Top 15 Best Movies of 2017 (Updated)

Article by Gabe Zia
So by now we're well into 2018, Black Panther comes out in a few weeks and 2017 will be a thing of the past. Which is why before we move into the new year, I wanted to take some time to talk about my personal favorite movies of 2017. Now I know this is coming a little later than it usually does, I wanted to take a little extra time to do some catching up, I mean why bother even writing this blog if I don't want to put some extra effort into finding less mainstream content.

Honorable Mentions

Columbus

From its soft visuals, to its amazingly well captured sound editing, the best way I can describe Colombus is that it's comfortable. It's so comfy and relaxing that it might very quickly put you to sleep, but it has the writing chops to keep you engaged enough so that you don't.

Train to Busan

With zombie movies being the most overdone concept since alien invasion movies, the idea that one could come out in 2017 and still manage to impress me seems like kind of a joke. Luckily, Train to Busan manages to accomplish this and much more with an intelligent script, great characters, functional monster horror, and a great isolated story.

A Ghost Story

Something I've talked about on this blog pretty often is the rule of "show don't tell", and no movie in 2017 captures the essence of why that should be a rule and not a guideline, with only a few lines of dialogue in it's entire 90 minute running time. The story is entirely told visually and emotionally, and it's one of the best stories of the year.

Wheelman

In a year with a series of really bad Netflix original films, Wheelman stands out as a simple, fun, entertaining little action movie. It's not the most ambitious project nor does it have much in the way of nuance or cinematic value, but it doesn't need to be, it knows its a fun action movie, and for that it serves its purpose perfectly.

#15
Tickled

I saw a few documentaries in 2017, but this is the only one that to me is good enough to make this list. Tickled follows a New Zealand journalist who discovers a strange series of tickling competition videos on the internet, and after deciding to follow up on them out of sheer curiosity, stumbles into a strange hidden world that most people wouldn't even think could exist. One of my criterias for judging a documentary film is whether or not the subject and the way it's showed through the documentary could be as interesting or as entertaining if it were a normal fictional movie, and in this case Tickled is a movie I feel would qualify. This documentary is strange, extremely engaging, surprisingly thrilling, and keeps you interested until the end. This isn't just another one of those classroom documentaries, it's not a doc you're going to have to put any effort into enjoying, it's engaging and extremely fascinating totally on its own. Tickled is available on HBO's streaming service, Itunes, and Amazon.

#14
Split

After Unbreakable, it really seemed like M. Night Shyamalan was on an irreversible downward spiral, with commercial flop after flop and critical disaster after disaster, the idea that he would make a comeback so good that it would be easily among his early much better work was more of a joke than a feasible reality. So the fact that not only does Shyamalans most recent directorial effort break that streak of bad projects, it's also a pretty great horror thriller at that. Whether or not it's the most medically accurate movie ever made is another debate for another time, but on the surface level Split presents a pretty compelling thriller featuring smart characters and a frightening villain, and on a more deeper level Split also delivers a pretty scathing commentary on the way the mentally ill are treated by both people who just aren't aware about their conditions or the people who might be too concerned with winning those sweet sweet scientific accolades than putting real care into their treatments. It's not exactly perfect but it's perfect for what it's supposed to be, and I can't wait for the sequel in 2019. Split is currently available on most streaming services aside from Netflix and is available on DVD.

#13
The Square

After 2014's Force Majeure, I was very excited to see where Ruben Ostlunds career as a director took him next, and his most recent film The Square doesn't disappoint. While it's arguably the least accessible movie on the list considering just how bizarre and surreal its take on the world of modern art is, the obscurity and overall strange nature of how everything is executed in this movie is what makes it so engaging. The Square follows a curator of a modern art museum in a week surrounding a big art exhibit, telling the story of both the controversies and weird art showcases in his museum as well as a more personal story of him trying to recover his cell phone after it gets stolen. And for a story that sounds so tediously mundane, there's never a dull moment with this movie. Every scene is a whole new weird scenario for this character to have to deal with, even in scenarios that should in concept play out in a fairly mundane way always have a weird twist or angle to them that adds to the bizarre atmosphere of this movie. It's extremely entertaining, but in a way that keeps you focused on its story and characters just as much as its weirder moments. It's currently available on Amazons streaming service, so if you think you're in the mood for something a bit out there definitely check this one out.

