34 films of 2017, Part II: The Highs
2017 was one of my lesser movie years. On the plus side there are five categories. First, there were films I liked – but not enough to put them in a Top-list: THE LOST CITY OF Z; IT; Sönke Wortmann’s SOMMERFEST, probably his most satisfying work since DER BEWEGTE MANN (1994); LOVING; 20th CENTURY WOMEN; SIEBZEHN (from Austria!); LE SENS DE LA FÊTE; and, unexpectedly, BOSS BABY.
Additionally there were some films that I enjoyed more than I probably should have: PARIS CAN WAIT; GHOST IN THE SHELL; ROUGH NIGHT; HAPPY DEATH DAY; GIFTED.
Then there were several films that I enjoyed – but not as much as I had hoped for: GET OUT; DETROIT [drifting off after a strong start]; BORG/McENROE; GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2; SUBURBICON; WIND RIVER; RÜCKKEHR NACH MONTAUK [starring the divine Nina Hoss]; MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS; CAN I BE ME, and BABY DRIVER, featuring yet another overwrought Jamie Foxx act.
There were of course excellent TV shows like BABYLON BERLIN and especially the third season of FARGO, the final season of THE GOOD WIFE as well as the fifth season of HOUSE OF CARDS. They are not included because there were not one or two episodes that stuck out – and naming them as one didn’t seem fair.
That leaves twenty-one features that made my day. Or my year. (Counting down, the final mention being my favorite.) Until late in December there were only 20 films, but along danced Hugh Jackman, out of nowhere.
Additionally there were some films that I enjoyed more than I probably should have: PARIS CAN WAIT; GHOST IN THE SHELL; ROUGH NIGHT; HAPPY DEATH DAY; GIFTED.
Then there were several films that I enjoyed – but not as much as I had hoped for: GET OUT; DETROIT [drifting off after a strong start]; BORG/McENROE; GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 2; SUBURBICON; WIND RIVER; RÜCKKEHR NACH MONTAUK [starring the divine Nina Hoss]; MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS; CAN I BE ME, and BABY DRIVER, featuring yet another overwrought Jamie Foxx act.
There were of course excellent TV shows like BABYLON BERLIN and especially the third season of FARGO, the final season of THE GOOD WIFE as well as the fifth season of HOUSE OF CARDS. They are not included because there were not one or two episodes that stuck out – and naming them as one didn’t seem fair.
That leaves twenty-one features that made my day. Or my year. (Counting down, the final mention being my favorite.) Until late in December there were only 20 films, but along danced Hugh Jackman, out of nowhere.
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- DirectorLee UnkrichAdrian MolinaStarsAnthony GonzalezGael García BernalBenjamin BrattAspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.No. 21
After having watched the preview for COCO for more than six months, it took me quite a while to accept that the storyline was totally different from what I had expected. Young Miguel isn’t allowed to play music (or listen to it) because of a bad family memory. But on the Day of the Dead he is catapulted into the very lively afterworld where he learns that the truth is out there. It takes the film rather long to get going, but the last third is full of nice moves, good music and surprisingly complex thoughts about myth and mortality. This is one of the few films of 2017 that I’ve seen only once that I long to see again in 2018. - DirectorMichael ShowalterStarsKumail NanjianiZoe KazanHolly HunterPakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.No. 20
