I’m honestly not in the mood to do a list of the worst films I saw last year. Instead, I thought I’d do something a little different and highlight ten films I felt were 2017’s most disappointing. Obviously, most of these are pretty bad. They’re just not Transformers: The Last Knight or Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul bad, not that this is much in the way of a compliment.
As in previous years, I slowly tracked everything I watched in 2017, compiling a massive master list of my favorite films, placing them in some rough order of preference as I went along.
Let’s get this out of the way first: 2016 was a tsunami of horrific news.
Fontaine’s intimate epic of faith, science, resilience and sacrifice, inspired by a true story, is a monumental achievement, this post-WWII saga of a French doctor (portrayed brilliantly by Lou de Laâge) coming across an abbey filled with pregnant Polish nuns an unforgettable stunner that held me spellbound first frame to last. Masterful.
Set immediately before the events of 1977’s Star Wars, this side story taking place inside the intergalactic confines of George Lucas’ massive science fiction universe is a down-and-dirty, WWII-style slugfest that’s got far more on its mind than its simple story of espionage and heroism would initially lead one to believe.
I’m not going to go into detail on these this year; I just don’t have the energy or heart to tear anything apart, let alone films I felt particularly let down by. Let’s just say these are the ten motion pictures I hope to never have to deal with again. I’m pretty sure nothing more needs to be said.
Our list of the Top 100 Films of 2016. Enjoy sifting through them all.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, actor John Krasinski and directors Ang Lee and Guillermo del Toro let the world know the nominees for the 88th annual Academy Awards, survival epic The Revenant, dystopian action effort Mad Max: Fury Road, journalism procedural Spotlight and housing crisis comedic satire The Big Short instantly emerging as Best Picture frontrunners.
By my count, there were roughly 35 motion pictures I’d consider top tier or better, with another 20 or so I’d rate just behind them. All of which leads me to say, yes, I do believe 2015 was a great year for cinema, and I can’t help but think history will bare me out on that proclamation as the years mercilessly go by.