Thoughts On's 50 Best Films Of 2017 Pt. 2



Previously, we went through the first 25 of the top 50 films that we have covered on this blog this year. Today we will conclude that list, so I hope you enjoy....



The first of a few Disney films that will make it on this list, Ratatouille has to be one of Pixar's most ingenuous films that bears some of the most brilliant subtext they have so far pieced together.


Stand By Me is a song, an aesthetic and a feeling, it is a dream of an unforgettable summer that dares to take a dive into a nightmare and find silencing melancholy: beautiful.


When analysing this film, you can't help but feel the hands of storytellers who are in complete control and who entirely lack fear. Dumbfounding.


Kurosawa is known for his epics, but Red Beard, an episodic drama, is certainly one of his stand-out features and a film of his I'd gladly watch before the likes of Seven Samurai and Rashoman.

    

Not a film, but a man and a career. Norman McClaren is certainly one of my favourite avant-garde cinema artists that I'm glad I got to cover on the blog in the depths we managed.


Again, not necessarily a film, but a representative of one of the most fascinating and unique epochs of film history: early Japanese cinema.


I never thought I'd love a James Franco movie for the reasons I love Interior. Leather Bar. Absurd, Godardian, but rife with personality - so much so that I shouldn't be referencing Godard.


Watching a Buster Keaton movie is truly humbling. Whilst we think we know how to make movies these days, I can't imagine putting any contemporary filmmaker back in the 1920s and seeing them stand a chance of making anything on the level of this true genius.


A obscure gem of film history: a once-classified series of films made to entertain and train American troops during WWII.


Truly stunning. Some of the best mainstream cinema of the last few years and a movie destined to be a classic. If your children aren't watching this, something has gone wrong in the world.


Considering Alien: Covenant, this is a down-heartening film. It certainly had the potential to start another Planet of The Apes trilogy. But... at least we got Prometheus.


The best horror film of... many decades. Imbued with subtext, character and sensibilities that very rarely find their way to a big screen, this was one of the best times I had in a theatre all year.


A masterpiece and another one for the film history books. In conversation with the current political climate that surrounds American cinema without being political (which is a true blessing), Moana is an exemplary gem of our times.


One of my favourite films of the year that I will not flinch in standing by. I wholeheartedly hope this doesn't fall into obscurity.


Irresistibly brilliant, Kiki's Delivery Service is a shining gem in Ghibli catalogue that bears one of their most touching characters so far conceived.


Preempting the self-reflexive Hollywood films of the 50s such as Singin' In The Rain and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter, Sullivan's Travels is sharp and lovable: a must-see.


Whilst it may not be Ghibli's most sophisticated film, Porco Rosso was a wondrous orchestration of character and emotion that resonated with my entire being.


Dripping with atmosphere and unconscious depth, The Seashell and The Clergyman is the surrealist masterpiece that your film history teachers should be referencing before Un Chien Andalou.


Like the musical, when a romance is done well, magical sparks fly, and they certainly soar from Sidewalls.


Emanating power, Dangal is a stunning sports movie that does all that you want and more. Simple, but brilliant.


Golden age Japanese cinema at its finest. I'm ashamed it took me so long to get around to a Mizoguchi picture.


"FUCKING--COME ON, SON!!". I haven't had to hold myself back from screaming in a room full of people like this in quite a while.


It took me years to figure out how to start explaining why I love this one.


Not a masterpiece, but a striking and highly exciting film that may be preempting a new kind of cinema, Gantz:O may be another one headed for the film history books.


A Ghibli masterpiece and one of their most sophisticated and multifaceted narratives. I won't promise more essays on this, but it's hard to do Princess Mononoke justice.


There we are. These are the films that I most enjoyed covering this year. I hope all you regular readers have your favourite posts and films covered and look forward to more in the coming year. The next list I will be compiling will use the End Of The Week Shorts as to tell you about the films I most enjoyed watching, so look forward to that soon.

Thanks, as always, for reading.






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Thoughts On's 50 Best Films Of 2017 Pt. 1

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Rust & Bone - What It Means To Love A Movie: The Objective-Subjective Cinematic Space

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