As usual, my Films of the Year list is pretty late to the party. As the clocks ready themselves to tick over into 2018 and most "best-of" lists were done and dusted before Santa came a calling, I've still been cramming in some extra movies to make my list as thorough as possible.
Looking back at 2017, it seems a year of rare blockbuster quality and independent variety. The films of this year have shown true conviction and individuality in a year where those qualities have been lacking in the real world.
As usual this is a personal look back at this year's releases, so this is not necessarily a list of the greatest movies of the past twelve months, but a collection of my recommendations. As usual any feedback and discussion is welcome.
Disclaimer! - Many other films of the year lists will contain films yet to be released in the UK. I don't include these in mine, even if I've seen them at preview screenings. We usually get these films in January and February, so there's lots to look forward to early in the year. This year those films include "Phantom Thread" (2nd February), "The Shape of Water" (14th February), "Lady Bird" (16th February), "You Were Never Really There" (9th March), "120 BPM" (6th April)
This year's trends - Bittersweet modern romances, weird feel-good action movies, women in charge, veganism, empathetic film-making that attempts to understand, if not heal, the cracks in our society.
10. I am Not Your Negro
A very late entry, having watched it just the day before finalising my list. I don't feel it's the most polished documentary I've seen, but the subject matter and insight of author James Baldwin (who I'm ashamed to admit I had no awareness of before this viewing) are undeniably powerful. His unique place in history as a contemporary to civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers, combine with his intelligence and experience to create a thoughtful and insightful documentary on race, nationalism and the dangers of the American dream.
Director Raoul Peck juxtaposes Baldwin's words from decades ago with images of modern America, which evocatively frame the endemic problems that run through society in the USA and beyond. The dangers of nostalgia exposed in this documentary are particularly prescient in Brexit Britain.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video
9. Death of Stalin
A bleak farce from Armando Iannucci that hugely entertains as easily as it leads you to despair in humanity. Few filmmakers can achieve such a feat, but it's become Iannucci's calling card. Moving on from the the British and US politics of "The Thick of It", "In the Loop" and "Veep" to Stalin's communist Russia, significantly ups the stakes for his characters. I'm sure any of the figures in this film would take a punishing quip from Malcolm Tucker over a stint in a gulag, or worse, a bullet.
Not that this film is missing the put-downs of Iannucci's previous work, they still flow with the same reliable excellence.
A phenomenal cast carry off the various plots and machinations with aplomb, with my personal favourite Steve Buscemi's perfomance as Nikita Khrushchev.
Not available for streaming rental at the time of writing.
8. Elle
Incredibly messed up but....somehow fun? This is a very Paul Verhoeven film; provocative, unpredictable and bloody, with a strong line in jet black comedy. Probably not a film everyone will be willing to watch as it prominently features the scenes of sexual violence, but these distressing moments are central to the narrative and inform us about the characters involved and their motivations. Isabelle Huppert is magnificent (as always) as the titular central character whose idiosyncratic reaction to these harrowing events create this swirling thought provoking narrative.
Despite the tough nature of the film, it's a surprisingly entertaining watch, which rewards you for making it through it's more grueling moments.
Available to stream on Netflix.
7. The Florida Project
An absorbing film with rich characters that luxuriates in the grey areas, "The Florida Project" is a superb follow up to director Sean Baker's breakout film "Tangerine". This time Baker empathetic lense focuses on those living on the edge of homelessness in the shadow of opulence of Florida's "Walt Disney World". Fantastic children's performances full of joy are juxtaposed with a warm, world-weary Willem Dafoe, as we are guided through the tough lives of the residents of the "Magic Castle" motel.
Baker's directorial style never casts any judgement on the actions of these characters, leaving us to make our own judgements about characters like Halley (played ferociously by new comer Bria Vinaite) and her daughter Moonee (the precocious Brooklynn Prince).
Not a film for those that like big plot developments, but if you like a character study, then this is well worth a look. You'll be hard pressed to find a better child's-eye-view of the world in modern cinema.
Not available for online rental at the time of writing.
6. Toni Erdmann
Another late entry to my list, as I'd been putting off watching it all year, but you should watch it first chance you can. An almost three hour German comedy is not the most enticing prospect, but Toni Erdmann is a weird and wonderful dramedy, well worth the investment of time.
The magic of this film is how it blends the mundane and the extraordinary. It takes the time to create a rounded world of rich characters so that we can see them experience absurd moments within their lives without them coming across as cheap stunts played for laughs. I don't want to detail them here and ruin the surprise, but there's so many genuinely funny moments that caught me completely unawares.
