Posted on by mitchburns

The Best Movies of 2017

2017 was a good year for film, if you’d asked me a few months ago, I would have disagreed.

I would say I love my top ten, I’m in love with every single movie from one to ten, and even some after that. There also isn’t really a “bad” movie in my top 60, which is difficult feat to achieve.

My top five has remain unchanged for quite sometime, my number one remaining unchanged since July, there was no greater cinematic experience than my number 1.

At the bottom I will provide a link where you can see all 102 films I saw in 2017 ranked from best to worst, but for now, here are my top FORTY films of 2017! Forty films that I felt needed to be on a top of the year list, and that I stand by as good movies:

  1. Dunkirk
  2. Lady Bird
  3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
  4. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  5. Wind River
  6. War for the Planet of the Apes
  7. Blade Runner 2049
  8. It
  9. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore
  10. The Florida Project
  11. Molly’s Game
  12. Logan
  13. Brawl in Cell Block 99
  14. The Disaster Artist
  15. Brigsby Bear
  16. Mudbound
  17. Wonder
  18. Darkest Hour
  19. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
  20. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
  21. Logan Lucky
  22. The Big Sick
  23. Coco
  24. Thor: Ragnarok
  25. Alien: Covenant
  26. A Ghost Story
  27. Get Out
  28. Gerald’s Game
  29. Baby Driver
  30. Beach Rats
  31. Last Flag Flying
  32. The Shape of Water
  33. Patti Cake$
  34. The Ritual
  35. Life
  36. The Lost City of Z
  37. The Wall
  38. Good Time
  39. Raw
  40. The Greatest Showman

See all 102 movies ranked here on Letterboxd

Best films of 2017

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The Best Movies from 2017 you haven’t seen

Here’s some smaller movies that kind of flew under the radar, you might look at them and think they’re not worth watching, but please give them a shot!

A Ghost Story is on Netflix, and I’m not sure if I should be recommending it, it’s very different, but don’t shut it off, get through the first half hour and you’re in for a treat!

  1. Pattie Cake$
  2. Beach Rats
  3. Brawl in Cell Block 99
  4. Brigsby Bear
  5. Logan Lucky
  6. Life
  7. A Ghost Story
  8. Last Flag Flying
  9. Good Time
  10. The Lego Batman Movie

Other good movies you may have missed: Annabelle: Creation, The Ritual, I don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore

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Best Blockbusters of 2017:

This is a year where the blockbusters have gotten a lot of notoriety on my list Star Wars, War for the Planet of the Apes, Blade Runner 2049 & It appear on my lists several times. It was a year where the blockbusters were surprisingly all pretty good, and the bad ones actually seemed to mimic their terribleness with lower than expected box office numbers (Justice League, Transformers 5).

  1. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
  2. War for the Planet of the Apes
  3. Blade Runner 2049
  4. It
  5. Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2
  6. Logan
  7. Thor: Ragnarok
  8. Wonder Woman
  9. Baby Driver
  10. Alien: Covenant

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Underrated Movies of 2017

Hey! Here’s ten movies that I felt were slightly underrated, didn’t get the respect they deserved, were slightly underappreciated, didn’t make the money they should have, or were thought of too negatively.

  1. Life

Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

Box Office: only 100 Million on a 50 million budget

Fun, exciting, scary, and well acted, this is one great time at the movies.

2. War for the Planet of the Apes
Box office: 490.7 million (compared to its predecessor Dawn 710.6 million)

Incredibly beautiful to look at, moving, poignant and surprisingly one of the more relevant movies to our current times.

3. The Lost City of Z
Box Office: 17 million

A terrific adaptation, great production design, acting from Pattinson and even from the usually not so great Hunnam, and an engrossing emotional story.

4. The Lego Batman Movie
Oscar nominations: 0

Boss Baby Oscar Nominations:

5. The Wall
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%

Box Office: 4.5 million

A simple story, but an Incredibly tense cat and mouse thriller that feels authentic and scary.

6. Alien: Covenant
Box Office: 240 million (compared to Prometheus’ 403 million)

Rotten Tomatoes: 68%

I loved Prometheus, but Alien Covenant is a return to form for the franchise, a smart, horrifying sequel.

7. Annabelle: Creation
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%

How could a sequel to an almost poor horror film be so incredibly terrifying and surprisingly good? Do not skip this film.

8. I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore
Funny and entertaining while being smart, feels like a good 90’s crime/action thriller. Should be on many more top of the year lists, it’s hard to gauge its popularity when it’s a Netflix release but the buzz feels low, and this is a film I want more of, so I’ll champion it.

9. Bright
Rotten Tomatoes: 27%

Bright isn’t that great, but it’s fun and entertaining and deserves a higher rating than 27%

10. Free Fire
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%

Box Office: 7 million

Wickedly entertaining with a smart script, deserves better on all accounts.

