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The 25 Best Films of 2017

Hello and welcome to my 2nd annual best-of list for the year in film! What a year its been. We’ve had some truly groundbreaking blockbusters, countless fresh and innovative indies, and tons of everything in the middle. I’ve seen more movies this year than any other before it, simply because there was so much good stuff. Last year was a top 10, but I just can’t narrow it down that much this year, so we’re going with 25. While they are “ranked” from 25 to 1, I love each and every one of these films deeply for one reason or another, and there are plenty of films I consider great from this year that aren’t on the list. I don’t have much else of an intro to give, so here are my 25 favorite films of the year, ranked, and a little bit about each of them. I hope you enjoy!

This list is also in the form of a video countdown here:

Who would have thought one of the worst movies ever made (Tommy Wiseau’s The Room) would spawn one of the funniest, most original movies of 2017. The Disaster Artist is both an interesting look into the making of the best so-bad-it’s-good film ever and an exploration of the creative process and the quest for fame.

This film finally brings the ten year losing streak of Spider-Man’s big screen adventures to an end. While the first two Raimi Spider-Man movies stand among the all-time greats of the superhero genre, they never totally nailed the spirit of the Peter Parker so many had fallen in love with in the comics. The greatest weakness of the Tobey Maguire-era films is Homecoming’s greatest strength. For one, Tom Holland actually looks the right age, and he plays the part of bumbling high school dork brilliantly. The film also, better than any Spider-Man movie before, gives us a window into the struggle Peter faces every day with balancing his life as a normal, teenage citizen and as a crime-fighting superhero.

If not for anything else, watch this to see Adam Sandler’s best performance since Punch-Drunk Love. The man can act when given the right material, and he shines here along with Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, and Elizabeth Marvel as the dysfunctional Meyerowitz family. The film is a glimpse into the life of a family that is both one of a kind and every family ever at the same time. It asks us to think about how we do, and more importantly, how we should treat our family members in a consistently funny ride through trial after tribulation.

We rarely get 1990s period pieces, but here is a great one. This is a love letter to a time not so long ago that falls farther away with every passing day, before cell phones when people were a little harder to reach. Landline is one of the warmest and fuzziest movies of the year that stays its welcome for exactly the right amount of time and leaves you with maybe just a little more hope for humanity than you came in with.

What could have been a pandering, overly-sentimental slog ends up being one of the most pure, good films of the year. Stronger has a heart of gold without ever falling into a mush trap. Here we have three staggering performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany, and Miranda Richardson along with the inspiring true story of Jeff Bauman and his struggle to cope with losing both legs in the Boston Marathon bombing. Director David Gordon Green crafts a deeply personal story about a man and his family, but also about his city, his country, and how together we are stronger than anything that could ever try to tear us down.

This film probably had me the most nervous going into the year, as the original Trainspotting is one of my all-time favorite movies. It executed its darkly comical tale of heroin junkies in Edinburgh flawlessly and ended on a perfect, hopeful note. T2 was never going to outdo its predecessor, and the team behind this sequel knew that, so they didn’t even try. T2: Trainspotting is perhaps one of the most interesting sequels ever made in that it is so vastly different than the film that came before it, and yet it re-captures everything that made the first great. Where the original was all about the now (after all, how could anyone do heroin if they weren’t all about the now?), T2 is all about the past. The film deeply explores our relationship with the past and how it is always a part of us, and uses footage from the first film throughout in a way I’ve never seen done before. Also, it has a new “choose life” speech updated for 2017 that’s just incredible.

The best superhero movie of the year, and almost certainly one of the best ever, though that’s mostly because Logan is the least “superhero” superhero movie since The Dark Knight. This is a movie for grown ups. Sure it’s bloody and full of coarse language, but the real adult content is in the narrative itself. This is the story of a man whose long life has broken him six ways to Sunday, and it’s finally taking its toll. Logan’s pain is palpable, and the film doesn’t shy away from giving us front row seats to see it, both the physical and the emotional. Hugh Jackman gives an Oscar-worthy performance in his last go around as the Wolverine, and the gravity of it is only compounded by the collective weight of all the previous X-Men films. Logan is both a beautiful sendoff for one of the superhero genre’s best characters as well as a bold step forward for the genre itself. The final scene, line, and shot here are also three of the absolute best of the year.

The exclamation point is no accident. Mother! is fucking insane. I think it’s impossible to leave this movie without anger, and my mine just happened to be the good kind. I loved every second of this bat-shit crazy ride. It seems like the general population didn’t, though (see it’s staggering “F” on CinemaScore, a site that randomly polls people across the country as they leave the theater and then averages the ratings). All controversy aside, I think this film is a really impressive piece of work. The first half is a great exercise in tension-building and mystery, the second half is the most absurd and unexpected thing in film all year, and Jennifer Lawrence has never been better. There is no one correct interpretation of the film (even if writer/director Darren Aronofsky seems to think so) and it can be talked about probably forever.