THE BIG SICK is close to the category “Films that I enjoyed – but not as much as I hoped for”. In the end though the story of a strange relationship between two unlikely lovers (Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan) – who overcome several hurdles, including a grave illness – stings with one-liners and clings to heart & brain. Holly Hunter and Ray Romano deserve a special mention as Emily’s parents. - DirectorAngela RobinsonStarsLuke EvansRebecca HallBella HeathcoteThe story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, and his polyamorous relationship with his wife and their mistress who would inspire his creation of the superheroine, Wonder Woman.No. 19
A sensitive and sensual account of a threesome that wasn’t supposed and not allowed to be in the early 1940’s: William Marston (Luke Evans), inventor of the lie detector AND creator of the “Wonder Woman”, loved his wife Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall), but also had a thing for his blonde student Olive (Bella Heathcote). Good thing then that Elizabeth and Olive enjoyed their company (and bodies) as well. PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN is tasty stuff, tastefully directed by Angela Robinson. - DirectorJordan Vogt-RobertsStarsTom HiddlestonSamuel L. JacksonBrie LarsonAfter the Vietnam war, a team of scientists explores an uncharted island in the Pacific, venturing into the domain of the mighty Kong and must fight to escape a primal Eden.No. 18
KONG: SKULL ISLAND is close to the category “Films that I enjoyed more than I probably should have”, but then again, the first half is on full throttle in an elegant way; mystery looming and Brie Larson looking stunning in a great landscape. The mise en scène has so much panache that I wanted to check Jordan Vogt-Roberts’s filmography immediately. Samuel L. Jackson tries to hijack the movie at some point, but when Kong finally stops him, ape and film get their act together again. - DirectorJames MangoldStarsHugh JackmanPatrick StewartDafne KeenIn a future where mutants are nearly extinct, an elderly and weary Logan leads a quiet life. But when Laura, a mutant child pursued by scientists, comes to him for help, he must get her to safety.No. 17
Right from the start LOGAN is more down-to-earth and brutal than anything else from the X-Men cosmos. But even for the greatest, most knowing X-Men fans there is another question: In which cosmos are we exactly? And in which timeline? Is this a continuation of THE WOLVERINE (2013), a powerhouse outing that largely played out in Japan? Or a follow-up of X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014) that astrayed on a different path?
Any which path, the unexpected optimism that flared up in that episode is gone. Instead we are informed that the X-Men are nearly extinct in the year 2029. And Wolverine, who only uses his “real” name Logan now, has hit bottom: an ageing drunk, poisoned from within. Living close to the Texmex border he tries to claw together enough money to take Professor X (Patrick Stewart) away and turn his back on society – with some urgency, because his 90-year-old mentor has lost control of his telepathic abilities and become a danger to everybody around him.
But then Logan finds out that the company that turned him into a mutant has mistreated several children. One of them is eleven-year-old Laura (tough: debutant Dafne Keen), seemingly mute and at the hands of unspeakable brutality. Reluctantly Logan starts to take care of her, commencing a journey with unsuspected consequences.
As a superhero movie LOGAN is the most unusual of its kind. It isn’t interested in the usual mechanisms of the genre, and vulnerability is no longer a gimmick. Early on you sense that this isn’t just another episode looking for new synergetic elements. It is rather a closed story, similar in structure to TERMINATOR 2 – back when nobody really knew that a dozen sequels or so were to follow. Director James Mangold, who set the title character free with THE WOLVERINE, is allowed to give him the kiss of death this time around.
