10 best movies of 2017!
10. WONDER WOMAN
There haven't been that many worthy female-led superhero films in the history of cinema (arguably not the opportunity either), but Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman was a proper kick-ass triumph. Gal Gadot as the legend herself, absolutely stormed it, convincing in action, and just so goddamn charming. The story itself worked a treat for me with a great emotional climax. Sequel please!
9. BLADE RUNNER 2049
The fact that this is on my list shouldn't be a surprise to those who know me, but the fact that it isn't No.1 may well be. It's a fact that surprises myself in all honesty as I'd decided this was going to be the best movie of all time once Harrison Ford and Villeneuve were announced. So why the demotion? I think part of it's due to my attachment to the original and the different direction they decided to take it in a few areas, which they are of course entitled to do, but went against my expectations/hopes. I also struggled somewhat with the pacing of the film, which felt a touch drawn out, especially in the scenes between Gosling and Robin Wright as Lieutenant Joshi, which for some reason didn't really work for me. I was also hoping Harrison Ford would feature in more of it than he actually did (his first appearance came well after 60+mins). Those quibbles aside, it was still pure sci-fi of epic magnitude, deserving of acknowledgement.
8. BABY DRIVER
I've always enjoyed Edgar Wright's films but Baby Driver, I loved. What a clever little flick this was. It was a peculiar viewing experience for me at first, with its stylish synchronisation of soundtrack and scene, but I quickly adjusted and warmed to it. That wasn't its only trick though as it featured a great ensemble and some ridiculous chase scenes and stunt work. With a tight script that kept things moving along, the film was lively and ticked all the heist film boxes.
7. NO STONE UNTURNED
My documentary inclusion this year is Alex Gibney's re-examination of the unresolved 1994 Loughinisland massacre in Northern Ireland where six men were gunned down whilst watching the Football World Cup at a local pub. Gibney has a history of uncovering the truth (see Taxi to the Dark Side) and alongside the families of the victims, he somehow manages the same again here and the result is astonishing, to say the least. The degree of cover-up at play is fairly extraordinary and the injustice is difficult to comprehend at times. This was one of my cinematic highlights of the year.
6. THOR: RAGNAROK
When Taika Waititi was first announced as the director of the next Thor film I thought it was great news but didn't know what to expect or how he'd approach a big studio film where he wasn't able, or permitted, to infuse all his usual Taika-shtick. Turns out that's exactly why they wanted him in the first place. That, or he just went about and Taika-ed it up regardless, much to the film's benefit which is exactly what the Thor franchise needed after the dull and lifeless second film. Taika's version is brilliant. So much energy, so much colour, so many laughs and so much fun. And it looked like it was an absolute hoot to make. It's again a great ensemble that is perfectly cast and they all have their little moments. Cate Blanchett's power style acting makes her an awesome antagonist, Jeff Goldblum's nostalgic quirkiness is inspired, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople star Rachel House again shows her comic genius. A cult classic.
5. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
This was officially released in 2016, but I didn't see it until 2017 so it makes my list for this year and deservedly so. To state what's widely known, it's an extremely sad film that follows the aftermath of a tragic event which the lead character, Lee, (Casey Affleck), is ultimately responsible for, and how one deals/lives on with that. The answer, which feels very true in the film, is you never really can. Some wounds just cut too deep which no act of redemption can heal.
4. THE SHAPE OF WATER
Guillermo del Toro, the adult fairytale filmmaking specialist, delivers one of his best films yet with an unlikely love story in The Shape of Water. It doesn't start off that way as he sets the scene in an Area 51-like facility with an angry Michael Shannon (is there any other kind?) storming about the place, torturing its newest resident, a mysterious humanoid sea creature, origins unknown. The creature is befriended by one of the cleaners in the facility which leads to the inevitable prison break. There's more to it of course, all of which is as exciting and imaginative as the best of his films are.