Who would have thought that the boldest, most interesting directorial debut of both the year and of recent memory would come from previously-known-as class clown Jordan Peele. But hey, we’ll take it, because Get Out is truly something to behold. The film targets the casual, subtle tics of suburban racism and micro aggression in a way I’ve never seen done before. We cringe when one of (white) Mr. Armitage’s first comments to (black) Chris is that he “would have voted for Obama for a third term if he could.” The film is riddled with countless moments like this that strike a direct nerve we perhaps didn’t even know existed. Peele manages tone masterfully as the film descends into the more supernatural, perfectly conveying all the emotion and discomfort he’s going for, even if we as an audience can’t explain exactly what’s going on at all times. It’s also full of fabulous comic relief that lands perfectly with every joke.

Another year, another absurdist rollercoaster ride from Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos. 2016’s The Lobster was one of my favorites of last year, and this new one is no different. These films are unlike anything anyone has ever done before, probably because I can’t imagine how impossibly difficult it is to create worlds like Lanthimos does. The film takes place on earth and features human characters, but it also doesn’t. People talk bluntly and say what they think with very little regard for the social cues of our world. The effect is often humorous, but it also forces us to question the nature of the world we’ve collectively built for ourselves and why it is the way it is. Beyond the absurd world of this film, there’s also a tragic, disgusting, hilarious story about family and sacrifice here that won’t leave your thoughts any time soon.

Here ends the way-better-than-it-has-any-right-to-be reboot trilogy of the Planet of the Apes franchise on a soaring high note. While the title says “war,” the film does not. The previous installment is much more of a war film than this one, and that’s okay. While the first one was very clearly centered around James Franco, and the second was split pretty evenly between the apes and the humans, this finale is all apes. Let’s take a second and just consider the fact that there exists a movie in 2017 with a $150 million budget whose entire cast of “good guys” consists of fully CGI primates that speak to each other primarily in sign language that’s subtitled for the audience. WHAT?? Also humans are the BAD GUYS. We’re ROOTING for the APES to WIN against US. But it all works. All the performances here are incredible, Andy Serkis as the hero Caesar in particular. Technological gimmicks and apes aside, though, War tells an incredibly compelling story of a group of outcasts fighting for survival in a world hell-bent against them. It turns out that one of the most human stories of 2017 isn’t even about humans.

Guillermo del Toro makes fairy tales for adults, and this is his best work since the breathtaking Pan’s Labyrinth. Some of my favorite movies have one-sentence elevator pitches that sound absolutely ridiculous, and The Shape of Water fits the bill perfectly. “In a 1960s research facility, a mute janitor forms a relationship with an aquatic creature.” That’s the official summary on the film’s IMDb page. What…? But it’s magnificent. The Shape of Water sweeps you up in its magical world and tells a love story that is immediately believable and heartbreaking and just so wonderful. Also, Alexandre Desplat’s musical score is hands down the best of the year.

Wind River functions as a tight, well paced murder mystery first and foremost, but it’s so much more than that. Here you also have a subtle but deep examination of and commentary on the lives of Native Americans in the modern US. Renner gives his best performance to date, and Elizabeth Olsen’s Jane Banner deserves to be in the same conversation as Amy Adams’s Louise Banks as a completely realized and nuanced female lead, something we’re sorely lacking in mainstream film today.

Who knew there was still room for traditional rom-coms to grow? The Big Sick doesn’t look or sound like anything groundbreaking, but what lies under the hood certainly is. It’s a truly original love story in both its characters and its narrative arc, and the story unfolds in a very non-traditional, non-three-act sort of way. Everything here just works and comes together to be one of the most refreshing, laugh-out-loud funny films in recent memory.

Mindfuck. It’s a term many are familiar with, and typically is a word used to describe movies with unexpected plot twists, big reveals, or crazy psychedelic sequences. We’re talking Memento, Inception, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Usual Suspects. I can confidently say that Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is also a “mindfuck” movie, but not for the same reasons those previously mentioned are. It’s all in the characterization. I can’t remember another movie that left me so speechless because of the insane complexity of every single character’s personality, motivations, and little quirky tics. This is the most fully realized screenplay of the year, probably of the past many years. It’s all so meticulously crafted, but you’re never spoon fed in the manner of “this person is like this and that’s good/bad/etc.” McDonagh puts a small crack in the egg of the world he’s created and gives you the spoon to smack it open with, but forces you to do the work yourself.

Bong Joon Ho’s second english language film continues his streak of knocking it out of the park time and time again. This film feels very much like his Korean ones in its outlandish humor and crazy characters, but also in its creativity and emotional weight. Okja is one of the most lovable creatures since E.T., and the young Seo-hyun Ahn is absolutely stunning as the young girl whose best friend is stolen away from her. The film shoots for the moon in both the quiet, touching moments and in the big, bombastic chase scenes and is a constantly engaging ride that packs every sort of emotional punch a film could ever hope to.