LOGAN also has a different look than its predecessors: tough, dusty, without make-up and fearless in the sense of demolishing bridges behind and ahead of them. The movie is not as good as THE WOLVERINE, but in today’s Hollywood, where nothing is as important as sequels and prequels, it is something else: unique. Only time can tell, how serious the parties involved really are. - DirectorTaika WaititiStarsChris HemsworthTom HiddlestonCate BlanchettImprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.No. 16
Entertaining as hell, especially on first viewing, THOR: RAGNAROK comes dangerously close to being too much of a mock-up. But under Taika Waititi’s direction the mood stays loose, the jokes keep coming, the old characters breathe new life, and the cameos are as irresistible as the new protagonists (Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum). Finally, Cate Blanchett has a field-day as the dominating Hela, and like no Marvel film before this adventure finds a good reason why Iron Man and the Black Widow and so many other Avengers are missing, as well as to where The Hulk has been lately. Superman and Batman must be eating up their capes in envy. - DirectorAndré SchäferStarsJoachim KrólMavie HörbigerRob AshfordA documentary film based on Liverpool football club's anthem of the same name. The anthem originated from the 1909 Hungarian play 'Liliom' and was adapted by Rodgers and Hammerstein.No. 15
My favorite documentary of 2017: The story of a song (originally by Rodgers/Hammerstein) and how it became an anthem for Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund, two of the most flamboyant European football clubs. YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE is unexpectedly touching. And telling, because the song is so good that I didn’t mind hearing it round about 100 times in 100 minutes. - DirectorDavid YatesStarsEddie RedmayneKatherine WaterstonAlison SudolIn 1926, magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York during his worldwide tour to research and rescue magical creatures as something mysterious leaves trails of destruction in the city, threatening to expose the wizarding world.No. 14
A holdover from 2016, I wasn’t exactly keen of (re)visiting Potter territory, the Harry-man and his friends not being high on my list of fantasy films (I only liked two of the previous Rowling adaptations, Part 3 and 7.2). But a respected friend urged our family to go see FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. And I was befuddled by the good feeling I got watching Mr. Newt Scamander and his strange creatures. - DirectorPatty JenkinsStarsGal GadotChris PineRobin WrightWhen a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.No. 13
If somebody had told me a year ago that a DC movie would come close to cracking my Top 10, I would have laughed out loud. But here we are, with WONDER WOMAN coming very close. It even worked better on second viewing, because the usual over-the-top fireworks of the showdown made sense: That little devil Ares still tries to win Diana over, so he is not interested in killing her.
A lot has been made of the fact that WONDER WOMAN was put together by a woman. That’s fine with me, but I think the best decisions were the casting choices, giving us interesting faces every minute (look out for Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen and Elena Anaya, but of course also for Gal Gadot and Chris Pine). - DirectorAisling WalshStarsSally HawkinsEthan HawkeZachary BennettAn arthritic Nova Scotia woman works as a housekeeper while she hones her skills as an artist and eventually becomes a beloved figure in the community.No. 12
The title character of MAUDIE is some other kind of Wonder Woman. Maud Lewis is a character like there have been few before, if any. A handicapped and rather slow person born in Nova Scotia in the early 20th century, she insisted on making her own money in the 1930’s, even if that meant working as a housekeeper and living under the same roof as Everett Lewis, a very grinchy man (Ethan Hawke, not looking for sympathy) who’d have a hard time in the #MeToo era. Despite suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, Maudie makes her way as a painter of wonderfully naïve art. MAUDIE, directed by the Irish filmmaker Aisling Walsh, is a film that is too harsh to be mellow. - DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHarrison FordRyan GoslingAna de ArmasYoung Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.No. 11
“Quite an experience to live in fear, isn’t it?”
When I exited from BLADE RUNNER 2049 the first time, I was enthralled. My fear that a sequel to one of my favorite films might ruin a legend had been shattered.
I wrote down:
“The industrial fire that illuminated the nightly skies of Los Angeles in 2019, is gone. For that year BLADE RUNNER designed a vision that depressed the children of the sun: a moloch of too many men and wetness, frowning, hectic, tight and hostile. And now we return to the city that has become even more repulsive in the meantime.
The neon lights have given way to a grey that’s close to obscurity. To get some bright lights you have to plunge into the streets, where the unambiguous digital ads jump on you like ravenous hyenas.
In this era, mankind has become not only an endangered species – but also a boring one. The androids have become much livelier, at least those being followed by Agent K (Ryan Gosling) who has a close connection to his holographic partner (the wondrous Ana de Armas). K, who is being mentored by Lieutenant Joshi (imperial but underused: Robin Wright), stumbles upon the remains of a body, that is not only illegal but defies the laws of A.I. and bio genetics.
All of his life K managed nicely without a soul. But these times are over, as soon as the past takes control. K’s detective work isn’t limited anymore to finding and killing Blade Runners like Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who has vanished 30 year ago. K also starts to doubt his own identity and therefore wants to find out more about the origins of his memories, especially the one with a wooden horse that has been haunting him for years.
