movie. I will gladly fully admit that Abbie Cornish sticks out like a McDonald’s stand in the middle of a Whole Foods.  But I will also admit that I really enjoyed this movie.  I found it another perfect addition to the Martin McDonagh catalogue and despite the negativity, albeit somewhat warranted, that surrounds this film, I applaud the acting and the directing.  McDonagh is one of my favorite playwrights on the planet, writing what I believe are two masterpiece’s in The Pillowman and The Lieutenant of Inishmore, the latter being the funniest play I’ve ever seen in my life.  Perhaps this film was beyond the pale for McDonagh, but then again so are all of his works of art.  The audience tries to redeem Colin Farrell in In Bruges after he kills a kid.  The lead of The Cripple of Inishmaan is named Cripple Billy.  And Sam Rockwell’s Jason Dixon, is a horrific racist who never quite gets the comeuppance he deserves, but in no way do I believe the ending of the film justifies, simplifies, or exonerates him.  McDonagh deals in brokenness.  Broken people breed brokenness and no matter what you do, retribution will eventually catch up to everyone.  I understand the backlash to this movie and I understand anyone who hates the narrative it portrays, but I was a fan, and I remain a fan.  

7.  Wind River

If you think I like Martin McDonagh then just be prepared for the adoration I will pay to Taylor Sheridan.  In my opinion, he is the best Hollywood writer on the planet and has completed his quasi-western trilogy with Wind River.  A deeply disturbing story about a rape, murder, cover-up, and a shootout on a Native American reservation in Wyoming.  Sheridan has quickly rose from a novice to a master with Sicario, Hell or High-water, and Wind River.  He is one of the few film writers who understands that a location is always as much of a character as any of the lead actors.  And he continues to showcase the diverse talents of little known character actor Gil Birmingham.  In another small co-starring role, Birmingham shines as the grieving father in search of answers.  Two words come to mind when watching a Sheridan film: disturbing and beautiful.  He understands landscape and scenery in ways I’ve never seen before on camera.  And he writes complex, deeply traumatized characters who are intensely nuanced and subtle in the way they call and commiserate with the camera.  First it was Emily Blunt and Benecio Del Toro in Sicario, last year it was Ben Foster and Jeff Bridges in Hell or High-water, and then the trio is complete with Jeremy Renner and Gil Birmingham in Wind River.  I love what Sheridan captures with Wind River and I’m extremely excited to see his next project, the up and coming television show Yellowstone, which just so happens to have cast my friend Jefferson White as a series regular.   

6.  The Shape of Water 

I held off watching this film because I expected to dislike it.  Although I think Pan’s Labyrinth is a masterpiece, I feel Del Toro’s directing/writing has fallen prey to style over substance with lackluster

stories in Crimson Peak. Pacific Rim, and Hellboy II. All three have been visually stimulating, but lacked in character and plot arcs.  Then, I found out he had made a movie dubbed the “fish sex” film and I expected more of the same.  However, what I saw on screen was an intimate love story that transcended sex, orientation, race, species, and language.  I’m sure criticism of the film will find the love story quite trite or wonder “what’s the point,” but the lack of overall meaning neglects the actual story.  This is a folk story, somewhat gory and arcane, but a folk story nonetheless.  Sally Hawkins is wonderful and Doug Jones continues to go unrecognized for the wonderful clown work he has done over the years.  He has become the unsung version of Andy Serkis.  Technically, this is by far the best movie of the year with superb production design, sound, and editing.  The word visionary has long been ascribed to Del Toro’s name and he once again earns the title with this picture. 

5.  The Killing of a Sacred Deer 

Yorgos Lanthimos is the winner for the most googled name when you misspell it in a word document.  Lanthimos has created a style of directing and writing that strips away emotionalism and subtext to reveal the inner workings of the human mind and soul.  He created this vision in Dogtooth and Alps, figured out its success in The Lobster, and has molded it into perfection with The Killing of a Sacred Deer.  Lanthimos much like McDonagh, Allen, and Tarantino, likes to use the same actors in multiple films due to the nature of his writing and directing.  Colin Farrell once again shines as the Doctor Stephen Murphy, a man who must deal with his very real demons.  The film is based off of the Greek Myth of Iphigenia, specifically the tale of Iphigenia at Aulis written by Euripides (A favorite of mine).  There are many subtle references to this throughout the movie which is taut with tension throughout.  Two additions to Lanthimos’s team are Nicole Kidman and the main antagonist, Barry Keoghan, who gives a performance that rivals Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk about Kevin.  An excellent movie that requires a rewatch in order to understand Lanthimos’s unique style and sense of humor, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a haunting film that dives deep into the depths of vengeance and acceptance.  

4.  Dunkirk

If you’re looking for a film with dialogue, for a film with action scenes between soldiers locked in desperate battle, for a war epic that focuses on violence and bloodshed; look somewhere else.  Dunkirk represents none of these things.  There might be a total of 100 lines of dialogue, you never once see a German soldier, and to call this a war genre film would be a mistake.  Dunkirk is less about war and more about survival, with an 86 minute run time that travels at the speed of an accelerated heart beat.  If Hans Zimmer doesn’t walk away with an Oscar for his score, it would be a crime.  Every song crafted by Zimmer has the underlying theme of a ticking clock, which changes speed depending on how Nolan wants the audience to feel  Each section of this film permeates tension and the catharsis at the end of the film is warranted and necessary.  Dunkirk signals a  return to form for Christopher Nolan, by taking taking an amazing true story, adding some Christopher Nolan flair, and making it extraordinary.  His use of intersecting stories by changing the time in which they take place is fascinating and while it confuses some, it inspired me.  Dunkirk isn’t without its flaws, the Mark Rylance civilian storyline is certainly imperfect and some of his soldiers

could’ve been enhanced with a class in enunciation, but the sparse script, the use of time, and the commitment to the everyman soldier made Dunkirk a great film and perhaps Nolan’s Masterpiece. 

