My top 9 films of 2017 (and the next three)

[shallowness]

La La Land – So much of this colourful riff off old school Hollywood musicals, repurposing them with a modern idiom. could have been made for me. Although the backlash had some valid points, the use of location, the leads’ chemistry and Emma Stone winning her Oscar in Close-ups and the treat of the last number outweigh them.

The Lego Batman Movie – THIS is the Batman movie we needed this year. Very, very funny.

Hidden Figures – I have to applaud this film for telling this important and inspiring story in such an entertaining way.

Logan – ‘They’ said it was the best Wolverine movie ever. I shrugged. But it is, it’s like the trailer, only for the whole movie. A meditation on ageing, mortality and finding family with beserker rage thrown in.

Their Finest – There’s drama, comedy, tragedy, romance, feminism and scene stealing from Bill Nighy in this film about making movies during the second world war.

Baby Driver – I expected this to be soundtracked and storyboarded to within an inch of its life, but the meticulous attention to detail covered sound design, dialogue and choreography too. It’s a layered, hyper-real treat. (Granted, it also features Ugh!Kevin Spacey.)

Detroit – This is a shattering, immersive, important film about an atrocity 50 years ago and its aftermath with, sadly, relevance today. Committed work from its cast, I wish it were getting nominated more.

Blade Runner 2049 – Disclaimer: I’ve only seen one version of Blade Runner once, but this film sequel had ambition, intelligence and scale. I liked its running time and pacing, a contrast with most other films out there.

The Florida Project – On one level, it’s as simple as: this made me laugh and it made me cry. On another, it’s a child’s eye view of one hot summer, layred with the complexities her young single mother faces as she struggles to get by, a slice of life you don’t often see on the big screen but shot in such a sympathetic way that makes you wonder why not.


Almost making the list were: Spider-Man: Homecoming (I did not expect this to be the best MCU film of the year), The Beguiled and Pitch Perfect 3. (Two very different films about a group of women by women directors.)

I've listed them in the order I saw them, not of preference. I went to see 45 films in 2017.

Previous lists can be found here: at Dreamwidth, from 2012 on and at Livejournal for a more comprehensive list.