The filmmakers try to connect BLADE RUNNER and BR2049 in subtle ways. Some of them work perfectly fine. You don’t have to know the original to understand the new story. But it deepens the experience and the pleasure if you know about the back story.”
After the second viewing I’m not totally sure anymore.
Many things were still beautiful (the scenery, the music, the lighting, the intermingling of real bodies and imagined ones), but the rhythm of BR2049 suddenly felt a little lazy rather than poetic. And the things that had bothered me the first time around had gained even more weight: the length and stupidity of the brawl between K and Deckard in Vegas; the fact that K thinks he might have been the juvenile with the wooden horse (and therefore Deckard’s child), although that simply doesn’t add up if you add the numbers of the timeline; the rather dull killer-character (Sylvia Hoeks) reminded me of films better be forgotten (like TERMINATOR 3); the fact that Deckard is relegated to being a spectator during the showdown; the fact that there are almost no interesting humans around; K’s unfulfilling exit.
Denis Villeneuve had done about everything right in his previous masterpieces (SICARIO and ARRIVAL), but whereas he had come up with perfect third acts there he kind of stumbled in BR2049. I still think it is a good film, albeit flawed, lacking the monolithic moments that made BLADE RUNNER one for the ages. At least that was my impression after the second viewing. Maybe I have to see BR2049 a third time. But will it still be shown at an appropriate theater? - DirectorMichael GraceyStarsHugh JackmanMichelle WilliamsZac EfronCelebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.No. 10
It takes audacity and stubbornness to produce musicals these days, and both are on grand display in THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. I’ve never been too fond of films where people start bursting out in tunes, but that doesn’t mean I cannot enjoy an Astaire or Kelly or Ginger or LA LA or MOULIN ROUGE! My initial enthusiasm for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN took me by surprise nevertheless, because I wasn’t expecting anything. It wasn’t too hard to resist the artificiality of the early moments. But then I felt tickled by the moments on the roof during “A Million Dreams” (the dancing bed-sheets), and the interplay between Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron and the choreography of “The Other Side” won me over. From then on the film found an irresistible rhythm, the highlights being “Come Alive”, “This is Me”, “Never Enough” and especially “Rewrite the Stars”.
Director Michael Gracey – who got more than a little help from Hugh Jackman’s buddy (and LOGAN director) James Mangold, it is said – has a great sense for movement and faces, and he has assembled actors to carry the film between its showy elements. Hugh Jackman has demonstrated his vast skills before, and Michelle Williams has a fairy-tale face anyway, so the revelations are the others: Rebecca Ferguson is great as The Diva, Zendaya is a discovery (at least for me), and Zac Efron finally gets a part that’s worthy of his talents. All that put together at a brisk pace makes for wondrous entertainment that never overstays its welcome.
The second viewing wasn’t quite as intoxicating, I have to admit. (Otherwise the film would have ranked even higher.) That had nothing to do with the negative press about P.T. Barnum’s bad demeanor towards his somewhat different entertainers. (I thought the film made pretty clear how close he came to being a snob.) The film just isn’t as audacious as MOULIN ROUGE! Or as funny as the Astaire musicals. It doesn’t have a lot of great lines or laughs, and it is thinking a bit too highly of itself and its message of brotherly love for all races, heights, and class. But watching it with a young, ignorant crowd that couldn’t keep quiet or concentrated two seconds I couldn’t help but feeling proud of the way THE GREATEST SHOWMAN holds its course and stays true to itself. Is it a hoax? I don’t think so. But even if it turns out to be one after all, it is an eye- and ear-catching one.
