10. Louder Than Bombs: This might be the most potent film (Other than The Lobster) of the year. It's the tone that keeps this one together as the thin veneer of goodness that the central family has to offer is ripped apart, but the actors are so great that the effect can't help but bombard you with emotion. 9. Captain America: Civil War: The Russo Brothers and Marvel studios made a great film with The Winter Soldier, but almost rose above the occasion for Civil War. The full scope of the Marvel Universe is now laid bare, and it's only going to get better from here. 8. Hail, Caesar: This is a movie that has grown on me over time. It's so focussed on the somewhat thin characters that might be fuller to the directors that brought them to the screen, that it has less of an impact than it might have. That said it's hilarious and the new Han Solo, Alden Ehrenreich was excellent. 7. 10 Cloverfield Lane: Dan Trachtenberg has excellently directed a fresh little suspense picture that rises above the occasion with excellent twists, and insert shots. 6. Green Room: The use of gory violence to bolster themes and catharsis is truly Jeremy Saulnier's true calling. It lacked some of the bites of Blue Ruin, but even toned down Saulnier is better than any of the competition. 5. Love and Friendship: Whitt Stillman's Love and Friendship is resoundingly tickling. It's not crass, but it slowly and intricately builds its punchlines. A joke streched out over an entire conversation can sometimes create more suspense than a ticking time bomb. 4. The Witch: This movie was made for $1 million, and actually scared me. I often walk out of horror films in a state of disappointment because I wanted something thrilling and exciting, but all I got was a fine drama that had screaming things in it. The Witch terrified me. 3. The Nice Guys: Contrary to what people might think my opinion of Shane Black has only gotten better with time. He started with the pretty good Lethal Weapon, then made the jumbled but still good Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, then went on to make the best character piece of the Marvel Universe, and now has returned to the buddy cop genre with The Nice Guys. This is a vibrant, and enlivening film sporting great performances from its leads. 2. The Lobster: No film affected me quite like The Lobster, and that's because it understood the loneliness that comes in rigid structures of love. This juxtaposed with the actual rigid, repeating structure that the film had to offer made a tight, great film of endless cruelty but also catharsis. 1. Everybody Wants Some: Lots of movies on this list are dark affairs that sit in your stomach and make you wonder how messed up life will be. Everybody Wants Some creates the opposite effect. It fires up with all it's passion to find what good can come out of life, and how these moments will define us. Everybody wants some happiness, exuberant joy, and they're all going to fight for it by being as positive as possible. The hedonistic surface of the film is enough to give anyone a contact high, but it's the depths of it's longing that pushes it into being the best film of the year so far.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |