23. Atomic Blonde. The first 20 minutes felt gross and misogynistic, so I walked out and rewatched the second half of Wonder Woman.
22. The Shape of Water. I know it’s critically beloved, but I thought this was gross and creepy and tonally disjointed. No spoilers, but there are things in this movie that I wish I could unsee.
21. Guardians of the Galaxy 2. I straight-up forgot that I saw this movie until Doris mentioned it on her list.
20. Murder on the Orient Express. A movie directed by Kenneth Branagh starring Kenneth Branagh that could have used a lot less Kenneth Branagh.
19. Gifted. Also forgot I saw this one until I was watching the Critics’ Choice Awards. It had cute moments, but I thought the conflict and resolution toward the end felt very forced.
18. Pitch Perfect 3. Inane, stupid, but not the worst way to spend a lazy afternoon.
17. Logan. Saw half of this on the plane. Well-shot but seemed dark and sad.
16. I, Tonya. Solidly depicts domestic violence and the ways in which different perspectives give rise to complicated narratives. But I still prefer stories with more emotional resonance. Also the handheld camerawork gave me a bit of a headache.
15. Jumanji. I respect movies that know exactly what they are and deliver on it. This was a lot of fun.
14. Spider-Man: Homecoming. I liked it, but I would’ve scaled back on the standard superhero/villain fare and put the high school kids front and center (a la Harry Potter); that’s where the movie really shines.
13. Beauty and the Beast. Nothing revolutionary, but irresistibly nostalgic. Dan Stevens’ Evermore > Josh Groban’s Evermore, don’t @ me.
12. Star Wars: The Last Jedi. This had the potential to be brilliant, but overall the storylines were slightly messy and didn’t quite make sense. I definitely hold Star Wars to a higher standard, and this didn’t meet it.
11. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri. The acting and score were top notch; Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell definitely brought their A-game. But I found the story to be arbitrarily violent and too exposition-heavy—I prefer more showing and less telling.
10. The Post. A little slow-paced in the beginning, but exudes old-school class. As always, Meryl Streep is a gift to us all.
9. Thor: Ragnarok. Hilarious and off-the-wall, in the best way. Thor’s throwaway story about Loki and the snake was one of my favorite little moments of the year.
8. Dunkirk. I saw this in IMAX and it was stunning (although admittedly boring at times, especially during the plane sequences).
7. The Greatest Showman. A total cheesefest, but I absolutely loved it. I can’t stop singing the soundtrack. It feels like Hugh Jackman is finally doing exactly what he was born to do.
6. The Big Sick. Low-key excellence. I agree with Doris, this is definitely worth the watch on Amazon Prime.
5. Baby Driver. Oozing with creativity and totally invigorating. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a non-musical blend music and film so well.
4. Wonder Woman. All love and empowerment, exactly what we need from blockbusters right now.
3. Get Out. Genius.
1 (tie). Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name. Both are impeccably filmed, deeply human masterpieces. Don’t make me pick between them. Lady Bird is a perfect film—every line, every scene, every edit does its job in propelling the story forward in a way that radiates authenticity and hits every emotional beat. Call Me By Your Name is languid, intoxicating, and so full of life; I left the theater feeling like my heart had been simultaneously built and broken. Timothée Chalamet gives one of my favorite performances ever in CMBYN. (And he’s also in Lady Bird, proving that some people actually did have an awesome 2017.) I can’t say enough great things about both films. If this is youth in the film industry, we’re in good hands.
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