A Note:  Before I reveal the top three films of the year, I will make one caveat.  The previous ten films were fun, exciting, engaging, organically depressing, and loved.  However, in my mind each suffered from some cinematic ailment:  A stretched out scene that broke its believability, a storyline that doesn’t fit with the rest, racial ambiguity, or way too much exposition.  The final three films on this list do not suffer such calamities.  Despite dedicated viewings and for some, multiple rewatches, each of these three films represented what was great about cinema in 2017 and so, despite a number labeling them (1-3), each could be considered the film of 2017.  

3.  Get Out 

Proclaimed funny man Jordan Peele, best known for an Obama impersonation on his hit tv show Key and Peele, made a horror movie about racism that’s as funny as a Richard Pryor comedy set, as deeply embedded in detail as a Hitchcock masterpiece, and as revealing as a James Baldwin documentary.  I love this movie and beyond how I feel about the actual piece of cinema, I love what it says about the industry going forward.  Sex, race, and experience are not determining judgements for artists.  Peele’s contribution to the cinematic landscape is simply astounding.  He jumped over stereotypes and genre boundaries to make this film.  In the process, he created a brilliant new look on racial narrative, an incredibly believable protagonist (exceptional work by Mr. Daniel Kaluuya), and one of the best villains in recent memory with Allison Williams.  The film is great, the artists involved with its production are great, but the conversation at the heart of the film is truly important.  In this country and in any country where the racial foundations are white, race has become a difficult and awkward conversation to have (which is an improvement, we used to never even have the conversation). But no matter how weird or awkward we all might feel, it is a necessary discussion and one that I’m glad to be a part of.  It’s the job of the privileged to listen and identify their own ignorances and prejudices.  We all must engage in conversation so one day we will defined less by our differences and more by our commonalities.  Get Out is far more than just a horror movie, it’s the beginning of a movement.  

2.  Lady Bird 

Many new directors fall prey to the same problems, while they make interesting debut projects, many are weighed down with too many choices and too much tinkering.  A new director sometimes feels the need to add as many of their shot ideas, story ideas, and production ideas as possible feeling that they may not get the chance to do so again.  This is not the case with Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird.  Gerwig doesn’t waste a single shot, a single moment, in the first film about millennials that doesn’t fall into the trap of talking down to millennials.  Gerwig’s creation, played masterfully by Saoirse Ronan, is incredibly flawed, broken, and raw.  Yet, she is also sweet, innocent, and far too smart for her own good.  Every time I thought this movie was going to shift into the cliche, it surprised me, bringing me plenty of laughs mixed in beautifully by gut-wrenching heartache.  Lady Bird’s father going for a job interview and then running into his son interviewing for the same job is simply heartbreaking.  Lady Bird’s education in learning to accept her mother quickly goes from sappy to satisfying.  The girls obsession with Crash into Me by The Dave Matthews Band sums up the film in a nutshell (if you haven’t listened to the lyrics from that song in a while, do yourself a favor and take a listen.  It’s deeply disturbing).  These moments create a vivid picture of time, mood, and place.  Ronan has quickly supplanted the girlish ingenue in Brooklyn with the confused rebel in Lady Bird.  And as for Laurie Metcalf, I dare you to find a more complete mother character than that of Marion McPherson.  Gerwig has quickly planted her flag in the director’s chair for years to come and Lady Bird is simply a treasure.  

1.  The Big Sick 

My number one movie of the year goes to, of all things, a romantic comedy.  However, to classify The Big Sick as simply a romantic comedy would be doing it a great disservice to both the script and the true story behind it.  Written by the real life couple (and comedians) Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon, The Big Sick tells the story of culture clash romance between a Pakistan-born comedian and a white grad student.  Difficulties in family and commitment are magnified when Emily (Zoe Kazan) falls into a coma and Kumail has to navigate his feelings, his family, and Emily’s family (Holly Hunter, Ray Romano).  This sounds like a simple storyline, but labeling it in classic rom-com terms would be a mistake.  At the heart of this film are a collection of love stories told between families, between partners, and between strangers.  It’s a film about what it really means when you love someone in all aspects of the word, but that’s not the only story it tells.  For those who loved the racial complexity of Get Out get ready to find one of the first American movies to talk about Islam without talking about terrorism; other than the most awkward and comedic discussion in the film between Ray Romano and Kumail.  This is a film that criticizes religion without condemning it, that celebrates heritage without certifying all of it.  A neatly built script is brought to life by tremendous performances.  In a year filled with strong mother performances, Francis McDormand, Laurie Metcalf, and Allison Janney, Holly Hunter certainly fits into the category.  Kazan is equal parts simple and complex, giving much needed depth to the third act.  However the unsung hero of the film is Kumail himself.  A graduate of my parent’s alma mater, Grinnell College, Kumail has been a consistently funny comedian and comedic television actor for the past decade.  It’s always difficult to play yourself in a film, even more difficult when your wife helped you write the script, but Nanjiani executes his ‘character’ with perfection.  The Kumail on film is deeply flawed, despite consistently trying and the Kumail in real life brings across those little quirks and affectations that make the character extremely memorable.  Of all the films this year, all the conversations, all the performances, this is the film I will remember for being simple and simultaneously perfect.