Nell Minow’s Best (And Worst) Movies of 2017

Posted on December 20, 2017 at 2:11 pm

Here’s the best and worst of what I saw at the movies this year:

The best, in alphabetical order:

Baby Driver — This high-octane fairy tale was brilliantly conceived and edited, with everything we heard on that magnificently-curated soundtrack what the title character was listening to.

The Big Sick — Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Y. Gordon turned their real-life love story into the year’s most endearing romantic comedy.

Call Me By Your Name — The lush Northern Italian setting matches the rapture and longing of first love in this tender film from director Luca Guadagnino.

Darkest Hour — Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Ben Mendelsohn are magnificent in this story of Winston Churchill, from the day he became Prime Minister to the evacuation of Dunkirk.

Faces Places — Filmmaker Agnes Varda and artist JR take a road trip in this marvelous documentary about the power of art and friendship.

The Florida Project — Director Sean Baker has made the best movie to show us the adult world from a child’s point of view since “To Kill a Mockingbird.” For Moonee (the extraordinary Brooklynn Prince), the dingy motels and grubby fast food stands are no less magical and no less real than the neighboring delights of Disney World.

Get Out — Writer/director Jordan Peele made a genre horror film into the most potent statement on screen this year about race, cannily playing the conventions of the genre and the discomfort and hostility about race off of each other.

Lady Bird — Greta Gerwig wrote and directed this irresistible story of a girl’s last year of high school, a deceptively episodic tale that captures with breathtaking precision that liminal moment when teenagers manage to mash-up grandiosity that stretches to infinity and soul-crushing insecurity.

The Post — This is a moving story of a shy socialite finding her voice (Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in one of her all-time best performances) as her small, local paper, The Washington Post, discovers its voice, too, the compelling, inspiring story of journalists who will risk everything to make sure Americans learn the truth about their government.

The Shape of Water — A rhapsodic fairy tale love story with elements of a Cold War spy saga and a black and white musical number, filled with gorgeous images and a dazzling performance by Sally Hawkins as a mute cleaning lady in a secret government lab.

Special mention: Wonder, Wonderstruck, Blade Runner 2049, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, The Disaster Artist, Novitiate, Band Aid, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Step, Abacus, 11/8/16, Coco, The Wedding Plan, Mudbound, Patti Cake$, The Trip to Spain, Dave Made a Maze, Columbus, Thor: Ragnarok, Landline, Dunkirk, Maudie, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Beauty and the Beast

And the worst:

Bad Moms Christmas

Book of Henry

The Circle

The Dark Tower

Fist Fight

Ghost in the Shell

The Great Wall

How to Be a Latin Lover

Kidnap

Killing of a Sacred Deer

mother!

The Mummy

Phantom Thread

Suburbicon

Related Tags:

Critics Lists

BBC’s Top 25 Funniest Movies

Posted on September 2, 2017 at 8:00 am

The BBC surveyed critics to come up with the top 25 funniest movies of all time. Of course there’s a lot of overlap with the AFI list. And some of the movies are just what you might guess: “Some Like it Hot,” “Airplane,” “Blazing Saddles.” If by any chance you’ve overlooked any of these, please try to find them. If you’ve seen them, watch them again!

Indiewire: Best Comedies since 2000

Posted on July 7, 2017 at 8:00 am

Indiewire has put together a list of the best movie comedies of the 21st century — so far.

Of course, lists are just the way to start a conversation/argument, not definitive, and it’s debatable whether some of these even count as comedies, but it’s a good reminder as you look over the possibilities on streaming services.

The obligatory complaint about one left out:

Related Tags:

Comedy For Your Netflix Queue Lists

New York Times: Best Movies Since 2000

Posted on June 11, 2017 at 1:56 pm

New York Times critics Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott have listed their favorite films of the 21st century so far, with some help from filmmakers Kathryn Bigelow, Guillermo del Toro, Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, Richard Linklater, Robert Pattinson and Michelle Williams. Like any such list/ranking, it is best seen as a conversation-starter and Netflix-queue refresher rather than any kind of canon. Their list includes my favorite film of the 21st century (so far), “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” but also one of my least favorites, “Million Dollar Baby.” I was glad to see “Inside Out” on the list, and “Inside Llewyn Davis” and the underrated Steven Spielberg film, “Munich.” (And got a kick out of their admitted split over “A.I.” which provokes very mixed feelings in me.) As always from these critics, it is fun to read and think about because of its thoughtful assessments, a rare chance for critics to take a more distanced look at some of their favorites.

Related Tags:

Critics For Your Netflix Queue Lists

Lists, Lists, Lists: Best Last Lines, Best Matt Damon Performances, Best 21st Century Films (So Far), And Stars Pick Their Favorites

Posted on September 3, 2016 at 8:00 am

Movie lists are irresistible — to make and to debate. Here are three intriguing new ones.

My friend, Talk Easy podcast host and critic Sam Fragoso, has compiled a list ranking all of Matt Damon’s performances. I’d put “Stuck on You” higher and “The Good Shepherd” lower, but it is a great reminder of what a complex, thoughtful actor Damon is.

There are a lot of great movies, but not nearly as many great last lines. Mike McGranaghan of Screen Rant has assembled a great list of perfect movie cappers. I’d put his #4 as my #1.

And the BBC asked a group of critics to rank the top 100 movies of the first 16 years of the 2000’s. At the top of the list, the puzzlebox David Lynch film, “Mulholland Drive.”

And celebs including Rob Lowe, Amy Schumer, Josh Radnor, Ike Barinholtz, and Eric Dane responded to a #7favoritefilms Twitter hashtag with their picks.

Crank up those Netflix queues!