It appeared that the entire entertainment business was going to completely implode last year due to the seemingly endless revelations that one of our beloved and respected actor, director, executive or fill-in-the-blank was being accused of the heinous act of sexual harassment or assault. While many were shocked (or at least acted shocked), the truth is that Hollywood was built on the exploitation of beautiful women and some of the men in the business used their power to abuse and profit from many of the desperate people who simply wanted an opportunity to work. The one bright spot out of all of this is that victims will no longer have to be concerned about coming forward or being believed. And straight white males won't be the only ones making decisions or calling all the shots in Hollywood. Eventually.
As for the movies, there already appears to be a shift with a greater occurrence for women and people of color to get a chance to create in front of and behind the camera. Some of my favorite films of the past year involved many of these such opportunities. Let's hope (and make sure) that this will not be a short-lived trend by continuing to support and encourage these endeavors. Here are my selections of the best films of 2017 in no particular order:
"GET OUT"
"Get Out", the exceptional feature debut by Jordan Peele, is a clever social satire on race that uses the unlikely horror genre to make a statement. Daniel Kaluuya stars as a young African-American man who goes to an upstate New York town to visit the parents of his new white girlfriend (Allison Williams). While her folks (played by Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) appear to be an uber-liberal couple, there still seems to be something sinister lurking, not only with them but the entire town. "Get Out" is a well-made funny and scary film that has unexpectedly become a timely cultural phenomenon.
Christopher Nolan continues to astonish with his gifts as a master storyteller with his latest, "Dunkirk", a fact-based drama on the harrowing attempt to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers trapped on the beaches of Northern France during WW II. With the story told from three perspectives: land, sea, and air, we witness through the eyes of Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), a young British private frantically trying to stay alive on Dunkirk. The Royal Navy requests that civilian vessels sail out to try and rescue some of the trapped men and we have British fighter-aircraft trying to take down the German bombers. Nolan has placed a greater emphasis on visuals and music (with remarkable work by cinematographer, Hoyte van Hoytema and composer, Hans Zimmer) to heighten suspense and emotion but you don't need a lot of backstory or dialogue (which there is minimal) to understand the terror, fear and desperation of these soldiers as they are essentially sitting ducks on the beach as they wait, hoping that they'll eventually be rescued.
"THE POST"
What I found amazing about "The Post", Steven Spielberg’s riveting historical drama on the decision by the Washington Post to publish the Pentagon Papers, was how this drama managed to still be thrilling and intense despite knowing the eventual outcome of this event. The New York Times first began publishing the papers involving the Vietnam War but a court injunction forced them to stop. Tom Hanks plays the editor of the Post, Ben Bradlee who gets his hands on a copy of the classified documents and wants to release them in his paper. Meryl Steep delivers another memorable performance as Katharine Graham, now the publisher of the Washington Post after her husband‘s death and very concerned about the challenges of this position due to her inexperience and gender. With the decision to publish resting solely on her shoulders, Graham patiently listens to both sides with concerns from the Board over the newspaper's pending IPO and
potential legal action while Bradlee is pushing this as an important First Amendment cause. In this era of trying to dismiss the media as nothing more than "fake news", "The Post" serves as a well-timed reminder of the importance of investigative journalism and the reporter's unwavering determination to make sure the truth continues to get out.
"mother!", a surreal, psychological horror drama from Darren Aronofsky, was one of the most fascinating movies of the year largely due to the extremely harsh critical reaction to it. Jennifer Lawrence stars as the title character, a young woman whose quiet life with her writer husband (Javier Bardem) at their isolated home is disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious couple (Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer). I really can't go much further in to describing this story but let's just say that "mother!" becomes far more disturbing, cryptic and deranged as it progresses. I know I loved being challenged and confused by the film and think "mother!" is an extraordinary achievement. But I'm aware that there were many who were very vocal about really not enjoying nor understanding this movie.
