2017 was a pretty fantastic year critically in film, boasting some of the most consistently high qaulity award nominees throughout all the different associations with honors (SAG, The Academy, Peoples Choice, Critics Choice, Golden Globes).
Quality, well produced indie films are becoming much more common, and as a result, smaller production companies are landing experienced stars to portray more personal subject matter. All of those things attract critical acclaim. For all the best films I watched last year, I truly think 9 of the top 10-12 were nominated for Best Picture, but even within those 9, there is a major distribution of quality. Following is my ranking of the 9 Best Picture Nominees (films made or released in 2017) from worst to best:
9- Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan doesn’t make a bad movie, he just doesn’t. Dunkirk is no exception. This 1940’s WW2 epic is gorgeous, well scored, decently well written and has narrative clarity. I feel like there were many pro’s and con’s to telling the story from the POV of many characters, with varied backgrounds and environments within the war to give the audience a wide scope of understanding, however, in doing so, Dunkirk limits the amount of character development it can have exponentially. Nolan really committed telling the story that way and I respect that and enjoyed various aspects, I just didn’t love it. Dunkirk is an interesting take on the war epic genre, but ultimately not a major highlight in Nolan’s career nor will it have as lasting of effects on the medium as some of the other films on this list.
SniderScore- (that’s me) (77)
Tomatometer- 92
8- The Post
As well crafted a film as Spielberg made here, I almost considered putting it at 9 but the performances of Hanks and Streep and the powerful yet accessible script put this just a notch ahead of Dunkirk. Of all the nominees, I feel like The Post and Dunkirk are the 2 I wouldn’t have nominated if given the choice personally. Don’t get me wrong, The Post is a well crafted story, I’m just not sure anyone wanted or needed it. Spielberg did the thing he usually does, make an entertaining and accessible film that looks really great and contains a ton of star power, but in the grand scheme of things this is definitely one of his more average outings as well as ‘just okay’ compared to some of the competition.
SniderScore- (79)
Tomatometer- 87
7- The Darkest Hour
As far as general enjoyment, I don’t think this is above The Post for me, but the cinematography and arguably one of the greatest portrayals of a non-fictional character of All-Time by Gary Oldman just put this slightly over the edge in terms of overall quality. When push comes to shove, I watch films sometimes just to learn and experience greatness, and what Oldman does in that film warrants all the claim it received and more. I thought the script was pretty competent and even funny at times and the score was pretty great too.
SniderScore- (86)
Tomatometer- 85
6- Phantom Thread
Paul Thomas Anderson delivers a piece of cinema unlike anything we could have expected with Phantom Thread. As much as I personally enjoyed the brilliance of the acting and writing, I recognize that PT is still a pretty spacey and dry film and that because of that, it won’t appeal to everyone.
In a way, the intricate use of subtlety and sophistication of the characters and setting hinder it’s universality and ultimately it’s quality. this film had 2017’s best score in my opinion, as well as 3 of the strongest performances and some phenomenal production design but in all that, it is a bit too niche and stripped back of emotion to place higher on this list.
SniderScore- (90)
Tomatometer- 91
5- Call Me By Your Name
A quick note, the Top 5 Best Picture Nominees, are for me, a direct reflection of the best 5 films made in 2017 so even being the 5th (and so on down) best film of an entire year full of great films is a very high honor, now with that said: The best pieces of cinema touch and/or excite the audience, without feeling like they’ve had to work for it. That’s the difference between Call Me By Your Name and Phantom Thread. CMBYN manages to tell us an extremely complex visceral and touching story about love but do so with elegance and class and taste unrivaled by any almost every romance film in the past decade. CMBYN fuses just the right amount of sophistication to be understood by everyone, with a deeply true to life articulation of the concept of love and it’s incredibly powerful. The script is a very worthy adaptation of what I hear is an amazing book, it contains some really amazing camera work, and the performances from Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer, and Michael Stuhlbarg mark the best in each of their respective careers. All that said, the subject matter is limited to just one essential relationship and thus, the narrative and scope of the film do come of a bit contained.
