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| Scene from Atomic Blonde |
The end of 2017 is upon us. That could only mean one thing for Listmania. It is officially time to honor the best of cinema in 2017. Over the next two days, I will be counting down the Top 25 movies of the year, recognizing the wide variety of films that made the year a little better and will be talked about for years to come. It was an excellent year for dramas as well as genre films ranging from horror to action. It's hard to say goodbye to the year, but at least these films will be with us to remind us of how great it was to sit in a cineplex and cheer in awe as the images moved on screen. It's the one thing that's always pure about years as fraught with tension as this.
Honorable Mentions
The one unfortunate detail of 2017 is that 25 movies isn't enough to honor the best movies of the year. These films barely missed the cut but are worthy of further discussion. There was the great animated fantasy romance film Your Name that showed American audiences how to do body swap movies. Lady Macbeth showed how one performance can be so gripping and shocking while subverting the expectations of a costume drama. Ingrid Goes West explored the complicated nature of technology in 21st century culture with humor and honesty. Logan Lucky marked the cinematic return of Stephen Soderbergh with a heist comedy that was warm on the southern hospitality. Split not only marked the best M. Night Shyamalan movie in years, but proved the versatile skills of lead James McAvoy, and that the twist isn't quite yet a dead art form.
25. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
The world of outer space was very popular this year, whether it be in Marvel's Cinematic Universe, or in the return of Star Wars. However, no director captured the unlimited potential quite like Luc Besson, who may have been all over the place but had his heart in the right part. It's a madcap space adventure the likes of which are too silly for conventional blockbusters. It may go into odd self-indulgence at time, but it only plays into the fluid universe that has as many creative turns as its title suggests. The film's only failure is that Besson doesn't quite get to a thousand planets. Even then, the few dozen that he does show are dazzling examples of what sci-fi is missing as a genre. It's a reminder that space can be fun if you let it be, and it helps that Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevigne have great chemistry together in one of the year's most underrated duos of the year.
24. Landline
In director Gillian Robespierre's follow-up to Obvious Child, she reteams with Jenny Slate on a comedy that fully earns its R-Rating, but manages to also feature one of the best depictions of romance and family this year. Whether it's dressing up as raisins (a.k.a. trash bags) on Halloween or having intimate moments around poison ivy, the film captures a vulnerability of what it means to love people. The film's best moments come in the calm, uneventful moments when the cast gets to riff off of each other, creating one of the most charming comedies of the year. It's one of the first great nostalgic movies for the 90's, and it's also evidence that romantic comedies have plenty of room to evolve. They just have to find the right paths to do down.
23. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
The year 2017 was a big breakthrough for Netflix as they produced several films worthy of Oscar consideration (see also: Mudbound and Okja). However, their best one was this Noah Baumbach drama that managed to turn two unassuming comedians into the most heartbreaking performances of the year. Adam Sandler hasn't been this charismatic and interesting since Punch-Drunk Love, and he makes the most of his dysfunctional family story opposite the typically great performance by Dustin Hoffman as a father who doesn't quite understand his children. It's a film that succeeds because it feels a bit too real at times, and in the process creates a drama that is almost painfully universal in how funny and sad it all is.
22. Wonder Woman
While there's arguably better superhero movies in 2017, Wonder Woman is definitely the film that best captured the zeitgeist with the Amazonian Princess who fought the patriarchy and set change in motion for Hollywood. What's more staggering is how effective the film works as a World War I film, capturing the horrors of war while creating some of the finest action scenes of the year. Gal Gadot has created a new iconic reading of this long adored character, and has given hope to female-lead superhero movies (of which there haven't been many other great ones). It may have its problems, but the film is so defiantly embracing of women taking control that it becomes admirable. This is one of the films that people will remember for years to come, if just because it's foolish to think that there wasn't a Wonder Woman movie before the umpteenth Batman and Spider-Man reboot.
21. A Ghost Story
It turns out that 2017 was the perfect year for supernatural allegory. In the case of this A24 film starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, it was a story of loss and grief through the guise of a slow churning drama. Its nostalgic lens looks over a house as the world around it changes. It's a harrowing tale, and one that continues to prove the promising career of director David Lowery as he jumps from mainstream films like Pete's Dragon to ones that challenge narrative structures like this. If nothing else, it's a quiet film that requires patience, and does so with one of the year's oddest revelations. Mara has never eaten a pie before shooting her scene, which adds an odd context to the whole experience. Even then, her ability to gaze longingly adds a deeper weight to the silence, creating one of the most provocative dramas to ever feature a supporting actor prominently seen in a white bed sheet.
20. A Quiet Passion
On its surface, a biopic about the reclusive Emily Dickinson seems a bit banal. Why would anyone want to follow a writer best known for her quiet humbleness? That's something that doesn't seem to be an issue here, as Cynthia Nixon gives another great performance that manages to be reserved as well as heartfelt and humorous. The film pulls several lines of dialogue from Dickinson's own work, which works effectively well as a core of comedic observation. It's a story about the passion of writing and the inspiration that fuels that desire. As a story about a recluse, it can't help but be a little bit sad. However, it's still one of the most unexpectedly brilliant period pieces of the year, and is a shame that Nixon's work is likely to go overlooked during awards season.
19. The Lure
With an inevitable The Little Mermaid coming from Disney, one wouldn't think that they'd have competition in the singing mermaid department. Of course, nobody expected this gem to randomly appear either. It's a bit more adult than Ariel's story, capturing an angst and frustration with society in the form of music that recalls everything from disco anthems to gothic rock songs. It's a film about outcasts finding safety in each other's company and discovering the tragic realities of love interfering. It's one of the most inventive movies of the year, and one of the best aquatic adventures as well (sorry, Aquaman). It may not be enough to warrant an entire genre of singing mermaid movies, but it proves just how much more emotional depth could be explored within this niche genre.
