In the world of film, top ten lists typically come out at an unfortunate time for those who don’t live in L.A. Unless you’re actively involved in professional film criticism, most of us don’t have the opportunity to see a vast majority of the best films in a given year until that special period between New Years and the Oscars. For example, I have not seen Phantom Thread. At this point, very few people have. I don’t doubt that it would have made this list, based on the reviews, the cast, and the fact that Paul Thomas Anderson directed it. To make matters worse, when I attempt a top ten list in 2018, I’ll likely forget I’ve glossed over films like Phantom Thread. At the same time, Phantom Thread could be utter trash, and I’d have no way of knowing. Because of availability issues, I have always considered Oscar season the true mark of the “new year” of cinema.
But really, who cares? You’re not reading this because you want to know what the best films of 2017 are, or at least you shouldn’t be. You’re looking for film recommendations from the recent past. Recommendations that aren’t, “You should really watch The Godfather. It’s the best.”
10. Get Out
I really don’t like giving this movie any more recognition than it already has, because it is not the cinematic or racial revolution that it’s often purported to be. It also doesn’t deserve a single Oscar, so quit saying that.
The premise of Get Out is rather humorous. A young black man is nervous about visiting his white girlfriend’s family at their house in the middle of nowhere. And he should be: These rich old white people are auctioning off the bodies of young black men in an attempt to transfer their “being” or “essence” into these clearly superior black bodies. It’s a clever satire of “positive racism”, and Caleb Landry Jones is in it. Caleb Landry Jones makes everything better.
9. Gleason
There are multiple reasons that including this documentary on my list just feels wrong. Gleason is about a former NFL player who was diagnosed with ALS. I actively hate most people who are involved in the sports entertainment industry, but Gleason is the only movie this year to make me cry actual, tangible tears of despair.
Knowing full well that his son is likely going to grow up without a father, Steve Gleason starts a video blog aimed at his son in the future. And dear lord, he spares no details. We watch as Gleason goes from star NFL player and insufferable bro, to a whimpering vegetable, and ultimately a corpse. What surprised me most is that it still worked as an extremely compelling piece of work, in spite of making no attempt to hide Gleason’s flaws and rather obnoxious pre-ALS personality. The film only ranks so low on this list because it was really, really annoying to sit through interviews with extended family and various celebrities, who verbally fellate Gleason every chance they get.
8. Christine
I heard very little about Christine before watching it. It was directed by Antonio Campos, who gave us the soul-numbing anxiety machines Afterschool and Simon Killer. Christine lacks the sanitary quality of his former work, but it still retains what Campos is best at: giving us a real glimpse into the mind of a troubled individual. It feels fictional, and much of the film feels like a dark comedy. When we reach the inevitable ending, it’s believable, but it’s far more shocking than it would have been if this was made like a by-the-numbers Oscar-bait biopic.
By the way, Christine is a true story. It’s based on the life of Christine Chubbuck, a news anchor from the 1970s who shot herself on live TV.
7. A Cure for Wellness
Gore Verbinski’s latest film, like quite a few of his others, is absolutely stunning. Unlike his other films, it’s weird, risky, and not a part of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Dane Dehaan is an ambitious executive, charged with retrieving the CEO of his company from a wellness center in the Swiss Alps. Of course, this is no ordinary wellness center, and DeHaan quickly realizes he is not a visitor, but a prisoner. As he attempts to unravel the mystery of this seemingly idyllic resort, he uncovers Lovecraftian creatures, dubious father-daughter relationships, and a host of batshit secrets.
Ignoring the visual style, what really makes this film stand out is the holy trinity of Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth, and Jason Isaacs. It’s great to finally see Mia Goth in a (successfully) creepy role, because her body type and fashion sense really lend themselves well to that. Jason Isaacs, as usual, is perfectly cast as the raving-mad doctor. I intend to watch this several more times.
6. Good Time
It’s ironic that, in a year where Kristen Stewart is finally showing us her best side (more on that later), her Twilight co-star has accomplished the same. Good Time is a film that flew under the radar for general audiences, which is a terrible shame. Perhaps it was due to the generic title, or maybe Robert Pattinson is just box office poison at this stage in his career. Whatever the reason, I hope Good Time’s VOD release brings it to its intended audience.
Pattinson plays a borderline sociopath. His mentally ill brother is the only person on earth he truly cares about. When Pattinson botches a bank heist and his brother takes the blame, he goes on a journey to break his brother out of prison. Overall, it’s a simple plot, and while there are some twists and turns, it’s the acting that makes the film stand out. The opening and closing of Good Time are some of the most brilliant scenes of 2017. Just don’t leave before the credits end.
5. Mother
I recently revisited Mother!, and I actually enjoyed it more the second time. I’m just going to leave this here on the list and say nothing else.
4. Your Name
Your Name’s premise will sound cliché and disgusting to anyone who’s familiar with Freaky Friday, in all of its iterations. It is a body swap film, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t the best body swap film ever made. Rather than semi-permanently swapping bodies, the two leads swap at random, and leave memos for each other, a bit like Guy Pierce’s tattoos in Memento. The two characters live in different areas of Japan, and as they form a strong bond, their desire to meet grows.
It’s an anime film that does occasionally succumb to the cutesy, groan-inducing staples of the genre, but the story is so sweet and so interesting that I can overlook them. It goes in a far more interesting direction than any body-swap film before it.
3. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Yorgos Lanthimos has been directing unique, high-quality films since 2009’s Dogtooth, and it’s high time we recognized him for that. Last year, Lanthimos crossed over into the world of English-language films with The Lobster, a dark comedy about relationships. Those who saw it will immediately recognize the style in Sacred Deer, except this time the deadpan dialog isn’t played for laughs. It’s instead used to create the same kind of unsettling and sanitary atmosphere that you’d find in much of Kubrick’s work. Some may disagree, but I feel like it’s a far more accomplished film than The Lobster.
The story is a delightfully twisted fantasy about a doctor who forms a strange relationship with the son of a former patient. The boy becomes deeply entangled in the doctor’s personal life, and forces him to make some extremely difficult choices. As uncomfortable as it is brilliant, The Killing of a Sacred Deer rewards patient viewers with one of the year’s best thrillers.
2. Personal Shopper
Technically released in 2016, Olivier Assayas’ Personal Shopper was a huge surprise for those who saw it. Unofficially subtitled, “I didn’t know Kristen Stewart could act!”, Personal Shopper feels like Assayas finally finding his voice. His previous films dealt with strange subject matter, like Demonlover’s examination of the effects of virtual reality on the porn industry. These concepts seem outlandish and potentially entertaining, but Assayas has always fell short of following through with these expectations, until now.
1. Blade Runner 2049
My choice for best film of the year should be an obvious one, but it’s not, because according to box office numbers, most of you didn’t see Blade Runner 2049. Perhaps it was the lack of interest in a Blade Runner sequel, or perhaps it was the film’s “daunting” run-time of 2 hours and 44 minutes. It’s a damn shame, because this movie surpasses the original Blade Runner, and explores its themes with far more depth. It also earns every glorious minute of its run-time, maintaining a tolerably methodical pace throughout. It’s a visual masterpiece thanks to Roger Deakins’ gorgeous cinematography. The acting is top-notch, as is the screenplay. This also solidifies my immense faith in Denis Villeneuve as the greatest working director today, and gives me confidence in his (hopefully) upcoming Dune adaptation. After my first viewing, I left the theater with the idea that this may be the closest I ever get to understanding how audiences must have felt watching Star Wars in 1977.