It's the fashion this time of year, top ten lists of stuff. I'm not immune to the need to do these lists, so for your delectation and consideration are my top ten films, in no particular order, of 2017. As an amateur there are lots of films I've not seen, so these are the top ten of what I got to see this year.
Other People - this had not made many end of year lists but for me, was one of the standout films of 2017. Multi-layered, the story is about the illness and death of the family’s mother from cancer. It also deals with the father’s reaction and his lack of acceptance of his son being gay.
Wonder Woman - this has made a lot of reviewer's lists and rightly so. It's the origin story for Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and broke box-office records and many a glass ceiling in the process. THe sequel will be highly anticipated.
Get Out - One of the best horror/thrillers in years.
Paddington 2 - The near and the dear ones, the old and the young will all have fun.
Bladerunner 2049 - It was magnificent!
Justice League - I went into this with low expectations following the poor critic reviews. I saw it in a full cinema and gauging audience reaction, the critics have gotten it wrong again. I for one am looking forward to seeing more of this team in action. The aged Batman, the full-of-hope Wonder Woman, the quirky, naive Flash, the sarcastic Aquaman, the pained Cyborg, even the boy-scout Superman were all enjoyable on screen.
Dunkirk - The tag-line for Dunkirk is “the event that shaped our world”. I’d like to think of it as “the film that changed cinema – again!” Too bold a claim? Read my review.
Logan - The bad guys get what’s coming to them and our heroes get to save the day, if not themselves. There is a measure of redemption, but not a whole lot. As a fan of the western genre, I loved it.
mother! - This is not a timid film. There is subtext built upon subtext. You will not see anything like this in cinemas today and I guess for some time to come and for that, it is welcome.
Wonder - I went into this having seen the trailer which set me up for a standard, pull at my heartstrings, optimism overcoming adversity schmaltz. What director Stephen Chbosky has done is craft a sentimental tale however we get to see the same story from differing perspectives: August’s sister, Via, Via’s friend, and August’s school chum. This approach has the effect of explaining perspectives but also acts to pull the viewer deeper into the narrative to create a more coherent understanding.
So there you have it, my favourite films of 2017 in no particular order. mother! made the greatest impact on me as a viewer but Logan is a stand-out as a human story set within a superhero film that just happens to be a western.