The Best Films of 2017

Song to Song

After the disappointing Knight of Cups, Terrence Malick returned to form in 2017 with the stunning Song to Song. Shot in 2012, and starring Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender, Rooney Mara and Natalie Portman, it featured Malick’s trademark non-linear narrative structure and flowing, meditative and ethereal cinematography. The original cut was just over 8 hours long, meaning that Malick had to return to his financers for additional funding on several occasions. But his struggle was well worth it, as the final film is well worthy of its place in the canon of one of the greatest living filmmakers.

My Pure Land

Nottingham director Sam Masud’s extraordinary true story of a mother and her two children defending their home against a group of armed men who are trying to forcibly take it from them following a family dispute. Elegant, lyrical, patient and incredibly emotive, Masud’s film is well deserving of the praise it has received, including being put forward as the UK’s nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards. In a year where the distinctly average Wonder Woman was heralded as a masterpiece, it was refreshing to see truly incredible female characters brought to life on the big screen.

Jim & Andy

A Netflix original documentary made in conjunction with Vice, Jim & Andy is mostly comprised of archive footage from behind the scenes of Milos Foreman’s 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon. After campaigning hard to get the lead role, Jim Carrey completely lost himself in playing the role of his comedy hero Kaufman (as well as his alter-ego Tony Clifton), leading to a string of extraordinarily bizarre encounters where Carrey literally forgot who he was. Whether you think he’s a creative genius or a deluded arse, Jim & Andy makes for utterly fascinating viewing.

Thor: Ragnarok

It’s been a good year for superhero films. DC managed to produce two films significantly better than the shambles that was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Hugh Jackman said goodbye to Wolverine in one of the most raw and emotional superhero films ever made, Logan. The Guardians were back for a successful round two in Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming was the best Spidey film yet. But for the first time, Thor has beat them all. The third instalment, directed by Taika Waititi was colourful, hilarious, original and one of the most entertaining comic book-to-film adaptions ever to be put on the big screen.

Moonlight

A gay black man in a gang is essentially how this film has been described. But it was so much more than that. The small amount of violence in a usually violent storyline was refreshing, and lent a whole new perspective. The all-black cast added to the realism of the film. The distinctive calm demeanour of the movie kept you interested and invested in the main character, Chiron and the characters around him. The performances by every single actor were not only emotional to watch, but so mesmerising, you couldn’t look away. It’s easy to see why the film won three Oscars, including Best Picture.

It

There’s no doubt Stephen King is one of the best writers to ever grace this planet. He manages to thrill, scare and excite you all at the same time. Modern horror films regularly have zero storyline, zero plot, zero anything other than trying to make you jump. So, the idea of the next big screen scare-fest being based upon a Stephen King novel excited film fans more than any horror film has done in years. Thankfully, it delivered. It smashed box office records and it didn’t take long for the confirmation to come of a sequel. It was the perfect mix of creepy, funny, jumpy, and somehow you finish the film almost hoping Pennywise isn’t dead. He’s the villain you love to hate.

Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan’s version of events from the beaches of 1940s Northern France was, quite rightfully, called a ‘masterpiece’. Beautifully shot with bleak, despairing honesty, it re-told a familiar moment of history without any of the ‘rollicking tales of daring do’ that have come to haunt war biopics. Yes, it was heart-breaking, yes, it was desolate, but it was a stark reminder of how that war - and many others before and since - ripped out a whole generation of youth and how their sacrifice helped to ensure our freedom today. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Slight confession; I’m a late convert to the temple of GOTG, having only watched the first film two weeks before we went to watch the sequel, which was released earlier this year. But I’m a sucker for a great soundtrack and this has a potent mix of cheesy jokes, good-looking lead actors (hi there, Chris Pratt) and an uplifting tale of true friendship. Some good CGI stuff, if you’re into all that, some genuinely laugh out loud moments and Vin Diesel’s second-best performance of the year (he plays a tree called Groot. Honestly, whoever does their casting deserves a big, ol’ pat on the back). All-in-all, a decent feel-good film that really warms the cockles. 