#12
Raw

This movie was at the centre of a lot of controversy during its run at film festivals last year due to its apparently very graphic content, to the point that some viewers reportedly passed out during the film. And while this alone got me fairly excited for this movie as a big fan of horror, but when I saw the actual movie it struck me that this movie is a lot more than a simple gory midnight movie horror film. Beneath its gory, violent exterior is a fascinating and chillingly constructed character study. Raw follows a recently registered veterinary student who, following a strange hazing ritual by her classmates, develops a fixation for raw meat, and eventually this devolves into more cannibalistic tendencies. Where a movie like Green Inferno would take a more shock value approach to this, what makes Raw as intriguing as it is is how reserved it is in its gorier moments. Raw is pretty much available everywhere by now, so if it sounds like your kind of thing, I highly recommend it.

#11
Wind River

After Sicario and Hell or High Water showcased Taylor Sheridans talent as a writer, it was a no brainer that his directorial debut, Wind River, would be very well written. Wind River follows the story of a hunter tasked with tracking down suspects who could be involved in a local murder on a First Nations reserve. What I didn't totally expect was how much it would show off his competence as a director. It's clear that he's learned a lot about the craft working with talents like Denis Villeneuve and David Mackenzie, his capability with direction is so good that it almost seems impossible that this could be his first go at it. Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen deliver fantastic performances in the lead roles, both of them showing arguably their best acting I've seen so-far. Wind River is pretty much available anywhere by now, if you haven't seen it, it's definitely worth watching.

#10
Logan Lucky

Steven Soderbergh's comeback from directing retirement was some of the best movie news I'd heard all year, and his comeback movie being a heist movie was icing on the cake. Unlike something like Oceans Eleven where the film follows a crew of exceptionally smart and especially talented people who are seemingly perfect for their roles in the heist, Logan Lucky is about a group of rednecks attempting to pull off a major bank heist, and if anything, watching this group of people who aren't as well equipped for the job as a group of white collar bomb experts and hackers is surprisingly compelling. Not to mention Soderbergh's script for this movie is absolutely hilarious, out of all the comedies in 2017 this is the one I enjoyed the most. Logan Lucky didn't make nearly as much money as it should have so if you find the opportunity definitely check this one out.

#9
Coco

I'm going to be honest, of the movies on this list, Coco was the one I was the most surprised by. I wasn't expecting a surprise from Pixar this year, with their other movie this year being a third Cars movie. So I was delighted when I watched Coco and saw not only has Pixar delivered arguably their best movie since The Incredibles, but also the second best animated movie of 2017. Coco follows the story of a young boy named Miguel who, by the magic of a guitar, is transported to the land of the dead, and goes on a journey to meet the spirit of his grandfather in order to get back to the real world. For every point this movie earns for its amazing animation, it doubles that with its amazing story and world. It also has pretty great music and sound to boot, every little detail both visual and audio has had a lot of thought and work put into it and the result is one of the most visually colorful and emotionally beautiful movies of the year. Coco is still playing in some theatres and comes out digitally in a week, Coco is one of the best movies of the year, and it's definitely worth checking out.

#8
Murder on the Orient Express

I only watched this movie last night on TV, and I quickly regretted not seeing it in theatres. Having never read the book or seen any adaptations, I was lucky to not know the ending of this movie going into it, and oh boy was it ever worth it. Kenneth Branagh has continued to be one of the best directors working today, his unique and visually striking style shining throughout this movie. This is the story that originated the whodunnit mystery, and so its kind of to be expected that a director as great as Branagh combined with the writing of Agatha Christie comes together in a beautiful, intense, and interesting movie. I know this isn't the most popular movie on this list, but for what it was, I absolutely loved it.

