With 850 lists tallied, it’s time to close the books on 2017. Jordan Peele’s Get Out finishes the year on top. Here are a few interesting items regarding 2017:
- The list count is down from last year’s 1,040 lists. This is mostly due to indieWire not releasing individual ballots from its annual poll and my decision to be slightly more selective in the inclusion of lists.
- Get Out topped 9.6% of the lists. This is the lowest percentage for the top film since 2012 when Zero Dark Thirty topped 9.5% of the lists.
- Five films topped at least 5% of the lists. This is also the first time that five films have topped 5% of lists since 2012.
- Get Out‘s average placement was 4.31, which is very high for a number one. In 2016, Moonlight‘s average ranking was 3.51.
- Twin Peaks: The Return had the highest average placement out of films that cracked the top 50, with an average placement of 2.02. The next highest was Call Me By Your Name at 4.27
- The Florida Project placed fourth, despite making less than $6 million at the box office. This is the least amount for a top five film since 2014’s Under the Skin. It is also the only film in the top 8 not to receive a Best Picture nomination.
50. Lady Macbeth (33 lists; 1 top spot)“Throughout “Lady Macbeth” we see Pugh’s eyes, full of possibility and optimism at the outset, gradually darken. Even her breathing changes. It’s a wonderful performance in a very fine film.” – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
50. The Other Side of Hope (33 lists; 1 top spot)“Despite its serious subject – the refugee crisis hitting Europe – The Other Side of Hope is also very funny, never losing sight of the droll, comic upside to life, but never making light of the tragedy, either.“ – Kristen Yoonsoo Kim, Village Voice
49. Colossal (33 lists; 2 top spots)“Though there’s a real monster terrorizing Seoul, a gian, hairless thing that looks like a 700-foot boiled cat, we spend Colossal with our human beast. In her hungover eyes, we see horror and empathy: What did I destroy last night?” – Amy Nicholson, MTV
48. Spider-Man: Homecoming (36 lists)“What are the odds that a film with six credited screenwriters and a director (Jon Watts) with more Onion content than anything else could recapture the youthful thrill of superhero movies in general and the youthful appeal of Spider-Man in particular?” – Matthew Lickona, San Diego Reader
47. On the Beach at Night Alone (36 lists; 4 top spots)“It’s a raw, open wound of a movie, in its hunkered-down way, and Hong doesn’t always seem to be wholly comfortable handling emotions that aren’t strictly mediated by social niceties” – Mike D’Angelo, AV Club
46. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (37 lists; 1 top spot)“If it’s been a while since you’ve felt the cold blast and hard crunch of midnight-movie meanness, Zahler’s shaping up to be your guy – the one selling illicit thrills out of the trunk of a well-restored, vinyl-topped LTD.” – Robert Abele, The Wrap
45. Darkest Hour (38 lists; 1 top spot)“A snappy and straightforward crowd-pleaser that focuses on new Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s mighty efforts to rise to the occasion of rescuing his country from the appeasers and defeatists in Parliament and stirring the public to defiance of Hitler.” – Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter
44. Logan Lucky (44 lists)“Soderbergh films the movie with swing, relishing the overlapping and intertwining strands of the complex plot, the brightly lit personalities of the characters it involves, and the magnificently conceived, essential tiny details …” – Richard Brody, New Yorker
43. Detroit (45 lists; 1 top spot)“The standoff at the Algiers Motel has entered legend (if not widely known history) as a notorious incident of interrogatory injustice. Bigelow makes it the centerpiece of Detroit and, simply put, has crafted her most harrowing piece of filmmaking.” – Josh Rothkopf, Time Out
42. John Wick: Chapter 2 (46 lists; 1 top spot)“Both John Wick films are sendups of the tasteless excess of B-action pics and all-out celebrations of their vulgarity. Chapter 2 is the best one could hope for in an action sequel, and it doesn’t even have the “killed the puppy” gimmick on its side.” – Lindsay Bahr, Associated Press
41. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (47 lists)“Noah Baumbach makes family movies that feel lived in – the kind that banter, bristle and sometimes bleed. Dustin Hoffman, Ben Stiller and a never-better Adam Sandler help make this dramedy one of the unalloyed pleasures of the fall movie season.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
40. Dawson City: Frozen Time (48 lists; 3 top spots)“The thrilling documentary “Dawson City: Frozen Time” is indescribable not because it’s ambiguous (it’s totally straightforward) but because it does so many things so beautifully it is hard to know where to begin.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
39. Raw (51 lists; 1 top spot)“Ducournau eschews jump scares and instead focuses on tone, never allowing the audience to fully relax by peppering even what appear to be quotidian transition scenes with little reminders of the macabre.” – Katie Rife, AV Club
38. Ex Libris: New York Public Library (51 lists; 3 top spots)“”Ex Libris: The New York Public Library” is more than a magisterial mash note to that distinguished establishment, it’s a heartening examination of the vastness of human knowledge and the multiple ways we the people endeavor to access it.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
37. IT (54 lists; 1 top spot)“The new version of King’s classic demonic clown story delivers two of the author’s signature pleasures — an emotional re-creation of those beleaguered years of childhood, when it was us-against-the-adults, and a truly visceral sense of horror.” – Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