I still don’t completely understand what Raw is… well… what it’s “about.” I do know, though, that I haven’t sat more engrossed in the world of a film more than I did for these two hours. As the world of Raw expands and comes into shape, it just washes over you. You could try to pick the film apart and explain exactly what’s going on, but that’s not what writer/director Julia Ducournau (IN HER DIRECTORIAL DEBUT… HOW???) wants you to do, and you won’t really want to either. The film does an amazing job of setting up an absolutely absurd world that weirdly makes sense in some indescribable way. It’s a bloody, disgusting, hyper-sexual, darkly comical playground of fun that’s impossible to look away from (even though at times you’ll want to oh so badly).

We’ve seen many films about race in times of slavery, during the heat of the civil rights movement, and in modern times, but Mudbound tackles a rare-explored time: post-WWII, pre-civil rights movement. Its a tale of two families, one black, one white, both deeply textured. Dee Rees and company have created an epic on race, war, family, friendship, and parenthood that doesn’t hold back any of the gory details. It’s soul-crushing with sporadic glimmers of hope, and one of the most important movies of the year.

It’s a non-stop, edge-of-your-seat fever dream of a film bookended by moments of quiet purity that you won’t soon forget. Robert Pattinson disappears into the lead role and gives the best performance of his career in a character so vile you’ll ask yourself why you’re even watching this movie. It’s a testament to the filmmakers that they’re able to make such a bad person so intriguing and understandable, toeing the line of condemnation and sympathy with amazing balance. It’s a technical marvel of a film, too. Colors pop off the screen, and Oneohtrix Point Never’s synth-heavy score is unforgettable.

Here is the best love story of the year. The summer of 1983 in Northern Italy was a magical (and troubling) time for seventeen year old Elio and the twenty-something Oliver. Call Me by Your Name is a gorgeous, sun-soaked exploration of sexuality, love, and longing set to an enchanting soundtrack with a few dazzling original songs. Better than almost any film I’ve seen, it captures that feeling of looking at someone and seeing an entire world of possibilities in their eyes without needing to say a single word.

And the award for “best sequel for a film that shouldn’t have ever had one” goes to Blade Runner 2049! It leaves the questions asked by the first film wide open and poses a wealth of its own. It’s dripping in orange, purple, and neon glory. Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch take Vangelis’s original score to the next level. Ryan Gosling is dynamite as the new lead. In a Hollywood where all the big studios are playing it relatively safe, it’s beyond refreshing to see a big-budget, R-rated sci-fi epic that treats its audience like intelligent adults and tells a bold, original story. The film doesn’t get points just for its bravery, though. It also executes nearly flawlessly.

100 minutes of pure tension. Nolan puts his foot on your chest and slowly increases the pressure at just the right rate. The images captured by the (mostly IMAX) cameras here are near-unbelievable. Seeing this in a true 70mm IMAX theater is a near religious experience. What makes Dunkirk really special, though, is the manner which it creates an emotional connection with the audience. Unlike most war films, there isn’t a campfire scene where we get to meet our ragtag crew of soldiers. We don’t need to know that his name is Johnny and he has a wife and three kids back home. Just look at what he’s going through. That’s all you need. You also never seen the Germans. Some planes at most. No bodies or faces. Empathy is created through circumstance, not characterization.

This captures the magic of childhood in a way almost nothing before it ever has. It’s so hard to write dialogue that’s believable for a six year old, let alone direct that six year old into a believable delivery. Sean Baker does both immaculately in The Florida Project. Brooklynn Prince gives a star-making performance as Moonee, an endlessly lovable ball of life who spends her days exploring the poor, run down motels of the Florida on the other side of Disney World. She’s one of the most empathetic, moving, heartbreaking characters of the year. You’ll want to reach out to the screen and pull her into your arms for a warm embrace as she struggles through a world she doesn’t understand. The film also forces you to reconsider what it means to be a good parent and accept that maybe there isn’t just one right way to do it.

It’s the shortest movie on this list and probably also the biggest. Biggest in terms of narrative scope. Yes, the premise is “a woman’s husband dies and comes back to haunt her house as a ghost” and yes, the ghost is portrayed literally as a man under a white sheet with two eye holes cut out. That being said… A Ghost Story tells a tale as big as the universe itself and is truly haunting. Just watch it.

It’s nothing special. It’s just a 90 minute look into the life of a high school senior in Sacramento as she applies to colleges, dates boys, and struggles with her family. It’s also the most special film ever. Its world is our world. Its characters are our family, friends, teachers, and random passerbyers. Its story is our story. We can all see a little bit (or maybe a lot) of ourselves in Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson. Or her dad. Or her mom. Or one of her boyfriends. Or her best friend. It’s cutesy and sweet without pandering or being over-sentimentality. It’s gut-bustingly funny. It’s real. It’s the best movie of the year. It’s Lady Bird.

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