Best Films from 2017 (As of Now)
11 Repertory, 11 Festival Favorites, 8 Shorts/Episodic, my top 10 plus 5 films I’m looking forward to watching
Blindspots (First time viewing repertory films in order of appearance, all prints unless otherwise denoted)
A Taiwanese triptych tale set during three different time periods using the same two lead actors. The first “A Time for Love” takes place during 1966 in a bar, the next “A Time for Freedom” is set in a 1911 brothel and last “A Time for Youth” is modern day (2005) Taipei.
After hitting something with her car, an Argentinian woman’s mental state starts to unravel as she slowly begins to realize what has happened.
A married man befriends a beautiful model who has just moved back to Paris. They begin to routinely meet up for lunch. Yada, yada, yada. This one will surprise.
A man begins to question his marriage after meeting a beautiful blonde while on his honeymoon.
A brutally honest Taiwanese portrait of a couple ending their relationship.
A family crime drama featuring an estranged brother/hit man returning back to his south Brooklyn neighborhood for a job.
Tension arises as a former swimming champion from Chad who now works as a hotel pool man loses his job to his son.
First time I have seen a Tarkovsky film. Easily the best film on this entire list. The re-release was a 4K digital restoration by the Criterion Collection.
Shifting narrative of a French Foreign Legion troop in Dijbouti that incorporates disco dancing.
A forged note gets passed around until an innocent man who doesn’t realize it ends up in unfortunate circumstances.
A wealthy housewife succumbs to an illness that is caused by the surroundings of her environment.
Festival Favorites (Features that screened this year at New Directors/New Films, Tribeca Film Festival, Rooftop Films, Lighthouse International Film Festival and BAMcinemaFest)
A recently widowed Hasidic man struggles to regain custody of his son as tradition prohibits raising him alone.
A strong breakthrough performance from Danielle Macdonald as Patricia Dombrowski, an aspiring rapper from New Jersey trying to have her voice heard.
Intertwining stories follow the lives of New Yorkers over the course of a day.
A comedy about a company that manufactures infants who do not age, and a man who can not maintain a relationship without his mother’s approval.
A non-fiction account about the history of Baltimore told by rodent chasers and their furry friends.
A comedienne living in LA returns to Austin because of a sick loved one and runs into her ex-boyfriend who’s in a new relationship.
When a kid’s TV show suddenly ends, its biggest fan takes over to finish the story himself.
A Hollywood star and her assistant are caught up in conundrum when an unfortunate incident occurs.
A spiritual tale about grief and loss with Oscar winner Casey Affleck under a sheet.
A camping trip begins to unfold a web of mysterious truths between the two protagonists.
A foreign woman comes to NYC and disrupts the lives of the families she engages.
Short Attention Span Cinema (Episodic and short films that pack a big punch within a small amount of time)
A young writer is caught in a love triangle between a married pseudo-intellectual and an angry artist.
A punk variety TV show where episodes are centered around a common theme and created by alternative filmmakers.
An over-achieving student ends up in a boarding school for kids with mental illnesses.
The lives of a real estate mogul, a man child who doesn’t work or want to procreate and a magician of a Manhattan magic show integrate.
A young couple gather close friends and family to celebrate their divorce.
A period short of a celebratory cookout in 1989 Florida.
The best love comes from unusual places.
A self-reflexive narrative about its own making. Watch the pilot here.
Top Ten (Features theatrically released from the beginning of January until the end of June 2017.)
Peter returns to his hometown after his grandmother passes away and catches up with his old friend over the course of a day.
An earthquake causes a high school by the water to submerge in this psychedelic, hand drawn animated feature.
A young boy obsessed with vampires believes that he is one himself.
A Japanese family drama of a divorced private detective with a gambling addiction and child support.
The lives of seven feral cats are captured and shared in gorgeous Istanbul.
Seven women of all different ages are confined to a home during the Civil War when their lives are disrupted by an opposing male soldier.
An Uber driver/comedian hooks up with a graduate student/future passenger, and then he puts her into a coma.
Heche vs Oh in a witty critique of modern times that delivers on its promise of fisticuffs.
A young man with a love for cars and music gets a lot of work driving.
Everyone and their mother knew that the black photographer should not have gone to his white girlfriend’s parents house in the suburbs, but we were all blown away once it ended.
Looking forward to
I’ve been wanting to see this ever since I heard it existed back in December 2015.
I love Kim Min-hee!
I love Kim Min-hee and Isabelle Huppert!!
Hong Sang-soo really loves Kim Min-hee!!!
Based on the red band trailer, please give Frances and Martin another Oscar.
