Top 5 Films of 2017

Honorable Mentions 

A Ghost Story

If this whole movie was as good as the Bonnie Prince Billy monologue in it, it’d be the best thing ever...But maybe worth watching just for that.    

(although the pie scene was pretty great too though) 

Dunkirk 

One of Nolan’s best - surprisingly moving, and the cinematography in this film is super dope.  

TOP 5: 

5-I Am Not Your Negro - 

Hands down the best documentary I’ve seen this year - It uses accounts from James Baldwin’s close friends as well as civil rights leaders Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers.

4-Get Out 

“Get Out” is super unique in the way it addresses racial tension and is the best horror comedy that’s come out in a while.  

3-Mother!

Mother is a psychological horror flick that will definitely make you feel super claustrophobic and uncomfortable.  Although the religious symbolism and allegories are pretty in your face - I feel like the meta/autobiographical layer to this film adds a psychological dissonance that sets it apart and makes it one of the best Aaronofksy films.  

2-Good Time  

This flick was billed as “crime drama”, but I feel like this label is a disservice to it (maybe because of the extremely low standards this genre generally has) - but it is unlike any film I've ever seen.  Directed by brothers, Ben and Josh Safdie - who have been influenced by John Cassavetes (especially after studying under Ray Carney at Boston University), this film brings you into an experience that’s a truly wild ride.  The soundtrack by Oneohtrix Point Never is my favorite of the year and adds to the sense of paranoia and the rushes of adrenaline.  

1-Endless Poetry

Chilean director Jodorowsky’s “Endless Poetry” is his second autobiographical film following 2013’s “Dance of Reality” (which was his first in 23 years), and basically picks up where “Dance of Reality” left off - telling the story of Jodorowsky’s birth as a poet and his process in becoming an artist.  “Endless Poetry” is equally as personal and a stronger film than it’s predecessor.  It’s very Felliniesque in it’s surrealism and is visually gorgeous.   At times it’s super moving and emotional but at other times it’s funny, and as a whole it’s truly a lot of fun and probably his most accessible film yet.  If you’re a fan of Jodorowksy’s earlier work and surrealist film than I can’t recommend this highly enough.