Lady Bird nearly topped my list. Loveless leaves a lot to dissect.
I noticed that your top two spots are similarly intense films! Good Time being a big step up for the Safdie brothers.
Yeah, both very intense but they couldn't be farther apart stylistically. I'm really looking forward to Lady Bird, her last two scripts with Baumbach have ranked quite highly in my end of year lists, so my hopes are quite high. I wasn't even aware Loveless was coming out in a couple weeks time over here, so I'm planning on catching up with Leviathan before seeing it, I've heard Loveless is the director's best work to date though.
just watched Blade Runner 2049 for the first time. One viewing, straight to #1 on my list. Didn't see that coming. (oh who am I kidding, I was always gonna love it. Still, time will tell if I'll get just as much out of it on repeat viewings...)
... as for the poll, a few weeks left before the deadline... and still plenty of highly-anticipated movies I'm really hoping to see in time to add to my list. For a lot of them I just won't get the chance. Still, will try me bestest.
Yeah, both very intense but they couldn't be farther apart stylistically. I'm really looking forward to Lady Bird, her last two scripts with Baumbach have ranked quite highly in my end of year lists, so my hopes are quite high. I wasn't even aware Loveless was coming out in a couple weeks time over here, so I'm plaiting on catching up with Leviathan before seeing it, I've heard Loveless is the director's best work to date though.
Loveless is good but I'd rank The Return and Leviathan above it.
if it comes to NZ Netflix before my free one-month trial ends next week, then yes. otherwise, chances are slim... it's not something I'll blind-buy until it drops a lot further in price. And I won't watch it illegally. Still, might be able to stream it as a Zune rental if they have it. (Which is what I just did for Blade Runner.)
It's worth the blind buy. Trust me. What starts off as a cute body swap story transformers into something more, something mind blowing and unforgettable.
I blind-bought and watched Your Name just recently. I find I don't really like all of Shinkai's work, but this one is easily his best. Cute (and a good, well-defined) story, superb visuals, and it genuinely invoked feeling. It gets my recommendation (and I put it around #5 on my list now).
I blind-bought and watched Your Name just recently. I find I don't really like all of Shinkai's work, but this one is easily his best. Cute (and a good, well-defined) story, superb visuals, and it genuinely invoked feeling. It gets my recommendation (and I put it around #5 on my list now).
My first exposure to his myself. Picked a hell of first film with him, eh?
01. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (USA)
02. Good Time (USA)
03. Get Out (USA)
04. Call Me by Your Name (USA)
05. Personal Shopper (France)
06. Loveless (Russia)
07. Lady Bird (USA)
08. Phantom Thread (USA)
09. The Florida Project (USA)
10. A Ghost Story (USA)
11. Faces Places (France)
12. I, Tonya (USA)
13. Blade Runner 2049 (USA)
14. mother! (USA)
15. The Shape of Water (USA)
16. The Big Sick (USA)
17. Wind River (USA)
18. Dunkirk (UK)
19. The Death of Louis XIV (France)
20. The Beguiled (USA)
21. Foxtrot (Israel)
22. Baby Driver (USA)
23. Graduation (Romania)
24. The Square (Sweden)
25. The Lost City of Z (USA)
26. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (USA)
27. Mudbound (USA)
28. It Comes at Night (USA)
29. Logan Lucky (USA)
30. Human Flow (Germany)
31. Princess Cyd (USA)
32. 120 Beats Per Minute (France)
33. First They Killed My Father (Cambodia)
34. The Work (USA)
35. A Fantastic Woman (Chile)
Best Actor
01. Timothee Chalamet – Call Me by Your Name
02. Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour
03. Jean-Pierre Leaud – The Death of Louis XIV
04. Daniel Day Lewis – Phantom Thread
05. Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out
Best Actress
01. Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird
02. Margot Robbie – I, Tonya
03. Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water
04. Kristen Stewart – Personal Shopper
05. Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Supporting Actor
01. Willem Dafoe – The Florida Project
02. Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
03. Woody Harrelson – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
04. Michael Stuhlbarg – Call Me by Your Name
05. Michael Shannon – The Shape of Water
Best Director
01. Paul Thomas Anderson – Phantom Thread
02. Andrey Zvyagintsev - Loveless
03. Luca Guadagnino – Call Me by Your Name
04. The Safdie Brothers – Good Time
05. Jordan Peele - Get Out
I finished up my mini-reviews. I'm still going to try to see Phantom Thread, but this will likely be my final list if I don't in time. It may have too many tentpole movies for some, but these are my favorites of the year:
[Show spoiler]
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Originally Posted by Mandalorian
01 | War for the Planet of the Apes
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War for the Planet of the Apes is a character piece, and I couldn't be happier with it subverting our expectations for a more bombastic finale. Caesar is a conflicted leader with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and his stress and anger are visceral. Andy Serkis and Steve Zahn gave two of the best motion capture performances ever as Caesar and Bad Ape respectively. It's remarkable to see so much close-up facial acting in what's supposed to be a summer blockbuster. Every welling of the eyes cuts deep. The villains, from the soldiers to the 'donkeys', are far from black and white. This is an astonishing culmination of a trilogy that came out of nowhere and earned its place among the pantheon of science fiction.