And “Rewrite the Stars” stands out as one of the magic moments of the year. - DirectorDoug LimanStarsTom CruiseDomhnall GleesonSarah WrightThe story of Barry Seal, an American pilot who became a drug-runner for the CIA in the 1980s in a clandestine operation that would be exposed as the Iran-Contra Affair.Tom Cruise has been around for quite a while now. RISKY BUSINESS, his big first solo success, was released in the summer of 1983. And although his grin has been headache-inducing at times and although his antics and preferences in private life have been exhausting, he is still at the top of his game. That is because he had the good sense of partnering up with some of best directors, writers and actors, and because he has made a lot of great choices.
Let me name just the best movies in his career: THE COLOR OF MONEY, JERRY MAGUIRE, RAIN MAN, EDGE OF TOMORROW (probably the most underrated movie of the century), COLLATERAL, MINORITY REPORT and the whole MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE experience.
Astounding, isn’t it? (And I refrained from including interesting films [LAST SAMURAI, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, THE FIRM, INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, EYES WIDE SHUT, VANILLA SKY, VALKYRIE, WAR OF THE WORLDS, TROPIC THUNDER, OBLIVION] and guilty pleasures [COCKTAIL, DAYS OF THUNDER, FAR & AWAY, KNIGHT & DAY, JACK REACHER 2].)
As an actor, Cruise surely has his limits, almost always playing the ass-munch that’s being kicked in the butt before becoming a better person. And some of his best work is dating back to movies in which he played second fiddle: as the pool-playing contender losing his playfulness in THE COLOR OF MONEY (pushing Paul Newman to win an Oscar), as the jerk-off brother in RAIN MAN (pushing Dustin Hoffman to win an Oscar), as the maniacal guru in MAGNOLIA, as the slick lawyer giving Jack Nicholson all the space in A FEW GOOD MEN, before rising and going eye-to-eye during the showdown.
And now AMERICAN MADE proves that he is still able to surprise you as an actor. As the hyperbolic drug smuggler Barry Seal he gives you the impression that the pilot who was making deals with the CIA, the FBI, Escobar and other drug lords thought he was part of a big adventure. And he just could not say no. The film works brilliantly as a satire of the American Dream: If Barry can make it in South America, he can make everywhere. Cruise is not shying away from looking sweaty and wasted and seeming out of his league, which makes him look human for the first time in a lot of years. And he’s pulling off the paranoid part of the story without weighing down the movie.
There are incredible jokes about the stacks of money and the problems that illegal cash can give you; the tone of the film, with its pseudo-documentary explanations and hilarious drawings, is deceivingly joyous. The director, Doug Liman, has always experimented with different genres. This time you get more than you ever asked for. Which might explain why the movie underperformed at the box office: It was just too much for most Cruise fans – while the others stayed away because of their Cruise prejudices. Boy, did they miss out! - DirectorJohn MaddenStarsJessica ChastainMark StrongGugu Mbatha-RawIn the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C. But when taking on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds winning may come at too high a price.No. 8
Whenever a movie reminds me of the great days of Sydney Pollack and/or Alan J. Pakula, this makes me perfectly happy. MISS SLOANE, the story of a lobbyist under fire, did just that. Jessica Chastain was fabulous in the lead, and she is surrounded and supported by loads of excellent actors. I didn’t think John Madden could pull it off, but I was glad he convinced me otherwise. - DirectorBouli LannersStarsAlbert DupontelBouli LannersSuzanne ClémentTwo bounty hunters (Albert Dupontel and Bouli Lanners) are looking for a cell phone in the french countryside. They meet cowboys, fools and Jesus.No. 7
The movies have always been a place where you could be transported to different worlds. I’m not talking about galaxies far far away. Rather about places not too far away, that seem out of reach (or touch) anyway. Places that you wish to leave as soon as you’re there, but are glued to your brain in no time. It’s sort of disaster tourism, and you get the feeling during the perplexing Franco-Belgian film LES PREMIERS, LES DERNIERS (The first, the last). It’s taking place in a god-forsaken, flat, sad territory, with a milky light that seems to be dimmed several times. Nothing you can see can brighten up the view, and you wouldn’t know how to earn your living here. It’s a shock to find out that the area is only about a two-hour drive away from Paris.
