(WRITER'S NOTE: This post was initially published one day ago, but after some careful reconsideration and reevaluation, elements in the opening section have been changed/modified to ensure the most honest post possible by yours truly.)
2017 was a really challenging and difficult year for so many people, in politics, in Hollywood and elsewhere. Which could explain why so many films and filmmakers created or adapted stories that were angst-ridden cries, or hope-filled virtues that countered them.
The following ten films were selected by yours truly based on some of these aspects, but more specifically for their universal undertones in terms of the way we see everything from pop culture to the media, to racism, to women, and to heroism.
It should also be noted that the following reviews reference film performances and achievements by actors and filmmakers. However, certain actors and filmmakers (including Casey Affleck, James Franco, and Kevin Spacey) have come under fire recently for misconduct allegations, and these reviews, in no way, endorse such private matters.
Also, click on the underlined bold titles (like so) to read my full reviews of said films.
To start, here are a few notable mentions that didn't make my top ten.
Director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper) follows up J.J. Abrams' successful continuation of George Lucas' space saga with an unexpected bang. Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver develop and excel their characters (Rey and Kylo Ren, respectively) with grit and emotional conflict, while veterans Mark Hamill (as a pessimistic and aging Luke Skywalker) and the late Carrie Fisher (whose given a loving tribute in her final on-screen role as Leia) show they are still forces to be reckoned with. Probably the most surprising Star Wars chapter since The Empire Strikes Back, and one of the most original, that takes the series in a new direction.
20th Century Fox has been on a role in rebooting the Planet of the Apes franchise this decade. Rise was impressive, what with its emotional investment almost solely from motion-capture performances, while Dawn improved its story and visuals in almost every way. War continues that streak, almost working as a silent post-apocalyptic battle between man (did I mention Woody Harrelson's the bad guy?) and primates. Kudos to Weta Digital, performance maestro Andy Serkis, and director Matt Reeves.
Brian Selznick's award-winning novel (told half in words, half in pictures) is a work for the ages. And while director Todd Haynes' film adaptation falls short of some of the novel's translucency, it's still a remarkable and, or course certainly, wonderful achievement on its own. Julianne Moore, Oakes Fegley, and newcomer Millicent Simmonds (deaf in real life) shine in roles and stories that jump back between the late Seventies and the late Twenties.
There have been many other incredible onscreen performances this year, including
Anyway, onto the main list.
Arguably the first film of any kind to bridge the gap between the dark and brooding version of DC's famous Caped Crusader and the campy and silly version. Although it falls short of the charm that its predecessor (The Lego Movie) had in playing with toys, Lego Batman still manages to parody and pay homage to the overall mythology. It's hysterical and entertaining, and quite poignant. The first ten minutes alone are some of the funniest material ever written in any film this year. (See how many references you can find.)
A belated entry on this list, but so well-executed to not mention. A true story where audiences know the outcome, but are still on the edge of their seats in a gripping dramatization of the Washington Post's coverage and publishing of the Pentagon Papers in the early 1970s. First-rate direction (courtesy Steven Spielberg), acting (screen vets Meryl Streep, as Post Publisher Kay Graham, and Tom Hanks, as Post Editor Ben Bradlee), cinematography (it looks like it was shot in the Seventies), tension, and relevance to current political and ethical morals. A very committed achievement, which also connects to the events of All the President's Men.
British director Edgar Wright uses all the trademark idiosyncrasies that helped make his Cornetto trilogy of genre comedy hits (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End). Here, he pulls out all the stops with an audio-visual music playlist that drives the story of a getaway driver who plots to escape a world of crime--a violent and even shocking one, at that. Teen heartthrob Ansel Elgort is a revelation here, and is backed up by an A-line cast that chews up the scenery. The highlighted sequence: The opening heist set to the Jon Spencer Orchestra's "Bellbottoms".
A dramatization of the controversial true story of disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding, I, Tonya is a very profane and tragic "anti-redemption" story, to be sure. But it's also a compelling and engrossing one that mirrors the way people view others in the media and how the media has made certain famous (or infamous) people the way they are. Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, and an almost unrecognizable Allison Janney (as Harding, ex-husband Jeff Giloolly, and abusive mother LaVona Golden, respectfully) deliver nail-biting and brutally-honest performances from a script by Steven Rogers that attempts to give Harding's side of the story justice.
