Thursday 4 January 2018

The Top 10 Movies of 2017

None of these are on it!
       2017 was a year, indeed. It took 365 days for the Earth to complete its rotation around the sun, and since we all subscribe to the Judeo-Christian Liturgical calendars because of the church's grasp has consumed our lives since the dawn of man, we decide to pretend this whole cycle is actually starting over again on January 1st, instead of just hurtling us closer and closer to death and nothingness at the same, never-ending speed.
       ANYWHO! Movies! Let's rank em! These are my favorite movies of 2017 put in the most honest order I could think to (kind of) arbitrarily rank them. Of course it's all subjective, but I tried to rank them in such a way that I felt best reflected my overall emotional response and technical merit. I also tried to think about how the movie stayed with me since I first saw it. Did my opinions change? How did it sit? I've discerned that overall this year I loved dramas that for some reason I thought were comedies, and dramas that were dramas that made me CRY. And with that, let's get started. Here's to more movies in 2018.

Honourable Mention
Good Time (Benny and Josh Safdie)
The Big Sick (Michael Showalter)
I, Tonya (Craig Gillespie)
Molly's Game (Aaron Sorkin)
John Wick Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski)

Missed it and I'm sorry!
Raw (Julia Ducournau)
Brigsby Bear (Dave McCary)

And now, the real show! Here's my top 10 of 2017:

10) mother! - Darren Aronofsky
Let's get my divisive pick out of the way: I really liked this batshit crazy movie. I liked the creeping tension, I liked the beautiful-turn-claustrophobic design of the house, and I even like the bizarre non-human interactions between characters. But I legitimately think this movie should be viewed as a dark comedy, and then it's pretty awesome. Especially the last act. Holy shit the last act. Even if it was just done for shock value (and it wasn't, it made sense, kind of), it would still be the funniest, most insane thing I've seen all year.
9) Ingrid Goes West - Matt Spicer
This is my favorite "traditional comedy" of the year, as far as "comedies" go. It's an uncomfortable, almost cringe-worthy black comedy that incisively picks fun at our glossed over Instagram lifestyles. Now while that sounds like low-hanging fruit, it's actually done to cleverly display a broken protagonist with mental health issues. But the movie stays sharp and funny throughout, with great performances all around, including Ice Cube's son, Ice Chip.
8) Phantom Thread - Paul Thomas Anderson
This is a curiously quiet Paul Thomas Anderson film that manages to be heartbreakingly melancholy and oddly funny all at once. Its main focus is the chaotic love between Daniel Day-Lewis (who may have quit acting because this movie made him really sad) and his new muse, Alma. It's Paul Thomas Anderson through and through, with gorgeous visuals and meticulously crafted detail to the ornate beauty of Reynold's Woodcock's barely kept together life.
7) Call Me By Your Name - Luca Guadagnino
Here we have another quiet, heartbreaking romance, but here the emotions are all clearly on display, seen through the eyes of a blossoming seventeen year old. This movie's ability to remind me of the futility of youth was beautiful and heartbreaking. The whole movie is gorgeous, from the lush Northern Italy scenery, to the extremely erotic encounters Elio has throughout the film with Armie Hammer. The movie's not only beautiful and sad, it's sexy too.
6) Coco - Lee Unkrich
This movie really kicked me on my ass, and I was not expecting it. Sure, Pixar. Okay, Dia de los Muertos, sure hope you don't get racist. Musical? Blegh. But I was so wrong on all three accounts. It's easily the best Pixar movie in a decade, and it's thanks to its gorgeous animation and design of the Land of the Dead, the plucky cuteness of our protagonist Miguel, and its message of loving and being there for your family. I sure wasn't expecting to love this movie as much as I did, but it had me crying like a baby, and, like, legit everyone? I love crying in the movies.
5) Baby Driver - Edgar Wright
This is the coolest fucking thing I've seen all year. This is the coolest movie possibly all decade. This movie is a rock'n'roll playlist suped up with NOS and snorting ketamine off a shotgun. Some people have tried to detract from its greatness, saying it's just a music video, but they are totally missing the point. That is the point. It borrows little bits from everything we've ever absorbed in pop culture (fast cars, rock and roll, cute waitresses, bank robbers) and then Wright morphs it just a little bit to make it his own, complete a shiny badass gleam that screams "I am so fucking cool," and MEANS IT.
4) Get Out - Jordan Peele
Get Out is one of the most provocative movies of the year, and one of the first successful horror movies in the past few decades to really get that seething commentary down perfectly. My favorite thing about the movie, even more than how smart it is, is how it trades big jump scares or CGI monsters for slow, dreadful suspense. The entire movie builds slowly and creepily to its huge reveal, and it never misses a beat. Jordan Peele is an absolutely fantastic director/storyteller. It's like...yeah, we already knew that, but not to this degree.
3) Lady Bird - Greta Gerwig
"Coming of age" story can sound kind of reductive at this point. We've seen people growing up and "figuring out life" a thousand times before (one word: plastics), but the reason we've seen it so many times is because when it's done right it can be the most personal and relatable story there is. The thing I loved most about Lady Bird is even though there were lots of things I couldn't personally relate to (being a girl, Catholic school, Sacramento) it was still so easy to emotionally connect to. Because no matter what, growing up has universal truths we can all understand. It's also hilarious and has lots of pooka shell necklaces.
2) The Florida Project - Sean Baker
This movie is heartbreaking perfection. It's so well done, and so subtly devastating that you barely realize how sad it is until it's too late. The movie mostly follows kids who live in a motel near Disney World, and the fact that it has kid actors in it is NEVER annoying and that blows my mind. Willem Dafoe plays the best version of a disgruntled old guy with a heart of gold possibly ever. It's beautiful and funny and sad and wonderful and everyone should see it.
1) The Shape of Water - Guillermo Del Toro
Oh man. This movie. This movie, man. This movie just does it for me. Men? Womyn? This movie? For. Me. Haha, okay seriously. This movie just worked so wonderfully on me. It has atmosphere and style and loving emotion pouring out of its ears. It's a ridiculously simple (simply ridiculous?) premise that never wavers from its singular vision and it works perfectly. Sally Hawkins imbues so much love and sweetness as the mute Eliza who falls in love with the Creature from the Fuck Lagoon (sorry not sorry). The score, the dark atmospheric mood mixed with uncomplicated love, and throw in a maniacal Michael Shannon ripping his fingers off and Michael Stuhlbarg as a Russian spy? Good lord I love this movie so much and I never want to stop loving it.

No comments:

Post a Comment