#7
The Shape of Water

Guillermo Del Toro is one of my personal favorite directors of all-time, every one of his movies is an absolute visual marvel, from the beautiful and surreal visuals he uses with the camera, to the detailed and gorgeous monsters and creatures he uses in his movie. While The Shape of Water is less invested in its fantasy world than some of his other movies, it's still arguably his best movie yet. The Shape of Water follows a mute janitor working for a government facility who discovers a sentient aquatic creature housed in the facility, who she quickly grows very attached to, and tries to help escape. This movie has an ethereal quality to it, all the visuals are filmed in this very soft tone, giving the whole movie a kind of dreamlike magical quality to it, and while you're watching the movie this effect really shows. Of the movies on the list this is the only one that I can recommend primarily for the audio visual experience, which is one of the most entrancing and beautiful experiences you can have with a movie all year. The Shape of Water is still playing in theatres, so if you're looking for something new to watch, this is definitely something to keep an eye out for.

#6
The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Ever since 2015's The Lobster I've been waiting eagerly to see Yorgos Lanthimos's next project. While the first half of The Lobster was utterly amazing, the second half felt jarringly different and altogether kind of disappointing considering its very strong first act. All of my wishes for Lanthimos and then some came true with Killing of a Sacred Deer. Instead of separating the two, Lanthimos has blended his two strongest assets - dark comedy and straight up disturbingly dark and bleak - to create this dark and twisted near-perfect film. This movie is creepy, haunting, but never does it fall to the usual pitfalls that mark horror projects, while most horror films go after really scaring you, The Killing of a Sacred Deer does its job simply by making the viewer uncomfortable, which in my opinion is a much more memorable experience. While it may be just a bit too dark for some, for those willing to watch its strange and unsettling story, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is more than worth watching.

#5
Call Me By Your Name

I think what surprised me the most about Call Me By Your Name is how simple and down to Earth every touch and detail about it is. And I would go so far as to argue that this films focus on the little things as opposed to big sweeping dramatism is what makes it so special, why so many people love this movie. The romantic moments between these two characters are only more emphasized by how real and downright honest this whole movie feels while watching it. This is one of the only movies this year where never once did I lose the illusion that I was watching a movie, this entire experience felt like I was a fly on the wall, not a guy in a theatre watching. I couldn't get enough of this movie and I loved every second of it, which is nothing if not a good sign for the next four movies that have to follow it.

#4
Get Out

While normally the hipster in me would look at a box office success that everyone seemingly unanimously loved and try to be as cynical as possible about it - if you need proof of this look no further than Dunkirk, Baby Driver, or War for the Planet of the Apes appearing nowhere on this list. But Get Out was one of the few sensational hits of 2017 I can say was absolutely more than worth the universal praise it got, Get Out is through and through a master class of horror filmmaking. This is the most rewatchable movie of 2017 by far, I know for me at least I'm always picking up on new details in the story every time I watch the movie, and it's always worth appreciating seeing such a level of care and thought put into a story that details exist where the audience might potentially not even notice them if they only watched it one time. I would say I'd recommend Get Out, but chances are you've already seen it. If you haven't seen it, it's absolutely worth watching, go check it out.

