Film: Neek's Q4 2017
A list of all the 2017 films I saw between October and December, not ranked. In order of which I saw them. |
| 1 |  | Everything Everything
A Fever Dream
mother!: 5/5
A hopelessly misunderstood film that will become a revered classic in time, Mother benefits greatly from its unique cinematography, shining performances, and deeply felt story. It also happens to be one of the most fucked-up films I've yet seen. |
| 2 |  | Brand New
Science Fiction
Blade Runner 2049: 4/5
A beautiful and aching experience with some important questions in its mind and emotions in its heart. Regardless, one can't help but feel its a half-hour over long thanks to some incredulous scenes of hand-holding with the audience and pointless plot threads that seems only to point towards a sequel. |
| 3 |  | Fazerdaze
Morningside
The Florida Project: 3.5/5
A beautiful, moving film that understands the boundary between drama and comedy is so thin that it often blends the two in a blissful and admirable way. However, it suddenly and immediately falls flat on its face with one of the worst and most jarring endings I've ever seen in my life; one that can either be understood as a complete miscalculation of its own themes or as turning the entire film into an advertisement for Disney World. |
| 4 |  | Converge
The Dusk in Us
It Comes at Night: 3/5
A fascinating but deeply frustrating experience, "It Comes at Night" works playfully in the shadows of ambiguity until it comes to a halfhearted and much to straightforward ending, making the whole thing look like a beautiful but slight student film. |
| 5 |  | Blood Cultures
Happy Birthday
Thor: Ragnarok: 4/5
Thor: Ragnarok remains a joyful and arresting experience, and much a more heartfelt one than what the audience might have expected. This isn't to say that there aren't some moral oddities and an extremely jumbled narrative, however. |
| 6 |  | The Afghan Whigs
In Spades
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: 4.5/5
A beautiful and heart-wrenching film that balances quiet moments of deep drama with moments of operatic domino-effect crime, but not quite as well as it should. |
| 7 |  | Drake
More Life
Justice League: 3/5
While an admittedly enjoyable film in the stagnating DC franchise, Justice League ultimately falters due to a hopelessly uncreative plot and the most distractingly bad villain the superhero genre yet. |
| 8 |  | Phoebe Bridgers
Stranger In The Alps
Lady Bird: 4.5/5
Lady Bird is an endlessly likable and warm film, but nevertheless an obtuse script that sometimes seems strangely out of touch with its audience. However, film never takes the easy route through its problems. The most frustrating things about this can easily be explained by the fact that this film simply wasn't made for me, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it as a great work of art. It also grew on me massively the second time around. |
| 9 |  | The Murlocs
Old Locomotive
Murder on the Orient Express: 3.5/5
An enjoyable film that unfortunately requires the audience to turn off its brain to have fun despite being about intelligence. Somehow it seems far too long and yet whizzes through information far too fast, but it's saved by the confidence of its script and direction. Fake it till you make it epitomized in a motion picture. |
| 10 |  | PVRIS
All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell
Coco: 4.5/5
Two-thirds your average great Pixar movie with an incredible new world to explore and all the routine story beats that come with it, one-third a perfect conclusion that renders the film a must-see for anyone with a soul. |
| 11 |  | The War on Drugs
A Deeper Understanding
Detroit: 3.5/5
While the actors provide the intensity and terror to make the film an important viewing experiences, the film simply lacks the passion or rage necessary to create an essential viewing experience due to it being a black story told by white voices. |
| 12 |  | Lorde
Melodrama
The Disaster Artist: 4.5/5
Tommy forever longed for a story worthy of a great tragic drama like those of Tennessee Williams; little did he know that his own was the one he was looking for. |
| 13 |  | Benjamin Clementine
I Tell A Fly
The Shape of Water: 4.5/5
The Shape of Water exhibits a feeling of warmth and love that sweeps into every frame like an unstoppable tide, something that is sorely lacking in recent cinema. While it has it's fair share of predictability, it's a small price to pay for the absorbing and beautifully crafted film del Toro has gifted us with here. |
| 14 |  | Queens of the Stone Age
Villains
Star Wars: The Last Jedi: 5/5
While some pacing and narratively can be glaring, the eight installment of the franchise succeeds largely due to its deep questioning of the saga's long-held themes, and a few things to actually say to the audience. Visually its beyond astounding, the acting is better than a Star Wars film usually deserves, and the script is smart as hell, if shaky at times. And if it seems like I've listed too many faults to give this a 5, well... It's Star Wars. What do you expect? |
| 15 |  | Chelsea Wolfe
Hiss Spun
The Void: 3.5/5
The Void proves that a big budget isn't needed to deliver some great scares and ridiculously impressive effects, just some creative ideas and a solid script. |
| 16 |  | Fictionist
Sleep Machine
Beyond Skyline: 3.5/5
It manages to do what it's wretched previously installment couldn't, create an enjoyable, engaging, visually-pleasing, and most of all good sci-fi action romp, with none of the boredom and grim-dark tendencies that plagued it's predecessor either. |
| 17 |  | Julien Baker
Turn Out The Lights
Call Me By Your Name: 5/5
A deeply moving endeavor into the depths of love and the subsequent loss. It features a uniquely blissful and somber atmosphere that's too perfect to adequately describe, and a viciously smart script to boot. It's not the kind of story that can end any other way, and yet you still ache every step of the way despite it. |
| 18 |  | Brockhampton
SATURATION
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle: 3.5/5
Sure there's not much in the way of deep characters and the cheese sometimes gets turned to 11, but don't kid yourself, this is just that kind of movie. And thanks to confident performances, ridiculous plotting, a heart for humor and a head for wit, well, it's that kind of movie and more. |
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