36. Wind River (56 lists; 2 top spots)“Sheridan has professed admiration for Clint Eastwood’s towering anti-Western “Unforgiven” and dark-night-of-the-soul dramas from Michael Mann. Both are reference points for his adept mix of masculine posturing and wounded soul-searching.” – John Wenzel, Denver Post
35. The Square (56 lists; 6 top spots)“It’s laugh-out-loud funny and occasionally just plain silly. But it asks a serious question that seems more urgent with every passing day: “How much inhumanity does it take before we access your humanity?”” – Peter Howell, Toronto Star
34. Columbus (57 lists; 5 top spots)“Rarely will images of mighty concrete and stone dwellings set against tranquil waters or a gentle spring shower resonate so powerfully as those on display every day in the southern Indiana city of Columbus, captured so breathtakingly in the film.” – Miriam Di Nunzio, Chicago Sun-Times
33. Thor: Ragnarok (60 lists; 1 top spot)“In its own weird little way, Thor: Ragnarok manages to poke fun at the constant churn of myth and entertainment of which the movie itself is a part. It’s a candy-colored cage of delights, but it is a cage nevertheless – and it doesn’t hide that fact.” – Bilge Ebiri, Village Voice
32. Okja (61 lists)“The picture, which never stops moving, is dense with information and feeling. Barbs of satire pop up and are washed away on streams of strong emotion. It’s all marvelously preposterous and yet, at the same time, something important is at stake.” – A.O. Scott, New York Times
31. Twin Peaks: The Return (61 lists; 34 top spots)“Very little of this re-entry into “Twin Peaks” makes any sense. Yet it’s admirable that the drama’s creators have found a way to update the universe without relinquishing its signature atmosphere. The story still wields the power to mystify and confuse, even 26 years after the original episodes ended.” – Melanie McFarland, Salon.com
30. BPM (Beats Per Minute) (70 lists; 6 top spots)“Mangeot exposes the electricity of living in that moment of time for the gay community, where amid the apathy and outright hate from the outside world, an unbreakable bond was formed – what a terrible irony that grief can be so beautiful.” – April Wolfe, Village Voice
29. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (76 lists; 2 top spots)“An amazingly weird assemblage of notions from Greek mythology and concepts from pessimistic geniuses like Stanley Kubrick, Roman Polanski and Michael Haneke, the film creates something akin to a dreadful dream.” – Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
28. War for the Planet of the Apes (80 lists; 2 top spots)“War for the Planet of the Apes is a formidable achievement: not just the rare last chapter in a trilogy that maintains the high quality of the first two, but a visually lush, heart-pounding summer action movie that dares to ask hard questions …” – Dana Stevens, Slate
27. Coco (83 lists, 2 top spots)“The best moments in Coco are the less splendiferous, more solemn segments, especially the loving exchanges between Miguel and his great-grandmother Mama Coco, when the Pixar magic truly unfolds and our tear ducts get a good workout.” – Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
26. Nocturama (84 lists; 11 top spots)“You may not think that a movie that asks you to understand terrorists is for you, but if you give Bonello 130 minutes of your time, he’ll make you a believer.” – Simon Abrams, RogerEbert.com
25. A Quiet Passion (93 lists; 7 top spots)“Nixon delivers a masterful performance, giving us a heroine who can’t cease digging herself into ever deeper holes. She’s never out of step with the film’s graceful pace and narrative development.” – Colin Covert, Star Tribune
24. The Disaster Artist (97 lists; 1 top spot)“James Franco is firing on all his creative cylinders in this comic bonanza about Tommy Wiseau, the worst filmmaker of the 21st century. Franco hits a new career peak by making sure his film is as heartfelt as it is hilarious” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
23. Faces Places (101 lists; 6 top spots)“This rich cross-generational exchange speaks to the persistence of French cinematic culture — Varda’s relationship with the pioneering filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard is a recurring theme — while the doc itself is a delight, subtle, touching and entertaining.”- Kate Taylor, Globe & Mail
22. The Lost City of Z (102 lists; 10 top spots)“It’s Gray’s careful choices as a director that truly star here, from the classically infused score by frequent collaborator Christopher Spelman to the inspiring shots of remote Colombia captured by his frequent director of photography, Darius Khondji.” – Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
21. mother! (106 lists; 6 top spots)“You don’t need a notebook or a theology degree to understand, on a fundamental level, the deeper sense that this violently irrational movie is making. It comes together beautifully in your head even as everything else seems to be coming apart.” – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
20. Personal Shopper (107 lists; 10 top spots)“The ghosts are occasionally visible and audible here, but they’re just as likely to be ethereal, and that fits in with Assayas’s storytelling, which often forces us to fill in gaps of unspoken dialogue or unexplained plot for ourselves.” – Alonso Duralde, TheWrap
19. Mudbound (118 lists; 11 top spots)“Elevating Netflix’s theatrical game, Mudbound is a powerful and absorbing film, one that does a splendid job of preserving its literary voice while painting a densely layered portrait of two families in World War II-era Mississippi.” – Brian Lowry, CNN.com
