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Best and Worst Films from May 2017

Best Films from May 2017:

3. Cudotvorni mac

I’ve watched a couple of truly excellent films during this month and I had to sacrifice some, most notably ‘Eyes Without a Face’, and I eventually chose three movies that surprised me as I did not expect such greatness from either of them. The first one is this Serbian gem of a film which is basically a Slavic version of a Disney fairy tale filled with wonderful storytelling, many weird scenes and truly terrific humor. It is such an atypical Serbian movie so naturally I loved it.

2. Splendor in the Grass

Another very underrated film, Splendor in the Grass is one of the boldest and most emotional films from this period in Hollywood history. It is a very sensual film as Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty are definitely very hot here, but it its examination of sexual repression and bad parenthood that make this movie a truly relatable and sophisticated teen drama that feels modern even today.

1. The Man from Earth

And the best movie I’ve seen in May is undoubtedly this hugely underappreciated sci-fi gem from the 2000s. Being one giant conversation where a man confesses to his friends that he is 14.000 years old, the film manages to be incredibly sophisticated, thought-provoking and simply fascinating from start to finish as there are a lot of conversational points to be had here. The twist is well handled and disturbing, the ending is sweet and the movie never staggered and they did almost the best they could with this hugely original premise. The Man from Earth is a shamefully underrated science fiction movie and I hope it will get more recognition in the future.

Worst Films from May 2017:

3. The Magnificent Ambersons

Yes, it is a controversial choice but I am doing it! It is the only okay movie of the three on this list as it has good technical aspects and attention to detail, but it is still a hugely overrated, dull and just plain uninspired, pointless even film that I had to put it in here. Orson Welles was always very overrated, but The Magnificent Ambersons might be his weakest outing as it relies on soapy storytelling with no genuine story arc or characterization whatsoever.

2. Battle for the Planet of the Apes

The original Apes franchise has its ups and downs, but nothing comes even close to the mediocrity that is this final installment. It isn’t terrible, but it’s pretty subpar and especially bad when compared to the previous entries in the franchise. The action is overwhelming and badly executed, the plot and characterization are weak and the movie just never utilized on its admittedly solid premise leading to a major misfire.

1. Planet of the Apes

But it isn’t as terrible of a misfire as this movie is. Yes, Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake is pretty damn horrible in almost every way. The lack of identity is evident from the beginning, its tone is overly dark and Mark Wahlberg’s performance is absolutely horrendous. I just don’t know how Burton could make such a bad movie as he is one of my favorite directors and he rarely made mediocre films, but here he truly took a huge dump on a once great franchise and made what is arguably one of the worst and most unfortunate remakes ever. An obvious number one here.