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Best Lead Female Actor of 2017

Either Oscar performance is deserving, I just happen to feel I liked the performance from Saoirse Ronan more. Her character, Lady Bird, falls on the side of reality, and her performance is authentic, and genuine. McDormand’s performance was strong, and wonderful though.

I’ve been a fan of Elizabeth Olsen’s since Martha Marcy May Marlene, and I can’t remember a time I wasn’t a fan of Chastain’s…. was there a time? I don’t recall. Sally Hawkins & Streep really didn’t do too much for me in their leading roles this year, I love them both as actors obviously, there were performances I enjoyed more thoroughly. 

Director Sean Baker got a wonderful performance from Brooklyn Prince in The Florida Project, I’m sure a lot of the credit must go to him, but there is no doubt Prince was great. Lynskey gave one of my favorite performances, as one of my favorite characters from 2017. Another young actor on my list, newcomer Dafne Keen was terrific as X-23/Laura, and if you disagree, watch her audition video.

Nicole Kidman had a wonderful year, and for a woman who has been in the game a while, she continues to shine. Vicky Krieps has been in many films, but really burst on to the scene with her performance in Phantom Thread, and it takes someone great to steal the show from Mr. Daniel Day-Lewis.

  1. Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird
  2. Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  3. Margot Robbie – I, Tonya
  4. Elizabeth Olsen – Wind River
  5. Jessica Chastain – Molly’s Game
  6. Brooklyn Prince – The Florida Project
  7. Melanie Lynskey – I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore
  8. Dafne Keen – Logan
  9. Nicole Kidman – The Beguiled
  10. Vicky Krieps – Phantom Thread

Almost Made it: Gal Gadot – Wonder Woman, Tatiana Maslany – Stronger, Emma Stone – Battle of the Sexes and Carla Gugino – Gerald’s Game

Other Notable Performances: Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water, Meryl Streep – The Post, Judi Dench – Victoria & Abdul, Charlize Theron – Atomic Blonde, Sandra Oh – Catfight, Jennifer Lawrence – Mother, Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rebecca Ferguson – Life, McKenna Grace – Gifted, Carey Mulligan – Mudbound, Lily Collins – To the Bone, Kristen Stewart – Personal Shopper

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Best Lead Male Actor

It happens more often than not, that when someone is a lock to win an Oscar, and they do, they’re almost dismissed, it’s as if the person isn’t as deserving of that Oscar. You’ll hear people say “This person was snubbed” or “The best performance of the year wasn’t even nominated”. This year, I wholeheartedly believe that Gary Oldman deserved this Oscar, and no, not a lifetime achievement Oscar, because yes, he deserves that as well. No, Gary Oldman deserves this Oscar for this performance, it’s really great. Obviously, you can hardly tell it’s him because of the makeup, but you’d be hard pressed to tell it’s him if you didn’t know.

There is no doubt in my mind that the powers that be at the Academy didn’t have a hand in James Franco not being nominated for best actor, as he easily gave the 2nd best acted performance of 2017, and the news of his alleged sexual harassment was released mere days before the voting ended, and most voters probably had their votes in. Maybe it will come out one day, and it will be a scandal, that they removed Franco and put in the one with the next highest votes.

For 17 years Jackman has given pretty great performances as Logan, but in 2017 he gave it his all as the older, rapidly debilitating Wolverine in Logan.

Sometimes good performances come from not so great movies (Split) or almost bad ones (The Glass Castle). Get Out is a good film elevated even higher by its performance from Kaluuya, while Pattinson transforms himself into the despicable character of Connie Nikas. Thomas Jane is a man who never gets his due, probably because he doesn’t always pick the best films, but even when he’s in a bad movie, like 2016’s The Veil, he gives 110%.

Steve Carrel had a good year, He had some fun with Battle of the Sexes, he gave his regular voice performance in Despicable me 3 which was probably a nice paycheck, but it was his quiet, unassuming role in Last Flag Flying that felt real and lived in. Kyle Mooney, who I’m not the biggest fan of on Saturday Night Life gave his film Brigsby Bear everything he had, and it shows.

  1. Gary Oldman – The Darkest Hour
  2. James Franco – The Disaster Artist
  3. Hugh Jackman – Logan
  4. James McAvoy – Split
  5. Woody Harrelson – The Glass Castle
  6. Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out
  7. Robert Pattinson – Good Time
  8. Thomas Jane – 1922
  9. Steve Carrell – Last Flag Flying
  10. Kyle Mooney – Brigsby Bear

Almost Made it: Ali Fazal – Victoria & Abdul, Jake Gyllenhaal – Stronger, Timothee Chalamet – Call me by your Name, Jaeden Lieberher – It, and Daniel Day-Lewis – Phantom Thread

Other Notable Performances: Jeremy Renner – Wind River, Aaron Taylor-Jonson – The Wall, Andy Serkis – War for the Planet of the Apes, Kumail Nanjiani – The Big Sick, Ansel Elgort – Baby Driver, Charlie Hunnam – The Lost City of Z, Joel Edgerton – It Comes at Night, Jake Gyllenhaal – Life, Jason Clarke – Mudbound, Bruce Greenwood – Gerald’s Game, Jacob Tremblay – Wonder, Hugh Jackman – The Greatest Showman

Male Actor

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Best Ensemble Performances of 2017

Without a doubt, The best ensemble performance is from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. An All-around terrifically acted movie, even Lucas Hedges, who is criminally underused here, is great. Trailing behind it, is It, director Andy Muschietti, took great up and coming actors and unknowns and got great performances from almost every one of them.