SniderScore- (93)
Tomatometer- 95
4- Lady Bird
When I first made this list back in March, Lady Bird was 2 and since then I’ve dropped it 2 spots. I want to be clear that on a personal level, this movie effected me more profoundly than any of the other Best Picture Nominees. Anyone who knows me knows that Coming of Age is my most preferred genre as well as my main creative lens to tell stories from in my own writing. Over the last few months I’ve tried to detach myself from my appreciation in an influence sense and look at Lady Bird as a piece of cinema comparatively to its contemporaries. Lady Bird contains some of the most relatable and human dialogue I’ve ever heard and is also portrayed very honestly and for that, I will always admire it, but when you look at what some of these other films have done socio-politically, or just how well crafted a script some of them have it becomes hard to compare. Lady Bird is based on Greta Gerwig’s (the writer/director) own experiences growing up and is very honest and earnest and powerful in its own way, but Get Out,Three Billboards, and The Shape of Water are pieces of fiction, that manage to collide with masterful story-tellers to create truly flawless pieces of cinema. There is a distinction to be made, but make no mistake, Lady Bird is a wonderful film.
SniderScore- (95)
Tomatometer- 99
3- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing ,Missouri
Martin McDonagh has always been a brilliant satirist and competent writer of dialogue, which together form to make fantastic scripts, but nobody was prepared for this. 3B is far and away the smartest and most successful black comedy of all-time. If I told you what the plot without including some of the specifics to indicate some humor, just A happens, and then B, and then C, ect. you would think I’m describing a psychological thriller, not a black satire.
In addition to being the strongest written script of all of 2017, 3B has some of the most bold performances of the past few years. Frances McDormand gives the strongest performance of her career and Sam Rockwell commits to a very difficult and easy-to-mess-up performance and which will command respect for a long time. Woody Harrelson also gives a stand out performance (considering his limited screen time).
The script and acting are in competition with the the best of each respective category of nominees within the last decade at least. 3B has a pretty solid score and and camera-work as well.
All in all, Martin McDonagh and company have put together a film that will be used as the prime example of how pushing the boundaries of humor can cause a dialogue and teach people all about the effectiveness of perspective.
SniderScore- (96)
Tomatometer- 92
2- The Shape of Water
All the way up until 30 seconds ago, I had The Shape of Water as my number 1, but when I went to type “Get Out”, my gut instinct kicked in and I changed my mind. The Shape of Water to me, is the perfect amalgamation of all the other films best pieces. The Shape of Water contains the 2nd best ensemble of acting (3B), the 2nd personal script (Lady Bird), and also the more universal version of the power and blindness of love (CMBYN). The Shape of Water has the 2nd best score (Phantom Thread) and it has by far the most appealing production design.
The Shape of Water is the most consistently high-quality film of 2017. The Shape of Water is, and will be special, for years to come because it subverts genre. Romance, Sc-Fi, Thriller, Drama, and even Action fans can all love this film (and also make a reasonable claim that it is that genre). TSOW is the movie we all wanted and needed in 2017. TSOW reminds film goers everywhere that the power of love is always the strongest thing we have and that it’s okay to be different.
SniderScore- (98)
Tomatometer- 92
1- Get Out
Jordan Peele exceeded every expectation anyone could have ever come up with prior to the release of Get Out. Not only did Get Out create on of the most constructive dialogues about race relations in the United States that we’ve experienced in my lifetime, but in doing so, proved itself as one of the most brilliantly crafted films in the past decade. The script to Get Out is so layered and nuanced and cultured that it’s shines a light on the fears of an entire race of peoples, but also recognizes the complexity within itself. Get Out manages to take a microscope to a problem that has plagued the world (and specifically the United States) for thousands of years and is extremely entertaining the whole time.
The acting is fantastic and the score is super fitting for each scenario. Get Out is a very complete film, and an amazingly impressive debut from one of the future GOATs (yes, I’m making that claim).
I truly believe Get Out will stand the test of time because of all the reasons people analyze it to this day, it starts a dialogue that all the people looking backward don’t think we need to have, and there will always be even more people looking forward.
SniderScore- (99)
Tomatometer- 99
2017 was an amazing year in film, boasting an incredibly diverse line-up of Best Picture nominees, many of which will stand the test of time. I always like to mention, this list is just my opinions but I do enjoy each of the mentioned films for different reasons. I’d love to hear opinions!
-JS
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