Two men are sent to this inhospitable place in order to track down a stolen smart phone of a rich, shady business man: Cochise (cool: Albert Dupontel, who likes to pull his forehead into folds, as though a bright sun was forcing him to blink) and Gilou (Bouli Lanners). Both of them aren’t exactly models from a catalogue: in their early fifties, worn-out and with no sense of style. You could mistake them for French rednecks. Their mission is made more difficult because the wanted phone is hardly on – the petty thief Willy doesn’t really know how to use it. Travelling with the slightly handicapped Esther, Willy is looking for something or fleeing from someone, you wouldn’t know it in the beginning.
LES PREMIERS, LES DERNIERS brings the two couples together, but only after you’ve come to know them; and after they have made the acquaintance with some locals: a lonely single parent (a knockout, again: Suzanne Clément); two silent old fellas who could be the fathers of the trackers (Michael Lonsdale and Max von Sydow acting as if they were auditioning for a Jarmusch- or Kaurismäki-movie); and a bunch of gangsters, who think of themselves as cool but are so dim-witted that they invite some slapstick to the film. Joining them is a stranger who calls himself Jesus and acts a little like him as well.
Make no mistake: The film isn’t out for metaphors. The danger of getting overweight with meaning is avoided by making everything simple on the first level. Anyone who wants to read more into a dying deer or a wound in a hand is invited to do so – but first and foremost the story and the actions are straightforward, full of dry humor and very laconic.
Understandably comparisons to Quentin Tarantino were drawn quickly, but LES PREMIERS, LES DERNIERS is very different, starting with the courage to be silent so often. The characters are drawn out fully even without dialogues. If this work has a relative, then it is HELL OR HIGH WATER, the sublime Texas thriller that had a comparable perspective on the dour life in the wastelands and offered great roles for Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham and several pivotal supporting turns. Like HELL OR HIGH WATER this one practically came out of nowhere, especially since director Bouli Lanners is an unknown in Germany. Every now and then, I started to worry Lanners might give in and betray his characters for the sake of some jokes. Luckily that never happened. - DirectorJonathan DaytonValerie FarisStarsEmma StoneSteve CarellAndrea RiseboroughThe true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.No. 6
Emma Stone and Steve Carell are a cinematic match made in heaven. Unlike Emma and Ryan Gosling they haven’t spent that much time together on screen (they shared just a few scenes in CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.), but their chemistry is perfect in BATTLE OF THE SEXES. Stone is maybe too good (and nice) to be the true Billie Jean King, who had to overcome lots of barriers to establish a women’s tennis-tour in the early 1970’s. Steve Carell is a scene-stealing clown as ex-pro Bobby Riggs, stubborn, sexist and likeable nevertheless. Together they push BATTLE OF THE SEXES way beyond the sweet spot, and they give the film a feeling of political urgency that makes it à point in 2018. - DirectorTheodore MelfiStarsTaraji P. HensonOctavia SpencerJanelle MonáeThe story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.No. 5
History lessons don’t regularly become entertaining movies. HIDDEN FIGURES manages to be both at the same time. The story of several black (!!) women (!!) who happened to help the American space missions in the 1960’s is so good that you wonder how they managed to keep it under wraps for so long. Taraji Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe form a inspiring trio, and while you probably think the ignorance of the white men might be drawn a bit too thick, I am convinced the situations are understated. That’s part of the appeal of the whole movie: He doesn’t feel the need to overemphasize. The situations mostly speak for themselves. - DirectorJosef HaderStarsJosef HaderPia HierzeggerGeorg FriedrichWhen Georg loses his job, he conceals the fact from his younger wife Johanna, who wants a child with him. Instead, he embarks upon a campaign of revenge against his former boss and begins to renovate a roller-coaster with an old school friend.No. 4
The story of a midlife crisis of an Austrian douchebag, WILDE MAUS is a brilliant satire: a sharp, honest, brutal, intelligent, crazily funny dissection of men’s weaknesses. As a whiny Arts editor who cannot cope with his dismissal Josef Hader is both an asshole and a likeable, if feeble creature. In his directing debut he shows a talent for timing and the absurd. WILDE MAUS is everything the abominable FIKKEFUCHS [see: The Lows of 2017] strived for but fell short of. - DirectorDavid LeitchStarsCharlize TheronJames McAvoyJohn GoodmanAn undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.No. 3
This is no guilty pleasure, because I’m dead serious about this choice. I think ATOMIC BLONDE is going to be a classic. Not on the level of, let’s say… MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. But the naysayers will become a minority, and the sheer physicality, the intensity, the handmade quality and the daring choreographies of the action scenes will be acknowledged someday soon. Charlize Theron is a goddess of action, and ATOMIC BLONDE substantiates that impression.
