WONDER WOMAN
We had a lot of high quality superhero flicks in 2017 (Logan, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Justice League, Spiderman: Homecoming) but the cream of the crop was Wonder Woman. The excellence of the film is not just the brilliant story, which shows the titular demigod heroine coming into contact with the human world and becoming an active participant of WWI, but largely due to Gal Gadot in the lead role. She is the perfect casting choice, not just because she's tall and beautiful but because of her open, friendly face that perfectly befits the naive and kind Diana Prince, and her deep, husky voice with that slightly mediterranean accent. The DC extended universe have been accused of being too dour (which is not incorrect, but then again there is nothing wrong with dark and serious superhero flicks), but that cannot be said of Wonder Woman. A pure delight from start to finish, even after repeated viewing.
T2: TRAINSPOTTING
Danny Boyle's Trainspotting from 1995 is undoubtedly one of the greatest British films ever made, and perhaps one of the most important films ever made. In a way, it helped defined a generation, and certainly defined the '90s. So it was quite a big surprise when a sequel appeared in January 2017, some twenty years later. It might sound a bit out of left field, but the original author Irvine Welsh did write a sequel called "Porno," so it has three guarantees for success: the same writer, the same director and the same cast. To top that, the story is not just a nostalgic repeat of the insanity of the first film, it is actually an original story that feels organic and natural, even a little bit more mature, as a now middle-aged Renton returns to Edinburgh to face the consequences of his actions.
ALIEN: COVENANT
The highly-anticipated (at least, by me) prequel sequel Alien: Covenant is proof that the world of the "Alien" franchise is one that favours expansion, in fact gets better the more is built upon it. At 80, Ridley Scott has shown that you only need three ingredients along with a good cast and a capable idea, which are: xenomorphs, creepy androids and an expendable space crew. It is the recognizable aspects of Alien: Covenant that are so warmly welcoming when you see it for the first time. But what will keep you going back to it is Michael Fassbender, one of the greatest male actors of our times, and his dual role as crazy android David and kind android Walter. Besides the fascinating development of the alien and the gruesome deaths of the crew members, it is the scenes in which Fassbender acts with himself that put Alien: Covenant on this list. I would even venture so far as to say that this is the third or maybe even second best part of the entire "Alien" film series.
BABY DRIVER
Edgar Wright's fun, sweet and thrilling action movie has kind of fallen into obscurity since the scandals surrounding co-star Kevin Spacey hit the news in the fall of 2017, which is truly a shame. Baby Driver was one of the most acclaimed and anticipated movies of the year, and if you can overlook Spacey's participation momentarily, or at least separate the actor from the art, then you will surely see why. The story about a young getaway driver's attempt to leave his criminal career is deftly edited in synch with the music, which is something you have to see to appreciate. The action, the editing and the music is as much the star of the movie as Ansel Elgort in the role of Baby. Then there's another thing about it that you have to see to appreciate: Jon Hamm as the baddie, something he should be doing more often.
GOOD TIME
Usually, I don't even consider indie crime dramas for my lists, because they are predominantly forgettable fare. However, Good Time (like Josh and Benny Safdie's previous film, the harrowing Heaven Knows What from 2014) is in fact one of the most unforgettable films on this list. There is something about the film that grabs hold of your guts and refuses to let go for the entire running time. This is largely due to the searing, haunting electronic soundtrack by Oneothrix Point Never and an outstanding performance by Robert Pattison, who in recent years has grown into a very interesting movie star. Good Time reminds me of the way films used to be made in the '70s, like early Scorsese, in regards its visual style, its naturalistic acting and its bizarre plot twists. It's a kind of visceral movie experience that all indie films should provide.
DUNKIRK
A new film by Christopher Nolan is always an event for film lovers, and if he is giving a WWII movie the Nolan treatment, be sure to expect jaw-dropping practical effects without a hint of CGI, detailed historical research, top-notch UK actors, an intense Hans Zimmer score, Academy Award-winning sound effects, virtually no unnecessary sentimentality, exposition or politics and trimmed down action almost entirely devoid of dialogue, putting us right there in the pilot seat of the Spitfires, in the hull of a sinking boat or aboard a small fishing vessel on its way across the channel to rescue stranded soldiers, with the intent of keeping you on the edge of your seat and possibly even throw in shell-shock into the bargain. Dunkirk will leave you shook up and have you lining up to take the ride again in no time.
MOTHER!
An audacious film from an audacious filmmaker, Darren Aronofsky's mother! is truly love it or hate it. If you're not turned off by religious allegory and metaphorical storytelling, you'll find a film full of symbolism, beauty, profound intellectual meaning and arty horror. It is hard to exactly define mother! but it is in essence a macabre and abstract retelling of the Bible with an overt environmental message about the way we treat our planet, as embodied by Jennifer Lawrence, who is both muse to and victim of God (or mankind), as embodied by Javier Bardem. Adam and Eve also enter the story, as do Cain and Abel, then fanaticism enters and takes over the house (or the world) as the mysterious invasion devolves into chaos like there is no hope in humanity. At least that's the impression that I got once I put all the pieces together. It is a rare and intriguing feeling to be so baffled and marveled simultaneously and hopefully the controversy mother! sparked won't discourage Aronofsky from continuing to be such a weird and wonderful auteur.
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS
Luc Besson's new comic book sci-fi marvel begins with a prologue depicting the building and development of the Internal Space Station, where more and more alien nations are added to it over the centuries, until it finally becomes the titular home of a thousand planets, all to the tune of David Bowie's "Space Oddity". This opening is one of the most beautiful intros to a sci-fi movie I've ever seen, and the rest of the movie is a bonus. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is Besson's best movie since The Fifth Element, and very reminiscent of that 1995 classic, which may be because that was inspired by the French comic book series "Valérian and Laureline" from the 1960's, a favourite of Besson's that he always wanted to adapt. The end result is a fun space romper with quirky special effects, all self-funded, two charismatic leads in Dane DeHaan and Clara Delevingne, a sci-fi of epic proportions and humor unlike most sci-fi projects that at least makes me hungry for a series of Valerian and Laureline films from these wonderful people.
THE SHAPE OF WATER
That Guillermo del Toro would eventually put his long-time collaborator, contortionist Doug Jones, into a fishman costume (similar to the one he donned in Hellboy) and write and direct a King Kong meets The Creature from the Black Lagoon came as no surprise to fans, who more or less know what to expect from the geeky, arty film master. But there were two noteworthy surprises with The Shape of Water, del Toro's tenth feature: first, the amount of sex and nudity which, though never gratuitous and actually quite romantic, is not something one has come to expect from him and secondly, that such a dark and dreamy 20th century fairytale would go on to get the Academy Award for Best Picture. Maybe it has something to do with the message in the film, wherein a mute cleaning lady falls in love with a creature captured in the Amazon jungle that is secretly held in captivity and tortured by the CIA during the Cold War, a message about respect for all life and governmental, and to some extent, patriarchal oppression. One thing is for sure, del Toro deserves all the Academy Awards he can get.
BLADE RUNNER 2049
2017 was certainly the year for long-awaited sequels. First we had the follow-up to Trainspotting, then a new series of Twin Peaks, and finally a new Blade Runner movie. What a year for fans of weird. Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 is indeed weirder than Ridley Scott's 1982 original, but it hews so closely to the classic in format and intellect that it feels like a perfectly natural sequel. Although it is a bit overlong, and a lot can be said abot the roles women play in it (and has), the world and the concepts are so perfectly imagined and realized, managing to both update the story and stay true to the original at the same time, that one quickly forgets the downsides and just surrenders to the sheer spectacular and nightmarish beauty of it.
