My Top Ten Films of 2017:
- Phantom Thread – d. Paul Thomas Anderson
- Wind River – d. Taylor Sheridan
- Dunkirk – d. Christopher Nolan
- Blade Runner 2049 – d. Denis Villeneuve
- Personal Shopper -d. Olivier Assayas
- Mudbound – d. Dee Rees
- The Beguiled – d. Sofia Coppola
- Get Out – d. Jordan Peele
- Wonder Woman – d. Patty Jenkins
- Lady Bird – d. Greta Gerwig
Honorable Mentions:
- Frantz – d. Francois Ozon
- Moka – d. Fredrick Mermoud
- My Cousin Rachel – d. Roger Michell
Notable Omissions (films I’ve yet to see that are showing up on a many Top Ten lists):
Call Me By Your Name, The Shape of Water, I Tonya, The Post, All the Money in the World
Most Overrated:
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri – d. Martin McDonagh
- The Big Sick – d. Michael Showalter
Worst Films of the Year:
- The Killing of a Sacred Deer – d. A. Sadist
- The Dinner – d. A. Moron
Tell us what your pick was for Best Film of 2017.
What movies would make your Top Ten List?
Speak your mind and join the discussion by leaving a comment!
If you’re a fellow film blogger with your own awards, top ten list or 2016 wrap-up, share your links in the comment form.
The Schleicher Spin 
Always interesting to see your take on the best movies, David. I now have my list for DVD watching for 2018, except for Phantom Thread (see in theater because of DDL) and Wonder Woman (already seen on DVD twice!). Thanks!
Phantom Thread is definitely worth the trip to the theater!
Well, I am waiting one more week to release my list, as I want to make sure I have seen every last obscure title that has any chance to make it. So I am watching stuff on line like crazy. I expected you to put The Phantom Thread as your Number 1 as you are a serious Paul Thomas Anderson fanatic, but there is nothing wrong with that. My own Top Ten (tentatively):
1. A Quiet Passion (UK) Terence Davies
2. The Shape of Water (USA) G. Del Toro
3. Call Me By Your Name (Italy, UK, USA) Luca Guadagnino
4. The Phantom Thread (USA) Paul Thomas Anderson
5. The Death of Louis XIV (France) Edward Serra
6. Ladybird (USA) Greta Gerwig
7. Frantz (France/Germany) François Ozon
8. The Lost City of Z (USA) James Gray
9. The Square (Sweden) Ruben Ostlund)
10.The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Ireland) Yorgos Lanthimos
11. Coco (USA) Lee Unkrich
12. A Ghost Story (USA) David Lowery
My second much more favorable viewing of DUNKIRK insures it will make my Top 20 (which I am doing this year instead of a Top 10) as other certain placements will be: Agnes Varda’s FACES PLACES, GET OUT, GOD’S COUNTRY; LUCKY, NOVITIATE; MUDBOUND and the Noah Baumbach film as well (against all odds) the new Planet of the Apes and Star Wars. And others. I must tweek the Top 20 by next week.
Your list is certainly distinguished as always, though I never liked the Assayas am much as most and wouldn’t consider Wonder Woman, Blade Runner or Wind River, though the latter and Get Out will make my Top 20.
Glad to hear about you coming around to Dunkirk on second viewing. I recall you being against the tide of praise for it over the summer.
Sam – I finally saw A Quiet Passion…and even my wife (who was a fan of Dickinson in her youth) found it to be an insufferable bore. As I stated in conversation on FB, “The film was undone by Cynthia Nixon’s one-note shrill bird-like performance. She was horribly miscast. The screenplay also failed to probe into Dickinson beyond the surface-level view of a melancholy recluse (surely there was more to her than that!)”.
When viewed in the canon of Davies, I would say it’s the least of his works (and a huge disappointment as I was quite swept away by his recent Sunset Song). There were about 30 minutes of an interesting film here in the depictions of Dickinson’s early life (before Nixon took over the role). Some of the interactions with her aunt and her friend (who later married) were witty and hinted at a better film out there somewhere, but no amount of exquisite painterly framing (Davies’ beautiful hallmark) could save this otherwise drab look at Dickinson’s life. (Side note: I did love how Davies depicted the aging of the characters inside the photographs).
Hey Dave,
I always look forward to your end-of-year list. Unfortunately, with each passing year, I just get more and more behind on my moviegoing. Can you believe I still haven’t seen DUNKIRK or WONDER WOMAN yet? Life just keeps getting in the way of my film watching, although I do have both on Blu-Ray now so I will be fixing that problem soon.
Anyway, BLADE RUNNER 2049 was a masterpiece, and I’m so glad I saw it on IMAX. It was everything I hoped for and more.
As for standard popcorn entertainment, I thoroughly enjoyed GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2, SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING, IT, THOR: RAGNAROK, and STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI.
On the indie front, BAND AID was a pleasant surprise. I think it contains one of the most realistic couple’s arguments on film since BEFORE MIDNIGHT. Also, while everyone else spent 2017 waiting for the TWIN PEAKS reboot (I think I’ve mentioned before that I love the majority of Lynch’s stuff but TP is something I’ve never been able to get into), I spent it waiting for T2: TRAINSPOTTING, and I loved it. I actually think it gets better with each viewing. It continues the original story in believable fashion and has an excellent soundtrack to boot.
THE BIG SICK always seemed a little suspect to me, and everything I read about KILLING OF THE SACRED DEER really turned me off to it. I’m still willing to give THREE BILLBOARDS a try, even though I’ve never been a big fan of McDonagh’s work.
Hope 2018 treats you well, Dave.
-Chris
Apart from you and I, I’m surprised Blade Runner 2049 is getting little love from others at year end. It was quite the experience in IMAX for sure! I was mesmerized.
Great list. I am surprised you haven’t watched (or mentioned) Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories. It’s a movie that surprised me with it’s realistic take on family relationships and the way people don’t communicate (and yet do). Adam Sandler cast against type in one of his better roles and Hoffman upping his class, as always. You should give this a watch on Netflix.
Interesting you bring up that film. It has been in my Netflix watchlist for awhile but something about the description and cast turned me off, even though I normally like Baumbach’s work. Your thoughts here have me more intrigued now.
While my list agrees with yours in some titles, I’m afraid I can’t agree with your most overrated, David. And, while others shower praises on Lady Bird and The Florida Project, I can’t say these two films had stirred equal amount of ripples on me. Don’t you just love diversity. 🙂
I always love comparing lists. The Florida Project is one I haven’t seen yet…almost did one day but chose Loving Vincent to see instead. If and when I do see it, I have a hunch based on the trailers, I might be on your side.
Post Script: After seeing The Post, it would surely deserve an Honorable Mention.
https://theschleicherspin.com/2018/01/07/to-serve-the-governed-not-the-governors-in-the-post/