The Fate of the Furious

I feel like this is a slightly contentious film to say was one of my highlights from this year, which also saw the release of ‘classics’ (debatable term, there) such as La La Land, blah blah blah. But this film was so ruddy ridiculous that HOW can you not love it?! It’s astounding; just when you think the plot can’t take anymore of a nosedive, a nuclear bomb is contained below ice, because, you know, water contains all radiation, but - GET THIS - it doesn’t melt the ice, just melts everything else! I know, right! Zany. A film served best with mates who are equally going to take the mick.

Certain Women

Writer/director Kelly Reichardt’s gentle and unfussy adaptation of a series of short stories by Maile Meloy about four women in small-town America is a poignant and poetic arthouse drama, shot with a simplicity and lack of pretension that perfectly matches its lean script and understated performances. Melancholic and subdued, it has a bizarrely purgatorial tone, capturing the nuances and mundanity of everyday life in a way that oddly reminded me of the work of Humphrey Jennings. But at the heart of it all are five terrific cast members – Laura Dern, Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, newcomer Lily Gladstone, and Jared Harris – telling a beautifully human story of longing and stagnation. 

Get Out

With It Comes At Night, Prevenge, The Love Witch, The Big Sick, and The Death of Stalin, it has been a great year for both horror and comedy, but Get Out proved just how well you could do both. A stunning debut from writer/director Jordan Peele (one half of American comedy duo Key & Peele), this is a scathing, uncomfortable, controversial, and thoroughly gripping horror movie, that is able to balance schlocky thrills with social commentary. Its creator has called it a documentary in its examination of false liberalism and latent racism in the United States, and with this film he has shown just how close horror and comedy can be, and how important and meaningful the two genres are.

Free Fire

Watching Free Fire was one of the most entertaining experiences I have had in a cinema for a long time. Basing a whole feature around a gunfight in a warehouse in the 1970s might sound like an overambitious short film stretched too far, but Ben Wheatley and his incredible cast and crew made it work. With a brilliant ensemble of actors, pitch-perfect editing and cinematography, and accomplished use of music, make-up, costume, and production design, this is a delightful (albeit violent) way to spend 90 minutes.

Call Me By Your Name

Swooping in at the end of the year was this small cinematic wonder. Only recently, after much deliberation, could I articulate the feeling captivated so well by this masterpiece. This feeling is electricity: electricity that exists in every longing stare, slight touch of the hand and unspoken word between its two protagonists. This film was in equal measures insanely romantic and wholly devastating, and sucked you into to a transportive journey, through changing landscapes, feelings and time periods. This is all shown from the perspective of the youngest of its characters, who delivers a performance so accurate that it is almost intrusive, most perfectly shown in its heartbreaking final moments. Luca Guadagnino created a 1980’s paradise, filled with self-discovery, love and loss that bears heavy on the heart long after the credits end.

La La Land

Due to the gradual and depressing decline of this year, it’s easy to forget that we started out 2017 on a high with Damien Chazelle’s uplifting hit movie musical. The film itself centres around an aspiring actress and a struggling jazz musician who embark upon the classic journey of star-crossed lovers who meet at uncertain times in both of their lives. The films recurring piano theme gives life to the story, and it’s over the top overtures act as a love letter to The Great American Songbook. But while set against the backdrop of a faraway dreamland, it allows it’s audience a look behind the facade, where the blinding lights of Hollywood take their toll. The amalgamation of old Hollywood chorus numbers with an honest and relatable storyline made this film a hit with both critics and audiences and stands as a hugely entertaining movie that will make you want forget all your troubles and dance the night away.

The Florida Project

Although a small film, the importance of The Florida Project was colossal, shining a light on a part of society often left on the sidelines. This film spoke about a societal divide, but the specificity of the location on the edge of tourist wonderland made its unglamorous truth even more poignant. The bright and cartoonish imagery used by Sean Baker gave a sense of childlike wonder that was entirely juxtaposed by the heavy subject matter of the film. It’s theme of innocence alluded to the naivety of the wealthy society of the problems of those trying to survive in a system where the odds are stacked against them. Featuring a relatively unknown cast, and a story that relied on the talents of kids under the age of seven, this film managed to create a moving and honest portrayal of the realities of modern-day poverty in the US.