Welcome to the Fourth Annual Zeppo Marx Appreciation Award. For this pointless award, we pay tribute to the films that may have been overlooked in favor of something flashier and more interesting. In some cases, these films exceed the expectations set by those around them. However, to remove these lesser known titles is to sacrifice what is great about cinema. Just like Zeppo Marx, these films have a thankless job that is worthy of further recognition in really arbitrary categories. Join me in honoring 10 films that are better than those films you likely call great and deserve to have more attention.
Film About Ghosts
Winner: Personal Shopper
Better Than: A Ghost Story
Who knew that 2017 would not only bring two great movies about ghosts, but that they would be towering art house cinema achievements? For what it's worth, A Ghost Story is a phenomenal look into loneliness and grief depicted through the lifespan of a house. However, there's a lot more to admire about Personal Shopper than meets the eye. It's also a film about loss, but it captures the struggle through more striking imagery and a great central Kristen Stewart performance that makes the act of texting extremely tense. The cinematography is gorgeous and the direction is tense. It manages to be a soulful ghost story with as many scares as there is thoughtful questions on the meaning of life.
Animated Superhero Film, For Kids
Winner: Captain Underpants:: The First Epic Movie
Better Than: The LEGO Batman Movie
There's a lot of great things about 2017, and part of it was that kids who like superhero stories weren't in short supply. Even for those who couldn't see the PG-13 fare of Marvel and D.C., there were two battling adaptations out there. The LEGO Batman Movie may have perfectly deconstructed the caped crusader's pop culture status, but there was a joy to finally getting a Captain Underpants movie. He was always the icon of superhero satire for kids, starring in a handful of novels that skewered the mythology with imagery that appealed to the middle school audience, whether it be teachers with funny names, or devious evil toilets and lunch ladies. If that's not enough, Weird Al supplies the theme song for the man with wedgie power. That's more than what LEGO Batman can say.
Movie Where Brie Larson Shoots Things
Winner: Free Fire
Better Than: Kong:: Skull Island
It has only been two years since Brie Larson won an Oscar for Room, and she has spent it doing some incredible work. She's soon going to be Captain Marvel, but 2017 may as well be the warm-up period with a double feature that saw her flex her tough girl side. A lot of credit should be given to Kong: Skull Island for expanding the Monsterverse with another fascinating, Vietnam War-inspired monster movie. However, Free Fire saw her take on a room of men with a ferocity and humor that more than shows that she can handle her own. It's the ultimate shootout movie as well as the most violent anti-gun commentary of the year. There's so much to enjoy, and part of it comes from Larson being able to be classy in the face of danger. Captain Marvel is in safe hands if she brings this energy.
Reason to Stay Off the Internet
Winner: Ingrid Goes West
Better Than: The Circle
As technology becomes more indebted in our lives, more entertainment chooses to address its negative impacts. On one hand, there's The Circle whose earnest attempts to explore its impact lead to a predictable and somewhat dull story. Then there was Ingrid Goes West, who told the story on a more psychological and fascinating level. In spite of being a typical stalker movie on its surface, the film perfectly explores the rise of Instagram culture and how it shapes people's views on success and fame. It helps that Aubrey Plaza delivered one of her best performances while managing to blur the line between protagonist and antagonist. It's a comedy that is also the most intriguing look at internet culture of the year, likely to join the pantheon of era-defining movies when it comes to why computers are tearing us apart.
Club Dance Scene
Winner: Call Me By Your Name
Better Than: The Disaster Artist
It was a great time to go out dancing this year, and two films reflected the array of dance skills that one could bring to the dance floor. The Disaster Artist deserves points for absurd energy, managing to be just as enigmatic as Tommy Wiseau's entire career. However, Call Me By Your Name quickly became iconic thanks to Armie Hammer's skills. It became a meme when the trailers first dropped, and continues to reflect the soaring energy and grace of the critically acclaimed drama. Both dance scenes reflect men expressing themselves in great detail, but Hammer edges out Wiseau thanks to a more fantastic version of directing that allows the scene to play out without awkward interruption.