As a father creates the persona of "Toni Erdmann" to reconnect with his workaholic daughter, this character study deftly covers all elements of modern life, including the pressures of work, growing distance between generations, capitalism, happiness, pain and love. It's an unwieldy film to describe, but with a little patience early on, it's a joy to watch unfold.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video
5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Director Rian Johnson launches Star Wars into exciting new territories with this surprising entry into the space saga. As Luke Skywalker grumbles in the trailer, "this is not going to go the way you think", and he's right.
While the enjoyable "Force Awakens" mined the past to bring Star Wars back to life for a new generation, "The Last Jedi" looks to push the narrative on. Bridging the stylistic gap between the prequels and the original trilogy, Johnson takes us to fantastical new worlds, introduces us to bizarre creatures and generally makes the whole universe seem alive again.
His story has many unexpected twists that freshen up a narrative that could have grown stale. You may not agree with all of Johnson's decisions, but it's hard to deny that he's created the most interesting and thought provoking entry to the series since "The Empire Strikes Back".
To my delight, the movie also carries a lot of positive messages for future generations. This story looks to create a more democratic universe, where
anyone could be the hero, not just the chosen few. Women play a far more central role and it also highlights both wealth inequality and animal welfare. However it still finds plenty of time to create jaw dropping blockbuster visual moments (that I won't spoil for those of you yet to see it) to create a very memorable addition to the Star Wars cannon.
Still in cinemas at the time of writing.
4. Thor: Ragnarok
This was the year where the super hero film lightened up, with even DC comics "Justice League" re-shot to increase the quips. I loved the way "Spider-man: Homecoming" returned the wise cracking Peter Parker to an updated high school setting and how "The Lego Batman Movie" merged all of the diverse versions of the caped crusader into one zany hilarious caper, but no super hero movie bought me as much joy as "Thor Ragnarok".
Taika Waititi has a rare talent for creating pure-unabashed cinematic joy and he lost none of his film making charm when entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Embracing the cosmic nature of the Asgardians, Waititi sends us into a "Flash Gordon" and Jack Kirby inspired universe of weirdos and warriors. What could have been a dark and broody tale of apocalypse, becomes a planet hopping buddy film with the Hulk and Valkyrie in tow.
Tapping into the comic chops of star Chris Hemsworth and throwing in a scenery chewing Cate Blanchett as the sultry villain and a glorious sprinkle of Jeff Goldblum awkwardness, he creates the most unabashedly fun film of the year.
Not available for streaming rental at the time of writing.
3. The Handmaiden
A dark, twisted, erotic movie from Park Chan-wook, the director of "Oldboy". Or in summary, it's a sexed-up Hitchcockian dream.
In practically any other director's hands, this film would have been titillating fluff, but Park Chan-wook masters the tones needed to create a layered thriller of rare pedigree. He artfully guides us through the narrative, regularly pulling the rug out from beneath our feet so that we can fall deeper into this dark tale of lust, love and manipulation.
The films beauty matches it's plotting, with every shot exquisitely capturing the beauty and/or brutality of the scene.
It's best to go on into this one not knowing too much, as the twists are a big part of the fun, but it's best to know ahead of watching that the sex scenes are long and plentiful, so this might not be the best film to watch with the family...
Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
2. La La Land
Director Damien Chazelle follows up "Whiplash" with another full-blooded punch of jazz that shows once again his unique talent for cinematically capturing musical performance.
Whilst "Whiplash" was all raw emotion and pounding physicality, "La La land" is lighter on it's feet. Taking the old-school musical framework and updating it whilst maintaining a feeling of giddy nostalgia, it's a joy to watch.
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are actors of rare charm, reveling in the opportunity to poke fun at each other as they sing and dance their dance their way through the movie. However the film's musicality ebbs and flow with their character's love, so as tensions rise, the music falls away to reveal a more dramatic turn. This bothered some, with a final third that was far less theatrical and far more dramatic, but I felt it made for compelling cinema, making the dream-like heartbreak of the musical finale all the more potent.
A film that is both technicolor escapism and a more grounded bitter-sweet romance, it's both a warm nostalgic throwback and a cold jolt of millennial romance. I was a relative late-comer to the musical, proclaiming to hate all it's ilk until about five years ago, when "Singin' in the Rain" won me over and opened my eyes to their joyful potential. Now as a fan, I hope "La La Land" opens the door for more original musicals on the big screen.
Available to stream on Netflix.
