2017 Top
Listing personal favourites from the year 2017
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- 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.A theme of this year seems to be gorgeous movies. This one creates a dystopian world so ugly its beautiful. //
By the end, I’m just completely exhausted by the beauty and utter ridiculousness of the concept of humanity... - DirectorNobuhiko ÔbayashiStarsShunsuke KubozukaShinnosuke MitsushimaKeishi NagatsukaFulfilling his filmmaking dream of 40 years, Nobuhiko Obayashi's luminous new feature "Hanagatami" delivers a timeless story of the pureness of youth beset by the chaos of war.It was honestly quite hypnotising. One of the most unique movie wathing experiences. //
When I first saw this film couple of years ago, it was unlike anything I had ever seen. I hadn’t seen many movies back then and the films I had were mostly Hollywood blockbusters. It was so unlike anything, that I had no idea whether I hated it or loved it. But it stayed in my mind so strongly and finally I had the chance to see it again.
It was unlike anything I had seen back then and now that I’ve seen a bit more films, it still feels totally unique. Where ”House” is Obayashi’s playfully silly nightmare, ”Hanagatami” is his playfully silly dream with dark undertones. When I first saw the film, a lot of it didn’t make sense to me, and it still doesn’t. But I don’t mind that too much, because the film works for me so strongly on a subconcious level. The story is really surreal and it flows like a dream. The film constantly breaks filmmaking norms such as the 180-degree rule and the pacing of the cuts is really odd, but it just... works. The visual style is one of the most distinctive I have seen. Like in ”House” the film uses a ton of special effects, but it doesn’t care if those effects look realistic or not. The visual style, the music, the whimsical yet tragic characters just accomplish something that is beyond explanation. - DirectorPaul SchraderStarsEthan HawkeAmanda SeyfriedCedric The EntertainerA minister of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past.Such a melancholic movie. Aesthetically gorgeous. Keeps you thinking about it afterwards. // I very much like the consistency of the ascetic tone this movie has in every aspect MOSTLY throughout this film. The camera barely moves at all and the cuts are very sparse. The acting is never overly dramatic and the settings are very bland and colorless. I'm indifferent about the "hallucination" scene, I really don't know what to think about it. Overall, it's wonderfully interesting, relevant character study of a man in despair.
- DirectorDavid LoweryStarsCasey AffleckRooney MaraMcColm Cephas Jr.In this singular exploration of legacy, love, loss, and the enormity of existence, a recently deceased, white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to try to reconnect with his bereft wife.A very challenging movie that can be appreciated on so many levels. Already waiting to see it again and explore new things about it.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsFionn WhiteheadBarry KeoghanMark RylanceAllied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.Another visually splendid movie, especially the dogfights in the air are SOO gorgeous. /// Indeed one of the most beautiful looking film and it's also beautiful in other ways. The storytelling is very concise as there is very little dialogue and every scene adds to the story. The dialogue used is also excellent. The film is also very realistic as in everything is balanced: the visuals are gorgeous, the stuff happening is horrendous. Plenty of the soldiers are saved but plenty are sacrificed. I especially respected the scene in the end where the boat must run off because of the oil and plenty of soldiers have a horrifying death. That's life.
- DirectorTrey Edward ShultsStarsJoel EdgertonChristopher AbbottCarmen EjogoSecure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, a man has established a tenuous domestic order with his wife and son. Then a desperate young family arrives seeking refuge.So dark. Absolutely fantastically acted characters that all feel real.
- 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.So weird in every way but it still feels grounded. It's very tense and has some excellent, very dark humor. All of the performances are excellent, and consistent. It's very ambiguous and leaves a lot of room for discussion.
- DirectorBenny SafdieJosh SafdieStarsRobert PattinsonBenny SafdieJennifer Jason LeighAfter a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Connie Nikas embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld to get his brother Nick out of jail.One of the most depressing, rather nihilistic films I have ever seen. There is no positive note. It was also psychedelic as hell. It made me feel like I wanted to throw up, with all the contrasting colors, relentless close-ups and overpowering technomusic. Really pushing the boundaries is what this film does.
- 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.One of Pixars best. Heartwarming animation that explores sensitive matters in such a delightful way.
- DirectorAku LouhimiesStarsEero AhoJohannes HolopainenJussi VatanenA film adaptation of Väinö Linna's best selling novel The Unknown Soldier (1954) and the novel's unedited manuscript version, Sotaromaani.A movie that I have a national connection to. Great remake without trying to be different for the sake of it.
- DirectorDK WelchmanHugh WelchmanStarsDouglas BoothJerome FlynnRobert GulaczykIn a story depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.Visually something I haven't seen alike ever before. I loved every second of it mostly due to the visuals. // Didn't holp up as well on a re-watch. The story is quite uninteresting and there isn't much nuance to it. It's very much a tonal piece which I still enjoyed greatly. The visuals are just astounding.
- DirectorPaul KingStarsBen WhishawHugh GrantHugh BonnevillePaddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.Incredbly sweet, heartwarming movie in which every technical department shines. The performances are vivid, the colors create an extremely welcoming feel to it and the cinematograpy and editing is suprising. It is well written in the sense that everything that is set up earlier has a puropse later on. It's especially funny as well. I just wish it decided to explore themes that weren't so similar if not the same compared to the first Paddington movie.