  1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones, Peter Dinklage, Abbie Cornish, Lucas Hedges, Zeljko Ivanek, Amanda Warren, etc.
  2. It – Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Olef, Jackson Robert Scott, etc.
  3. Mudbound – Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan, Mary J. Blige, Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Jonathan Banks, Kennedy Derosin, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucy Faust
  4. Lady Bird – Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metc3alf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothee Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Lois Smith, Jordan Rodrigues, Odeya Rush, Stephen Henderson, etc.
  5. Molly’s Game – Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Chris O’Dowd, J.C. MacKenzie, Brian d’Arcy James, Bill Camp, Graham Greene, etc.
  6. I, Tonya – Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson, Paul Walter Hauser, Bobby Cannavale, McKenna Grace, Caitlin Carver, etc.
  7. The Big Sick – Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Anupam Kher, Zenobia Shroff, Aidy Bryant, Adeel Akhtar, Bo Burnham,
  8. Logan Lucky – Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Jim O’Heir, Jack Quaid, Brian Gleeson, Katherine Waterston, Dwight Yoakam, Sebastian Stan, Hilary Swank, Macon Blair, etc.
  9. Logan – Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Stephen Merchant, Boyd Holbrook, Elizabeth Rodrigues, Richard E. Grant, Eriq La Salle, Quincy Fouse,
  10. Darkest Hour – Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendolsohn, Lily James, Ronald Pickup, Stephan Dillane, Nicholas Jones, Samuel West, David Schofield, etc

Other Notable Ensemble Performances – Detroit, The Disaster Artist, The Killing of A Sacred Deer

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Best Young Actors of 2017

It has been a great year for young actors, Brooklyn Prince gave an award winning performance in The Florida Project as well as Dafne Keen in Logan. Sophia Lillis was a standout in the horror film It while McKenna Grace seems poised to follow in the steps of young stars such as Dakota Fanning.

  1. Sophia Lillis – It
  2. Brooklyn Prince – The Florida Project
  3. Dafne Keen – Logan
  4. Ella Anderson – The Glass Castle
  5. McKenna Grace – Gifted & I, Tonya
  6. Raffey Cassidy – The Killing of a Sacred Deer
  7. Jaeden Lieberher – It
  8. Sunny Suljic – The Killing of a Sacred Deer
  9. Izabela Vidovic – Wonder
  10. Finn Wolfhard, Jackson Robert Scott, Jack Dylan Grazer, Chosen Jacobs, Wyatt Oleff, Jeremy Ray Taylor – It

Other Notable Performances: Amiah Miller – War for the Planet of the Apes, Jacob Tremblay – Wonder, Noah Jupe – Wonder

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Best Supporting Male Actors of 2017

Let’s start with one thing here: the fact that I had a list for Supporting Male actors double the size of supporting female actors is ridiculous. Anyways, Willem Dafoe was great in The Florida Project, playing a great character, he was just as deserving of the Oscar as Rockwell.

  1. Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  2. Willem Dafoe – The Florida Project
  3. Michael Shannon – The Shape of Water
  4. Barry Keoghan – The Killing of a Sacred Deer
  5. Jason Mitchell – Mudbound
  6. Tracy Letts – Lady Bird
  7. Sebastian Stan – I, Tonya
  8. Daniel Craig – Logan Lucky
  9. Ray Ramono – The Big Sick
  10. Woody Harrelson – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri & War for the Planet of the Apes

Almost made it: Patrick Stewart – Logan, Adam Driver – Star Wars: The Last Jedi & Logan Lucky, and Benny Safdie – Good Time

Other Notable Performances: Richard Jenkins – The Shape of Water, Rob Morgan – Mudbound, Jason Mitchell – Detroit, John Boyega – Detroit, Algee Smith – Detroit, Will Poulter – Detroit, Michael Fassbender – Alien: Covenant, Harrison Ford – Blade Runner: 2049, Dave Franco – The Disaster Artist, Bill Skarsgard – It, , Bradley Whitford – Get Out, Michael Stuhlburg – Call Me by Your Name, Chris Pine – Wonder Woman, Robert Pattinson – The Lost City of Z, Tom Holland – The Lost City of Z, Idris Elba – Molly’s Game, James McCavoy – Atomic Blonde, Graham Greene – Wind River, Paul Walter Hauser – I, Tonya, Noah Jupe – Wonder

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