02 | Lady Bird
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Lady Bird is Greta Gerwig's solo directorial debut. My teen experiences may have been completely different than the confused young lead's, but this story is so real that I can't help but relate. Laurie Metcalf and Saoirse Ronan are phenomenal. Their mother-daughter relationship is explosive. The lack of synchronization is understandable yet sad. It feels infinitely personal, which in turn makes it even more relatable. Lady Bird is sure to be a coming of age film that we talk about for years to come. It's an ode to that awkward period of finding oneself and an ode to parents who try their best to provide their kids with better lives.
03 | Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
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On the surface Three Billboards is a bit tone deaf. Its dark sense of humor is vulgarly unsubtle and unflinching. Instead of simple black and white, its morality lives in the gray area. There are unexpected arcs; good people doing bad things, bad people doing good things. Frances McDormand is a grieving mother on a mission. Her performance is palpably emotional. There aren't many easy answers or bows neatly tied at the end, but the journey is a roller coaster of hilarity and deep sadness that only a filmmaker like Martin McDonagh can balance.
04 | The Shape of Water
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Guillermo del Toro wears his heart on his sleeve, and it's hard not to love him for it. The Shape of Water is an unabashedly strange movie. It doesn't try to hide that. The gill-man (of The Creature of the Black Lagoon fame) is one of my favorite movie monsters, and it's a crime that he hasn't gotten more screentime over the years. Doug Jones turns in yet another marvelous creature performance brought to life with a combination of gorgeous practical make-up and subtle CGI. Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon, and Michael Stuhlbarg are all wonderful in their supporting roles, but without a doubt this is the Sally Hawkins show. She bares all, both physically and emotionally, as the lifeblood of a love story that is built without a single spoken word. Adult fantasy films are a rarity, and thank god we have an artist like del Toro who is still dedicated to making them.
05 | Blade Runner 2049
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"Sometimes to love someone, you got to be a stranger." Denis Villeneuve is a brave filmmaker. To follow up a cult-to-classic widely considered masterpiece with a sequel thirty-five years later was a bold undertaking. He, Hampton Fancher, and Michael Green did it masterfully with Blade Runner 2049, a methodically paced Cyberpunk Neo-Noir epic. Every detail from the production design, costume design, score, and Roger Deakins' cinematography pulled me into a meticulously crafted world that felt tangible and, most importantly, possible.
06 | Logan
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Logan is a miracle. It's a miracle that Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart got to give satisfying conclusions to the characters they brought to the big screen nearly twenty years ago. It's a miracle that Fox allowed James Mangold to unsheathe the claws and go full balls to the wall with a well earned R rating. This is easily one of the best X-Men movies, proving that after seventeen years this franchise still has plenty of life left if given the opportunity for new paths to be explored. It's somber, and doesn't let the characters or audience off easy. I don't know if this is truly the end of the line for Old Man Logan, or if we'll see him again. Whatever the case may be, I just hope it's given the respect and attention this film clearly was.
07 | Get Out
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Without a doubt, Get Out is the biggest surprise of the year. Jordan Peele's social thriller/psychological horror comedy is in a league of its own. It feels like a Stepford Wives and Body Snatchers mashup episode of the Twilight Zone, but a unique and new thing all at the same time. I loved it when I walked out of the cinema, but it took me multiple viewings and conversations to fully appreciate the attention to detail and plethora of subconscious subtitles throughout. This is an astonishing directorial debut for Peele, and I can't wait to see what he does next.