3. THE HANDMAIDEN (DIRECTOR'S CUT)
Chan-wook Park is back with a vengeance (get it?) with his twisted erotic thriller, The Handmaiden. I was lucky enough to see the director's cut version at the cinema, about 20 minutes longer than the regular (which I haven't seen). Anyway, I thought it was fantastic in so many ways in style and delivery. Park throws us in the dark end with Sook-Hee, a young village handmaiden sent to work for a mysterious wealthy Japanese Heiress, Lady Hideko. As you might expect, the situation that unravels is not an ordinary one with deception, hidden agendas, twists and turns at every corner of its 2+ hour runtime. What's more, it's Rashomon style storytelling throws us this way and that, jumping in timeline and perspective so you're left in a hell of a spin. It thankfully comes together in the end, which is an achievement in itself and culminates as Park's best film since Oldboy.
2. CUSTODY
The least well-known film on my list, I saw the French film, Custody, at the BFI London Film Festival at the spur of the moment and was completely blown away. In short, the film follows the fallout of a custody battle of a boy between the parents of a very broken marriage. The film simmers away at first, working on hearsay and innuendo, the result of which means you're not exactly sure where the love or fault lies. Without giving too much away, it soon becomes very apparent as earlier testimony is realised and the result isn't pretty. The film itself is powerful and effective with great performances too from its small cast. Oh, and it's also Director Xavier Legrand's first feature.
1. GET OUT
So here it is, my No.1 film of 2017 and it is the unexpected horror hit, Get Out by US Comedian, Jordan Peele. I love horror films. The genre is up there with my most favourite, but that adoration comes mostly from films of yesteryear. In fact over the 8 years, I've been putting these lists together, I've only ever featured one pure horror film (It Follows from 2016). So what works so well with this one and why does it get the top spot?
Well, first of all, the film is very funny, right from the outset, which makes sense given the background of the director (always been a fan of his comedy skits). That allows you to ride a wider range of emotions in my opinion, and also makes you a little less guarded for what is to come. This is important as it's not exactly the typical vehicle for fear in this film. A liberal/seemingly progressive white family from an innocuous US town. And harmless is what they seem at first to the lead character, Chris, a young black man who is being introduced to them by his white girlfriend, Rose. But, as more time passes the peculiar observations and odd interactions begin to pile up and it soon becomes apparent that things are definitely not what they seem. And that's when the fun (from a horror point of view) starts and Chris finds himself in a very scary situation that needs to be escaped.
The racial context is of course, a huge reason why this works so well. Watching it, you wonder why it's taken so long for an idea like this to reach production. In the backdrop of the country's racial prejudice, hate crimes, well-documented police shootings, the last election, not to mention just a bit of slavery in the nation's history, a seemingly progressive white family makes a perfect mechanism to unleash some unsuspecting horror.
Well, first of all, the film is very funny, right from the outset, which makes sense given the background of the director (always been a fan of his comedy skits). That allows you to ride a wider range of emotions in my opinion, and also makes you a little less guarded for what is to come. This is important as it's not exactly the typical vehicle for fear in this film. A liberal/seemingly progressive white family from an innocuous US town. And harmless is what they seem at first to the lead character, Chris, a young black man who is being introduced to them by his white girlfriend, Rose. But, as more time passes the peculiar observations and odd interactions begin to pile up and it soon becomes apparent that things are definitely not what they seem. And that's when the fun (from a horror point of view) starts and Chris finds himself in a very scary situation that needs to be escaped.
The racial context is of course, a huge reason why this works so well. Watching it, you wonder why it's taken so long for an idea like this to reach production. In the backdrop of the country's racial prejudice, hate crimes, well-documented police shootings, the last election, not to mention just a bit of slavery in the nation's history, a seemingly progressive white family makes a perfect mechanism to unleash some unsuspecting horror.
But it's not just the ideas that work well in this film. Credit has to go to the execution, and the best way to judge the execution, is by audience reaction, and the crowd when I watched this film were in full hysterics. I'd even go so far as to say that it was the most involved en masse reaction during a screening I've witnessed in recent memory. And sitting there, enjoying the scenes play out, watching moments come off one after the other (including my favourite of the year with the title quote delivered in what I can only describe in a desperate forced yell "Get out!!!"), you could only acknowledge a special mix of something (everything really) had certainly worked with this one.
I've only seen it once, and writing about it now makes me really want to watch it again. Can't wait until I do, and if you haven't already yourself, I hope you see it soon!