- 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.The visual style is extremely well utilitized to tell the story. The colorful motels and gift shops and beautiful nature is what the kids of the movie see. As someone pointed out to me, Moonee, however isn’t oblivious of the harsh reality of the real world. There are plenty of suggestions by the way she acts in certain situations that she has experienced a lot of harmful experiences. I love how inherently dark this movie is by portraying everything in such a naturalistic way. Everything feels genuine and in fact most of the acting was improved to enhance the feeling of naturalism. It tells a powerful story in an imaginative way but I’m not 100% sold on the ending and not 100% sure if the first half of the film needs to be so long.
- DirectorArmando IannucciStarsSteve BuscemiSimon Russell BealeJeffrey TamborMoscow, 1953. After being in power for nearly 30 years, Soviet dictator, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, takes ill and quickly dies. Now the members of the Council of Ministers scramble for power.Despite my general lack of knowledge in politics and soviet history, I still found this movie extremely funny at times. I believe I would have enjoyed it even more had I been educated beforehand.
- DirectorYûya IshiiStarsShizuka IshibashiSôsuke IkematsuRyûhei MatsudaNewcomer Shizuka Ishibashi throws herself into the role of Mika, a nurse by day, a 'girlie bar' hostess by night, subject to feelings of anxiety and isolation, and unable to reach through a hard outer shell that stops her from expressing tenderness to anyone else. Sosuke Ikematsu, one of Japan's most important young actors, stars as Shinji, who struggles as a day-hire construction worker with a sense of impending doom, but who still tries to find the source of an unnamable hope he feels inside. The setting is Tokyo in 2017, where empty words, a sense of doom, and feelings of isolation co-exist with hope, trust, and love. In the sense of real life conjured up in these two people is a new kind of film: the densest kind of love story.The Tokyo Night Sky Is Always the Densest Shade of Blue is a film with enough things I dislike about it that I shouldn’t like it this much by any means. I found the script to be quite jumpy and unfocused and there are some ideas presented in awkwardly straightforward ways. The film presents a lot of ideas, but doesn’t really delve deep into any of them; but this actually works in favor of the film, because it’s consistent with the personality of our 2 main characters. Talking about the two characters, I found them really interesting, especially Mika. The performances and craftmanship behind the film are full of heart and passion, which really translated well onto me. I mentioned some things I disliked about the film, but the gentleness and honesty of its most powerful scenes made me feel really positively about the film as a whole.
- DirectorAdrian BuitenhuisDerik MurrayStarsHeath LedgerBen HarperKim LedgerFriends and family of the late actor Heath Ledger remember his life and career.It tells the story of an INCREDIBLY inspirational man in a way that is interesting, entertaining and tender but doesn't draw much attention to itself, letting Heath Ledger and people close to him take the central stage. This works because of how special Heath Ledger was. I have never lost anyone close to me and I can't imagine what it would have felt like to lose someone like Heath Ledger.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsGary OldmanLily JamesKristin Scott ThomasIn May 1940, the fate of World War II hangs on Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Adolf Hitler, or fight on knowing that it could mean the end of the British Empire.It tells an interesting story in a very solid yet quite formulaic biopic fashion.
- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsFrances McDormandWoody HarrelsonSam RockwellA mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.Very dark, dark-comedy drama. The characters are all layered and there is real change in them. The thing I like the most that no-one is absolutely good, every character is flawed but most have reasons for it.
- DirectorStephen ChboskyStarsJacob TremblayOwen WilsonIzabela VidovicBased on the New York Times bestseller, this movie tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters the fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.Mostly managed to balance the super thin line between the movie feeling important, not pretentious and engaging. Most of the character felt like real people and the acting was very good, especially from the adults. Some of the messages it conveys, however, seem a bit counterintuitive and ill-meaning.
- DirectorPatty JenkinsStarsGal GadotChris PineRobin WrightWhen a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.A suberb theme for the titular character. Some nice action also make for a very watchable superheroine movie.
- 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.Very dark take on a superhero movie is fresh. A re-watch will probably see this movie take a higher place.
- DirectorTaylor SheridanStarsElizabeth OlsenJeremy RennerGraham GreeneA wildlife officer, who is haunted by a tragedy that happened because of him, teams up with an FBI agent in solving a murder of a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reservation and hopes to get redemption from his past regrets.It creates atmosphere wonderfully, but certain paths it takes feel like a misstep and the script feels too shallow.
- DirectorJames FrancoStarsJames FrancoDave FrancoAri GraynorWhen aspiring actor Greg Sestero meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.Funny story about a funny man is told in too safe fashion.
- DirectorGreta GerwigStarsSaoirse RonanLaurie MetcalfTracy LettsIn 2002, an artistically inclined 17-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.A movie that I can appreciate for its technical qualities but which relies the viewer to truly care about the main character. Even though I really liked Saoirse Ronan, I just couldn't connect to Lady Bird.
- DirectorJake KasdanStarsDwayne JohnsonKaren GillanKevin HartFour teenagers are sucked into a magical video game, and the only way they can escape is to work together to finish the game.A pretty fun adventure-comedy film that lacks in the comedy aspect too often. I wish they would have also used the videogame approach more innovately.