#3
A Silent Voice

As per usual, there's always a couple movies a year I just can't bring myself to decide between, which usually end up circling the top spot (in 2015 it was Fury Road and Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl for example), and this year that kind of describes my top 3 favorites. In my opinion, these next three movies are practically interchangeable and perfect in every way, I've only ordered them the way they're ordered because it's still a list and there needed to be an order to them. Starting off my top 3 is by far the most emotional movie I watched in 2017. A Silent Voice follows a young man trying to reconcile with his past and with a deaf girl he used to bully to a pretty harsh degree when they were both kids. However, the story quickly goes from the sort of sappy soap opera you'd expect from that premise to a far more personal and emotional story about this guy who's only real goal seems to be to try to forget about or put the past behind him, even though he's constantly aware of it and can never really put it behind him. It's clear a lot of thought was put into writing this character to be a lot more emotionally complex than the standard complexities you'd get from a depressed 20-something. A lot of the raw emotion in this movie comes from its simpler moments, just seeing a character being generally sad with subtle expressions is a lot more powerful than a character doing a big sweeping loud emotional gesture, because the simpler more subtle things feel a lot more real. And despite this movie being animated and having some of the cliches present in its genre, it's up there with Call Me By Your Name as being another one of the most genuine and emotional movies of the year.

#2
IT

IT was easily the biggest surprise for 2017 as far as I'm concerned. While I'm a huge horror fan, modern mainstream horror rarely - if ever - impresses me. With exception to Lights Out, Oculus, Hush, and It Follows, there haven't been many great horror movies in the last few years (with exception to 2017 since 6 horror movies are on this list). So when I saw IT and saw how utterly fantastic and truly scary it actually was I was completely thrilled. Pennywise is a lot more than just another horror mascot in this movie from everything right down to tiny possibly unnoticed details this is a terrifying and imposing monster. Right down to the eyes, which have had some really impressive effects done to make them look almost separate from the rest of his body, which just makes the whole creature unsettling to look at. Of the horror in 2017 this is one where I actually had trouble sleeping afterwards. It's so clever and creative with its horror constructs and story structure that it had to be here on this list. And it wouldn't be this high if not for its amazing cast of characters as well. This is hands down the best acting from kid actors I have ever seen, each of these characters have great dynamics and personalities and the actors playing them bring a level of commitment and emotional presence to their role that even most adult actors fail to bring, let alone kid actors. While IT didn't emotionally resonate with me the same way Call Me By Your Name, A Silent Voice, or my #1 does it certainly left me with a feeling of dread like no other, and I absolutely can't wait for the sequel. And while we're on the topic of sequels....

#1 Favorite Movie of 2017
Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve has released a movie for every year for five years in a row now (2013 - Prisoners, 2014 - Enemy, 2015 - Sicario, 2016 - Arrival), and every single one of them has been a perfect blend of striking technical filmmaking and brilliant storytelling, 2049 being no exception to this. This is one of the most interesting and beautiful science fiction films ever made, and it's all the more shocking considering it had to follow the original Blade Runner - a film many science fiction fans consider a timeless classic. It's hard to follow a movie like that, and even harder to attempt to surpass it, but 2049 does it without even breaking a sweat. Where other pseudo-philosophical movies have little more ambition than to make hipsters stroke their beards with questions about god and belief, 2049 has a much deeper, much more interesting, and much more personal philosophies to call to question. I won't get into the details of what exactly it's calling to question, since the third act of this movie is so unabashedly genius that I would not DARE risk spoiling it. It's a shame that most of what I absolute love and adore about this movie delves into spoiler territory, but I insist that going into this one as blind as possible is really the best possible way to experience it. Story aside, the visuals and music in this movie are a force to behold. Roger Deakins is a man who has been cheated again and again for the best cinematography oscar, and I hope he wins it this time because there isn't a single shot in this movie I would be against screenshotting and hanging up on a wall, every frame of this movie is drool-inducingly beautiful, with some of the most thoughtful shot composition and gorgeous vibrant colours oozing out of every second of scene. Blade Runner 2049 isn't just the best movie of 2017, it's the one that most deserves to be watched, fan of the original or not, it's one of the few movies up there with Her, Arrival, or Snowpiercer from the last few years I can easily describe as being truly perfect and without flaw. If you haven't already seen it, maybe the three hour runntime seems too long or maybe you just didn't like the original, I hope you reconsider about this movie because it's a one of a kind experience, the kind of movie I wish I could erase all memory of seeing just so I could go back and re-experience watching it for the first time.