Following upon my Best Films of 2017 list, here’s everything else worth noting about what was a rather terrific year at the movies.
Best shot: above.
Best old-timer: Patrick Stewart in Logan.
Best newcomer: Dafne Keen in same.
Best original score: Jed Kurzel’s Alien Covenant, if “original” applies.
Best cinematography: Haven’t seen it but I hear Blade Runner 2 looked great.
Best thing that happened: Wonder Woman’s run through No Man’s Land in Wonder Woman.
Jesus Matt do you watch anything other than comic book movies and science fiction fantasies? Not really.
Thor then? I could go on.
Best thing about Thor: I don’t get tired of this shot of the dragon with jetpack arms chasing Thor:
Or this shot of electro-Thor figuring out how to use his power:
Walt Simonson is alive and well (literally) and the MCU just bowed to him for two plus hours.
OK, rank the 2017 comic book movies: Logan, Thor: Ragnarok, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. (Was there another one?)
Best doc: Faces Places was pretty great.
Best movie that didn’t make your list of the best movies of the year: I think The Post is bloody terrific. I also stump pretty hard for Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, and Let The Corpses Tan, both out of TIFF.
Movies that legit made me cry: Call Me By Your Name; Star Wars: The Last Jedi; and I turn into a puddle every time Laura reframes Logan’s cross as an “X.”
Movies, all-time, that have made me do that thing where I put my head in my hands and breathe after: Time of the Wolf (Haneke, 2003); Lake of Fire (Kaye, 2005); What Will People Say (Haq; 2017).
Movies not being released in f*&%$ing Canada until 2018 that I really, really wanted to see before finalizing my list: Phantom Thread; Paddington 2
Best blu-ray: I think this is the year I had to finally acknowledge (having acknowledged, frequently, in the past) that blu-ray is over. These kids today: they don’t even know what blu-ray is!
Meanwhile…: They re-opened the fucking CINESPHERE, y’all!
Haven’t been in the Cinesphere since I almost got killed trying to see RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK in 1997. #TIFF17 #Dunkirk pic.twitter.com/5HD4vFku1t
— Matt From Nowhere (@tederick) September 10, 2017
Best TV show: Oh man. For sheer water-cooler value, it’d be hard not to give it to Game of Thrones. (Or Star Trek: Discovery, if it comes to that.) For love, it’s gotta be Stranger Things. For unvarnished excellence I’d tag Mindhunter or Insecure. And the MVP award would definitely go to Orphan Black‘s gorgeous final season.
Movie most looking forward to next year: Marvel owns the front half, with Black Panther and Infinity War. And is it weird that having been so thoroughly rejuvenated by The Last Jedi, I’m actually half looking forward to seeing what Solo is like?