Watching "Phantom Thread", another excellent drama from one of the most interesting filmmakers working today, Paul Thomas Anderson, was a bittersweet experience for me due to the knowledge that this may be the final screen appearance by Daniel Day-Lewis. But what an incredible way to make an exit. Set in the world of London's haute couture in the 1950's, Day-Lewis plays Reynolds Woodcock, a master dressmaker who finds inspiration and companionship from a long line of beautiful young women. After meeting Alma (Vicky Krieps), an awkward waitress in the countryside, she quickly becomes his latest muse and lover. But she's unlike any of the previous women he has ever encountered. Strong-willed and opinionated, Alma creates a serious disruption to Woodcock's regimented and structured life. Day-Lewis and Krieps (an actress from Luxembourg who is relatively new to English-speaking audiences) are absolutely riveting but it is Lesley Manville, a veteran British actress best known for her work in several Mike Leigh films, who is the real knock-out here as Cyril, Woodcock's chilly and controlling sister who organizes his business and life.
"THE FLORIDA PROJECT"
Sean Baker is one of the most exciting and inventive indie filmmakers at this moment. Following "Starlet" and the iPhone-shot, "Tangerine", the writer/director's latest, "The Florida Project" continues his trend of telling fascinating and unconventional stories in a way that's thoughtful and entertaining. Set in Orlando at a motel near Disney World, we follow a six-year old wild child named Moonee (the delightful and charming Brooklynn Prince) who lives there with her even wilder and rowdy young mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite). They are dirt poor and Halley does whatever she can to make a buck. The motel is managed by Bobby (played by Willem Dafoe) who does what he can to help the mostly down-on-their-luck tenants, but he also has a business to run. What makes this film unforgettable is how Baker is shrewdly able to take us in to this world of the marginalized and disregarded to make us really see them and their plight.
Martin McDonagh has found considerable success with his plays and films by finding dark humor in tragic and disturbing situations. His most recent film, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MO" features a mother (Frances McDormand) filled with rage and frustration after the horrific murder of her teenage daughter. She lashes out against the local police department for not solving the crime by purchasing three billboards with a message on them demanding to know why. This is some pretty heavy stuff but it's also funny as hell. There are many outstanding performances here, including Woody Harrelson, Lucas Hedges, John Hawkes and Peter Dinklage yet most of the attention has been going to Sam Rockwell as a dim, racist cop (an exceptional actor who after many years of memorable yet little seen performances is finally getting his due) and Ms McDormand. I can't see any other actress who would have been able to bring this angry, quirky and unpleasant character to life and make her palatable and even sympathetic.
"GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL.2", "SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING", "THOR: RAGNAROK", "WONDER WOMAN"
This was the year that the super-hero movie matured and tried to offer more than the routine. What these four films have in common is that each one offers a fresh spin on the genre and elevates it with an alternative perspective. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" was another reboot of the series but the focus this time was more on the human side of the man behind the mask, Peter Parker, who is now clearly a teenage boy, played with youthful enthusiasm by Tom Holland. Witty, thrilling and a lot of fun, I think this is the best of the Spider-Man movies. The same can be said about two sequels; "Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2" continues as a wacky and rambunctious intergalactic thrill ride by adding more stars (Kurt Russell, Sylvester Stallone) and making Groot even cuter. With a new director on board, "Thor: Ragnarok" seems to have pretended the previous Thor films didn't exist and Taika Waititi ("Hunt for the Wilderpeople") brings a much needed boost of irreverence and amusement to the very serious Norse God series. And finally we have the long-awaited (and long-overdue) big screen adaption of "Wonder Woman". Under Patty Jenkins' invigorating direction and a star-making turn from Gal Gadot, it didn't surprise me at all that this movie became one of the biggest box-office hits of the year.
Honorable Mention: "Atomic Blonde", "Battle of the Sexes", "Beatriz at Dinner", "The Big Sick", "Coco", "Columbus", "Girl Trip", "Good Time", "Ingrid Goes West", "Lady Macbeth", "A Quiet Passion", "Star Wars: The Last Jedi", "The Shape of Water", "The Square", "War For The Planet of the Apes"
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