1. The Big Sick
To borrow from the film itself, it "overwhelms" me. Perfectly balancing laughs with drama, it made me shed tears of joy throughout. Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon, in retelling the true story of how they first met, have created a beautiful film, full of charm, humour and heartbreak. As well as co-writing the film, Nanjiani proves a revelation as the dramatic lead, with his tear soaked speech during an ill-timed stand up routine a real highlight.
On the surface "The Big Sick" is a simple boy meets girl story, but the way it subverts expectations makes it a perfect film for 2017. Through the trials and tribulations of their fledgling relationship we get a great portrait of modern dating, ideas of nationality and cultural heritage.
It's a perfectly formed little film, with no fat to be trimmed, everything serves a purpose in creating this very funny but emotionally rich dramedy. Director Michael Showalter also deserves plaudits for this assured handling of tone, never letting it slide too far towards saccharine.
Plus it almost made me forgive Ray Romano for "Everybody Loves Raymond". Almost.
Available for streaming rental.
Worthy Mentions
Not quite on the main list...
Spider-Man: Homecoming - Spider-man is back to being a wisecracking kid in this very entertaining relaunch of the franchise. Back in school, but with an updated and more diverse range of characters to play off, Marvel have smartly bought Peter Parker into the modern day.
The Lego Batman Movie - As a huge Batman fan, this was a hilarious treasure trove of references that spoke directly to me. unfortunately, I smacked my head on a car boot just before running to the cinema just in time to make the screening, so my memories of it are a little hazy, but I do remember absolutely loving it. The head injury aspect made it difficult for me to include in my top ten however...
It Comes at Night - Very close to making my top ten, it's a film that really chimes with our fearful times. Full of paranoia and dread, it all builds to a truly tense finale.
Moonlight - A deft, beautifully crafted film, with handsome cinematography and fantastic performances. It has a look and feel all it's own, giving us a glimpse of the lead's life at three pivotal moments as he comes to terms with his sexuality. However, the opening segment seemed the strongest, with, for me, slightly diminishing returns as we follow the characters through to the conclusion.
Get Out - My views on this film are somewhat muddled by the chatty popcorn girls and the chair kicking lads in my screening. It's a dark, funny and daring film with a lot to commend it and I think if I'd seen it with less distractions, it would have rated a lot higher.
Baby Driver - It starts with a bang and then moves up through the gears to create one of the most entertaining films of the year. However, I didn't love this semi-musical quite as much as I thought I would.
Detroit - The middle third of this movie is disturbing, tense and shocking, but it's sandwiched awkwardly between clunky opening and closing acts.
20th Century Women - An interesting look at the generational differences of three women in 1970s and how those experiences relate to the eldest's son and his upbringing.
Free fire - If not for some extended sub-Tarantino dialogue in the opening of the movie, it may have made my top ten. As usual from director Ben Wheatley, a taut, tense, violent movie, with the blackest of comedy.
The Meyerowitz Stories - Another entertaining family drama from Noah Baumbach, with a particularly great performance form Elizabeth Marvel. His film's usually end up in my top tens, but it was only released on Netflix and my focus at home is rarely as good as in the cinema.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer - Director Lanthimos follows up "The Lobster" with another dark tale. Unfortunately he also brings the stunted speech patterns of his previous film to this one, which make less sense in this universe and detract from the dramatic tension. With that slight adjustment, I would have loved it.
Bladerunner 2049 - Visually stunning, loyal in tone to it's predecessor and well acted, I should have loved this latest film from Denis Villeneuve. However it's ambition is it's downfall, over reaching and losing the simplicity of Ridley Scott's original.
A Ghost Story - A slow, somewhat ponderous film that nonetheless creates a feeling of loneliness and longing all it's own. Not for the impatient or those hoping for a plot driven film.
Dunkirk - It took me a long time to process my feelings on this film.
The first half of the film is superb, building an incredible feeling of suspense through the combination of stark but beautiful cinematography and an incessant Zimmer score. However the the final act of the film didn't stick the landing for me. (see "Disappointments" for more info)
Films worth a watch -
Personal Shopper, A Monster Calls, Silence, Jackie, Split, Certain women, Hidden Figures, Logan, Wonder Woman, Okja, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, The Red Turtle, Lost in London, Atomic Blonde, My life as a Courgette, Justice League, T2, The Fits, Prevenge, The Beguiled, The Founder, Loving , The Lost City of Z, John Wick Chapter 2, Lady Macbeth, Raw
Merely okay...
Life
Disappointments
Manchester by the Sea - While I was impressed by the film's craft, brilliant acting and the fantastically naturalistic dialogue, I felt slightly at a distance from it. The musical choice used in it's most dramatic scenes also felt very odd to me, as it will to anyone who's ever listened to it's use in Simon Mayo's "Confessions" section on BBC Radio 2.
