I know this is later than most Best Movies of the Year lists, but I needed the extra month to catch up. Great movies don’t always come to me before the end of the year and I hate leaving stuff out, especially when there were so many I was looking forward to (and I still haven’t seen The Florida Project or Phantom Thread).
Also I’m doing something different this year. Because I don’t have a length limit, and because 2017 turned out to be such a brilliant year for movies, I’m counting down my TWENTY best films of the year. There were just too many that didn’t make my Top Ten that I thought should still be talked about. This was a great year for movies, with plenty that should be seen and admired.
This is a subjective list of course, with more than a few movies that stood out and impacted me more than others, so keep that in mind if you’re upset one of your favourites isn’t here.
20. Baby Driver -Edgar Wright’s stellar action-comedy about a getaway driver with tinnitus is pretty much non-stop fun, full of clever details and eclectic visual energy. It’s soundtrack, expertly synced in perfect beat with the editing, is fantastic; it boasts some of the best car chases ever set to film, and features a real star-making performance from Ansel Elgort. Seriously smart, eccentric, and all around awesome, this mad little movie only further ensures Wright’s place among the most unique filmmakers working today.
19. Get Out -It’s great to see an original horror movie getting so much praise from audiences and critics; it’s even better that the movie in question is really well made, with great performances, superb social satire, and really well-executed tension. This was the directorial debut of Jordan Peele, and he absolutely nails it, demonstrating a thorough knowledge of filmmaking, especially as it pertains to this genre. I also have to applaud it for finally bringing Daniel Kaluuya out of obscurity.
18. Last Flag Flying -With a few exceptions, I always have a soft spot for Richard Linklater movies. He’s got such an unconventionally authentic, intelligent yet down-to-earth voice, and it’s definitely apparent in this movie, which follows three Vietnam vets reuniting to bury the son of one of them who was killed in Iraq. Steve Carrell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne make for a great trio of foils. It’s heartfelt, funny, and has some important commentary on the nature of military service and how the government treats veterans.
17. T2: Trainspotting -A sequel twenty years later is usually not a good idea; but Danny Boyle’s secret was to address this head-on as the classic gang from Trainspotting now have to cope with the repercussions of the end of the first film, as well as reconcile their pasts and deal with the harsh truth of their lives now. With Boyle’s stylized directing, and terrific performances from the whole cast, most of all Ewen Bremner, this is a sequel that didn’t have to exist, but I’m damn glad it does.
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16. Maudie -Before she was blowing everyone away in The Shape of Water, Sally Hawkins gave another Oscar-worthy performance in this story about the life of famed Nova Scotian artist Maud Lewis. With Ethan Hawke as her gruff husband, it’s a beautiful little Canadian movie with pretty cinematography and skilled direction from Aisling Walsh. A truly loving tribute to both Maud Lewis’ unique work and the art of painting itself, this is one of the finest forgotten movies of 2017.
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15. Coco -This movie may be the new standard for how to represent other cultures on film right. Not only does it deal with traditions and a realm distinct to Mexican heritage, but its’ very themes are tied into the tenets of Dia de Muertos rather than a more arbitrary American concept. The characters are really fun and engaging, the animation is among Pixar’s most impressive, and the music really striking and memorable. It’s nothing short of an ode to the culture it represents.
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14. Colossal -This is another movie that slipped under the radar -so much so that I only caught it later on Netflix and didn’t actually review it. Anne Hathaway plays an alcoholic down-on-her-luck writer forced to move back to her home-town where she discovers in one specific spot she is unknowingly controlling the actions of a giant monster in Korea. It’s a pretty bizarre set-up, but what makes it work so well is how it’s a monster movie that’s not about the monster you think. It uses this over-the-top premise to really convey a very different kind of conflict that’s rarely seen on film, but is nonetheless an important one to characterize. Director Nacho Vigalondo does great with it, and the cast are superb; from a terrific Anne Hathaway to Dan Stevens, Tim Blake Nelson, and Jason Sudeikis in the best performance I’ve seen from him. It’s still on Netflix and on DVD, so I highly recommend it!
13. War for the Planet of the Apes -This conclusion to the modern Apes trilogy may just be the best Apes movie of all. It completes the arc of Caesar as he faces his biggest trial to come out attaining mythic status. Andy Serkis is phenomenal, this might be his best performance, the motion capture never hindering it the slightest and being absolutely tremendous on its own. Woody Harrelson is a fitting match as the colonel maintaining his composure but losing his mind, while Matt Reeves imbues the whole film with the great epic scope this franchise deserves.
12. I, Tonya -It’s very strange to have a biopic that has such a tongue-in-cheek attitude about its subject matter. The story of Tonya Harding’s early career is presented in a mockumentary format, yet it still works dramatically to gain audience sympathy for this one-time pariah. Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, and Allison Janney deliver their best work, with Janney especially standing out as an entertaining but despicable character. If you believe you know Harding or her story, this movie will surely make you think twice.
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11. Wind River -Set on a Native American reserve in Wyoming, Tyler Sheridan’s intense mystery follows the investigation into the brutal death of a woman from the small community. But more than that, it’s a commentary on the socio-economic state of Native reserves and the wider epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The one main problem is Jeremy Renner’s character not being Native American himself, but he, Elizabeth Olsen, Graham Greene, and Gil Birmingham still give great performances worthy of seeing.
10. Lady Bird -Greta Gerwig’s officially a new director I’m going to be watching out for. Because her debut film about the life of an artistic girl in Sacramento told over her last year of high school is exactly the great slice-of-life coming-of-age story that girls have been largely deprived of. Written and directed with excellent realism, and starring Saiorse Ronan in yet another terrific performance (with Laurie Metcalf, likewise amazing as her mother), this is a heart-warming, endearing, personal and relatable at the same time introspection of youth and change.
9. The Big Sick -Inspired loosely on how star and co-writer Kumail Nanjiani met his actual wife, this is the best romantic comedy in years. It’s an unusual premise wherein the couple meet, date, break up over Kumail’s restrictive family rules, and then Emily, played adorably by Zoe Kazan, falls into a coma. The chemistry between the two leads is lovely, while Ray Romano and especially Holly Hunter as her parents are sensational The fact the movie subverts cliché also stands to distinguish it rather nicely from the other fluff of the genre.
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8. The Lost City of Z -These kind of movies aren’t made anymore: a character-driven historical epic in the vein of the greats of David Lean. This grand, exotic movie stars Charlie Hunnam as explorer Percy Fawcett on a quest to find a lost city in the Amazon rainforests over the course of a number of expeditions between 1905 and 1923. Written and directed stupendously by James Gray and also starring Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, and Tom Holland, it’s a mesmerizing, fascinating, and gorgeous film about discovery and one man’s unfailing ambition.
7. Downsizing -Alexander Payne’s life-affirming shrinking movie was my biggest surprise of the year. An extremely authentic (and slightly satirical) interpretation of what the world would be like if human ‘downsizing’ became a solvent to overpopulation, this movie follows the unexpected trajectory of one man’s life after he undergoes the experiment. However, it’s actually a grounded story about purpose in life and self-reflection that just happens to be told through an intriguing fantastical lens that I never would have expected this much out of.
6. Logan -Up there with The Dark Knight as one of the best superhero movies ever made, this is a rough and gritty yet passionate and nuanced finale to the Wolverine character. Evoking themes and plot points of classic westerns (most notably Unforgiven and Shane), this is Hugh Jackman’s finest hour as his iconic character, with Patrick Stewart also giving an unbelievable performance -both worthy of Oscar nominations -and one of the best debuts of a child star in Dafne Keen. Violent and tense but also contemplative and tender, this movie will no doubt be leaving a permanent mark on its versatile genre.
5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi -Admittedly a part of the reason this is so high is because I’m a Star Wars fan. But combining my love of Star Wars with Rian Johnson’s confidence to take risks, challenge the ethos, and expand the mythology of this universe to a degree not seen since the original trilogy is a winning formula. This is a dazzling movie with the best cinematography and some of the best acting in the entire franchise, particularly from Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, and Daisy Ridley. Full of classic moments, great characters, and an increasingly complex villain, Johnson did more than make a good Star Wars movie; he made a great film!
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4. The Breadwinner -The latest outstanding movie from Cartoon Saloon is an extraordinary tale about a girl having to provide for her family by disguising herself as a boy after her father is taken away by the Taliban. Gorgeously animated, this is a movie unafraid to explicitly portray the dangerous and harrowing everyday life in Kabul in the early 2000s. But there’s still joy in the movie as it discusses the importance of storytelling as well as the virtues of optimism and determination. It’s an exquisite, enrapturing, impactful story that I certainly haven’t watched for the last time!
3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri -I’ve been a fan of Martin McDonagh for years and this is definitely his best film. A story about the effect three controversial billboards have on a small town told both with brutal seriousness and humour, this cinematic exploration of the ways people cope with anger and remorse is brilliant, enthralling, and shocking from start to finish. Frances McDormand delivers her greatest performance since Fargo, and Sam Rockwell is finally getting the acclaim he’s long deserved as one of 2017’s most interesting characters. It’s witty and brutal with plenty of personality to no doubt be one of this years’ very best.
2. Blade Runner 2049 -Denis Villeneuve did the unthinkable when he made a sequel to one of the great classic science-fiction movies, and actually made it just as engaging as the first. Though by no means better, this movie was astoundingly well done with beautiful visuals, tantalizing cinematography from Roger Deakins, a thrilling plot and mystery, inventive and provocative ideas, a relentlessly creative world, and a stunning cast led by Ryan Gosling on top form. It’s the best sequel Blade Runner deserved and I think even Philip K. Dick would have been proud of it.
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1. The Shape of Water -To be honest, these top three are almost interchangeable with how much I liked them. But what puts Guillermo del Toro’s hypnotic Cold War fairy tale just a smidge above the other two is how much artistic, imaginative, and emotional ingenuity is weaved into the fabric of this films’ design. An obvious passion project for the director, this movie manages to go beyond its bizarre premise to become a transcendent love story and commentary on difference overcoming oppressive fear. With sublime performances from Sally Hawkins, Doug Jones, Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon, and Michael Stuhlbarg, it’s the beauty and the beast story of 2017 that deserves to be seen in all its glory again and again.
Honourable mentions: Detroit, Battle of the Sexes, Hostiles, Wonder Woman, Dunkirk, Okja, Call Me By Your Name, and All the Money in the World.
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