One of the year's most striking images was seeing actor Casey Affleck in a ghost sheet. Director David Lowery (Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Pete's Dragon) manages to take a rather silly image (think It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) and mold it into a haunting, beautiful and mesmerizing tale of loss, love, and time. Arguably, the most famous scene involves Rooney Mara nearly scarfing down a whole pie (it's actually four minutes of an uncut take that feels long), and shedding tears in the process. Many shots, in fact, are very long and intimate, evoking the notion of making such moments last long as if they were the last, or like they were home movies (hence, the full screen aspect ratio the director chose). Affleck and Mara display varying emotions without much dialogue, while Lowery showcases a less-is-more approach to the unlimited possibilities of filmmaking.
R.J. Palacio's bestselling book, about a young boy with a facial disability who goes to a public school for the first time, is brought to cinematic life by director/co-writer Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower). It's also a much-needed story in today's news of hatred and prejudice still going on. The filmmakers also make the bold choice to not just focus on central character Auggie Pullman (Room's Jacob Tremblay), but also on the lives of those he impacts, from his family members to his classmates and teachers. Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson (who play Auggie's parents) put aside their star power and are fully-committed to this film, one you owe yourself to see.
Hugh Jackman ends his eight-film run as the fist-clawed mutant Wolverine on a violent, raw, and gripping note in James Mangold's more-western-drama-than-comic-book-action story. (For the record, this is the most violent film I've seen this year, and I pity parents of X-Men-loving children who allow their tykes to view such carnage.) On the other hand, as far as story goes, Jackman and Patrick Stewart show different sides to their respective characters, portraying Wolverine and Charles Xavier at their most broken, compelling, profane, and human, as they head on a road trip to deliver a girl (with powers similar to Logan's own) to a secret and safe place up north. An unlikely and extremely well-executed deconstruction of the superhero/comic-book genre.
It seems a little ironic that in such a challenging year, the horror genre has experienced something of a renaissance. With works from M. Night Shamaylan (Split), Stephen King (It) and Darren Aronofsky (mother!) frightening or polarizing audiences, the main kudos goes to Jordan Peele's surprisingly intriguing--and creepy--directorial debut. Centered on the African-American experience, as a young black man (a breakout Daniel Kaluuya) goes with his girlfriend (Allison WIlliams) to visit her family for the weekend, racial paranoia in tow, when things get suspicious and take a turn for the worse. Kuluuya is thoroughly relatable and likable, while most of the supporting cast succeeds in making us cringe. A horror film with actually engaging and provocative social commentary; that's rare, I guess. Just don't say you haven't been warned.
Director Christopher Nolan has tackled everything on the big screen from mind-bending thrillers to comic-book heroes to space wormholes. Three of these movies (The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar) have been partially filmed with state-of-the-art IMAX cameras. With Dunkirk, he uses the technology in service to the story (and this is a story that must be seen in the IMAX format), by recreating the jarring, suspenseful, and clock-ticking experience of the 1940 evacuation of nearly 100,000 soldiers on the beaches of Dunkirk by way of Winston Churchill's Operation Dynamo. Told boldly and unconventionally from three perspectives (land, sea, and air) and even different time durations (one week, one day, one hour, respectfully). While many have argued that this isn't really a character-driven piece, there are still some brilliant performances on hand, particularly from newcomers Fionn Whitehead and singer Harry Styles as soldiers on land, Cillian Murphy as a traumatized soldier, Mark Rylance as a civilian answering the rescue call, and Tom Hardy as a spitfire pilot. A very visceral and thrilling filmgoing experience.
Of all the films released this year (and possibly of all superhero films in recent years), this adaptation of the famous DC character from director Patty Jenkins was the most sincere, heroic, and inspiring. Not only is this the highest-grossing female-led action movie of all-time, but it's also (and more specifically) the first DC universe film to right the identity crisis its initial films (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad) had struggled with. Jenkins and star Gal Gadot have helped craft a story and character worth rooting for and believing in, because she fights for and believes in something real: justice, peace, and, above all, love. Gadot embodies everything about the Amazonian warrior, and the film does a great job treating her as such and not as a pinup girl that she has partially been known for over 75 years. If anything, this film challenges the notion of whether the world and people are worth saving, despite their/our shortcomings and failures. As one character says, "It's not about 'deserve.' It's about what you believe. And I believe in love."
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