Fences- Makes 2 hours and 20 minutes seem like 2 days, 20 hours...
Long, stagey and boring. Denzel over indulges himself, chewing scenery like there's no tomorrow, but Viola Davis is exceptional, the movie's only saving grace.
The Love Witch - Stylish, but too long and far too pleased with itself...
Dunkirk - The final act of the film didn't stick the landing for me. Nolan isn't at his best when trying to be warm and fluffy, and the proud, patriotic finale seemed ham-fisted in comparison to the mastery of the opening acts.
It - A tense opening and great chemistry from the young cast are let down by the films over use of very obvious CG effects. If you want real scares this year, watch the harrowing second act of "Detroit".
Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 - An entertaining film, only disappointing as it comes frustratingly close to matching it's superior predecessor. It's looser and messier than volume 1, a trim before release could have worked wonders. It's also incredibly violent for a film shown to millions of children.
Ghost in the Shell - A visually stunning film utterly lacking in any interesting content. Dated themes are exacerbated by huge amounts of unnecessary exposition, which slow the pace and highlight the fairly uninspired fight choreography.
Mindhorn - A thin Alan Partridge-esque plot is stretched even at 89 minutes and the jokes are more chuckle worthy than full belly laughs. There are a few genuinely strange and brilliant moments, but these serve only to highlight the general lack of consistent laughs.
Kingsman the Golden Circle - Super-hyped up nonsense that should be way more fun than it is. Over-long fluff that easily out-juveniles it's predecessor.
It also has given me a new phrase to describe "jumping the shark"... but I can't say what it is without spoiling the ludicrous celebrity cameo.
xXx: Return of Xander Cage - Stupid fun, but not fun enough to justify this creepy Vin Diesel vanity project.
Logan Lucky - Not the fun romp I was hoping for, it sits awkwardly between genres. It may improve with further viewings however.
Atomic Blonde - A film that needed to be twice as clever to succeed, or twice as fast. Brutal fights and stylish shots entertain, but it's paced far too slowly for such a flimsy plot.
Justice League - Despite enjoying the film, it is a mess. The gap in style between Snyder and Whedon's directing is too disparate, creating a film of jumbled style and tone. Mainly disappointing because a very watchable, charismatic cast are under-served.
The Bad Batch - Ana Lily Amirpour disappoints with this undeiably beautiful, but shallow follow up to her excellent debut "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night".
Fast and Furious 8 - The franchise, like xXx, is becoming little more than a Vin Diesel vanity project, which detracts from the regular Fast and Furious mayhem. Perhaps worth watching to see Jason Statham fighting an enemy horde on a plane whilst carrying a baby (but you can just watch that bit on Youtube).
Song to Song - Malick continues his trend of overly long, vacuous films on the relationships of the super wealthy. In many ways his films are the same as Michael Bay's, a collection of cool scenes that struggle to carry a narrative.
The Party - A stereotypical farce, parodying academics and the intelligencia. It felt long even at a trim 1hr 11 minutes and was incredibly pleased with itself, perhaps the smuggest film of the year. Despite a great cast, there's very little I can recommend, but the rest of the cinema laughed riotously throughout, so what do I know. I'm never a fan of "stagey" films, so perhaps I should have steered clear.
The ones that got away...
The big misses of this year, I regret I didn't get to see...
Call Me by My Name, Mother!, Good Time, The Disaster Artist, War for the Planet of the Apes
In an ideal world, I would have seen these too -
Lion, Christine, The Space Between Us, A Cure for Wellness, Kong Skull Island, Beauty and the Beast, Baywatch, Berlin Syndrome, Alien Covenant, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Patticake$, Loving Vincent, Gods Own Country, Paddington 2, Mudbound, Casting JonBenet, Battle of the Sexes
Hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown, Happy New Year!
2016 Update
The ones I caught up with that I missed last year...
I liked... American Honey, Everybody wants Some!!, Moana, The Witch, Finding Dory, Neighbours 2, The Shallows
I wasn't so keen on... Sausage Party
The ones I didn't catch up on...
The BFG, A Bigger Splash, Dheepan, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Light Between Oceans, Love and Friendship, Maggie's Plan, Miles Ahead, Son of Saul, Julieta, Sully, Bone Tomahawk, Secret Life of Pets, Girl on the Train
Last Years Top Ten
10. Captain America:Civil War/Deadpool
09. Captain Fantastic
08. The Hunt for the Wilderpeople
07. Nocturnal Animals
06. Room
05. Arrival
04. Swiss Army Man
03. Spotlight
02. Green Room
01. Anomalisa