18. I, Tonya (121 lists; 2 top spots)“A never-better Robbie and Janney hold up a mirror to the tabloid America most of us ignore or dismiss – and make us see ourselves reflected in it, too. I, Tonya is funny as hell, but the pain is just as real. You’ll laugh till it hurts. ” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
17. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (125 lists; 2 top spots)“You don’t see many sci-fi action extravaganzas that are about late middle-aged disappointment, about wondering what it’s all about and whether any of it was worth it. It’s this element that gives “The Last Jedi” an extra something …” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
16. The Post (134 lists; 12 top spots)“The Post is an inspirational reminder of the importance of a free press while unabashedly making journalism look like the most awesome job ever – akin to what Raiders of the Lost Ark did for archaeology.” – Brian Truitt, USA Today
15. Wonder Woman (142 lists; 4 top spots)“Wonder Woman falls victim to over reliance on computer graphics and it’s too long. But that’s counterbalanced by a story grounded in real emotions and characters who inhabit a three-dimensional world, albeit a comic-book-inspired, fantastical one.” – Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star Telegram
14. Logan (146 lists; 4 top spots)“The superhero category has gotten more boring as it’s gotten more popular, but “Logan” suggests an escape from escapism, a restoration of the human element in blockbusters, a stripped-down return to the feel of 1970s Clint Eastwood pictures.” – Kyle Smith, New York Post
13. A Ghost Story (156 lists; 15 top spots)“Beautiful and deeply affecting, A Ghost Story is easily the greatest movie ever made with an Oscar winner standing around in a white bedsheet for most of its 87-minute runtime.” – Brian Truitt, USA Today
12. Baby Driver (157 lists; 6 top spots)“Wright is savvy enough to realize that suspense and tension require characters that are more than human figures in a CGI playground. He does just enough with the men and women populating Baby Driver for us to get a sense of who they are.” – James Berardinelli, ReelViews
11. Good Time (185 lists; 14 top spots)If there’s a knock on Good Time, it’s that its sheer eagerness for anything unconventional comes at the cost of something deeper. But what a trip it is. Good Time flies by in a rush of neon colors and the throbbing electro score of Oneohtrix Point Never.” – Jake Coyle, Associated Press
10. The Big Sick (190 lists; 5 top spots)“Infused with honesty and authenticity, Michael Showalter’s crowd-pleaser is an instantly winning heart-stealer and a superbly well-timed story of culture clash that resolves into a lovely tale of mutual understanding and acceptance.” – Tomris Laffly, New York Magazine
9. Blade Runner 2049 (191 lists; 17 top spots)“Blade Runner 2049 does what very few sequels can accomplish: it deepens our appreciation of its predecessor, while carving out its own niche in the spaces of our own imaginations. And the visuals it paints are in a word: breathtaking.” – Mark Daniell, Toronto Sun
8. Phantom Thread (224 lists; 29 top spots)“The director’s most outwardly accessible movie in ages, “Phantom Thread” is at once an evocative period drama and a magical fable about lonely, solipsistic people finding solace in their mutual sense of alienation.” – Eric Kohn, indieWIRE
7. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (227 lists; 22 top spots)“But while that is a rage that’s exhilarating to witness, it’s a rage that’s not available to everyone. Just as not everyone in Ebbing can claim the protection of being considering “good,” we still don’t live in a world where everyone gets to be angry.” – Alison Willmore, BuzzFeed News
6. The Shape of Water (268 lists; 47 top spots)“Del Toro is a world-class film artist and he proves it in this Cold War romance about a mute cleaning lady (Sally Hawkins, unforgettable) who falls for an amphibious creature. Don’t analyze how del Toro does it. Just dive in. There’s magic in it.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
5. Call Me By Your Name (331 lists; 46 top spots)“The direction by Luca Guadagnino is reminiscent of Bertolucci’s sensitivity at its best, the fabulous cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom rapturously captures the rich work of art that is Italy in summer, and the actors are to die for.” – Rex Reed, New York Observer
4. The Florida Project (358 lists; 48 top spots)“Willem Dafoe knows from tortured roles (Platoon, The Last Temptation of Christ), but this creation — a delicate blend of protector, fusspot and secret survivor — is his richest, most lovable piece of work.” – Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out
3. Dunkirk (378 lists; 40 top spots)“The Oscar race for Best Picture is officially on. From first frame to last, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk is a monumental achievement, a World War II epic of staggering visual spectacle (see it in IMAX if you can) that hits you like a shot in the heart.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
2. Lady Bird (445 lists; 52 top spots)“Left to her own devices, Gerwig has arrived and solidified her place as one of the most invigorating, observant and authentic voices in movies today with a director’s acumen to match.” – Lindsay Bahr, Associated Press
1. Get Out (532 lists; 82 top spots)“A memorable horror flick if ever there was one, Get Out starts with a great title and a promising idea — a black man’s fear as he walks at night down a street in an affluent white suburb. Then it delivers on that promise with explosive brilliance.” – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
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