The Best Movies of 2017 (so far...)
We have a sizable chunk of 2017 behind us, and it's slowly revealing itself through the fog. The quality movies from this year so far have absolutely nothing in common except for the ability, one in which we should never take for granted, to reach out and enthrall an audience.
Some movies just kind of sit there, as easily forgotten as they were to watch. But not these films. These films feel alive.
The Lego Batman Movie- This film does what Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (that title...) failed to do: humanize the Caped Crusader while still celebrating what it is that makes us drawn to him in. The Lego Batman Movie may not reach the delirious heights of its predecessor, but it's an absolute treat. Few comedies require repeat viewings. This one positively demands it.
I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore- I've written about this film in length in a previous blog entry, so I won't go into too much more detail about it here. Suffice it to say, the film is great. There are shades of Fargo and Miller's Crossing in how it is able to balance two seemingly-opposing tones: the comic and the tragic. I can't wait for Macon Blair's next film.
John Wick: Chapter 2- The best action movie since The Raid: Redemption. John Wick: Chapter 2 may be relentless in its violence, but don't be fooled: there's beauty and humanity all throughout the film. Look out for one action scene toward the end that takes places in a house of mirrors. It's one of the most impressive sequences you will see all year.
Get Out- An instant horror classic. So many things coalesce so effortlessly that it's easy to forget just how much it accomplishes: it's an effective horror film, a great comedy, and an engaging social commentary. Between this film, It Follows, The Bababook, and the upcoming It Comes At Night, it's becoming increasingly clear that we are living in some sort of horror film renaissance. This film proves what many film fans have known for year: some horror movies aren't an escape from the real world; they're a great way to actively engage with it.
Logan- This film did something I did not expect a film under the Marvel banner to ever do: it played some of the same notes as Alfonso Cuaron's excellent, heart-breaking Children of Men. Like that film, Logan's (and Logan's) triumphs come from ensuring that the next generation does not make the same mistakes. It's the tale of a violent loop that must be closed through sacrifice and a (final?) blood-letting. Tense, brutal, poignant, but overflowing with satisfying action beats, Logan will surely be one of the great action films of 2017. And rarely has a film ended on a more perfect (and fitting) image. Hope remains.
Kong: Skull Island- This film takes the complete opposite of approach of Gareth Edwards's 2014 Godzilla: instead of keeping the titular monsters offscreen until the right moment, Jordan Vogt-Roberts throws Kong right up onscreen near the start and keeps him there. That's the right choice. If Godzilla has a mysterious, otherworldly quality, King Kong needs our empathy to work. Throw in an overqualified cast, detailed effects work, and a sense of adventure you don't see nearly enough, Kong: Skull Island is a fine matinee.
Win It All- A return to the somewhat rougher aesthetic of his earlier pictures, Joe Swanberg's tale of a gambler's one last shot at redemption has been called his most "conventional" film. Of course, what is conventional for Swanberg is mightily esoteric for other filmmakers. The film still has wonderful detours that are all his own. As with his other films, the pleasures come not from high-concepts, but from the performances. Even though this film might have more "plot" than his other work, the joy comes from watching actors engaging in an effortless (and perhaps improvised) back-and-forth. We hear a lot from filmmakers about "versimilitude." Win It All is absolutely lousy with it.
