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Top Ten Films of 2017

2017 was, like last year, pretty great as is evidenced by this list. Animation was actually pretty bad this time around, but there were a couple of terrific foreign films and in particular blockbusters ruled this year along with strong dramas and surprisingly black comedies and biopics. So without further ado, here are in my opinion ten best films of 2017 along with six honorable mentions.

10. The Florida Project

‘Tangerine’ was a terrific film and Sean Baker delivers once again with The Florida Project which is uneven in its middle parts, but pretty great overall. It is another look at underpowered, this time around a poor local community of mostly single mothers and minorities living close to Disney World. This is one of those highly emotional films which are bound to move anyone who has a heart and certainly that ending is heartbreaking and also magical leading to the best film scene of the entire year. The movie’s a wonderful, honest look at childhood.

9. Wind River

Hollywood has underrepresented and basically ignored its Native American population from the beginning of cinema up until now unfortunately. That’s one of the big reasons why I admired Wind River so much. It is an important film that has a lot to say about this issue, but it also never forgets to be engaging and it truly is riveting in both crime and thriller departments. Both Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner gave very strong performances and its cold, unforgiving setting provided a strong atmosphere. It’s a rare crime thriller which I simply loved.

8. Molly’s Game

Featuring the best dialogue of any 2017 film, Molly’s Game is another major success story for Aaron Sorkin who here delivers in the directorial chair as well. His screenplay is terrific as the story is consistently riveting and fascinating to watch. It honors its honestly made for films real life story and figure so well while featuring a couple of highly emotional scenes and interesting themes too. Idris Elba is great here, but it is Jessica Chastain who shines in such a great role. She truly is one of the best actresses working today.

7. A Fantastic Woman

As the only foreign film on my list this time around, A Fantastic Woman deserves is place undoubtedly. This Chilean drama follows a transgender woman who encounters many problems after her older boyfriend passes away and she is forbidden by his family to come to the funeral. Yes, this is a very difficult, but necessary and almost essential watch that packs an emotional punch and is consistently well crafted from Sebastian Lelio’s phenomenal direction to an outstanding, powerhouse performance from Daniela Vega.

6. I, Tonya

This sixth place is taken by an unexpected, delightful surprise. Yes, I, Tonya is one of the rare biopics that are actually great and original instead of being stale and Oscar-baity. Both Allison Janney and Margot Robbie delivered admirable performances in two great roles. The film gives as an insight into this interesting real life story and figure while showcasing it on both sides. But the reason why it works so well lies in its tonal shifts as it goes from a hilarious comedy to a well crafted drama to a heartbreaking ending and it delivers in all of those areas.

5. Ingrid Goes West

This unfortunately underrated and underseen indie film is one of the best films of the year regardless. Ingrid Goes West is propelled by an unexpectedly superb performance from Aubrey Plaza as well as, once again, its tonally diverse approach. This is another black comedy that succeeds in its very cringe-worthy humor as well as in the dramatic department. It is a very difficult, but then again essential watch, especially for teen girls as it showcases how social media can have a horrible effect on you while truthfully and oh so sadly showing the hypocrisy and shallowness of today’s society.

4. It

This is one of the very rare times that a horror film got on my top ten list for the year, but It is not just your regular horror flick. It is also a beautiful coming-of-age story with strong humor and simply superb character development. All of the characters get their moment to shine here and their interactions and child performances are so great that they led to a wonderful team dynamic. But then again, this is a horror film and what horror it is! From that disturbing opening scene to the final fight to that immensely creepy projection scene, the film is so incredibly scary in so many scenes and a rare horror film that made me unsettled. It’s such a great adaptation of a classic novel.

3. Logan

Another blockbuster on my list in a year full of great ones, Logan just had to come this high as it’s a masterpiece of the superhero genre. I have always loved the X-Men franchise, but this is something entirely different. This is not your regular superhero film, but is more in line of a western, thriller drama with realistic scenarios and such an emotional punch to it. It is thematically clever and highly moving, but still delivering in strong action scenes. Laura is a great new character so well played by Dafne Keen and Hugh Jackman is amazing in his swan song for this iconic character. Patrick Stewart is the highlight as his performance is the greatest of his career and of course that ending moved me tremendously.

2. War for the Planet of the Apes

And here I come to the conclusion that the reboot Planet of the Apes trilogy is the best movie trilogy of all time, it’s certainly my favorite anyway. I loved the previous two films and ‘Dawn’ still remains the best one, but War for the Planet of the Apes is a great conclusion to this amazing story. It ends in such a sad, but beautiful manner, it’s once again phenomenally acted by Andy Serkis and instead of action spectacle, they gave us a strong, moving and sophisticated drama and thus I ate it up. It features stunning special effects and such a beautiful score while connecting the trilogy so well to the original 1968 film. It’s a movie that is consistently interesting and it takes us in unexpected, fresh directions. I love this trilogy and I am so sad that it has to end.

1. Three Billboards

And of course the best film of the year has to be Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. It features a powerful ensemble cast and is the best acted film of the year as Martin McDonagh pulled fantastic performances from Woody Harrelson, Frances McDormand, and Sam Rockwell with the latter two deservedly winning an Oscar. This is also a black comedy and truly its humor is excellent and quite smart. It made me laugh quite a number of times. But it also moved me in a couple of scenes especially in the letter scenes and the fantastic open ending. It’s a messy film and thus not for everyone, but life is messy so the film truthfully captures that. It explores the current political climate in America, the racial tensions, the police corruption and particularly anger and how it can fracture the soul. It is the most sophisticated, most emotional and funniest film of the year. A full package that’s also one of the decade’s finest accomplishments.

Honorable Mentions:

The Shape of Water – This Oscar winner is a flawed, but still very good and delightful fairy tale with excellent performances and particularly  beautiful cinematography. It’s such a charming historical fantasy romance hybrid.

The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales… – The only great animated film of 2017 is this French charmer from the great directors of ‘Ernest and Celestine’. It is a wonderful anthology that is populated with endearing characters, superb humor and some great stories.

Beatriz at Dinner – This indie drama is very underrated and it features terrific performances from both John Lithgow and Salma Hayek. It’s a short, tight, but effective look into the darkness of today’s human society fueled by rich themes and a heartbreaking ending.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – This Star Wars entry is ridiculously hated, but actually the best of the newer films so far. It improves upon its predecessor, it gives us an excellent, slower paced character drama instead of non-stop action and its twists and turns are unique.

Paddington 2 – Who could have thought that Paddington 2 would beat its predecessor in terms of quality, but it just managed to do that. This is a rare truly great family flick in this century propelled by stunning sets, endearing characters, lovely humor and a lovely, fun story.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women – Another underappreciated 2017 film is this menage a trois period piece which explores its subjects and their relationship so well. It is well acted and consistently involving, sensual and sophisticated.