18. Atomic Blonde
There's a lot to love about this Cold War thriller, and it's in large part its ability to breathe life into the action genre. Charlize Theron owns the role down to performing her own stunts in some of the most breathtaking moments of the year. Any of the film's action beats would be enough to make Theron's latest into an iconic heroine. The film may unfortunately not make entire sense, but who cares? The production is so sleek and the performances are so good that it all becomes a revelation. If more films were willing to be this fun with organic fighting choreography, then maybe the summer films would be a little better. Instead, it's an outlier that unfortunately doesn't get as much respect as other hard hitting women like Wonder Woman. Still, nothing Diana Prince did this year matches the stairwell fight scene where Theron goes down a flight of stairs in a glorious long take, knocking men down along the way. She's the real hero of 2017, everyone just didn't realize it yet.
17. Good Time
If there's one personal message that I'd love to send to the internet: stop making fun of Robert Pattison. I tried to warn you during Cosmospolis, but now he's officially earned a better reputation as a man doing his best to barely stay above water while making everyone else's lives worse. It's a gripping film that manages to turn the domino effect into one of the saddest and manic stories of the year. Pattinson's convictions are incredible here, and his ability to seem in control even sa the world falls into chaos creates one of the best performances of the year. The Safdie Brothers have created a gritty world that makes urban struggles into a new and inventive art form. There's one cautionary tale however. Don't drink a random bottle of Sprite that you see lying around. Things won't end well for you.
16. Thelma
The idea of growing up can be confusing, but director Joachim Trier manages to capture it in one of the most powerful supernatural films of the year. It's the best film that X-Men never made, exploring a world where having uncontrollable powers leads to unfortunate circumstances and some of the most surreal images of the year. It's a film that feels introspective and turns the life of one character into compelling material on par with the best of Ingmar Bergman. There's a lot to love about the film down to its ability to explore the importance of finding acceptance from your peers, of whom might end up dead if they get too close. It's a powerful film, and one that proves that Marvel and D.C. don't own the sole rights to great supernatural dramas.
15. IT
The year 2017 was a pretty big one for author Stephen King, whose work received an impressive resurgence both on TV (Mr. Mercedes) and with great movies (Gerald's Game). However, this was also the year that a film about a killer shape-shifting clown named Pennywise captured the zeitgeist and created King's best adaptation in over a decade. It's a film full of unnerving horror that captures the fears of adolescence with a cast that is brilliant in every possible detail. This is an adaptation that may sacrifice some elements (trust me, you won't miss them) but captures the exact reason that King's original novel captured the zeitgeist in the first place. Bill Skarsgard's portrayal of Pennywise was also so successful that it gave Tim Curry a run for his money. This film is an incredible tribute to the King of Horror, and hopefully the tension holds in the sequel.
14. Columbus
Of every directorial debut in 2017, there were none as perplexing as movie essayist Kogonada. Much like the Cahiers du Cinema before, he brings his vast knowledge of cinema into a powerful film that manages to be as gorgeously shot as it is elegantly written. With great lead performances, the film manages to show the struggles of loneliness at a time when the future seems bright, but maybe too bright to get there quickly. It's a quiet debut, and one that captures a spirit in every frame with incredible emotional stakes. It's one of the best films about architecture and those in-between conversations that fuel us to better understand who we are.
13. The Shape of Water
After a string of hit-or-miss monster movies, Guillermo del Toro returns with a powerful story that transcends his typical love of practical effects and finds the heart of old school B-Movies. With elements of film noir and even musicals, this is a film that captures the struggle of outcasts in a unique romance that captures a message of social acceptance. You don't have to love monster movies to enjoy what this film is doing. However, it wouldn't hurt either to adore how del Toro has updated the genre by finding a way to show his love of monsters by finding the humanity behind their scales and incomprehensible vocals.
12. Wonderstruck
Finally, an art house movie for the entire family. Director Todd Haynes has taken to his latest project with a certain eye towards curiosity in a story that spans decades as well as different cinematic styles. It's a film that perfectly captures the struggles of special needs children while creating a cinematic landscape that compliments it in a fun and inventive way. This is a film unlike any other, in that it captures the wonder of youth and the quest to find acceptance from your peers. The third act brings it all together beautifully in one of the most heartfelt and effective twists of the year. This isn't just a family movie. It's one that shows the impact that silent film making can have in narrating a story. Haynes has done incredible work here, and one can only hope that enough children will see it who will thus become filmmakers with eclectic tastes.
11. Baby Driver
After over a decade of producing some of the greatest genre films of the young millennium, director Edgar Wright finally had a bonafide hit that grossed $100 million stateside. It couldn't have happened to a better film either, with a story that could only be executed with the most delicate of ear. Over the course of Baby Driver, Wright reinvents the soundtrack once again by making a quasi-musical/car chase film whose stakes are just as rich as they are entertaining. It's a film about how pop culture is there to save us in times of grief, and it does so with one killer track after another. There's talks of a sequel, which could be welcomed if it means orchestrating another collection of music that is just as brilliant as any aspect of this movie or its O.C.D. with performing music at the exact right moment. It's the summer blockbuster to beat this year, and it's also a watershed moment hopefully for Wright's status as a pop culture hero.
Please come back tomorrow for the final entry in this year's Listmania where I count down my favorite 10 movies of the year.
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