Complaints that the film has nothing to say are beside the point. This is a fantasy about Lorraine, a female agent living on the edge and riding the bloody waves of politics as if she were surfing. Director David Leitch has fun letting her loose to the beats of the late 1980’s, when the Iron Curtain came down. And I had a great time following her path of destruction, with Lorraine hanging tough in a men’s world. - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsFionn WhiteheadBarry KeoghanMark RylanceAllied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.No. 2
I think it’s time to stop living a lie: I’m not a Nolan sceptic anymore. For years I doubted the English director at every possible occasion. I had my “But”s with FOLLOWING, MEMENTO, and INSOMNIA, I expressed unhappiness about certain elements in BATMAN BEGINS, THE PRESTIGE and INCEPTION, about THE DARK KNIGHT as well as THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Looking back I can see the reasons for those doubts. (I still cringe thinking about the last 30 minutes of INCEPTION.) But by now I see the positive mostly. The ideas, the scores, the visuals, the scope, and – yes! – the emotions. I stopped my nitpicking after the gorgeous INTERSTELLAR. And following up that glorious trip with DUNKIRK is telling a lot about the ambitions and skills of Nolan.
From the beginning Nolan has been experimenting with the laws of time, pulverizing the linear concept of seconds and minutes and hours and days in nearly all of his films. Perhaps the greatest moment until now had been in INTERSTELLAR, when Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway returned to their space shuttle after a one-hour-trip to a distant planet – realizing that in the meantime their colleague had aged more than 20 years.
In DUNKIRK Nolan does something else: He divides the film into three stories and three timelines. While the episode with a jet fighter takes one hour and the rescue operation of the civilians comprises a day, the nerve-wrecking hiatus at the beach of Dunkirk takes a week. This is not a gimmick. Never before have I experienced the passing of time on different levels with such eye-opening immediacy. The rest is an excellent, uncompromising, unsentimental war movie. - DirectorPaul KingStarsBen WhishawHugh GrantHugh BonnevillePaddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.No. 1
Seriously? You betcha!
First of all I think this is a swell movie, put together with love, attention to little things and fantastic timing. There isn’t one bad cut or a mise en scène gone wrong. Not one inappropriate word, not a bad costume or setting. And seldom before has British nonchalance looked so cool and stylish. But this is only one third of the genius of this film.
The second is that it is a comedy, but works like a thriller – without having to come up with a murder or a corpse. And although it is tight and trim it also has enough breathing space to feel light and easy. It’s like a perfect soufflé.
Finally, PADDINGTON 2 is an ode to kindness, humaneness, and good-heartedness. You have to be careful with these three things nowadays, because if it’s put together badly it feels sticky very soon. But here everything is perfectly credible, including the new faces, Brendan Gleeson and Hugh Grant, two bad guys who are not that bad. (Nicole Kidman was great as a baddie in PADDINGTON, but she was almost too terrifying for the picture.)
So, while there was no MIDNIGHT IN PARIS or MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, no GRAVITY, TOY STORY 3 or INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS in 2017, it makes me proud to have PADDINGTON 2 as my No. 1 film of 2017.