Salty Popcorn Top 20 Movies of 2017
And so it is another fine movie year draws to a close. I present to you my TOP 20 MOVIES OF 2017. This year’s list is purely based on my own viewings and not the collaborative viewing of the Salty team. If I look back on my last eleven years as a movie reviewer and/ or critic I can see one thing has become the main focus for my cinematic maturity that is superior to all. I am no longer swayed by special effects and big explosions, big names no longer mean much to me, the one, and single most important element of a movie is STORY STORY STORY.
STATS:
2017 saw a much more diverse range of films. Nearly every Australian distributor had films in my Top 20. Roadshow (clear leader last year with 1/4 of my most loved films) ties with Fox and Disney for three films each in the list. Sony and Madman just behind on two each. The Number 1 movie award does however got to Sony (or more Sony Classics) for their masterpiece. Further to this list – if you would like to see our collaborative list for the TOP 20 WORST FILMS OF 2017 click HERE.
CONDITIONS:
The movie had to be viewed in a cinema in the calendar of 2017. Click on movie titles to go to full review.
Without further ado please appreciate, hate, love, whinge, whine and judge me on my TOP 20 MOVIES OF 2017.
20) THE BIG SICK
My favourite romcom of the year.
19) MOTHER
Total mind-fuck!
18) THE GREATEST SHOWMAN – full review coming this week
Beautiful musical that has finally redeemed Zac Efron from so much comedy shit and also put Hugh back where he belongs – the haters can suck a lemon – it’s beautiful.
17) ONLY THE BRAVE
Heartbreaking re-telling of one of the largest fire disasters of recent years.
16) WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
A well crafted ending to a marvellous trilogy.
15) THOR: RAGNAROK
A rejuvenating marvel from Taika Waititi.
14) A GHOST STORY – full review still to come
Like the ghost, I have had trouble letting go of this movie. I think about it regularly.
13) THE FLORIDA PROJECT – full review still coming
Heartbreaking beauty at its best who introduced one of the greatest child actors to hit the screen.
12) STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
May the Force Be With Us FOREVER!!
11) A MONSTER CALLS
This movie destroyed me and many tissues – truly beautiful and dark.
10) UN SAC DE BILLES aka A BAG OF MARBLES
Amazing story that needed a more widespread release.
9) THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
Frances McDormand is one of the magical wonders of cinema, great quirky and very dark black comedy.
8) DUNKIRK
Epic war movie – seeing this in 70mm was a highlight of 2017.
7) BABY DRIVER
Kevin Spacey did bad in the real world but it can’t effect how much I loved this movie. The soundtrack has been on constant repeat, Bell Bottoms is now one of my all time favourite songs and I may have started to crush on Ansel since seeing him at the premiere. Best use of soundtrack in a movie in history.
6) SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING
Tom Holland is the greatest Spider-Man of all time. The end.
5) THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER
My favourite mind-fuck of 2017. Besides MOTHER, nothing will make you think as much as this.
4) BORG V MCENROE
One of the most underrated movies of 2017, just superb. One of my all time favourite sport movies that played more like a thriller.
3) GET OUT
This was nearly number 1. An out-of-nowhere comedy horror that took the world by storm – I need to see it again. Bravo Jordan Peele.
2) MOONLIGHT
This should really have been a 2016 movie but it didn’t release in Australia until the end of January. What a perfect movie – it was a big toss up between this at Number 1.
And drumroll……………..
1) CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
The single most beautiful and perfect film I saw this year. If released in any other decade this wouldn’t have worked but it came out at the perfect time and is really now a timeless classic that harkens back to older filmmaking days. The amount of heart in CALL ME BY YOUR NAME is just blistering. I need the poster framed and on my wall and I need to own this on Blu Ray to watch whenever I am feeling down. Timothee Chalamet deserves the best actor Oscar for his performance in this – it is sublime.
YOUR CRITIC:
Jason King owns, writes and edits Salty Popcorn and Spooning Australia. He is a movie, food, restaurant, wine, chocolate, bacon, burger and brussels sprouts addict. He is a member of the Australian Film Critics Association and has been in the Australian movie industry for 27yrs. Furthermore he loves watching people trip over and is Leonardo DiCaprio’s biggest fan.
** Images used are courtesy of various sources on Google or direct from the distributor or publisher. Credit has been given to photographers where known – images will be removed on request.
Good list, Jason. I ask this with absolute respect and regard. And I understand that this is hard to answer. Does you being gay influence at all your decision to place these two films as your top pair of 2017? Whether this be the case or not, these are two remarkably outstanding motion pictures. Keep up the grand work in ’18. Best John
Thanks for the comment John – I can’t properly answer your question because I have never not been gay haha. If that makes sense. MOONLIGHT did win best picture last year and most of them are straight (I would imagine) so that may help answer that. And it was a straight female who sold me on going to see CALL ME BY YOUR NAME – she loved it so much and insisted I had to see it. Like I mention in the review, it’s like a movie with subtitles, only the first fifteen minutes are weird and then you won’t even notice it’s two guys so powerful is the love in the movie. But then see my first sentence again :). And Moonlight I wouldn’t even consider a gay movie, it was one part of his psyche in a gamut of turmoil.
Quite an interesting list and I like the small comment under each title – well done
Well stated as per usual, JK.