08 | John Wick: Chapter 2
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To put it simply, John Wick: Chapter 2 is a gorgeously designed and exuberantly choreographed masterpiece of action cinema. It's a neon-lit ballet of bullets, bloodshed, and bodies. It's such a perfect orchestra that even Keanu Reeves' cardboard acting is used to its advantage, as a machine-like hitman. I had such a visceral reaction to this tour through a fantasy criminal underworld. Every close quarter kill elicits a wince and a smile. But, why the hell is Laurence Fishburne leading an underground organization of bum assassins? Shut up, John just killed two guys with a pencil... "A ****ing pencil."
09 | Spider-Man: Homecoming
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I’ve read many disparaging reviews, and second-guessed my overwhelming praise, but I have a blast every time I watch Spider-Man: Homecoming. I thought Kevin Feige, Jon Watts, and all involved did an excellent job distinguishing this second reboot from what has come before it. Tom Holland was great in his brief Civil War appearance, and a great leading man here. He embodied the dual roles perfectly. I loved the casting choices for his classmates. They had a lot of natural chemistry and added dynamism to the high school scenes. The adult cast is an embarrassment of riches. Even the smaller cameos make an impact. Michael Keaton brought a much needed ferocity to the Vulture. He's as scary out of the suit as he is in it. Homecoming is filled with so much energy and love from start to finish, that I'm more forgiving of its flaws. If you don't like the Marvel Studios style of filmmaking, then Spider-Man: Homecoming isn't for you, but I love the Universe they've built and this is one of my favorites.
10 | Coco
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Just when people start to question Pixar's lofty position on the animation throne, they put out another instant classic. Coco is a vibrant visually astonishing feast for the eyes, with a timely and timeless story to match. The attention to detail put into the Land of the Dead is a sight to behold. Disney films have had many dark moments throughout the studio's long tenure, but some of the themes in Coco are even darker than I could have expected. Themes of aging, memory loss, and death, backstabbing and betrayal, unaccomplished goals, and even artistic censorship. It runs the gamut of emotion, and that elevated it above simple family entertainment, making it yet another notch in Pixar's belt.
11 | The Florida Project
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A significant portion of The Florida Project is spent simply following children as they run amok in their urban playground. Their joy is infectious. I couldn't help but smile and laugh along with them, even as they caused mischief. Beneath that joy, is anger and sadness. Anger at the parents for what they expose their children to, anger at the system that perpetuates their poverty, and sadness that this is all happening in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, right next to what's supposed to the 'the happiest place on Earth'. Brooklyn Prince is a revelation as Moonee. Willem Dafoe is at his sweetest and most relatable. It may rub many the wrong way, but it's definitely one of the most memorable films of the year.
12 | I, Tonya
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I, Tonya is hilarious, tragic, and one of the year's biggest surprises. I laughed throughout the entire film, but walked out disappointed to see someone with so much potential to be a sports legend become an infamous punchline due to circumstance, abuse, and the inability to take responsibility for her own shortcomings... Depending on whose story you believe. Even within the film characters undercut each other's versions of the truth. Margot Robbie is excellent. Sebastian Stan is excellent. But, without a doubt, this is Allison Janney's movie. Her character is fairly one-note, but Janney is captivating in every second of screen time. I thought some aspects felt over the top, and the filmmakers could tell, so they used interview segments, fourth wall breakage, and real clips to embrace that feeling and use it to their advantage.
13 | Logan Lucky
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Almost heaven, West Virginia... Of the extraordinary number of films to use John Denver music in 2017, maybe only one other was so affecting. Steven Soderbergh came out of his brief retirement, returned to the genre that most remember him for, and made my favorite of his heist films. What it lacks in the glitz of the Ocean's trilogy it makes up in genuine heart. It's fun to watch the elaborate heist unfold, and even more so when it's blue collar workers pulling it off. There's so much energy radiating through the film that even Daniel Craig has a blast with his role. It's beautifully directed and shot without being too flashy. It's sweet, without being overly sentimental. It didn't quite find its audience, but I'll be recommending it to people for years to come.
14 | mother!