Crazy Space Adventure
Winner: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Better Than: Thor:: Ragnarok
There's no denying that Thor: Ragnarok was a welcomed surprise thanks to it being the first great Thor movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This was in large part thanks to its ability to explore interesting worlds that perfectly expanded mythology. However, there was one film that got unfortunately overlooked thanks to its confusing grandiosity. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets was a space epic that attempted to fulfill its entire title. In one scene, Valerian gets stuck in a chase sequence that requires him to jump across many worlds. In the span of seconds, director Luc Besson explores lands richer and more fascinating than anything in the entire Thor universe. The film as a whole defines the pulpy ambitions that sci-fi films should embrace, lacking the formalities that more successful movies do. If you want to enjoy outer space's unlimited potential, this is one of the few that actually feels like it meets that challenge.
Sequel to a Ridley Scott Movie, Featuring a Cast Member of Song to Song
Winner: Blade Runner 2049
Better Than: Alien:: Covenant
This was a big year for fans of Ridley Scott, whether it be his sci-fi franchises or his occasional dip into drama with All the Money in the World. However, there's something odd about the dueling franchises and how they speak to Scott's influence in 2017. Alien: Covenant was a cynical, nihilistic film that Scott directed, which was largely a letdown. However, Blade Runner 2049 was from director Denis Villeneuve and showed an impressive world building that was ballsy and exciting. It was a world that suggested that the original neo-noir had plenty of room to expand into interesting territory. If 2017 taught one lesson, it's that Scott's lasting appeal is still prevalent, but maybe he doesn't have what it takes to revisit his worlds and add anything significant to them.
Sports Movie About Real Life Female Figures Who Were Marginalized
Winner: Battle of the Sexes
Better Than: I, Tonya
One of the biggest themes of 2017 is how women are standing up against oppression of powerful men. This is most true about the trashy comedy I, Tonya, which tackles the struggles of Tonya Harding in catty details meant to prove that she didn't do half the things she was accused of. However, Battle of the Sexes proved to be a more relevant and interesting look into women being marginalized by society. It may have seemed like an unfortunate Presidential Election allegory upon release, but it has aged well enough to capture the moment more succinctly. Women fought hard for every moment of success, and it helps that the famous tennis event is the perfect allegory for this struggle. I, Tonya may have been funnier, but it was too surface-layered to be half as interesting in what it was trying to say.
Critically Panned Marvel TV Series
Winner: Iron Fist
Better Than: Inhumans
While it was a banner year for Marvel on the big screen (and largely the small screen), there were two shows that reflected poorly for the franchise's future: Iron Fist and Inhumans. The latter had the unfortunate hindrance of debuting in IMAX while taking Dunkirk out of its impressive run. It didn't help that the show was the embodiment of bad choices for superhero entertainment, where everything from editing to dialogue showed a certain level of embarrassing mishaps. While Iron Fist is the bigger show to get maligned, it at least has more going for it than Inhumans did at its worst moments. Danny Rand may have been an unfortunately awful character, but at least his dedication to Marvel's stale formula allowed it to be a manageable type of awful. While it was the first sign of a disappointing 2017 for Netflix's Marvel division, it at least can end the year knowing it wasn't the worst thing to happen to the Marvel brand, though it is highly forgettable in worse ways.
Foreign Film About a College Student with Supernatural Abilities
Winner: Thelma
Better Than: Raw
In a lot of respects, Raw is one of the best zombie movies of the past few years. It is unabashedly fascinating in how gross and earnest it is. However, there was another film that was largely overlooked: Thelma. It was a film about a woman with superpowers that she cannot control. Had it been released by American filmmakers, it would be considered the best X-Men movie never produced. It may not follow the conventional formula of a superhero story, but it does have a lot of fascinating conversation points about living with uncontrollable forces in your life. It's dark, methodical, and highly engrossing. Thelma is the biggest head trip of the year thanks to how it uses the supernatural premise to reflect how psychologically complicated it is to be young and exploring your identity in society.
