Top 25 Movies of 2017
For my full ranking of the feature films released in 2017 I saw, you can click here!
25. The Post — With a cast filled with some of the best actors from the Peak TV era, Spielberg delivered a movie that belongs in his filmography’s upper echelon.
24. Wonder Woman — A breath of fresh air for an origin story. It was a movie that 2017 desperately needed and easily the best of the new DC universe.
23. T2: Trainspotting — It’s hard to overstate just how cool, melancholy, and unexpected it was to see this group of four together again after twenty years.
22. Molly’s Game — It’s not Sorkin’s best movie, but his directorial debut was one that should have been a bigger contender at the Oscars this year.
21. Blade Runner 2049 — This movie is one that is leagues ahead of its predecessor. Harrison Ford’s performance is heartbreaking. Ryan Gosling’s is so effortlessly cool.
20. The Greatest Showman — As a biopic this movie is actually really bad. As a musical, it is among the most delightful of the year.
19. The Shape of Water — As a movie, it is very good, even if not exceptional. But there are many moments that will take your breath away.
18. Brigsby Bear — One of the strangest meditations of the year, but it is one that was so unique and creative. It deserves to be celebrated.
17. I, Tonya — A biopic that felt like something Martin Scorsese could have made. It was simultaneously so sad and so fun. I don’t know how they pulled this off.
16. Murder on the Orient Express — It might not be as high if I had not gone into this completely blind; I didn’t know the story ahead of time! It was a perfect murder mystery for the early winter.
15. Jane — This moving, astonishing collection of unseen Jane Goodall footage worked together to create one of the best documentaries I have ever seen.
14. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri — Martin McDonagh should pretty much be allowed to tell whatever story he wants to tell and with whatever themes he wants to include for the rest of time.
13. Star Wars: The Last Jedi — I’m still really confused why there was such a backlash to this movie. I thought it had a majority of the coolest scenes in the history of Star Wars.
12. mother! — However, I do understand the backlash for this film. I think, in time, it will be rightfully considered one of the biggest creative achievements of 2017.
11. The Disaster Artist — The best movie James Franco has ever directed might just be about the worst movie ever made.
10. Thor: Ragnarok — What Taika Waititi brought to the superhero genre with this hilarious joyride is the blueprint for going forward with big budget action movies: let the creators make whatever they want in their sandbox.
9. The Big Sick — Not only might this movie resurrect the rom-com genre, but it also might have made it better than it ever has been before.
8. Beauty and the Beast — The movies I love are ones that make me feel so joyous or are, at least, thought-provoking. There are few films that put as much joy into my heart as this one did. Plus, Ewan McGregor sings in it so you can’t go wrong.
7. Get Out — I’m not usually a big horror movie fan, but even I have to acknowledge what an achievement this was for Jordan Peele.
6. Phantom Thread — Paul Thomas Anderson is truly one of the most impressive creative visionaries working today. This is such a funny, beautiful work of art. I recommend seeing it in a movie theater if you’re able to.
5. A Ghost Story — This film was right up my alley. Thought-provoking, life-affirming, impossibly melancholy, a unique idea. It is one that flew under the radar, but please watch it if you can. You won’t be disappointed.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 — I am pretty sure that with the depth of the characters and their relationships, a plethora of chills-inducing moments, and a killer soundtrack, this might be the best movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
3. Coco — I bawled like a child at this movie. It is so immersive and impressive. Absolutely a return to form for Pixar. REMEEEEEEEEEEMBER ME.
2. Baby Driver — I won’t be able to top what I wrote about this movie on Letterboxd. It’s like if a jukebox fucked Rainbow Road.
- Lady Bird — The more I thought about my list, the more I knew that this was clearly the best movie I’ve seen this year. The use of Dave Matthews Band and the last twenty minutes will stay with me for the rest of my life.
