As usual, keep in mind there are a handful of promising films that I didn’t get to see before the deadline (like Phantom Thread) and that my opinions change over time just like everyone else’s. Don’t think of this list as a document chiseled in stone; instead, consider these 10 films (and 10 honorable mentions) as the ones that impacted me most over the past 12 months.
It’s rare that a movie captures the feeling of reading a great novel, but director Dee Rees pulls it off with this stark drama about two sharecropper families – one black, one white – struggling to survive in post-World War II Mississippi. The screenplay (which Rees co-wrote with Virgil Howard) is based on Hillary Jordan’s best-selling book, which partially explains the successful jump from one medium to another. But it’s also because multiple narrators (played by terrific actors including Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke and Mary J. Blige) contribute nuanced perspectives to the plot and Rachel Morrison’s stunning cinematography adds depth and authenticity to the characters’ bleak environment. Mudbound isn’t an easy watch, but it’s a powerful one.
Martin McDonagh, the playwright/filmmaker known for his pitch-black humor and jarring tonal shifts, demonstrates his skill yet again with this bleak morality tale. When an angry, grieving mother (Frances McDormand) publicly accuses the town’s beloved police chief (Woody Harrelson) of not doing enough to solve her daughter’s rape and murder, it sets off a chain of violence that affects the lives of several people – particularly an idiotic, racist deputy (Sam Rockwell) with a short fuse. The movie’s first hour points out that it feels good to wallow in hate for a while, but the second half asks viewers to consider what remains when that bitterness burns away.
Likely the most divisive entry on my list, director David Lowery’s exploration of love, death and grief is almost willfully alienating. For example, the main characters don’t have names and there’s a nine-minute uninterrupted shot of a character silently eating an entire pie. Clearly, it’s not for everyone. However, viewers who don’t mind taking risks are in for a profoundly moving experience with this story of a man (Casey Affleck) who dies and makes the decision to stay with his wife (Rooney Mara) rather than cross over to the afterlife. He can’t speak and she can’t see him, so he can only watch helplessly – clad in the conventional ghost garb of a white sheet, with holes for eyes – as she mourns and eventually finds the strength to move on with her life. On the surface, it’s a quiet, seemingly simple story; but weeks later, I still can’t shake it.
Set at a run-down motel a few miles away from Disney World, director Sean Baker’s poignant story revolves around six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) and her well-intentioned but reckless mother Halley (Bria Vinaite). Moonee is too young to understand her dire circumstances, mainly because Halley has worked hard to make their lives feel like one giant vacation. But that illusion is getting harder to maintain, even with the motel’s stern, yet kindhearted manager (Willem Dafoe, delivering career-best work) doing his part to protect them. For two hours, the film careens towards its inevitable ending, but that doesn’t make the journey less gripping. If you can make it through the last few minutes without sobbing, you’re tougher than me.
In the past, I tended to respect Guillermo del Toro’s films more than emotionally invest in them. That changed with this beautiful grown-up fairy tale about a mute woman (Sally Hawkins) who falls in love with a fish-man hybrid being held captive in a secret government lab. Clearly inspired by Creature from the Black Lagoon, del Toro uses a seemingly ludicrous premise to tell a story about speaking up for society’s outcasts. It’s funny, sad, gorgeous (Dan Laustsen’s cinematography is stunning) and just plan weird. It also boasts some of the year’s best supporting performances thanks to Richard Jenkins and Michael Shannon.
It goes without saying that Kevin Spacey has far worse horrors to atone for, but I’m disappointed that his small, yet pivotal role in Edgar Wright’s latest means a brilliant piece of entertainment is forever tainted. If you can separate art from artist (which isn’t always easy), this story of a young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) facing off against Atlanta’s toughest criminals (including Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm and Jon Bernthal) to be with the woman (Lily James) he loves is a master class in editing, music selection, comedic timing and stunt work. It might be the most purely fun experience I had in a theater this year.
Using a word like “underrated” to describe the most famous director in the world seems ridiculous, but it feels like we take Steven Spielberg for granted. In this fact-based account of the Washington Post’s efforts to publish the Pentagon Papers, he’s operating at the height of his powers to tell a story about freedom of the press that’s timelier than ever. In addition, he’s utilizing the considerable talents of Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks and a host of incredible character actors (including Bob Odenkirk and Bradley Whitford) to do it. What’s more, he started shooting on May 30 and had the finished product ready to go on November 13. That The Post already exists is shocking. The fact that it’s one of the year’s best films is a miracle.
Loosely based on their own incredible love story, screenwriters Emily V. Gordon (played here by Zoe Kazan) and Kumail Nanjiani (playing himself) craft a truly funny, kindhearted movie – one that highlights, without being preachy, the absurdity of the never-ending culture wars we seem intent on fighting. When Emily is hit with a mysterious illness that leaves her in a medically-induced coma, aspiring stand-up comedian Kumail finds himself in the weird position of looking after someone he recently broke up with. That includes notifying her parents (Ray Romano and Holly Hunter), subjecting himself to some of the most awkward conversations imaginable and fighting off his own parents’ attempts to arrange a marriage for him (as is customary in Pakistani culture). It’s a difficult jigsaw puzzle, but the screenplay makes all the various elements fit together seamlessly.
I can pinpoint the precise moment I fell in love with this movie (which marks indie darling Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut): it was the 13-minute mark. By then, viewers have met most of the characters – including feisty high school senior Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (played by the incomparable Saoirse Ronan) and her equally tenacious mother (Laurie Metcalf, a shoo-in for a Best Supporting Actress nomination) – the basics of the plot have been established, and we see Lady Bird trying out for the school musical in an effort to boost her chances at getting into a decent college. Everything comes together so perfectly that I practically heard a clicking sound. That’s when the giant smile involuntarily appeared on my face and didn’t leave for hours afterward. I haven’t stopped singing the movie’s praises since.
I knew when I saw Jordan Peele’s “social thriller” – a term he uses to describe this harrowing tale of a young black man (Daniel Kaluuya) meeting his white girlfriend’s (Allison Williams) parents (Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) for the first time – back in February that it was a strong contender for this list. But when I re-watched it last month with my film students, I realized it’s essentially a perfect movie. I know that’s a bold statement, but like other structurally perfect films (including Casablanca, Back to the Future and Die Hard), there’s not an ounce of fat on it – no unnecessary scenes and no wasted dialogue. Everything is there for a reason, which becomes abundantly clear on repeat viewings, and every brilliant performer is playing a character who must simultaneously work on various levels. Plus, no other film this year captures the cultural zeitgeist – with all the rage and frustration that entails – in quite the same way. That it manages to do so without preaching and still being terrifying and hilarious is an even greater feat.
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Band Aid
BPM (Beats Per Minute)
Coco
Dunkirk
IT
I, Tonya
Last Flag Flying
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Thor: Ragnarok
War for the Planet of the Apes
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