Comic Book-Based Heroine
Winner: Atomic Blonde
Better Than: Wonder Woman
It was a big year for Wonder Woman, which broke barriers by proving that women could lead superhero blockbusters as well as men. There's no denying that it quickly became one of the biggest zeitgeist movies of 2017. However, there is one figure who definitely deserved more acclaim, though probably was bogged down for being stuck in an R-Rated Cold War thriller: Atomic Blonde. It was also based off of a comic (albeit more obscure) and showed some of the most incredible fight sequences not only of the year, but of the past few years. Charlize Theron creates another memorable hard-hitting woman here, and she even chipped a tooth to prove it. Wonder Woman may be the more accessible movie, but Atomic Blonde is overall the bigger, more fascinating comic book figure of the year, and one that will hopefully continue to grow in popularity as time goes on.
Film Centering Around John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Road"
Winner: Logan Lucky
Better Than: Alien:: Covenant
One of the best tropes in movies this year was the odd return of John Denver's music. Speaking as he's been dead for 20 years, it was a very confusing moment in pop culture. However, there were two movies that had a plot reliant on the song "Take Me Home, Country Road." For Alien: Covenant, that was the crux that kicked the plot into gear. For Logan Lucky, it was the opening scene that established the southern mentality of its cast. However, the heist comedy was more than just a John Denver-loving film. It was a fun collection of characters who got together to perform some of the most enjoyable hijinks of the year. Yes, the Denver song comes back for a great third act moment, but it also best reflects why his music resonates with a certain demographic. It definitely gets the water works going if you're in the right mood.
D.C. Crossover Featuring The Flash and a Super-Someone
Winner: Crisis on Earth-X
Better Than: Justice League
It was supposed to be a big moment for the D.C. Extended Universe as every major D.C. character came together to fight evil. In some ways, the film reflected a small improvement over the patchy run of the series to date. However, The CW combined the cast of Supergirl, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow to produce a four hour event that involved multiple Earths and Nazi-fighting at weddings. It was a grand vision of spectacle that not only showed the cinematic cousins that they could compete, but that this is how it's done. If you're going to get a ridiculous amount of people together, there's a certain way that it's supposed to play out. You don't have to watch all four shows to love it, but it would help. This is what a superhero crossover should look like, and it's unfortunate that Justice League doesn't take more notes.
Best Supernatural Musical
Winner: The Lure
Better Than: Beauty and the Beast
The success of Beauty and the Beast is a bit disconcerting, if just because it embodies the worst tendencies of remake culture down to its strange scat covers of 25-year-old classics. There's little that's new or exciting about the film (unless you like Belle's mom). However, there was a foreign film about a singing mermaid that showed how much potential a supernatural musical still has. No, it's not The Little Mermaid. It's The Lure, which creates an R-Rated look into mermaid culture that is fascinating thanks to its quasi-goth mentality that reflects the ennui of its two friends who separate over the course of the film. It may be a bit harder to stomach than Beauty and the Beast at times, but it has enough ingenuity to make up for it. If only more singing fish movies were this good, the world would be a better place.
Best Busybody
Winner: Laura Dern
Better Than: Nicole Kidman
It's been quite the renaissance for a handful of actresses in Hollywood this year. If you looked at Nicole Kidman's track record, it's about as close to a perfect year as things get. She got an Oscar nomination for Lion before getting a special prize for her work at Cannes (not to mention plenty of Emmy love for Big Little Lies). However, Laura Dern was possibly even busier than her thanks to a workload that included several TV shows (Big Little Lies, F for Family, Twin Peaks, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and more) and movies (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Wilson, and Downsizing). Both have plenty of career defining work to be proud of this year, but the edge goes to Dern thanks to her bigger output, which makes one hope that this generation makes her a beloved icon soon, if just so she can do bigger work sooner than later.
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