It's the most magical time of the year: time for the annual movie round-up!!
This is a particularly happy occasion because:
a) I am pleased with myself for writing this post before the end of January, because one of my resolutions for 2018 is to write at least a teeny bit more often than last year, and
b) because I watched extra movies last year and that makes me happy!
Without further ado:
The PsychoCinematic Year in Movies
2017 Edition
2. Arrival (5)
3. Asperger's Are Us (3.5)
4. Wishful Drinking (4)
5. Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart (4.5)
6. Hidden Figures (4.5)
7. I Am Not Your Negro (5)
8. Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig (4)
9. My Friend Rockefeller (3.5)
10. Get Out (5)
11. Kedi (5)
12. Personal Shopper (4)
13. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (4)
14. The Innocents (5)
15. Frantz (2)
16. I Called Him Morgan (5)
17. Under the Shadow (4)
18. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 (4)
19. Casting Jon-Benet (3.5)
20. Alien: Covenant (2)
21. Wonder Woman (4)
22. My Cousin Rachel (4)
23. The Lego Batman Movie (4)
24. Mommy Dead and Dearest (4.5)
25. The Big Sick (4.5)
26. Looper (5)
27. The Beguiled (2)
28. The Girl with All the Gifts (4)
29. The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography (4)
30. Step (5)
31. Dunkirk (3)
32. Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators (4.5)
33. Wind River (3.5)
34. Paris is Burning (5)
35. Ingrid Goes West (4)
36. Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race and America (5)
37. Masterminds (1.5)
38. Rough Night (3)
39. The Little Hours (2.5)
40. Battle of the Sexes (4)
41. Lucky (3.5)
42. It (4.5)
43. The Blackcoat's Daughter (4)
44. Blade Runner 2049 (4)
46. Thor Ragnarok (3)
47. One of Us (4)
48. The Look of Silence (5)
49. Oklahoma City (4.5)
50. Loving Vincent (4)
51. Lady Bird (5)
52. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (4)
53. The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2)
54. The Disaster Artist (5)*
55. The Shape of Water (4)
56. 32 Pills: My Sister's Suicide (4)
57. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (5)
That's right: 5 whole extra movies!!
One nice pattern over the course of 2017 is that I kept up a pretty consistent pace in my movie-watching throughout. I was further enabled in my movie consumption by finally putting into place some quality-of-life-enhancing limits on work, which had the desired effect of giving me more time to do things that matter to me and more space to feel in balance. Yay!!
So let's start off by taking a look at the sub-optimal movies I saw in 2017:
For having a lot of potential to be interesting
but ultimately being about a self-pitying murderer/coward rich guy, which: NOPE:
Frantz (2016)
For creating the cringeyest flute scene imaginable:
Alien: Covenant (2017)
For drowning in toxic masculinity and also
for completely erasing the existence of enslaved men and women in the context of the Civil War
and instead centering on the plight of white women making dumb decisions??,
or more succinctly: For super problematic white feminism:
The Beguiled (2017)
For being the kind of film about which my most glowing praise includes
"It is a movie that exists," and "It is short":
Masterminds (2016)
For blunt force boringness:
The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin (2014)
In some ways I'm oddly disappointed to have so few entries in this category this year. It can be entertaining to hate on movies that were particularly bad. On the other hand, it feels kind of ridiculous to be unhappy I was fortunate enough to see many movies I really enjoyed. Obviously this is in most ways the best outcome in reflecting on a year of viewership.
This year, I'm inclined to make my choice based on the egregiousness of the not-greatness. This year's choice for worst movie had a great cast. Its director previously created a movie I enjoyed (and that has a pretty solid, atmospheric soundtrack). And it exists in ignorance of the question, "Can we seriously please work on our intersectional allyship and not make white people the center of everything especially when it's really inappropriate??"
The worst movie I saw in 2017 was therefore:
And next!
Compared to the number of not-so-great movies, I had the exact opposite problem in 2017: SO MANY GOOD MOVIES.
NO.
TOO MANY GOOD MOVIES.
It actually is really exciting to have this level of challenge in choosing the best movie of the year! The best-rated movies I watched in 2017 were:
Arrival (2016)
Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart (2014)
Hidden Figures (2016)
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
The Innocents (2016)
I Called Him Morgan (2016)
Step (2017)
Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators (2017)
Paris is Burning (1990)
Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race and America (2016)
The Look of Silence (2014)
Oklahoma City (2017)
Lady Bird (2017)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
In looking at this list, one pattern that emerges is the incidence of true-crime related documentaries like "There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane," "Mommy Dead and Dearest," "Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart," "Oklahoma City," and "I Called Him Morgan" (although this last film is much broader than to only focus on the death of legendary jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan). "The Look of Silence" is a particularly impactful entry in this sub-category of the year's great movies, as through the lens of one man's brave confrontations of the perpetrators of his brother's brutal murder, the film's sweeping scope encompasses the Indonesian genocide of the 1960s.
There are also entries that testify to inspiring lady badassery. "The Innocents" tells the chilling and complex true story of a convent of Polish nuns who were sexually assaulted by Russian soldiers and the French woman doctor who came to their aid. The latest "Star Wars" is a testament to the compelling power of a young woman jedi surrounded by a diverse cast packed with commanding women and people of color. "Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators" tells the surprising story of the couple who created Curious George, including their harrowing escape from Nazi-invaded Paris by bicycle, and Margret Rey's formidable dedication to keeping her husband's legacy alive (it also happens to feature work by two awesome friends of mine). "Hidden Figures" uplifts the brilliance, resilience, and self-determination of the Black women who made major NASA missions possible.
* This list unfortunately includes an entry that is now clearly problematic due to the involvement of James Franco, who has been accused of sexual misconduct. I learned of these allegations after seeing "The Disaster Artist." It really sucks when great projects are tarnished by the unacceptable and avoidable exploitive misbehavior of the people involved. It of course sucks way more that this behavior impacts their colleagues and can destroy the careers of people who deserved to work unexploited. The good news: there are so many other movies to see and voices to be heard and we as audience members and ticket-buyers can make ever more informed choices.
And here is where I've gotten stuck over and over again in making my decision. I think I'm ready to make my choice, but first I want to highlight some very close competitors:
"Step" is a deeply compelling, heart-gripping documentary about young women in Baltimore brought together through their high school's step team. As the first graduating class at their all-girls charter school, the pressure is on for each portrayed team member to make it into college despite the significant barriers presented by poverty. It is a beautiful and clear-eyed portrait of the city of Baltimore as well as the young people boldly fighting to make better lives for themselves.
You may already know my feelings about "Kedi." Honesty time: I cried just watching the trailer for this movie. I am perhaps too invested in cats. I was already so moved by the gorgeous footage of street cats in Istanbul that I had no idea what a deeper and soul-soothing gift this film would be because of the testimonials of the custodians of the portrayed animals. It is such a beautiful portrayal of compassionate, care-taking masculinity and therefore a film this world desperately needs.
My favorite movie of 2017, however, is a film I deeply wish every American would see. It gives an incisive overview of the history and current state of race relations in America and is therefore an excellent and critical primer for anyone wishing to understand better the ongoing legacy and impact of racism in this nation. It is not an easy film, but it is a necessary film.
My favorite movie of 2017 is:
Looking forward to another year of great movies with you, friends.
{Heart}
PS: Here's one of my favorite clips of James Baldwin from "I Am Not Your Negro." It's a great concise argument to have in your back pocket (or handy on your cell phone) for any time someone tries to say racism doesn't exist in America.
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