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I will give you a new heart, and put within you a new spirit; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. — Ezekiel 36:26 Darren Aronofsky's latest offering is a denunciation of man's destructive nature with a twisted Biblical allegory as the framework. It's so metaphorical that its metaphors have metaphors, and as much as that may reek of a writer/director being up his own ass, it makes for an increasingly dreadful sequence of events. Whether you want to unpack all mother! has to say, or simply enjoy its building insanity, I believe this film should not have been as rejected as it seemingly was. There's no denying that Aronofsky intentionally challenges viewers to embrace the extremity. The excellent cast makes the endeavor all the more riveting, especially Jennifer Lawrence's central performance. It's inflammatory and bold, and unlike anything I have seen before.
15 | Detroit
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Detroit may be oddly structured and somewhat disjointed, but it's also one of the most harrowing cinematic experiences of the year. Kathryn Bigelow is comfortably within her niche, ground level explorations of dark historical events. The frenetic docudrama aesthetic makes the tension even more palpable. The cast is fantastic all around, but Algee Smith gives a breakout performance. You can argue about racism, police abusing their power, urban decay, or how accurately the events are depicted to your heart's content. All I'm arguing is that what's on the screen makes for an immensely thrilling film.
16 | Good Time
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Insane, intense, and perhaps the most mockingly inapt tile of the year; Good Time is bolstered by Robert Pattinson's best performance to date. The neon lit streets and pulsating synth score gorgeously undercut Connie's vile actions. He's doing all the wrong things for the right reason, to make enough money to bail his mentally challenged brother (played subtly by co-director Ben Safdie) out of jail, who's only in jail to begin with because of his misdeeds. Watching him pass through people's lives over the course of a single day, finding ways to leave everyone worse than he found them, makes for one of the most compelling films of the year.
17 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi
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When you let an auteur make a massive franchise film, expect something different. Its pivots, reversals, and introductions to new lore were divisive to many fans, but Rian Johnson made something that will stand the test of time and many repeat viewings. I loved Rey and Kylo's dynamic. Their Force conversations were some of my favorite scenes. I loved what he did with Supreme Leader Snoke; I find his title amusing in hindsight. I also loved where they went with Rey's parentage. Maybe they were disappointments to people who spent hours of their lives dissecting fan theories, but I didn't, and I applaud the filmmakers' decisions. Leia has one of my least favorite moments early in the film, but also one of the saga's most emotional moments later in it. I enjoyed The Last Jedi immensely the first time, but I'm even more excited to revisit it.
18 | Call Me By Your Name
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Call Me By Your Name is a mood piece, resting on its beautiful Italian locales as gracefully underplayed attraction grows between Elio and Oliver. It's one of the most refreshing love stories I've seen in a while. Long stretches of Elio processing complex feelings that he's never experienced before are met with explosive moments of passion. Like summer love, the passion is short-lived, yet like first love, the feelings are everlasting. And to hear that a potential trilogy may be on the horizon hearkens back to another phenomenal European vacation romance series, Richard Linklater's Before Trilogy. Great company to be in.
19 | It
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I grew up watching the original miniseries and still appreciate what Tim Curry did to elevate it, but Bill Skarsgard is a new horror icon. Not only is Andy Muschietti's adaptation of the Stephen King classic a marked improvement over its predecessor, it's also one of the best horror films in years. The cast of youngsters that occupy the Losers' Club are phenomenal. Their camaraderie brought grounded drama and a surprising amount of comedy. There's plenty of terror to be found, perhaps too heavily reliant on dash at the camera jump scares, but not without equal amounts of heart and humor making It a well balanced affair. If Chapter two lives up to its predecessor I will be surprised, but Chapter One is most certainly going into my Halloween rotation.
20 | Okja
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Many have called Okja a live action Hayao Miyazaki movie, and I can see why. It's whimsically offbeat, earnestly sentimental, and simply fantastic. It's an environmental message movie that lampoons the corporations who run the world's food industries, and it doesn't shy away from taking shots at the activist groups who try to fight them, but somehow it avoids being preachy. Bong Joon-ho's odyssey has dark sense of humor and a lot of heart. Between The Host, Snowpiercer, and now Okja, he truly is one of the most unique science fiction visionaries working today.
21 | Mudbound
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Dee Rees' Mudbound is an underappreciated gem of a film. Not only is it about race in America during WWII, it's also about gender roles in both white and black households. The multiple hierarchies are fascinating. The abundance of shifting character perspectives may have been better suited for the miniseries format, but that feeling is only a testament to how much more time I would have liked to spend in this lived in world. I don't know how well remembered it will be, but being the first film to have a female cinematographer nominated for an Oscar will certainly cement its place in cinema history.
