Movies seen in 2017
This is my attempt at listing and ordering (from best to worst) all the recent movies I've seen in 2017. A few notable exceptions:
- Your Name and Diamond Island, both released in late 2016 and finally seen in the first days of 2017, are not appearing here.
- Numéro Une, Visages Villages, Faute d'Amour and Barbara, all released throughout 2017 and finally seen during their comeback in theaters in mid-January 2018, are present on this list.
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- DirectorDamien ChazelleStarsRyan GoslingEmma StoneRosemarie DeWittWhile navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.Starting with this one, these are the movies I label "exceptional".
The film broke my heart.
It's been a year and I still have the songs stuck in my head.
Damien Chazelle is on fire. - DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHarrison FordRyan GoslingAna de ArmasYoung Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.I had high expectations, but Villeneuve did it again. Most beautiful movie of the year, easily.
Also, Gosling broke my heart again. It sure looks like he had a great year. - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsAndrew GarfieldAdam DriverLiam NeesonIn the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.At this point, Scorsese can pretty much take on any project and turn it into three hours of pure intensity. Oh and it was cool to see him direct somebody else than Leo and Bobby.
- DirectorRuben ÖstlundStarsClaes BangElisabeth MossDominic WestA prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit.I'm not going to see that every year, but I agree with the 2017 Cannes Palme d'or.
Maybe it's just me but watching people plotting to exact justice in their Tesla while listening to Justice is pretty much all I ever wanted. - DirectorDavid LeitchStarsCharlize TheronJames McAvoyJohn GoodmanAn undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.In a time of insane editing in blockbusters, we still get the odd movie with amazingly-choreographed fights in long shots. Plus a badass Charlize Theron.
- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsDaisy RidleyJohn BoyegaMark HamillRey develops her abilities with the help of Luke Skywalker, as the Resistance prepares for battle against the First Order.I'll be the first to admit this didn't go in the direction I wanted, but holy shit, Johnson sure brought a lotta energy to the sequel trilogy, with many twists and gags. As well as two jaw-dropping sequences which explained the obsession over one color by the marketing department...
- DirectorJordan PeeleStarsDaniel KaluuyaAllison WilliamsBradley WhitfordA young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.Starting with this one, these are the movies I label "very good".
Who would've thought a year ago that Jordan Peele would be the hottest new director? And for a thriller, no less. - DirectorTom FordStarsAmy AdamsJake GyllenhaalMichael ShannonA wealthy art gallery owner is haunted by her ex-husband's novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.This got us talking for quite a while. And what an opening...
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsAnsel ElgortJon BernthalJon HammAfter being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.The music and the editing were pure joy. Such fun, such energy!
- DirectorLee UnkrichAdrian MolinaStarsAnthony GonzalezGael García BernalBenjamin BrattAspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.Pixar did it again. Who didn't shed a tear? Who?
- DirectorJames MangoldStarsHugh JackmanPatrick StewartDafne KeenIn a future where mutants are nearly extinct, an elderly and weary Logan leads a quiet life. But when Laura, a mutant child pursued by scientists, comes to him for help, he must get her to safety.Hugh Jackman sure picked a good movie to retire from the Wolverine role.
- DirectorBarry JenkinsStarsMahershala AliNaomie HarrisTrevante RhodesA young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.Totally deserves all the praise it got. Thank the Maker for Mahershala Ali.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsJennifer LawrenceJavier BardemEd HarrisA couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.I get the hate, but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsBrooklynn PrinceBria VinaiteWillem DafoeSet over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.Turns out Willem Dafoe can play a nice guy. I hope he'll get his Oscar.
- DirectorYorgos LanthimosStarsBarry G. BernsonHerb CaillouetBill CampSteven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.This was very very frustrating. But in a good way.
- DirectorJohn Carroll LynchStarsHarry Dean StantonDavid LynchRon LivingstonLucky follows the spiritual journey of a 90-year-old atheist and the quirky characters that inhabit his off the map desert town."Realism is a thing!"
'nuff said. - DirectorMehdi IdirGrand Corps MaladeStarsPablo PaulySoufiane GuerrabMoussa MansalyPatients is the story of a rebirth, a chaotic journey of victories and defeats, tears and bursts of laughter, but above all encounters: we do not heal alone.I didn't think I would be this invested in a vague Grand Corps Malade biopic.
- DirectorGuillaume GallienneStarsAdeline D'HermyVanessa ParadisAlice PolMaryline wasn't always given the best luck in life, but she certainly has a talent for acting. Too humble and sensitive to embrace her natural fit, she can't help but make an impression on every artist she meets on her path.I still don't get why people didn't connect with this movie.
- DirectorAndrey ZvyagintsevStarsMaryana SpivakAleksey RozinMatvey NovikovA couple going through a divorce must team up to find their son who has disappeared during one of their bitter arguments.My first experience with this director. Very calm, yet very intense.
- DirectorRobin CampilloStarsNahuel Pérez BiscayartArnaud ValoisAdèle HaenelMembers of the advocacy group ACT UP Paris demand action by the government and pharmaceutical companies to combat the AIDS epidemic in the early 1990s.Nahuel Pérez Biscayart is clearly the breakout star of this year. He was mesmerizing.
- DirectorJames GrayStarsCharlie HunnamRobert PattinsonSienna MillerA true-life drama, centering on British explorer Major Percival Fawcett, who disappeared whilst searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s.OMG that last shot.
- DirectorAndy MuschiettiStarsBill SkarsgårdJaeden MartellFinn WolfhardIn the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town.Nobody saw it coming. Haha.
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJohn BoyegaAnthony MackieAlgee SmithFact-based drama set during the 1967 Detroit riots in which a group of rogue police officers respond to a complaint with retribution rather than justice on their minds.I hate to say it but Bigelow's got it.
- DirectorPatrick ImbertBenjamin RennerStarsGuillaume DarnaultDamien WiteckaKamel AbdessadokWhoever thinks that the countryside is calm and peaceful is mistaken. In it we find especially agitated animals, a Fox that thinks it's a chicken, a Rabbit that acts like a stork, and a Duck who wants to replace Father Christmas. If you want to take a vacation, keep driving past this place.Entertaining and very fresh.
"T'es qu'un sac à caca !" - DirectorTarik SalehStarsFares FaresMari MalekYasser Ali MaherA maid witnesses a murder at an upscale hotel and a policeman is assigned to the case, but it soon becomes clear that important people don't want the case solved.A Swedish-Danish-German movie filmed in Morocco which takes place in Egypt. How about that?