22 | Wind River
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Wind River is a Neo-Western murder mystery set on a beautiful snow covered mountainous Reservation. The cold white landscape amplifies the threat of the cold black hearts at the center of the mystery. I was invested in finding out who committed the crimes, but the way it's resolved turns everything on its head so abruptly that you feel as if you're in imminent danger right along with the lead characters. From the writer of Sicario and Hell or High Water, it's unsurprising that Taylor Sheridan crafted one of the most memorable character-driven thrillers of the year.
23 | Baby Driver
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Baby Driver is an achievement in editing. The editing to music sets the pace for what is easily one of the most energetic films of the year. It's probably the most musically inclined non-musical I've ever seen. It's bright, exuberant, and at times cutesy, but not without the darkness necessary to take the severity Baby's situation seriously. I'm just happy Edgar Wright finally got to execute his longstanding vision, and create yet another fun adult action movie. Not to mention, Christopher Plummer was great as Doc (that overused joke still sums up 2017 perfectly).
24 | The Big Sick
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The Big Sick is an unconventional love story, made even more special by the fact that it's based on writers Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani's true story. The two main characters (played by Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan) endear to one another fairly quickly, then tragedy strikes, leaving the majority of the story to revolve around Nanjiani earning the love and respect of her parents while navigating the complexities of his strict religion. It's such a fresh perspective for the romantic comedy genre, and you can feel how personal the story is. It had been a very long time since I saw a great adult rom-com, but The Big Sick was worth the wait.
25 | Dunkirk
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Dunkirk lacks traditional character development, but we're put right in the middle of the action from frame one, making it impossible to not feel the characters' suffering. The only time we leave the action is when the perspective shifts to characters who are on their way into it themselves. Hate or love Christoper Nolan, his films are usually technical marvels, and Dunkirk is no different. Working WWII era airplanes flying among planes with IMAX cameras mounted onto their wings sharing a frame with burning ships in the ocean and hundreds of extras on the beach. On top of the sheer dread captured in the action set pieces, three timelines are interwoven to ratchet up the tension even more and keep a brisk pace from start to finish. The feeling of desperation is tangible.
1. War for the Planet of the Apes
2. Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri
3. Phantom Thread *
4. Call Me by Your Name
5. Coco
6. Logan
7. The Shape of Water
8. The Florida Project
9. Get Out
10. A Ghost Story
11. The Disaster Artist
12. Baby Driver
13. Lady Bird
14. Logan Lucky
15. Good Time
16. The Lost City of Z
17. Okja
18. Your Name
19. Thor: Ragnarok
20. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2
21. Spider-Man: Homecoming
22. Life
23. Wind River
24. The Greatest Showman
25. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
I finished up my mini-reviews. I'm still going to try to see Phantom Thread, but this will likely be my final list if I don't in time. It may have too many tentpole movies for some, but these are my favorites of the year:
Still a smidgen upset that Your Name wasn't still on here but overall, very nice. Also
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Not to mention, Christopher Plummer was great as Doc
I finished up my mini-reviews. I'm still going to try to see Phantom Thread, but this will likely be my final list if I don't in time. It may have too many tentpole movies for some, but these are my favorites of the year:
Better brush aside Dunkirk.....PTA is steppin' in.
Okay, I think I have seen everything I need to see to make my list. There are a couple 2017 films I still plan to watch, but nothing that I expect to make my top 25. The order, however, should not be considered final until the deadline, as I will likely be constantly tweaking it.
That one is actually a 2018 release. Ya might have to replace it with something else, amigo.
The problem is, if you look it up on IMDb it says "Mom and Dad (2017)"
You often have to watch out for IMDb release dates - for example, something might say one year, but when you click on it and see the details, that is like a film festival screening and the actual release wasn't until the next year
The problem is, if you look it up on IMDb it says "Mom and Dad (2017)"
You often have to watch out for IMDb release dates - for example, something might say one year, but when you click on it and see the details, that is like a film festival screening and the actual release wasn't until the next year
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
(oh who am I kidding, I was always gonna love it. Still, time will tell if I'll get just as much out of it on repeat viewings...)
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